04051001802 tomtat the use of snss in forstering learner autonomy at a high school = (sử dụng mạng xã hội trong việc nâng cao năng lực tự chủ cho người học tại một trường trung học phổ thông)
INTRODUCTION
Rationale of the study
Learner autonomy is widely recognized as a core element contributing to the success in language learning, and it affects learning progress and learning outcome as well Numerous studies on developing learner autonomy via in-class and out-of-class activities conducted reveals that this matter is worth considering
In Vietnam, developing learner autonomy is one of the main targets in national education reforms because it not only enhances student’s chance of success in learning but also results in an active workforce It is believed that people who are educated to be autonomous in learning can embark on lifelong learning and adapt to new developments and changes in the world (Q.K Nguyen and Q.C Nguyen, 2008), therefore they are closely involved in the nation’s economic growth
Offering users such convenience as friendly- user apps and instant information transfer, the existence of Facebook or Zalo communities such as groups, pages or chat rooms is becoming a crucial platform to maintain the connection between teachers and students This reality inspires the idea of enhancing learner autonomy by exploiting Facebook or Zalo communities
Back to the high school that is the setting of this study, for the past few years, the English teachers there have created Facebook and Zalo chat rooms, pages and groups with students to support them outside the classroom Wondering about the potentiality of Facebook and Zalo groups that they can be a worth tool to foster learner autonomy in the era of technology, I decided to conduct a study in order to discover how autonomous the students are with the use of SNSs, concretely Facebook and Zalo communities such as chat rooms, pages and groups, and also to explore the possibility of SNSs in enhancing learner autonomy I expect that the findings will be valuable information for the teachers’ application in this school later
The present study is planned to:
Probe the phenomenon of learner autonomy when students participate in the social network communities
Explore the potentiality of SNSs in fostering learner autonomy
Research questions Error! Bookmark not defined I.4 Scope of the study
Research question 1: How autonomous are the students when participating in their classes’ social network communities?
Research question 2: In what ways could SNS potentially enhance learner autonomy?
The research will be conducted with the participation of an English teacher and her students of grade 12 at a high school on using SNSs to develop learner autonomy The researcher only focuses on their use of Facebook or Zalo online chat rooms or pages, groups together with the teacher’s mentoring, other uses of SNSs are beyond the scope of the study.
Method of the study
This current study employs mixed methods research design to fulfill the research questions
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW II.1.LEARNER AUTONOMY
II.1.1.The concept of autonomy
Literally defined in some English Dictionaries, the meaning of autonomy is varied In the respect of individualist meaning, autonomy refers to an individual’s self – determination which is defined as “freedom to determine one own’s actions, behavior, etc” (Collins English Dictionary, 1998), or “freedom of action” (Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 2011) Besides, as defined in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2009), autonomy is “the ability or opportunity to make your own decisions without being controlled by anyone else''
II.1.2 Definition of learner autonomy in language education
In 1981, Holec introduced the term “learner autonomy” as “the ability to take charge of one’s own learning’ and in detail, “to hold the responsibility for all decisions concerning all aspect of this learning; i.e., determining the objectives; defining the contents and progressions; selecting methods and techniques to be used; monitoring the procedure of acquisition properly speaking (rhythm, tie, place, etc.); evaluating what has been acquired'' (Holec, 1981:3)
Inspired by Holec’s work, Little (1991) sees learner autonomy as an ability and willingness to make choices independently By doing that, they can figure out their best suitable learning strategies so that they can learn actively and independently Besides, he also thinks that “autonomy in language learning depends on the development and exercise of a capacity for detachment, critical reflection, decision making and independent action” (Little, 1991:4)
Contributing to the conceptualization of learner autonomy, Benson (2001) defined learner autonomy as the capacity to take control of one’s own learning based on the learner’s desire, ability, and freedom The author explained his purposeful use of desire to avoid the term motivation when describing learners’ motivation to take an active role in learning Ability is referred to as learners’ knowledge and skills in their learnt language, their learning plan, and their evaluation of their efforts The last one, freedom is the chance and space for learners to take an active role of some kind Benson acknowledged these three aspects are interconnected
II.1.3 Characteristics of an autonomous learner
