Using ICT to increase grade 10 students’ motivation in learning english at a continuing education centre of hai duong

Some pedagogical implications are also suggested in the hope of assisting Vietnamese teachers in teaching and increasing learners‟ interest in learning English Keyword: ICT, motivation,

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES

*********************

HỒ THỊ THANH THÚY

USING ICT TO INCREASE GRADE 10 STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION

IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A CONTINUING EDUCATION

CENTRE OF HAI DUONG

(Sử dụng công nghệ thông tin và truyền thông để tăng động lực học Tiếng Anh cho học sinh lớp 10 ở một Trung tâm giáo dục thường xuyên

tại Hải Dương.)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01

HA NOI - 2020

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES *********************

HỒ THỊ THANH THÚY

USING ICT TO INCREASE GRADE 10 STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION

IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A CONTINUING EDUCATION

CENTRE OF HAI DUONG

(Sử dụng công nghệ thông tin và truyền thông để tăng động lực học Tiếng Anh cho học sinh lớp 10 ở một Trung tâm giáo dục thường xuyên tại

Hải Dương.)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01

Supervisor : Assoc Professor NguyễnThị Mai Hương

HA NOI - 2020

i

DECLARATION

I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled “ Using ICT to increase grade 10 students‟ motivation in learning English

at a Continuing Education Centre of Hai Duong” is submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies - University of Languages and International Studies – Vietnam National University, Hanoi I also declare that this thesis is the result of my own work and effort, and that it has not been submitted for a degree of any other universities Where other sources of information have been used, they have been acknowledged

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, it is my great pleasure to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Assoc Professor Nguyễn Thị Mai Hương for her invaluable advice, guidance, support and encouragement during my fulfilment of this minor thesis

My special thanks also go to the library staff and all lecturers of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies - University of Languages and International Studies – Vietnam National University, Hanoi for providing me with the necessary research materials, precious lectures and suggestions

I am really thankful to the grade 10 students at a Continuing Education Centre who have actively participated in the research

I also would like to express my great gratitude to my family and many best friends for the love and support which make a substantial contribution to my fulfillment of this thesis

Hồ Thị Thanh Thúy

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ABSTRACT

This research was conducted at an education center in Hai Duong, where the students‟ motivation in learning English is very low The research, therefore, focuses on the use of ICT to increase grade 10 students‟ motivation in learning English at the Continuing Education Centre of Hai Duong Through an intervention based on the use of ICT the researcher set out to investigate factors that contribute

to students‟ motivation in the English classroom and what ICT activities motivate the students effectively The thesis describes a cycle of action research conducted

on forty-three students of grade 10 The data were collected through students‟ journals, the teacher‟s dairies from class observations and questionnaires The results of the research showed that the use of ICT increased the students‟ motivation

in learning English in the classroom Some pedagogical implications are also suggested in the hope of assisting Vietnamese teachers in teaching and increasing learners‟ interest in learning English

Keyword: ICT, motivation, increase, factors

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi

LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii

PART I: INTRODUCTION 1

PART II: DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW 4

1 Theoretical background of motivation 4

1 1 Definition of motivation 4

1.2 Types of motivation 6

1.3 The importance of motivation in foreign language learning 7

1.4 Factors affecting motivation in foreign language learning 8

1.4.1 Internal factors 8

1.4.2 External factors 9

2 Overview of ICT 14

2.1 ICT definition 14

2.2 ICT tools 16

2.2.1 Visual images 16

2.2.2 Videos 17

2.2.3 ICT Games 18

2.2.4 PowerPoint presentations 19

3 ICT and motivation 20

4 Previous studies 24

4.1 Studies in foreign countries 24

4.2 Studies in Vietnam 26

5 Summary 26

v

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 28

2.1 Restatement of the research questions 28

2.2 Research design 28

2.3 The setting of the study 29

2.4 Participants 30

2.5 Research procedures 30

2.6 Data collection instruments 35

2.6.1 Pre-intervention questionnaire 35

2.6.2 The post-intervention questionnaire 35

2.6.3 Student‟s journals 36

2.6.4 Teacher‟s dairy 36

2.7 Summary 36

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 37

3.1 Findings to answer the first research question 37

3.1.1 Post-intervention questionnaire 37

3.1.2 Teacher‟s dairy 40

3.1.3 Students‟ journals 42

3.1.4 Summary 43

3.2 Findings to answer the second research question 43

3.2.1 The post-intervention questionnaire 43

3.2.2 The teachers‟ dairy 48

3.2.3 The students‟ journals 49

3.2.4 Summary 51

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION 52

4.1 What the features of ICT activities contribute to the students‟ motivation in the English classroom? 52

4.2 What kinds of ICT activities can increase the students‟ motivation? 54

PART III: CONCLUSION 56

REFERENCES 59 APPENDICES I

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AR Action Research ICT Information and Communication Technologies EFL English as a foreign language

ESL English as a second language PPT PowerPoint Presentation Teaching

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LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1 Features of ICT activities making students motivated in English classroom 39 Table 2: Post-Questionnaire Results with the Number of Students Selecting Each Alternative and the Equivalent Percentage 44 Table 3: Post-Questionnaire Results with the Number of Students Selecting Each Alternative and the Equivalent Percentage 45 Table 4: Post-Questionnaire Results with the Number of Students Selecting Each Alternative and the Equivalent Percentage 45 Table 5: Post-Questionnaire Results with the Number of Students Selecting Each Alternative and the Equivalent Percentage 46 Chart 1 Students' attitudes towards using PPT lessons 37 Chart 2 The comparison of Computer-based lessons and Traditional lessons 38 Chart 3: Item 13 In your PPT lessons, what kind of ICT activities is the most attracive? 47 Chart 4: Item 14 In your PPT lessons, what kind of ICT activities is the most effective? 48

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1 Background of the study

According to Frydrychov Klimova & Poulova (2014), “Motivation undoubtedly is the key in any learning” Therefore, motivating students in learning language plays an important role for English teachers In order to motivate students

in learning process, a lot of teachers have to use different ways of teaching or technology tools to increase students‟ motivation in English classrooms Nowadays,

we live in a world that is influenced by technology so using technology is necessary for students like Frydrychov Klimova & Poulova (2014) stated that “ ICT are as natural as breathing”

Most English teachers in the countryside teach in the classrooms with poor conditions and lack of facilities and equipment The researcher also teaches English with this condition There are only two classrooms that have got projectors but they have not got computers Moreover, students are very lazy and even they are not interested in learning English They will get passive knowledge acquisition from the teachers and they are obligatory to have to learn to pass the exams

