Using technology in the EFL classroom an investigation into non english major classes at an giang university

In an English language classroom, the effectiveness of using technology in teaching and learning seems to be undeniable.. However, in reality the effectiveness of using technology in tea

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY - HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE

USING TECHNOLOGY IN THE EFL CLASSROOM –

AN INVESTIGATION INTO NON-ENGLISH-MAJOR

CLASSES AT AN GIANG UNIVERSITY

Submitted to the Department of English Linguistics and Literature

in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I hereby certify this thesis entitled "USING TECHNOLOGY IN THE

EFL CLASSROOM - AN INVESTIGATION INTO ENGLISH-MAJOR CLASSES AT AN GIANG UNIVERSITY" and

NON-submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of TESOL is the result of my own work, except as cited in the

references In terms of the statement of Requirements for Thesis in Master’ Program issued by the Higher Degree Committee, this thesis has not previously been submitted for a higher degree to any other university

or institution

Ho Chi Minh City,

Vo Thi Kim Hoang

RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS

I hereby state that I, Vo Thi Kim Hoang, being the candidate for the degree of Master of TESOL, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library

In terms of these conventions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Library for care, loan or reproduction of the thesis

Ho Chi Minh City,

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would first like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Dr

HO THANH MY PHUONG for her valuable guidance and kind support for my study I appreciate her enthusiasm and patience in reading, revising and giving comments on this thesis Without her encouragement and assistance during the study, this research could not have been completed

In addition, I am thankful to the teachers of English at Department of Foreign Languages and students at An Giang University who assisted in data collection I would also like to offer my sincere thanks the administrators of the university who gave me favorable conditions in order to carry out this study

Also, I would like to express my special thanks to all the instructors who have been taught TESOL 08 class for their enthusiastic teaching and to

my classmates of TESOL 2008 class for constant assistance and invaluable support while I was studying at University of Social Sciences and Humanities

My sincere thanks go to Mr Ken Phillips, an Australian volunteer at AGU for his kind help in reading and revising the study Also, I would like to give my special thanks to my board of directors and staffs at Resource Center for Community Development for their willingness to help me share the current work so that I had more time to do this research

Last but not least, I am especially grateful to my beloved family who always encourage and support me during this study I owned all the

members in my family for their patience, encouragement and support Without their helps, I would not have finished my study and doing this study

ABSTRACT

Technology has been used in many fields, including teaching and learning and it also brings some significant benefits In an English language classroom, the effectiveness of using technology in teaching and learning seems to be undeniable However, in reality the effectiveness of using technology in teaching and learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at AGU is not as high as it is expected For this reason, this study was carried out with the hope that it can help teachers and learners recognize the reality of using technology in teaching EFL at AGU with some problems as well as identify the teachers’ attitudes towards using the computer technology resources in EFL classrooms Hopefully, the results of this study will suggest some suitable ways to overcome these difficulties in order to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning English

The participants consisted of 14 teachers of English and 353 first-year English non-major students (120 males and 233 females) The mainly aim

of the study was to investigate the reality of using technology as well as find out the benefits and difficulties of using technology in teaching and learning English to these students at AGU To collect the data, three main tools were used These instruments included the questionnaires for teachers and students, the classroom observations, and some informal interviews with teachers Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were applied to analyze the data SPSS Version 16.0 was used to analyze the data collected via the questionnaire, except for the open-ended response items Then, the findings were put in Excel to draw charts so that the results were more easily interpreted

The result of the study showed that technology were widely used in teaching and learning English In general, the teachers and students had positive attitudes and eagerly applied this new tool into their works Besides some benefits they had from technology, they also faced with some disadvantages which included lack of facilities, lack of time to prepare the materials and use, lack of knowledge and skills, technical problems, and so on

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page Statement of authorship i

Retention and use of the thesis ii

Acknowledgements …iii

Abstract ….v

Table of contents ….vii

List of tables xi

List of firgures ….xii

List of abbreviations xiii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the study 1

