The application of interactive whiteboard in vacabulary instruction at le lai primary school a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts in tesol

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH OPEN UNIVERSITY LE THANH TRUC PHUONG THE APPLICATION OF INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD IN VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION AT LE LAI PRIMARY SCHOOL A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (TESOL) Ho Chi Minh City, 2020 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH OPEN UNIVERSITY LE THANH TRUC PHUONG THE APPLICATION OF INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD IN VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION AT LE LAI PRIMARY SCHOOL Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Major code: 60140111 MASTER OF ART IN TESOL Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr NGUYEN NGOC VU Ho Chi Minh City, 2020 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that this thesis entitled “The Application of The Interactive Whiteboard in Vocabulary Instruction at Le Lai Primary School” is my own work Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis does not contain material published elsewhere or extracted in the whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of the thesis This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution Ho Chi Minh City, 2020 Le Thanh Truc Phuong i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my gratefulness and deep thank to all who have supported me in writing up my dissertation Firstly, I would like to send my big thank to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Nguyen Ngoc Vu, for his valuable guidance, advice and suggestions I really appreciated his kindness, patient guidance when I was stuck in finding solutions for my thesis Undoubtedly, without his support, this thesis is far from being completed Therefore, I need to emphasize that words fail me in expressing my indebtedness to him Next, I would like to express my appreciation to Le Lai Primary School, teachers, parents and students taking part in the research Thus, I wish to say thanks my foreign colleagues who read my words and gave me good comments on my writing styles and word choice Their cooperation, assistance and contributions have been vital for my thesis Furthermore, I am greatly indebted all lecturers who provided background knowledge at Master program in Ho Chi Minh Open University, Vietnam The precious background guided me to the scientific arena as well as improve my personal skills to conduct research papers Last but not least, my words of appreciation are sent to my family members for their sacrifice and their endless love It is worth naming the kindness of my beloved husband in giving me big encouragement, patience and support ii ABSTRACT Given that the rapid growth of technology, the Interactive Whiteboard takes priority in educational settings around the world Unlike schools in developed countries, only Vietnamese public elementary schools in big cities of Vietnam have been newly supplied with this teaching aid since 2014, including Le Lai primary school Due to its new application, therefore, the overall aim of the study was to evaluate the success of integrating the Interactive Whiteboard into vocabulary lessons in developing the fourth graders’ vocabulary achievement, vocabulary retention and positive learning attitudes The fourteen-week quasi-experimental study was conducted on the two classes 4/1 and 4/3 with the participation of 81 fifth graders as the control group and the experimental group, respectively The instruments included three vocabulary tests (e.g one pre-test, one post-test and one delayed posttest); the attitudinal questionnaire and the semi-structured interview Whilst the quantitative data were numerically analyzed by SPSS 20.0, the qualitative data were thematically analyzed The findings of the study indicated that the Interactive Whiteboard activities positively contributed to the fourth graders’ vocabulary achievement and retention In other words, these interactive activities helped the students performed vocabulary tests better and retain the words longer Moreover, the fourth graders’ level of motivation, positive thought, and active behaviors considerably increased thanks to the Interactive Whiteboard Based on the research findings, the paper concluded with some pedagogical implications and a recommendation for further study in line of