Teachers' attitudes toward the uses of the computers in language teaching at Ha Nam teachers' training college = Thái độ của giáo viên đối với việc sử dụng máy

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CALL Computer Assisted Language Learning ESL English As Second Language ELT English Language Teaching IT Information technology ICT Information and Communication Te

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

-    -

NGUYỄN THỊ CHUNG

TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD THE USES OF THE COMPUTERS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING AT HA NAM

TEACHERS’ TRAINING COLLEGE

(Thái độ của giáo viên đối với việc sử dụng máy tính trong giảng

dạy ngoại ngữ tại trường CĐSP Hà Nam)

MINOR M.A THESIS

Hanoi, 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pages

Declaration……… i

Acknowledgements……… ii

Abstract……… iii

Table of contents……… iv

List of abbreviations……… vii

List of tables and charts……… viii

PART I – INTRODUCTION……… 1

1 Rationale……… 1

2 Aims of the study……… 2

3 Research questions……… 2

4 Scope of the study……… 2

5 Method of the study……… 3

6 Significance of the study……… 3

7 Definition of terms……… 4

8 Structure of the study……… 4

PART II – DEVELOPMENT……… 5

Chapter 1: Literature review……… 5

1.1 Attitude……… 5

1.1.1 Definition of attitude……… 5

1.1.2 Dimensions of attitudes……… 6

1.1.2.1 Beliefs……… 6

1.1.2.2 Feelings ……… 6

1.1.2.3 Behaviors……… 6

1.1.3 The relationship between beliefs and behaviors of teachers…… 7

1.1.4 The relationship between feeling and behaviors of teachers…… 7

1.2 English Language Teaching……… 8

1.3 Computers in English Language Teaching……… 9

1.4 The roles and effectiveness of computers in English Language Teaching……… 13

1.5 Teachers’ attitudes toward computers in teaching ……….…… 13

1.6 Factors affecting teachers’ uses of computers……… 14

Summary……… 16

Chapter 2: Methodology……… 17

2.1 Context of the study……… 17

2.2 Participants ……… 19

2.3 Instrument for data collection……… 20

2.4 Procedure of data analysis……… 22

Summary……… 23

Chapter 3: Data Analysis and Discussions……… 24

3.1 Data Analysis……… 24

3.1.1 Findings from Questionnaires……… 24

3.1.1.1 Teachers’ background……… 24

3.1.1.2 General attitudes toward the uses of computers……… 25

3.1.1.3 Some factors affecting teachers’ uses of computers in ELT…… 31

3.1.2 Findings from classroom observations……… 33

3.2 Discussions of the findings……… 35

3.2.1 Research Question 1……… 35

3.2.2 Research Question 2……… 36

3.2.3 Research Question 3……… 38

Summary……… 39

PART III – CONCLUSION……… 40

1 Concluding Remarks……… 40

2 Implications……… 41

3 Limitations of the study……… 42

4 Suggestions for further study……… 42

References……… 44

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CALL Computer Assisted Language Learning

ESL English As Second Language

ELT English Language Teaching

IT Information technology

ICT Information and Communication Technologies

OTA Office of Technology Association

HNTTC Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

Pages

Table 1: Background Information about Questionnaire Respondents 19

Table 3: Teachers’ attendance of computer training course and teachers’

computer ownership

24

Table 4: Teachers’ frequency of using computers at home and at school 25

Table 5: Teachers’ feelings towards the uses of computer in an ESL

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

It can not be denied that computer technology has changed the face of

education in many parts of the world as well as in Vietnam in recent years More and more uses of its unique features are found every day and it is not surprising that the field of education is also being strongly affected by this tool As a result, English teaching and learning have been much easier and more effective under the assistance of computers However, computer-based technology has also brought with it many new challenges for the teacher who seeks to determine what it has to offer and how that should be delivered to students

