A study on the application of technology into studying english (1)

What is the reality of using technology in teaching English language from teachers?...31 3.3.2 What is the reality of using technology in learning English language from students?. What i

in accordance with university policies and rules.

My sincere thanks are sent to the teachers in the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education for their useful lessons and hearted advice

I am also grateful to all my friends and my beloved family, who gave me useful advice

on writing process

Finally, I wish to acknowledge the kind help of the second year English major students (K10) at FFL who helped me to collect data, and their valuable support for finishing the study

TABLE CONTENTS

DECLARATION 1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 2

ABSTRACT 3

LIST OF THE CHARTS 4

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 6

1.1 Rationale of the study 6

1.2 Aims of the Study 7

1.3 Research questions 7

1.4 Scope of the study 7

1.5 Method of the study 7

1.6 Design of the study 7

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 8

2.1 Theoretical background 8

2.2 Definition of technology 8

2.3 Technology used in studying 9

2.4 Contribution of technology to English language skills 10

2.4.1 Listening skill 10

2.4.2 Reading skill 11

2.4.3 Speaking skill 11

2.4.4 Writing skill 12

CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY 14

3.1 Background of the study 14

3.1.1 The physical setting 14

3.1.2 Participants of the study 14

3.1.3 Data collection instruments 14

3.1.4 Procedure of data collection 15

3.2 Data analysis 15

3.2.1 Analyzing from the students’ survey questionnaire 15

3.2.2 Analyzing from the teachers’ survey questionnaire 26

3.3 Findings and discussion 31

3.3.1 What is the reality of using technology in teaching English language from teachers? 31

3.3.2 What is the reality of using technology in learning English language from students? .32

3.3.3 Compare teachers and students usage 32

3.4 Recommendations 32

3.4.1 Recommendations for the students 32

3.4.2 Recommendations for the teachers 33

CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION 35

4.1 Conclusion 35

4.2 Limitations of the study 35

4.3 Suggestions for further study 35

REFERENCE 37

APPENDIX 1 40

APPENDIX 2 42

ABSTRACT

The explosion of technology has created an essential lever for foreign language teaching and learning in countries where learners have little chance of communicating in the target language in everyday life In Vietnam, technology is also considered a tool to help improve the quality of teaching and learning foreign languages Traditional education methods have become inadequate in the current context because technology is also rapidly changing students' expectations and learning habits The effective use of information and communication technologies in education is based primarily on increasing the students' learning speed in the educational process, reducing costs, and providing active learning The rapid advancement of technology makes using technology indispensable for teaching and

learning foreign languages That is why the author chose the research topic "A study on the application of technology into studying English."

LIST OF THE CHARTS

Figure 3 1: Number of years studying English 16

Figure 3 2: Number of students who used technology in self-learning English 17

Figure 3 3: Apps and websites used by participants 17

Figure 3 4: The effect of applying technology in self-learning English 18

Figure 3 5: Is learning English simple? 19

Figure 3 6 : Self-study of English through application software helps you be more interested .20

Figure 3 7 : The difficulty of using technology in learning English is an inappropriate resource 21

Figure 3 8: The difficulty of using technology in learning English is the lack of self-study time 22

Figure 3 9 The difficulty of using technology in learning English is that there is no instructor .23

Figure 3 10 The difficulty of using technology in learning English is dependent on the Internet connection 24

Figure 3 11 Technology applications help you use English more 25

Figure 3 12 Technology applications help you use English more 26

Figure 3 13 Years of teaching English 27

Figure 3 14 Frequency of using technology in learning English 28

Figure 3 15 Skills are often carried out on technological applications 28

Figure 3 16 Difficulties of students when applying technology to self-study English 29

Figure 3 17 Benefits of students applying technology to self-study English 30

Figure 3 18 Suggestion 31

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale of the study

For many years, English has been the common world-wide language People tend to paymore attention to learn English, so it has become the second language in many countries such

as Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore and so on As a result, English is a compulsorysubject at schools and colleges, and the number of people learning English is on the rise Technology is now a big part of our society and predictable future

