Teachers and learners attitudes towards teaching english from e lesson plans for the tenth graders at le hien thanh high school in tien giang province m a 60 14 10

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

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY - HO CHI MINH CITY

UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE

THESIS

TEACHERS AND LEARNERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS TEACHING ENGLISH FROM E-LESSON PLANS FOR THE TENTH GRADERS AT LE THANH HIEN HIGH SCHOOL IN TIEN

GIANG PROVINCE

Submitted to the Department of English Linguistics and Literature

in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL

By

TRAN NGOC MINH – TESOL 2008

Supervised by

NGUYEN HOANG TUAN, Ph D

HO CHI MINH CITY, AUGUST 2011

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I declare this thesis entitled “TEACHERS AND LEARNERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS TEACHING ENGLISH FROM E-LESSON PLANS FOR THE TENTH GRADERS AT LE THANH HIEN HIGH SCHOOL IN TIEN GIANG PROVINCE” is the result of my own work except as cited in the references

The thesis has not been accepted for any degree and it is not currently submitted in candidature of any other degree

Ho Chi Minh City, August 2011

Tran Ngoc Minh

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would first like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Dr Nguyen Hoang Tuan for his encouragement and support during my study I appreciate his enthusiasm and patience in reading and giving suggestions on various drafts of this thesis Without his guidance and support during the study this research could not have been completed

In addition, I am thankful to the teachers and students at Le Thanh Hien High School who assisted in data collection I would also like to thank the administrators of the school who created favorable conditions for the study to be carried out

I would like to thank my classmates, TESOL 2008 class for their friendship, suggestions and invaluable supports during the study

Finally I would like to thank my family who always encouraged and helped me during this study They are the strongest motivation for me to pursue my degree Without the supports from my family members, I would not have finished my study at University of Social Sciences and Humanities

ABSTRACT

The study was conducted at Le Thanh Hien High School in Tien Giang province The participants consisted of 245 tenth graders chosen from six classes and 10 teachers who were teaching English at this school Two sets of questionnaires for teachers and students followed by interviews with teachers were used for data collection The primary aim of the study was to explore the attitudes of teachers and students towards teaching English from e-lesson plans for the tenth graders at Le Thanh Hien High School In addition, it aimed to explore the usage of e-lesson plans in teaching English

at this high school

The data were analyzed and computed as frequency and percentages The findings indicated that e-lesson plans were being used widely at this school In general, the teachers and students were eager to accept this new tool of teaching However, some teachers were not fully aware of the benefits of e-lesson plans in teaching and learning process The results of the study also revealed that the participants appeared to have

positive attitudes towards the advantages of using e-lesson plans in teaching English

However, they had negative views about the disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to both teachers and students In addition, all the teachers participating in the study reported some barriers to the implementation of this teaching tool They were technical problems while in use, running cost, lack of time to use, lack of effective trainings and teachers’ age