Being an English teacher at a Continuing Education Centre in Hai Duong province for 12 years, I have worked with many students Their English proficiency

is very low plus their low motivation in learning English It has been observed that they do not feel engaged in English lessons with the traditional method At the moment, I am teaching English using the communicative syllabus for students, which provokes a desire in me to change the old teaching method and environment

by using ICT to increase students‟ motivation in learning English Especially, using PowerPoint presentations in lessons and resources from the Internet can help students increase their motivation in learning EFL The motivation behind this minor study comes from the researcher‟s personal observations and the fact in the classrooms that her students are bored with learning English lessons The researcher believes that it is the duty of teachers of English to help their students increase motivation in learning English by using ICT in their lessons that students feel more fun and happier when incorporating ICT in the EFL classroom

All the above reasons motivated me to conduct this action research By applying technology in my lessonsI hope Iwill be able to help students feel enjoyable when they learn English

2 Aims of the study

This study aims to investigate features of ICT activities that contribute to the students‟ motivation in the English classroom It also intends to find out what ICT activities motivate the students effectively

Research questions:

1 What features of ICT activities contribute to the students‟ motivation in the English classroom?

2 What kinds of ICT activities can increase the students‟ motivation?

3 Scope of the study

Using ICT consists of a lot of aspects However, the researcher only focuses

on using her laptop connected projector with using the software PowerPoint presentations, and using ICT activities such as visual images and videos from the Internet and computer- games to motivate students in English classrooms

In addition, due to the limited scope of this study, the participants selected were not all students at a Continuing Education Center, but only 43 students English class 10 that taught within 12 weeks and in order to solve the current problem of the classroom setting the researcher only uses Cycle I of this action research project in this This cycle will inform the design of the next cycles, which will be carried out but not reported in this study

4 Significance of the study

The study will help the researcher herself realize her students‟ positive changes in learning English so that the researcher use the computer, games and PowerPoint in classrooms From the research study, the researcher hopes that she will use her own laptop and the lectures planned with PowerPoint to increase her students‟ motivation in learning English

5 Method of the study

The study was carried out in the hope of increasing students‟ motivation in learning English, I decided to adopt action research design because this research

aimed at improving teaching and learning practices After a preliminary investigation was implemented to identify the problems, the researcher designed PowerPoint lessons with lively images, videos and technological games to improve the current practice The data was collected from students‟ journals, the teacher‟ dairies and questionnaires

6 Organization of the study

The thesis consists of five main parts:

PART I: INTRODUCTION

This part introduces the background, purposes and aims, the scope, the significance, method and the design of the study

PART II: DEVELOPMENT

This is the main part of the study It concludes three chapters such as Literature Review, Methodology and Findings and discussion

CHAPTER 1: Literature review

This chapter provides the theoretical background and related literature review of the study

CHAPTER 2: Methodology

Firstly, the chapter presents two research questions Secondly, the chapter describes the methods utilized in the study, presents the situation of teaching and learning English at a Continuing Education Center and general information about the study subjects It also focuses on the data collection instruments and procedures

CHAPTER 3: Data analysis and findings

This chapter presents the result of 12 week of action research procedure through students‟ journals, the teacher‟s dairy, and questionnaires

PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter reviews the two main concepts of motivation and ICT In each section, the writer presents the definitions as well as theories and studies conducted

on the ICT effects on learners‟ motivation

1 Theoretical background of motivation

to describe the factors within an individual which arouse, maintain and channel behavior towards a goal Another way to say this is that motivation is goal-directed behavior (Pédro Marius, 2018, p.41)

Motivation has been one of the major interests for long time for most English teachers as a Second Language (ESL) or as a Foreign Language(EFL) not only in the world but also elsewhere

Motivation in the ESL/EFL classroom is one of the most important factors that contribute to students‟ foreign language acquisition Most of students have difficulties in learning foreign language and they have low motivation to learn English However, teachers can motivate them using good teaching and learning strategies, or application of ICT in teaching and learning process

Chuan and Dörnyei (2007) claims that motivation is one major key factor in determining the success or failure in foreign language learning Therefore, the aspects of motivation should be seen as one of the more important elements to consider when conducting studies on second or foreign language motivation

Motivation may be constructed as: the state of cognitive and emotional

arousal, the factor leading to a conscious decision, the factor giving rise to a period

of sustained intellectual and/ or physics effort, and the factor to attain a previously set goal/ goals

One of the most influential models from schools is Gardner‟s educational model of language learning (Gardner, 1985) This model incorporates the learner‟s cultural beliefs, their attitudes towards the learning situation, their integration and their motivation Gardner emphasizes that the primary factor in the model is motivation He defines motivation as referring to combination of effort plus desire to achieve the goal of learning the language plus favorable attitudes towards learning the language

socio-Pintrich, Smith, Garcia et al McKeachie(1991) have found three major motivational components:

 An expectation component, related to students‟ beliefs about the ability to perform a task

 A value component, focused on the students‟ reasons for becoming engaged

in academic tasks, in which students‟ goals are included, the importance they attribute to that task, and the interest it arouse in them

 An affective component, referring to the emotional reactions of the students when facing tasks, operationalized in terms of how they respond to the anxiety produced by exams

Williams and Burden(1997) have established a framework of second language motivation There are internal and external factors that can make a difference in the students‟ motivation towards the topic that is to be learnt All of these attributes can be connected to the motivational aspects of including ICT in the EFL classroom

Bullock(2001) explains that students have been more enthusiastically towards group work, and the teachers interviewed have seen improvements on the students‟ motivation The main findings from Bullock‟s(2001) study are that incorporating ICT in the teaching leads to group work, but it also enabled students to work more independently, which enhances the students enjoyment in the tasks presented

Generally speaking, motivation is a concept that motivates someone to achieve his/her target It belongs to emotional issues Students who have high motivation will be successful in English learning acquisition In contrast, people with low motivation get difficulties in acquiring English language skill There are internal and external factors impacting someone‟s motivation

1.2 Types of motivation

There are many kinds of motivation in learning foreign language that researchers studied all over the world

According to Harmer(1991: 3), motivation is classified into two types:

1 Short-term goal refers to students‟ successful wishes in the future For example, students want to pass the exams or to get good marks

2 Long-term goal means that students desire to get good job or to be able to communicate with other people in the world if they learn foreign language well Integrative and instrumental motivation are two factors that Krashen(1988: 22) showed in his study relating the second language ability