research on the Interactive Whiteboard application iii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF FIGURES viii LIST OF CHARTS ix LIST OF TABLES x Chapter INTRODUCTION 1.1.Background of the study 1.2.Problem Statement 1.3.Research Aims 1.4.Research Questions 1.5.Professional Significance of the Study 1.6.Organization of the Thesis Chapter LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Interactive Whiteboard 2.1.1 Introduction 2.1.2 Features and Functions 2.1.3 Benefits 10 2.1.4 Challenges 11 2.2 Vocabulary Instruction 12 iv 2.2.1 Definition of Vocabulary 12 2.2.2 Components of Vocabulary 12 2.2.3 Vocabulary Acquisition Process 13 2.2.4 Principles for Vocabulary Instruction 14 2.2.5 Vocabulary Retention 15 2.3 Young Learners 15 2.4 Learning Attitudes 17 2.4.1 Definition and Importance 17 2.4.2 Constructs 17 2.5 Previous Studies 18 2.6 Research Gaps 21 2.7 Research Hypotheses 23 2.8 Chapter Summary 23 Chapter 24 METHODOLOGY 24 3.1 Overall Approach 24 3.2 Research Context 25 3.3 Research Participants 26 3.4 Research Procedures 27 3.4.1 Materials 27 3.4.2 Time Allotment 29 3.4.3 Training Procedure for the Experimental and Control Groups 31 3.5 Research Instruments 34 3.5.1 Vocabulary Tests 35 v 3.5.2 Attitudinal Questionnaire 37 3.5.3 Semi-structured Interview 39 3.6 Analysis Methodology 41 3.6.1 Vocabulary Tests 41 3.6.3 Attitudinal Interview 42 3.7 Methodological Issues: Validity, Reliability, Ethics, Triangulation 42 3.7.1 Validity 43 3.7.2 Reliability 44 3.7.3 Ethics 45 3.7.4 Triangulation 45 3.8 Chapter Summary 46 Chapter 47 DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 47 4.1.1 Tests 47 4.1.2 Questionnaire 59 4.1.3 Interview 66 4.2 Discussion of Findings 69 4.2.1 Research Question 70 4.2.2 Research Question 74 4.3 Chapter Summary 77 Chapter 78 CONCLUSION, LIMITATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 78 5.1 Conclusion 78 5.1.1 Research Question 78 vi 5.1.2 Research Question 79 5.2 Limitations and Strengths of the Study 80 5.2.1 Limitations 80 5.2.2 Strengths 80 5.3 Implications for This Study 81 5.4 Recommendations for Further Study 82 5.5 Chapter Summary 83 REFERENCES 84 APPENDICES 91 APPENDIX A: LESSON PLANS FOR THE CONTROL GROUP 92 APPENDIX B: LESSON PLANS FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP 104 APPENDIX C.1: PRE-TEST SAMPLE 116 APPENDIX C.2: POST-TEST SAMPLE 117 APPENDIX C.3: DELAYED POST-TEST 120 APPENDIX D.1: QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH VERSION) 123 APPENDIX D.2: QUESTIONNAIRE (VIETNAMESE VERSION) 125 APPENDIX E.1: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (ENGLISH VERSION) 128 APPENDIX E.2: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (VIETNAMESE VERSION) 129 APPENDIX F: TEST SCORES OF THE GROUPS 130 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 A picture of the Interactive Whiteboard viii APPENDIX C.2: POST-TEST SAMPLE Matching the words with pictures (2.5 points) summer crayon postcards penguin have breakfast waterski Decide True or False (2.5 points) THE WEATHER IN VIETNAM Hi! My name’s Phuong, and I’m from Ho Chi Minh City We have two seasons here, dry and rainy In the dry season, it doesn’t rain and the trees turn brown We go for picnics and play outside because we know we won’t get wet In the rainy season, it rains a lot The rain comes very fast and people can get very wet We take raincoats with us when we go out We don’t know when the rain will start It doesn’t last long, and it isn’t cold The weather in Ho Chi Minh City is warm all year round! Questions: 117 True Phuong comes from Ho Chi Minh City There are two seasons in Ho Chi Minh City It rains a lot in the dry season In the dry season, people take raincoats when they go out The rain comes very fast in the rainy season The weather is cold all year round in Ho Chi Minh City False x Reorder the following sentences into the dialogue (2.5 points) A This is a beautiful park B You mustn’t pick the flowers C No, you mustn’t play here Let’s go to the playground D Oh, Ok Let’s play with this ball E Yes, it is Oh, look at the flowers F That’s a good idea! 0: A 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: Complete the passage with given words in the box (2.5 points) walking in the jungle A big net falls over the (1) …………… The lion is (0) …………… The lion opens its (2) …………… and roars The mouse hears the lion and it runs to help “I can help you,” says the (3) …………… The mouse chews the net and makes a big hole The lion is (4) …………… “Thank you,” says