A study on the application of information technologies in learning process of english major students at thuongmai university

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY ---GRADUATION PAPERTOPIC: A STUDY ON THE APPLICATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN LEARNING PROCESS OF ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT THUONGMAI UNIVERSI

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY

-GRADUATION PAPERTOPIC: A STUDY ON THE APPLICATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN LEARNING PROCESS OF ENGLISH MAJOR

STUDENTS AT THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY.

Supervisor: Ms Phan Tu Lan, MA

Student: Vu Hong Ngoc

Class: K52N1

Student Code: 16D170034

HANOI, 2020

The birth of information technology is the simultaneous integration oftechnological advances and information organization, bringing many positiveeffects to the development of education Information technology and especially thedevelopment of the internet open up an extremely diverse and rich knowledge basefor learners and teachers, making it much easier to learn knowledge and improvelearning and teaching quality Besides, in the current trend of globalization, wecannot deny the importance of English as it is used everywhere in the world Seeingthe importance and efficiency of information technology in this era, Thuong MaiUniversity has applied information technology in teaching and learning for students,especially is for students in Business English major

A number of survey questions will be asked for this group of students to seehow well they have applied information technology in their learning process.Finally, propose some new and useful information technology applications so thatstudents can apply them to practice foreign language learning in particular as well

as other subjects in general

I hope that this research will be helpful in spreading the power of informationtechnology and harnessing its benefits to education

In the process of completing this research paper, I have received a great deal

of help, guidance and encouragement from many teachers, friends and my family.First of all, I would like to express my deepest thanks to Mrs Nguyen Thi ThuyChung, my supervisor for their constant and tireless support throughout this study.Next, my sincere thanks also go to other teachers in English Faculty for theirlectures and instructions during the four years which helps me much in completingthis study

Especially, I am profoundly grateful to all the members in my family andfriends, who always beside me, supporting me to complete this paper

Finally, I wish to thank all those who have kindly given their advice andhelped me with source materials during the writing of this paper

Ha Noi, April 22 nd 2020

Student

Vu Thi Hong Ngoc

TABE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

TABE OF CONTENTS iii

LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES AND IMAGES v

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Previous studies 3

1.2.1 “Students’ readiness and perceptions towards using mobile technologies for learning the English language literature component.” 3

1.2.2 “Application of information technology in foreign language teaching: 4

1.3 Aims of the study 6

1.4 Scope of the study 6

1.5 Research subject 6

1.6 Research methodology 7

1.7 Organization of the study 7

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 9

2.1 An overview of information technologies 9

2.1.1 Definition of “information technology” 9

2.1.2 The history and growth of information technology 11

2.1.3 The importance of information technology 13

2.2 The application of information technologies in the universities 14

2.2.1 Students’ use of Information Technologies 15

2.2.2 Teachers’ use of Information Technologies 16

2.2.3 Role of information technologies in teaching and learning process 18

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS 22

3.1 Results from the questionnaire 22

3.1.1 Current situation of information technology application of English majored students at Thuongmai University 22

3.1.2 Difficulties in accessing information technology of English major

students at ThuongMai University 33

CHAPTER 4 RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 38

4.1 Solutions for difficulties of English major students in the application of information technologies in learning process 38

4.2 Recommendations 42

4.2.1 Recommendations for students 42

4.2.2 Recommendations for teachers 46

4.3 Suggesstions for further studies 49

CONCLUSION 50

LIST OF REFERENCE vii

APPENDIX ix

A SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ix

LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES AND IMAGES

3.1 The time students have been learning English 22

3.2 The time students have been learning English per day 22

3.3 Some of the students' feelings about the applications 23

3.1 The time students spend learning English on technology

devices

23

3.2 Purpose of using Internet of English major students 25

3.3 English learning applications that students have applied 28

3.4 Students’ views on information technology applications in

English learning process

31

3.5 The number of students owning a laptop or computer 34

3.6 Ability to apply information technology of English major

students

35

4.1 Ability to apply information technology of English major

students

42

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

Educational Scientific and Cultural

Organization

Tổ chức Giáo dục, Khoa học và Văn hóa của Liên hiệp quốc

CommunicationTechnology

Công nghệ thông tin vàtruyền thông

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY

1.1 Rationale

In the current globalization trend, we cannot deny the importance of English

as it is used everywhere in the world

First of all, English is the international language that is recognized worldwideand is the second language after the mother tongue With the integration of theworld together with the foreign companies' penetration into Vietnam market, theimportance of English is even more evident If you know English, it will be veryeasy for you to arrange to work with foreign partners in the international fields andvery easy to advance in your career In addition, for those who have not yet worked,English will show a huge part of your ability and intelligence, which will help youeasily have a good job with an extremely high salary You will have a greatadvantage when going to job interviews in English In order to master this foreignlanguage, you have to try your best In short, English is not only a foreign languageability that you have, but is also one of your remarkable achievements Because ofits importance and popularity, today many of the great learning materials ofeducational institutions and major universities are written in English More than half