As one of the earliest advocates of learner autonomy, Holec (1981: 147) characterizes autonomous learners as “who are capable of assuming the role of manager of their learning They know how to make all decisions involved In other words, they know how to learn In addition, autonomous learners in Holec’s view are capable of defining the contents and progression, selecting learning methods and techniques to get success in the learning process In particular, they can monitor the procedure of acquisition, and self-assess what they acquire in studying (Holec, 1981, as cited in Little, 1996:2)
According to Dickinson (1993), there are four characteristics of autonomous learners First, they can identify what is being taught in their classes Second, they are able to set learning goals, and attempt to improve their language skills outside the classroom Third, they have the ability to employ appropriate learning strategies Fourth, they can evaluate the effectiveness of such learning strategies and make adjustments if necessary
In another perspective, Little (1995) defines autonomous learners as motivated learners This kind of learner, in the context of language learning, can further apply their learnt language and skills outside their learning context
II.1.4 Degrees of learner autonomy
Despite being controversial in addressing the key components in the concept of learner autonomy in language learning, a widespread consensus about the degree of autonomy has been achieved Paying attention to the “content” and “process” of language teaching and learning, in 1997, Nunan introduced a model of learner autonomy focusing on the learner’s ability to independently interact with learning resources Regarding this model, learner autonomy is a gradual process comprising five levels of implementation in relationship to the use of learning materials as following:
1 Awareness Learners are made aware of thepedagogical goals and content of the materials they are using
Learners identify strategyimplications of pedagogical tasks and identify their own preferred learning styles or learning strategies
2 Involvement Learners are involved in selecting their own goals from a range of alternatives on offer
Learners make choices among a range of options
3 Intervention Learners are involved in modifying and adapting the goals and content of the learning program
4 Creation Learners create their own goals and objectives
Learners create their own tasks
5 Transcendence Learners go beyond the classroom and make links between the content of classroom learning and the world beyond
Learners become teachers and researchers
Table 1: Nunan's model of learner autonomy
In 1997, Littlewood proposed another model which is totally different from Nunan’s one The core elements of Littlewood’s model include motivation, confidence, knowledge, and skills which play as fundamental factors contributing to a
6 learner’s autonomy and his or her development as “communicator”, “learner”, or
Figure 1: Littlewood’s 1997 autonomy model (Littlewood, 1997:83)
II.1.5 Assessing learner autonomy in language learning
Although the characteristics of an autonomous learner mentioned above are widely accepted, it is necessary to have a systematic way to measure the extent to which learners are autonomous so that assessment of learner autonomy is not just
“simply an act of faith” (Sinclair, 1996a: 96), and teachers or trainers can also validate the effectiveness of their activities in promoting learner autonomy for their learners There are several approaches to assessing learner autonomy Firstly, learner autonomy is believed to be possibly measured indirectly through its relationship with observable and measurable factors
In contrast to indirect approaches, the direct ones attempt to break down the concept of learner autonomy in measurable constructs Some representatives can be named such as Benson, and Sinclair Benson (2010: 79) yields a framework to measure students’ autonomy, concretely to measure the degree of control It consists of three “poles of attraction” which control over learning, including “student control”,
“other control”, and “no control”
II.2.1 Definition of social network sites (SNSs)
Ellison and Boyd (2007) defined a social network site is a networked communication platform in which participants (1) have public or semi-public profiles that consist of user – supplied content, and/or system – provided data; (2) can publicly articulate a list of other users that they have connections; and (3) can view and traverse streams of user – generated content provided by their connections on the site (Boyd and Ellison, 2007:2)
II.2.2 Social network sites and language education
According to Blattner and Fiori (2009), the immense popularity of SNSs has provided language learners with new opportunities to interact with peers, instructors, native speakers, which were previously difficult to achieve Besides, SNS also contributes to fostering positive relationships among students
In addition, some researchers point out that Facebook can be effective in language learning Ru- Chu, (2011) concluded that Facebook – integrated instruction can promote students’ interests and motivation Meanwhile, Kabilan, Ahmad, and Abidin (2010) state that Facebook in students’ views is a useful tool to support, and strengthen their English learning Moreover, Facebook facilitates students’ active discussions (Kho and Chuah, 2012) or improves both their language skills and communication skills (Mahmud and Ching, 2012)
