An evaluation of the application of phonics software in an english course for children at thinh quang primary school

ĐÌNH THỊ HỒNG VÂN AN EVALUATION OF THE APPLICATION OF PHONICS SOFTWARE IN AN ENGLISH COURSE FOR CHILDREN AT THINH QUANG PRIMARY SCHOOL Đánh giá việc ứng dụng phần mềm tiếng Anh Phonic

ĐÌNH THỊ HỒNG VÂN

AN EVALUATION OF THE APPLICATION OF PHONICS SOFTWARE

IN AN ENGLISH COURSE FOR CHILDREN AT THINH QUANG

PRIMARY SCHOOL

Đánh giá việc ứng dụng phần mềm tiếng Anh Phonics đối với khóa học tiếng Anh

của học sinh tại trường tiểu học Thịnh Quang

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 601410

Hanoi – 2010

ĐÌNH THỊ HỒNG VÂN

AN EVALUATION OF THE APPLICATION OF PHONICS SOFTWARE

IN AN ENGLISH COURSE FOR CHILDREN AT THINH QUANG

PRIMARY SCHOOL

Đánh giá việc ứng dụng phần mềm tiếng Anh Phonics đối với khóa học tiếng Anh

của học sinh tại trường tiểu học Thịnh Quang

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 601410 Supervisor: Phùng Hà Thanh, M Ed

Hanoi - 2010

PART II - DEVELOPMENT

1.2.1 Definiton of Motivation 7

1.2.2 The Young-Learner 8

1.3.2.1 Attention 10

1.3.2.2 Relevance 11

1.3.2.3 Confidence 12

1.3.2.4 Satisfaction 12

2.2.1 The origin of Phonics 20

2.3.2 The context of Thinh Quang school 20

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

 IT: Information Technology

 ICT: Information Communication Technology

 ARCS: Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction

 CALL: Computer-assisted Language Learning

 ISD: Instructional System Design

 CIS: Course Interest Survey

 IMMS: Instructional Materials Motivation Survey

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

Table 4 – 1 Frequencies of Participants Concerning their Ages 26 Table 4 - 2 Statistics of the ARCS Sub-Scores on IMMS 27 Table 4 - 3 Statistics for the “Attention” Sub-scores on the IMMS 28 Table 4 - 4 Statistics for the “Relevance” Sub-Scores on the IMMS 32 Table 4 - 5 Statistics for the “Confidence” Sub-Scores on the IMMS 35 Table 4 - 6 Statistics for the “Satisfaction” Sub-Scores on the IMMS 38 Chart 4 - 1 Percentage and Number of respondents – Item #7 29 Chart 4 - 2 Percentage and Number of respondents – Item #9 30 Chart 4 - 3 Percentage and Number of respondents – Item #18 31 Chart 4 - 4 Percentage and Number of respondents – Item #27 33 Chart 4 - 5 Percentage and Number of respondents – Item #5 34 Chart 4 - 6 Percentage and Number of respondents – Item #3 36 Chart 4 - 7 Percentage and Number of respondents – Item #6 37 Chart 4 - 8 Percentage and Number of respondents – Item #28 37

PART I - INTRODUCTION

1 Introduction and rationale of the study

The 21st century has witnessed the rapid development of information technology and its impacts on every aspect of our social life in which education in general and foreign language teaching and learning in particular have been strongly affected It can be said that ICT has been applied in many teachers‟ lectures to bring fun and interest to students in English classes

Ahead the trend of integration and development of technology, recognizing the benefit of ICT,

at the beginning of the year 2009, Thinh Quang primary school started using Phonics – an English software - in English teaching and learning with the belief that Phonics would lay the foundation to improve English language learning among children and create the environment for children practice English from the early age

It lies in the fact that Phonics is a newborn English program applied in some schools in Vietnam including Thinh Quang primary school This program is also the novel practice of Phonics at Thinh Quang It is partly for this deep-rooted reason that the researcher decided to

conduct the study to the extent the application of Phonics software brings about children’s

motivation The researcher hold the belief that through the evaluation of the application of

Phonics there would bring insights into the changes of teaching practices among teachers to better it, and basic premise for the administrators in considering using this software Specifically, the study is of: “An evaluation of the application of Phonics software in an English course for children at Thinh Quang primary school.”