of the websites on the Internet are also written in English, such as onlinenewspapers, global tools and services Just by knowing this language, you canaccess this endless source of information The importance of English is alsoreflected in your relationships Of course, knowing English will help you talk, makefriends with everyone such as: strangers, colleagues, teachers, and foreigners.Because English is spoken popularly in the world, you don’t only make friends withEnglish and American but also make friends with Chinese, Korean, and Japanese,

so on

Moreover, knowing English will help you connect with people who love usingEnglish in the country People who know English are often good and interesting, soreaching out to this community will also bring you a lot of benefits This is one ofthe biggest benefits of how important it is to learn English Because English isbecoming more popular and important, most students choose to major in English

However, with today's 4.0 technology era, learning foreign languages throughteachers and books is definitely still not enough with the growing amount ofknowledge Information technology is a great achievement of the current scientificand technological revolution It penetrates and dominates almost all fields ofscientific research, technological application in production, education, training andother political and social activities In education and training, IT is used in allsubjects of nature, technique, social and Humanities The obvious effect is that thequality of education increases both in theory and practice Therefore, it is a majortopic officially organized by the UNESCO into an action program at the threshold

of the 21st century and there will be a fundamental change in education at thebeginning of the 21st century due to IT influence For English subject, theapplication of Information Technology in teaching plays a very important role in thesuccess of the teaching and learning process Currently, the application ofinformation technology in teaching students is most evident through "electroniclectures" The application of IT in teaching and learning English gives students theopportunity to practice listening and speaking skills, the ability to express English,overcome limitations on phonetics, stress, and intonation It is also a motivation forstudents to try to improve their skills When applying IT in teaching, teachers'lectures are always flexible, which promotes interaction between teachers andlearners IT including computers connected to the Internet is a huge data sources forteaching This helps teachers and students can share information, increase self-studytime, and solve problems by themselves The students’ schedule is usually not asdense as that of the junior high or high school students It will mostly be arrangedaccording to the students’ own registration schedule Therefore, they have a lot offree time I think that instead of going out, we can find ways to learn Englishthrough Information Technologies as effectively as possible As a fourth-yearstudent in the English Faculty of ThuongMai University, I realize that the studentshave not really taken full advantage of that free time to study foreign languages As

a researcher, I want to conduct research on the subject: " A study on the application

of information technologies in learning process of English major students at ThuongMai University" I believe that this is a close topic to young people today

because technology is growing more and more As we all know, learning foreignlanguages requires a great deal of effort or endurance Besides, we need to haveinterest in the learning process, which we can find from the application ofinformation technology.

an intelligent tutor system, simulators and learning tools as well as pedagogyagents, system devices and resources, communication devices, and simulationclassrooms In addition, the researcher also refers to Mobile learning or M-Learning It is commonly associated with the use of mobile technology especiallythe mobile phone M-learning relates more to access of the Internet via a portabledevice such as a mobile phone or a game console Therefore, the integration ofmobile learning for school students is seen as an alternative to increase their interestand motivation

1.2.2 “Application of information technology in foreign language teaching: From international experience to reality in Vietnam.”

The process of applying IT to education in general and foreign languageteaching in particular in the world is divided into three stages, namely: theintroduction of technology into the classroom (Introduction); integration oftechnology into the classroom (Integration); and the technology invisible stage inthe classroom Research shows that teachers need to increase their knowledge ofinformation technology as much as possible Researchers offer different levels todescribe information technology applications in teaching and learning

1, Reading comprehension:

- Understand the technical terms for verbal communication and writtenlanguage

- Illustrate operation (mouse and keyboard)

- Use basic computer software applications

- Manipulation of output and input devices

2, Cooperation

- Take advantage of written communication tools of individuals andinterpersonal cooperation

- Share electronic information with learners

- Interpersonal communication by email

3, Decision

- Apply electronic tools in problem solving

- Designing effective solutions to solve practical problems

- Develop new strategies and ideas using intellectual manipulation software

- Prepare electronic spreadsheets

- Create a calendar, address book and school calendar

- Assessing the strengths of different Internet environments to make learningtools for learners and students

- Use electronic means to build new research and study lesson content

- Design, build and supplement illustrated presentations for course content

- Consider using technology to access strengths and limit weaknesses inherent

in multiple intelligences

- Focus on the learning of learners and students by using integrated teachingmaterials

6, Technology application

- Protection of copyright and technology use law

- Debate issues around legitimacy and ethics when using technology

- Consider the consequences of inappropriate technology use

Information technology contributes to support teachers to achieve well thegoals such as:

- Deploying education network

- Enhancing the development of digital information content for the Ministry'swebsite as well as the department and pedagogical schools

- Deploying educational technology program: building a system of electroniclesson creation and management tools, e-Learning system, lecture preparationprocess, teaching aids, testing software virtual experiment, building educationalresources and electronic materials for sharing and sharing through the Ministry'swebsite, exam library, e-textbook library, organizing the topic "IT innovatesteaching methods and learning "on the website, organizing teachers to participate in

an educational forum to dicuss and exchange experiences, assist in solvingproblems of teachers, encourage teachers to prepare lesson plans on computers andshare, refer lesson plan online, joining UNESCO's educational technology program

- Enhancing the organization of meetings, conferences and online teaching

1.3 Aims of the study

This study aims at the following purposes:

Firstly, the study is carried out in order to point out the importance ofinformation technology in applying to learning, especially with foreign languagelearning of Business English major students

Secondly, the study helps to learn about the reality of teaching and learningEnglish at the ThuongMai University with the help of information technology.Moreover, it also helps to point out some difficulties when applying the informationtechnology in learning process at ThuongMai University

Finally, there are some proposed solutions to enhance the application ofinformation technology to improve the efficiency of learning and teaching activities

at universities

It should be noted that this paper shouldn’t be considered exclusive to Englishmajor students at ThuongMai University In fact, the fundamental concepts andresult of this paper can be applied to most English learners

1.4 Scope of the study

Because of the limitations of time and knowledge, the shortage of referencematerials, this study cannot cover the whole issue of information technologies Itonly focuses on exploring the importance of information technologies in learning aforeign language – English

Moreover, the study could not touch upon all the students at ThuongMaiUniversity It is confined to the English major students

1.5 Research subject

Based on the rationale and the aims of the problems, the research subject ofthis study is the application of information technologies in learning English process.Information technology has the potential to play a powerful role in strengtheningEnglish language teaching in universities and preparing students to acquire skills,knowledge and competency to enable them compete in the 4.0 technology era Dataand information obtained in this study would hopefully be used to provide various

education stakeholders with information that IT integration in universities held agreat promise in the future.

1.6 Research methodology

The study will be conducted by using mainly quantitative methods The studyincludes survey questionnaires for second – year and third- year students in Englishfaculty at ThuongMai University With a short and simple questionnaire, you cananalyze a sample group that represents your research The larger the sample is, themore reliable the result is This method is relatively easy to manage and implement.When implementing this method, the researcher can remotely manage via onlinemobile device, mail, email or phone With survey software, advanced statisticaltechniques can be used to analyze survey data to determine validity, reliability andstatistical significance, including the ability to analyze multiple variables A variety

of data may be collected (for example, attitudes, opinions, beliefs, values,behaviors, facts) The good standard surveys can usually eliminate mostfundamental errors

After getting the results, the researcher will use the tables and charts forpresenting the collected data

I will also research on reference books and websites and base on my personalexperiences from the application of information technologies in my Englishlearning process In addition, I will also explore the issue from the advice of mysupervisor and teachers They have many years of teaching experience, so theknowledge of research issues will be profound

1.7 Organization of the study

A table of contents with pages numbers in which they are presented in order tohelp readers have a clear overview of the research proposal It also helps readersfind the part they need more easily and quickly The study contains of four chapters:

The first chapter is Overview of the study that consists of: Rationale of the

study, Aims of the study, Scope of the study, Research subject, Researchmethodology and Organization of the study

The second chapter is Literature review looking at some theoretical

background relating to the thesis of the study This chapter focuses on providing

readers with an overview of the development of information technologies today.How do people put them into practice? This chapter also provides for readers thesituation of using information technology in the learning process of students as well

as the teaching process of teachers at major universities in Vietnam

The third chapter is Research findings and discussions This chapter refers to

the analysis and the findings obtained from the survey questionnaires andevaluations from students to find out the necessary information and the discussion

of the findings from the survey From the students’ assessments, pointing out thedifficulties in applying information technologies to learning English at ThuongMaiUniversity