1.2 Purpose of the study 3

1.3 Research questions 4

1.4 Significance of the study 4

1.5 Methodology 5

1.6 Limitations 5

1.7 Delimitations 6

1.8 Organization of the study 6

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 8

2.1 Definitions 8

2.2 Types of technology in the classroom 9

2.2.1 Computer 10

2.2.2 Internet 11

2.2.3 Microphones 12

2.2.4 Overhead projectors 13

2.2.5 Digital camera 13

2.2.6 Cassette player and CD player 14

2.2.7 Videos 15

2.2.8 Interactive Whiteboards 16

2.2.9 Computer Software 16

2.2.10 Television 17

2.3 Benefits of using technology in teaching and learning English 18

2.4 Disadvantages of using technology in classrooms 22

2.5 Conclusion 25

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 26

3.1 Research questions 26

3.2 Research design 27

3.2.1 Research population 27

3.2.2 Sample 28

3.3 Description of the data collection instruments 28

3.3.1 The questionnaires 29

3.3.1.1 The questionnaire for teachers 29

3.3.1.2 The questionnaire for students 31

3.3.2 The classroom observation 32

3.3.3 The interviews 33

3.4 Data collection procedure 33

3.5 Data analysis 35

3.6 Reliability and validity 36

3.7 Conclusion 37

CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 38

4.1 Results of questionnaires 38

4.1.1 Results of the students' questionnaire .38

4.1.1.1 Students' evaluation of English subject 38

4.1.1.2 Types of technology used in class 39

4.1.1.3 The frequency of using technology in class 39

4.1.1.4 Students' evaluation of teacher's using

technology in class 40

4.1.1.5 Technology used to develop skills 41

4.1.1.6 Activities in which teachers used technology 42

4.1.1.7 Purposes of using technology 42

4.1.1.8 Benefits of using technology 44

4.1.1.9 Difficulties of using technology in class 45

4.1.1.10 Students' opinions in improving the effectiveness of using technology in teaching 46

4.1.2 Results from the teachers' questionnaire 47

4.1.2.1 Types of technology used in class 47

4.1.2.2 The frequency of using technology in class 48

4.1.2.3 Stages that teachers use technology in class 48

4.1.2.4 Activities in which teachers used technology 49

4.1.2.5 Purposes of using technology 50

4.1.2.6 Benefits of using technology 51

4.1.2.7 Difficulties of using technology in class 52

4.2 Results of classroom observations 53

4 3 Results of interviews 54

4.4 Discussion 56

4.4.1 The reality of using technology in teaching English at AGU 56

4.4.2 The benefits of using technology in teaching English at AGU 57

4.4.3 The difficulties of using technology in teaching English at AGU 58

4.5 Conclusion 61

CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 62

5.1 Conclusions 62

5.2 Implications of the study 63

5.3 Recommendations 64

5.3.1 Recommendations for the administrators 65

5.3.2 Recommendations for the teachers 67

5.3.3 Recommendations for the students 69

5.4 Suggestions for further research 69

5.5 Chapter summary 70

REFERENCES 72

APPENDICE 85

APPENDIX A QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS 85

APPENDIX B QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (English version) ……91

APPENDIX C QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (Vietnamese version) 97

APPENDIX D TEACHERS’ INTERVIEW QUESTION 103

APPENDIX E CLASSROOM OBSERVATION SHEET 104

LIST OF TABLES

Pages

Table 4.1 Students' evaluation of English subject 38

Table 4.2 Technology used to develop skills 41

Table 4.3 Teachers' purposes of using technology 42

Table 4.4 Stages that teachers use technology in class 48

LIST OF FIGURES

Pages

Chart 4.1 Types of technology used in class 39

Chart 4.2 The frequency of using technology 40

Chart 4.3 Students' evaluation of teacher's using technology in class 40

Chart 4.4 Activities in which teacher used technology 42

Chart 4.5 Benefits of using technology 44

Chart 4.6 Difficulties of using technology in class 45

Chart 4.7 Students' opinions in improving the effectiveness of using technology 46

Chart 4.8 Types of technology used in class 47

Chart 4.9 The frequency of using technology 48

Chart 4.10 Activities used with technology 49

Chart 4.11 Purposes of using technology 50

Chart 4.12 Benefits of using technology 51

Chart 4.13 Difficulties of using technology 52

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AGU An Giang University

EFL English as a Foreign Language

ICT Information and Communication Technology

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study

Nowadays English plays such a crucial role in daily life, especially

in this time of strong international integration and globalization According to the Summer Institute of Linguistics’ 16th edition of the World Ethnologies published in 2009, English is among the most popular languages used by people in 112 countries There are about 328 million people with English as their first language and about 600 million people have it as a second or third language English is now regarded as a tool for being able to use computers and get information on the Internet as well

English has been used in different contexts and is the language of science, globalization, commerce, trade, politics, history, education, media and technology (Al-Nafisah, 2001) It has gradually become a major means of communication all over the world (Tsai, 2006) Moreover, the role of English seems to be increasingly important and it is shortening the distance between people with the assistance of the rapid development of science and technology today

In Vietnam, a trend of teaching and learning English as a foreign language has been occurring for a long time and the number of people learning English as a foreign language continually increases People clearly recognize that the ability to use English brings a lot of advantages Therefore, more and more people want to learn English than ever before

in order to reach that goal This fact also challenges the teachers and trainers of English at high school and university Teaching English now

does not simply mean that students “know” the language as in the traditional way in which the teachers supply them with the form, the meaning and the use of the target language, but how to use English in real life is the considerable problem