the lion “You are little, but you are (5) …………… ” Example: 118 Example walking mouth free lion mouse kind 119 APPENDIX C.3: DELAYED POST-TEST Matching the words with pictures (2.5 points) penguin waterski crayon summer postcards have breakfast Reorder the following sentences into the dialogue (2.5 points) A This is a beautiful park B You mustn’t pick the flowers C No, you mustn’t play here Let’s go to the playground D Oh, Ok Let’s play with this ball E Yes, it is Oh, look at the flowers F That’s a good idea! 0: A 1: 2: 3: 120 4: 5: Decide True or False (2.5 points) THE WEATHER IN VIETNAM Hi! My name’s Phuong, and I’m from Ho Chi Minh City We have two seasons here, dry and rainy In the dry season, it doesn’t rain and the trees turn brown We go for picnics and play outside because we know we won’t get wet In the rainy season, it rains a lot The rain comes very fast and people can get very wet We take raincoats with us when we go out We don’t know when the rain will start It doesn’t last long, and it isn’t cold The weather in Ho Chi Minh City is warm all year round! Questions: True Phuong comes from Ho Chi Minh City In the dry season, people take raincoats when they go out It rains a lot in the dry season The weather is cold all year round in Ho Chi Minh City There are two seasons in Ho Chi Minh City The rain comes very fast in the rainy season False x Complete the passage with given words in the box (2.5 points) walking in the jungle A big net falls over the (1) …………… The lion is (0) …………… The lion opens its (2) …………… and roars The mouse hears the lion and it runs to help “I can help you,” says the (3) …………… The mouse chews the net and makes a big hole The lion is (4) …………… “Thank you,” says the lion “You are little, but you are (5) …………… ” 121 Example: walking mouth kind lion free mouse 122 APPENDIX D.1: QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH VERSION) This questionnaire is to collect information for the study of the effect of the Interactive Whiteboard on learning vocabulary at Le Lai primary school I really appreciate your great contribution to the study and I ensure that all information in this questionnaire is only served for the purpose of the study Thank you for your cooperation! PART 1: BACKGROUND INFORMATION Gender:  Male Age (years old):  10 To English learning:  Like I am taking other English courses:  Female  11  Uncertain  Yes  Dislike  No PART 2: RESPONSES Item Totally disagree Statement Disagree Affective Attitudes (A) A1 I like learning vocabulary with the Interactive Whiteboard A2 Learning vocabulary with the Interactive Whiteboard is interesting A3 Learning vocabulary with the Interactive Whiteboard is exciting A4 The Interactive Whiteboard motivates me to learn vocabulary A5 I feel comfortable when learning vocabulary with the Interactive Whiteboard A6 I like manipulating functions of the Interactive Whiteboard A7 I find the difference between blackboard and the Interactive Whiteboard in learning vocabulary Cognitive Attitudes (C) 123 Uncertain Agree Totally agree C8 The Interactive Whiteboard is useful for my vocabulary learning C9 Learning vocabulary with the Interactive Whiteboard is effective C10 The Interactive Whiteboard helps me practice vocabulary in various ways C11 I can memorize word forms longer thanks to the Interactive Whiteboard activities C12 I can understand word meanings better thanks to the Interactive Whiteboard activities C13 I can know the position of words in a sentence (word use) thanks to the Interactive Whiteboard activities C14 I can pronounce vocabulary more accurately thanks to the Interactive Whiteboard activities Behavioral Attitudes (B) B15 I participate eagerly in the Interactive Whiteboard activities B16 I concentrate longer on vocabulary lessons through the Interactive Whiteboard B17 I want to much more the Interactive Whiteboard activities B18 I want to participate collectively in vocabulary lessons with the Interactive Whiteboard B19 I want my teacher to use the Interactive Whiteboard in my vocabulary lessons more often 124 APPENDIX D.2: QUESTIONNAIRE (VIETNAMESE VERSION) Bảng câu hỏi để thu thập thông tin cho đề tài nghiên cứu tác động trò chơi việc học từ vựng thông qua hoạt động bảng tương tác học sinh lớp trường tiểu học Lê Lai Xin vui lòng trả lời cách đánh dấu tick (√) vào ô Cô thực đánh giá cao đóng góp to lớn cho nghiên cứu cô đảm bảo tất thông tin bảng câu hỏi phục vụ cho mục đích nghiên cứu Cám ơn hợp tác con! PHẦN 1: THÔNG TIN CÁ NHÂN