The fourth chapter focuses on Recommendations and suggestions This

chapter is responsible for summarizing the research issues It focuses on offeringsuggestions and solutions for those problems How to overcome the difficultiesencountered when applying information technology into the learning process Inaddition, it will provide additional software, websites or ways to bring learning andtechnology closer together

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 An overview of information technologies

2.1.1 Definition of “information technology”

a Definition of “information”

The word "Information" comes from the Latin language with the wordinformation (informatio): this is a noun derived from the verb Informare meaningsuch as discipline, guidance, teaching and photo wake up the mind

Information is any entity or form that provides an answer to a question orresolves uncertainty Therefore, it relates to data and knowledge, because datarepresents values assigned to parameters and knowledge representing anunderstanding of practical things or abstract concepts As it relates to data, theexistence of information does not necessarily associate with an observer (forexample, it exists outside the event horizon) In some cases, the informationrequires the observers to be conscious

Information is conveyed as the content of the message either through direct orindirect observation What is perceived can be interpreted as a message in its ownright, and in that sense, information is always transmitted as the content of amessage

Information can be encoded into various forms for transmission andinterpretation (for example, information can be encoded into a sequence of signals,

or transmitted via signals) It can also be encrypted for secure storage andcommunication

Information reduces uncertainty The uncertainty of a juncture is measured byits probability of happening and inversely proportional to that The more uncertain

an event is, the more information it needs to address its uncertainty A “bit” is atypical unit of data measurement, but other units like “nat” can also be used

b Definition of “technology”

Technology is the invention, change, use, knowledge of tools, machines,techniques, job skills, systems, and organizational methods, in order to solve aproblem, improve an existing solution, achieve a goal, or perform a specific

function Technology can also be just a collection of such tools, including machines,arrangements, or processes Technology significantly affects the ability of humansand other animals to control and adapt to their natural environment The term may

be used in a general sense or for specific areas, such as "construction technology" or

"information technology"

Technology (derived from technologia, or τεχνολογια in Greek, techno means

"craft" and logia means "maxim") is a broad term alluding to tools and cunning ofhuman Depending on the context, the term “technology” can be understood:

• Tools or machines that help people solve problems

• Techniques include methods, materials, tools, and processes to solve aproblem

• The products created must be batch and the same

• The product has high quality and low price

Definition of technology by the United Nations Economic Socio-AsiaCommittee (ESCAP): Technology is systematic knowledge of processes andtechniques used for processing materials and information It includes knowledge,equipment, methods and systems used in creating goods and providing services

c The combination of technology and information

Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to store, retrieve, transmit,and manipulate data or information IT is typically used within the context ofbusiness operations as opposed to personal or entertainment technologies IT isconsidered to be a subset of information and communications technology (ICT) Aninformation technology system (IT system) is generally an information system, acommunications system or, more specifically speaking, a computer system –including all hardware, software and peripheral equipment – operated by a limitedgroup of users

Humans have been storing, retrieving, manipulating, and communicatinginformation since the Sumerians in Mesopotamia developed writing in about 3000

BC, but the term information technology in its modern sense first appeared in a

1958 article published in the Harvard Business Review Authors Harold J Leavittand Thomas L.Whisler commented that "the new technology does not yet have a

single established name We shall call it information technology (IT)." Theirdefinition consists of three categories: techniques for processing, the application ofstatistical and mathematical methods to decision-making, and the simulation ofhigher-order thinking through computer programs.

The term is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computernetworks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies such

as television and telephones Several products or services within an economy areassociated with information technology, including computer hardware, software,electronics, semiconductors, internet, telecom equipment, and e-commerce

Information technology is a technology management industry and opens upmany different fields such as computer software, information systems, computerhardware, programming languages but is not limited to certain things such asprocesses and data structure In short, anything that represents data, information orknowledge in visible formats, through any multimedia distribution mechanism, isconsidered a subset of the technology sector information Information technologyprovides businesses with four core service groups to help implement businessstrategies: automated business processes, providing information, connecting withcustomers and production tools

IT professionals are involved in building a variety of functions from the range

of software application installation to complex computer network design andinformation databases Some of the tasks that professionals can perform includedata management, networking, computer hardware engineering, software design anddatabase design as well as management and administration of the entire system.Information technology is starting to spread more widely than personal computersand common network technology There are many other technologies integratingsuch as cell phones, televisions, motorbikes and more, and increase the demand forjobs in these feilds