In addition, in this era of information and technology explosion, learning English is a must which not only helps the students know how to communicate well but also know how to access, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize the vast quantities of information from the computers and Internet in order to solve complex problems Therefore, teaching is now becoming a more difficult job in which the teachers’ role and responsibility is becoming more and more crucial as they are expected to lead the change of strategies, approaches, and tools in language teaching and learning They have to replace their obsolete method with the new one – the student-centered approach, where teachers should not teach everything to the students by using their own tools, strategies and approaches in order to guide them the way to study by themselves One of the methods the teachers can apply to improve the effectiveness of English teaching and learning is using technology which has been proven

to make a significant contribution to language teaching and learning process in recent years

Technology – the product of today has shown its benefits in providing students with a strong motivation for learning the language which is considered as “a key role in the success of language learners” (Gardner & Lambert, 1972) Students’ motivation is vital if the teacher is

to help them learn According to Atkinson (1992), “it can bring the sounds, words, and images of the foreign language, embedded in their culture, into the classroom” Also, it can provide students with opportunities to have access to authentic materials and information

“which helps develop students’ communicative, literacy, and critical thinking skills” (Kelm, 1992; Kern, 1995 and Singhal, 1998) Thanks to this kind of new technology, learners can manage their own learning based on what they have learned and their own choices This leads students to greater autonomy and a more student-centered language classroom The goal of changing methods in teaching and learning therefore seems to be successful

Recognizing the importance of using technology in teaching and learning EFL, most teachers of English, and students at An Giang University (AGU), have recently applied it in their activities The effectiveness of teaching and learning has also been improved but it is not

as high as expected It seems that most students still can not use English naturally and proficiently although they had studied it for at least seven years at high school This reality really puzzles all the teachers of English and also this researcher Therefore, this study is carried out to find possible answers for this problem in order to lessen the difficulties and make the teaching and learning of EFL more effective

1.2 Purpose of the study

This study aims at (1) investigating the reality of using technology in teaching and learning English for first-year non-major students at AGU; (2) exploring the effectiveness of using technology as well as its disadvantages in English language classrooms for first-year non-major students at AGU and (3) suggesting some ways to improve the effectiveness of using technology in teaching and learning English for first-year non-major students in particular and for all students at AGU in general

3 What recommendations can be provided to improve the effectiveness of using technology in teaching and learning English in particular and in the teaching and learning process in general for students

at AGU?

1.4 Significance of the study

Technology has been used in many fields, including teaching and learning and it also brings some significant benefits In an English language classroom, the effectiveness of using technology such as computer, Internet and web-based resources in teaching and learning seems to be undeniable In the language classrooms, teachers’ use of vast resources and opportunities from technology makes lessons more colorful and understandable However, in the reality of teaching and learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at AGU, teachers and students of English have found it difficult to put it into practice frequently because the reality seems to be quite different from what they have expected For this reason, the researcher would like to carry out this study in the hope that it can help teachers and learners recognize the reality of using technology in teaching EFL at AGU with some problems as well as

identify the teachers’ attitudes towards using the computer technology resources in EFL classrooms Hopefully, the results of this study will suggest some suitable ways to overcome these difficulties in order to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning English

1.5 Methodology

This study will employ both qualitative and quantitative research methods The participants of the study came from two groups Group 1 consisted of 14 teachers in the Department of Foreign Languages at An Giang University who are in charge of teaching English as a general subject for non-major students Group 2 involved about 353 first-year English non-major students They were students from 6 different departments at AGU and have already learnt English at high school

The data of the study were collected from three main sources They are questionnaires for both teachers and students, classroom observations, and some informal interviews with teachers after class

in using technology, its findings can not generalize accurately the

difficulties of the whole students at AGU as well as the students’ in An Giang province or the Vietnamese students’

Third, in order to motivate students and to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning English, many different aspects can

be taken into careful consideration including the content of the materials, the students’ background and attitudes, the teacher’s pedagogical methodology However, due to scope of this study, the researcher only focused on the technology, a new approach applied in teaching in recent years

Actually, because the researcher herself is not a native speaker so that sometimes the way she expressed the ideas is really not native-like due to affected by her mother tongue Moreover, the researcher’s experience in doing research is not much; therefore, making mistakes is unavoidable problem for her especially in the use of linguistic or methodological terms

1.7 Delimitations

This study is deliminated to the non-majored students at AGU including first-year ones who have learnt English at least seven years at high school

The study is also deliminated to teachers of the English Department at AGU who have experience in teaching English to non-major students

1.8 Organization of the study

The study consists of five chapters:

Chapter one, the introduction, mainly introduces the background of the study, the purpose of the study, the research questions, the significance of the study, the limitations, the delimitations and the organization of the study

Chapter two, the literature review, provides the theoretical background to the study beginning with some common types of technology which can be used in the English language classrooms Also, the advantages and disadvantages of using technology in teaching and learning English are introduced in this chapter Finally, the notions of using technology in teaching and learning English in order to motivate students are examined by many researchers as well as teachers’ attitudes towards computer technology use in instruction and factors affecting their attitudes are presented in the last section of this chapter

Chapter three, the methodology, describes research questions, the research design, the data collection including the instruments and the procedure of the data collection, data analysis and reliability and validity