There is little room for people who wish to live without technology, and luckily, it is stilladvancing at a rate that has helped stave off stagnation I believe that for every advantage thattechnology brings us, we will know how to use and apply it in the best way

Articles on using technology in language teaching have seriously been written since1980’s In all different media, voices raised to attract the attention to the necessity ofpreparing for the Age of Technology They warned people from being left behind ifthey would not prepare themselves for the mentioned age; people who do not knowhow to use technology at the year 2000 would be considered illiterate Years quickly passedand the Age of Technology appeared Accordingly, three distinguished groups of peoplehave emerged: the really educated people, fake educated people and uneducated people

 The really educated people: They appeared alert working hard to investigate theunknown science The real progress of societies depends on the number andseriousness of this group, and the hard work of its members

 Fake educated people: Thinking that the Age of Technology would be only theage of using mobiles and playing games, a group of half-educated people wastedtheir money and time buying the most expensive mobiles to play the strongestgames This group’s members could not have positive contribution to their societies

 Uneducated people: They have carelessly continued their life routine trying hard toforbid using any kind of modern technology in order not to be noticed that they aretechnology illiterate Recognizing the importance of education elevation in generaland English as a foreign language in particular to achieve the dreams of accessing thetop universities has been the essential impetus to start the present study

1.2 Aims of the Study

The aim of the study is to find out the real level of technology usage in teaching andlearning English from teachers and students, and comparing the differences betweentechnology use levels between teachers and the students

1.3 Research questions

a What is the reality of using technology in teaching English language from teachers?

b What is the reality of using technology in learning English language from students?

c Compare teachers and students usage

1.4 Scope of the study

By the time constraint, making a research with a large number of participants was out of theauthor‘s reach, the participants for the study was students in class TAK15.1, TAK16.1,TAK17.1 and teachers of English at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education

1.5 Method of the study

The present study operates within the following scope: A study on the application oftechnology into studying English, therefore, in this research, the author presented twoforms of questions; one was for instructors and the other was for students Aftercollecting the responses, the author did two preliminary questionnaires for instructors andstudents Then, they were randomly distributed to selected instructors and students fromHung Yen University of Technology and Education

1.6 Design of the study

The study includes four main chapters, organize as follows:

Chapter 1: Introduction (states the rationale of the study, the aims of the study, the scope ofthe study, methods of the study, research question and design of the study)

Chapter 2: Literature review (discusses the relevant theories related to technology)

Chapter 3: The study (analyzes the data collected in order to find out the )

Chapter 4: Conclusion (summarizes the main and add some suggestions for further studies)

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Theoretical background

No doubt, technology has become common in usage; it cannot be excluded from teaching

or learning Information and references for both teachers and students are easily accessed In fact,teachers who cannot cope with modern technology lose contact with their students Thus,teachers have to invest technology as much as they can in order to improve themselves as well asthe teaching and learning processes

Muir-Herzig ( 2004:113 ) states that teaching and learning via technology engage learners

in active situations of critical thinking to solve problems, share ideas with others and reflect whatthey have known Classes which use technology shift from teacher-centered to student-centeredclasses

Pitler et al (2007: 3) refer to the advantages of using technology in classes; they statethat it enhances learning and understanding, and it encourages students to take active part in thelearning process It also has a positive impact to shift education from being teacher-centered tostudent-entcered

Barron and Copple ( 2011: 3) mention that USA has founded the Digital Age TeacherPreparation Council for teacher improvement In this council, five goals have been set to achieve

by 2020 Firstly, creating professional environment of practice for teachers Secondly, trainingeducators to integrate as a resource for teachers Thirdly, expanding the usage of public media as

a resource for teachers Fourth, integrating technology into standards, curriculum and teaching.Fifth, creating research and development (R and D) partnerships which are suitable for the digitalage

etc , that is created by technology

According, Ursula Franklin, in her 1989 “Real World of Technology” lecture, gaveanother definition of the concept; it is “ practice, the way we do things around here.” The term isoften used to imply a specific field of technology, or to refer to high technology or just consumerelectronics, rather than technology as a whole

And Bernard Stiegler, in Technics and Time, defines technology in two ways: as “ the pursuit of life by means other than life,” and as “ organized inorganic matter.”

In 1937, the American sociologist Read Bain wrote that “technology includes all tools, machines, utensils, weapons, instruments, housing, clothing, communicating and transporting devices and the skills by which we produce and use them.”

2.3 Technology used in studying

Technology is an effective tool for learners Learners must use technology as a significantpart of their learning process Teachers should model the use of technology to support thecurriculum so that learners can increase the true use of technology in learning their languageskills (Costley, 2014; Murphy, DePasquale, & Mc Namara, 2003) Learners’ cooperation can beincreased through technology Cooperation is one of the important tools for learning Learnerspeers’ work (Keser, Huseyin, & Ozdamli, 2011)

Bennett, Culp, Honey, tally, & Spielvogel (2000) asserted that the use of computertechnology lead to the improvement of teachers’ teaching and learners’ learning in the classes.The use of computer technology helps teachers meet their learners’ educational needs According

to Bransford, Brown, and Cocking (2000), the application of computer technology enablesteachers and learners to make local and global societies that connect them with the people andexpand opportunities for their learning They continued that the positive effect of computertechnology does not come automatically; it depends on how teachers use it in their languageclassrooms

According to Susikaran (2013), basic changes have come in classes beside the teachingmethods because chalk and talk teaching method is not sufficient to effectively teach English.Raihan and Lock (2012) state that with a well-planned classroom setting, learners learn how tolearn efficiently Technology-enhanced teaching environment is more effective than lecture-based class Teachers should find methods of applying technology as a useful learning instrumentfor their learners although they have not learn technology and are not able to use it like acomputer expert

The application of technology has considerably changed English teaching methods Itprovides so many alternatives as making teaching interesting and more productive in terms ofadvancement ( Patel, 2013) In traditional classrooms, teachers stand in font of learners and givelecture, explanation, and instruction through using blackboard or whiteboard These method must

be changed concerning the development of technology The usage of multimedia texts inapplication of multimedia also makes use of print texts, film, and internet to enhance learners’linguistic knowledge The use of peint, film, and internet gives learners the chance to collect

information and offers them different materials for the analysis and interpretation of bothPourhosein Gilakjani (2014) maintained that using technology can create learning atmospherecentered around the learner rather than the teacher that in turn creates positive changes Theyemphasized that by using computer technology, language class becomes an active place full ofmeaningful tasks where the learners are responsible for their learning Drayton, Falk, Strouf,Hobbs, and Hammerman (2010) argued that using computer technology indicates a true learningexperience that enhances learners’ responsibilities Technology encourages learners to learnindividually and to acquire responsible behaviors The independent use of technologies giveslearners self-direction According to Arifah (2014), the use of internet increases learners’motivation The use of film in teaching helps learners to realize the topic with enthusiasm anddevelop their knowledge Learners can learn meaningfully when technology is used in theprocess of learning through using computer and internet When learners learn with technology, itassists them in developing their higher order thinking skills It can be concluded that the truecombination of multimedia and teaching methodology is very important to attract learners’attention towards English language learning.

2.4 Contribution of technology to English language skills

2.4.1 Listening skill

One of the basic skills in English language is listening skill According to Brett (1997),listening skill plays a vital role in language acquisition Listening involves understanding theaccent, pronunciations, intonation, meaning of words and meaning of speaking (Saricoban 1999).The audience should be able to understand all these factors at the same time In this context,listening skills are very important in ESL (Nomass 2013) As for listening skills of students, it isimportant that multimedia technology is integrated into English teaching and learning.Multimedia technologies such as audio, video and animation are becoming commonplace andbecoming a potential tool for listening Media tools, such as radio and TV programs (Nomass2013), increase students‟ listening skills and increase self-confidence in terms of listening andalso increase using media when it is not always possible to reach native speakers or teachers Theuse of computers in listening activities provides visual and auditory inputs that enhance listeningskills and contributes to listening skills (Hoven 1999) With the use of tools such as radio, audio-tapes, podcasts, tap recorders, IPODs and videos in English teaching and learning, students cancomprehend intonation and learn the pronunciation of words and experience different accents(Nomass 2013)