It is believed that there are many ways to encourage students to learn English and using computers as English teaching tools is considered one of the most effective ways Recent years have witnessed a significant shift concerning the technology use in teaching and learning environment Remarkably, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has planned for a significant increase in ICT in education to take place in coming years and teachers are being encouraged to incorporate ICT technology into their lessons Up to now, a great number of researches have been carried out to investigate the perceptions or effectiveness of using computers for language teaching and learning However, the investigations into teachers’ attitudes toward the uses of computers in language teaching seem to

be limited in Vietnam

Additionally, one factor in the successful implementation of computers in the classroom is users’ acceptance, which in turn might be greatly influenced by users’ attitudes Consequently, it is said that attitude of teacher can either be a hindering factor or a facilitator for computer integration in education Ajzen and Fishbein (1977) states that by understanding an individual’s attitude towards something, one can predict with high precision the individual’s overall pattern of behavior to the object If teachers have positive attitudes toward computers, they will use them to

improve their teaching and vice verse For that reason, teachers’ attitudes are of great importance in deciding to use or not to use computers in language teaching After five years of teaching English at Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College, the researcher found that most of the teachers have integrated the computer technology into their teaching curricula, however, their applications of computers may vary depending on their attitudes and more importantly, the question whether teachers’ actual attitudes toward the uses of computers in their classrooms have not been answered yet Stimulated by the above reasons, the researcher has decided to conduct the study on teachers’ attitudes toward the uses of computers in English language teaching at HNTTC Hopefully, the findings of this study will contribute

to the pedagogic methodology

2 Aims of the study

The study is aimed at identifying the teachers’ attitudes toward the computer uses in English language teaching at HNTTC and exploring some main factors affecting the teachers’ uses of computers in their teaching Then teachers’ attitudes from the questionnaires and their classroom practice are compared to find out whether there is correlation between them From the findings of the study, some suggestions for further study in this very interesting topic can be provided

3 Research questions

In order to achieve the stated aims, the following research questions are raised:

1) What are the English teachers’ attitudes toward the uses of computers in language teaching at Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College?

2) What are the factors affecting the teachers’ uses of computers in language teaching?

3) Do teachers’ attitudes correlate with their classroom practices?

4 Scope of the study

The study focuses itself on the investigation of teachers’ attitudes towards the uses of computers in English language teaching in order to understand the teachers’ views on teaching with computers as well as some main factors affecting teachers’

computer use The participants are all of teachers of English of Faculty of Foreign Languages and Informatics at HNTTC

5 Methods of the study

The study is carried out in form of a survey model This survey was conducted

at Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College to investigate teachers’ attitudes and some affecting factors on using computers in language teaching The survey assessed the independent variables: age, time, technical support, experience, computer skills/ training, facilities, teachers’ positive attitudes and confidence to find out the main factors affecting teachers’ computer use in English language teaching (ELT) at HNTTC In order to achieve the above objectives, two methods will be employed to collect the data including questionnaires and observation Questionnaires are used to investigate teachers’ attitudes towards the computer use in their classroom and the data were analyzed quantitatively by percentage of statistics At the meantime, observation is to discover teachers’ actual behaviors, and then compare with teachers’ attitudes collected from the questionnaire

6 Significance of the study

The study is significant in the following ways:

- The first significance of the study is for the author herself to enhance the skills of conducting the study in educational contexts and for the other ESL teachers at HNTTC

- The study is aimed at investigating teachers’ attitudes towards the uses of computers in ELT, which has not been carried out before in the context of HNTTC Consequently, results of the study will display the present situation of using computers in the teaching and contribute appropriate ways to help teachers use computers in ELT more effectively

- This study can also lay grounds for further research on using new technology in teaching language and renovate the teaching language methods

7 Definition of key terms

 Computer: In the context of this study, computer is used as a general term

referring to any computer that can be used in language teaching

 Attitude: Attitude is a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings,

and behavioral tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, events

or symbols (Hogg & Vaughan, 2005, p.150)

 Attitude toward Computers: As can be inferred from the definitions above,

attitude toward computer refers to how the respondents feel and think about the impact of computer use in education and then how they behave toward computer technologies and specific computer related activities

8 Structure of the study

The thesis is composed of three main parts: introduction, development and conclusion

Part I is the introduction in which the rationale, aims, research questions, scope and significance of the thesis as well as methods and some definitions of key terms of study are presented

Part II is the development It consists of three chapters: literature review, methodology, data analysis and discussions In chapter one, the literature review provides some grounds of attitudes, dimensions of attitudes, findings from prior studies around teachers’ attitudes toward the uses of computers, and understandings

of computers in English language teaching as well as roles and effectiveness of computers in language teaching … It also provides the factors affecting teachers’ computer use in ELT The second chapter introduces the methodology in terms of setting, participants, data collection instruments, and data analysis procedure In chapter three, results will be analyzed and discussions are presented

Part III is Conclusion part In this part, concluding remarks, implications, limitations

of the study and some suggestions for further study are presented

PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This part presents a review of literature on topics related to the study The review focuses on some dimensions of attitudes, overview of ELT, the roles and effectiveness of computers in ELT, findings from prior studies around teachers’ attitudes toward the uses of computers, and the factors affecting teachers’ uses of computers

In the educational environment, attitudes expressed by teachers play an important role in the achievement of educational objectives Specifically with regard to the uses of computers in the classroom, we can see teachers’ attitudes in their feelings and belief about the way of acting towards the lessons

Additionally, International Dictionary of Education (1977, p 32) defines attitude

as … “predisposition to perceive, feel and behave towards specific objects or certain people in a particular manner Attitudes are learned from experience rather than innate characteristics, which suggest that they can be modified.”

For the Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary (2010), attitude is defined as the way that you think and feel about somebody or something; the way that you behave towards somebody or something that shows how you think and feel.”

Apart from above definitions, there are still other definitions of attitude However, the researcher adopted definition of attitude of Hogg & Vaughan (2005, p.150) for the purpose of this study This definition centers on feelings, beliefs and

behaviors, that is, how a person believes, feels and then behaves in a certain way that reflects his / her established belief and feeling

1.1.2 Dimensions of attitudes

As can be inferred from the comprehensive definition above, three main

dimensions are interrelated: beliefs, feelings, and behaviors When people question someone’s attitude, they refer to beliefs and feelings related to a person or event and

the resulting behavior

1.1.2.1 Beliefs

“Belief” is an opinion about something; something that you think is true (The

Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary, 2010) In educational environment, beliefs are grounded in teachers’ personal belief system (opinions, values, expectations in a more or less structured way) and represented psychologically to make decisions

about classroom practices such as the issues of computer use

1.1.2.2 Feelings

The International Dictionary of Education (1977, p 14) defines feelings as

“those aspects that emerge from experience and behavior such as the teaching experience of teachers that will develop emotionally in them” They can be assessed from people's verbal expressions of how they feel, or from their physiological

reactions to the attitude object

1.1.2.3 Behaviors

A definition from The Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary (2010),

behavior is the way a person, an animal, etc behaves or functions in a particular situation

The behavioral dimension of attitude is the teacher’s response or action tendencies, that is, the tendencies shaping his/her behavior towards the approach and they be measured by observing how people actually behave towards the

particular object

1.1.3 The relationship between beliefs and behaviors of teachers

The constructs of attitudes, beliefs and behaviors are complex The studies on relationship between beliefs and behaviors in teaching have found that how the teachers behave in the classroom is strongly influenced in what they believe Compeau, Higgins, & Huff (1999) share the view that behavior (the use of computers) is viewed as the result of a set of beliefs about technology and a set of affective responses to the behavior In other words, it is the way a person thinks about somebody or something and the way s/he behaves towards someone For teachers, they think that the uses of computers benefit classroom teaching and learning, and then they will use them and attempt incorporating them into their teaching As Simonsson (2004) states that the utilization of technology is related to teachers’ beliefs about the use of this tool

Generally speaking, beliefs can control your actions, behavior and potential If you learned how to acquire positive beliefs and how to get rid of negative ones then you will be able to use the tremendous power of beliefs on your side

However, there is still debate as to whether beliefs influence actions or actions influence beliefs and a direct relationship between the two has been questioned Mansour (2009) reports that practice does not always come after beliefs, but may sometimes precede them Therefore, an understanding of these relationships can assist in determining their professional development needs Eugene (2006) investigated how teachers’ beliefs may make an impact on the integration of technology in their classes It was found that there was a discrepancy between teachers’ beliefs and their actual instructional practices of integrating technology Teachers’ teaching practices and the use of technology were found not

to match their beliefs

1.1.4 The relationship between feelings and behaviors of teachers

Feelings play a crucial role in determining human behavior The behavior toward other persons is determined by the feelings toward them Obviously, we behave differently toward those we like than toward those we dislike Sometimes,

feelings and behaviors are divergent For example, when we have a positive feeling toward the object then our overt actions and behaviors toward the object (person/thing/idea) will be positive, and conversely if we have negative feelings toward the object This, however, is not always being the case Sometimes we cannot judge how a person feels or what they think about an object simply by observing their overt behaviors toward that object

1.2 English Language Teaching (ELT)

Language teaching has been around for many centuries, and over the centuries,

it has changed Various influences have affected language teaching Reasons for learning language have been different in different periods In some eras, languages were mainly taught for the purpose of reading In others, it was taught mainly to people who needed to use it orally These differences influenced how language was taught in various periods Also, theories about the nature of language and the nature

of learning have changed The changes are briefly mentioned in two following periods through history:

The 19th and Early to Mid-20th Century

The grammar-translation method was the dominant foreign language teaching method in Europe from the 1840s to the 1940s, and a version of it continues to be widely used in some parts of the world, even today However, even as early as the mid-19th, theorists were beginning to question the principles behind the grammar-translation method Changes were beginning to take place There was a greater demand for ability to speak foreign languages, and various reformers began reconsidering the nature of language and of learning

The Mid- to Late-20th Century up to the present

In the years following World War II, great changes took place, some of which would eventually influence language teaching and learning Language diversity greatly increased, so that there were more languages to learn Expansion of schooling meant that language learning was no longer the prerogative of the elite but something that was necessary for a widening range of people More

opportunities for international travel and business and international social and cultural exchanges increased the need for language learning As a result, renewed attempts were made in the 1950s and 1960s namely use new technology (e.g., tape recorders, radios, TV, and computers) effectively in language teaching, explore new educational patterns (e.g., bilingual education, individualized instruction, and immersion programs) and establish methodological innovations (e.g., the audio-lingual method) However, the hoped-for increase in the effectiveness of language education did not materialize, and some of the theoretical underpinnings of the developments were called into question Beginning in the mid-1960s, there has been

a variety of theoretical challenges to the audio-lingual method

Developments in various directions have taken place since the early 1970s There has been developments such as a great emphasis on individualized instruction, more humanistic approaches to language learning, a greater focus on the learner, and greater emphasis on development of communicate, as opposed to merely linguistic, competence Some "new methods," including the Silent Way, Suggestopedia, and Community Language Learning, have gained followings, and these reflect some of the above trends In addition, there has been disillusionment with the whole methods debate, partly due to inconclusiveness of research on methods, and calls for a deeper understanding of the process of language learning itself Finally, there has been a greater stress on authenticity in language learning, meaning that the activities involved in language learning reflect real-world uses of the language

1.3 Computers in English Language Teaching (ELT)

Technology integration in education in general and language teaching in particular could be considered as the latest educational change movement and great amount of importance since the 1980s From first appearances, the computer has been becoming more widespread and from this time onwards, the development in education has been rapid Warschauer has categorized the development process of computer (the uses of computers for language teaching and learning) - CALL is the

acronym for Computer – Assisted Language Learning (CALL) into three “phases”:

behavioristic CALL, communicative CALL and integrative CALL (Warschauer, M, 1996; Warschauer, M & Healy, 1998)

Communicative CALL

The second phase of CALL was based on the communicative approach to teaching, which became prominent in the 1970s and 80s This phase emerged when educators felt that the drilling approach did not allow for enough authentic communication It focuses more on using forms rather than on the forms themselves and emphasizes learning as a creative process of discovery, expression and

development

Integrative CALL

This phase focuses on a social or socio – cognitive view of language learning and emphasizes the use of language in a more authentic context that encourage the students to construct meaning using computers

Those, three phases of CALL suggest that the computer can be used for a variety of purposes in language teaching The earlier phases are integrated into the new development of the next new phase It can be a tutor for language drills or skill practice, a stimulus for discussion and interaction; or a tool for teaching and a medium of “global communication and a source of limitless authentic materials” (Warschauer, M: 1996)

When computers are used in education they are more than just another medium

of teaching, such as a chalkboard Fifteen years ago, it was rare for people to have computers in their homes, however, today, if you do not have a computer, you are at

somewhat of a disadvantage Using the computer, a teacher can provide students with different kind of learning In order that teachers have always looked to improve the effectiveness of their teaching with the tools offered to them The Office of Technology Association’s (OTA) Report (1995, p 6) summarizes these attempts with these sentences:

… “Throughout history, teachers have taken up the tools at hand to help them

teach - whether marking on clay with a stylus, or writing on a blackboard with chalk As new technologies have emerged-photography, filmstrips, radio, televisions-teachers have used them to extend the range of what they could teach, illustrate ideas in different ways, bring new materials to students, and motivate

EFL classrooms is seen as highly beneficial for language Moreover, the birth and rise of the Internet and the World Wide Web since its inception in the 1980s has allowed both language teachers and students to explore various methods of learning

From teacher–centered to student–centered approaches

By incorporating technology into the teaching of English, the role of the EFL teachers in the language classroom has shifted from that of a traditional teacher who uses textbooks to one who uses a variety of methods which includes technology Significantly, there is a shift in the learning environment from teacher–centered towards student–centered approach with the presence of computers in the classroom That is moving from students as passive learners to students who are active in the search for fulfillment their own learning need Hadley and Sheingold (1993) indicate that with technology, classrooms have been changed from a teacher-centered educational environment to a student-centered environment

In the same way, Warschauer & Healey (1998) states that teachers in the computer- based environment are no longer the only active content provider but are also facilitators guiding students towards their learning need and preparing students with knowledge needed

Obviously, computer systems can be integrated into classrooms to make students motivated to learn and help them build the skills For example, students can use the Internet as a library source, investigate everything from a lot of materials; they can use computers to write research reports, conduct experiments and create electronic portfolios for job applications Similarly, computer tools and resources can be used in many different ways to support teaching and learning, such as using the features of word-processing programs to help students develop their skills in drafting and editing written work; using e-mail to engage students in collaborative learning activities with their friends and teachers within and outside their institutions; working with the Internet in searching, gathering and organizing information…

1.4 The roles and effectiveness of computers in English language teaching

The role of computers has dramatically changed since the 1980s saw the introduction of computers to the educational classrooms Computers and technology are integrated into lesson plans, objectives and daily classroom routines Computer-based learning has taken hold in schools Roblyer and Edwards (2000) suggested five important reasons for teachers to use technology in education: (1) motivation, (2) distinctive instructional abilities, (3) higher productivity of teachers, (4) essential skills for the Information Age, and (5) support for new teaching techniques (cited in, Samak, 2006)

Using IT and especially computers in teaching is gaining immense popularity today With the help of computer software and the Internet, teachers can give their learners opportunities to study languages anywhere and anytime in classrooms, labs,

at home or even on the go Computers also help instructors to update and create their teaching materials more easily They can also exchange their products, thoughts, and ideas with their colleagues using e-mail, mailing lists, web sites and other tools through the Internet

Computers are the most popular among teachers and students either because they are associated with fun and games as student motivation is therefore increased, especially whenever a variety of activities are offered, which make students feel more independent With the uses of projectors in the language classrooms, language teachers can use slide presentation to make their performance more interesting Students have reported to be highly interested in the lesson and therefore they participated increasingly into the activities given by the language teachers It means that students are extremely motivated to interact during the class time, and as a result, the language teaching becomes more effective In this target, teachers’ uses

of IT are one of the most effective ways

1.5 Teachers’ attitudes toward computers in teaching

Attitudes toward computer technology use play an important role, they often account for a large part of the teachers’ willingness or reluctance to participate in

the use of computer technology as a teaching tool in their teaching practices in the classrooms Correspondingly, a number of studies were carried out to determine teachers’ attitudes toward computer use

According to Albirini (2006), teachers’ attitudes were considered as a major predictor of the uses of new technologies in the educational settings In other words, their attitudes toward computers could play an important role in the acceptance and actual uses of computers

Besides, Kersaint, Horton, Stohl, and Garofalo (2003) found that teachers who had positive attitudes toward technology felt more comfortable with using it and usually incorporated it into their teaching In the same way, Albirini (2004) conducted a study to investigate the attitudes of EFL teachers in Syrian high schools toward technology in education, both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to collect data He found that the results from both quantitative and qualitative data indicated that teachers had positive attitudes toward technology use

in education

Regarding the acceptance of IT in education, Albirini (2004, p.36) stated that positive attitudes often encouraged less technologically capable teachers to learn the skills necessary for the implementation of technology-based activities in the classroom

1.6 Factors affecting the uses of computers

There are many factors that affect teachers’ uses of computer technology in teaching were analyzed by many research studies In a study conducted by Ertmer (2002), some barriers to technology integration within teaching were: lack of computers, lack of quality software, lack of time, technical problems, teachers’ attitudes towards computers, poor funding, lack of teacher confidence, resistance to change, poor administrative support, lack of computer skill, poor fit with the curriculum, lack of incentives, scheduling difficulties, poor training opportunities, and lack of vision as to how to integrate technology

In a report on the barriers that existed in schools that prevent teachers from making full use of ICT in teaching, Jones (2004, p 3) has summarized some of the key findings as follows:

 A very significant determinant of teachers’ levels of engagement in ICT is their level of confidence in using the technology

 There is a close relationship between levels of confidence and many other issues which themselves can be considered as barriers to ICT

 Levels of access to ICT are significant in determining levels of use of ICT by teachers

 Inappropriate training styles result in low levels of ICT use by teachers

 Teachers are sometimes unable to make full use of technology because they lack the time needed to fully prepare and research materials for lessons

 Technical faults with ICT equipment are likely to lead to lower levels of ICT use by teachers

 Resistance to change is a factor which prevents the full integration of ICT in the classroom

 Teachers who do not realize the advantages of using technology in their teaching are less likely to make use of ICT

 There are close relationships between many of the identified barriers to ICT use; any factors influencing one barrier are likely also to influence several other barriers

In addition, Kong Siew (1997) listed three factors that inhibited teachers’ uses of computers in the classroom are:

 Limited time for the teachers to incorporate computers in the teaching and learning

 Limited number of computers in schools

 Teachers’ limited computer knowledge or skills to integrate the computer in their lesson

(Kong Siew ,1997, cited in Rahman 2000, p 536)

Some other studies have reported findings on the demographic variables that moderately affect the proper integration of computers in education such as gender, age, professional rank, academic background, and subject taught (Payette, 1987; Inch, 1987; Vakalis, 1990)

As mentioned before, it would appear that there are many factors that may or indeed may not affect teacher’s uses of computers in the teaching environment and

in most researches; many of these factors interact with each other However, for the purpose of this study the researcher will examine the factors affecting teachers’ uses

of computers by exploiting some of factors that have been reported through researches carried out above: age, lack of time for preparation, lack of technical support, lack of computer experience, lack of computer training, lack of computers, lack of teachers’ positive attitudes and lack of confidence

Summary

In this chapter, a number of issues related to the research questions have been

presented The review focuses on themes such as some grounds of attitudes, findings from prior studies around integration of computers in language teaching and teachers’ attitudes toward computers in language teaching and factors affecting teachers’ computer use This literature review serves as the theoretical framework for the researcher to build up questionnaires, then to analyze the data collected as well as to suggest some implications for teachers’ uses of computers in ELT at HNTTC The next chapter will provide the readers with the information about the context and methodology of the study

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 2.1 Context of the study

The survey is conducted at Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College which is located

in Phu Ly city, a small city in the south of Hanoi capital, Ha Nam province, this college is a training unit in the national education system Students are trained to become teachers, administrators, and professional staff of secondary schools, primary schools, and kindergartens with great passion for education career, good political ethics, wide knowledge and skills in their major Besides, students are also trained to have the capacity to access knowledge and advance teaching methods to meet the development requirements of education in the whole province Furthermore, the college provides office workers specializing in English for joint-venture companies in the industrial zones in the city, trains interpreters and translators to work in the Middle-East countries in Asia within the city’s project With the aims to build the school to become the center of cultural, scientific of the local towards upgrading into Ha Nam University in 2015, HNTTC has gradually enhanced the quality of teachers and students as well as the foundation of the school

At Faculty of Foreign Languages and Informatics, there are 15 teachers of English, and five teachers of Informatics All teachers of English take responsibilities of teaching English for the major groups and all other groups (non- major) where English is a compulsory course

Of 15 teachers of English aged between 25 and 54 at the Faculty, there are 6 M.A degree holders, four of them are studying for an M.A degree and the rest hold

a B.A degree in English language teaching All of them are very friendly and enthusiasm

At HNTTC, English is considered an extremely important subject to all students regardless the majors they are learning From 2006 Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College opened the classes for students majoring in English Up to now, there have been six classes majored in English Now there existed three English major classes

and about thirty other majored classes such as Physical Education, Maths, Biology, Accounting… Almost all students come from rural areas of Ha Nam such as Kim Bang, Ly Nhan, Thanh Liem, Binh Luc, and they still have very limited access to Internet to find resources for studying

Computers facilities

HNTTC is fully networked, giving wireless Internet connections in every classroom Students, however, have to bring their own computer to the classroom if they want to surf the webs There are over seventy classrooms:

 Two fixed classrooms for teaching English majored students are fully equipped with a computer, a projector, a loudspeaker and a DVD player for each; however, keeping these computers in good quality is not very frequent

 Fifteen classrooms are equipped with projectors to facilitate the use of visual teaching methods in some subjects for other students if necessary

 Four computer rooms are for students to practice informatics

 The rest is not IT’s equipment

In fact, most of the English teachers have their own laptops except two teachers (one over 40 and other over 50 years old) and they often take laptops with them anytime they go to work (both inside and outside classrooms) Consequently, they are very easy to access computers anywhere for their personal purposes

There are four faculties, each is provided with two printers connected to computers: one for dean and one for room staff In addition, the school has licensed software for Microsoft Office on all computers This college is in a unique position where there has been a significant investment in ICT

More importantly, the college leaders always make ends meet for teaching equipment to facilitate the teaching In 2008, a computer-training course was organized for all teachers and staffs within six weeks In general, most of people took part in except some due to their personal problems

2.2 Participants

Fifteen teachers of English participated in this study, and all of them are female teachers They are from different parts of Ha Nam Province, mainly in Phu Ly city Most of them are married and have children; only three teachers are still single Among these teachers, only one teacher is more than 50 years old; two teachers are more than 40; two are above 30 and the rest of them are all from 25 to 30 years old Teachers who are more than 40 years old extensively used traditional methods of teaching (blackboard and chalk) rather than with computer technology Among these, there are two teachers majored in Russian and one majored in French so that

to join teaching English officially, they had to study English to get English certificate because French and Russian were omitted in the curriculum

From the application of the new methods, they are very enthusiastic and flexible

to update Information Technology and integrate them in their teaching Most of them used different technologies to some extent in different situations either inside

or outside the classroom They also used computers as a means of communications such as emails and a tool for preparing lessons, designing tests, reports… However, these teachers do not have their own Websites; they often post the requirements for students by delivery of papers but rarely on the website of the school

Table 1: Background Information about Questionnaire Respondents

Age 25 - 30 31 - 35 36 - 40 41 - 45 45 above Total

Most of the teachers at HNTTC have some basic knowledge about the computer because the school management insisted that all worksheets, tests, examination questions, analysis for the monthly tests, and analysis of results for term examination must be typed

2.3 Instruments for data collection

In order to obtain in-depth, rich data and information for identifying the teachers’ attitudes toward the uses of computers in ELT, the study used two methods of data collection: questionnaires and class observation The comparison between these two methods was implemented to find out whether teachers’ attitudes toward the uses of computers in English teaching corresponded with what they actually behaved in their ESL classrooms

The questionnaires

A five-point Likert-scale questionnaires were employed as the basic instrument and developed by the researcher to identify the teachers’ attitudes toward the uses of computers in English language teaching The development of questionnaires was guided by extensive review of literature (Albirini, 2006; Ertmer, 2002; Jones, 2004; Kong Siew, 1997; Payette, 1987; Inch, 1987; Vakalis, 1990; Kersaint, Horton, Stohl, and Garofalo, 2003) To gain data for the research, the questionnaires were administered to 15 teachers of English in Department of Languages and Information Technology at HNTTC

Before the actual data collection period, the questionnaires were first piloted

to five teachers to check its validity and reality The piloted questionnaires then were re-edited In order to ensure the success of obtaining data, an advance notice was made to all teachers via group e-mail to invite participation After having the permission, the researcher made an appointment with the teachers The researcher explained why the information was being collected and how it would be used Then, the teachers were asked to spend their time reading the questionnaires and to tick the statements in the questionnaires that came closest to expressing their feelings,

beliefs and behaviors concerning the uses of computers in their classroom on a point scale

5-The teacher questionnaires comprised three main sections as follows:

(1) Section 1 aims at teachers’ background

(2) Section 2 elicits general attitudes of teachers toward the uses of computers in language teaching

(3) Section 3 aims at finding out the factors affecting teachers’ uses of computers in the classroom

Table 2: Main sections of the questionnaires

Section Title of Section Type of information requested No of

Items

1 Background Computer training, ownership of

the personal computer at home, frequency of using them at home and at school

4

2 Teachers’ general attitudes

toward the uses of

computers in teaching

English

Teachers’ feelings, beliefs and behaviors concerning the uses of computers

19

3 Factors affecting teachers’

uses of computers to teach

English

Possible factors that could have discouraged a teacher’s uses of computers to teach English in the classroom

this study because it helps document teachers’ behaviors toward the uses of computers in their classroom practice and enhances rater reliability

It was conducted within a month; the researcher observed ten lessons by seven teachers at HNTTC to get a quick view on teachers’ uses of computers and document teachers’ actual performance in their teaching Then, the result of the observation would be compared with the result of the questionnaires in order to state whether what teachers say was consistent with what they did in their classroom Seven of the teachers aged from 25 – 30 years old were selected

Each of category, in the observation was presented on 5– point scale used as the rating to document teachers’ actual behaviors in ESL classrooms, with five fixed alternatives to choose from “never”, “rarely”, “sometimes”, “usually”, “always” (Appendix B)

The observation checklists were developed by the researcher for identifying teachers’ uses of computers in classroom, the elements in the checklist were given assessment The checklist includes five criteria:

 Types of computer used

 How activities are presented

 How slides are presented

 How soft wares are presented

 Some problems in using computers in the classroom

2.4 Procedure of data analysis

After all the data were gathered, they were transformed and classified according to the two research questions From the data analysis, a large amount of statistics obtained from the questionnaire was transformed into tables and charts, which reassured the clear-cut format and facilitate the analytical task as well as help readers understand more easily

Regarding classroom observation, the researcher made a thorough analysis on the observation checklist The results then were compared with those of the questionnaires

Summary

In this chapter, general description of the survey research and the school context where the study conducted are presented Concerning the context of the study, some characteristics of the school such as teachers, facilities were mentioned

In addition, the researcher presented participants of the study and the rationale of using the instruments for data collection in detail The next chapter analyses various types of data collected and findings are made with an attempt to answer the research questions