II.2.3 Previous studies about SNSs on enhancing learner autonomy
LEARNER AUTONOMY
II.1.1.The concept of autonomy
Literally defined in some English Dictionaries, the meaning of autonomy is varied In the respect of individualist meaning, autonomy refers to an individual’s self – determination which is defined as “freedom to determine one own’s actions, behavior, etc” (Collins English Dictionary, 1998), or “freedom of action” (Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 2011) Besides, as defined in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2009), autonomy is “the ability or opportunity to make your own decisions without being controlled by anyone else''
II.1.2 Definition of learner autonomy in language education
In 1981, Holec introduced the term “learner autonomy” as “the ability to take charge of one’s own learning’ and in detail, “to hold the responsibility for all decisions concerning all aspect of this learning; i.e., determining the objectives; defining the contents and progressions; selecting methods and techniques to be used; monitoring the procedure of acquisition properly speaking (rhythm, tie, place, etc.); evaluating what has been acquired'' (Holec, 1981:3)
Inspired by Holec’s work, Little (1991) sees learner autonomy as an ability and willingness to make choices independently By doing that, they can figure out their best suitable learning strategies so that they can learn actively and independently Besides, he also thinks that “autonomy in language learning depends on the development and exercise of a capacity for detachment, critical reflection, decision making and independent action” (Little, 1991:4)
Contributing to the conceptualization of learner autonomy, Benson (2001) defined learner autonomy as the capacity to take control of one’s own learning based on the learner’s desire, ability, and freedom The author explained his purposeful use of desire to avoid the term motivation when describing learners’ motivation to take an active role in learning Ability is referred to as learners’ knowledge and skills in their learnt language, their learning plan, and their evaluation of their efforts The last one, freedom is the chance and space for learners to take an active role of some kind Benson acknowledged these three aspects are interconnected
II.1.3 Characteristics of an autonomous learner
As one of the earliest advocates of learner autonomy, Holec (1981: 147) characterizes autonomous learners as “who are capable of assuming the role of manager of their learning They know how to make all decisions involved In other words, they know how to learn In addition, autonomous learners in Holec’s view are capable of defining the contents and progression, selecting learning methods and techniques to get success in the learning process In particular, they can monitor the procedure of acquisition, and self-assess what they acquire in studying (Holec, 1981, as cited in Little, 1996:2)
According to Dickinson (1993), there are four characteristics of autonomous learners First, they can identify what is being taught in their classes Second, they are able to set learning goals, and attempt to improve their language skills outside the classroom Third, they have the ability to employ appropriate learning strategies Fourth, they can evaluate the effectiveness of such learning strategies and make adjustments if necessary
In another perspective, Little (1995) defines autonomous learners as motivated learners This kind of learner, in the context of language learning, can further apply their learnt language and skills outside their learning context.
1.4 Degrees of learner autonomy
Despite being controversial in addressing the key components in the concept of learner autonomy in language learning, a widespread consensus about the degree of autonomy has been achieved Paying attention to the “content” and “process” of language teaching and learning, in 1997, Nunan introduced a model of learner autonomy focusing on the learner’s ability to independently interact with learning resources Regarding this model, learner autonomy is a gradual process comprising five levels of implementation in relationship to the use of learning materials as following:
1 Awareness Learners are made aware of thepedagogical goals and content of the materials they are using
Learners identify strategyimplications of pedagogical tasks and identify their own preferred learning styles or learning strategies
2 Involvement Learners are involved in selecting their own goals from a range of alternatives on offer
Learners make choices among a range of options
3 Intervention Learners are involved in modifying and adapting the goals and content of the learning program
4 Creation Learners create their own goals and objectives
Learners create their own tasks
5 Transcendence Learners go beyond the classroom and make links between the content of classroom learning and the world beyond
Learners become teachers and researchers
Table 1: Nunan's model of learner autonomy
In 1997, Littlewood proposed another model which is totally different from Nunan’s one The core elements of Littlewood’s model include motivation, confidence, knowledge, and skills which play as fundamental factors contributing to a
