Valuing Teachers'' Flexibility, Resourcefulness And Proactivity In Processes Of Educational Change Investigating Teachers'' Use Of Information And Communication Technology In English Language Teaching I

VALUING TEACHERS’ FLEXIBILITY, RESOURCEFULNESS AND PROACTIVITY IN PROCESSES OF EDUCATIONAL CHANGE: INVESTIGATING TEACHERS' USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN ENGLISH LANG

VALUING TEACHERS’ FLEXIBILITY, RESOURCEFULNESS AND PROACTIVITY IN PROCESSES OF EDUCATIONAL CHANGE: INVESTIGATING TEACHERS' USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BEN TRE PROVINCE, VIETNAM

LE HUNG VU

A thesis submitted to the University of Gloucestershire in accordance with the requirements of

the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Education

November, 2020

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ABSTRACT

This research investigates teachers’ perceptions of Information Communication Technology (ICT) use in English Language Teaching (ELT) in secondary schools in Ben Tre Province, Vietnam, to explore how they have used ICT in ELT and examine what obstacles they believe impede its effective integration in the classroom The relationship between the obstacles identified is investigated in detail to understand how ICT use in ELT may be enhanced

The research was conducted as a qualitative research in which data was collected through semi-structured interviews and observations of sixteen English teachers at four research sites Fullan’s (2015) Educational Change Theory (ECT) and Rogers’ (2003) Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DoIT) were combined into a unique theoretical framework that was used to guide the data collection and analysis Through this analysis, factors that facilitated and obstructed the integration of ICT in ELT were explored across three themes identified during the development of the theoretical framework These themes are: policy, technology, and people (including administrators, teachers, and students) In addition, a further underlying theme was suggested by the data that influenced the first three This theme was labelled ‘local characteristics’ and it covered culture, demography, economy, and infrastructure `

The outcomes of this research study revealed that factors within the theme of “people” were crucial to the successful integration of ICT in ELT It was found that English teachers who were flexible, resourceful and proactive were most successful at using ICT effectively in ELT However, the administrative skills of administrators combined with local characteristics created several obstacles during policymaking and technological implementation As a result, this research study makes a series of recommendations that support teachers in being flexible, resourceful and proactive These include: the use of open-source software and apps to replicate expensive devices such as the interactive whiteboard; and the establishment of local data centres with dedicated staff and devices instead of poorly equipped labs in schools It is hoped that the results and recommendations of this study will drive change within Ben Tre Province and contribute to future research within similar contexts

AUTHOR’S DECLARATION

I declare that the work in this thesis was carried out in accordance with the regulations

of the University of Gloucestershire and is original, except where indicated by specific reference in the text No part of this thesis has been submitted as part of any other academic award The thesis has not been presented to any other education institution in the United Kingdom or overseas

Any views expressed in the thesis are those of the author and in no way represent those of the University

Signed: Date:15 November, 2020

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to my two supervisors for their contributions, organisations in Vietnam, UOG staff, family members, and friends This thesis would have never been completed without the invaluable support

I sincerely thank my first supervisor, Professor Hazel Bryan, for her constant support throughout my research journey, from constructing my first research modules and developing the initial proposal to the final revision of my thesis It has been a great honour to have her

as my supervisor Her continued supervision, warm and heartfelt encouragement are a great motivation for me to continue and accomplish my PhD journey, particularly when I have struggled with not only my drafts but the anxieties I have felt for my family in Vietnam during the Covid-19 pandemic This thesis, again, would not have been possible without her guidance and encouragement

My many special thanks also go to my second supervisor, Doctor Eve Tandoi who has provided me with meticulous assistance, especially during my completion stage Her numerous detailed and critical comments helped better my thesis after each revision I have learnt a lot from her way of working with tiny details in each part of the thesis She has helped

me acquire how to write critically and inspired me to become an independent and responsible researcher Her support, explanation, and comments have encouraged me to complete this project

I would like to thank the Vietnamese Government and the Ministry of Education and Training for granting me a scholarship to pursue my PhD program I also highly appreciate the four headmasters and sixteen English teachers at the four secondary schools in Ben Tre Province that helped me with the data collection process as smoothly and effectively as possible This thesis would not have been completed without their outstanding cooperation

I would also like to acknowledge my teachers, colleagues, and friends who directly and indirectly contributed assistance and support to my thesis My deep gratitude goes to my teachers, Doctor John Hockey and Professor Ros Jennings for giving me such helpful

knowledge of research through the two research training modules Additionally, I am particularly grateful for the tremendous support of Cris Wassell, Janet Harrison, and Louisa Watts from the Student Achievement Team at UOG who helped me a lot to develop my assignments as well as enhance my academic writing skills I also send my big thank you to

Mr Le Van Hoang for his invaluable support and professional editing of the transcripts of the interview data My appreciation also extends to Mrs Le Dao Thanh Binh An and Miss Ann Nguyen for helping me proofread the thesis

Finally, the completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of my family I wish to extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation to my mother and my parents-in-law for their continuous support; I would especially like to dedicate this thesis to my late father who passed away a few months after I had been accepted to study in the UK I believe that beyond the veil, my father would be very happy knowing that I completed my programme as his last wish before saying goodbye Finally, I owe a great deal to my wife, Le Thi Mai Thy, who has sacrificed a lot for me to complete my study I also send my most special thanks to my beloved sons, Le Vinh Thac and Le Vinh Thinh, for their sympathy when I could not offer the responsibilities a father should whilst I completed my research study abroad

Thank you all and best wishes

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.2 Research Objective and Research Questions 7

1.3.1 A Brief History of Foreign Language Teaching in Vietnam 8 1.3.2 A Brief History of ICT Use in Vietnam 12 1.3.3 National and Regional Policy Context 15 1.3.4 An Introduction to Local Characteristics of Ben Tre Province 19

2.3 ICT’s Best Practices in ELT and Their Benefits 32 2.4 The Use of ICT in ELT in Classrooms 34 2.4.1 ICT Tools Used in ELT 35

2.4.3 ICT Used in Teaching Skills 40 2.5 Factors Affecting the Use of ICT in ELT 43

3.2 Rationale for Theoretical Framework 51 3.3 Educational Change Theory (ECT) (Fullan, 2015) 52 3.4 Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DoIT) (Rogers 2003) 59 3.5 The Coordination between DOI Theory and EC Theory Concerning ICT

use in ELT 65

4.3 Research Approaches and Strategies 77

4.3.2.1 Choosing the Research Sites 80

4.4 Research Designs and Procedures 87

4.4.4 The Role of the Researcher in this Study 96

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6.2 How ICT Has Been Used Effectively for ELT at Secondary Schools in

6.3 Obstacles That Impede the Effective Use of ICT in ELT at Secondary

6.4 The Relationship between the Factors Affecting the Use of ICT at

Secondary Schools in Ben Tre Province 172

6.5 The Causes of All Affecting Factors 191

Chapter 7: CONCLUSION 195

7.1.3.1 Relationship between Themes 203 7.1.3.2 The Constructed Model 205

7.2.1 Recommendations to enhance existing practice 209

7.3 Reflections on the Research Process 220 7.3.1 Limitation of the Research 220 7.3.2 Significance of the Research 221

Appendix 4: Sample for Transcripts and Thematic Coding of Interview Questions 252 Appendix 5: Table to Show the Reduction of Data 260