Chapter four, the research findings and discussion, presents the analyzed data, the findings of the study based on the statistic tables and graphs and discussion the findings

Chapter five, the conclusions and recommendations, mentions some implications and recommendations for administrators, teachers and students of using technology effectively in teaching and learning English and suggestions for further research Finally, the conclusions of the study are also given at the end of the chapter

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, some theoretical backgrounds of the study are reviewed The definitions of “technology” are presented in the first section Next, some types of technology used in classroom are mentioned

in section 2.2 Also, the advantages and benefits of using technology in teaching and learning are reviewed from the literature and are presented

in section 2.3 In addition, the disadvantaged or barriers of using technology, according to researchers and authors, are also stated in the next section

2.1 Definitions

In recent years, with the strong development of science, technology has been used in many different fields Education is among one of them Recently, technology has been widely used in teaching and it has also showed the effectiveness, especially in teaching foreign languages To many people, technology has made great changes in the classroom and it also plays such an important role in the teaching process There are a lot

of definitions offered by scholars and dictionaries

According to Franklin (1989) it is “practice, the way we do things around here” In this definition, the author wants to imply “a specific field

of technology or to refer to high technology or just consumer electronics rather than technology as a whole” Another idea assumes that it is “a body of knowledge devoted to creating tools, processing actions and extracting of materials” (Yiga, 2013) In this author’s view, technology can be seen as “products, processes or organizations that people use to extend their abilities and to accomplish various tasks in their daily lives”

According to the business dictionary, technology is defined as “the purposeful application of information in the design, production, and utilization of goods and services, and in the organization of human activities” Besides, it is “the application of practical sciences to industry

or commerce” (Collins English Dictionary, 2003) More clearly, that is

“the use of scientific knowledge to solve practical problems, especially in industry and commerce” (The American Heritage, 2005) Another

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/technology points out that technology is “the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science”

In summary, although this term is rather wide and “everyone has their own way of understanding the meaning of technology” (Yiga, 2013), the most general definition of technology can be seen is the application of science or knowledge which may involve tools, materials and systems to solve a problem This is also the definition of technology used in this study

2.2 Types of technology in the classroom

That applying in teaching and learning has offered a lot of advantages is undeniable According to Bruce & Levin (1997), applying technology in class can “support integrated, inquiry-based learning to engage learners in exploring, thinking, reading, writing, researching, inventing, problem-solving, and experiencing the world” It allows the teachers to diversify their lectures, display more information, and enhance students’ learning It not only offers learners the “opportunity to

control their own learning process in ways not previously possible” (Crystal, 2001), but also provides them with “ready access to a vast amount of information over which the teacher has no power or control” (Lam & Lawrence, 2002)

However, when talking about "technology", most people just think

of computers This is not true because there are still many other different types of technology which teachers can use to support and enhance learning According to Becker (1994), “different types of technology provide different kinds of content and serve different purposes in the classroom” Therefore, it is important for teachers to recognize the difference and importance of each type of technology in order to apply them in the teaching process to save time and energy and attract more students’ attention to the content of the lesson The following parts present some kinds technology that teachers have used in classrooms in general and in AGU in particular

According to Cannon & Newble (2000), Keeli Cambourne (2010), and Jasper (2012), there are various types of technology used in class which may include computers, cameras, internet, interactive whiteboard, microphone, cassette or CD player, television, LCD projectors and so on

2.2.1 Computer

In recent years, along with the impact of the Internet worldwide, the extensive use of computers at schools has had a critical influence on educational environments It “has grown more diversified as educators recognize the potential of learning with technology as a means for enhancing students' reasoning and problem-solving abilities” (Murphy et

al, 2001) Nowadays, with the awareness of "learner-centered" spirit,

students become more active and the traditional direct teaching method seems to be unsuitable for them any more As a result, in order to have successful lessons, teachers should be more creative in teaching so that they can attract their students' attention into the lessons Having a computer in the classroom in these situations is a useful tool to any teachers because it can increase the variety and diversity of learning opportunities (Pennington, 1996) and it can “serve as a resource to help develop higher order thinking, creativity and research skills” (Reeves, 1998; Ringstaff & Kelley, 2002) With that computer, teachers can carry out many activities easily and they are able to demonstrate a new lesson, present new materials, illustrate how to use new programs, and show new websites In addition, teachers can use computer to assign work to students and to illustrate visual related subjects which help students to learn easily

2.2.2 Internet

Internet is another way to support the content of the lesson or to display specific publications available on the World Wide Web According to Shetzer & Warschauer (2000), it is a “powerful tool for finding information from educational organizations, governmental organizations, business companies and individuals across the world” More and more educators realize its benefits in teaching and learning a second language In language classrooms, it plays some important roles First, it is a good means of communication between the teacher and the students where teachers may display information from other sources or even create their own web pages Some teachers create online forums which allow students to discuss the course content or raise questions freely whenever they like Second, it can be a channel for the dissemination where teachers put their materials and class information

on-line (Meagher, 1995) This is the place where teachers can “display student's work, post homework assignments, student work, quizzes,

lecture notes, famous quotes, educational games, and so much more”