1 Integrative motivation

Saville-Troike( 2006: 86) stated that integrative motivation is defined that the learner‟s desire is able to become a part of recognized or important members in community or society that speak the second language It depends on learners‟ interest in learning the second language because they need to learn the culture associated with that language When someone becomes a resident in a new community that speak the second language, integrative motivation is a key component to help the learner to enhance his levels of proficiency in the language

2 Instrumental motivation

According to Saville-Troike( 2006: 86), instrumental motivation consists of the concepts that have practical values in learning the second language to increase the chances in businesses and careers Learners with an instrumental motivation want to learn a language because they will get a salary bonus or getting into college even giving them more prestige and power, accessing technical and scientific information

Furthermore, the motivation is divided in two main types as follows:

1 Intrinsic motivation refers to learning individually and is related to the individual‟s identity and sense of well-being Learners are intrinsically motivated when they learn with a goal in themselves It means the learners have willingness and voluntariness to learn what they like and think that which one is the worthiest and the most important for them The learners learn with internal desire without external outcomes when they have intrinsic motivation Besides, negative impacts are not in the intrinsic motivation In addition, the students who have intrinsic motivation learn without rewards because of their innate need or their own inside will.(Arnold,2000: 14)

2 Extrinsic motivation comes from outside the individual It refers to the learners‟ desire in getting a reward and avoiding punishment It focuses on external need to encourage the learner to join the activities in the classroom( Arnold, 2000: 14), for example, homework, grade, or doing something to satisfy teachers Moreover, when extrinsic motivation bases on external outcomes such as rewards and punishment, this influences negatively students‟ motivation because students do not learn with their strong attention or will They learn because of the interest in the rewards or the punishment Their goal is that learning is to get rewards or learning is to avoid the punishment

1.3 The importance of motivation in foreign language learning

Learners‟ motivation largely decides achievement or failure in learning foreign language And most researchers and teachers point out that motivation is one of key factors which influence the rate and success in learning foreign language Moreover, according to Spolsky (1990: 157), students who have high motivation are seemed to learn more and quickly than students who have low motivation It means that students with high motivation who take actively part in and pay attention to the lessons in the classroom To contrast, students who are less motivated are not interested in learning foreign language and cause discipline problems

In addition, motivation plays a key role in second or foreign language learning Extensive research confirms that motivation becomes one of the

determining factors of second or foreign language learning success (Bradford, 2007; Dörnyei, 1998; Engin, 2009) However, motivation in learning a second or foreign language is not as simple as we think since motivation is complex and has a

„multifaceted nature‟ (Dörnyei, 1998: 118) Furthermore, motivation is dynamic, which means that there are ups and downs during the process of language learning,

as Dornyei (2001) conceptualized in the three phases of his process-oriented motivational model

1.4 Factors affecting motivation in foreign language learning

According to Dörnyei( 2001:112,113), he analyzed ELF learning motivation within a framework of three levels such as language level( the culture, the community, practical values and benefits, the learner level ( individual characteristics like self-confidence, self-efficacy, need for achievements, competences and goals) and learning situation level( course-specific motivational components like the syllabus, the teaching method, teaching materials; teacher-specific motivational components like teacher‟s personality, behavior and teaching style and the learner group) Generally speaking, motivation being understood by Dörnyei is divided into internal and external factors In details, the learner level is the internal factor which is related to such as self-confidence and self-efficacy, etc; and language level and learning situation level are external factors which is related

to such as teaching method, teaching materials, teachers‟ behavior, etc

In the same identification, Williams and Burden (1997) clearly states that motivation has two factors: internal and external Internal factors encompass various components such as intrinsic interest of activity, perceived value of activity, perceived value of activity, sense of agency, mastery, self-concept, attitudes, developmental age, stage and gender and other affective states( confidence, anxiety, fear) External factors consist of significant others( parents, teachers, and peers); the learning environment, the nature of interaction and the broader context

1.4.1 Internal factors

The attitude and interest of English learners play an important role in increasing or decreasing their motivation of acquiring a foreign language Normally,

learners who have positive attitude and be interested in learning a foreign language will have high motivation to learn the second language Vice converse, learners who

do not find any interesting thing and have negative attitude in learning a foreign language will not have motivation to explore anything about new language Hamidah, Azizah, Shah, Faizah, Wan, and Mohd (2017) pointed out that students with good attitude towards learning English are intrinsically motivated to learn It

is easy to understand that when someone has attitude towards a task and shows his

or her interest in doing the task, he or she will try best to do it well by any way Gardner tried to give a clear picture of the fact that attitudes are more highly related

to achievement than others when he adds: “the concepts of attitudes towards learning a second language are itself complex so perhaps it is reasonable to expect that some aspect of attitudes are more highly related to achievement than others” (2009:12)

Parents, teachers, and other students impact learners‟ attitude and interest and motivate them to learn English well Parents and teachers are persons who have role

in helping learners to recognize the importance of a foreign language acquisition From that, they will promote learns to have positive attitude and interest in learning a second language Lasekan (2016) states that highly educated parents will have positive influence on learners‟ English learning performance In other words, learners have good attitude towards a foreign language acquisition when they have their parents as role model However, the internal interest of the students is more important than external motivation like parents or teachers‟ encouragement to the success of learning According to Ellin (1991), relating to the success of learning English, the important elements in language interactions are the learner personal factor (her attitude to the teacher and course materials and his learning motivation) and some general factor (E.g the learner age , sex , attitude and personal cognitive.)

1.4.2 External factors

1.4.2.1 The teacher’s method

Not all the teachers teach the same Every teacher has a different way of transferring knowledge to leaners That is the teaching method of each teacher

Teachers and their teaching methods also affect students‟ motivation This may help the learners be interested in learning foreign language or not Thus, the teacher‟s method influences directly students‟ learning motivation and the learns are keen on his/her teaching techniques with supporting appropriate guidance and advice Tanaka (2005) asserted that teachers (being an external factor) have a greater impact on students‟ motivation Technology has always been an important part of teaching and learning environment It is an essential part of the teachers‟ profession through which they can use it to facilitate learners‟ learning When we talk about technology in teaching and learning, the word „integration‟ is used

With technology being part of our everyday lives, it is time to rethink the idea of integrating technology into the curriculum and aim to embed technology into teaching to support the learning process That is to say, technology becomes an integral part of the learning experience and a significant issue for teachers, from the beginning of preparing learning experiences through to teaching and learning process (Eady& Lockyer, 2013)