2.1.2 The history and growth of information technology

The history of information storage and dissemination indicates that humanbeings used different things for information storage, its display and transmission Indifferent ages, people used different materials and methods for communication such

as rocks and stones, papyrus, palm leaves, animal leather and handcraftedmanuscripts for storing and transmitting the information from one place to anotherand to the next generation These means of information were limited and confined

to the elites but the advent of printing enabled information to be truly widespreadthroughout the world to move to a more equitable level in terms of access toknowledge

At present, knowledge may be regarded as power and it comes from havinginformation Information encompasses and relies upon the use of differentcommunication channels or technologies –called information technologies, for itseffectiveness and equal access Information technologies may extend knowledgebeyond the geographical boundaries of a state or country providing relevantinformation to the relevant people over the world Information Technology is anycomputer-based tool that people use to work with information and support theinformation and information processing needs of an organization It includescomputers and its related technologies: WWW, Internet and Videoconferencing etc.Information technology can be used to promote the opportunities of knowledgedissemination It can help the teachers and students having up-to-date informationand knowledge Accurate and right information is necessary for effective teachingand learning, and information technology is a set of tools that can help to providethe right people with the right information at the right time

The information technology industry is growing strongly Internet "boom" haschanged the way people communicate every day At the same time, it creates awhole new definition That is the "flat world" Thereby, the most modern andconvenient information technology products have maximized utility for users.According to the economic development plan for the period until 2020, IT is one ofthe key industries In this context, an increasing number of domestic and foreigntechnology companies are expanding their operations in Vietnam and looking out tothe world Therefore, IT personnel promise to become a key human resource foreconomic development in the future

2.1.3 The importance of information technology

Information technology has created a global society, where people can interactand communicate with each other quickly and effectively Over the past 15 years,Vietnam's information technology field has gained many important achievements.Today, information technology has gradually become a key economic sector

of the country, with a growing contribution to the country's GDP growth.Information technology is now present in many aspects of our daily lives, fromcommerce to entertainment and even culture, society and education, etc Today,mobile phones, computers desktops, handheld devices, email and Internet usagehave become the focus of our culture and community, an inseparable bridge in thepace of globalization

Application and development of information technology promotes innovation,rapid development and modernization of economic sectors, enhancescompetitiveness of enterprises, effectively supports the process of proactiveassociation enter the national economy, improves the quality of human beings’ life,ensures national defense and security and creates the ability to leapfrog tosuccessfully implement the cause of industrialization and modernization.Nowadays, Information technology plays a very important role in the development

of the society, it is an important factor and an exchange channel to commutedifferent sectors of society, culture, education, economy and globalization era.Information technology plays a certain role in every area of human beings’ lifetoday:

- In the education and training system

In the system of education and vocational training at the university, college,intermediate information and communication technology is always considered asmart choice to convey to high school students and parents in career guidance fortheir children

- Culture and arts

Culture and arts that paid attention by the information and communicationagencies and the Government, are constantly maintaining and developing thetraditional folk villages of the nation The introduction of information and

communication technology for the development of culture and arts has also beenpromptly implemented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

- Enterprise

Information technology makes calculation easier such as accounting software,tax declaration software, human resource management software, project planningsoftware in production and business, etc

There are also many roles that show the importance of information technology

to today's life In Vietnam, information and communication technology has greatpotentials to contribute to ensure national security and infrastructure, and is one ofthe driving forces for the development in economy, culture, education, and society

of the country

Today, not only businesses, organizations and individuals are interested inapplying information technology to their jobs, but also an effective support channelfor the development of their units The Government also considers the application

of information technology as a core element to promote administrative reform fromthe central to local levels, at every stage of the daily administrative work of eachcadre and civil servant at administrative agencies, which contributes to improve themanagement and administration efficiency of the agencies, etc

Thus, it can be affirmed that Information and Communication Technology inthe cultural, social, educational, economic and modern life spans has an influentialand great impact on the development and stability of businesses and theGovernment of each country in general and Vietnam in particular in the currentperiod as well as in the future The promotion of information and communicationtechnology infrastructure development is to serve well people, businesses,organizations, etc and contribute to sustainable development in the trend ofglobalization

2.2 The application of information technologies in the universities

For all these reasons, I can make sure that information technology is reallynecessary and important in the life of people around the world today It contributes

to promote the development in all fields and industries such as culture, economics,

science, technology, education, etc As a student, the field that interests me the most

is education

2.2.1 Students’ use of Information Technologies

Most college students use electronic devices like smartphones, laptops or both.These devices are all products of technology Unlike students, most college studentsare free to use the phone in their university They use information technology for avariety of purposes depending on their personalities