(Garrison & Anderson, 2003) In addition, it can provide students a large number of language resources and websites where they can make reference or practice skills to enhance their learning (Daugherty & Funke, 1998; Gonglewski, Meloni & Brant, 2001; Moore, 1996; Pennington, 1996; Ryder & Graves, 1997; Singhal, 1997; Warschauer, 2000) For example, they can use “online newspapers and magazines to enhance reading skills” (Schcolnik & Heymans, 1997) or they can “collect, synthesize and present information” (Opp-Beckman, 1997) to do assignments or research However, specific web site addresses should be saved in advance so that it does not take teachers so much time to search them in class

2.2.3 Microphones

Today, microphones become popular and are widely used in many university classrooms In big and crowded classrooms, many students cannot fully understand what the teachers are saying because they cannot hear them Microphones are really useful in these situations because they make the teacher audible to all the students in the classroom When they can hear the teacher clearly, they can learn better because “a clear and audible voice can grab the attention of the students that results in better learning” (Greeta, 2011) Another advantage is that the teachers no longer lose their voices at the end of the day because they can avoid straining the voice thanks to using the microphones Today, microphone technology has increased to become wireless and allow the instructors to move easily while delivering the lecture Further, students can raise the question at their own desk without having to shout

2.2.4 Overhead projectors

One of the types of technology which has widely applied in the classroom is the overhead projector - a visual aid to display information for students and the basic way to engage the students with technology in the classroom According to Greeta (2011), this is the type of technology used in psychology, biology, chemistry, engineering, and many more fields This remarkable tool is easy to use and can be easily incorporated into the classroom by being hooked up to the teacher's computer and projects the screen from the computer to the white board in the front of the room This enables students to see a larger version of what is on the laptop screen and this means that even students at the back of the classroom have a clear view With a projector, teachers can do many activities They can show students “many documentaries, short study films, or display the contents of the lessons using PowerPoint presentations” which contain meaningful and colorful transparencies that attract the attention of the students immediately (Greeta, 2011) Besides, they can play educational movies or ask students to play games which

“provide quite extensive language practice opportunities for both general and specific language skills” (Carrier, 1980)

2.2.5 Digital camera

Digital cameras are becoming more and more popular, especially for classroom use (Miller, 2003) According to Rubenstein (2004), these are tools that are “easy to use and convenient to empower both students and teachers” Also, using a digital camera can help students become more involved with the subject and develop their competency (Stamatis, 2010) In addition, teachers can take advantage of the new technology and integrate photography into their daily teaching Rubenstein (2004)

said that teachers can use camera “to enhance lessons, for student assignments, for collaborative projects, to enhance their class Web pages,

to display student work, to assist in teaching world languages, to encourage effort through immediate recognition of achievement, and to record student progress” This is really an effective method which has contributed to greater integration of technology into the curriculum to improve communication and motivation Because of their instant feedbacks, they are a lot of fun (Stamatis, 2010) According to Rubenstein (2004), teachers and students can “readily produce and use digital images with ease in any learning area” as well as “view their pictures immediately and erase those they don't want” Furthermore, Miller (2003) agreed that it is much more convenient to save pictures onto a disk and transferred to a computer right away Moreover, pictures can be easily “viewed on a screen or Smart Board, or emailed as attachments” as well as “printed out onto photographic paper or copy paper” Miller (2003)

2.2.6 Cassette player and CD player

The non-computer-based technology that teachers usually choose

as a necessity for the classroom would be a CD or cassette player Although cassette player has not been as popular as it was before, it is still important and a reliable learning tool in the classroom Many schools still use these types of technology in the classroom because they are easy

to use and quite cheap in teaching listening process it can still be useful and beneficial for learning English in some ways such as listening to stories or reading along Some students learn better if they listen while reading; thus, they can remember the content of the lessons better Cashman & Shelly (2000) find that when students’ five senses are involved to the lessons, they learn more effectively By integrating audio

tapes into the lessons, they can provide students with helpful auditory stimuli and make it easier for them to both learn and retain the information they are teaching However, cassettes player has some more advantages than CD player Cassettes tapes are not as fragile as compact discs Teachers do not have to worry about audio cassettes tapes getting scratched and skipped Moreover, cassettes are much more durable because even if the tape inside them unwinds, teachers can just wind it back and more than likely it’s still going to give them the same performance Also, it seems that tapes have more quality When the power goes out, teachers do not have to start all over again on the tape but just push play button when the power comes back on and it is right where they left off