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Statement of authorship i

Acknowledgements …ii

Abstract ….iii

Table of contents ….iv

List of tables viii

List of charts ….ix

List of abbreviations x

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background to the study 1

1.2 Rationale 3

1.3 Aims of the study 5

1.4 Research questions 5

1.5 Significance of the study 5

1.6 Limitations of the study 6

1.7 Organization of the study 7

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 9

2.1 Definition of terms 9

2.1.1 Lesson plans 9

2.1.2 E-lessons 10

2.1.3 E-lesson plans 11

2.2 Types of e-lesson plans 12

2.3 Tools for composing an e -lesson plan 13

2.4 Steps of composing an e-lesson plan 13

2.5 Advantages of using e-lesson plans 16

2.5.1 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to teachers 17

2.5.1.1 Time 17

2.5.1.2 Teaching efficiency 17

2.5.1.3 E- lesson plans organization 18

2.5.1.4 Ease of use 18

2.5.2 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to students 19

2.5.1.1 Learning efficiency 19

2.5.2.2 Motivation 20

2.6 Disadvantages of using e-lesson plans 20

2.6.1 Disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to teachers 21

2.6.1.1 Technical problems 21

2.6.1.2 Time problems 21

2.6.1.3 Class management problems 22

2.6.2 Disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to students 22

2.6.2.1 Note-taking problems 22

2.6.2.2 Distraction 22

2.7 Barriers to the use of e-lesson plans 23

2.7.1 Teachers’ lack of confidence 24

2.7.2 Lack of time to use 24

2.7.3 Lack of effective trainings 24

2.7.4 Technical problems while in use 25

2.7.5 Teachers’ age 25

2.7.6 Running cost 25

2.8 Chapter summary 26

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 27

3.1 Research design 27

3.2 The setting 28

3.3 Participants 29

3.3.1 Teacher participants 29

3.3.2 Student participants 30

3.4 Instruments 32

3.4.1 Questionnaires 32

3.4.1.1 Teachers’ questionnaire 34

3.4.1.2 Students’ questionnaire 35

3.4.2 Interviews 36

3.5 Data collection procedure 39

3.5.1 Procedure for conducting the questionnaire survey 39

3.5.2 Procedure for conducting the interviews 40

3.6 Data analysis procedure 40

3.7 Chapter summary 41

CHAPTER IV DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 42

4.1 Results 42

4.1.1 Teachers’ questionnaire results 42

4.1.1.1 Teachers’ demographic information 42

4.1.1.2 Teachers’ attitudes towards teaching English from e-lesson plans 44 4.1.2 Students’ questionnaire results 53

4.1.2.1 Students’ demographic information 53

4.1.2.2 Students’ attitudes towards teaching English from e-lesson plans 54 4.1.4 Interview results 59

4.2 Discussion 65

4.2.1 Demographic information 65

4.2.1.1 Teachers’ demographic information 65

4.2.1.2 Students’ demographic information 66

4.2.2 Teachers’ attitudes towards teaching English from e-lesson plans 66

4.2.2.1 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to teachers 66

4.2.2.2 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to students 67

4.2.2.3 Disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to teachers 67

4.2.2.4 Disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to students 67

4.2.3 Students’ attitudes towards teaching English from e-lesson plans 68

4.2.3.1 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to students 68

4.2.3.2 Disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to students 68

4.2.4 The usage of e-lesson plans in teaching English at Le Thanh Hien high

school 69

4.3 Chapter summary 70

CHAPTER V SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION 72

5.1 Summary of Findings 72

5.2 Recommendations 74

5.2.1 Recommendations for the administrators 74

5.2.2 Recommendations for the teachers 76

5.2.3 Recommendations for the students 78

5.3 Suggestions for further research 78

5.4 Chapter summary 79

REFERENCES 81

APPENDICES 87

APPENDIX A Teachers’ Questionnaire 87

APPENDIX B Students’ Questionnaire (English version) ……90

APPENDIX C Students’ Questionnaire (Vietnamese version) 92

APPENDIX D Interview Questions (for Teachers) 94

LIST OF TABLES

Pages

Table 3.1 Demographic data of teacher participants 30

Table 3.2 Demographic data of student participants 31

Table 3.3 Distribution of Questions on Teachers’ Questionnaire 34

Table 3.4 Distribution of Questions on Students’ Questionnaire 36

Table 4.1 Distribution of teachers by gender 43

Table 4.2 Distribution of teachers by age 43

Table 4.3 Distribution of teachers by teaching experience 43

Table 4.4 Distribution of teachers by computer experience 44

Table 4.5 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to teachers in terms of teaching efficiency 45 Table 4.6 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to teachers in terms of time 46

Table 4.7 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to teachers in terms of lesson organization 47 Table 4.8 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to teachers in terms of ease of use 48

Table 4.9 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to students in terms of learning efficiency 49 Table 4.10 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to students in terms of motivation 50

Table 4.11 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to students in terms of time 51

Table 4.12 Disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to teachers 51

Table 4.13 Disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to students 52

Table 4.14 Distribution of students by class 53

Table 4.15 Distribution of students by gender 54

Table 4.16 Distribution of students by age 54

Table 4.17 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to students in terms of learning efficiency55 Table 4.18 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to students in terms of motivation 56

Table 4.19 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to students in terms of time 57

Table 4.20 Disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to students 58

LIST OF FIGURES

Pages

Chart 4.1 The frequency of teachers’ use of e-lesson plans 59

Chart 4.2 Types of computer training 60

Chart 4.3 Places of training 60

Chart 4.4 Types of lessons usually taught with e-lesson plans 61

Chart 4.5 Types of e-lesson plans used 62

Chart 4.6 Tools of composing an e -lesson plan 63

Chart 4.7 Steps of composing an e-lesson plan 63

Chart 4.8 Barriers to the use of e-lesson plans 64

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

To begin with, this chapter discusses the general background of the study as well as the reasons for choosing the topic It then focuses on the aims and the significance of the study Furthermore, the limitations of the study are considered Finally, it gives the outline of the thesis

1.1 Background to the study

In recent years, there has been a shift from compiling lesson plans on paper to compiling lesson plans on computer using specialized softwares which are called e-lesson plans Especially, since the school year 2008-2009, when the MOET launched the “Year of ICT” to enhance a breakthrough in education, the use of e-lesson plans in teaching in general and teaching English in particular has become more and more familiar It is a development in the process of teaching and learning that contributes to the innovation of teaching methodology in accordance to the general trend of the era(Hoang Duc Huy, 2003) In fact, this is an indispensable and necessary trend for the educating nowadays For many educators and teachers, e-lesson plan is a useful teaching tool which is much more advantageous than the traditional teaching method with chalk and board (Nguyen Dinh Lan, 2006) E-lesson plans help increase the teaching efficiency in many ways, especially with English, a subject which requires the supports of teaching aids such as real things, pictures, posters and charts (Nguyen Thi Xuan Lam, 2009)

Despite the benefits that e-lesson plans bring about, since their existence, there have been a lot of controversies and misunderstandings about the term “e-lesson plans” for there was no official definition from the Education Sector for the concept (Nguyen Dinh Lan, 2006) There is a fact that many teachers use this term to refer to the “e-lessons” composed using Microsoft PowerPoint softwares which is definitely mistaken

In addition, this is a large unexplored area, so there is no specific orientation, document and instruction specified on the compiling and using this teaching tool

Besides some misconceptions about the term “e-lesson plans”, many teachers are still hesitating about applying this teaching tool in enhancing teaching and learning efficiency In fact, they are not fully aware of the benefits of using e-lesson plans More than that, many of them find it difficult and time-consuming to use e-lesson plans Therefore, some of them only use e-lesson plans when taking part in teaching demos or when there are other teachers observing their class Some only use e-lesson plans as a replacement of chalk and board

Furthermore, e-lesson plans are in the beginning stage of utilization so passiveness in administrating as well as using this teaching tool is unavoidable Consequently, there are

no ways of controlling the composing and using e-lesson plans (Vu Van Khanh, 2009) Much more important, a majority of schools cannot afford to equip their schools with enough facilities for the implementation of e-lesson plans Moreover, many teachers do not have training in composing and using e-lesson plans as well as using the equipments such as computers and projectors As a result, they encounter many difficulties in teaching process which affect teaching and learning efficiency

E-lesson plans have been implemented at Le Thanh Hien High School since 2006 Since then, twenty four classrooms at this school each were equipped with a computer,

a screen and a projector for using e-lesson plans In addition, there was a teachers’ room equipped with computers for teachers to prepare e-lesson plans in case they do not own computers Currently, the teachers are required to use e-lesson plans more than

30 percent of their lessons Apparently, most of the teachers and students are eager to accept this new teaching tool A majority of the teachers are aware of the importance and potential of e-lesson plans in the teaching and learning process However, some of them only use e-lesson plans simply as a replacement of chalk and board It seemed that these teachers feel uncomfortable as they are forced to use e-lesson plans Some

teachers even used others’ lesson plans without adapting to their students’ levels and needs Besides, there are many obstacles that prevent the teachers from using e-lesson plans such as lack of time to use, lack of effective trainings, lack of confidence, etc Therefore, how to use e-lesson plans effectively is always the concern of the teachers and administrators at this school

1.2 Rationale

The current research was conducted for the following reasons:

Firstly, the successful implementation of new technology in teaching and learning depends greatly on the attitudes of the teachers and students towards this teaching tool (Albirini, 2006) The reason is that attitudes influence not only the acceptance of the teaching tool, but also the future behaviors in the learning process (Garcia, 2001) Yuen (2002) in his study shows that there is a strong relationship between teachers’ perceptions of the usefulness and ease of use of the technology and their intentions and actual use of the technology in the classroom In other words, when a new technology

is perceived as useful and easy to use, teachers are more likely to use it in the classroom Moreover, when teachers possess positive attitudes towards e-lesson plans, they will become more confident in using it, thus making teaching and learning process more meaningful and effective For this reason, investigating teachers and learners’ attitudes towards teaching English from e-lesson plans is of significant importance

Next, e-lesson plans have been in use for a long time, however, no research has been done–to the best of the researcher knowledge-regarding teachers and learner’s attitudes towards this teaching tool up till now although many evaluations concerning the advantages and disadvantages of using e-lesson plans have been made Therefore, there were no chances for teachers and students to express their opinions about teaching and learning with e-lesson plans Consequently, there were no signs to show whether they feel satisfied when teaching and learning with e-lesson plans or not In fact, this is a

significant area for exploration since better understanding will allow teachers and administrators to come up with plans to use e-lesson plans more effectively

Besides, although the use of e-lesson plans in teaching in general and teaching English

in particular has significantly increased in recent years, there are still some misconceptions and controversies about the term e-lesson plans Many people say that there are no e-lesson plans and that there exist only the concepts of lesson plans and lessons In fact, the concept of e-lesson plans only exists in the context of teaching and learning in Vietnam (especially in high schools and secondary schools) Generally, the problem is just the name “e-lesson plans” Therefore, the current study attempts to give

a clear understanding about the definition of “e-lesson plans”

As a final point, the motivation for carrying out the study is also resulted from the researcher own experience of teaching English from e-lesson plans From the first time using e-lesson plans, the researcher recognized the advantages of using e-lesson plans

in enhancing teaching and learning efficiency E-lesson plans actually make the class more interesting due to the multimedia contents such as sounds, photos and animations However, there exist some disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to teachers such as time problems, class management problems and technical problems For the students, some of them found it hard to take notes when learning with e-lesson plans Therefore, how the teachers and students at this school actually perceive of learning English through e-lesson plans and how to make the lessons with e-lesson plans more effective have been the concern of the researcher since then

For the above reasons, the researcher believes that researching teachers and learners’ attitudes towards teaching English from e-lesson plans is practical and necessary It provides an insight into the integration and usage of e-lesson plans in teaching and learning English at this high school In addition, it is a chance to see how the teachers and students actually respond to teaching English from e-lesson plans, whether they

accept them and feel satisfied with them or not Therefore, it gives directions for all the educators and teachers concerning how to use this teaching tool more effectively

1.3 Aims of the study

The aims of this study are to:

- explore teachers and learners’ attitudes towards teaching English from e-lesson plans;

- investigate the usage of e-lesson plans in teaching English to the tenth graders at Le Thanh Hien High School;

- give recommendations for using e-lesson plans more effectively

1.4 Research questions

The research was carried out to answer the two research questions:

What are the teachers’ perceptions of using e-lesson plans?

How do the tenth graders at Le Thanh Hien High School respond to teaching English from e-lesson plans?

1.5 Significance of the study

The current study attempts to elicit teachers and learners’ attitudes towards teaching English from e-lesson plans, its significance can be seen as follow:

Firstly, the study gives an overview of the teachers and learners’ attitudes towards lesson plans in their teaching and learning English It could give a valuable insight into the use of e-lesson plans for those involved: the teachers and the administrators The current study determines whether the teachers and learners are ready to accept such teaching tool in the teaching context and whether they are fully aware of the benefits of using e-lesson plans in teaching English This is a chance for the teachers and students

e-to express the difficulties and problems they encounter when teaching and learning

English with e-lesson plans Furthermore, the findings of this study reveal whether the use of e-lesson plans can actually motivate students to learn English

Secondly, the information about the real situation of implementing e-lesson plans in teaching English at this high school from the current study would be useful to the teachers and educators Hopefully, it will be useful information for high schools throughout the country in general The findings of the current study contribute to the implementation of e-lesson plans and the improvement of teaching and learning English through e-lesson plans at Le Thanh Hien High School Based on the findings, the researcher gives recommendations to the teachers, the administrators and the students concerning how to minimize the shortcomings and enhance the strengths of e-lesson plans It also enable the educators and administrators to come up with plans in e-lesson plans training which can help the teachers become more confident in using this teaching tool Moreover, it enables the administrators and the officials to create more favorable conditions for implementing e-lesson plans based on the constraints that act against the implementation of e-lesson plans reported by the teachers

Last but not least, the current study which concerns teachers and students’ attitudes towards teaching English from e-lesson plans, to some extent, provide data for further research on the field of study

1.6 Limitations of the study

Although the study has achieved its aims, there are still some unavoidable limitations:The first limitation of this study is that the researcher only investigated a small high school There were only ten teachers and 245 tenth graders chosen to participate in the research Therefore, it did not give a full picture of the teachers and learners’ attitudes towards teaching English from e-lesson plans at this high school The researcher believes if there were more participants involved, the results could be more impressive

Another limitation is that the study was based only on the participants’ perceptions of using e-lesson plans without observations of the English classes to see what actually took place during the lessons and how the students actually learned with e-lesson plans

1.7 Organization of the study

The study consists of five chapters including (1) Introduction, (2) Literature Review, (3) Research Methodology, (4) Data analysis and Discussions of results and (5) Summary

of findings, Recommendations and Conclusion

Chapter I (Introduction) provides the background of the study and the rationale to the

thesis Next, it focuses on the aims of the study, the research questions and the significance of the study Lastly, it gives the limitations of the study and the organization of the thesis

Chapter II (Literature review) includes the findings of other researchers under the

topic of e-lesson plans It first gives distinctions among the three definitions of lesson plans, e-lessons and e-lesson plans Furthermore, it presents the advantages and disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to both teachers and students Next, other aspects

of e-lesson plans such as tools and steps of composing an e-lesson plan are also introduced As a final point, it indicates the barriers to the use of e-lesson plans This chapter provides the theoretical background of the present study

Chapter III (Methodology) deals with the research methodology used in the present

study It explains how the study was carried out The chapter consists of the research questions, research design and the demographic information of the participants It also describes in detail the methodology of choosing the sample, the data collection instruments, the procedure of carrying out the study and the data analysis methods

Chapter IV (Data analysis and Discussion of results) gives out the results of the

questionnaires for teachers and students along with the interviews with teachers In

addition, it discusses and analyzes the major research findings with reference to the literature reviewed in chapter two

Chapter V (Summary of Findings, Recommendations and Conclusion) contains a

summary of the main findings of the study in the light of the two research questions along with the conclusion of the study The findings about the real situation of using e-lesson plans at Le Thanh Hien High School are also presented It then gives out recommendations for the administrators, the teachers and the students concerning how

to use e-lesson plans more effectively as well as suggestions for further research

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW

The study attempts to find out teachers and learners’ attitudes towards teaching English from e-lesson plans for the tenth graders at Le Thanh Hien High School This chapter reviews the theoretical background of the study and the previous research relevant to the concept of e-lesson plans The chapter first distinguishes the three concepts: lesson plans, e-lessons and e-lesson plans It then introduces the tools and steps of composing an e-lesson plan Next, the advantages and disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to both teachers and students are identified Furthermore, the barriers

to the use of e-lesson plans are stated Finally, it includes the definition and the important role of attitude

2.1 Definition of terms

Along with the innovation in education, the usage of e-lesson plans in teaching in general and teaching English in particular has become more and more popular However, as stated in chapter one, there exist some misconceptions and controversies about this teaching tool Many teachers still used the term “e-lesson plans” to refer to the “e-lessons” composed using Microsoft PowerPoint software which is totally mistaken Therefore, the current study attempts to give a clear understanding of e-lesson plans To achieve this goal, the researcher first gives the distinctions among the

three terms: lesson plans, e-lessons and e-lesson plans

2.1.1 Lesson plans

There are many ways of defining lesson plans Thornbury (2006: 118) defines the concept as a document that maps out teacher’s intentions for the lesson It reflects the teachers’ planning decisions as well as their understandings of the principles of lesson design Gower et all (2005, p176) suggest that information in a lesson plan includes

aims; procedure; approaches and activities; materials; aids and equipments; information about the students and anticipated problems

For Richard (2002), lesson plans help teacher think about the lesson in advance to

“resolve problems and difficulties, to provide a structure for a lesson, to provide a

“map” for the teacher to follow and to provide a record of what has been taught” Based

on the lesson plans we know “how much teaching is done by the teachers and how much by the method, what the teacher has omitted or added to the text and the extent to which he exploits the materials” (Seaton, 1982, p105) Good lesson planning is “the art

of mixing techniques, activities and materials in such way that an ideal balance is created for the class” (Harmer, 1991, p258)

To conclude, a lesson plan is teachers’ detail plan before the lesson is carried out It helps them map out all the teaching procedure as well as the activities that will be used

in class A detailed and well-prepared lesson plan makes teachers more confident and successful in teaching process

2.1.2 E-lessons

In the context of teaching in Vietnam, an e-lesson is defined by Le Cong Triem, (2006, p49) as a form of organization in which the whole teaching activities are conducted through multimedia environment created by computer Multimedia refers to the presentation of material using both words and pictures (Mayer, 2001, p1) or the combination of a variety of media – texts, graphics, sounds and video, into a single medium i.e the computer (Ravet and Layte, 1997)

In conclusion, an e-lesson is a form of lesson composed using specialized sofwares and supported by computer and projector In the current study, an e-lesson is a presentation composed using Microsoft PowerPoint software It comprises multimedia content such

as sounds, animations, videos, charts, photos Different from the lesson plans which are

prepared in advanced, e-lessons are what happen in class They are the content of the lesson that teachers present in front of their students

2.1.3 E-lesson plans

E-lesson plans can be defined from many different perspectives Le Cong Triem (2006, p49) defines the concept as “detailed designs of teachers’ activities during the lesson All these activities have been made multimedia detailedly with close and logical structure based on the structure of the lesson E-lesson plans are the products of the lesson-compiling before the lessons are carried out They are the designs of e-lessons.” This definition mainly focuses on “design” feature of the lesson plans Le Cong Triem emphasizes that an e-lesson plan is the teaching plan before the lesson is carried out or the design of the e-lesson whereas an e-lecture is what the teachers present in class Therefore, creating an e-lesson plan and designing an e-lesson are the two different names of creating e-lessons

For Nguyen Dinh Lan (2006) e-lesson plans are lesson plans compiled on computer with specialized software, then using projection equipment (projector) connected to the computer to export the content of the lesson to a big screen This definition reflects fully the difference between traditional lesson plans and e-lesson plans which are

“compiled on a computer with specialized softwares”

From the above definitions, the operational definition of e-lesson plans used in the current study is the lesson plans compiled on a computer using specialized softwares, then using projection equipment (projector) connected to the computer to export the content of the lesson to a big screen The e-lesson plans are the designs of teachers’ activities during the lesson

An e-lesson plan must have all the steps of a traditional lesson plan In other words, it must comprise two separate parts:

- The first part is the normal lesson plan in which teacher explains clearly the aims; approach (es) and activities; materials; aids and equipments; information about the students; anticipated problems In this part of the lesson plans, the procedure of the lesson is clearly stated

- The second part of the lesson plans is the presentations or the e-lessons composed using the specialized softwares These are what the teachers present in the classroom

From the definition of lesson plans, e-lessons and e-lesson plans above, there are two noticeable points Firstly, an e-lesson plan has to comprise all the sessions of a traditional lesson plan These are aims; procedure; approaches and activities; materials; aids and equipments; information about the students and anticipated problems, etc Secondly, an e-lecture is only a part of an e-lesson plan It can not be called an e- lesson plan as many mistaken views before

2.2 Types of e-lesson plans

There are many ways of categorizing e-lesson plans Nguyen Dinh Lan (2006) observes some e-lesson plans and categorizes them into two types:

• E-lesson plans type 1

Teachers simply use Microsoft PowerPoint software and projector as a replacement of chalk and board In other words, the e-lesson plan is only a presentation tool which saves the teachers’ writing time on the board

• E-lesson plans type 2

Teachers exploit multimedia features of the PowerPoint effectively The e-lesson plans not only replace chalk and board, but also substitute documentary shows and anything visual and experimental Using this type of lesson plans, teachers insert sounds, pictures, charts, movies, etc to make the content of the lesson multimedia

From the way of categorizing above, it is clear that e-lesson plans type 2 seem to be more beneficial since they make good use of the multimedia contents to enhance teaching and learning efficiency

2.3 Tools for composing an e -lesson plan

One of the differences between lesson plans and traditional lesson plans is that lesson plans are composed on the computer using one of the specialized softwares The softwares include MS Access, Macromedia Flash, LectureMaker, Microsoft Word, FrontPage, Microsoft PowerPoint, Violet, etc Besides, many design and image processing softwares such as Adobe Photoshop 7.1, Flash 5.0 and Movie maker are also used (Le Cong Triem, 2006, p49) Among them Microsoft PowerPoint is the most frequent used software for it is simple and easy to use (Nguyễn Thị Thanh, Nguyễn Thị Ánh Dương, 2008)

e-The main software that is used to compose e-lesson plans mentioned in the study is Microsoft PowerPoint software Apart from that, many other supporting softwares such

as Adobe Photoshop 7.1 and Flash 5.0 are also used

2.4 Steps of composing an e-lesson plan

Compiling e-lesson plans is not simply creating PowerPoint presentations It has to include the basic steps of composing a traditional lesson plan For Le Cong Triem (2006), steps of compiling an e-lesson plan consist of:

Step 1: Defining the objectives of the lesson

This is an important step in composing lesson plans in general and composing e-lesson plans in particular Objectives are the aims that teachers have for their students and are written in terms of what the students will do or achieve (Harmer, 1991, p269) Le

Cong Triem (2006) emphasizes the objectives here are learning objectives or the students’ products after the lesson not teaching objectives

Objectives describe the destinations (not the journey) we want our students to reach These objectives help state precisely what we want our students to learn, help guide the selection of appropriate activities and help provide overall lesson focus and direction For Richards (2002), “an effective lesson plan starts with appropriate and clearly written objectives” Defining the objectives of the lesson in advance thus helps the teachers know what piece of language to focus and how to achieve the objectives

Step 2: Choosing essential knowledge, specifying focus content

Contents are the most detailed part of the lesson plans They show exactly what teachers are going to do in the classroom (Harmer, 1991, p269) Choosing essential knowledge and focus content can help increase the efficiency of the lesson In addition,

it helps the teachers manage their time better

Step 3: Making the knowledge unit multimedia

This is an important step of designing e-lesson plans which distinguishes e-lesson plans from traditional e-lesson plans In this step, teachers categorize knowledge into different categories such as sounds, pictures, charts, movies, etc Then teachers collect all the necessary data The data can be downloaded on the internet, taken from the camera or created using the many design and image processing softwares such as Adobe Photoshop 7.1, Flash 5.0, Macromedia Flash and Movie maker (Bien Van Minh, 2008)

All the collected data was processed to improve their quality The use of these data has

to ensure content and methodology requirement Furthermore, they have to be relevant

to the lesson (Hoang Duc Huy, 2003)

Step 4: Building material library

After collecting all the necessary materials for the e-lesson plans, teachers reorganize the information into different categories The teachers then put them into the directory tree This help them find the data easily and keep the link of the e-lesson to the sounds, video files and other documents in case they move the e-lesson plans to different computers (Le Cong Triem, 2004)

Step 5: Choosing the presentation softwares

Having built the material libraries, teachers need to select the appropriate language or softwares to compose e-lesson plans The softwares can be used to compose e-lesson plans consist of Microsoft Word, LectureMaker, FrontPage, Microsoft PowerPoint, Violet, etc (Le cong Triem, 2006)

Teachers first divide the teaching procedure into different activities and then put them into different slides (with Microsoft PowerPoint) or pages (with FrontPage) After that teachers build content for each slide (or page) The texts should be short, simple and condensed

Step 6: Trial running, repairing and improving

After completing the design, teachers should trial run the e-lesson plans to check errors,

especially the links with other slides or other documents In addition, teacher should

examine whether the lesson plan is well prepared and the time of the lesson is suitable This helps teachers timely avoid the shortcomings of the e-lesson plans (Le Cong Triem, 2006)

In brief, there are six basic steps of composing an e-lesson plan These are defining the objectives of the lesson, choosing essential knowledge and specifying focus content, making the knowledge multimedia, building material library, choosing the presentation

softwares and trial running, repairing and improving All of them are of different

importance Therefore, to compose an effective and qualified e-lesson plan, teachers

should not skip or neglect any steps

Based on the steps of composing an e-lesson plan, Bien Van Minh (2004) gives out the steps of composing an e-lecture using Microsoft PowerPoint software as follows:

- Opening PowerPoint

- Creating a new presentation

- Creating new slides

- Adding content to the slides

- Choosing background for the slides

- Inserting sounds, images, charts and videos

- Animating objects (images, text) in PowerPoint

- Creating transitions between slides

- Linking to other slides, files, programs

- Trial running and editing

- Saving the e-lesson plans

2.5 Advantages of using e-lesson plans

Hoang Duc Huy (2003), Le Cong Triem (2004), Nguyen Duc Hiep (2005), Nguyen Dinh Lan (2006), and Pham Van Danh (2009) believe that using e-lesson plans brings about much more advantages than the traditional teaching method with chalk and board

by many times It is beneficial not only to teachers but also to students as well It is considered to be a wonderful teaching tool which significantly improves teaching and learning efficiency

2.5.1 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to teachers

2.5.1.1 Time

One of the benefits of e-lesson plans mentioned by many researchers is about time The e-lesson plans are presented in the form of slides so they save teachers a lot of time in class to write main points on the blackboard (Danh Van, 2005) In addition, teachers can save a lot of time hanging the pictures, maps and graphs for everything can be done only by a “click” (Nguyen Dinh Lan, 2006) Moreover, teachers can save time when explaining complicated points and difficult concepts or illustrating things which can only be explained graphically by a combination of pictures, sounds, graphics and animations Therefore, teachers have more time to explain more deeply and thoroughly the core issues of the lessons and increase discussion with students On the other hand, teachers can manage their time better due to the available timing device

2.5.1.2 Teaching efficiency

E-lesson plans are said to increase teaching and learning efficiency compare with traditional teaching with chalk and board They offer multimedia possibilities like sounds, images, actions, videos, mapping, tables, charts and a combination of effects, colors, font sizes and animation effects which help teachers transfer the content of the lesson vividly and interestingly (Nguyen Dinh Lan, 2006) Therefore, they can draw students’ attention and create interest among them (Danh Van, 2005) Additionally, teachers can give students exposure to natural and real-language environment by inserting videos, images or hyperlinks to many learning websites on the internet Therefore, students can learn listening, reading, speaking and writing in real world situations The same can be done in teaching grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation (Nguyen Thi Xuan Lam, 2009)

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words In one of their research, Coulthard and Hutchinson (1996) indicate that “graphics add personality to teachers’

presentations and convey information more efficiently than text alone” The inserted sounds and graphics and videos provide all students a better understanding of the concepts even before reading the text of a lesson In addition, it involves students’ sense of hearing and sight which helps them absorb more information Therefore, using e-lesson plans with multimedia contents can help students understand and remember the lessons better

2.5.1.3 E- lesson plan organization

It is true that e-lesson plans can make the teaching seem more systematic Mason and Hlynka (1998) state that PowerPoint helps structure the content and processing of a lesson or lecture They help teachers organize their thoughts and present their information in an orderly and attractive manner In addition, teachers can easily go to different slides whenever they want to

2.5.1.4 Ease of use

Another advantage of e-lesson plans is that they are easy to create and modify Moreover, you can easily update it later (Danh Van, 2005) Besides, there are a lot of e-lesson plans of all subjects available on many websites, teachers can obtain them easily Therefore, teachers can produce their own lesson plans or adapt others’ lesson plans to fit their classroom needs and levels, and exchange them In addition, e-lesson plans can easily be stored on CDs; they can be very neat and very well organized

One more advantage is that “Teachers can quickly format a slide show using one of the professional presentation design templates” (Cashman and Shelly, 2000) More than that, after creating the e-lesson plans, teachers can use the spelling and grammar function to correct the spelling errors, the inconsistent use of capitalization or punctuation and the grammar mistakes as well (Stemler, 1997)

In brief, e-lesson plans benefit teachers in many ways They not only save them a lot of time writing on the board and hanging the pictures, maps, graphs, etc but also make the teaching more systematic Furthermore, they provide teachers a combination of sounds, pictures, videos, charts and animations that help them easily explain difficult and complicated concepts thus increase teaching efficiency Last but not least, e-lesson plans are easy to create, modify and update

2.5.2 Advantages of using e-lesson plans to students

Moreover, by using multimedia, students not only hear the sounds but also see the pictures that represent the sounds Therefore, they can remember the content of the lessons better Peek (1987) states that when pictures and text are presented together, information retention is improved For Hanna and Remington (1996) color, as a stimulus, is a part of memory representation In addition, Coulthard and Hutchinson (1996) assert that graphics convey information more efficiently than texts alone Cashman and Shelly (2000) find that students learn most effectively when their five senses are involved Researchers have determined that individuals remember 10 percent

of what they read, 20 percent of what they hear, 30 percent of what they see, and an

amazing 70 percent when they both see and hear Therefore, e-lesson plans help students absorb teachers’ messages more easily and effectively

2.5.2.2 Motivation

Recent studies demonstrate that e-lesson plans increase students’ motivation by making the teaching more enjoyable and fun In addition, presenting information by using texts, sounds, videos, images, pictures, and animations makes the class alive and interesting Catherina (2006) indicates that students think PowerPoint based lectures are more interesting than traditional lectures Aly, Elen, and Willems (2004) added that PowerPoint based lectures focus attention and reduce distraction For Harrison (1999) PowerPoint enhances instruction and motivates students to learn Wong and Cheung (2003) also stress that “Visuals that are well designed can also help motivate students

to learn by attracting and maintaining their attention and meet the needs of those students who learn better through visual means.” Therefore, e-lesson plans designed using PowerPoint software are said to have great attractiveness for students

Generally, e-lesson plans bring much more advantages to students The pictures, animations, sounds and videos inserted can greatly enhance the effectiveness of the lessons It helps the students absorb the information more easily and thus remember the lessons better Much more important, they make them interested in the content of the lessons

2.6 Disadvantages of using e-lesson plans

Using e-lesson plans in teaching nowadays is an indispensable trend This represents the school and all the teachers’ endeavor and efforts in applying ICT in teaching and learning From teaching practice, teaching with e-lesson plans shows the advantages that traditional methods can not keep up Although e-lesson plans compiled using PowerPoint software can enhance the effectiveness of English language teaching, there remain many problems that the teachers and students have to encounter

2.6.1 Disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to teachers

In the process of implementing e-lesson plans in teaching and learning, e-lesson plans cause some problems to teachers The problems can be categorized into technical problems, time problems and class management problems

2.6.1.1 Technical problems

The first problem is related to technology It happens when the computer does not work

as usual or when there is a power-cut (Dudeney & Hockly, 2007) The teachers become passive because of not preparing a substitute way of teaching Another situation is when there are mistakes of presentation such as fonts, effects, and sounds even the power runs out when the lesson is being carried out (Lưu Lâm, 2002) Hence, before teaching the teacher needs to make sure that electric power, computer, projector and e-lesson plans are all ready

2.6.1.2 Time problems

The next disadvantage of e-lesson plans is the matter of time There is the fact that an effective and impressive lesson plan on Power Point often takes teachers much time to prepare (Vu Van Khanh, 2009) What the teacher has to do are searching and collecting the pictures and videos, redesigning the slides, typing the words on the slides, choosing font, inserting pictures/ images, sounds related to the lessons and choosing custom animations (Hoang Duc Huy, 2003) If the teachers have good skills of using Power Point, they can design the e-lesson plans on Power Point as quickly as possible On the contrary, composing an e-lesson plans is a hard and time-consuming work for teachers with limited computer knowledge For these reasons, many teachers are reluctant to invest their time to compile e-lesson plans

In addition to the above disadvantages, there is a fact that many teachers download the available e-lesson plans on the website or use other e-lesson plans without adapting for

the use of their own class As a result, sometimes the teachers can not exploit the effect

of the lesson plans as well as the composers’ intention This not only restricts their creativeness but also affects teaching and learning efficiency

2.6.1.3 Class management problems

One more disadvantage of using e-lesson plans is bad class-management Klemm (2007) proved that a majority of the teachers are just clicking the mouse when they are giving lectures Therefore, they just sit in front of the computers without leaving their chairs instead of interacting with students As a result they cannot control and supervise the class Nguyen Duc Hiep (2005) with some other teachers carried out a small investigation with twenty questions found out that some lazy students take advantage of the time teachers pay attention to the screen to do other things

In summary, previous researchers demonstrated that teachers faced many problems in implementing e-lesson plans The problems consist of technology, time and class management problems

2.6.2 Disadvantages of using e-lesson plans to students

2.6.2.1 Note-taking problems

For the students, the first problem is related to taking notes Nguyen Duc Hiep (2005)

in his study reports that students almost fail to take notes with e-lesson plans Many students who are being used to copying teachers’ notes on the board will find it hard to take notes from the presentation slides which are being presented too fast Consequently, there are many situations in which students fail to listen to what teachers say since they are busy copying the information on the slides

2.6.2.2 Distraction

Another disadvantage of learning with e-lesson plans is sometimes the students pay too

much attention to the strange animations, the funny pictures instead of the content of the lesson As a result, there is nothing remaining in their mind after the lessons except for the strange animations and the funny pictures Moreover, the overusing of pictures

as well as unnecessary illustrations makes them find it hard to concentrate on the content of the lessons

Miltenoff (2003) points out teachers usually give too much information in one class because it takes them less time to click on the mouse than to write on the board Thus, students find it hard to follow what teachers present In addition, students are easily overwhelmed with a large amount of information given in the PowerPoint presentations

In summary, the most common problems that students encounter are related to note taking and concentrating on the lesson due to the over use of animations and pictures

2.7 Barriers to the use of e-lesson plans

It cannot be denied that an e-lesson plan is a powerful tool in the educational environment It brings about much more advantages compared with the traditional teaching method with chalk and board However, there are still some obstacles which prevent the implementation of e-lesson plans in teaching and learning English For example, to use the e-lesson plans, there have to be a great investment from computer, projectors and even suitable function rooms which is rather difficult in the educational system nowadays In addition, because of limited knowledge and skills in using computer, many teachers avoid using e-lesson plans

Many studies have been done concerning the factors that are barriers to the adoption of new technology Jone (2004) and Daugherty and Funke (1998) and Le Cong Triem (2004) find out that the Barriers to the use of e-lesson plans consist of: teachers’ lack of confidence, lack of time to use, lack of effective trainings, technical problems while in use, teachers’ age and the running cost

2.7.1 Lack of teachers’ confidence

Several studies proved that the lack of confidence prevents teachers from implementing e-lesson plans in the teaching context Albirini (2006) states that teachers’ lack of confidence in using new technology is one of the obstacles to its use For Becta (2004) the teachers, who feel unskilled in ICT, are anxious about using it in front of students Although e-lesson plans have been in use for a long time, there is a fact that many teachers find it uncomfortable to use this teaching tool Therefore, a majority of them feel it safer to teach with chalk and board This leads to the reality that many teachers avoid using e-lesson plans as far as they can

2.7.2 Lack of time to use

Becta (2004) and Rodden (2010) indicate that teachers make little use of classroom technology due to lack of time For the teachers, preparing an e-lesson plan takes the teachers more time and effort compared with traditional lesson plans What the teacher has to do are searching and collecting the pictures and videos, redesigning the slides, typing the words on the slides, choosing font, inserting pictures/ images, sounds related

to listening lessons and choosing custom animations ( Bien Van Minh, 2008) This is one of the major obstacles that prevent them from implementing e-lesson plans in the teaching context

2.7.3 Lack of effective trainings

Many studies demonstrated that successful integration of new technology requires frequent training and professional development Therefore teachers’ lack of knowledge about computer as well as computer skills is considered one of the barriers (Albirini, 2006) To use e-lesson plans, the teachers not only have to be experienced in teaching English but also need certain knowledge about ICT Much more important, they have to

be trained in composing e-lesson plans and using related equipments such as projectors and computers In reality, however, not all the teachers can meet these requirements

2.7.4 Technical problems while in use

Encountering technical problems is unavoidable when using technology in the

classroom It happens when the computer does not work as usual or when there is a power cut Furthermore, sometimes teachers encounter font, size, and animations mistakes Unfortunately, this is one of the reasons that many teachers are still hesitating

in applying e-lesson plans in their teaching (Dudeney & Hockly, 2007)

2.7.5 Teachers’ age

It is said that young teachers are more willing to adopt technology and ICT in their

teaching than the older ones Kumar et al (2008) conclude that teachers’ age is a

significant barrier to the use of ICT Rosen and Weil (1995) in a questionnaire based study of 485 teachers in Southern California report older teachers often have high level

of computer anxiety compared with younger teachers This can be seen clearly in many remote schools where ICT seems to be something far away Apart from the young teachers who received training about composing e-lesson plans at university, a majority

of experienced teachers appear to be unfamiliar with e-lesson plans

2.7.6 Running cost

Baskin and Williams (2006) conclude that lack of money is one of the barriers to the implementation of new technology To use e-lesson plans, the school has to invest much money on equipping classrooms with computers and projectors In reality, not all schools can do this In some schools, there are only a few classrooms equipped with necessary equipments for using e-lesson plans

In shorts, the obstacles that act against the implementation of e-lesson plans consist of teachers’ lack of confidence, lack of time to use, lack of effective trainings, technical problems while in use, teachers’ age and running cost

2.8 Chapter summary

The chapter, to some extent, has introduced the conceptual framework guiding the current study It first clarifies the concept of lesson plans, lectures and e-lesson plans The chapter then gives an analysis of the advantages of using e-lesson plans to both teachers and students In general, e-lesson plans benefit teachers and students in many ways The most noticeable advantages of using e-lesson plans are that they increase teaching and learning efficiency and motivate students to learn English The chapter also includes the problems teachers and students usually encounter when teaching and learning with e-lesson plans The most frequent problems that teachers encounter are related to technology, time and class management The problems that students usually encounter consist of taking notes and distraction Furthermore, this part of the study reviews in detail the tools and steps of composing an e-lesson plan Moreover, some barriers to the use of e-lesson plans in teaching English are also indicated The common barriers are teachers’ lack of confidence, lack of time to use, lack of effective trainings, technical problems while in use, teachers’ age and running cost Lastly, it gives out the definition of attitude and the important role of attitudes This chapter is the theoretical foundation for the data analysis of the study

Based on the literature reviewed in this chapter, the study examined the teachers’ perceptions of using e-lesson plans and how the tenth graders at Le Thanh Hien High School actually respond to teaching English through this teaching tool The instruments, the participants, the research methodology and data analysis methods that were used to achieve these objectives are discussed in the next chapter

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

As stated in chapter I, the purpose of the current study is to explore teachers and learners’ attitudes towards teaching English from e-lesson plans for the tenth graders

at Le Thanh Hien High School It also explores the usage of e-lesson plans in teaching English at this school This chapter shows how the study was carried out and presents the methodology that was used to conduct the study Furthermore, it describes the research design and procedures used to carry out this research It describes, in detail, the participants that were selected for this study and the setting in which the study was conducted Finally, the data collection instruments and procedures of data analysis that were involved in the study are presented

3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN

A descriptive research design was employed to understand teachers’ perceptions of using e-lesson plans and how the tenth graders at Le Thanh Hien High School respond

to teaching English from e-lesson plans Descriptive research was chosen for it is used

to describe achievement, attitudes, behaviors or other characteristics of a group of subjects (Shumacher, 2001, p283) According to Khan (1990), descriptive method is concerned with the present and attempts to determine the status of the phenomenon under investigation Furthermore, it provides descriptions of phenomena that occur naturally, without the intervention of an experiment or an artificially contrived

treatment (Seliger, 1989, p116)

This study also employed features of quantitative and qualitative research methods Questionnaires and interviews were used as instruments to collect data for the study Questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data about teachers and learners’ attitudes In addition, interviews with selected participants provided qualitative data for gaining an insight into teachers’ attitudes towards the advantages and disadvantages of

using e-lesson plans and the usage of e-lesson plans in teaching English at this high school

3.2 THE SETTING

The study was conducted at Le Thanh Hien High School in Cai Be district, Tien Giang province This is a small school in the countryside with 31 classes and about 1300 students in total Among them, there were twelve tenth grade classes, ten eleventh grade classes and nine twelfth classes The English textbooks used in this school include “English 10” (Tieng Anh 10), “English 11” (Tieng Anh 11), and “English 12” (Tieng Anh 12) which are the continuation of the English textbooks at Secondary school published by the MOET in 2006

All the students at this school had been learning English for at least four years before entering high school and they were required to take English as one of their compulsory subjects All of them had 5 English periods per week However, almost all the students attended the English class with little interest and not any specific purposes in their mind Moreover, a majority of students were not really good at English In addition, all

of them rarely used English in their life As a result, when they needed to use English to communicate, they found it really difficult Their goal in learning English in general was just to pass the exams Therefore, enhancing the quality of teaching English and improving students’ English competence at this school were given much consideration and attention from the teachers and the administrators

Implementing ICT in education is one of the strategies that Tien Giang Province applies to improve teaching efficiency especially using e-lesson plans E-lesson plans have been implemented in some High Schools in Tien giang province since 2002 However, they were used widely at Le Thanh Hien High School in 2006 In order to respond to the direction No 55/2008 on September 9th, 2008 of the MOET on strengthening teaching, training and applying ICT in education period 2008-2012, all

the teachers at this school are encouraged to use e-lesson plans in their teaching Especially, the school year 2008-2009 has the theme "Strengthening applying IT in education – training” Therefore, teachers are required to teach with e-lesson plans when taking part in teaching contests and having demo teachings In addition, each teacher has to hand in at least one model e-lesson plan to Tien Giang DOET every year

To help teachers be more confident in teaching with e-lesson plans, in recent years, Tien Giang DOET organizes training courses in composing e-lesson plans for high schools throughout the province The e-lesson plans as guided by DOET comprise two parts One is the “background” lesson plan in which teachers explain clearly aims, procedure; approaches and activities; materials; aids and equipments; information about the students and anticipated problems as a normal lesson plan The other part is the e-lecture composed using one of the specialized sofwares such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Violet All the e-lesson plans are being used at Le Thanh Hien High School follow this model This is also the foundation that the researcher based on when conducting the study