With the development of ICT, most of English teachers use technological tools to improve or motivate students‟ learning in English classrooms If the teachers only teach English with traditional method, this makes students feel bored Therefore, the use of ICT in the classroom is becoming more and more convenient and popular

1.4.2.2 Motivation in English classroom through teacher’s behavior

Motivation is often influenced by the experiences in the classroom (Sampson, 2016) Dörnyei (2001) discusses the classroom atmosphere and name four main areas, which are seen as significant The first area is the teacher‟s rapport

or empathy and capability with the students Another area affecting the classroom atmosphere is the students‟ relationship with each other The group of students needs to have a positive and willing attitude to learn A cohesive learner group with appropriate group norms affects the entire classroom The teacher in this aspect has

a role to ensure that learning happens in a positive environment The physical environment of the classroom may have also a role in motivation Often when the

students‟ work „takes over‟ the walls, it gives the students a sense of ownership in the classroom and reinforces positive motivation

Teachers should encourage students to believe that they can produce academic success They should not control the student, but to help him/her to be able to do the educational tasks (Pressley et al., 2003) Students are expected to learn if their teachers expect them to learn, but to achieve the right balance is not always easy (OECD, 2000) In a classroom setting, motivation is essentially controlled by the teacher through various techniques and strategies Supportive and informative interaction between participants is an important element in motivating

in the L2 classroom It brings on a form of support and cooperation along with shared information about similar experiences (Sampson, 2016) Teachers play a central role in learning by giving students an opportunity for success in their learning and encouraging them to make mistakes and to experiment (Cowie & Sakui, 2011)

Teacher‟s behavior and example is widely discussed in Murray et al (2011); Hadfield & Dörnyei (2013) and Dörnyei (2001) There are numerous motivational factors listed for teachers to use in their classroom settings A teacher sets personal examples through his/her own behavior This personal example means to have an appropriate teacher behavior and to develop a good relationship with the students Teacher‟s behavior needs to be pleasant and supportive, to keep a lively pace and to energize the students The atmosphere in the classroom should be pleasant and supportive as this increases students‟ linguistic self-confidence along with presenting tasks properly and making lessons interesting and challenging Pressley

et al (2003) uses the term „teacher caring‟ to describe how the teacher affects the motivation in the learning environment As discussed, the dynamics of motivation and L2 self-development within the teacher and learner suggests that teachers accept a great deal of responsibility for the motivation of learners (Dörnyei, MacIntyre, & Henry, 2015)

The task of the teacher is to generate initial motivation To generate initial motivation is to enhance the learners‟ L2-related values and attitudes, increase the

learners‟ expectancy of success, and increase the learners‟ goal-orientedness The teacher‟s task is to maintain and protect motivation in making the learning stimulating and enjoyable, present tasks in a motivating way, set specific learner goals, protect the learners‟ self-esteem and increase their self-confidence This allows learners to maintain a positive social image and promotes self-motivating strategies, along with cooperation among the students This is the basis to promote and encourage motivational feedback, increase learner satisfaction through grades in a motivating manner (Dörnyei, 2001; Pressley et al., 2003; Wiseman & Hunt, 2008)

In order to motivate students, the learning situations should be stimulating and enjoyable The task and commitment of the teacher is to make the tasks more interesting, increase the involvement of the students, have high expectations, give individual help and advice, make students feel they are accepted for who they are and listen and respond to student opinions and values (Dörnyei, 2001, Hadfield & Dörnyei, 2013) In order for teachers to maximize students learning, they need to minimize student misbehavior Teachers who are well prepared and make their lessons motivating have fewer problems in the classroom than those who are not (Wiseman & Hunt, 2008) Wiseman and Hunt (2008) discuss, how it may sound awkward to coincidentally consider classroom management, behavior and motivation as topics related to each other The reason for this is that an “effective teacher is a motivator with a plan to motivate and a manager with a plan to manage” (Wiseman & Hunt, 2008) Effective teachers also are capable in dealing with misbehavior and following through with it because they have the tools to implement their plan

In other words, motivation is also a form of belonging in a language learning classroom and establishing relationships between the teacher and the language learners (Murray et al., 2011; Lasagabaster et al., 2014) The impact of these relationships in a language learning classroom confirms the importance of understanding the nature of motivation in L2 learning (Lasagabaster et al., 2014)

1.4.2.3 The use of ICT activities to motivate learners’ foreign language acquisition

In modern context, it is very easy for both learners and teachers to access to new methods of learning and teaching In other words, ICT plays very important

role in helping leaners as well as teachers to achieve the objectives Alan Pritchard (2007) states that ICT has big impact on teaching and learning in terms of items such as speed, capacity, communicability, interactivity, non-linearity and multi-modality People who would like to apply ICT in learning can obtain high results in learning That is the reason why people prefer to use ICT in learning and teaching nowadays Traditional methods with text books in learning and teaching usually bring boring feeling and do not encourage learners to learn People have trend to access to new things So, they like to apply their learning with ICT activities ICT activities make learners more active and motivated to learn

According to Michael Romano (2003), there are an increasing number of students who are not motivated, not interested and not engaged in learning process

In addition, learners who have left brain dominance will work better with words and are clearly advantaged compared to right brain learners who respond better to pictures Consequently, the left brain learners have advantage in the educational system as they can be able to respond well to the verbal, linear styles of teaching However, the right brain learners are motivated to learn by the application of technology in teaching and learning So, a whole brain, digital age model of education is proposed Teachers empowered with technology can make the classes

as interesting and as attractive as what occurs in the world beyond the walls of the classroom Obviously, ICT motivates right brain students to learn better (Alina and Simona, 2016)

The left-brain dominant are advantaged by our educational system because they respond well to the verbal, linear styles of teaching However, technology, through multimodality, would also support the right-brain dominant students Thus,

“a whole-brain, Digital Age model of education” is proposed Teachers “empowered with technology” could make the classes as interesting and as attractive as what happens in the world beyond the walls of the classroom The left-brain dominant are advantaged by our educational system because they respond well to the verbal, linear styles of teaching However, technology, through multimodality, would also support the right-brain dominant students Thus, “a whole-brain, Digital Age model of

education” is proposed Teachers “empowered with technology” could make the classes as interesting and as attractive as what happens in the world beyond the walls

of the classroom

Learning a new language is a hard job for most learners Therefore the classroom atmosphere should be comfortable and supportive It should encourage students to learn naturally and enthusiastically According to Macintyre