2.4.2 Reading skill

There are many technological tools that can be used to develop reading skills in Englishteaching and learning Levine and colleagues (2000) described text reading as one of theimportant problems in learning English language At the time of reading, the student can acquirenew knowledge and ideas which can improve the knowledge of English vocabulary According

to Case and Truscott (1999), students can interact with texts and develop their sense ofindependence by reading texts with computer-based reading activities

Current findings indicate that students benefit from technology-integrated text readinginstruction Students can improve their reading skills with tools such as browsing the Internet,using multimedia software, using electronic dictionaries and gloss, reading newspapers/books onthe internet, and using reading-based computer programs (Nomass 2013) Reading-basedcomputer programs, electronic glossaries and electronic dictionaries increase students‟vocabulary while the use of multimedia software provides motivation On the other hand, readingmagazines, newspapers, encyclopedias (Kenworthy 2004), which can be reached through theinternet, make a great contribution to the development of reading skills of students (Nomass2013) Websites that teach English make reading activities as enjoyable as much as possible andoffer the opportunity to interact with vocabulary learning Students have become able tounderstand concepts and relate concepts with the help of English reading materials, containingstorytelling or animation

2.4.3 Speaking skill

Speaking skill, which can be said to be the last achieved language skill, can be seen as animportant problem when learning English language This skill can be improved with technologysupport more easily According to a study by Bachate (2016), language laboratories areinfluencing students‟ communication skills and speaking skills positively On the other hand,with the help of software such as Internet voice chat and speech synthesis program, ESL studentscan work on speaking Internet voice chat (eg, Jepson, 2005) programs are very useful inspeaking skills and this program is a useful tool for students to have a chance to talk to nativespeaker anytime and anywhere On the other hand, artificial intelligence computer programs canimprove speaking skills and such programs contribute to vocabulary as well as pronunciation(Nomass 2013)

In addition, it has been observed that the use of automatic voice recognition in mobileapplications has improved pronunciation skills and increased motivation (Ahn and Lee 2016) Astudy by Sun and colleagues (2017) found that social networking systems have improved thespeaking skills of ESL learners A study by Hwang and colleagues (2016) found that web-based

storytelling enhances student motivation, promotes creativity and imagination, and providesstudents with more opportunities to practice speaking.

2.4.4 Writing skill

According to researches on the use of technology in the studying of English writing,technology has encouraged and supported students‟ writing skills in terms of quality, andencouraged students to write (Lam and Pennington 1995; Bialo and Sivin-Kachala 1996.;Fidaoui, Bahous, and Bacha 2010) In addition, according to Blachowicz and colleagues (2009),the use of ICT tools in studying writing skills allows students to discover themselves andsupports their independence

On the other hand, it can be easier and more fun to do writing work on computerprograms as errors can be easily determined by software Through Wiki, for example, ESLstudents can do italics, make underline, change colors, change font size, and even controlspelling and grammar with the help of the program (Nomass 2013) In this context, the use oftechnology in writing skills can be motivating and fun for ESL students

One of the popular tools that are widely adopted in the studying of writing skills is blogs(Yunus, Nordin, Salehi, Redzuan and Embi 2013) According to Kelly and Safford (2009), blogwriter provides a real-digital environment for communication It is not only a tool for writingtext, it is also a tool that offers multiple viewers and access points According to Lenhart andcolleagues (2008), blogs have become common platforms for young people to express theirthoughts and there is evidence to support that the majority of students with personal blogs tend to

be writers On the other hand, in addition to blogs, writing via e-mail, social networks andinternet text chatting students can interact with someone else Thus, students can improve theirwriting skills with the help of real-like activities The e-portfolio is an electronic archive thatshows students‟ experiences, progresses and achievements and also includes writing studieswritten by them in the process The e-portfolio, which supports students‟ self-evaluation andautonomy, emphasizes the process of products On the other hand, e-portfolios help students toreflect their language skills and knowledge In this context, it is a tool that can be used in terms

of the development of writing skills

According to West (2008), when teachers move from traditional written answers to onlineforums, students can create their own style and personality in their work The reason for this isthat students realize that there is an online social context for their work and so they try toinfluence their peers However, especially when social networking activities such as Facebook,Twitter, etc., are being organized, it is necessary to pay attention to the writing style of socialnetworks Abbreviations or emojis can sometimes be an obstacle to the development of writing

skills On the other hand, social networks with character limitations like Twitter can encouragestudents to use language effectively.

CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY 3.1 Background of the study

3.1.1 The physical setting

The term "physical setting" refers to the place where the lessons take place, the number ofstudents in an English class, the equipment and different types of materials available for teachersand students in teaching and learning English

All the teachers graduated from well-known university such as: Ha Noi University ForeignLanguage University, Ha Noi National University Education, etc All of them have MA degrees.The Faculty of Foreign Languages consists of 30 teachers including 2 Chinese teachers Themajority of them graduated from the faculty of foreign languages of Hanoi National University

or Hanoi University Up to now, the department has trained 13 academic years, from K5 to K17

It focuses on training English major on campus 1 (Khoai Chau), campus 2 (Pho Noi) and campus

3 (Hai Duong) Everything has been in the process of innovation and development for betterthings both of teaching and learning

3.1.2 Participants of the study

3.1.2.1 The teachers

The research contacted and asked for help from 5 teachers who have been teaching English inFFL at UTEHY to join in questionnaire completing All of them are titled MA degree and havemore than 7 years teaching experiences

3.1.2.2 The students

There are 3 classes on training English major at 3 campuses: TAK15.1, TAK16.1, TAK17.1.There are more English major students but the researcher can only give the questionnaire to 55students because the others were absent on the research day Both the students and the lecturerswere willing and enthusiastic to take part in this study

3.1.3 Data collection instruments

The data collection instruments used in the study is survey questionnaire

3.1.3.1 Survey questionnaire for students

Questionnaires for students were delivered to 55 students of TAK15.1, TAK16.1, TAK17.1

at UTEHY to work out some issues of the research:

Part I: Participant's information aims to collect general information about the survey participants.Part II: Questions 1,2,3 is designed to understand the state of English language students' use oftechnology in English language learning

Part III: Questions 4 to 11 are designed to collect information about the difficulties and benefits

of using technology in learning English

3.1.3.2 Survey questionnaire for teachers

The questionnaires for teachers were designed to 5 teachers of FFL at UTEHY

Part I: Question 1 is designed to collect information about the number of years of work andteaching experience of teachers participating in the survey

Part II: Question 2,3,4,5 is designed to get teachers' opinions on the state of using technology inlearning English

Part III: Question 6 aims to suggest some effective learning websites/software

3.1.4 Procedure of data collection

To collect the information for the study, 55 copies of survey questionnaires were handed out

to student of Faculty of Foreign Languages, 5 English lecturers were asked to complete 5 copies

of survey questionnaire, which are designed for lecturers only

This chapter has presented the method of the study which conclude participants, data collectioninstrument as well as procedure of data collection

3.2 Data analysis

Based on the data was analyzed in the previous chapter, this chapter concentrates onresearch findings The findings relating to the research that guided the study would bedocumented in this chapter

3.2.1 Analyzing from the students’ survey questionnaire

3.2.1.1 Number of years studying English

Question: How long have you studied English?

69%

from 5 - 10 years Over 10 years

Figure 3 1: Number of years studying English

Through the survey on the number of years of English learning years of 55 English majorstudents of Hung Yen Technical Education University, we found that 100% of students whoparticipated in the survey had time to learn English over 5 years Not only that, there are 69% ofthem have time to learn English over 10 years It can be said for these students that English hasbecome their second language for a long time

3.2.1.2 Students used technology in self-learning English

Question 1: Have you ever used technology to learn English for yourself?