6 learner’s autonomy and his or her development as “communicator”, “learner”, or
Figure 1: Littlewood’s 1997 autonomy model (Littlewood, 1997:83)
II.1.5 Assessing learner autonomy in language learning
Although the characteristics of an autonomous learner mentioned above are widely accepted, it is necessary to have a systematic way to measure the extent to which learners are autonomous so that assessment of learner autonomy is not just
“simply an act of faith” (Sinclair, 1996a: 96), and teachers or trainers can also validate the effectiveness of their activities in promoting learner autonomy for their learners There are several approaches to assessing learner autonomy Firstly, learner autonomy is believed to be possibly measured indirectly through its relationship with observable and measurable factors
In contrast to indirect approaches, the direct ones attempt to break down the concept of learner autonomy in measurable constructs Some representatives can be named such as Benson, and Sinclair Benson (2010: 79) yields a framework to measure students’ autonomy, concretely to measure the degree of control It consists of three “poles of attraction” which control over learning, including “student control”,
“other control”, and “no control”
II.2.1 Definition of social network sites (SNSs)
Ellison and Boyd (2007) defined a social network site is a networked communication platform in which participants (1) have public or semi-public profiles that consist of user – supplied content, and/or system – provided data; (2) can publicly articulate a list of other users that they have connections; and (3) can view and traverse streams of user – generated content provided by their connections on the site (Boyd and Ellison, 2007:2)
II.2.2 Social network sites and language education
According to Blattner and Fiori (2009), the immense popularity of SNSs has provided language learners with new opportunities to interact with peers, instructors, native speakers, which were previously difficult to achieve Besides, SNS also contributes to fostering positive relationships among students
In addition, some researchers point out that Facebook can be effective in language learning Ru- Chu, (2011) concluded that Facebook – integrated instruction can promote students’ interests and motivation Meanwhile, Kabilan, Ahmad, and Abidin (2010) state that Facebook in students’ views is a useful tool to support, and strengthen their English learning Moreover, Facebook facilitates students’ active discussions (Kho and Chuah, 2012) or improves both their language skills and communication skills (Mahmud and Ching, 2012)
II.2.3 Previous studies about SNSs on enhancing learner autonomy
In the article “Developing learner autonomy through Facebook: Problem – solving dynamics in online peer collaboration”, which was published in 2016 in T Pattinson, IAEFFL 2015, Manchester Conference Selections Ward Peters describes his experimental research aiming at analyzing the communication patterns and educational outcomes of the first year English majors when collaborating with their peers on Facebook He established a Facebook project at the University of Antwerp, Belgium in 2013 and 2014, named Antwerp project In this project, he formed a closed Facebook forum functioned as an online support network without the interference of a tutor for an academic writing course The students collaborated on pre-designed learning tasks towards a common learning goal in four months, and they
8 had to individually submit three 300-word essays undergoing peer correction Regarding developing learner autonomy, Peeters finds that the participants on the Facebook forum act collaboratively with others in the sense that they analyze their peers’ issue, process new information, and share personal learning experiences By doing so, they take ownership of their own learning He comes to the conclusion that learners on a closed network forum are capable of defining their learning problems and clarifying what is needed to overcome the problem, hence their ability to determine new learning objectives They also illustrate autonomy by using the Facebook community as a sound board, sharing responsibilities and constructing an effective online support network Although this study’s goal is not to measure learner autonomy via peer collaboration in a Facebook forum, the author’s findings and conclusions about the participants taking in the project share similarities with some scholars’ definitions of learner autonomy, and autonomous learners (Holec, Dam, and Little) This proves that the online Facebook community can enhance learner autonomy The study’s results also propose implications for further studies on this matter whose primary research objective is to figure out the potentiality of Facebook forum on fostering learner autonomy so that a confirmation can be surely given convincingly
Another research that investigates the degree of autonomy as one of variables to explain the differences in terms of self - determination between a group learning English on Facebook pages (the experimental group) and a face- to – face group (the control one) also revealed that the students participating in the Facebook group are more autonomous than those of the face – to – face one This quantitative experimental study named “Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in foreign language learning through Facebook '' was conducted by a group of researchers from the Netherlands including Elham Akbari, Albert Pilot, P Robert – Jan Simons in