2.2.7 Videos

Another commonly used resource is Video - a good way of reinforcing the course material being taught (Deckert, 2004) This is a form of multimedia that conveys information through two simultaneous sensory channels: aural and visual Wood (1995) notes that video can be used “to promote awareness of the interrelationship between modes (picture, movement, sound)” Besides, it often “uses multiple presentation modes, such as verbal and pictorial representations in the case of on-screen print and closed-captioning” (Mayer, 2001) This multiplicity means that video communicates the same information to students through simultaneous learning modalities and can provide students with “multiple entry points” (Gardner, 2006) into the content Also, it is a valuable and possibly underused classroom tool which can enhance the learning experience for students Using video, teachers can add a whole new dimension to aural practice in the classroom The settings, actions, emotions, gestures and so on that our students can observe in a video clip

provide an important visual stimulus for language production and practice There is always the temptation to simply put a video on at the end of term and let our students watch a film without even challenging them to be actively involved

2.2.8 Interactive Whiteboards

Interactive white board, such as SMART Board, is one of the most basic types of technology in schools that makes education an interactive process An interactive whiteboard, which provides touch control of computer applications, is an easy to use device that is used in combination with computer and a projector This board allows the teacher

to project an image or to run programs directly from a laptop to the front

of the room (Alexis, 2010) This author also said that Smart Boards can encourage interactive learning among participants in a classroom or an office setting because everyone in the room can use the board simultaneously Also, Klemann (2011) agreed that using this kind of technology could improve students’ motivation Students can draw, write,

or manipulate images on the interactive whiteboard Movable objects, sounds, and pictures can make the lessons as well as teaching interesting and easy to understand Also, smart boards can store lessons and digitally enhance plain templates into customized learning tools Hundreds of applications are possible with this technology, and students are benefiting immensely from it

2.2.9 Computer Software

With the help of Internet technology and special educational softwares and programs, students can practice skills, review materials and test specific skills These softwares are extremely user-friendly and

promote better learning process According to Becker, Ravitz & Wong (1999), these software applications “are also among the most widely available applications of educational technology in schools today” They may include MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, Macromedia Flash, Lecture Maker, FrontPage, Violet, Adobe Photoshop 7.1, Flash 5.0 and Movie maker (Lê Công Triêm & Nguyễn ðức Vũ, 2006)

One of the softwares which are used regularly in class is the processing program It can help students encourage communication and writing skills by “developing their skills in drafting and editing written work” (Flowerdew & Lam, 1997) as well as “typing and publishing papers” (Schacter, 1999)

word-However, the most frequent used software is MS PowerPoint because of its simple and easy use (Nguyễn Thị Thanh & Nguyễn Thị Ánh Dương, 2008) Mason & Hlynka (1998) said that teachers can use this active display software to make lesson plans and “structure the content and processing of a lesson or lecture” It also allows teachers organize their thoughts and present their information in an orderly and attractive manner Furthermore, teachers can use sounds, images, different types of letters and colors to help their students to visualize the contents in a better and more efficient way

2.2.10 Television

One of the suitable ways to educate students across all skills in the classroom is using Television Although many people have still thought that the learners do not learn much except just watch TV because of their focusing on attractive, fascinating images and scenes However, television can be used in many ways to add that all-important element of

depth to the class First, students can entertain with special programs like Culture and Animal planet and update the current news from the News bulletin This program can provide a fun alternative to regular classroom activities Besides, teachers can help students improve their Listening Skills through ỘLearning EnglishỢ Programs because these programs can provide students with realistic conversation and dialogues which aid listening skills by offering a diverse range of accents for the students to hear Another advantage is that the majority of TV programs use relatively simple language; otherwise they provide the viewers with a clear explanation

2.3 Benefits of using technology in teaching and learning English

The utilization of technology in classrooms has increased rapidly (Eugene, 2006; Puma, Chaplin & Pape, 2000) and the impact of integrating technology into English language classes has been thoroughly investigated by a number of researchers in different settings and contexts (Wong, 2004; Miner, 2004; Brodskaya & Thiele, 2004; Timucin 2006; Eugene, 2006; Hixon, 2008) Most of those studies shared a common finding that is related to the effectiveness of the use of technology in education and some innovative changes in the form of technology-applications which were introduced to assist the process of teaching and learning (Wong, 2004; Prapinwong & Puthikanon, 2008)

Firstly, teachers can use technology to make their lessons more effective and efficient Technology allows the teachers to present materials in various ways, and different colors, typefaces and font sizes

by using pictures, moving videos, and written text with or without sound simultaneously These effects help teachers transfer the content of the

lesson vividly and interestingly (Nguyễn đình Lân, 2006) as well as draw

students’ attention and create interest among them (Danh Văn, 2005) In addition, the classrooms’ atmosphere become livelier and exciting when teachers combine texts, sounds, videos, images, pictures, and animations into the lessons Therefore, students can understand the lesson clearly and remember it longer

Besides, using technology could save teachers’ time and energy In traditional teaching way with board and chalks, it would take a teacher too much time to present lots of information on the board while explaining Teachers also took a certain sum of time to hang pictures, maps, graphs to clarify the lesson However, with technology, teachers can get all the information prepared in advance on the screen by taking just a few clicks and they can “quickly format a slide show using one of the professional presentation design templates” (Cashman & Shelly, 2000) In addition, they could reuse those materials many times by updating and adapting the activities for their students and the lesson contents to meet students’ needs and levels This ease of use could save much energy and time for the teacher

Mobility is another advantage of using technology Using technology can help teachers to walk around the classrooms instead of staying around their desks and therefore, they can manage the class rather well Thus, the physical distance between the teacher and the students is narrowed and the students were facilitated to focus on the classes and to learn English intentionally

Motivation is the next characteristic that can be found when teachers use technology in teaching Teachers could use ostentatious functions of the technology such as puzzle games, movie clips, chants, songs, and projects to catch students’ attention and encourage them to

participate in the classrooms in order to increase their interests and motivation

Moreover, the use of technology redistributes teacher and classmate attentions so that less able students can become more active participants in class Therefore, in this process, the traditional roles of language teachers and learners has significantly changed are shifted from teacher-centred to learner-centred (Lam & Lawrence, 2002) According

to Brown (1991), in this technology-enhanced learning environment, learners are expected to be “active participants rather than passive recipients” since they control and manage their own learning process by gathering information and negotiating meaning themselves They

“possess the right and power to make their decisions and became responsible for their work more independently (Crookes & Lehner, 1998) On the other hand, Jeong (2006) emphasizes that the role of teachers in the new era of technology is more crucial than ever before because teachers are able to motivate students and “create language learning environments which are non-threatening, meaningful and affectively supportive by using technology” Bancheri (2006) also asserts that they “not only transmit new knowledge, but give students tools to acquire knowledge and recognize the value of what they see in books and software as well as on the Internet” They became a “facilitator, a resource person and a counselor rather than the only authority and decision-maker” (Landow, 2006)

One of the most important benefits that teachers found is that technology has offered them a prosperous and valuable source of authentic materials which support them in composing the lessons Symonds (2000) stated that technology can be a crucial tool to improve students’ learning Teachers can also integrate authentic materials on

numerous Websites into language lessons Moreover, they can exploit books, audiotapes, video tapes, television programs and computer to support their language teaching or they can use Internet to generate lesson plans, worksheets, handouts, and other educational materials People can access language materials and resources on the Internet without time restrictions at home, offices and schools If these materials are well-planned, designed and utilized, it can positively affect students’ learning and can be a source that helps the students to learn independently to build their own knowledge and learning experiences

e-Moreover, technology such as computer network has been seen as

a useful tool for communication “Advances in computer technology have created remarkable new ways to connect language learners” The Internet which can be considered as an ideal learning and teaching tool also provides authentic communication with other speakers who have different social and cultural backgrounds (Gonglewski, Meloni, & Brant, 2001; Singhal, 1997) “They can communicate and interact with other people all over the world in the target language Asynchronous and synchronous communications enable language learners can communicate rapidly and inexpensively with other language learners or speakers of the target language around the world” (Warschauer & Healy, 1998)

Last but not least, technology could develop students’ language skills as well as cross-cultural understanding: the invaluable sources on the Internet which contain important cultural aspects of the target language can facilitate the improvement of students’ language skills such

as listening, speaking, reading and writing Warschauer (1997) explored teachers and students can use email to support writing class He found that using emails enables teacher to provide students with detailed and rapid feedback on the immediate problems and questions they had

Moreover, the Internet provides authentic communication with other speakers who have different social and cultural backgrounds (Gonglewski, Meloni, & Brant, 2001; Singhal, 1997) They can communicate and interact with other people all over the world in the target language by exchanging emails, a great way to share information and foreign cultures with native speakers around the world Through those activities, students who have limited linguistic skills in EFL contexts can explore ideas and express themselves at their own pace in the target language; thus develop their reading and writing skills Besides, students can make the use of electronic newspapers which are easily accessible and almost free to enhance reading skills and also experience foreign cultures indirectly in such an environment Students can practise listening and speaking skills through some educational softwares and programs on the Internet or they can use voice chat as well

2.4 Disadvantages of using technology in classrooms

Although the usefulness of technology in the classroom have been recognized, there are still a number of disadvantages that need to be taken into consideration (Atkins & Vasu, 2000; Lam, 2000; Jung, 2001; Kim, 2002; Suh, 2004; Lee & Son, 2006; Shin & Son, 2007) That teachers’ actual implementation of technology was limited, frequently delayed, avoided or withdrawn are strongly related to both external barriers, and internal barriers as follow

First and foremost, lack of facilities in schools is a problem that prevents teachers from using technology actively in the classroom (Shin

& Son, 2007) A report on American public teachers’ use of technology (Smerdon et al., 2000) also reveals that “insufficient numbers of computers is one of great barriers to their use of technology for

instruction” The facilities which are out-of-date and not in good condition could not support the teachers’ use of technology and even discourage them from using technology In addition, lack of financial or technical support (Lam, 2000; Shin & Son, 2007; Smerdon et al., 2000; Toprakci, 2002) may lead to failure use of technology This means that teachers need better technical support and more advanced facilities to use technology effectively for teaching purposes

Next, lack of time is one of the most common barriers that influence teachers’ use of technology in the classroom (Ely, 1990; Dupagne & Krendl, 1992; Lam, 2000; Smerdon et al., 2000) According

to Dupagne & Krendl (1992) and Ely (1990), searching for appropriate materials and resources on-line can be sometimes time-consuming and frustrating because many people find it difficult to read papers on a computer screen In addition, it takes teachers a lot of time to adjust, modify, edit and combine the resources and use them together with textbooks to meet the students’ levels and needs This process really needs more time and efforts from teachers

Other barriers that prevent teachers from integrating technology into their classrooms were lack of confidence as well as lack of computer skills and sufficient knowledge (Ely, 1990; Dupagne & Krendl, 1992; Morton, 1996; Lam, 2000; Smerdon et al., 2000; Kim, 2002) Because of their lack of computer knowledge and skills, it takes them much more time for preparing teaching materials and resources Also, it makes them uncomfortable and unconfident in front of a class which “can hinder teachers’ use of technology in the classroom” (Lam, 2000) Rakes & Casey (2000) also stated that teachers must be “comfortable with technology and have positive attitudes toward technology integration to improve students’ achievement” Liu, Theodore & Lavelle (2004) insist

that teachers’ personal comfort with technology is essential for the successful technology integration Similarly, Atkins & Vasu (2000) regard teachers as one of the most important factors influencing technology use and argue that teachers’ attitudes or concerns have a significant impact on the integration of technology into the classroom In order to use technology effectively; therefore, teachers need to become familiar with Web technology and have technical competence (Cunningham, 2000) Egbert, Paulus & Nakamichi (2002) discovered that teachers who had “previous experience with technology use were more likely to use it in the classroom” They are “more comfortable using and have positive attitudes towards computer technology resources, while those with computer anxiety tend to avoid using them” (Akbaba & Kurubacak, 1998) This idea is also agreed by Kim (2002) when she said that teachers who have basic computer competencies are more confident

in using computers and are more likely to integrate computers into their teaching than those who have not Thus, Shetzer & Warschauer (2000) put forward that teachers need to gain knowledge and develop skills to use the Internet effectively in order to maximize on-line teaching Also, Jones (2001) said that the way to convince teachers is to provide them with models, opportunities and training support These courses are really necessary for teachers because they could learn “not only how to use new technology but also how to provide meaningful instruction and activities using technology in the classroom.” (Ringstaff & Kelley, 2002)

Last but not least, other difficulties that limit the teachers’ use of technology in class are technical problems Technical difficulties such as outdated computer hardware and software, poor Internet access, limited capacities of school network also prevent teachers from using technology

in class Singhal (2006) said that sometimes “the nature of the Internet

itself may be a disadvantage when lines are busy due to excessive number of users” These technical troubles often consume most of valuable teaching time to access information (Shin & Son, 2007) Moreover, teaching with machines is sometimes interrupted because of some unexpected situations This happens when teachers are not familiar with using them and they do not have adequate technical know-how to fix the machine Thus, this would cause the class to be ineffective in a classroom where time is limited

2.5 Conclusion

There are many types of technology that teachers could use in classroom Teachers use technology to display information, create charts, monitor students, to engage students Also, using technology makes the class more interesting and increases students’ class participation Students look cheerful and are highly motivated to learn the English language with interest Beside some positive aspects, using technology for language teaching also reveals a few disadvantages These barriers mainly include lack of facilities, lack of time, lack of experience and knowledge, lack of administrative support as well as technical problems However, the advantages for using technology often outweigh the disadvantages and these problems can be overcome Some researchers believed that providing more resources, and time and training would solve the problems and encourage teachers to integrate technology more (Hoffman, 1997)

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes the way in which the study was conducted The first section reviews the research questions of the study The second presents the design of the research in which the participants of the study are described The data collection is in the next section including the questionnaires for both teachers and students, the classroom observations, the informal interviews between the researcher and the teachers after the class over The methodology is presented in the following section while data analysis and reliability and validity are mentioned in the last two sections

3.1 Research questions

The study investigate the use of technology in teaching and learning English at AGU, particularly in English non-majored classes and assessing how the technology used in classrooms affects the students’ motivation as well as the teachers’ attitudes towards the use of technology in the teaching and learning English process To achieve the purpose of this study, the following research questions were used:

1 What is the reality of using technology in teaching and learning English for first-year non-majored students at AGU?

2 What are the benefits and difficulties of using technology in teaching and learning English for first-year non-majored students at AGU?

3 What recommendations can be provided to improve the effectiveness of using technology in teaching and learning English in