2 Aims and objectives of the Study

The study aims to evaluate the application of Phonics software based on the motivation created on the part of children in an English course at Thinh Quang primary school

Hence, it is expected to achieve the four following objectives:

 First, to investigate whether Phonics holds children attention

 Second, to find out the relevance of the application of Phonics to the children level

 Third, to investigate if the application of Phonics brings children‟s confidence in learning English at class

 Last, to reveal children‟s satisfaction to the application of Phonics in the English course

3 Research questions

In order to achieve the aims of the study, the following research questions were raised:

(1) To what extent does Phonics hold children attention?

(2) To what extent is the application relevant to the children?

(3) To what extent does Phonics bring about children‟s confidence?

(4) To what extent are the children satisfied with the application?

4 Scope of the Study

The present study operates within the following scopes:

(i) As constructed in the IT, “application” depends on both the users (in context of

classroom, they are the teachers and the learners) and the instructional design The research is to evaluate the instructional design of the program Purposely, it goes to evaluate the motivation due to the instructional design created on part of the children in an English course at Thinh Quang primary school

(ii) This study is a case study since the instructional design is restricted by the children (iii) Regarding to the monitoring of the software, (Galavis, 1998) pointed out that

„Instead of being a simple holder and provider of knowledge, the teacher will become the guide of students.‟ The teacher, in this case, does play the role as the guider who controls the software leading children through every activity without intervening the content of the software

5 Methods of the Study

Case study was chosen as a research method applying for this study

A questionnaire was used as a main instrument on 141 children of 4 classes including grade 1 and 2 at Thinh Quang primary school who have just finished the first level of the program – Phonics, i.e., level starter, to investigate whether the instructional design brings about motivation on children based on ARCS model of Keller (1993), including Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction

An interview is then conducted on some students for clarifying problems arising from the data

6 Significance of the Study

The research, first of all, would provide the researcher herself with further information to validate the new software for the children, to see whether it is a good one in term of the motivational factors positively affected through its instructional design

The second significance of the study is for the improvement of English teaching and learning

at Thinh Quang primary school The research is of great value for the teachers by providing them a deep overview from the extent that the instructional design brings about children‟s motivation The teachers then would have better adapting in their teaching to better children‟s learning

Last but not least significance of the study lies in the fact that it can bring the teachers, the students and the administrators the beliefs of using IT in language teaching and learning The researcher hopes that it would bring them positive beliefs on the use of information technology

in their class and school

Finally, the study then informs to the designers of the children‟s perception of their software Accordingly, they would aware of the strong and weak points of their product

7 Organization of the Study

This study consists of three main parts: introduction, development, and conclusion

The introduction presents the rationale, the aims and objectives, research questions, scope, method, significance and design of the study

The development comprises three chapters:

- Chapter one reviews the theoretical background to the application of CALL in English language teaching with the models of CALL, the relation between motivation and the young-learner, the relation between instructional design and motivation, the description of Keller‟s ARCS Model of Motivation and some prominent recent researches on ARCS of Keller

- Chapter two details the setting of the study in which all the language items displayed in the software are specifically defined and the context of the study are also described

- Chapter three presents the methodology of the study

- Chapter four is where the data are presented, the findings come up with and the implications built upon the basis of the evaluation in the previous chapters

The conclusion, apart from summarizing the main issues so far touched upon in the study, proposes recommendation for future research

PART II – DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter reviews selected literature reflective the potential impact of instructional design

on learner motivation The chapter considers the popular models of CALL in language teaching and learning and then reviews the relationship between motivation and the young- learner Next the chapter looks at the principles of instructional design system, including Keller’s ARCS Model of Motivation and its Motivation Instrumentation that support the theory of improving learner motivation It then ends by summarizing some prominent ARCS researches laying the foundation for the present study