2015 The participants are Iranian PhD students living in Schengen zone countries and have an intermediate command of English All of them have to participate in some tests by answering questionnaires before and after the course The finding that the Facebook group’s degree of learner autonomy is higher than the control group one
9 highlights that online social networks have potential to increase the degree of learner autonomy for English language learning
In 2018, a group of researchers from University Teknologi MARA including Syazliyati Ibrahim, SharinaSaad, NorlizawatiMdTahir and Phaveena Primsuwan conducted a research named “Promoting learners’ autonomy by using Facebook to enhance students’ writing skills'' Their study report was posted on Journal of Creative Practices Language Learning and Teaching, volume 6 Their research was conducted with 30 students form Sekolah Menegah Bakar Arang in order to investigate whether online chatrooms on Facebook improves students’ writing skills and to examine whether online chatrooms on Facebook promotes learner’s autonomy A pre –test was conducted in the classroom, then followed by a post- test after the students’ one month participation in VELLP An interview also was used The finding of the research revealed that online chatrooms on Facebook enhanced the students’ writing skills and also made the students more autonomous This research helped to confirm that learner autonomy can be developed by online chatrooms on Facebook However, this study involved almost all students who are homogeneous in language capacity, and it mainly focused on learner autonomy in writing skills Therefore, a study on various levels of learners may provide a broader view
In conclusion, although none of the above studies initially subject to study whether Facebook can enhance learner autonomy, their findings as discussed strengthen the hypothesis that SNSs can increase the level of learner autonomy Being aware of what those studies have not done, I hope that my study can yield insights about the potential of SNSs,in my case Facebook and Zalo communities in fostering learner autonomy in English learning
III.1 Objectives of the study
The objectives of this study were twofold First, the study aims at probing the level of students’ autonomy under the influence of social network communities, Second, it attempts to explore their potentiality of social network sites in fostering learner autonomy
III.2 Restatement of research questions
In pursuit of these aims, this current study seeks the answer for the following research questions:
1 How autonomous are the students when participating in their classes’ social network communities?
2 In what ways could SNS potentially enhance learner autonomy?
This questionnaire is conducted forbetter insights into the potential of using of social network site in fostering learner autonomy Your share will greatly contribute to the effective utilization of social network sites, concretely, the operation of social network communities to boost learner autonomy Your assistance in completing this questionnaire is highly appreciated Your feedback is confidentially kept for research purpose only
Some terms used in this questionnaire:
*Messages: These are anything related to English learning such as articles, news, tips, experience shares or notifications from your teacher or friends
* Social network communities: They can be groups, pages or chat rooms on Facebook or Zalo
3 What are your purposes of learning English?
4 Who created the social network communities of your class? For what purposes?
5 How willing are you to join such communities?
Not at all Neutral Willing
6 How often are messages posted in the social network communities of your class? What were they mainly about?
Please identify your degree of agreement or disagreement with a statement by putting a tick in one of five responses The five options are presented as follows:
1 Strongly disagree (SD) 2 Disagree (D) 3 Neutral (N)
My class’ social network community helped me to
Be aware of the learning objectives of English subject
Be Able to modify / Adapt the objectives of English subject
Create my own learning objectives
Please justify the reasons for your opinions:
Be aware of my strengths and weaknesses
Be able to planmy weekly work in advance
Be able to identify my learning styles
Be able to identifymy own learning strategies
Be aware of the contentof materials used in my learning process
Create my own learning tasks
Decide what materials to use to learn English
Decide what activities to use to learn
Choose the techniques used in my learning process
Facilitate my learning by my self – revisions
Maintain mystudy independent from teacher
Make necessary adjustments while learning
Ensure that I make progress in the English lessons
Make links between the content learnt in the classroom and the outside world
Please make your opinions more detailed:
Have ability of learning independently
Harbor what I like in the future
Be confident to communicate effectively
Be confident to communicate independently
Self- access what has been acquired
Self- evaluate the effectiveness of learning strategies
Please specify the reasons for your opinions here:
Các bạn học sinh thân mến!