&Young(1999), they stated that students often feel anxious when they learn foreign language subject This was one of the most powerful factors that lessen the effectiveness of learning and students‟ motivation So if teachers create a comfortable learning environment without putting pressure on the use of ICT games

or videos to stimulate students' excitement in their classes, students will not feel anxious or fear when entering English class anymore The lessons with ICT activities could attract students to participate Moreover, the diversity of ICT activities such as using visual images, videos and games in each lecture also increase students‟ motivation, curiosity, and interest in EFL classrooms (Santosh, Mohammed, 2018) As a result, ICT has a very important role in motivating learners in learning foreign language effectively

2 Overview of ICT

2.1 ICT definition

ICT stands for Information and Communication Technologies comprises a set of technological tools, facilities, processes and equipment that provide the required environment with the physical infrastructure and services for generation, transmission, processing, storing and disseminating of information in all forms including voice, text, data, graphics and video (Santosh and Mohammed, 2018) Technologies can consist of all kind of tools from computers, computer assisted language learning software, office applications (word, PowerPoint etc.) and the Internet to broadcasting technologies and telephony There are many ICT tools that

is useful for education such as resources (Internet), teaching and learning tools( interactive whiteboard, computer/laptop, projector, presentative tools, educational games…) (Alina and Simona, 2016) Therefore, ICT is a wide concept, however,

the study focuses on using ICT as aid tools such as PowerPoint presentation software and visual images, videos from the Internet and ICT games that the researcher designs in a classroom

Victoria (2003) defines ICT as “a diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate and to create , disseminate, store and manage information” According to a document of UNESCO, ICT is defined broadly and it

is the heart of educational process, it has the role on formal and nonformal setting,

in programs in programs provided by governmental agencies, public and private educational institutions, for profit corporations and non-profit groups, and secular and religious communities

People usually mistake between IT and ICT Or, they think that IT and ICT are same However, it is not correct because ICT is broader than IT ICT is related

to all technologies that are helpful in promoting people to communicate and manipulate information Students in developed countries have trend to engage more

in ICT rather than students in undeveloped countries Students of developed countries can not image how their life would be without ICT (Marsida, 2015) ICT

is really advantageous for both teachers and learners in teaching and learning foreign languages Samira (2011) states benefits of ICT for learners such as: (1) ICT helps to increase the motivation of learners and thus to improve personal commitment and engagement, (2) ICT helps to enhance independent learning, (3) ICT promotes the collaboration and communication among learners, (4) the attainment and outcomes of learners are improved thanks to ICT

Samira (2011) widens the significant benefits of ITC in learners‟ learning process In particular, it develops listening skill better It is common knowledge that people want to improve listening skill of a new language must need to practice frequently through audio, video recordings, authentic and software, podcasts and pronunciation software, etc On internet, learners can be able to select updated materials which contribute to the effective performance of learners; for example, the improvement of grammar skills, coherence in committing ideas, syntax, etc The ability of specific scientific editing or presentation is also improved thanks to

intelligent selection of materials on internet In addition, also thanks to ICT, students can increase their ability to take note effectively They were more likely to listen to the teacher and grasp the message, select the appropriate information and take notes that will be further exploited

2.2 ICT tools

Among many ICT tools such as visual images, videos, ICT games; PowerPoint presentation is considered as the most effective tool in improving the learners‟ ability to acquire foreign language Therefore, this research would like to describe benefits of these tools, especially highlights the importance of PowerPoint presentation in learning foreign language (Klement, M Dostál, J & Bárteck, K , 2017)

2.2.1 Visual images

A visual image is a simple thing, a picture that enters the eyes But a mental image is more complex Assembled in the mind from information real and imagined, mental images are complex composites of sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, opinion and mood, combined with associative memories, both conscious and unconscious Visuals have been an important component of the language classes over the years To be exact, the use of visuals aids for presenting, training, and teaching languages has been around since the 1920s – 1930s, consisting mainly of images, film strips, pictures, slides and pass-around objects

They have been considered a useful tool for teachers in almost every trend of second language teaching Such was an impact of visual materials that several universities have even created catalogues of visual aids that trace the history of using visual literacy and visual education

According to Kemp and Dayton (1985), they claim that visuals aid in motivation and maintaining attention by adding variety and making the lesson more interesting (as cited in Bradshaw, 2003)

Research on effectiveness of the visuals used in the learning environment shows that they can improve learning (Anglin, Vaez and Cunningham, 2004) Visuals can help arising the readers interest, curiosity and motivation (Mayer and Moreno, 1998) Fang agrees with these benefits and adds others such as promoting

creativity, serving as mental scaffolding and fostering aesthetic appreciation (as cited in Carney and Levin, 2002)

According to Snow (2001), he suggests that the visual materials use Content-based goes from gestures and pantomimes to pictures, photographs and slides These aids help to make the activities more motivating and meaningful for the students

According to Mannan (2005), visual aids can be a helpful tool in the language classroom as well as he points out they „help the teacher to clarify, establish, correlate and coordinate accurate concepts, interpretations and appreciations, and enable him to make learning more concrete, effective, interesting, inspirational, meaningful and vivid‟(p.108)

2.2.2 Videos

In language learning, video materials constitute a kind of audio-visual aids that help students in learning a foreign language through hearing and viewing According to Richards and Renedya (2002), they point out that “video is an extremely dense medium, one which incorporates a wide variety of visual elements and a great range of audio experience in addition to spoken language” (ibid, p 364)

In the era of technology, video is considered as an educational technology tool that has been incorporated into course syllabus design for educational situations and EFL/ESL classroom Video materials involve different types They can be presented

in a form of films, television advertisements, news, songs, and broadcasts, and professionally designed tapes Recently, digital videos have become so popular that are useful in making the everyday English accessible to all learners all over the world Videos can be professionally designed for classroom instruction

Using videos in EFL classroom has several advantages such as authenticity, engaging students of all ages and abilities, motivating with authentic content, providing context to help understanding, exposing students to a variety of language and cultures, introducing culture and new ideas and attracting students to the lessons It‟s important to select your video material carefully, considering the age, language level and interests of your students Although the use of video in EFL classrooms is not something new anymore, the students still address more positive

responds However, teachers are challenged to be able to deploy the video effectively due to numerous types of video that can found and presented in the classrooms In each lesson, the teachers have to prepare and choose appropriate video based the students‟ need and design some ways to make it effective, especially in encouraging the students to be active viewers Therefore, the teacher have to use suitable videos to involve the students during the teaching and learning activities is generally recognized and accepted that the use of video materials in EFL classroom is a great tool for facilitating learning and motivating students who are suffering from lack of practice and exposure to native speakers Therefore, it is important for teachers to use them as an alternative or aid material in different areas

of English language

2.2.3 ICT Games

The definition of games is not very clear Mary and Ben (2010) suppose that the term game is related to digital games, electronic gaming, video games, computer games, online games and mobile games However, these games can be divided into three categories, including educational games, leisure games, and educational leisure games Educational games are those designed with explicit educational goals that are intended to support the process of learning and teaching ICT games in education means the mix between the real and digital aspects For example, ICT games of Homicide 1; that is the ICT- supported educational role-playing game; the piloted game for Space Missions 2is an example of ICT game (Mary and Ben, 2010) Educational leisure games are assessed to bring much success within a classroom environment to aid teaching although designed for leisure use The games in this research are about ICT games; in other sentences, the games are decided on computer and based on ICT knowledge The content of ICT game must

be educational Teachers can design a lot of different computer games on PPT software or the Internet Using computer games is not new anymore in teaching

1 Homicide: is a game developed by the Denmark Learning Lab The participants play forensic detectives and working in groups try to solve one or more murder cases The game uses narrative desire in order to engage the participants in solving a number of science tasks within the area of mathematics

2

Space Missions: for a description see: http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/projects/space-mission-ice-moon

English So, there are many researchers applied this activity into EFL classrooms to enhance students‟ motivation and interest

Many researchers argue about the benefits of using video games in education Games can be used in a variety of learning approaches, and they are able

to motivate and engage the students in the learning process

Greenblatt (1973) pointed out that educational games and educational leisure games which their designs are based on ICT knowledgeare often used in learning environments to develop patterns of thinking about andinteracting with instructional content through active interactions with the materials rather thanthrough passive learning in which the information is deposited into the learner‟s mind Thediversity

of tools available through an online learning environment, of which games are anexample, can be leveraged in such a way as to motivate the learner not just to interact with thematerial, but to also retain it more effectively The ESL environment is a perfectsetting to investigate the effectiveness games may have on the motivation to learn

Mitchell and Saville-Smith (2004) claim that well-designed educational leisure games are engaging and seductive, and motivate theplayer to continue using rewards and feedback In addition, they believe that video games can stimulate the enjoyment, motivation and engagement of usersand promote the development of various social and cognitive skills

In general, using educational games in a language classroom is beneficial, as they are interesting, enjoyable, fun-filled, effective, engaging, interactive and motivating (Nguyen &Khuat, 2003; Uberman, 1998) The enjoyable nature of computer games may increase motivation to play the game and increasevocabulary acquisitition

2.2.4 PowerPoint presentations

A PowerPoint presentation (PPT) is considered as the most effective ICT tool in learning foreign language It is a presentation created by using Microsoft PowerPoint software The presentation is a collection of individual slides that contain information on a topic PowerPoint presentations are commonly used in business meetings and for training and educational purposes

Slide presentation software such as PowerPoint has become an ingrained part of many instructional settings, particularly in large classes and in courses more geared toward information exchange than skill development PowerPoint can be a highly effective tool to aid learning, but if not used carefully, may instead disengage students and actually hinder learning As a part of the Microsoft Office suite, Power-Point has become the world's most widely used presentation program According to Segundo &Salazar(2011), it is a complete presentation program that allows teachers to produce professional-looking presentations in EFL classroom Ozaslan & Maden (2013) concluded in their study that if the course material was presented through some visual tools, students learned better They, also, reported that teachers believed that PowerPoint presentations made the content more appealing; therefore, they helped them to take students' attention The results of Corbeil's study (2007) showed that students exposed to power-point presentations preferred them over the textbook presentations; she believed that the students were learning better when their attention was captured via highlighting, color, different fonts, and visual effects Power-point presentations could be used for presenting new structures to students, practicing and drilling, or for reviewing language structures which have already been taught (Segundo & Salazar, 2011) Stepp-Greany (2002), reported, in her study, a number of benefits for students related to the general use of technology in classrooms including increased motivation, improvement in self-concept and mastery of basic skills, more student-centered learning and engagement in the learning process

3 ICT and motivation

Passey, Rogers, Machell and McHugh conducted a study about the motivational effect of ICT on pupil in 2004 The study assesses the impact of ICT

on the learners‟ interest and attitudes for learning The goal of the study is to identify the good practical ways of ICT in motivating students effectively The researchers used quantitative data collected from interviews, observations and questionnaires The result of the study showed that students‟ interests and attitudes were positive in learning with using ICT in the classrooms

In 2014, Frydrychova Klimova and Poulova published an article about two studies carried out on ICT as a motivational tool in the learning of foreign languages They focus on studying the role of ICT on students‟ motivation in EFL classrooms According to Frydrychova Klimova and Poulova (2014), teachers should:

• Create a pleasant and supportive atmosphere

• Increase the students‟ expectation of success in particular tasks and in learning in general

• Make learning stimulating and enjoyable by breaking the monotony of classroom events

• Make learning stimulating and enjoyable by increasing the attractiveness of tasks

• Make learning stimulating and enjoyable for learners by enlisting them as active task participants

• Increase student motivation by promoting cooperation among the learners

• Increase student motivation by actively promoting learner autonomy

In Frydrychova Klimova and Poulova‟s view, students enjoy learning with ICT tools in the classrooms They feel more active and attractive to the lessons because of the variety of ICT ones and they get more motivated in learning

In Bullock‟s study(2001) with the name “Evaluating the impact of using ICT upon student motivation and attainment in English”, it is about English as a second language and technology-integrated strategies In his research, he describes that students feel more enthusiastic when they work in group and the students‟ motivation is clearly improved The results of his research find that the incorporation of ICT in the teaching makes students work in group effectively and encourages students to work more independently

Victoria (2017) states 9 reasons why it is better to use ICT activities in English classrooms as follows:

ICT activities help to heat the atmosphere in classroom:

Adults learn English very differently than children Because they have graduated and have little or no exposure to learning for a fairly long time In addition, adults have many other things to worry about besides schoolwork such as

family chores, employment or financial matters After a long day with so many things to solve, learning English for them is just like a boring job So instead of helping them relieve stress in the first 15 minutes of class, you will lose the whole class with a boring atmosphere

ICT help classroom become alive:

Each adult student learns English for a specific purpose In a classroom, each person has a certain circumstance, career, and reason to improve their English They often keep their distance and one cannot make friends as quickly as children when they are grouped together