In addition to the essential needs of using information technology such ascommunicating with people from afar, calling, texting, etc., students also useinformation technology in many other things

Some of them mainly spend their time on entertainment such as playinggames, surfing the web, taking photos, filming, reading stories, listening to music,watching movies, etc

Others use technology to support themselves in the life like map, GPS, alarm,recording, etc

And the last one is the most important that I want to mention that the studentsuse information technology in their learning process They store necessarydocuments and information for studying in their mobile devices or laptops.Currently, laptop and computer devices are supported with a lot of accompanyingsoftware of Microsoft to help students learn such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc

In addition, information technology devices are also supported to integrate internetconnection feature As you know, the Internet is like a second world of humanbeings except that it is a virtual world where we can search for anything we don'tknow or want to know Students often find materials online, search for knowledge,and exchange with friends everywhere in the world on many different topics.Moreover, instead of going to the bookstore or going to the library, they often sit inclass to look up information needed for the subject With a smartphone with 3G orWi-Fi connection, you can search for information and surf the web like a miniaturecomputer You can find information, read news, up-date information from friends.Furthermore, you can also receive and send mail in study and work You can turnthem into receivers and transmitters of information With a built-in multifunction

smartphone, you can record lectures and important notes in class, during free timeand until the exam date, you can spend listening again Besides, for foreignlanguage learners, it is necessary to practice listening skills, so it is an indispensabledevice in the language learning process.

At the university, each student is equipped with a student account with ausername and password to log into their university's website Students can trackinformation about university, teachers, subjects, etc Through this website, studentscan track their schedule, exam schedule, progress, and academic results, etc

2.2.2 Teachers’ use of Information Technologies

In traditional classrooms, teachers stand in front of learners and give lecture,explanation, and instruction through using blackboard or whiteboard Thesemethods must be changed concerning the development of technology Teachersmodel the use of technology to support the curriculum so that learners can increasethe true use of technology in learning their language skills

One of the most outstanding applications that cannot be ignored is electroniclecture Most university classrooms in Vietnam are equipped with a projectorscreen This is also a product of technology These are files that transfer educationalcontent to students, are interactive tools between learners and teachers to realize thegoals of knowledge, skills and attitudes set out in lesson It is shown in theclassrooms and all students are observing and learning the whole content of thelecture Besides, instead of handwritten lesson plans like before, most teachers useelectronic lesson plans to support their teaching The electronic lesson plan is alesson prepared by the teacher, which states the objectives of knowledge, skills,attitudes, process of lectures, activities of teachers and students in the teachingperiod Electronic lesson plans are computer-generated and can be printed as asubstitute for hand-written lesson plans From teaching with electronic lesson plans,teaching on the screen (PowerPoint), in recent years, more and more modernteaching technology devices have appeared, such as smart electronic boards,electronics textbooks, E-learning lesson design software, etc

In addition, the application of the popular interactive technology screenenhances the interaction between teachers and students as well as learners Teachers

can impart knowledge through sound, images, etc Since there were technologicaldevices such as televisions, projectors and later on smart interactive screens,teaching became simple, more convenient The teacher will draw a graph or sketch

on the computer, and then show it to the students For foreign languages, instead ofhaving to explain the meaning of new words in words, teachers can play a video tohelp students understand how to use those words in a specific context According toexperts, with the requirements of the upcoming new program, teachers willdefinitely need the support of technology to bring a sense of experience andcreativity to students and certainly the intelligent interactive screen will be one ofthe options for future education

During the course presentation, teachers will depend on the specific lessoncontent that applies information technology with different levels and forms Ingeneral, teachers can present lectures by computers (show slide shows: text, sound,images, video clips, etc.), using a projector, a microphone, a laser beam, etc

Currently, universities are equipped with multimedia classrooms, electroniclibraries (where computers connected to the Internet), intranet systems, etc.Lecturers can put their materials online (internally) for students to read, exchange,and discuss

In addition, information technology is also applied by teachers for testing andexaminations In addition to the written test format which we have done before, wecan supplement the multiple-choice test format by preparing a multiple choice testsystem In a test, if we combine both the essay and multiple choice questions, themore we can objectively evaluate the students' work and save time to evaluate theresults

Moreover, every university has a website All subject and teacher informationwill be provided in full Teachers use this website to inform students about theirstudy schedule, number of subjects, credit, tuition, class schedule, test schedule, etc.The website will also receive students' questions on every issue and the teacher willsolve them

Finally, some teachers also use email as a tool to connect with students andother teachers The teacher gives the assignment, the required content, the tasks that

the learner has to perform, the deadline and time of submission Learners caninstantly check the requirements of the instructors to perform, as well as askquestions, give difficulties that are necessary to support, update and manage theprogress of their tasks.