1 1 CALL Models in Language teaching and learning

According to Taylor (1980, cited in Warschaure (1996), the first model of CALL is computer

as a tutor, adopting the role of the teacher He explained that the computer serves as a vehicle for delivering instructional materials to the student Many of the early CALL exercises were drill and practice activities, often focusing on accuracy and fluency The rationale for drill and practice is as follows:

* Repeated exposure to the same material is beneficial or even essential to learning

* A computer is ideal for carrying out repeated drills, since the machine does not get bored with presenting the same material and since it can provide immediate non-judgmental feedback

* A computer can present such material on an individualized basis, allowing students to proceed at their own pace and freeing up class time for other activities

Based on these notions, a number of CALL tutoring systems were developed for the mainframe computers One of the most sophisticated of these was the PLATO system, which

included vocabulary drills, brief grammar explanations and drills, and translations tests at various intervals

In addition to computer as tutor, according to Taylor & Perez (1989) “another CALL model used for communicative activities involves the computer as stimulus” (p 63) In this case, the purpose of the CALL activity is not so much as a tutorial itself but to generate analysis, critical thinking, discussion, and writing Software used for these purposes include various programs which may not have been specifically designed for language learners, programs such as Sim City, Sleuth, or Where in the World is San Diego?

The third model of computers involves the computer as a tool (Taylor, 1980) or, as sometimes

called, the computer as workhorse (Taylor & Perez, 1989) In this role, the programs

empower the learner to use or understand language Wordstore, for example, allows users to record vocabulary in a categorized dictionary, giving users both the opportunity to organize vocabulary effectively and to retrieve words or phrases with greater ease when completing a translation or other similar text (Jones 1986, p 176, cited in Barr, 2004) Some more examples

of computer as tool include word processors, spelling and grammar checkers, desk-top publishing programs, and concordancers

Of course the distinction between these models is not absolute A skill practice program can be used as a conversational stimulus, as a paragraph written by a student on a word processor Likewise, there are a number of drill and practice programs which could be used in a more communicative fashion - if, for example, students were assigned to work in pairs or small groups and then compare and discuss their answers

Among the three models offered by Taylor (1980), Phonics software embraced all characteristics as of a tutor This means that it rejects the role of the teacher in class by providing the instructional materials itself

1.2 Motivation and the Young - Learner

(1) motivational intensity

(2) desire to learn the language

(3) attitude towards learning the language

Gardner argued that these three components belong together because truly motivated individual displays all three The orientation helps to arouse motivation and then directs it towards a set of goals, either with a strong interpersonal quality or a strong practical quality

From Keller‟s point of view, motivation “refers to the magnitude and direction of behavior…

it refers to the choices people make as to what experience or goals they will approach or avoid, and to the degree of effort they will exert in that respect” (Keller, 1983, p 369) He then adds three underlying assumptions for systematic motivational design as (a) people‟s motivations can be influenced by external events; (b) motivation, in relation to performance, is a means and not an end; and (c) systematic design and implementation can predictably and measurably influence motivation Put it another way, motivation based on Keller‟s definition, is measured

by the amount of effort the student makes in order to attain the instructional goal

As can be inferred from the two definitions of motivation, the core elements in both are the attitude, the effort and experience Since the study focus on instructional design of the software that bring about students‟ motivation, the definition of Keller is specific and of referable

 keen and enthusiastic

 curious and inquisitive

 outspoken

 imaginative and creative

 active and like to move around

 interested in exploration

 learn by doing/hands-on experience

 holistic, natural learners searching for meaningful messages (Málfríđur, 2007: 27)

For although they are broad in context, these characteristics provide a basic framework around which the e-courses can be developed that will enhance young learner motivation to engage and continue in the courses

Young children are sensitive to the sounds and the rhythm of new languages and they enjoy copying new sounds and patterns of intonation In addition, younger learners are usually less anxious and less inhibited than older learners (Pinter, 2006, cited in Málfríđur, 2007)

The above needs and characteristics of young learners have implications for language instruction The instructional designs should provide a wide range of opportunities for hearing and using the language and play should be an active part of the learning Tasks should be

meaningful and help children to make sense of new experiences by relating them to what they already know The use of routine and repetition should be emphasized along with opportunities for interaction and cooperation Finally, encouragement is necessary to maintain children‟s positive attitudes, motivation, and self-confidence

1.3 Instructional design

1.3.1 Instructional design and Motivation

An important characteristic of instructional design highlighted in the literature is the systems approach or Instructional Systems Design (ISD) "Instructional design is concerned with understanding, improving, and applying methods of instruction" (Reigeluth, 1983, p 7) Johnson and Johnson (1985), writing on the subject of instructional design, warn against subscribing to the technology fallacy in which the designer focuses on the technology to be used in delivering learning as the mechanism for exciting students to learn, rather than focusing on overall design strategies intended to motivate learners The methodology prescribed by the different ISD processes follow many of the same patterns There is an analysis phase normally included at the outset of the process during which the need for a learning intervention is determined During this stage, learner attributes are also assessed as a means of determining the most appropriate instructional process for the learning style of those subjected to the learning intervention This phase is often referred to as a needs assessment or analysis Rothwell and Kasanas (1992) refer to this phase as that which identifies, documents, and justifies gaps between what is valid now and what should be valid for any gaps in knowledge to be closed The next phase normally focuses on a design function through which the intended instructional piece is sculpted This is perhaps the most critical phase of the process because the eventual shape and format of the instructional product is created during the design phase Keller (1983) points out that during the design phase, consequences related

to motivation are identified and combined with cognitive techniques to influence the eventual outcome of the instructional process The blending of these two design considerations is critical to both the delivery methodology and to the educational value of the instruction Keller

emphasizes the need to keep motivational and cognitive aspects of the design process in mind

at all times and not allow influences of efficiency and effectiveness to subsume the overall process

1.3.2 Keller's ARCS Model

Prominently, John Keller is perhaps the most well-known and often quoted author of theories directly related to motivation through instructional design He especially addressed the motivational issues within the instructional context Keller's research resulted in the determination of four design categories for which he developed strategies aimed at ensuring the inclusion of motivation in the ISD process As he claimed „the ARCS model includes a systematic design process that can be used within typical instructional design and development models (Keller, 1987, p 6) Research applying the model will be discussed in more detail later

in this part, but first it is necessary to describe the four dimensions of Keller‟s ARCS model, beginning with learner attention

1.3.2.1 Attention

Attention refers to the ability to capture the interest of learners, to pique their curiosity to learn, and to hold their attention (Keller, 1992) Keller (1992) differentiates three types of attention: (1) Perceptual Arousal; (2) Inquiry Arousal, and; (3) Variability

Through Perceptual Arousal (A1), curiosity is piqued to gain the attention of learners (Keller, 1992) Methods of gaining attention include providing visually appealing graphics or unexpected actions to capture learner interest Through Inquiry Arousal (A2), this initial perceptual attention can be maintained for greater lengths of time Methods of sustaining attention include asking challenging or stimulating questions and integrating inductive and problem-solving approaches With either of these types of attention, Variability (A3) is important to prevent learner boredom (with too little variation) or frustration (with too much variation)

Gagne and Driscoll (1988) detail three actions that can be used to enhance learner attention These are:

 vary the appearance or sound of instructional materials;

 use concrete examples for every abstraction that is presented; and

 surprise the learner with novelty and incongruity (p 72)

Keller (1999) added more by noticing that rich graphics, color, and animation, when used appropriately, can help improve learner motivation and performance

1.3.2.2 Relevance

Relevance refers to the connection of the instructional content to things that are meaningful to the learners One aspect of relevance is concerned with ensuring that learners see the connection between what they need to know and what new learning opportunities are presented to them Keller (1992) identifies three categories of tactics dealing with relevance: (1) Goal Orientation; (2) Motive Matching, and (3) Familiarity

Through Goal Orientation (R1), the instruction is related to learners‟ goals (Keller, 1992) With Motive Matching (R2), tactics could include encouraging learners to visualize achieving

a goal, or appealing to personal interests and learning styles The third of Keller‟s (1992) categories of relevance tactics is Familiarity (R3) The premise of this construct is to connect the instruction to the learner‟s own experiences

Strategies suggested by Gagné and Driscoll (1988) for assuring instructional relevance include the following:

 ensuring that content relates to the learner's past experience and stored knowledge;

 explaining the present worth of the skills, knowledge, and attitudes being learned; and

 taking steps to convince the learner of the value of what is learned for future activities that are valued (p 73)

1.3.2.3 Confidence

Bandura (1997) notes that people who believe they have control over their capacity to affect change in their lives are more effective and successful Confidence refers to these positive expectancies for success by learners Keller (1992) presents three methods of instilling confidence in learners: (1) Learning Requirements; (2) Positive Consequences, and (3) Personal Responsibility

Learners are informed of the expectations through Learning Requirements (C1) (Keller, 1992)

An obvious tactic is to provide learners with clear learning objectives and expected outcomes

of the instruction Positive Consequences (C2) occur when learners are challenged an appropriate amount Finally, Personal Responsibility (C3) involves ensuring that learners feel that they succeeded due to their ability rather than because the task was too easy, they were lucky, or other external factors played a role (Keller, 1992)

Gagné and Driscoll (1988) suggest the following strategies to promote learner confidence:

 communicate clear and definite learning objectives;

 sequence successive lessons or learning tasks so that each can be readily mastered; and

 permit learners to take an increasing degree of control over the sequence of learning and over (p.74)

1.3.2.4 Satisfaction

Satisfaction refers to learners‟ positive feelings about their learning experiences, and it includes affirmation to learners that the instructional content was relevant and that they had

the ability to learn the material Keller (1992) identifies three kinds of tactics to improve learner satisfaction: (1) Intrinsic Reinforcement; (2) Extrinsic Rewards, and (3) Equity

Intrinsic Reinforcement (S1), or an internal desire to learn, is most aligned with directedness Through Extrinsic Rewards (S2), learners are recognized for their accomplishments, either verbally or through actual rewards Equity (S3) includes learner perceptions of fair and equal treatment, which are essential to motivation regardless of the context

self-Gagné and Driscoll (1988) suggest that attainment of learner satisfaction is perhaps the easiest

of the ARCS components to achieve Satisfaction is attained using feedback to bring about reinforcement By using a thorough feedback process with many learning iterations, satisfaction with a single learning experience "develops into a self management skill (actually,

a cognitive strategy) that gives support to learner confidence, maintains attention, and the relation of learning activities to long-term goals" (Gagné & Driscoll, 1988, p 77)

In summary, components of the ARCS model (see Table 1-1) can be addressed with various instructional strategies Sound instructional design tactics with clear and attainable objectives through chunking of information help direct learners through technology-mediated instruction Opportunities for reality-based practice, games, and simulations help learners remain engaged throughout the process Customized feedback on practice items helps learners improve their confidence and knowledge while giving them opportunities to review areas that need clarification All of these components enable an instructional designer to conduct a requisite motivational analysis of learners

A1 Perceptual Arousal R1 Goal

Orientation

C1 Learning Requirements

S1 Intrinsic Reinforcement A2 Inquiry Arousal R2 Motive

Matching

C2 Positive Consequences

S2 Extrinsic Rewards

A3 Variability R3 Familiarity C3 Personal

a handful of studies have used the CIS This study, therefore, employs the IMMS as the tool to identify motivation with specific instructional materials of Phonics in an English course for children at Thinh Quang primary school

The Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) is a 36-item survey with a Likert-type scale (Keller, 1993) It has been validated in a number of studies, primarily with undergraduate students Participants are asked to think about each statement in relation to the instructional materials they have just studied, and to indicate how true each statement is The response scale ranges from 1 (Not True) to 5 (Very True) Thus, the minimum score on the 36 item survey is 36, and the maximum is 180 with a midpoint of 108 The minimums, maximums, and midpoints for each subscale vary because they do not all have the same number of items There are 5 subscales: one for each of the ARCS components (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) and one for the ARCS total score Ten of the 36 items are reversed

1.3.4 Researches on ARCS

ARCS has been studied in many different environments, including traditional classroom-based instruction, distance learning environments, computer aided instruction, and with multimedia applications (Visser & Keller, 1990)

In recent years, motivation studies have been undertaken in Turkey that focuses on the ARCS Motivational Design Model In her study, Çetin (2007, cited in Gabrielle, 2003) examines student achievement and permanence of learning using a computer assisted education software based on ARCS

In one study, Song (1998) used Keller‟s ARCS motivational design model to develop computer-based instruction for middle school students The study involved one control and two experimental groups; all groups received different levels of motivation during instruction The study revealed that the group that received motivationally adaptive instructions had significantly higher levels of attention, relevance, motivation, and effectiveness than those students in the control group

A review of the literature reveals that most of the studies related to ARCS are about using the model in the design and development of motivation in the learning process Provided the empirical reports on the power of ARCS employing measuring upon students' motivation are correct The present study aims to help fill this gap by conducting research to evaluate the extent to which the application of Phonics software brings about motivation to the children in

an English course at Thinh Quang primary school Obviously, the study employs the ARCS as the instrument to collect data

CHAPTER 2: THE DESIGN OF PHONICS AND AN OVERVIEW OF THE USE OF

PHONICS at THINH QUANG PRIMARY SCHOOL

2.1 The design of Phonics

2.1.1 Phonics structure

Phonics consists of 6 levels, including Starter, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4 and Level 5

It was designed with the aim of providing a Standard English environment for children in which they can shape their habit of using English in natural ways At the outset, only children

of 6 and 7 (grade 1 and 2) at Thinh Quang primary school are involved in the course Thus, the researcher would like to focus on the detail description of the first level for those of grade 1 and 2: Starter Level

Starter level consists of 26 lessons written on the basis of themes with rich and lively characters for a more powerful delivery and effective learning Each lesson is made up of ten

lesson activities which enable children to learn, understand, and apply what is learnt effectively Each lesson is delivered in 5 periods (35 minutes for each) The children meet twice a week

These ten activities are as stated below with their respective details of purpose

Learn to Sound

This comprises three subcomponents: Letter, Sound and Song Children will be introduced to the basic sounds of the letters in the alphabet, accompanied by the object which would then be learnt in the story A sing-along session is introduced to serve to reinforce the sounds and pronunciation learnt earlier

Learn to Listen

Children will be introduced to the speech patterns and story in this simple conversation between the characters in the scene The object introduced in the earlier segment is also discussed in this part

Learn to Answer

A simple comprehension segment here makes for interesting question and answer session between children and the teacher, or among children themselves

Learn New Words

New words together with the object introduced in the Sound segment are introduced here to enhance and expose children to a wider scope of vocabulary An Action Song is introduced here to encourage children to participate and enjoy themselves while learning as well as reinforcing what is learnt

Learn to Talk About …

A simple dialogue between the characters in the scene on the object introduced earlier In this segment, children will be exposed to the ways of conversations as well as methods and words used in describing things Creativity and thinking skills are also nurtured here with a simple introduction of some general knowledge elements

This is a simple and fun reader for children to indulge in for fun reading Simple descriptions

of the object introduced makes for a better understanding towards the object

Learn to Speak

Having listened and learned the ways of conversation in the earlier segments, children are encouraged to speak in this segment Beginning with short sentences, children progress from just speaking and answering to asking simple questions as well, to ensure an effective two – way communication

Learn to Write

Children will be taught the correct way of writing each letter of the alphabet Guide strokes are provided to ensure the correct sequence and proper way of writing Children will also have fun coloring the objects for each letter

Learn to Remember

This is a fun session to test and gauge if children have fully understood what the have learnt,

with simple animated flash cards

Apart from ten sessions, Phonics has a system of songs using for warm up and revising new words The aim of these is to enhance children‟s sense of music, the ability to remember words, pronunciation and to build up their long-term memory work Besides, Phonics songs used in the program are to create a joyful and harmony environment for the class which can, to some extent, attract children and reduce their stress in learning

2.1.2 Guided teaching techniques

Listen and repeat: Children listen to model and repeat in chorus, groups and individuals

Listen for wanted information: Children listen to a story (i.e Learn to Listen) and then learn

to read again, retell the story and then answer questions related to the content of the story

Questions and answers: Children practice listen and answer the questions in chorus, groups

and individuals

Description: Children imagine that they are the character and then do the typical actions of

that character in the lesson

Role – play: Children play the role of the character and sound like the character or act out the

scene of the story

Back chaining: Use for the long reading sentences to help children practice reading and

sounding from the back up

Sing to learn: Children learn news words or words with songs and actions together

Write and draw: Children learn to write by remembering the symbols of the letters and draw

them

2.2 An overview of the use of Phonics at Thinh Quang primary school

2.2.1 The origin of Phonics

Phonics is an English program applying Standard English (Received Pronunciation) to teach children from different countries in the world It was studied and designed by a first – leading company providing online learning methods in Education (United Kingdom) The father of the Phonics is Prof Dr Gerry Knowles who is a linguist, a phonetician and also the author of many English books like Longmans (1987)

Since 2006, advocating the Policy from Ministry of Education, the extensive English program

is open to all primary schools in Vietnam As the result, the Phonics program is welcomed and applied in many schools around the country so far

2.2.2 The context of Thinh Quang school

Thinh Quang is one of the pioneers in applying this software in English teaching and learning

at primary level

The program is first delivered to 4 classes which encourage volunteer children from grade one and two at school The total number of children joined in Phonics classes is 141 divided into 4 small classes with the average of 35 students each Each class was equipped with a large screen connected to a CPU (computer) that would present the content of the lesson The children in U shape-seated will follow the guiding from teacher from the screen went through lesson by lesson The teacher just works as a guider instructs students through activities not intervene the content of the lessons on screen

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

This section begins with a description of the research design and then provides a description

of the subjects involved in the study It then examines the instrumentation, procedures, and data analysis methods used to conduct the study

3.1 Research design

Altman (1976) describes a case study as an "instance in action" (in Nunan 1992, p 75) where the researcher usually observes particular characteristics of an individual unit in the context in which it occurs The main aim of case studies is to explore what constitutes the life cycle of this unit with a view to establishing generalizations about the wider population to which it belongs In the same vein, this study is to evaluate the instructional design of the software to the extent of its possibility to motivate children in an English course in context of Thinh Quang primary school

Altman (1976), then suggests that case studies are strong in reality and consequently likely to appeal to practitioners because one can generalize from a case or from an instance to a class, a variety of view points can be made which may offer support to a wealth of diverse interpretations, and lastly, case study data are usually more accessible than conventional research accounts, and therefore capable of serving multiple audiences (in Nunan, 1992) As in this study, the case is carried out at the context of a primary school with the participation of

141 children from four Phonics classes in the school year of 2009 to 2010

This is a case but not an action research because in this study the role of the teacher is not important The teacher just takes the role of guiding children through each segment or activity without intervening in the content of the lessons at all Furthermore, the researcher herself desires to know and understand the instructional design of the course that takes effects on children‟s motivation at different groups of children in context of Thinh Quang

This study also cannot be a survey since the researcher just would like to focus on

instructional design of the software not something else Consequently, the study is conducted

in the context of only Thinh Quang primary school

3.2 Participants of the Study

The population of the study is 141 children from four Phonics classes; including two classes of grade 1 and 2 classes of grade two that started to learn English with Phonics from school year

of 2009 to 2010 All of the children from grade 1 and 2 did not learning English before since the primary level has not been required to study English by Ministry of Education so far English is just obligatory subject to grade 3 upwards This is the first time the school integrated using computer - software program to teach English to children The study was carried out at the time the children have just finished the first level of starter of the software program and are going to move to next level next year

In order to have enough quantity of children participate in the study, the researcher chose the whole population The sample in the present study was representative of the population in all demographic areas

3.3 Data collection

3.3.1 Data collection instrument

Phase one: Questionnaire

Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS)

Reason for choosing the instrument: The instrument is to find out how motivated students are, were, or expect to be, by a particular course using particular instructional material The expectation is that the survey can be used with undergraduate and graduate students, adults in non-collegiate settings, and with secondary students They can also be used with younger students who have appropriate reading levels With younger students or ones who are not

sufficiently literate in English, some of the items may have to be read aloud and paraphrased

to relate them to the classroom experiences of the audience (Keller, 1993)

The questionnaire for the children slightly adapted from Keller (1993) consisting of 30 closed questions (Likert scale) to result in the exact number and the specific information about the matter studied It comprises of four categories of Keller (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction)

The questionnaire contained an introductory section addressing children demographics followed by second section containing 30 questions that used a Likert-type scale to measure learner motivation Eight of the 30 questions were negatively worded to increase the strength

of the questionnaire

The questionnaire format was developed by Keller (1993) as the Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) The questions in each questionnaire were altered only to the extent needed to fit the lesson structure used in this research There are two versions of the questionnaires of both English and Vietnamese For children fully understand the questions, the questionnaire was translated into Vietnamese and given to them after the course

Phase two: A follow – up interview

A follow-up interview was done to clarify children‟s individual comments or explanations on some the reversed items These reveal their thoughts and feelings concerning the statements that convey the contradict opinions The interview was done in Vietnamese so they could fully explain even their abstract thoughts without any difficulties The translation was then checked for accuracy

3.3.2 Data collection procedure

Phase one:

The questionnaire delivered to 141 children at grade 1 and 2 at Thinh Quang primary school, including 65 from grade 1 and 76 from grade 2 Collecting data from children presents particular difficulties There may be greater variation in comprehension and interpretation of items than with adults, and there may be lapses in concentration in responding to a long questionnaire (the instrument had 3 pages of scale items) The administration of the questionnaire was led by the researcher in class The items were read aloud by the researcher, who monitored the children‟ progress in completing the questionnaire, but without influencing

in any way the responses marked She used the black board to ensure clear shared understanding of how to respond by marking scale responses This approach provided for flexibility in the time taken to complete the instrument, and for some explanations to be provided where children had queries The researcher administering the questionnaire included observations on individual items of children‟s reactions to them when they returned the completed questionnaire

The questionnaire was processed by using the descriptive statistics, finding out the sub-scores and total scores, mean, and standard deviation The data for the evaluation was collected and analyzed by the researcher After the children finished answering all the questions during 30 minutes, she collected them to analyze

Phase two:

The data was processed with the aid of eight students‟ interview: 2 from each class based on their opinions in the survey questionnaire: A transcript was done first After that, it was also integrated into the topics and quoted This is aimed at triangulating the data

3.4 Data analysis

The questionnaire was scored according to the scoring procedure detailed by Keller (1993) in the guiding score (Appendix C) (some questions were reverse scored) to compute totals for each of the ARCS components and the total score for the questionnaire For example, each question had five possible responses If the respondent selected a (2) for a particular question,

the question received a score of two If the question was reversed scored, the (2) would receive

a score of four and a (4) would receive a score or two All questions representing Attention for individual questionnaire were added together and divided by 11, which is the number of questions associated with Attention in each questionnaire to arrive at an average Attention score for that questionnaire This process was repeated for the other ARCS components for the questionnaire total The result was the scores for each ARCS motivational element As the result, the software is of practical significance if the total point is greater than midpoints of total

For deeper understanding the subscore items of ARCS, the research used SPSS to calculate mean, standard deviation of each item in each subscale in ARCS The standard of each criterion was set before hand as followings:

 The mean score is used to assess the success of each item based on its range as in IMMS instrument by Keller (1993)

 The standard deviation for each item is equal to or lower than 1.5