Therefore, teachers should organize a game "Get to know each other" in the first weeks will be a good way to eliminate the shyness and distance between them

In addition, this game is also a method for you to evaluate the students' ability to use English to help you plan lesson plans to suit the level of students The game not only helps them be excited about this learning method, but also helps students feel somewhat comfortable and more open in upcoming lessons

ICT activities help to memorize longer:

Most adults are familiar with the traditional way of learning, translating from their native language into English and vice versa However, science has proven that the older we get, the more people lose the ability to remember knowledge And the game will be a method of practice, visualization and memorization extremely fun instead of having to spend hours sitting by self-study At first they will feel awkward but then they will gradually get used to and comfortable with this new learning method

ICT activities help with learning motivation:

Adults who go to school for some reason should let them be more motivated than we should help them know if they're making progress So when students participate in the activity and answer the right questions in the game, they will feel they are learning something new and that is the motivation for them to continue learning in the future

ICT activities bring diversity:

In the traditional way, students have to study depressing grammar or vocabulary and then do homework and they can only know if they are progressing when they take the test This will create a sense of uncertainty in them Therefore, teachers need to have a variety of teaching methods as well as revise old knowledge

if they want students to remember what has been taught

ICT with games activities is a conformation practice:

Teachers often fix problems for students before giving them the freedom to

do their homework This is often ineffective because teachers have to repeat grammar points or sentence patterns over and over Using games is a completely new way of practicing because students not only revise old knowledge, they also have the opportunity to use the language more smoothly

ICT activities simulate students to think more:

The process of learning grammar or vocabulary requires learners to use the brain a lot and often makes them tired and boring, especially for those who have many worries like adults Introducing games that require learners to use other parts

of the body during the teaching process will help students relieve stress, while making it easier to learn English

ICT activities help student more excited:

Adult classes are usually 2 or 3 times longer than the oldest children's classes because of their tight schedules that make them decide to take a long class to speed

up the schedule and they are often able to concentrate taller than children Using games as a substitute for "warming up the classroom" activities as well as helping learners become less passive It can be concluded that learning English requires a lot of effort and concentration for a long time, so a small game helps the learner maintain that

Promote the interaction:

Again and again, though, the adult may be timid when interacting or communicating in class, especially for classes with differences in level or language differences The game is a bridge to help learners break down these barriers to form and improve interaction in the classroom without fear of losing face

4 Previous studies

In recent years, many studies have been carried out in the field of language Theyconcentrate on the use of techniques, methods and strategies to improve learning a foreign language ICT is one of methods that are liked most by by teachers and learners at aim to increase students‟ motivation in acquiring a second language The results of studies have pointed out there have been benefits of ICT in motivating learners to learn a foreign language

4.1 Studies in foreign countries

Kreutz and Rhodin (2016) conducted a research to investigate about the influence of ICT on learners‟ motivation towards learning English Furthermore, the study was to investigate in what way the motivation was affected and if it was affected at all The authors used quantitative and qualitative methods to make clear about the influence of ICT on learners‟ motivation The data was collected and analyzed through questionnaires There were 45 third grade students of Swedish elementary school participating in the study The results of the findings showed that most of students were impacted by ICT in positive way The result also pointed out that students‟ motivation increased because the lessons got more fun and they felt happier when incorporating ICT in the EFL classroom

In another research, Zori‟o (2018) studied about the use of ICTs in boosting students‟ motivation in the EFL classroom In particular, the aim of the study was to explore if ICTs boosted secondary school students‟ motivation in the English as a EFL classroom As required, students would use their mobile phones, laptops, and tablets to complete their online tasks including Webquest and Kahoot The second tool used in this study was questionnaires The participants included 26 and 27 students of two 3rd ESO classes of the secondary school respectively called I.E.S Miquel Peris iSegarra Through the study, it showed that students very actively involved during the sessions and they learned faster with the use of these online resources The results also stated that they were more motivated when working in a digital context with the aim of learning English

In the same meaning with Kreutz and Rhodin (2016), Boualem (2018) made

a survey to investigate about the effects of using ICT such as Microsoft PowerPoint

on EFL students‟ motivation There were 42 Master 2 students of didactics of English as foreign language at Djillali Liabes University, Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria taking part in the investigation The author used questionnaires to clarify the effects

of using ICT on the students‟ motivation The result of the research pointed out that the students had high motivation towards the use of Microsoft PowerPoint on learning a foreign language It was encouraged to use ICT in learning English as a foreign language In addition, EFL teachers were suggested to use these tools of ICT to improve the level of English of the students and to motivate them

Similarly, Barreto (2018) implemented a research to focus on the use of technology to motivate the use of English 10 semester students from a University

in Tunja was the target group to develop the project The author would like to use field diary, an online forum, a survey, and students‟ artifacts to collect information The results revealed that two categories brought motivation for students including collaborative work and ICT At the first place, students who worked in group tended

to work better The reason was that they instilled motivation Secondly, students who used ICT to enhance language learning were described to be more confident to learn English

In the same aspects as above authors; Passey, Rogers, Machell and McHugh (2004) designed a study to investigate the impact of ICT on students‟ motivation The motivation was shown in learning outcomes, behavior, school attendance, and truancy, wider issues such as crime and anti-social behavior, and uses of digital content The authors used qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze the data There were 17 schools from across England, including 5 primaries, 8 secondary, 2 special schools and 2 pupil referral Units participating in the research Questionnaires, Interview, and observation were chosen as three main tools of the research 1206 students of these schools took part in questionnaires; 293 of head teachers, teachers and classroom assistants, parents, and pupils, as well as youth and community workers, health workers, careers officers and police officers were selected for the interview; and observations were undertaken in 33 classrooms The

findings showed that ICT had positive on students‟ motivation In details, the school attendance was increased; students had better behavior in lessons; learning outcomes were higher

4.2 Studies in Vietnam

Nguyen and Khuat (2003) conducted a research to survey about the effect of ICT games on learning English vocabulary Similar to many other researches, Nguyen and Khuat‟s research would like to utilize qualitative and quantitative analysis to investigate the effect of ICT games on English vocabulary acquisition Questionnaires were used in the research The result pointed out that ICT games had advantages and effectiveness in various ways of learning vocabulary The result

of the research also suggested that ICT games were used not only for mere fun, but also for the useful practice and review of language lessons, as a result leading toward the goal of improving students‟ communicative competence

Similarly, Nguyen Van Thanh (2011) studied about the use of language games to motivate students in English speaking classes There were 126 students of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai high school, Ha noi city participating in the research The instruments used in the survey composed of questionnaires and observation The methods that used by the author were qualitative and quantitative methods The results of findings explored that language games were used to motivate students in speaking classes and were applicable as a motivator in speaking lessons

In summary, the studies both in Vietnam and overseas mentioned above showed the positive influences of the use of technological tools in motivating students in English From these conclusions, the researcher would like to apply what has been studied to her own teaching context Such positive findings of ICT application have led me to the idea of conducting this action research, which will be presented as follows

5 Summary

In summary, motivation is reminded as one of aspects of the human mind and Dörney(2001) expresses that most teachers and researchers would agree that motivation plays a vital role to decide success or failure in any learning situation

Using ICT is expressed in the curriculum, although some teachers are not incorporating ICT because they believe it is challenging too for them However, studies conducted of researchers, describe several positive outcomes of including ICT in the classroom These outcomes indicate that ICT promotes individualization

of schoolwork, curiosity, motivation and an interest to deepen the knowledge in the current topic The studies conducted on both ICT and motivation show several positive effects ICT has on motivation, and a conclusion is that students show enthusiasm towards working with ICT So in order to motivate students in EFL classrooms, the teachers need to find the most effective way that enhances students

to join their lessons enthusiastically Using ICT as a motivational tool in foreign language learning is to attract students into the lessons and help them have more interest in learning

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

2.1 Restatement of the research questions

In order to find out the features as well as ICT activities which improve the students‟ motivation, the researcher needs to answer to the following questions:

1 What features of ICT activities contribute to the students‟ motivation in the English classroom?

2 What kinds of ICT activities can increase the students‟ motivation?

self-The researcher decided to use AR to increase my students‟ motivation in twelve weeks While she carried out the research, she could realize the changes of students‟ attitude in learning If the research is suitable with her own students, she will apply the approach to other students in her schools

AR typically involves four broad phases in a cycle of research as follows:

Phase 1: Problem identification

Phase 2: Plan of action

Phase 3: Intervention

Phase 4: Evaluation

2.3 The setting of the study

The study was conducted at continuing education center in Hai Duong The researcher‟s center is not equipped enough facilities such as cassettes, functional rooms for learning English It has 10 classes with nearly 300 students of three grades and 25 teachers There are only two English teachers

The researcher is assigned to teach English for four classes in the center She chose class 10A including forty-three students for her study because the researcher feels several students are not interested in learning English Therefore, she would like to change their feelings about learning in English classroom All students in this class are the same level and age The English level of proficiency is A1 because of students' the low certificate Although her students finished the secondary school, their proficiency level of English is low

The main textbook is Lifelines Elementary, which consists of 14 units with topics in the real life such as Getting started, People, Descriptions, Likes and Dislikes She teaches them with simple knowledge of English with the use of Communicative approach In grade 10 students only learn 9 units and each unit has

5 parts: Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading and writing, Listening and speaking and Pronunciation

There is a board, a table and twenty-two desks in each classroom There are only two projectors in two rooms on the third floor but there are not any computers in that In teaching occasions only, all teachers design the lessons with using PowerPoint presentation slides For English lessons, due to the researcher‟s school does not have any cassette players for teaching listening skills So in the teaching lessons of listening skill the teacher has to read the tape scripts for students Due to classrooms are lack of facilities, teaching and learning English is not effective My students do not have good conditions to learn languages Therefore, the researcher

teaches English in the difficult condition and lack of equipment Now after having learned the ICTs course, the researcher thinks she should make more use of applying technology in her teaching The course has a lot of good and diverse technology techniques that can be applied in English teaching, but for students at the center she only chooses to use presentation software and teaching aids like images , videos and games integrated into the lecture to help students become more interested in learning English Although the use of PowerPoint presentation is no longer new to many students, for my students the use of technology that incorporates visual images, clips

or game activities can increase interest in learning English

2.4 Participants

The study was carried out with the participation of 43 students in class 10A

at Ninh Giang Continuing Education Center There are fifteen females and seven males in this class All of the participants have learned English for seven years from grade three to grade nine In grade 10, students continue learning English with four periods of English each weak They learn four basic skills such as Reading and Writing, Listening and Speaking, grammar and vocabulary

twenty-Although the students have learned English for seven years, their knowledge

is not good at this subject Even some of them do not know anything about English Most students are afraid of learning English subject so they are not interested in it and very lazy to do homework

After teaching class 10A for a month, the researcher felt that her students paid less attention to lessons They do almost not have motivation in learning or joining the lessons at all Therefore, the teacher decided to improve students‟ learning attitude by applying ICT to design interesting and attractive lessons

2.5 Research procedures

The action research was implemented during the first semester of school year 2017-2018 The 4-stage action research was used in this study Therefore, the action research was conducted with four steps as follows:

Phase 1: Problem identification

The researcher has been teaching English at this Continuing Education

Center since 2006 without using technological assistance During the teaching process, she discovered that most students were quite bad at English and they were not interested in learning English therefore they were lazy to do homework More specifically, the use of the researcher‟s traditional method in English teaching made the class environment not be exciting Moreover, English was not a compulsory subject and not also compulsory in final high school exams Most of them did not learn by heart or do their homework In English class, students were not enthusiastic and active to learn or join the lessons and the classroom atmosphere was not ebullient

In the 2017-2018, the teacher was appointed to teach English in class 10A After teaching four weeks, she found that her students lacked interest and motivation in English lessons In order to verify the students‟ problem, she decided

to use the pre-intervention questionnaire to identify the reason why her students were not motivated in learning English Then she decided to find out the students‟ problems by gathering data and analyzing the data from them She asked forty-three students in class 10A in school year of 2017-2018 with nine questions with three factors that influence students‟ motivation

Firstly, based on the data collected, we see a majority of answers leaning towards a “agree” and “strongly agree” attitude Thirty-four students(70.1%) chose the answers “Agree” and “ Strongly agree” when they expressed their ideas about the interest in learning English Most students the reason why they did not enjoy learning English because of its difficulty and boring 90.7% of the respondents affirmed they were not interested in learning English because it was boring Item 3 and 4 reveals that the majority of the students learn English only because of being added one point or one of the subjects in the school‟s curriculum None of students enjoy learning English, therefore they did not have positive motivation in learning Secondly, item 5, 6, 7 and 8 in part B are categorized to show that physical conditions have positive impacts on students‟ motivation in learning English

The results from these items indicate that 100% of the respondents were agree and strongly agree towards item 7 and 8 It means that all students did not