2.2.3 Role of information technologies in teaching and learning process

Since the 90s of the last century, the issue of applying information technology

in teaching has been a major topic formulated by UNESCO into an action program

at the threshold of the 21st century In addition, UNESCO predicts that informationtechnology will fundamentally change education in the early twenty-first century.Facing such information technology situation with education in the world, theMinister of Education and Training also issued Directive 29 / CT-Ministry ofEducation and Training on "Enhancing teaching, training and application ofinformation technology." Information in Education - Training Sector 2001 - 2005

"and Directive 55/2008 / CT-BGD & DT of the Minister of Education and Training

on strengthening teaching, training and IT applications in education period

2008-2012 and selecting 2008-2009 academic year was selected as "The school year topromote IT application", creating a breakthrough in IT application in education andcreating a premise for IT application and development in the following years

In the past, Human beings mainly studied in the style of discipleship literature.The content of learning and research is narrowed down within the scope ofideology, philosophy, human life, etc There is no teaching-and-studying of naturalsciences One-way teaching method makes the learner completely passive in takingthe method of memorizing or following the main teacher The teacher is considered

to have a comprehensive knowledge and the student is considered to be ignorant, sothey need to find a teacher to be trained under his guidance Therefore, in theprocess of teaching and learning, the teachers explain a lot, the learning time is long(the burning year - 10 years of book lights), the amount of knowledge dominates inthe learning process is limited The creative independence of learners is not shown

in the learning process

Today, with the explosion of information, people have to learn many newscience subjects, with a huge amount of information The teacher's role needs to

change The teacher is a guide, the learner searches and acquires knowledge Soteachers and learners must know how to use some other means to support Inparticular, using information technology to carry out all the contents andmanipulations of the teaching and learning process will help teachers improve theirability in using new methods, help students actively explore and promote initiative

in learning

Information technology makes learning easier than ever It is one of the usefulmethods to save learners' study time Time is limited, so you should focus most ofyour time on the method that works best and say no to the rest The ability toremember a lot of knowledge in an era of too much information and too much noise

is an extremely important skill that makes it easy to achieve any goal quickly

"One of the most amazing things in the last 20 years has been the advent of theInternet," said Bill Gates, Microsoft Group's owner The Internet itself has made theworld very small, the geographical distance has been flattened, etc Another greatthing is that more and more universities around the world are giving lectures on theInternet You can be anywhere in the world to choose lectures, topics, and evenreputable professors to study without paying This will be a radical change in theeducation system in the future Information technology has brought this great thing.With the impact of information technology, the teaching environment has been alsochanging It has a strong impact on the management, teaching, training and learningprocesses based on the support of application software, websites and Informationtechnology infrastructure attached The application of information technology toteaching and learning will contribute to improve the quality of studying for students,create a highly interactive educational environment As at present, students areencouraged and facilitated to actively seek for knowledge, streamlining the self-study process Thus, we will train a team of qualified intellectuals to carry out thecause of industrialization and modernization of the country

Currently, universities and colleges have been gradually shifting to the based training system The characteristic of this system is the significant reduction

credit-in theoretical class time and the credit-increase credit-in the number of hours for discussion,experiment and practice Students' self-study hours are doubled compared to regular

training (1/1 in year-based training and 2/1 in credit-based training) This is notabout truncating the content of the training program, but shifting theimplementation of the content of the training program into a positive, proactivedirection towards the students Deploying the training system according to thecredit-based system requires innovation of teaching and learning methods It ischanging from the traditional way of teaching reading - writing method to activatingthe teaching process, in which the teachers must impart the core knowledge of themodule and guide students the method of self-study.

Therefore, information technology will open up great prospects for innovatingteaching and learning methods and forms for students The methods of activeteaching and learning are often used as problem-solving teaching methods,constructivist teaching methods, self-study methods, etc., more and more conditions

to apply Forms of teaching such as collective and individual teaching also haveinnovations in the information technology environment Students can work withcomputers, look up information online Thanks to the development of informationtechnology, teachers and students can use a variety of software for teaching andlearning Thanks to computers, the design of lesson plans and computer teachingbecomes more vivid, saving more time than the traditional way of teaching The use

of electronic lectures with vivid images and sounds makes it easy for learners toabsorb, deepen knowledge and increase students' interest in learning Throughelectronic lectures, lecturers have plenty of time to ask provocative questions,enabling students to be more active during class hours These are favorableprerequisites for students to acquire and apply information technology achievements

in their teaching process after graduation

Today information technology seems to be present and affects every aspect ofhuman being’s life Information technology has changed the whole life, creating anew life - "digital life" Although the Internet in Vietnam develops after manycountries, it has the fastest development speed in the world The speed of Internetaccess is improved, and the large number of subscribers is an opportunity to create anew step in education and training If teachers with pedagogical skills and inherentteaching experience are fostered with knowledge of information and communication

technology, are fully capable of designing electronic lectures to express very wellthe teaching pedagogy methods, and contributing to innovating teaching methods.The application of information technology to the teaching-learning processand scientific research is an important and meaningful issue It needs to beimplemented quickly in the current period Each teacher should be aware of theeffects and good application of information technology for teaching and learning.

By this way, we can make good education goals at the most effective level

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS

3.1 Results from the questionnaire

The main method in this section to collect data is the survey questionnaire,which consists of 14 questions given to 150 second – year and third – year Englishmajor students at Thuongmai university The answers to these questions will help

me understand the reality of applying information technology of students in theEnglish learning process, especially second and third year English majored students.Besides, the author would like to learn about their difficulties in this applicationprocess

The samples consist of 150 English majored students studying in their secondand third year of study

3.1.1 Current situation of information technology application of English majored students at Thuongmai University.

a Students’ attitude to English learning and Information technology applications

Table 3.1: The time students have been learning English

From the table above, it can be seen that most English major students havemastered English very early with 64% of students having studied English over 8years 31% of students have studied English from 4 to 8 years Finally, only 5% ofstudents have studied English for less than 4 years This proves that the studentshave good English background as well as awareness of the importance of thissubject

Table 3.2: The time students have been learning English per day

The above mentioned table shows the time students spend on studying English

in a day All students surveyed are English major students However, only 4% of

them spend more than 5 hours learning English every day Although majoring inBusiness English, most students spend too little time on learning English with 74%

of them spending less than 2 hours studying English every day Most of them areaware of the importance of English in the new age They do not study hard enough,which doesn’t mean that they lack awareness The main reason can be mentionedthat the study does not interest them, so the average study time is only about one totwo hours Besides, some other students spend two or five hours learning Englishper day (accounting for 22%)

The frequency of applying information technology of students in their Englishlearning is also mentioned in the research The technology devices which studentsoften use to study English may be a phone, computer, laptop, I-pad, etc

Figure 3.1: The time students spend learning English on technology devices

Nowadays, most young people in general and students majoring in English atthe ThuongMai University in particular are aware of the importance of informationtechnology in the new era However, they do not often apply it into learning theirforeign language anytime According to the above figure, it can be seen that thenumber of students regularly studying English on technology devices accounts forless than half of the 150 students surveyed with 40% The majority of studentsoccasionally use technology in their studying English with 58% Besides, 2% ofstudents do not use technology devices for studying Since then, we can see that theapplication of information technology in English learning for English majors has

not yet been thoroughly and effectively implemented Therefore, this studyconducted with a survey questionnaire aims not only at researching how somestudents have applied information technology into their learning foreign languages but also finding out about the reasons why the learners are hindered from usingthese applications.

b How English major students use information technology in their learning process.

According to my observations and understanding, the author dividesinformation technology applications into 2 areas

Firstly, information technology applications belong to hardware These areproducts of technology, tangible tools that people can hold to use They aresmartphones, computers, laptops, i-pads, projectors, mice, keyboards, headsets,smart watches, microphones, etc They are all considered as products of informationtechnology and are commonly used in society

The second is the information technology applications belonging to software.Today's human life is considered as a digital life because technology is developingstrongly and plays an important and indispensable role in human life Someprominent applications in the field of software can be mentioned as MicrosoftOffice software, Internet, Social networks, websites, etc These are invisible buteffective for people In all fields, the software application of information technologyhas brought remarkable efficiency and of course, learning English is no exception

A number of survey questions are given to the second and third year English majorstudents to show how they apply information technology to improve their Englishskills

In term of the purpose of students’ internet using, the author provides studentswith different options to choose The Internet is one of the peak applications ofinformation technology today Thanks to the Internet, people can do many thingsthat could not have been done before Among the options, the researcher hasmentioned three main groups of purposes of using the Internet and the results asshown in the figure below: