A STUDY ON PEER RESPONSE VIA GOOGLE CLASSROOM ON AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION COURSE AT SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES – THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERISITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LAGUAGES TO THI BICH THUY A STUDY ON PEER RESPONSE VIA GOOGLE CLASSROOM ON AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION COURSE AT SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES – THAI

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERISITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LAGUAGES

TO THI BICH THUY

A STUDY ON PEER RESPONSE VIA GOOGLE CLASSROOM

ON AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION COURSE AT SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES – THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

(Nghiên cứu phản hồi của bạn học thông qua Google Classroom

trong giảng dạy môn Biên dịch tiếng Anh tại Khoa Ngoại ngữ - Đại học Thái Nguyên)

M.A THESIS

Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201

THAI NGUYEN – 2020

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

TO THI BICH THUY

A STUDY ON PEER RESPONSE VIA GOOGLE CLASSROOM

ON AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION COURSE AT SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES – THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

(Nghiên cứu phản hồi của bạn học thông qua Google Classroom

trong giảng dạy môn Biên dịch tiếng Anh tại Khoa Ngoại ngữ - Đại học Thái Nguyên)

M.A THESIS (APPLICATION ORIENTATION)

Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201

THAI NGUYEN – 2020

Approved by Supervisor

Dr Vu Kieu Hanh

i

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that no part of the enclosed Master Thesis has been copied

or reproduced by me from any other‟s work without acknowledgement and that the thesis is originally written by me under strict guidance of my supervisor

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Sincerest and profound gratitude and appreciation are extended to all the persons who in their own special ways have made this dissertation a reality The author is most grateful to:

Dr Vu Kieu Hanh, her adviser, for her dedication, enduring patience and concern, guidance, sincere hopes and encouragement for the researcher to finish the manuscript;

The Panel of Examiners, for their invaluable comments, suggestions and recommendations to enhance the manuscript of this study;

To the Learning Resource Center of Thai Nguyen University, for the valuable sources of books and references;

To the authors and researchers of books and unpublished graduate theses that served as reliable source of data and information presented in the study;

Special thanks to:

Dr Dang Thi Thanh Huong, the Vice Rector of School of Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University, for her patience and support;

The respondents of the study, for their active involvement Without their cooperation the result of this thesis may not be possible;

Her loving classmates and colleagues, for endless support and friendship which inspires the researcher to put in her best in finishing the study;

Her parents and sibling, for their encouragement, financial, moral and spiritual supports and for continuously believing that she can finish the task to the best of her abilities

To Thi Bich Thuy

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ABSTRACT

In teaching English, beside the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking), translating is often supposed to be one of the most necessary and difficult skills, for both the lecturers and the students have to face great challenges Traditional translation classes are boring and stressful, so finding ways to create a more dynamic, positive, and vibrant learning environment has always been one of the goals of translation teachers Based on previous studies that have shown certain benefits of peer response in the EFL translation and writing class, as well

as the benefits of technology in teaching, this study is intended for finding out the effects of applying Peer responses through Google Classroom in an English Translation Course at School of Foreign Languages - Thai Nguyen University 27 students of English Language Teaching undergraduate program participated in this study They were then given questionnaires to refine and provide information to the writer, from which, combined with data from classroom observations and assessment of student‟s translations drafts, the author obtained the results of the study The study shows that, thanks to the application of peer response via Google Classroom, not only the student‟s motivation, engagement and interaction have greatly increased, but also the student‟s translation skills have significantly improved This study is a valuable reference for researchers, teachers of translation courses and others interested in the field

Keywords: Peer response, Google Classroom, English Translation Course

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TABLE OF CONTENT

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

ABBREVIATIONS vi

LISTS OF TABLES vii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale of the study 1

1.2 Aims of the study 5

1.3 Objectives of the study 5

1.4 Research Questions 5

1.5 Scope and limitation 5

1.6 Significance of the study 6

1.7 Design of the study 6

1.8 Definition of terms 7

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 8

2.1 Review of literature 8

2.1.1 Collaborative learning 8

2.1.2.Peer response 9

2.1.3 Peer response in translation training 13

2.1.4 Peer response on translation courses via Google Classroom 16

2.2 Related studies 17

2.3.Present status of learning and teaching Translation in School of Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University 19

2.3.1 Courses 19

2.3.2 Teachers/Tutors 20

2.3.3 Students 21

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 24

3.1 Research Questions 24

3.2 Research population and sample 24

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3.3 Research Context and Settings 24

3.4 Data Collection Instruments 26

3.4.1 Primary Data 26

3.4.2 Secondary data 28

3.5 Data Analysis 28

3.6 Summary 29

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 30

4.1 Analysis and Findings 30

4.1.1 Profile of the respondents 30

4.1.2 Students‟ perceptions toward peer response and Google Classroom 32

4.1.3 Students‟ perceptions toward peer response via Google Classroom in 33 Translation Courses 33

4.1.4 The students learning outcomes 44

4.1.5 Class Observation 45

4.2 Discussion 48

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 51

5.1 Summary of the research 51

5.2 Implications and Recommendations 53

REFERENCES 55

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ABBREVIATIONS

EFL : English as a foreign language

ESL : English as a second language

ICT : Information and Communications Technology

L1 : First language

L2 : Second language

LMS : Learning Management System

SFL-TNU : School of Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University

SL : Source language

ST : Source text

TEFL : Teaching English as a Foreign Language

TESL : Teaching English as the Second Language

TL : Target language

WTO : World Trade Organization

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LISTS OF TABLES

Table 1: Participant by age 31

Table 2: The students' experience of learning English 31

Table 3: Data of the effectiveness of Peer Response and Google Classroom 34

Table 4: Data of the factors affecting students‟ response to peer‟s works 36

Table 5: Data of the impact of peers‟ comments on students‟correction of errors 38

Table 6: Data of respondent‟s rating of the convenience of Google Classroom in giving peer response 39

Table 7: Data of respondent‟s rating of the impact of commenting others‟ works on their self-revision 40

Table 8: Data of respondent‟s rating of the peer response‟s effect on students‟ next translation 41

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Participants by gender 30 Figure 2: Students' perceptions toward Google Classroom 33 Figure 3: The Students‟ perceptions toward the effectiveness of Peer Response and Google Classroom 35 Figure 4: The factors influencing students‟ response to peer‟s works 37 Figure 5: The impact of peers‟ comments on students‟ correctionof different errors 39 Figure 6: Students‟ evaluation of the convenience of the Google Classroom in making comments on peers‟ work 40 Figure 7: Students‟ assessment of the impact of commenting others‟ works on their self-revision 41 Figure 8: Students‟ assessment of Peer Response‟s Effect on Students‟next Translation42 Figure 9: Change in Student‟s Outcomes 45

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CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study

In the context of globalization, the role of translation to foster international integration has been extraordinarily enhanced According to Nguyen, Thi Nhu Ngoc

et al (2016), since Vietnam officially became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), translation has been now considered as an in-demand job in the labor market Also in this context, translators have been playing an important role in transferring important information from diplomatic, economic and political documents from a source language (SL) to a certain target language (TG), directly affecting the exchange and cooperation process among countries throughout the world Additionally, the WTO official membership of Vietnam requires translators

to equip themselves with more professional skills and knowledge, including language skills as well as socio-economic, socio-political, and cultural knowledge

Realizing the importance of translators in both the dynamic domestic and foreign labor markets, most universities with foreign languages studies in Vietnam have developed translation one of the major degree programs, or to the least extent the core courses in their curriculum However, translation is considered as a challenging subject not only for students but also for teachers because it requires a wide range of specialized knowledge, vocabulary, grammar structure, and deep understanding of culture, context, and good knowledge of the mother tongue (Pham

Vu Phi Ho, 2015) Translation requires a lot of practice and expertise in both the SL and the TG According to Searls-Ridge (2000), good translation skills are not an innate talent but an industrious practice For instructors, Razmjou (2004) asserted that even though instructors have a good amount of knowledge about translation theories as well as good translation practice skills, it is not certain that they will help students gain good translation skills Only meticulous and systematic teaching methods can do this The more difficult problem for teachers is that when commenting on the student‟s translation, teachers not only have to point out the correct translation, but also help the students create a good alternative; if the translation is qualified, it should be made to become better Besides, in terms of translation as an art (Zaixi, 1997), surely translation cannot be a single answer because there are so many different expressions of language in the process of

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translation, not always the only way (Pham Vu Phi Ho, 2016) As Pym (2003) explained, translation is a problem-solving process, and translators must be able to decide which option is more suitable for different translation purposes Therefore, teachers need to create a conducive learning environment, not only for students to learn how to solve problems, but also to be exposed to other solutions of problems

Despite the importance and popularity of translation programs, teaching translation in many universities is still challenging in terms of pedagogy, teaching instruments or teachers‟ capacity According to Tran, Thi Thu Trang (2019), currently, course books and related materials are not adequately available Some of the course books available are not suitable for Vietnamese context Teachers then have to design teaching materials based on their own experiences Therefore, each university has its own teaching model and internal circulation materials There is no perfect material that suits every situation is any classroom or that suits all students‟ needs of learning styles and strategies In this respect, teachers may use supplementary relevant materials, substitute or even omit trivial or irrelevant elements where the need arises either to comply with student needs in order to compensate for any weak or unsatisfactory points in the textbooks or to meet specific needs in certain teaching situations In terms of training programs and teachers, Nguyen, Thi Nhu Ngoc et al (2016) concluded that the majority of teachers had not yet received intensive training in translation Many teachers favored theoretical training and offered few practical activities close to translation services in society Training content often revolved around familiar issues, and did not correspond with market‟s demand With regards to using translation strategies

in the translation process, Huynh, Van Tai (2016) pointed out some limitations of students as follows: Firstly, students often performed their translation work subjectively, ignoring the analysis of the source text (ST) Second, students did not understand the rules of language in each type of ST Third, they lack the coherence and cohesion in the translated text, and the social knowledge Pham Vu Phi Ho & Phu Thi Kieu Bui (2013) also found that the majority of students felt they were limited in language and lacked effective strategies in the translation process Nguyen, Thi Nhu Ngoc et al (2016) conducted a survey interview with 28 lecturers (teachers) in 10 universities across the country and found that most lecturers

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provided texts and asked students to analyze the structure, vocabulary and then translated them In a different way, they asked students to analyze the translation of some phrases or sentences, and then came up with the new translations Moreover, the majority of teachers provided students with the final translation as an answer for translation exercises; only a few let students give their own answers and discuss together

In a study on the status of teaching and learning Translation at Schoolof Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University, where translation is obligatory for all students majoring in English Language, Le, Vu Quynh Nga et al (2016) found that teachers used the traditional “read and translate” method in a long time The most obvious consequence was that many students made poor translation; some even did not dare to translate Therefore, they would depend entirely on the translation machines if they were forced to produce a translation Students also lacked a lot of important qualities in translation such as a linguistic and cultural background in both target and source languages as well as an in-depth understanding of translation techniques and strategies In addition, teachers did not reveal professional certification and skills; they also did not receive further training in the field However, the authors also found that the majority of students were able to be collaborative learners rather than competitive ones They enjoyed working in groups and discussing together because they had the opportunity to exchange ideas for better works

Previous research has confirmed the positive effects of peer response or peer feedback in student learning However, despite the overwhelming amount of research pointing to the benefits of the practice of peer response in language education, there has been very little research done on adopting peer response in tertiary level interpreting and translation training

A few studies have unveiled the success of peer response-not only in a traditional classroom, but also in an online learning classroom-to improve students‟ translation skills In a non-online learning environment, the results of a study conducted by Flanagan and Heine (2015) revealed that the students were empowered and have gained more from the task In today‟s era, in which technology is often used and integrated to classroom, teachers can utilize

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Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to their teaching and learning process Here, peer response can be conducted outside classroom through the use of online platforms, such as Google Classroom, Edmodo, Google Docs, Facebook, Whats App, Wikipedia, and so on to make it timesaving instead of time-consuming

In an online learning environment, the findings of a study conducted by Wang and Han (2013) demonstrated that most of the participants realized that this strategy is valuable and beneficial to increase their translation skills However, learners‟ attributes, especially engagement in online peer response environment has not yet received enough attention

The literature on collaborative translation, especially collaborative based learning, shows its effectiveness to empower the students to meet their potential challenges, create meaningful learning experiences, and enhance their translation competence (Galán-Mañas, 2011; Kiraly, 2000, 2012; Mitchell-Schuitevoerder, 2011) With the success of the collaborative project-based learning approach, it is interesting to explore how students collaborate with each other in the process of peer feedback, and also how peer response contributes to the development of their translation abilities

project-Against the aforementioned background, this study aims to fill in the gap of a lack of study in peer response in translation training The problem which this study aimed at addressing was the lack of collaborative approaches in teaching and learning translation in tertiary level in the Vietnamese context Various studies have dealt with collaborative teaching approaches through the use of online learning platforms; nevertheless, to the best of the researcher‟s knowledge, the use of Google Classroom in the teaching and learning of translation at the university level in Vietnam has not received much popularity As such, this paper studies the application of peer response activities in a bilingual English-Vietnamese translation course via the comment function of Google Classroom in School of Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University, to explore the effects of peer response on the teachers’ teaching and the learners’ learning outcomes as well as the impact it have

on the students’ abilities to deal with translation tasks

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1.2 Aims of the study

The current study aimed to examine the students‟ perceptions ofpeer response activities via the comment function of Google Classroom and their engagement in these activities in order to achieve highest effectiveness in learning translation The other focus was to examine the effects of peer response activities via the comment function of Google Classroom in a bilingual English-Vietnamese translation course in School of Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University

1.3 Objectives of the study

1 To determine the students‟ perceptions of peer response activities via Google Classroom in a bilingual English-Vietnamese translation course in SFL-TNU

2 To examine the effectiveness of the application of peer response via Google Classroom in a bilingual English-Vietnamese translation courses in SFL-TNU through student‟s learning outcomes

1.4 Research Questions

The research was conducted to answer the following questions:

1 What are the effects of peer response activities via the comment function of Google Classroom in a bilingual English-Vietnamese translation course in SFL-TNU?

2 What are the student‟s perceptions of peer response activities via Google Classroom?

1.5 Scope and limitation

The study was conducted in School of Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University where approximately 1600 students are studying the English language in seven degree programs Upon graduation, the students are expected to achieve level

5 on 6 based on Six-level Vietnam‟s Framework of Reference for Languages in order to be eligible to work in cross-cultural organizations, multinational corporations (MNCs), as professional translators or interpreters or tourist guides

Translation courses belong to the basic knowledge section that students have

to finish in the third year or the fourth year of the curriculum Due to the limitation

of time, resources as well as some other conditions, this study surveyed only 27 third–year undergraduate students enrolled in Translation Module 1 course in

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School of Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University during the second semester

of the academic year 2019-2020 As such, the primary data collected derive from the group of above-mentioned respondents

1.6 Significance of the study

This study provides an overview of the theoretical frameworks and practices

on peer response via Google Classroom in teaching and learning translation with a case study in SFL-TNU

For the researcher, this study helps the researcher determine the effectiveness

of using peer response via the comment function of Google Classroom in teaching and learning translation in general and in SFL-TNU in particular

For teachers, this study may help arise some practical ideas for change in teaching methods using collaborative learning environment in addition to the traditional face-to-face classrooms

For students, this study provide them with relatively clear understanding of the advantages of peer response via Google Classroom, so they can be willing to actively engage themselves in learning activities utilized with the above-mentioned collaborative digital platform in order to improve their translation skills as well as improve the effectiveness of their study

For further research, this study can be used as a reference for future research related to the investigated topic

1.7 Design of the study

This study includes five following chapters:

Chapter 1: Introduction

This chapter introduces the rationale, aims, objectives, research questions, the significance, the scope and limitation, the design of the study and the definition

of key terms

Chapter 2: Literature review

This chapter conceptualizes the framework of the study through the discussion of issues and ideas on theories of teaching translation and the implementation of peer response activities via Google Classroom Learning Management System (LMS) A brief review of related studies is included to provide insights into the research topic

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Chapter 3: Research Methodology

The chapter presents the context, the methodology used in this study including the context, the subject, the data collection instruments, and data collection procedure

Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion

The chapter covers an analysis of survey results and discussion on the data collected from the students‟ translation drafts, class observation as well as findings

Collaborative learning refers is an educational approach to teaching and

learning that involves groups of learners working together to solve a problem or complete a task

Collaborative Translation is a translation carried out by a group of students

who work together via an online platform

Google Classroom is a collaboration tool developed by Google Inc for

teachers and students Teachers can create an online classroom, invite students to the class then create and distribute assignments Within the Google Classroom students and teachers can have conversations about the assignments and teachers can track the student's progress

Peer feedback refers to comments, assessments and suggestions that learners

receive from their classmates

Peer response involves students working together and interacting with one

another on a specific task

Virtual classroom refers to an online learning environment that allows

teachers and students to communicate, interact, collaborate, explain ideas

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter covers the theories for the study There are five main features which will be presented: collaborative learning and teaching, peer responses, peer responses in Translation Courses, peer responses in Translation Courses via Google Classroom, and the teaching and learning translation at School of Foreign Languages - Thai Nguyen University

2.1 Review of literature

2.1.1 Collaborative learning

Collaborative learning has been described as “an approach to teaching that makes maximum use of collaborative activities involving pairs and small group of learners in the classroom” (Richard and Rodgers 2001, p 192) It is also described

as “group learning activity organized so that learning is dependent on the socially structured exchange of information between learners in groups and in which each learner is held accountable for his or her own learning and is motivated to increase the learning of others.” (Olsen and Kagan in Richard and Rodgers, 2001, p 192)

In other words, collaborative learning is a learning strategy where learners work in groups to achieve a certain learning goal, and in which each member of the group is not only responsible for his/her own learning, but also for the learning of other members in the group

Collaborative learning covers a broad territory of approaches with wide variability in the amount of in-class or out-of-class time built around group work Collaborative activities can range from classroom discussions interspersed with short lectures, through entire class periods, to study on research teams that last a whole term or year The goals and processes of collaborative activities also vary widely Some faculty members design small group work around specific sequential steps, or tightly structured tasks Others prefer a more spontaneous agenda developing out of student interests or questions In some collaborative learning settings, the students‟ task is to create a clearly delineated product; in others, the task is not to produce a product, but rather to participate in a process, an exercise of responding to each other‟s work or engaging in analysis and meaning-making

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Cooperative learning, normally referred to as on form of collaborative learning, represents the most carefully structured end of the collaborative learning continuum Defined as “the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other‟s learning” (Johnson et al 1990), cooperative learning is based on the social interdependence theories of Kurt Lewin and Morton Deutsch (Deutsch, 1949; Lewin, 1935) These theories and associated research explore the influence of the structure of social interdependence on individual interaction within a given situation which, in turn, affects the outcomes

of that interaction (Johnsonand Johnson, 1989) Pioneers in cooperative learning, David and Roger Johnson at the University of Minnesota, Robert Slavin at Johns Hopkins University, and Elizabeth Cohen at Stanford, have devoted years of detailed research and analysis to clarify the conditions under which cooperative, competitive, or individualized goal structures affect or increase student achievement, psychological adjustment, self-esteem, and social skills

In collaborative learning, the development of interpersonal skills is as important as the learning itself The development of social skills in group work-learning to cooperate – is key to high quality group work Many cooperative learning tasks are put to students with both academic objectives and social skills objectives Many of the strategies involve assigning roles within each small group (such as recorder, participation encourager, summarizer) to ensure the positive interdependence of group participants and to enable students to practice different teamwork skills Built into cooperative learning work is regular “group processing,”

a “debriefing” time where students reflect on how they are doing in order to learn how to become more effective in group learning settings (Johnson,Johnson and Holubec, 1990)

2.1.2 Peer response

Being defined as “the use of learners as sources of information, and interactants for each other in such a way that learners assume roles and responsibilities normally taken on by a formally trained teacher, tutor or editor in commenting on and critiquing each other's drafts in both written and oral formats in the process of writing” (Liu & Hansen, 2002, p.1), peer response, also referred to as peer review, peer feedback or peer editing, is a learning activity that aims to foster

Previous research has confirmed the positive effects of using peer responses

to the development of foreign language learning as well as language education For example, the studies of Lee (1997), Mendonca & Johnson (1994), Min (2005), Rollinson (2005), Wakabashi (2013) found that classmates can provide many useful feedbacks to students in ESL writing classes Although peer response is less likely

to be adopted by learners than teacher response, learners do welcome peer response, and evidence suggest that peer response leads to improvements in learners‟ writing (Miao, Badger, & Zhen, 2006) Mei & Yuan (2010) found that response receivers

do value and incorporate peer response and corrections into their subsequent revisions Furthermore, in a study to explore the effectiveness of peer‟s corrections, Wong, Kingshan, and Ronica (1999) confirmed that the corrections of peers produced fewer errors of writing In Hyland‟s (2000) study, the students commented that the feedback of peers on grammar improves their learning Making comments and revising others‟ writing improves students‟ evaluation and helps them become critical readers It improves their ability to assess their own work and become more qualitative revisers of their own writing and errors (Rollinson, 2005) In Tsui & Ng‟s (2000) study, a student also showed that he recognized his own mistakes by reading their peers‟ work One large scale study also found a strong correlation between assessment marks given by peers and marks given by experts (Tseng & Tsai, 2007) From a learner-centred perspective, the practice of peer response empowers the students who provide the response (Coit, 2004), reduces learner anxiety and increases learner confidence (Lin & Chien, 2009; Mei & Yuan, 2010) Furthermore, while much attention is given to the reception of response, a recent study found that learners derive more benefits from providing response on others‟ work than from receiving response from others, i.e there is more in giving than receiving (Lundstrom & Baker, 2009) Berg (1999) found that those trained in commenting on other people‟s writing produced more meaningful changes

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With the utilization of new ICTs, the benefits of peer response via online language learning platforms have also been proven As pointed by Kibler (2005), in traditional, teacher-fronted EFL classrooms, it was unlikely that teachers would have enough time to attend to students‟ needs and to support students to fully engage in the learning process; however, with computer and online peer feedback activities, teachers could maximize the amount of time for the students to engage in the learning process

Peer response can enhance students‟ confidence and make them more independent and positive As explained by Xing (2014), the students will feel relaxed and it will give them more “confidence and inspiration to speak out freely” (p 375) In addition, their works will be given feedback first before being submitted, so they still have time to revise them first before giving it to the teachers Tsui & Ng (2000) mentioned that peer feedback increases students‟ sense of ownership of text because peers‟ comments are often not considered as authoritative ones (compared to teacher‟s feedback) Students can decide whether they should accept peers‟ comments or not Thus, students are less dependent on their teachers and more confident in themselves

Additionally, peer response via online platforms can also improve students‟ critical thinking By making a critical response to the writing of their peers, they carry out the critical thinking which they must use to their work (Mittan, 1989 as cited in Mendoca and Johnson, 1994) Besides, students must make a great effort and reflection to apply the knowledge they have learned to give critical and beneficial comments Therefore, their metacognitive consciousness was stimulated (Wong and Storey, 2006 as cited in Chen & Lin, 2008)

Moreover, online peer response helps establish collaborative and cooperative learning Wakabayashi (2013) stated that by joining peer response activity, students involved in critical review of others‟ texts with the aim of exchanging help for modification In addition, Hyland (2000) pointed out one of the useful strategies for creating mechanisms to support classmates was allowing and inspiring students to interact with their peers

Despite all the aforementioned benefits, some drawbacks of peer response have been outlined in previous studies Firstly, such activity takes a lot of time and

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effort of learners, especially when learners are not familiar with the process According to Rollinson (2005), peer editing was a time-consuming process It includes many stages such as reading drafts, taking notes, discussing with other readers to have agreement, then writing comments or comments directly with the writer, which will need learners to spend a sizable amount of time Secondly, between teachers and classmates, students prefer teachers to comment on their work for various reasons, such as lack of belief in peers‟ evaluation, awareness of their limitations of linguistics (Ferris, 2002; Hyland & Hyland, 2006).Students are familiar with and believe that teachers are the only audience with more experience and able to give more valuable comments (Chen & Lin, 2008) Some students felt that they were not knowledgeable about how to counsel appropriately so they were not confident to give comments to peers‟ works This issue may be even more evident when a low-achieving student is asked to work with a high achiever Lastly, cultural factors also influence the quality of peer response activity Topping (2009) mentioned that the benefits of peer response could be invalidated due to the forces

of social interaction such as: friendship bonds, enmity, and conformity, among others For example, Asian students, who are known to be collectivists, tend not to give comments openly to their peers because they are afraid that it might make their peers lose face, resulting in damaging good relationships or conflicts with others However, Gielen and De Wever (2015) acknowledged the fact that students need to develop skills in order to perform their peer response role appropriately They concluded in their study that a practical instructional intervention on the feedback process increases the potential impact of peer response and boosts students‟ learning

in higher education Moreover, explicit instruction for students on the benefits of peer response will positively impact their motivation and level of responsibility, as well as engagement in the task (Topping, 2009)

Regardless its limitations, peer response cannot be denied having various benefits to the improvement of students‟ skills If the students are trained to make effective comments, the teacher understands the characteristics of the students and creates a suitable learning environment for students to feel comfortable making comments on their peer‟ work, the disadvantages of peer response can be limited, as well as the efficiency of this activity will be increased

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How to implement peer response

When peer response is first introduced to the classroom, students may not be comfortable critiquing each other‟s product and may be reluctant to judge others, so

to promote substantive and constructive feedback, the teacher has to make sure the students clearly understand the purposes and the process of peer response The lists

of responsibilities as the authors and the editors should be elaborated and discussed in class After peer response, it is also a good idea to have the students reflect on the process in order to consider how well they worked together and what actions they will take in the next peer-response situation (Barkley, Cross, & Major, 2005; Byrd, 2003)

In translation classrooms, Mossop (2007) suggests that the degree of revision can vary, depending on types of texts and particular working contexts, such as how the text is going to be used, who is going to be the readers, and the factor of time limitation He also proposes practical parameters to be used in peer response, such

as accuracy, completeness, facts, smoothness, tailoring, sublanguage, mechanics, layout, etc

2.1.3 Peer response in translation training

Many researchers have severely criticized the traditional translation classroom because of its rigidity, backwardness, being teacher-centered and lacking creativity (Kiraly, 1995, 2000; Colina, 2003; Stewart, 2008) One of the characteristics of a traditional translation class is transmission of knowledge Instead of actively participating in the class, the learners acquire knowledge passively If the students make a mistake in their translations, equivalent translations and strategies will be provided immediately by the teacher, which leads to the feeling that the answer of the teacher is the only correct one (Colina, 2003, p.52) The translation product is paid more attention on than the translation process, therefore, the learner‟s independence and confidence are eliminated Actually, a traditional translation classroom focuses too much on the precision of translation products Zhong (2002) emphasized that this has the deep implications for translation training However, teachers also need to pay attention to its downside as it easily makes the translation class become a teacher‟s dominant discourse Because of those drawbacks of traditional classrooms, many teachers are trying to build modern translation classes

of their activities With skills created and higher-order thinking activated, translators develop lifelong learning skills to help them continue to progress and learn even after graduation

In addition, to be able to be a skilled translator, one needs to master other skills as well, such as “language acquisition, text competence, research competence, cultural competence, transfer competence and abilities such as decision-making, creativity, to give quick responses” (Coban, 2015, p 708) These kinds of skills are not easy to be mastered without any regular practice In translation class, teachers need to not only make students practice translating regularly, but also provide opportunities to give feedback, whether it is from them or the students themselves Feedback is essential to improve students‟ translation skills since it can make them learn from their mistakes and guide them to the right track In addition, it can also help them to develop their professional skills (Flanagan & Heine, 2015) and make them self-regulated learners (Nicol and Dick, 2005) Mucha (as cited in Pietrzak, 2014) also states that proofreading is an essential sub-competence for translators In fact, there are various kinds of feedback viewed from the ones providing it, namely self, peer, and teacher feedback Nonetheless, regarding self-feedback, some people argue that it is difficult to be unbiased and to notice their own mistakes In addition, they sometimes find teacher feedback can make them down and lost their motivation and confidence to translate Hence, peer response is chosen as a strategy

to help the students to enhance their translation skills Hyland (2003) states that peer response usually comprise “assigning students to groups of two, three, or four who

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exchange completed first drafts and give comments on each other‟s work before they revise them” (p 200) In this case, they need to share their works with each other, find the errors, and provide constructive response to improve the quality of their groupmates‟ translation

To achieve the goals of the modern translation classroom, researchers and teachers have now adopted a variety of learning activities and models, one of which

is peer response which can improve their editing skill, one of the key skills students need to master in building professional translation skills A peer editing study in a Thai student translation project has shown that in spite of their different translation capability and language proficiency, students can get profit from cooperation with others, in terms of improving their correcting abilities and engaging to learn from each other in translation process (Sakolkarn & Tongtip, 2017) The students in the study of Chong (2013) also appreciated feedback from their peers as it helps them

to solve language problems in their drafts of translations, but they are not willing to spend time on giving responses to their peers

Innovations in online peer response have started to change the peer feedback task The introduction of online LMSs or online learning platforms into the modern classroom has required investigation and research into how technology has affected and effected the experience of peer response Xing (2014) argued that online peer response can be considered as a kind of collaborative and cooperative learning It is because when providing feedback to each other, it opens chances for them to collaborate and cooperate with each other The findings of a study conducted by Demirbilek (2015) showed that social media as a peer feedback tool increase critical thinking skills Here, the students need to think critically to give feedback and to decide whether they want to revise their translation based on their groupmates‟ feedback or not Ching and Hsu (2013) also argued that the students are intended to get maximum freedom to control their learning pace and make up their tasks They also can decide whether they want to revise their translation based on their groupmates‟ feedback or not

Consequently, the present research has incorporated the peer response in online learning platforms to create a learning environment that can facilitate students‟ collaboration and also engage them throughout the process

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2.1.4 Peer response on translation courses via Google Classroom

With the rocketing development of technology and the Internet, the 21st century has been witnessing great changes in education and educators‟ thinking When computers have become extremely valuable teaching tools, classrooms are no longer the rooms with traditional tables and chairs and a blackboard and chalk with real teachers and students Classrooms now are anywhere in and out of the schools where the students can learn things which are normally called as Flexible Learning Space Our classrooms are now even on the race to nowhere with the great help of technology which is normally called Virtual Classroom These new classrooms are supposed to create a new learning environment for teachers and students, help them move away from passive learning one and move towards a space that encourages students‟ activeness and involvement as well as improve the students‟ results

Understanding not only the value of traditional classrooms, but also the value

of technology in the teaching and learning process, teachers have applied learning platforms such as Google Classroom to the teaching of many English modules as writing or translation and gain certain benefits A study on student attitudes toward the use of Google Classroom in translation courses also found that students have a positive attitude toward the use of this application in translation projects (Marsika Sepyanda, 2018)

In Google Classroom, the teachers can store class materials, make announcements, create assignments, give feedback or mark students’ works This application can be used on smartphone where both lecturer and students can download it freely and log in easily The lecturer only need to create a class and share the class code to the students to let them to join with the class created Through this application, students can submit their assignment easily, revise their assignment, and also check their scores given by the lecturer With all of those functions, how to appropriately utilize them in the lessons is one of the matters that many teachers are very interested in Currently there is not much research on whether common activities of writing and translation classrooms such as peer responses should be applied to the Google Classroom and how it impacts on students’ learning Therefore, in this study, the author focuses on applying peer

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response activity to translation class through Google Class’s commenting function

in order to find out its effect on teaching and learning translation

2.2 Related studies

A recent study by Ken Chuaphalakit, Bhornsawan Inpin, and Prarthana Coffin (2019) investigated the quality of feedback produced via anonymous online peer feedback activity in a Thai EFL writing classroom The participants were an intact group of 21 students who enrolled in Academic Writing course in the first semester of academic year 2017 None of them had experience doing any kind of peer feedback activity before The Google applications, Google Classroom and Google Docs, were be used in the present study as a platform for the students to share their writing pieces The Google classroom served as a place where the students submitted their writing, while the Google Docs was used as a platform where the students produced their works and gave feedbacks to their peers Peer feedback tasks, questionnaires, and an interview were used to collect the information The results showed that they students agreed that the anonymous online peer feedback benefit them in many areas of writing However, there were some problems about the process of the activity and the feedback givers and they should be improved The results from the interview showed that most students said that they would do the same if they knew who the feedback givers were It was found from the study that training is an essential part of the success of the peer feedback activity, especially when implementing with students having no experience with such activity This finding suggests a guidance to those who want

to utilize online peer response activities into their classes

Marsika Sepyanda (2018) conducted a study to know the students’ attitude toward the use of Google Classroom as an application used in collecting their assignment on translation subject Google Classroom has been used as supporting tool in collecting students’ assignments on several subjects taught at Department FKIP UMMY Solok, one of which is Translation subject that contains several assignments that should be submitted by the students directly The participants of this research were 9 third year students of English Department FKIP UMMY Solok

in 2017/2018 academic year The result of this study found that students’ attitude toward the use of Google Classroom in collecting their assignment on Translation

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subject was in the “good” level In other word, the students’ attitude toward the use

of Google Classroom on Translation subject at third year of English Department students of FKIP UMMY in 2017/2018 academic year Solok was positive This study confirms that Google Classroom can be used as an effective tool in collecting students’ assignments, especially in translation subject

In their empirical study of online peer feedback in translator education, Wang and Han (2013) asserted that peer feedback has received very little attention

in the literature on translation pedagogy, despite the tremendous amount of research written on the benefits of peer feedback in other areas of language education The two researchers had 17 Chinese-speaking students, who were enrolled in an undergraduate translation class at an Australian University, translate a 250-word text then mark and provide anonymous peer feedback on another fellow student’s translation Original translations along with their anonymous peer feedback were uploaded onto an online forum Students were encouraged to download and peruse their own translation along with its feedback, and to download other students’ reviewed translations for comparisons The researchers found that online peer feedback was highly appreciated by translation students Students reported that peer feedback was a valuable activity that gave them the opportunity to examine alternative approaches and perspectives on the translation task Some students noted that peer feedback enabled them to assume elevated roles as markers and quasi-teachers, which gave them a sort of empowerment and responsibility (p 68) The correction of careless errors/mistranslations, as well as errors at lexical and discourse levels, were also noted by students as obvious benefits of the activity Students indicated that among the three processes of (1) providing feedback, (2) receiving feedback, and (3) perusing other classmates’ reviewed work, the second and third processes were the most beneficial and rewarding Finding of the research reveals that Collaborative Translation Task interactions among students and teachers benefited students in a deep learning of translation, development of critical thinking, and cooperation between/among translators

In addition, among the small number of studies done on learner autonomy in interpreting and translation training, a good majority focus on oral interpreting training (Bartłomiejczyk, 2007; Ficchi, 1999; Hartley, Mason, Peng, & Perez, 2004;

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Wang, 2009); only one study discusses learner autonomy and peer response in written translation training (Lindgren, Sullivan, Deutschmann, & Steinvall, 2009) Lindgren et al.‟s (2009) study looked at peer discussion in computer-based translation exercises and concluded that encouraged student reflection of the translation task

In short, little or no prior studies exist into the peer response process in Translation Course via Google Classroom Further, we found no prior research specifically address-ing the operational aspects of online peer review at SFL-TNU This research addresses that gap by studying the application of peer response on Translation Course via comment function of Google Classroom at School of Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University

2.3 Present status of learning and teaching Translation in School of Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University

2.3.1 Courses

There are five minor translation courses offered for English Language students

in School of Foreign Languages – TNU: Theories of Translation which mostly focuses on theoretical knowledge, Translation 1 and Interpretation 1 with very basic knowledge, Translation 2 and Interpretation 2 which have more advanced knowledge Apart from Theories of Translation, the four others concentrate on the study and implementation of translation strategies

Although the above 5 courses of translation have similarities, only Translation

is within the research scope of this study The Translation Course is uniformly designed as follows:

● In-class activities

In the translation class, students are facilitated with appropriate input translation techniques Before each session, teachers provide students with short texts of different genres and topics corresponding to different translation techniques,

so that students can prepare them at home on their own or with classmates Through this activity, students are prepared with the knowledge they will gain in the teacher‟s upcoming lecture as well as problems that they may encounter due to not knowing the necessary translation skills Sometimes teachers will assign students other texts to translate in the classroom right after the students have been introduced

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to the respective translation skills This can help teachers get more reliable results about what they have facilitated the students Several students are chosen to share their ideas with other members of the group Other students, especially the teacher, will make comments or give other ideas to the whole class Sometimes teachers only mark students‟ works after they submit without giving any comments or suggestions

In the second semester of the academic year 2019-2020, due to the complicated situation of Covid-19 epidemics, the School of Foreign Languages applies the form of online teaching, so like other subjects‟ teachers, the teachers of Translation Course have also used Google Classroom to manage classrooms All the activities of the class were online

● Home activities

When studying Translation 1, students have to do a long translation at home in groups and then submit it to their teacher in the allotted week The teacher will mark the products as real test scores When participating in Translation 2, students are also asked to prepare a long translation at home, but that is a personal assignment, then submit it to the teacher at the scheduled time Products are also marked as real exams Teachers can also ask students to prepare a portfolio with a series of short translations in which students highlight what they do best and what they need help with The teacher will assess the quality of translation through the ability to reproduce the source language into the most natural equivalent of the students‟ target language and the students‟ efforts in translation that are perceived in a subjective way by the teacher

2.3.2 Teachers/Tutors

Although teachers are always aware of translation teaching approaches effectively, the teaching process still favors “read and translate” methods as emphasized by Davis (2004) Davies recognized that training students to acquire the essential language skills and maintain the “delicate balance” when working with language and culture is important in teaching translation The actual process in SFL‟s translation classes is as follows: First, the teacher explains the translation technique and then selects the document with the suitable difficulty degree for students to translate according to the goal of the lesson Second, students then read

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(including a quick reading and a detailed reading) the given text Next, with the help

of teachers, students analyze texts, being aware of the text type, the author, the reader, the context of the text, etc Then, students must prioritize their work, self-adjust, and create reader-friendly materials in the target language After that, students have to objectively evaluate their work At the same time, they can edit their own works and others‟ ones Finally, by revising the texts, the student understands the similarities or differences between the two languages

This process, despite being considered as the “standard” way of translation class, the author of this study argues that it is the “habit” of many teachers Those who are responsible for the courses can certainly apply their individual initiatives, however, they can return to this process easily after sometimes

A common feature of most SFL‟s translation teachers is that they have not received any type of specialized training in translation teaching They are those with M.A degrees of TEFL/TESL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language / Teaching English as the Second Language) or of literature or linguistics Any teacher in the English Department who is interested in teaching translation can register to teach these courses In addition, there are no requirements Therefore, translation is often taught in theory and practice as an academic subject, like many other subjects, this seems to be struggling as teachers cannot determine whether they should train their students like normal courses to acquire language knowledge or train them to become professional translators after graduation Because of lacking continuing training programs for teachers, translation course‟s teachers have to self-explore, come up with spontaneous innovations in practical teaching as well as try to improve themselves, although sometimes these efforts still have not yielded many positive results The arbitrary approaches applied in the courses discourage all educational efforts and prevent SFL from meeting one of the essential goals of translation courses: to prepare competent graduates who can undertake effective translation work if required, not to mention becoming a professional translator

2.3.3 Students

As a young foreign language training institution, School of Foreign Language

- Thai Nguyen University does not have much history in translation training Though, many students in the school with low average entrance marks, get quite a

Meanwhile, the weaknesses of the students are: the lack of systematic pragmatic and cultural backgrounds in both languages; the lack of knowledge of registers, text-type in both source language and target language; the lack of the proper knowledge and usage of translation strategies and skills, and showing an unstable interest in learning, especially when encountering difficult exercises

Overall, to have good translation skills is not easy, becoming a professional translator even more difficult Students must have a good knowledge of both languages and cultures, and be patient and creative in reproducing text from source language to target language Students in SFL need more effort to improve themselves when learning translation because they are also one of the problems of teaching and learning the subject, although the subject itself still has many problems

to be solved

2.3 Summary

This chapter reviews the literature of collaborative learning, a method which has been widely studied, and the benefits of using it have also been acknowledged Research studies show applicability of collaborative across different subject areas and at different levels of ducation Therefore, the use of collaborative learning method in teaching translation at undergraduate level can be of great effectiveness This chapter also gives a broad picture of peer response, an activity aimed at enhancing student interaction and thereby improving student learning, and has been used in ESL writing and translation classes Although there are some downsides, the effects it brings to ESL writing and translation classes are undeniable If the teacher understands the student‟s characteristics and this activity as well as the

One of the features of modern classrooms is that teachers can apply information technology in the classroom to create a convenient and friendly learning environment for students However, how to apply and combine the teaching activities with information technology properly and effectively, still needs

a lot of research and experimental efforts of researchers and teachers Therefore, the application of peer activity in translation classes through Google Classroom is the main content of this study

This chapter also summarizes the current situation of teaching and learning translation at SFL-TNU, where teachers and students still face many difficulties and problems in teaching and learning this course

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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The framework of the theoretical background from which the peer response and other issues related to the matter of this thesis have been introduced in the previous chapter In this chapter we deal with the method that was employed for the achievement of the aims of the study, the methods of collecting data for analysis This chapter also aims at exploring the following issues respectively: (1) research questions; (2) research population and sample; (3) research context and settings; (4) data collection instruments; (5) data analysis method and (6) summary

3.1 Research Questions

As stated in the previous part, this study was conducted to explore the effects

of applying peer response to translation through Google Classroom, so it was designed to find the answers to the following questions:

1 What are the effects of peer response activities via the comment function of Google Classroom in a bilingual English-Vietnamese translation course in SFL-TNU?

2 What are the student‟s perceptions of peer response activities via Google Classroom?

3.2 Research population and sample

The population of this research was third–year-students of the Translation module 1 in School of Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University during the second semester of the academic year 2019-2020.There were 27 students in an intact group who were enrolled in the Translation module 1 The reason of taking this group was because they learn Translation subject during the time of the study The participants had not studied any module related to Translation before attending the Translation Course 1 In the second semester of the third year, they studied the module English Translation 1 and Interpretation 1 at the same time They only had 3 hours per week to study the theory and to practice translating in the class, and they had to spend 3 hours each week for self-study or teamwork

3.3 Research Context and Settings

The course in the study was divided into eight topics: 1 Introduction of the Course, 2 Translating Cultural Terms, 3 Dealing with Non – subject sentences, 4

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Translating News, 5 Dealing with Metaphors, 6 Dealing with Repetition & Reformation, 7 Dealing with Repetition & Reformation, 8 Dealing with Business Letters & Contracts The course ran for 15 weeks, except for the last week which was final revision week, two weeks for two mid-term tests, we had 12 weeks remaining for the study

All of the students had at least one smartphone, or a tablet, or a laptop which could help them access to the Internet very easily At the beginning of the term, the students had to submit their email address to the teachers and they were invited to the Google Classroom The teacher dealt with the class through another online platform (Zoom), and the teacher assigned assignments, checked submissions, marked them and interacted with students when needed in Google Classroom

Before each lesson, teachers provided students with theoretical material related to the lesson and a text that required students to translate first at home Three days before the class (on Zoom), students must submit work to the teachers The teacher chose one or two students‟ work to comment on the class In the first four weeks, the teacher guided students how to read others‟ works critically and to make effective comments, in terms of grammar factors, usage of words, accuracy, cultural factor, completeness, smoothness, tailoring, etc The teacher also asked students in the class to give comments on the selected product to practice the ability to detect errors and the ability to make useful comments, to help peer response activities in the next period more effectively Besides, in this period the teacher also helped students to get familiar with the functions of Google Classroom

From the fifth week onwards, the teacher divided the class into small groups

of three members, so there are a total of nine groups Then the teacher gave the task

to students which consisted of 3 steps In the first step, they are asked to work on their own to study the theoretical material and translate a text on the topic corresponding to the theory (skill) they have self-studied This work then continues

to the Google Classroom which students can access from home during the week In Google Classroom, the students posted their works and tagged the two other members of their group The students are asked to post their work at least 4 days before the lessons, so that the other students in the group have enough time to read and comment on it, the students in each group can interact together on Google

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Classroom, it is also the second step of the task The last step was after two days, students revised their work based on the comments of their peers and re-post a final draft in the comment section of their own post The teacher would follow the activities of the groups and in the class still select the one or two students‟ work for comment and correction, as well as giving suggestions for peer response activities

of the students (if necessary) The teachers also encouraged the groups to exchange ideas and discuss with each other

3.4 Data Collection Instruments

3.4.1 Primary Data

For the purpose of this research, the primary data is collected through students‟ translation drafts, self-administered questionnaires for students and the teacher, and class observation

● Translation drafts

With the aim of evaluating the effects of peer response via Google Classroom

to students‟ translating skill, assignments are created for students corresponding to each topic in class Every week, the students produce two translation drafts to submit to the teacher: the first translation draft, and the final draft after they receive feedback from their peers The teacher marked students‟ translation first draft and their last drafts in the fifth week (right after applying peer response activity) and in the 14th week (when the peer response had been applied for 8 weeks)

This was one of the principal instruments of assessing the impact of peer response activity on the students‟ translation ability By marking and evaluating the translation drafts before and after students received comments from their group members, the author discovered whether this affected the students‟ revision process,

as if their group members made useful comments to them or not Likewise, the translation drafts of the first and last week applying Peer response activities through Google Classroom also helped the researcher to evaluate the impact of this activity

on the student‟s translation ability as well as their critical reading skills

● Questionnaires

There are two questionnaires for students and one questionnaire for teachers.The questionnaire will include both qualitative and quantitative data and questions

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At the beginning of the semester, students are given Questionnaire 1 (Appendix 1) to investigate the students‟ general information The questionnaire is divided into 2 parts: Part 1 is personal information including gender, age, time of learning English and Part 2, a total of 10 open-ended questions, provide the author with information about the students‟ experience and understanding of peer response activities as well as the Google Classroom

At the end of the semester, Questionnaire 2 (Appendix 2) is distributed to students in order to investigate the students‟ attitude to applying peer response activity through Google Classroom in Translation class There are all 10 questions, including 8 questions on the Likert rating scale, mainly asking about the student‟s assessment for the application of peer response, factors affecting peer response activities, from which the author can obtain information to evaluate the effectiveness of the activity with teaching translation Two open-ended questions about students‟ comments on peer responses conducted through Google Classroom and in the face-to-face class, and the last question is about students‟ challenges when attending peer response activities through Google Classroom

A questionnaire (Appendix 3) has also been delivered to the teacher to find out the teacher‟s difficulties as well as her subjective assessment about the effectiveness

of applying Peer responses through the Google Classroom in the Translation classroom This is also a reference information channel for authors and readers to have a more comprehensive view of the results of this study

● Class observation

Besides questionnaire, the class observation was also a strategic instrument to gather the pertinent information in this study objectively It would highly support what we obtained through questionnaires

According to Sykes (1977), observations can be used to collect data by viewing events or behaviors in its natural environment Furthermore, observation can be used as both a research method and a data collection method (Powell & Connaway, 2004) The aim of systematic classroom observation is to identify and quantify classroom teaching activities that may be considered important to a particular teaching process (Fahri, 2003) Stenhouse (1975) also stated that classroom observations have many important educational purposes: describing

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instructional practice, investigating instructional equity for different groups of students, and improving teacher‟s classroom instruction basing on responses from each classroom or school profile Therefore, observing the entire process of peer response application and classroom activities of teachers and students helps researchers obtain objective and reliable information for the research, whereby, asemi-structured observation checklists was designed (Appendix 4)

In particular, the author was provided the password of the online class (via Zoom Meeting) to join and observe the class by record function of Zoom The class (online class by Zoom) was observed in the 4nd week (when the peer response had not been applied in Google Classroom), the 5th week (the first week of the application), the 7th week, the 10th week (the middle period of the study) and the 13thweek (the last week applying peer response using Google classroom)

Likewise, in the 5th week (the first week of the application), the 7th week, the

9th week, the 11th week (the middle period of the study) and the 13th week (the first week of the application), the writer also observed the Google Classroom by being added to the Google Classroom as a second teacher with all the right of seeing the posts and the comments as well as other activities of students in the class

3.4.2 Secondary data

The secondary data gathering included the collection of related studies and literature about confidence in public speaking through websites, journals, books, articles and printed materials

3.5 Data Analysis

There are two types of data that will be generated in this study, qualitative data and quantitative data Qualitative data is used to analyze information obtained through open-ended questions in questionnaires and class observations From there, the data will be qualitatively discussed, interpreted, summarized and analyzed The data was analyzed using sample testing for mean, standard deviation, through data analysis tool pack of Microsoft Excel The results are then transformed into quantitative measurement and for clear understanding Additionally, the results of the study are presented using tables, bar charts and pie-charts in order to present the final results to be complete and comprehensible Besides, the quantitative approach will be used to analyze the data gathered through Likert-scale questionnaire items,

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marking students‟ translation drafts, and closing questions in questionnaires The relevant evaluations will then be used to reinforce the idea of the findings to form the overall picture of the analysis

3.6 Summary

In this chapter, we have an overview of the research participants - students of English Language Teaching undergraduate program K40 of School of Foreign Languages - Thai Nguyen University as well as the teacher in the study, who has experience of teaching many English modules like translation, grammar, writing, etc

Besides, research progress has also been clearly introduced so that readers can understand Along with that, this chapter also concerns data collection instruments, including students‟ translation drafts, questionnaires and observation The data gathered from these instruments will be discussed, interpreted, and analyzed in the next chapter of the thesis

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CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents and analyzes the data collected during the research process The analysis is consistent with the research objective and question The results were based on the subjects‟ responses to which questionnaires were conducted, as well as observations and students‟ translation drafts during data collection The data was analyzed according to the procedure presented in chapter

II Then, based on the results of the analysis, the writer will give out related discussions and findings

4.1 Analysis and Findings

4.1.1 Profile of the respondents

In term of gender, Figure 1 indicates that the main proportion of the respondents was female, holding the percentage of 96% whereas the least proportion was male, holding the percentage of 4% This can be implied that more female students were enrolled to obtain a degree in the field of English language than male students

Figure 1: Participants by gender

4%

96%

PARTICIPANTS BY GENDER

Male: Female: