Faculty of Arts, Education & Human Development

ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET Family Name: Phan

First Name: Đình Tuấn

Student ID Number: 3902491

Unit Code: AED5009 Unit Title: INNOVATION

Assignment Title: THE TEACHER USE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY FOR MOTIVATING ENGLISH MAJORS IN EFL SPEAKING CLASSES AT BENTRE COLLEGE IN VIETNAM: A CASE STUDY

Name of Lecturer: Marilyn Hubner

Tutorial Group (Day & Time):

Date Submitted: 3. 1. 2012

Student Contact Telephone No./Student Email Address: Telephone No. +84908.999.466 Email address: tuanphandinh@yahoo.com

PLAGIARISM AND COLLUSION

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CONSEQUENCES OF PLAGIARISM AND COLLUSION

A student found guilty of plagiarism will be subject to some or all of the following: Referral to Course Coordinator for: counseling; submission of further work; use of the services of Student Learning Unit; the placing of a record of the alleged infringement on the student’s file. Referral of the matter to the Head of School for: issuing of written warning; re-submission of work for assessment or the undertaking of another form of assessment such as an oral or unseen examination; allocation of a fail grade to part or all of the assessment; allocation a fail grade to the subject. Referral of the matter to the Dean for: suspension from the course; official disciplinary action by the University Disciplinary Committee

STUDENT DECLARATION

I DECLARE THAT THIS ASSIGNMENT IS ORIGINAL AND HAS NOT BEEN SUBMITTED FOR ASSESSMENT ELSEWHERE.

I DECLARE THAT THIS ASSIGNMENT IS MY OWN WORK AND DOES NOT INVOLVE PLAGIARISM OR COLLUSION.

I GIVE MY CONSENT FOR THE ELECTRONIC VERSION TO BE EXAMINED BY RELEVANT PLAGIARISM SOFTWARE PROGRAMS.

I HAVE MADE A PHOTOCOPY OR ELECTRONIC COPY OF MY ASSIGNMENT, WHICH I CAN PRODUCE IF THE ORIGINAL IS LOST FOR ANY

REASON.

SIGNED: DATED: 3. 1. 2012

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ……..……………………….……………………..………...…….. 5

INTRODUCTION ……………………….……………………..………...…….. 6

LITERATURE REVIEW.………………….….…………………………....….. 8

What is ET? ………………………………………………….……………..... 8

How does ET affect EFL teaching and learning? ………...…………..…… 9

1. Positive Et impacts on EFL learner learning ………….……………..….. 10

2. Positive Et impacts on EFL learner speaking skill …….….……………...12

3. Challenges to EFL teachers and students …………………………….…. 15

METHODOLOGY ……………………………………………………..………16

Participants …………………………………..…………………..……..……. 16

Instruments and Procedures …………………………………….….………. 17

Data Analysis …………………………………………….……..……….…… 19

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ………………………………………………. 19

Classroom Observations…………………………………………….……….. 19

1. Student Attitudes in EFL Speaking Classes……………………………... 20

2. The Effectiveness of ET Teaching Tools in EFL Speaking Classes…….. 20

3. ET challenges to EFL teachers and learners………………………………21

A Beneficial Motivation for English Majors in EFL Speaking Classes..…. 21

1. Have better speaking outcomes ………….………………………….…... 21

2. Change in student learning attitudes and roles ………………...….…….. 24

3. Create a new learning environment ………………………………….…. 28

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Challenges to EFL Learners and Teachers ………………………………... 30

CONCLUSION …………….……………………………………..…………… 32

REFERENCE …………………………………………….……………………. 34

APPENDICES………………………………………………………………….. 37

Appendix 1: Questionnaire Form…………..…………………..……..…….. 37

Appendix 2: Scanned Student Answer Sheets……………………………….39

Appendix 3: Questions for the Interviews……………….……..……….….. 69

Appendix 4: Notes on the Interviews ……………………………………….. 70

Appendix 5: Pictures ………………………………………………………… 73

1. Pictures of the trip to Cambodia ………………………………………….. 73

2. Pictures of the trip to Singapore ………………………………………….. 75

3. Pictures of the participants from Class K7 ……………………………….. 76

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THE TEACHER USE

OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

FOR MOTIVATING ENGLISH MAJORS

IN EFL SPEAKING CLASSES

AT BENTRE COLLEGE IN VIETNAM:

A CASE STUDY

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ABSTRACT

Much has been said about the educational technology (ET). Jhurree (2005,

p. 468) points out that both developed and developing countries are aiming their

efforts at education reforms by applying technology in education and training in

order to gain greater economic, social, educational achievements. Vietnam is not

an exception. Education reforms in Vietnam make positive changes. In parallel

with recent changes in course books, teacher training, testing systems and

evaluations, great changes in teaching methods by using ET are considered as key

strategies.

This research aims at obtaining an in – depth understanding of ET

advantages and disadvantages of teaching and learning English as a foreign

language (EFL). This paper is a qualitative case study carried out at Bentre

College in Bentre Province, Vietnam. It is based on data collected through

surveys, research reviews, observations and discussions. The data are qualitatively

analyzed to show how ET affects EFL teaching and learning, especially English

majors’ speaking skill at Bentre College. Indications are given with regard to EFL

teaching and learning at Bentre College.

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INTRODUCTION

Education is the motivation and goal for development. Most countries in the world

would like to boost their social and economic developments through education

reforms. Like other countries, Vietnam has confirmed the roles of education in the

society, especially, in the period of global integration and development. It has

been realized that the national growth, prosperity and glory derive from

innovations in education. That is why Vietnam has been carrying out reforms in

education to meet these new requirements.

In Vietnam educational reforms, educational technology (ET) has played a bigger

and bigger role in teaching and learning English as foreign language (EFL). To

integrate itself into this trend in the national education, Bentre College of Bentre

Province has made special efforts to implement ET as one of the key strategies to

upgrade the provincial educational outcomes. However, the benefits of ET in EFL

teaching and learning at Bentre College have not been seen clearly and have not

been convincing enough for further investment in new ET. Some teachers who

apply ET in their teaching call for more attention to ET and ask for more

technological facilities. Some others who do not use ET hold the view that ET is

quite useful but expensive. Others who lack skills and knowledge of ET think it a

waste of time and money while administrators prefer building more new

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classrooms to equipping the old ones with modern technologies due to the

increasing number of new students and financial difficulties. All of them seem

partially rational and logical and thus leave a gap for arguments for or against the

use of ET at Bentre College. It is also because there has not been any research on

this in the context of Bentre Province, one of the poorest provinces in Vietnam.

And even though much research on ET impacts, EFL learning and teaching, and

their relationship has been carried out all over the world, researchers have still had

points of difference in pedagogical benefits (Jhurree, 2005, p. 467). Some claim

that ET has shed light on these positive changes which improves EFL students

learning outcomes (Dix, 2005, p. 15). Others, however, think ET may hinder EFL

teaching and learning on account of students’ stress and the lack of technological

tools such as computers, relevant hardware and software, and overhead projectors

(Abbas, Z. & Abbas, S., 2010, p. 14).

Attempts to make these clear and to reach a public agreement about the teacher

use of ET in the Vietnamese context of EFL classrooms at Bentre College have led

me to a study on the ET impacts on EFL learning, particularly on students’

speaking skill, and some possible challenges which EFL teachers and students

may face due to the lack and weakness of facilities, technological infrastructures,

knowledge of information and communication technology (ICT)…. In this paper,

however, I would like to deal with only two questions:

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a. How does the teacher use of ET motivate English majors in EFL speaking

classes at Bentre College; and

b. What do the results of this study imply for teachers of EFL, English majors,

and administrators at Bentre College?

In order to unpack the two research questions above, I would like to get a full

understanding of the research questions and useful methods which are often

employed in a qualitative case study. This paper is based on data collected through

surveys, research reviews, classroom observations and discussions. The data are

qualitatively analysed to show how ET affects EFL teaching and learning,

especially English majors’ speaking skill and some possible ET challenges to EFL

teachers and learners at Bentre College. Finally, suggestions are given to improve

the EFL teaching and learning at Bentre College.

LITERATURE REVIEW

What is ET?

There are various definitions of ET. According to Wikipedia (2011), a free

encyclopedia, ET is

“… most simply and comfortably defined as an array of tools that might prove

helpful in advancing student learning and may be measured in how and why

individuals behave. Educational Technology relies on a broad definition of the

word "technology." Technology can refer to material objects of use to

humanity, such as machines or hardware, but it can also encompass broader

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themes, including systems, methods of organization, and techniques.”

(retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_technology on 5th

August, 2011)

Besides, Abbas, Z. and Abbas, S. (2010, p. 14) consider it as a set of

educational tools used in the classroom. They go into details that ET relatively

represents new electronic media such as computers, overhead projectors, internet,

hardware and software.

In different study areas of technology in education, other researchers use other

words such as new technology (García, 2009), ICT (Eng, 2005), computer –

assisted language learning (CALL) (AbuSeileek, 2007), information technology

(IT) (Anderson, 2005), multimedia (Liu, 2010), artificial intelligence (Yang,

2007), or learning technology (Dix, 2005) to refer to the integration of technology

inside and outside the classrooms at different levels.

In brief, ET is a set of tools of technologies used inside and outside classrooms.

Some of them are computers, hardware, software, websites, wikis, wireless

classroom microphones, mobile devices, interactive whiteboards, LCD or

overhead projectors, online media, digital games, and podcasts.

How does ET Affect EFL Teaching and Learning?

Anderson (2005, p. 1) and Bahrani (2011, p. 162) state that technology has

changed the world considerably for some last decades. In the field of education,

though some researchers have doubts about the effectiveness of ET, most

researchers agree that ET has good effects on EFL teaching and learning (Abbas,

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Z. & Abbas, S., 2010, p. 13). In particular, ET has positive impacts on EFL

student learning (Dix, 2005, pp. 15-17; Eng, 2005, p. 635) and especially learner

speaking skill (Bahrani, 2011, p. 162; Yang, 2007, p. 5) in a new learning

environment (Jhurree, 2005, p. 467; AbuSeileek, 2007, p. 510). However, ET has

brought EFL teachers and students some challenges which may hinder learner

learning (Liu, 2010, p. 193).

1. Positive ET impacts on EFL learner learning

Most researchers conclude that ET has positive impacts on EFL learner learning.

They have points of similarity and difference in the level of the impacts of ET on

EFL learner learning, in study areas and in study scales.

The levels of ET impacts on EFL learner learning are reported differently.

Some previous works show that the use of ET is “something vital” in the English

classroom (García, 2009, p. 84), main educational investment in improving student

learning outcomes (Dix, 2005) and “a need for a change” in language teaching -

leaning methods (García, 2009, p.90; Anderson, 2005, p. 3). They all explain that

ET is a key educational tool of innovation which makes great progress in learner

learning. However, some others downgrade the effects. Eng (2005, pp. 646-648)

has found that ET has “a positive although small effect on the learning of

students” because, in the conclusion, he emphasizes the fact that

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“There will be a time of adjustment and adaptation by the principals, teachers

and students as each seeks to find its place in the new learning environment

and interacts with the new technology.” (p. 649)

The focuses on study areas of ET are various. Dix (2005) has a more particular

look at changes in learning attitudes that ET brings to learners. These learning

attitudes are towards school and school learning, motivation, gender differences,

computers… Whereas, Anderson (2005) focuses on how each type of IT plays its

role in teaching – learning. By analyzing the changes in learning attitudes and IT

roles into their related parts which are explained and proved with diagrams and

minute detail evidently, Dix (2005) and Anderson (2005) make ET effects on

student learning clearer and more specific. In other words, their different focuses

and approaches make the understanding of good ET impacts on learning complete.

Researchers do their studies on different scales. Bahrani (2011) compares ET

roles in ESL context with ET roles in EFL one. AbuSeileek (2007) notices the

individual versus cooperative learning in one ET setting. Moreover, Bahrani

(2011), Yang (2007) and AbuSeileek (2007) centre their studies on particular ET

effects on student learning such as good ET effects on speaking fluency, oral

skills whereas Eng (2005) centres his study on a general one such as ICT impacts

on learning. In spite of these differences, all of them come to the same conclusion:

ET benefits EFL learner learning.

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In brief, these differences in choosing the study areas or scales and in

evaluating the levels of ET impacts on EFL learning result from researchers’

different methods and educational settings of research including time, places,

technical infrastructures, the degree of ET integration, and the amount and

frequency of ET use in teaching and learning process.

2. Positive ET impacts on EFL learner speaking skill

One of the biggest problems that EFL learners face is how to improve speaking

fluency in the EFL context where English is not spoken dominantly and where the

EFL students lack motivation and social interaction (Bahrani, 2011, pp. 162-164).

Researchers admit that speaking skill is difficult to be acquired due to the lack of

practice time, materials... With the teacher use of technology, EFL leaner speaking

skill is promoted. Findings prove that ET helps motivate and develop EFL learner

speaking skill.

First, the EFL learning environment can be changed by the use of ET. Rogers

claims that in English as a second language (ESL) context, English is “the official

language where language learners acquire English through social interaction”, that

there is not such social interaction in the EFL context, and that thanks to ET, EFL

learners have this kind of interaction (2004 cited in Bahrani, 2011, pp. 162-163).

Therefore, ET brings EFL learners a new EFL context with another language

input. Social interaction through the use of different technologies has positive

influences on English speaking fluency. It encourages informal language learning.

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This kind of language input enhances speaking fluency and motivates EFL

learners to speak English freely in different social contexts (Bahrani, 2011).

AbuSeileek (2007), second, reports that students’ speaking ability are

motivated and improved as a result of the teacher use of ET in EFL classrooms. In

his view, ET provides learners with a plenty of chances to “use language

interactively in authentic situations such as watching movies, listening to and

chatting to native speakers”. In this case, EFL learner speaking skill is

significantly motivated. They are more involved in language practice than usual

because most of their EFL teachers are non – native speakers. This is one of

Yang’s strongest findings (2007).

Third, ET offers EFL learners psychological benefits. Hata notices some

students are shy, passive and afraid to speak in class (2003 cited in AbuSeileek,

2007, p.495). Language learners of this kind need a friendlier environment which

motivates learners to express orally in English without the fear that their identities

are uncovered. In this case, a computer is an excellent tool which gives immediate

feedback and which is more patient and non – judgmental. This makes EFL

learners feel free from fear of teacher and peer judgment when they make

mistakes, and thus enhance their motivation and engagement. AbuSeileek (2007)

stresses that students can get help electronically and that they are “not worried in

face to face debate” (p. 495).

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“Thus, students would be less embarrassed to participate or ask because their

identities are not disclosed. Using this technique would provide the learners

the opportunity to interact in a non – threatening atmosphere.” (p.495)

This ethic impact is always highly appreciated. Not every researcher cares for that

matter. Furthermore, ET is not only important to shy learners’ speaking skill but

also to all learners’ one. ET creates a new cooperative environment enabling all

learners to work in pairs and in groups of different learners interactively. When

other kinds of learners work interactively in an ET environment, “the effectiveness

of performing a language task” upgrades (AbuSeileek, 2007, p.494). All learners

equal in ET benefits in a particular way.

ET, finally, contributes to teacher development leading to an innovative

teaching methodology. EFL teachers need to update their teaching methodology.

And there is evidence that EFL learners need their teachers to change teaching

methods. Obviously, the student need for new teaching methods is appropriate not

only because

“The traditional methods are not very motivating for present – students, since

they have grown up surrounded by ICT” (García, 2009, p. 84)

but also because

“Present – day teenagers are so stimulated by all kinds of means of

communication that we need to adapt our methods to this fact, if we, as

teachers, want to motivate them.” (García, 2009, p. 90)

The teacher use of ET which shifts pedagogical methods from teacher –

centredness to student – centredness (Anderson, 2007) meets this learner need.

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From that, learners are provided with more opportunities, time, learning activities,

resources available online and interact computer programs to boost their speaking

skill in a communicative way (Yang, 2007, p. 5).

3. Challenges to EFL teachers and students

Although ET does help EFL learners facilitate their learning and gain much

progress, ET challenges EFL teaching – learning process. ET challenges to EFL

teachers and students are visible and sometimes negative effects have been found

(Eng, 2007, p. 648).

The lack of teacher training is a real challenge. Teachers do not have enough

proper training of ICT, technical support, and computer lab technicians (Abbas, Z.

& Abbas, S., 2010, p. 14). This results in the lack of ET skills and knowledge of

ICT which may decrease the effectiveness of teacher use of ET and hinder student

learning.

One difficulty of the use of ET is the lack of a good infrastructure. Schools do

not have enough software, hardware, keyboarding, computer labs, and

projectors… due to the high cost of technology (Abbas, Z. & Abbas, S., 2010, p.

14 & Wikipeadia, 2011). This affects the amount and frequency of teacher ET use,

and thus limit student learning.

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Another disadvantage is the cause of both physical and mental health

problems. Long hours of focusing on the screen with pictures, graphics, video

clips, sound and animation tire students’ eyes and stress them (Liu, 2010, p. 193).

These health problems also result from the overuse of ET.

Finally, with the support of the electronic resources from the internet, both

teachers and learners seem to lose their direction. They feel lost or do not know

what to choose (Liu, 2010, p. 193). He explains that the teachers make lesson

plans or compile the teaching materials according to their interests and thus the

learners turn out to be rather passive in the so – called new learning environment.

METHODOLOGY

Participants

The participants of this study were 15 English second – year - students of a three –

year – college and one speaking teacher in the Social Sciences and Humanities

Department of Bentre College in Bentre Province, Vietnam. Most of them lived

and finished their high school in rural districts where the living conditions were

difficult and ET was not applied much in education. The students were from class

K8 of 42 students. They were studying English speaking skill in the third semester

(Speaking 3), using a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation in group of five every

week to talk about one topic in the textbook “Well Spoken”. It is written by

Gaynor Ramsey and Hilary Rees – Parnall and published by Longman Singapore

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Publishers Pte Ltd. in 1992. In the classroom, there was a computer, an overhead

projector, speakers, and internet access. Specific ways in which ET was used in

speaking classes at Bentre College include: making teacher or student Microsoft

PowerPoint presentations, watching films in the target language and showing

images to prompt discussion. These students had spent the first year studying their

speaking skill without ET tools.

Another participant was a speaking teacher who was teaching English majors

from many different speaking classes including the first, the second and the last

year students at Bentre College. Each class was held three 45 - minute - periods a

week. Each semester lasts 15 weeks and each course has six semesters. The

speaking skill is taught from semester 1 to semester 5 called Speaking 1, 2, 3, 4

and 5 respectively.

Instruments and Procedures

First, a questionnaire was handed out to each student to get the students’

information and ideas about the teacher use of ET in teaching EFL at Bentre

College. It was conducted after they started Speaking 3 for ten weeks. The

questionnaire with nine questions (see Appendix 1) focuses on what is their need

for motivating their speaking skill and how they think of the teacher use of ET in

speaking class. These questions are of both open – ended and close – ended ones

such as multiple choice, Wh-questions and short answer questions.

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To make sure that the students had enough time to think of the answers well,

the questionnaire would be returned three days later. Moreover, because I wanted

to encourage the students to present all what they know and they feel, I asked them

to write the answers in either English or Vietnamese or both. And in order to

increase the participants’ motivation and honesty, I copied Gracía’s lines (2009) in

a questionnaire:

In this questionnaire there are not correct or incorrect questions. It is completely

anonymous. Please answer with honesty. (Gracía, 2009, p.86)

In the context of Bentre College, this statement, which helps the participants

feel free, is considered ethical. It is completely comfortable when respondents

know they are safe, free and unviolated.

The interviews, secondly, with the speaking teacher were carried out twice in the

fifth and the tenth week of the third semester. Besides the questions (see Appendix

3), we shared almost everything about teaching speaking classes with and without

ET tools at Bentre College. We also discussed the ways to motivate English

majors to speak English more and more in the class. Because both of us have been

working at Bentre College for years, the conversations are open and comfortable.

Last, I paid a practical trip to Singapore for 4 days (from 24th to 27th November

2011) to see the SFL context where English is the official language and the

applied technology in life and education in this high technology country. From

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that, it helps me appreciate the difficulties of EFL context of Vietnam. The

knowledge from this trip and another one to Cambodia in July, 2011 has greatly

affected my view on EFL teaching and learning, especially the EFL teaching and

learning environment in Vietnam.

Data Analysis

After collecting all the data, I grouped the answers of the student questionnaire

into two groups to serve the two research questions. In that way, answers to

question 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9 were mainly for the first research question. The

other answers and the findings from the first research question were basically for

the second one. All the answer sheets were marked from student 1 to student 15 in

which some phrases were translated into English because most of the participants

preferred Vietnamese in their answers. Information of the interviews was done in

the same way. The raw data from the questionnaire, interviews and my

observation were carefully scanned and typed into a file and analyzed

qualitatively.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Classroom Observations

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I had many chances to observe English speaking classes because I was teaching

speaking skill to the first and second year English majors. I have experienced these

following things:

1. Student Attitudes in EFL Speaking Classes

I asked myself whether my students were passive or not. Sometimes, I would say

“No, they were absolutely not passive”. On some days, students were eager,

active, and energetic. Other days, it seemed like nothing I did could get students to

willingly participate in class. I asked a question, and no one was willing to answer.

However, if I called on a specific student, he or she was often more than able to

provide a thorough reply. This gave me the impression that students were perhaps

not used to being expected to participate voluntarily, and were instead only used to

being called on by teachers.

2. The Effectiveness of ET Teaching Tools in EFL Speaking Classes

In some periods, what was seen and heard indicated that ET tools motivated every

single student to speak and got the students engaged in speaking activities through

video clips or pictures. They were willing to do that. But in some other periods,

because the topics might be out of student interest or there was nothing impressive

to show on the screen, they kept silent or reverted to using Vietnamese during

group activities. They used Vietnamese as a crutch rather than built their English

communication skills. It might be difficult for them to express what they wanted in

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English at that time. But, surely, it would not get any easier if they continued to

avoid the challenge.

3. ET challenges to EFL teachers and learners

I do not perceive any specific difficulties related to language education with ET.

However, if students are expected to generate materials using ET, like

presentations, it may be challenging for students with minimal knowledge of or

access to the necessary technologies. Regarding student presentations using ET, if

their presentations have grammatical errors, it may reinforce the same errors in

their peers’ English.

A Beneficial Motivation for English Majors in EFL Speaking Classes

According to the survey results and my classroom observations, the teacher use of

ET does motivate English majors in EFL speaking classes greatly because ET

helps students:

1. Have better speaking outcomes

Firstly, there is a need for ET tools to improve English majors’ speaking

outcomes. All of the answers to question 1 are yes. The students needed the

teacher use of ET in speaking classes. They explained in the answer to question 2

that ET generally made their learning outcome better and motivated them to speak

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English more. What the participants thought about the teacher use of ET in EFL

speaking classes were as follows:

Student 2: ET motivates me to speak more. We can find information by

ourselves. All group members can speak more confidently.

Student 4: Many things are improved.

Student 7: ET helps students learn more in speaking classes. With ET, students

can widen their knowledge much more than usual (with textbooks).

Student 8: We know how to learn by ourselves.

Student 10: ET can help students speak more because they can learn and play

at the same time.

…

Based on the answers to question 1, 2 and 3 (see Table 1 below), therefore, the

finding is that ET tools help the students learn better because they are motivated so

much to engage more in the EFL speaking classes. In other words, the teacher use

of ET is necessary and helpful.

Table 1: The importance of ET in improving English majors’ speaking skill

Question 3 How important is ET in improving your speaking skill?

Answer A. Very important B. Important C. Not important

Results 53,3% 40% 6,7%

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Secondly, the speaking teacher who I interviewed was also sure about many

visible advantages of ET in EFL speaking classes. When “Is it better to teach

speaking skill with ET tools than without ET tools?” was asked, she emphasized

the importance of language sources, saying that “I think ET can only help

language education. The more resources at a teacher’s and student’s disposal, the

better.” She also claimed that ET facilitated the incorporation of teaching aids

such as presentations, visual aids, and videos, which could increase student

interest and participation, and enabled the teacher to expose students to a variety

of language resources.

From what I observed the class, thirdly, I have recognized that students made good

progress in their pronunciation and intonation. They could speak English with

accuracy and fluency due to authentic language input through watching videos and

listening to native speakers. In other words, learning EFL with native – speakers

through ET also renews their long – term motivation and helps EFL learners keep

and adjust it for a long time. Yang (2007) emphasizes the importance of keeping

the motivation going. He believes that it is easy to see how to motivate learners,

but it is a big problem for teachers to maintain the motivation. In EFL teaching

process, to motivate learners is an important element and to keep motivating them

is a decisive one.

In brief, the teacher use of ET brings EFL learners enough good conditions so that

they can develop their speaking skill well.

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2. Change Student Learning Attitudes and Roles

All students agreed that students at Bentre College are passive ( see Table 2)

due to two main reasons:

1. They are shy, unconfident and uncomfortable to present their ideas in

English in class or to communicate with others.

2. They think that they are not good enough at speaking, scared of making

mistakes and lacking vocabulary to express ideas in English.

Table 2: The teacher use of ET makes students more active

Question

4. Are Bentre College students

passive?

5. Does the teacher use of ET make

you more active?

Answer Yes No Yes No

Results 100% 0% 93,3 6,7

Student 14 added that Bentre College students were quite passive, but it was a

common characteristic of all Vietnamese students. These reasons are relevant to

what I have learned about Vietnamese culture in general. As far as I know though

Vietnam is a place where many cultures from east to west meet, the Vietnamese

are most strongly influenced by the Confucian code of ethics and Buddhism. For

Confucianism, the man - to - man relationship is based on five bonds in which the

seniors are the decision - makers:

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1. Ruler to Ruled

2. Father to Son

3. Husband to Wife

4. Elder Brother to Younger Brother

5. Friend to Friend (“Confucianism”, 2011)

Today, Vietnamese people in some big cities like Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh are

not influenced very much by Confucianism any more because here traditional

values have been mixed with western ones. However, Confucianism in other

places like Bentre Province – a province of three islets in a rural place is still

strong. That is why the following things usually happen in Vietnamese classes:

Influenced by Confucianism, students feel rude if they interrupt,

question, or argue with their teacher. Language activities like role plays,

problem solving tasks, or information gap activities are strange to their

culture. When they fail to understand something, they are not daring

enough to ask for clarification in public for fear of losing their face.

They are not pro – active enough to initiate reaction, either. In the

classroom, they are expected to sit in silence unless the teacher calls

them individually to speak. When a particular student is called upon to

speak in class, her response tends to be very brief in the form of either a

phrase or a short sentence…If the student makes a mistake, the teacher

intervenes immediately because she has to make sure that the students

do not make mistakes. (Le, 1999)

For Buddhism, the five precepts below are training rules for a better life in

which people can have happiness and meditate well:

1. To refrain from taking life (non-violence towards sentient life

forms).

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2. To refrain from taking that which is not given (not committing

theft).

3. To refrain from sensual (including sexual) misconduct.

4. To refrain from lying (speaking truth always).

5. To refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss of mindfulness

(drugs and alcohol…) (“Buddhism”, 2011)

Both Confucian and Buddhist beliefs encourage Vietnamese people to be shy,

passive and modest. These are truly traditional values which have been shared

from one generation to another. And this can hinder learners much from being

active.

These religious concepts and beliefs have been transmitted through the

generations to produce an attitude towards life that may be perceived as

passive. Self-control is another traditional value of the Vietnamese.

Emotions are typically kept to oneself. They may be painful, distraught

and unhappy, yet they suffer in silence and in privacy and rarely

complain except perhaps to friends or relatives (Nguyen, D. 1985, p.

410).

The teacher use of ET made a change in student attitudes and roles. The teacher

participant agreed to this view and almost all of the participants confirmed that ET

made them more active (see Table 2). In the answers to question 2 and 9, the

participants clarified this.

Student 2: All group members can speak more confidently.

Student 3: Because the use of ET is new and interesting, all students support it.

Student 6: It makes us feel interested in studying more.

Student 8: ET helps me show what I know and how I learn to work in a group.

27

Student 9: We are more creative.

Student 14: ET shifts student roles from passive to active ones. We are self -

confident.

Dix (2005, p. 16) also demonstrates that ET makes positive changes in student

attitudes towards school learning and school motivation. These changes make

students arouse their interests, increase their motivation and adjust their learning

attitudes in a progressive way. In other words, the EFL learner roles change

resulting from ET integration. They shift from teacher – centredness to learner

centredness (Anderson, 2005). He describes the change in the following summary

(2005, p. 3):

Teacher – centred Learner – centred

Student role Passive recipient of

information Reproduces knowledge Learns as a solitary

activity

Student role Active participant in the

learning process Produces knowledge,

participates as at times expert Learns collaboratively with

others

Moreover, “The real potential of ICT is the way it changes learners”

(Anderson, 2005, p.4). As presented above, the learners are more active. One of

things EFL teachers should remember to do in order to develop student oral

communication skills is to encourage the learners to “open up and participate in

the classroom activities” (Vitthal, 2010, p. 9).

28

In the past, I thought the best ways to get students engaged were first to create a

lesson plan with an exciting topic and, second, to make activities that could force

students to participate. Now, in summary, the teacher use of ET is a real

innovation at Bentre College. With the use of ET, every single student speaks

English willingly, and they speak naturally and organically rather than read or

memorize some prepared reply. I do not force them to do it any longer. ET has

made positive changes in student learning attitudes and roles.

Create a New Learning Environment

All participants pointed out that ET created a new learning environment. This new

learning environment allowed them space and time and supplied them with new

and wider material resources to interact during the process of English learning and

teaching. It also made English learners become independent and active. With ET,

EFL students at Bentre College are in such a supportive environment.

Student 1: ET makes students feel comfortable, creative and confident.

Student 2: There are various pictures.

Student 8: ET widens students’ knowledge.

Student 10: ET creates an interesting learning environment.

Student 12: I spend more time studying and get more information.

Without ET tools, the EFL context of Bentre Province would be not supportive.

Under my observation, EFL students at Bentre College only spoke English in

29

class. Students would be said to be ridiculous and stupid if they spoke English in

public places where there were not any foreigners. English songs were rarely

heard. There were no local TV programs and newspapers in English. A few

posters, banners and electronic signs were in English. No social interactions were

surely in English.

According to Dang (2006, p. 599), EFL instruction must be in such a large

context from “the physical environment, the emotional environment”, and “the

whole school ethos”, to “the wider social environment, the political environment

and the cultural setting”. Dix (2007, p. 117) confirms that “The context included

all those factors outside the classroom that might influence teaching and learning.”

(See Figure 1)

Figure 1. The transactional model of the teaching and learning process

(McIlrath and Huitt, 1995, as cited in Dix, 2007, p. 117)

30

If we regard to the history of Vietnam wars, the current political system,

Confucius influences as presented above…, the EFL context of Vietnam does not

bring EFL learners as many advantages as the one of the neighboring country –

Cambodia where US dollars are used popularly and most of the signs, posters, and

banners include English.

Thanks to ET, the EFL context of Bentre Province is improved. ET can create

a virtual learning environment where EFL learners can enjoy psychological

benefits, social interaction and a friendlier learning atmosphere as the literature

review has stated above. It is proved that ET helps EFL students at Bentre College

spend more time studying and be active. When I asked them to make questions or

give their ideas about a topic in class, they kept silent. But when I asked them to

send their questions and ideas via email, half of the class did it. ET enhanced the

EFL context of Bentre Province.

Challenges to EFL Learners and Teachers

The ET challenges to EFL learners and teachers at Bentre College mainly result

rather from the lack of ET tools and of knowledge of computer science than the

use of ET tools.

Six English classes at Bentre College have one room equipped with one

overhead projector, one desktop computer with internet access and two speakers.

31

The participants explained that they did not have computers and each class needed

more ET tools.

Student 1: The College should provide more equipment such as TV, overhead

projectors.

Student 4: There should be one computer for each student.

Student 5: There should be one desktop computer for the teacher in the

classroom

The result also showed that ET implementation at Bentre College was hard due

to the lack of knowledge of ICT. Students did not have enough practice time with

computers when they were asked to make student PowerPoint presentation.

Teachers were not well – trained. The interviewee claimed that “ET is as effective

as the teacher makes it. In other words, it depends on the teacher.” Therefore,

lacking proper training of ET is serious because ET training is essential.

“Similar to learning a new task or trade, special training is vital to ensuring

the effective integration of classroom technology. Since technology is not

the end goal of education, but rather a means by which it can be

accomplished, educators must have a good grasp of the technology being

used and its advantages over more traditional methods.” (Wikipedia, 2011)

Besides, learning how to use ET effectively takes a lot of time, especially,

when ET is changing rapidly. If the teacher is not well – trained in using ET, the

32

teacher use of ET will have negative effects such as wasting time, causing

technical problems, decreasing student learning outcomes…

These difficulties may hinder EFL learner learning, but they also imply another

thing: if ET preparations are made properly, it will work.

CONCLUSION

Doherty (2011) states that “There are many approaches to educational research”

and that researchers use various methodological approaches to serve different aims

of the study (p.381). Among educational research methodologies is a case study

proven to be effective for the research purposes. I have found this truth in my

research on ET impacts in the context of Bentre Province.

What I have also found are relevant to the previous research. The findings are not

surprising but convincing enough for teachers and administrators to pay more

attention and to invest more ET tools in teaching and learning EFL at Bentre

College.

ET is shown to improve more educational goals. In my study, I can see that the

teacher use of ET motivates Bentre College English majors in EFL speaking

classes greatly because it helps students gain better student learning outcomes,

especially, EFL speaking outcomes, a new learning environment, and positive

changes in student learning attitudes, in the student roles, and in an EFL learning

33

context. Although there are still difficulties of ET use at Bentre College, I agree to

what Jhurree (2005) confirms

Hence, it is no longer a question of if technology should be integrated in the

school setting, but a question of when and how to integrate technology so that

it benefits all the parties concerned – students, teachers, administrators,

parents and the community. (p. 468)

From that point of view, I would like to give some suggestions. First, the College

should have a systematic plan for ET integration at “the strategic, management

and operational levels” (Jhurree, 2005, p. 476) based on student real needs and the

College funds. This ensures there will be gradual and well - planned ET

integration. To change a current teaching and learning practice takes a lot of time

and teachers and learners need time to get used to it. Short and long term goals of

the ET uses should be distinguished clearly and considered carefully.

Second, the College should have good policies to support the plan for ET

integration such as policies on supporting teachers and students in buying

computers, appraising and motivating teachers for their ET uses at work, building

an e – library for the College... In order to have good policies, other research

should be done. There will be plenty of room for further research on student needs,

the levels of ET impacts on EFL learning and teaching.

Jhurree (2005), finally, emphasizes that “It is not technology that

revolutionizes education, but rather the way in which it is used by teachers and

students.” Thus, ET training is very important. Then, teachers and students can

make further and more effective uses of ET tools.

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REFERENCE

Abbas, Z. & Abbas, S., 2010. Comparative Study of ICT in English Teaching-

Learning Processes. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, vol. 11,

no. 2, pp.13-22.

AbuSeileek, A.F., 2007. Cooperative vs. Individual Learning of Oral Skills in a

CALL Environment. Computer Assisted Language Teaching, vol. 20, no. 5,

pp. 493-514.

Ahmed, M., Alginahi, Y. M., Tayan, O., Siddiqi, A.A., Sharif, L., Alharby, A., &

Nour, R., 2009. ICT Students, Stress and Coping Strategies: English

Perspective – A Case Study of Midsize Middle Eastern University. Trends in

Informatiom Management (TRIM), 5(2), pp. 111-127.

Anderson, J., 2005. IT, E-learning and Teacher Development. International

Education Journal, 5(5), pp. 1-14.

Bahrani, T., 2011. Speaking Fluency: Technology in EFL Context or Social

Interaction in ESL Context? Studies in Literature and Language, vol. 2, no.

2, pp.162-168.

Dang, H.V., 2006. Learner-centeredness and EFL instruction in Vietnam: A case

study. International Education Journal, 7 (4), 598-610.

Dix, K., 2005. Are Learning Technologies Making a Difference? A Longitudinal

Perspective of Attitudes. International Education Journal, 5(5), pp. 15-28.

35

Dix, K., 2007. DBRIEF: A Research Paradigm for ITC Adoption. International

Education Journal, 8(2), pp. 113-124.

Doherty, I., 2011. Evaluating the Impact of Educational Technology Professional

Development upon Adoption of Web 2.0 Tools in Teaching. Australasian

Journal of Educational Technology, 27(3), pp. 381-396.

Eng, T.S., 2005. The Impact of ICT on Learning: A Review of Research.

International Education Journal, 6(5), pp. 635-650.

García, C. I. L., 2009. The New Technology in the ESL Classroom: Some

Evidence from Spain. Annals of Language and Learning: Proceeding of The

2009 International Online Language Conference, pp. 84-90. Florida, USA:

Universal Publishers.

Jhurree, V., 2005. Technology Integration in Education in Developing Countries:

Guidelines to Policy Makers. International Education Journal, 6(4), pp.

467-483.

Le, C.V., 1999. Language & Vietnamese pedagogical contexts. AIT Hannoi.

Liu, J., 2010. An Experimental Study on the Effectiveness of Multimedia in

College English Teaching. English Language Teaching, vol. 3, no. 1, pp.

191-194.

Nguyen, D., 1985. Culture shock: A review of Vietnamese culture and its concepts

of health and disease. West J Med, 142:409-412

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Pinar, K., 2010. Using Educational Technology Tools to Improvre Language and

Communication Skills of ESL Students. Research on Youth and Language,

4(2), pp. 225-241.

Vitthal, G., 2010. Techniques for Developing Speaking Skills and Fluency. The

IUP Journal of Soft Skills, vol. 5, nos. 1-2, pp. 7-17.

Wikipedia, 2011. Buddhism, retrieved on 19th November 2011, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism

Wikipedia, 2011. Case study, retrieved on 5th September 2011 from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_study.

Wikipedia, 2011. Confucianism, retrieved on 19th November 2011, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism

Wikipedia, 2011. Educational technology, retrieved on 5th August 2011 from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_technology

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questionnaire.

Yang, S., 2007. Artificial Intelligence for Integrating English Oral Practice and

Writing Skills. Sino-US English Teaching, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 1-6.

37

APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FORM

QUESTIONNAIRE

In this questionnaire, there are not correct or incorrect questions.

It is completely anonymous. Please answer with honesty.

1. Should teachers apply educational technology (ET) in speaking classes?

A. Yes B. No

2. What do you think about the teacher use of ET in EFL speaking classes in

Bentre College? (Does it motivate you to speak more? How does it motivate you?)

…………………………………………………………………………………...

……………………………………………………………………….…………..

……………………………………………………………………….…………..

3. How important is ET in improving your speaking skill?

A. Very important B. Important C. Not important

4. Are Bentre College students passive? Why or why not?

…………………………………………………………………………………...

……………………………………………………………………….…………..

……………………………………………………………………….…………..

5. Does the teacher use of ET make you more active?

A. Yes B. No

6. What difficulties do you have when you learn English with ET tools?

…………………………………………………………………………………...

……………………………………………………………………….…………..

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……………………………………………………………………….…………..

7. What are ET tools that you want to have in EFL speaking classrooms?

…………………………………………………………………………………...

……………………………………………………………………….…………..

……………………………………………………………………….…………..

8. Does ET create a new learning environment?

A. Yes B. No

9. If yes, how does it change your way of learning English?

…………………………………………………………………………………...

……………………………………………………………………….…………..

……………………………………………………………………….…………..

THANK YOU!

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APPENDIX 2: SCANNED STUDENT ANSWER SHEETS

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APPENDIX 3: QUESTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEWS

1. Should teachers apply educational technology (ET) in speaking classes to

motivate students to speak English in the classroom?

2. What do you think about the teacher use of ET in speaking classes at Bentre

College?

3. What (other) changes should teachers at Bentre College make to motivate

English majors to speak English in the classroom?

4. Are Bentre College students passive? Why or why not?

5. How effective is ET in teaching and learning speaking skill?

6. What difficulties do students have when they learn English with ET tools?

7. Can you see any differences between class K8 (learning with ET tools) and

another class (not using ET tools) in the speaking subject? What are they?

8. What should the college do to improve the technical infrastructure at Bentre

College?

9. Is it better to teach speaking skill with ET tools than without ET tools?

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APPENDIX 4: NOTES ON INTERVIEWS

1. Should teachers apply educational technology (ET) to motivate

students in speaking classes?

Yes, of course.

2. What do you think about the teacher use of ET in speaking classes at Bentre

College?

I think the uses of ET are effective. However, some examples of ET use in

language classes includes: making student presentations and showing videos. In

my Russian class the professor would give us the transcript of a short video clip,

and we would read along while we watched the video. At the bottom of the

transcript she would often include definitions of new words. We would watch,

listen, and read several times until we understood the clip. Outside of the

classroom, we had a language lab, a computer lab dedicated solely to language

learning, where students were required to spend a certain number of hours per

semester practicing their listening and speaking skills using specialized computer

programs. I think the use of ET in language classes in Ben Tre and my experiences

in the Russian class are quite similar.

3. What (other) changes should teachers at Bentre College make to motivate

English majors in speaking classes?

Class sizes should be smaller to make it both easier and more necessary for

the entire class to participate. The ideal class size for a language class (or any

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other participation-based teaching) is under 20 students. As it is at present, if each

student is given equal speaking time in a 135 minute class, that amounts to just

over 3 minutes per student. When you factor in teaching time and student

preparation, that amount of time is significantly reduced. A student can not

develop speaking skills when he or she speaks English for one minute per week.

It is excellent that English teachers teach almost exclusively in English, rarely

using Vietnamese for clarifications, but students should also be required to only

speak English during English class.

4. Are Bentre College students passive? Why or why not?

Yes, they are. It may be because the relationship between teachers and

learners are so formal. The students need more activities. One of my most

successful lessons was when I had the students interview each other. Half of the

class was assigned the role of interviewer, and the other half of the class was

assigned a character, such as a tourist or chef or doctor, etc. Interviewers had to

prepare questions and characters had to think about their character’s history.

However, they didn’t know what questions they would be asked. Then, each pair

of interviewer and character came to the front of the class to conduct the

interview.

5. How effective is ET in teaching and learning speaking skill?

I think ET is as effective as the teacher makes it. In other words, it depends on

the teacher.

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6. What difficulties do students have when they learn English with ET tools?

Lack of knowledge of ICT and lack of modern equipment and software.

7. Can you see any differences between class K8 (learning with ET tools) and

another class (not using ET tools) in the speaking subject? What are they?

K7 students presumably already had the same experiences as the current K8

students. Naturally, the K7 students are more advanced than the K8, but this is

because they have been studying English longer. I think a more adequate analysis,

which I cannot provide, would be to compare two classes at equal levels, but

where only one has been taught using ET tools.

8. What should the college do to improve the technical infrastructure at Bentre

College?

Every classroom should be set up with a projector so that teachers can make

use of the many ET teaching tools. Students have mentioned to me that there

should be more language labs where students can use computer programs that help

them practice their listening and speaking.

9. Is it better to teach speaking skill with ET tools than without ET tools?

I think ET can only help language education. The more resources at a

teacher’s and student’s disposal, the better.

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APPENDIX 5: PICTURES

1. Pictures of the trip to Cambodia

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2. Pictures of the trip to Singapore

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3. Pictures of the participants from Class K11