Giới tính:  Nam  Nữ Tuổi:  10  11 Học tiếng Anh:  Thích  Khơng chắn  Khơng thích Em tham gia khóa học tiếng Anh khác:  Có  Khơng PHẦN 2: CÂU TRẢ LỜI Câu Nội dung A1 Con thích học từ vựng với bảng tương tác A2 Con cảm thấy học từ vựng với bảng tương tác thật thú vị A3 Con cảm thấy học từ vựng với bảng tương tác thật hứng thú A4 Bảng tương tác tạo động lực cho học từ vựng A5 Con cảm thấy thoải mái học từ vựng bảng tương tác, A6 Con thích thực thao tác bảng tương tác A7 Con thấy có khác biệt việc giáo viên sử dụng bảng đen bảng tương tác Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý 125 Khơng đồng ý Khơng Đồng ý Hồn tồn đồng ý C8 Bảng tương tác thật hữu ích việc học từ vựng C9 Học từ vựng với bảng tương tác thật hiệu C10 Bảng tương tác giúp luyện tập từ vựng theo nhiều cách khác C11 Con nhớ từ lâu nhờ vào hoạt động bảng tương tác C12 Con hiểu nghĩa từ tốt nhờ vào hoạt động bảng tương tác C13 Con biết xác vị trí từ câu nhờ vào hoạt động bảng tương tác C14 Con phát âm từ xác nhờ vào hoạt động bảng tương tác B15 Con tham gia hăng hái vào hoạt động bảng tương tác B16 Con tập trung lâu vào học từ vựng có sử dụng bảng tương tác B17 Con muốn tham gia nhiều vào hoạt động bảng tương tác B18 Con muốn tham gia vào học từ vựng có sử dụng bảng tương tác với bạn 126 B19 Con muốn cô giáo tiếp tục sử dụng bảng tương tác dạy từ vựng Cám ơn nhé! 127 APPENDIX E.1: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (ENGLISH VERSION) Question 1: Do you like learning vocabulary with the Interactive Whiteboard? Why? -Question 2: Which Interactive Whiteboard activities you like best? -Question 3: Do you find it effective to learn vocabulary with the Interactive Whiteboard? How? -Question 4: Do you eagerly participate in the Interactive Whiteboard activities? Why (not)? -Question 5: Would you like your teacher to use the Interactive Whiteboard activities further? 128 APPENDIX E.2: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (VIETNAMESE VERSION) Câu hỏi 1: Con có thích học từ vựng tiếng Anh với bảng tương tác không? Tại con? -Câu hỏi 2: Con thích hoạt động bảng tương tác nhất? -Câu hỏi 3: Con có thấy học từ vựng bảng tương tác hiệu khơng? Nó hiệu con? -Câu hỏi 4: Con có tham gia tích cực vào hoạt động học bảng tương tác không? Tại con? -Câu hỏi 5: Vậy có muốn giáo viên tiếp tục sử dụng hoạt động bảng tương tác để dạy từ vựng không? 129 APPENDIX F: TEST SCORES OF THE GROUPS Control group Experimental group Coded Student Pre-test Post-test Delayed Post-test Pre-test Post-test Delayed Post-test 7.5 7.5 8.0 6.5 7.0 8.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 7.0 7.5 6.0 6.0 7.0 5.0 5.0 6.5 5.5 6.0 7.5 6.0 4.5 5.0 4.5 6.0 6.5 4.0 6.5 5.0 5.0 5.5 6.0 8.0 8.0 8.5 8.0 8.0 9.0 6.0 6.5 7.5 6.0 7.0 9.0 6.5 5.5 6.0 5.0 7.0 7.5 10 5.0 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.0 8.0 11 7.0 6.0 7.0 5.5 6.5 7.5 12 5.5 5.0 6.0 7.5 7.0 7.0 13 6.5 5.5 7.0 4.5 6.0 6.0 14 4.5 6.0 8.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 15 7.5 6.0 8.0 8.0 7.0 7.5 16 6.5 6.0 7.0 6.0 6.0 7.0 17 4.5 6.0 6.5 5.0 6.0 7.5 18 5.5 6.0 6.5 5.0 6.5 8.0 19 7.5 5.0 5.5 5.5 7.0 7.5 20 6.0 7.5 7.0 4.0 6.0 6.0 21 4.5 4.5 5.5 6.0 7.0 7.5 22 4.5 6.5 6.5 4.5 6.5 8.0 23 6.5 5.5 6.0 4.5 5.0 6.0 24 7.5 6.5 7.0 7.0 8.0 8.5 130 25 7.0 6.5 8.0 7.5 9.0 9.0 26 5.0 6.0 6.5 6.0 7.0 7.5 27 7.5 8.5 8.5 6.0 8.5 9.0 28 6.0 7.0 7.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 29 5.5 6.5 6.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 30 5.0 5.0 6.0 7.5 7.5 7.5 31 6.5 5.5 7.0 5.5 5.5 6.0 32 7.0 7.0 7.5 5.0 5.0 6.5 33 6.0 4.5 6.0 7.5 8.0 8.5 34 5.5 6.0 6.5 6.0 8.0 7.0 35 5.5 7.0 7.0 4.5 6.0 7.0 36 7.5 6.5 7.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 37 5.5 5.5 5.5 6.5 8.0 8.5 38 6.5 6.0 6.5 6.5 7.5 8.0 39 4.5 4.5 5.5 6.5 7.0 7.5 40 4.5 6.5 7.0 4.0 5.0 6.5 6.0 6.0 7.0 41 131 ... teaching aid since 2014, including Le Lai primary school Due to its new application, therefore, the overall aim of the study was to evaluate the success of integrating the Interactive Whiteboard. .. methodological issues Data Analysis and Discussion of Findings: The indispensable chapter of the thesis contains an inclusive divulgence of the results of the study attained from the data analyses of the. ..MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH OPEN UNIVERSITY LE THANH TRUC PHUONG THE APPLICATION OF INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD IN VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION AT LE LAI PRIMARY SCHOOL Major: Teaching