Bảng câu hỏi khảo sát này được tiến hành nhằm tìm hiểu sâu hơn về tiềm năng của việc sử dụng mạng xã hội trong việc nâng cao năng lực tự chủ cho người học tại trường trung học phổ thông Mọi thông tin các bạn chia sẻ sẽ góp phần vào việc khai thác các trang mạng xã hội một cách hiệu quả, cụ thể, là việc tận dụng các cộng đồng mạng xã hội để nâng cao tính tự chủ của người học Tôi xin chân thành cảm ơn sự hợp tác của các bạn trong việc hoàn thành bảng câu hỏi này.Phản hồi của bạn sẽ được lưu giữ cẩn trọng và chỉ dành cho mục đích nghiên cứu
Xin chân thành cảm ơn
Một vài thuật ngữ được sử dụng trong bảng hỏi:
Thông tin: Là tất cả những vấn đề liên quan đến việc học tiếng Anh, ví dụ như các bài báo, tin tức, tài liệu, việc chia sẻ kinh nghiệm hoặc các lưu ý, nhắc nhở từ giáo viên hoặc bạn bè của bạn
Cộng đồng mạng xã hội: Dùng để chỉ các nhóm, trang hoặc các nhóm chat trên nền tảng Facebook hoặc Zalo
1.PHẦN 1: THÔNG TIN CÁ NHÂN
3 Mục đích học tiếng Anh của bạn là gì?
4 Ai là người tạo ra cộng đồng mạng xã hội của lớp bạn? Mục đích để làm gì?
5 Bạn có sẵn sàng tham gia các cộng đồng mạng xã hội đó không?
Không Bình thường Sẵn sàng
6 Tần suất các thông tin được đăng tải trên các cộng đồng mạng xã hội của lớp bạn như thế nào? Chủ yếu các thông tin đó là về vấn đề gì?
7 Ai là người khởi xướng các cuộc thảo luận trong cộng đồng của lớp bạn?
Giáo viên Học sinh Ý kiến khác:
Vui lòng đánh dấu (x) vào một trong năm lựa chọn thể hiện mức độ đồng ý hoặc không đồng ý của bạn về những ý kiến sau:
1 Hoàn toàn không đồng ý 2 Không đồng ý 3 Không chắc
4 Đồng ý 5 Hoàn toàn không đồng ý
Cộng động mạng xã hội của lớp giúp tôi:
1.3 Ý thức được mục tiêu học tập môn tiếng Anh
Thay đổi mục tiêu môn học tiếng Anh cho phù hợp Đặt ra mục tiêu học cho bản thân
Bạn vui lòng làm rõ hơn thông tin câu trả lời bên trên của bạn:
2.17 Ý thức điểm mạnh, điểm yếu của bản thân
Có khả năng lập kế hoạch trước cho các việc trong một tuần học
Có khả năng xác định được kiểu học của bản thân mình
Có khả năng xác định được chiến thuật học của bản thân mình Ý thức được nội dung các tài liệu sử dụng trong quá trình học của mình
Tự tạo ra các nhiệm vụ học tập cho bản thân
Quyết định tài liệu học tập cần cho việc học tiếng Anh
Quyết định hoạt động nào cần cho việc học
Lựa chọn các kỹ thuật học trong quá trình học
Thúc đẩy việc học cá nhân thông qua việc tự ôn tập
Duy trì việc học độc lập khỏi giáo viên
Tạo ra các điều chỉnh cần thiết trong quá trình học Đảm bảo rằng tôi tiến bộ trong các bài học tiếng Anh
Tạo sự liên kết giữa nội dung được học trên lớp với thế giới thật
Tự do thể hiện quan điểm
Tự do nêu vấn đề
Tự do làm điều tôi thích
Bạn vui lòng làm rõ hơn thông tin câu trả lời bên trên của bạn:
Có khả năng tự học
Theo đuổi điều tôi thích trong tương lai
Tự tin giao tiếp hiệu quả
Tự tin giao tiếp một cách độc lập
Tự đánh giá mình đã đạt được gì
Tự đánh giá tính hiệu quả của các chiến thuật học
Bạn vui lòng làm rõ hơn thông tin câu trả lời bên trên của bạn:
1 After a period of using social network communities with your students, how do you evaluate your students’ abilities such as setting learning goals, choosing their learning methods under the influence of such communities?
2 What about their ability of self- evaluating their learning?
3 Do your students freely do what they want, for example, raise their ideas?
4 Are they free to take responsibilities for any matter related to their English learning?
5 In what way you think that your social network communities affect your student’s autonomy?
1 Sau một thời gian sử dụng các nhóm mạng xã hội cùng học sinh, cô đánh giáo thế nào về các năng lực của học sinh mình như khả năng đưa ra mục