98%

2%

Yes No

Figure 3 2: Number of students who used technology in self-learning English

The pie chart shows the percentage of students Answering questions It seems that most of theparticipants, 54/55 students (98%), used technology to carry out the self-learning process whileonly one person (2%) said they had never applied it into self-learning English These figures alsoshow students' interest in using technology for their English language skills

3.2.1.3 Apps and websites used by participants

Question 2: Please list at least the names of 3 software or websites that you use to learn English yourself?

g

Other 0

9 2

10

13 9 3 9

Figure 3 3: Apps and websites used by participants

In the survey, students mentioned many technology applications for self-learning, especially onsmartphones In the survey, they recorded the types of technology used primarily to learn Englishfor themselves by websites like Youtube; Google translator; Oxford dictionary, documents on theInternet; websites like: BBC learning, English.com, Elsa, Cake, VOA, google translate .;Facebook social network Besides, they also list the software installed on computers or phones,such as "translation software; dictionary (eg TFLAT); self-learning software of TFLAT;Dualingo software From the above results, it is shown that the majority of students whoparticipated in the survey were aware of the application of technology in self-learning English.They had the right time investment to choose and find the support tools that best suit them inlearning English

3.2.1.4 The effect of applying technology in self-learning English

Question 3: How do you feel about applying these technologies to learning English?

30.9%

58.2%

10.9%

Very effective Effective Adequate Inefficient

Figure 3 4: The effect of applying technology in self-learning English

From the chart above shows that the majority of students participating in the survey (89.1%) saidthat the application of technology in self-learning English to them is effective, not only that30.9% of respondents also believe that the application of technology is very effective for them.Only 10.9% of the respondents said that their application of technology in learning English wasnot really effective as expected From the survey results, it is shown that students have basicallytended to use technology in learning English and that for them, technology has gradually becomeeffective so that they can improve their ability to learn English self.

3.2.1.5 Learning English is not simple

Question 4: Learning English is not simple for you?

17 20

4

Strongly Disagree Disagree Normal Agree Strongly Agree

Figure 3 5: Is learning English simple?

From the chart above shows Although 100% of the survey participants had over 5 years ofEnglish learning, 24 out of 55 students said that learning English for them was not really simple.Seventeen people surveyed said that learning English is not too difficult for them And only 14people (equivalent to 25.5%) thought that learning English for them was simple and easy Fromthe above results, it shows the importance of self-learning English, to help students considerlearning English is no longer a difficult task for them

3.2.1.6 Self-study of English through application software helps you be more interested

Question 5: Self-study of English through application software helps you be more interested?

Figure 3 6 : Self-study of English through application software helps you be more interested

From the chart above, it shows the interest of students in self-learning through applicationsoftware The vast majority of participants (96.4%) said learning English through websites andapplication software made them more interested Only 2 out of 55 respondents said that they didnot feel interested in learning through websites or application software This shows thattechnology contributes to the attractiveness of lessons, making them "more vivid, more exciting,more interesting" The fun of the lesson is made up of interacting with the computer and withclassmates, visual images and the variety of types of exercises and materials as some studentsrecorded in the survey: “interact like so it will avoid being boring; more intuitive; less dryness;new forms will bring learning interest; online materials such as videos, audio and images arericher and more vivid, more realistic and more interesting to learn ”

3.2.1.7 The difficulty of using technology in learning English is an inappropriate resource

Question 6: The difficulty of using technology in learning English is an inappropriate resource

Strongly Disagree Disagree Normal Agree Strongly Agree

Figure 3 7 : The difficulty of using technology in learning English is an inappropriate resource

From the pie chart above shows us Up to 30.9% of students participating in the survey arehaving difficulty selecting sources appropriate to their own level on self-learning websites orsoftware 43.6% of respondents think that they can still choose materials that suit their self-learning needs Only 13 out of 55 respondents said that they had no difficulty in selectingappropriate materials to learn From the results of the survey, it is shown that the reality ofapplying technology to learning English is that there are too many resources, which makes itdifficult for learners to find suitable learning materials for them

3.2.1.8 The difficulty of using technology in learning English is the lack of self-study

time