Tài liệu Efl teachers’ perceptions and practices of internet assisted language teaching (ialt) at high schools in quy nhon city

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY TRƢƠNG THỊ ĐOAN TRINH EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF INTERNET-ASSISTED LANGUAGE TEACHING (IALT) AT HIGH SCHOOLS IN QUY NHON CITY M.A. THESIS IN ENGLISH Binh Dinh, 2022 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY TRƢƠNG THỊ ĐOAN TRINH EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF INTERNET-ASSISTED LANGUAGE TEACHING (IALT) AT HIGH SCHOOLS IN QUY NHON CITY Field: Theory and Methodology of English language teaching Code: 8140111 M.A. THESIS IN ENGLISH Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. NGUYỄN QUANG NGOẠN i BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN TRƢƠNG THỊ ĐOAN TRINH NHẬN THỨC VÀ THỰC HÀNH GIẢNG DẠY NGÔN NGỮ (IALT) VỚI SỰ HỖ TRỢ CỦA INTERNET CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TIẾNG ANH TẠI CÁC TRƢỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG TẠI THÀNH PHỐ QUY NHƠN Chuyên ngành: Lý luận và phƣơng pháp dạy học Tiếng Anh Mã số: 8140111 LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ TIẾNG ANH Ngƣời hƣớng dẫn: PGS. TS. NGUYỄN QUANG NGOẠN ii STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that I did the work described in this research report. No other person's work has been used without proper acknowledgement in the thesis, with the exception of places where reference is given in the text. I certify that this work has not been presented anywhere else in any other form for the fulfillment of any other degree or qualification and is being submitted in partial fulfillment for the M.A. thesis in English at Quy Nhon University. Quy Nhon, November 2022 Trƣơng Thị Đoan Trinh ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Quang Ngoạn, for his invaluable guidance and support throughout the study. This thesis would not be completed without his knowledge and patience. It is an honor to be one of his students. I would like to thank my colleagues who participated in the study. Last but not least, my sincere thanks go to my parents, for their support, encouragement and understanding. iii ABSTRACT Over the last decades, the role of the teachers has changed due to developments in technology, which involves the use of the Internet. This paper presents EFL teachers‟ perceptions and practices of Internet-Assisted Language Teaching (IALT) at high schools in Quy Nhon City. This study adopted a mixed-method approach because the blend between the quantitative and qualitative research approaches enables induction. A total of 100 teachers participated in a survey and responded to the questions about what they think about the term IALT, what pros and cons of IALT and how they use the Internet. The findings of the study suggest that teachers have positi ve perceptions in applying the Internet in classes and there are two key factors (contextual and internal components) affecting the use of the Internet in the classroom. Some external elements are a lack of time, bad Internet connection and inadequate computer assistance, yet several internal challenges are limited computer skills, computer knowledge, and enthusiasm in IALT among teachers and students. In-service teacher training courses for IALT are strongly recommended to further develop and implement IALT. Keyword: Internet-Assisted Language Teaching (IALT) iv TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Rationale 1 1.2 Research aim and objectives 3 1.3 Research questions 3 1.4 Scope of the study 3 1.5 Significance of the study 4 1.6 Structure of the thesis 4 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 6 2.1 Conceptual framework 6 2.1.1 Computer-assisted language learning 7 2.1.2 Internet-assisted language teaching (IALT) 7 2.2 Internet use and language teaching 2.2.1 Internet Use 9 9 2.2.2 The Internet as a teaching tool 10 2.2.3 The Internet-assisted environment 13 2.3 Characteristics of Internet-assisted language teaching 15 v 2.3.1 Characteristics of the Internet and technology 15 2.3.2 Characteristics of learners and teachers 20 2.3.2.1 Characteristics of learners 20 2.3.2.2 Characteristics of teachers 21 2.3.3 Characteristics of teaching online and methodology 22 2.3.3.1 Characteristics of teaching online 22 2.3.3.2 Characteristics of methodology 22 2.3.4 Disadvantages of Internet use 23 2.4 Differences between traditional teaching and internet assistance teaching 26 2.4.1 Traditional methodology 26 2.4.2 Modern methodology 26 2.5 Review of relevant previous studies CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 31 36 3.1 Research design 36 3.2 Participants 36 3.3 Data-gathering instruments 39 3.3.1 Questionnaire 39 3.3.2 Semi-structured interview 40 3.4 Procedure 42 3.4.1 Data collection 42 3.4.2 Data analysis 42 CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Teachers‟ perceptions of the benefits of IALT 44 44 vi 4.1.1 Quantitative data 44 4.1.2 Qualitative data 46 4.2 Teachers‟ perceptions of the barriers of IALT 49 4.2.1 Quantitative data 49 4.2.2 Qualitative data 50 4.2.3 Teachers’ perceptions on self-efficacy of Internet-assisted language teaching 4.2.3.1 Quantitative data 53 53 4.2.4 Differences between traditional teaching and Internet assistance teaching 4.2.4.1 Quantitative data 4.3 Frequency of teachers‟ application of IALT 4.3.1 Quantitative data 55 55 57 57 4.3.1.1 Variables and research model 58 4.3.1.2 Reliability analysis results of the scales 60 4.3.1.3 Exploratory factor analysis results 60 4.3.1.4 Regression test results 61 4.3.1.5 Multicollinearity test 63 4.3.2 Qualitative data 4.4 Discussion CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 63 65 69 5.1 Conclusions on teachers‟ perceptions of the benefits of IALT 69 5.2 Conclusions on teachers‟ perceptions of the barriers of IALT 70 5.3 Conclusions on frequency of teachers‟ application of IALT 71 vii 5.4 Limitations 72 5.5 Pedagogical implications 72 5.6 Suggestions for further studies 73 REFERENCE v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CALL: Computer Assisted Language Learning EFL: English as a Foreign Language IALT: Internet-Assisted Language Teaching SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Science vii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 A comparison of a traditional methodology and Internet assistance methodology ................................................................................................... 31 Table 3.1 Results of the participants‟ demographic information ................... 38 Table 4.1 Teachers‟ perceptions on benefits of Internet-assisted language teaching........................................................................................................... 45 Table 4.2 Teachers‟ perceptions on barriers of Internet-Assisted Language Teaching ......................................................................................................... 50 Table 4.3 Teachers‟ perceptions on self-efficacy of Internet-assisted language teaching........................................................................................................... 54 Table 4.4 Differences between traditional teaching and Internet assistance teaching........................................................................................................... 56 Table 4.5 The frequency of the Internet use in class ...................................... 58 Table 4.6 Descriptions of the variables .......................................................... 58 Table 4.7 Value of Mean and Std. Dev .......................................................... 60 Table 4.8 Cronbach‟s Alpha Value of the Variables ...................................... 60 Table 4.9 Exploratory factor analysis results ................................................. 61 Table 4.10 Regression test results .................................................................. 63 Table 4.11 Multi-collinearity test .................................................................. 63 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.1 KMO index ................................................................................... 61 1 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION Chapter 1 introduces the rationale underlying this current study. The chapter includes six main parts: the rationale, the aim, and objectives of the study, the research questions, the scope of the study, the significance of the study, and the design of the study. 1.1 Rationale During the sharp rise in Internet use for educational purposes since the early 1990s, it has been proved that the Internet has benefited language teaching in numerous ways through the following various studies. According to to See (1994), Smith (1997), Warschauer, Shetzer & Meloni (2000), the Internet has been transforming many facets of society, including online education, advertising, marketing, and sales by altering how people access, gather, analyze, present, transmit, and simulate information. In addition, according to Blake (2007), the emergence of Internet technology in language teaching and learning as a tool for the presentation, reinforcement, and assessment of content to be learned via interactive applications is significant. Students can participate in cooperative projects that promote communication with peers in their classrooms and throughout the global community by using the Internet, word processors, multimedia, hypermedia, and drill and practice programs. These tools also enable students to get personalized teaching tailored to their unique requirements. Therefore, the Internet can aid EFL learners in increasing their motivation to study the language (Warschauer & Whittaker, 1997). When it comes to teachers, they can use the Internet in classes like other print-based materials to create exercises, especially the use of emails, discussion boards, blogs and wikis. “They offer not only informative content, 2 but they also provide fun and interactive activities to improve learners‟ responses” (Elbasyouny, 2021, p. 50). Except for a number of foreign studies investigating the benefits of utilizing Internet tools in EFL classrooms, the Vietnamese educational system has recently experienced an observable increase in Internet use. Studies by Ho Thi Thu Huong (2019), Nguyen Thanh Mai and Dat Bao (2020), and Phan Thi Kim Thao (2021) have indicated that using Internet resources build the teachers‟ awareness of teaching English. They tend to use creative Internet resources such as blogs, social media, and websites in improving grammar and language skills for their students. In detail, Ho Thi Thu Huong (2019) did the study relating to using a web about the game on the Internet, Nguyen Thanh Mai and Dat Bao (2020) studied exploring teacher‟ and students‟ perceptions and attitudes towards the use of blogs for English writing skills at a Vietnamese university, and Phan Thi Kim Thao (2021) studied Vietnamese undergraduates‟ attitudes toward the use of Facebook as the medium for English language teaching and learning vocabulary and reading skills in an integrative way. Therefore, according to Larson (1999) and Li (1999), the transactional nature of Internet technologies, as well as the pedagogical relevance of Internetbased interactive technologies, make Internet-assisted language education an important instrument in foreign language pedagogy. On the other hand, although Internet-assisted language teaching (IALT) has drawn attention to the Internet's huge potential, there is still a lack of solid research on how EFL teachers are using Internet-assisted tools. In reality, there is a gap between teachers' self-perceived abilities and their actual levels of technological knowledge and capabilities (Shin, and Son, 2007). In other words, the disparity between their attitudes and practices regarding digital 3 learning remains a mystery, particularly in the EFL setting in Vietnam's central regions, especially in Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh Province. Additionally, prior to its inclusion, the specific instruction setting must be examined in order to make judgments in line with instructors' requirements, interests, and curriculum objectives since no technology tool can by itself promote learning. The two factors mentioned above led to the execution of a survey on teachers' practices and perceptions. 1.2 Research aim and objectives The study aims to explore EFL teachers‟ perceptions and their teaching practices in Internet-assisted language teaching in higher secondary schools in Quy Nhon City. The objectives of the study are: - To examine teachers‟ perceptions of the benefits of IALT. - To examine teachers‟ perceptions of the barriers of IALT. - To examine teachers‟ frequency of teachers‟ application of IALT. 1.3 Research questions This study is an attempt to address the following research questions: 1. What are EFL high school teachers‟ perceptions of the benefits of Internet-assisted language teaching (IALT)? 2. What are EFL high school teachers‟ perceptions of the barriers of Internet-assisted language teaching (IALT)? 3. How often do EFL high school teachers apply Internet-assisted language teaching (IALT)? 1.4 Scope of the study 4 The study mainly bases on the theoretical foundation including two concepts guiding the development of the project, and a study of Korean secondary school EFL teachers‟ perceptions and perspectives on the use of the Internet for teaching purposes conducted by Hee-Jae Shin and Jeong-Bae Son (2007, pp. 14-31). However, with the restricted time and geographical conditions, I am not ambitious to conduct a total research on the teachers in all high schools in Binh Dinh Province. Instead, I conducted my study on 100 EFL teachers at 10 high schools in Quy Nhon City and 12 English teachers were asked to do my interview without the observations due to the social distance of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021-2022. 1.5 Significance of the study This study gains great importance considering the limited number of studies on the attitudes of EFL teachers at high schools towards Internet use in Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province. These research results can support the English teachers to apply online tools in teaching language skills, and teachers can change their methods to make the students motivated and relaxed in the teaching-learning process in high schools in Quy Nhon City. Then study findings may provide insights into further studies or training programs related to this topic and on the integration of the Internet into language teaching and learning. In conclusion, this study is intended to benefit students, teachers, and institutions as a whole. 1.6 Structure of the thesis This study is presented through five chapters: The first chapter provides the general issues of this research that are related to the background of the study including the significance of the study, the reason 5 to attend the issue, integrating virtual information resources, integrating the Internet into classroom activities and then foreign and domestic references. The second chapter explores a theoretical background including conceptual framework with the definition of key terms, which yields strong support for the study of Internet use and language teaching, characteristics of Internetassisted language teaching with the teachers‟ consideration in selecting Internet resources in English teaching, and differences between traditional teaching and Internet assistance teaching. Finally, the summaries of other researchers are shown. Chapter three presents the methodology including first the research design to plan each step of the research process, the research aim and objectives of the study, research questions, participants, their instructional design, and the procedure with data collection and analysis are covered in this chapter as well. Chapter four explores the findings and discussion of the study with quantitative and qualitative data analysis and interpretation. The last chapter registers the conclusions, implications both in the pedagogical and in the research areas, and the limitations of the stu 6 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW The second chapter discusses theories and previous studies about conceptual frameworks including CALL and IALT and the summary of the study which is the basement for this research. Next, Internet use and language teaching consisting of Internet use and the Internet as a teaching tool and the Internetassisted environment are discussed. Then several characteristics of Internetassisted language teaching with the teachers‟ consideration in selecting internet resources in English teaching and differences between traditional teaching and Internet assistance teaching are reviewed. 2.1 Conceptual framework To begin with, CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning), in which computers and networks are used in language learning and teaching, is regarded as a smart, creative, and innovative educational tool. Secondly, Internet-assisted language teaching (IALT) in EFL classrooms, is a framework that assists in the execution of activities of Internet use for development and selection. In detail, the theories written by Levy (1997), Barani (2013), and Nguyen, & Yukawa (2019) are used to describe the notion of CALL. Therefore, the contributions of Waschauer (2000), Shin and Son (2007), and Ürün (2015) are examined in depth to see how Internet resources might help in EFL classes. Thirdly, the study of Hee-Jae Shin and Jeong-Bae Son is the foundation for studying the teachers‟ perceptions and practices. The two Korean authors searched about the same topic in the Korean context and answered questions on their perceptions of Internet Assisted Language Teaching (IALT) and the resources that secondary school teachers used on the Internet and the way they used them. To be more specific, a definition by the 7 researchers is shown at the end of each theoretical topic as well as its contribution to the research investigation. 2.1.1 Computer-assisted language learning The concept of CALL has been used in the thesis project because it is the base of the implementation of Internet-assisted materials and activities as different practices to teach English in classes. Levy (1997, p. 1) states "the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning" as Computer-assisted language learning (CALL). In other words, CALL is an interactive style of education that helps students achieve their learning goals at their own speed and ability throughout the teaching/ learning process, including presentation, practice, and feedback. Similarly, Barani (2013) points out that CALL, which is described as the process through which students utilize computers to better their language learning, has been an essential aspect of learning a second language for many years. In detail, CALL can aid students in different learning tasks, support the knowledge-constructed classroom, empower students to be responsible for their learning, and create more opportunities to practice the language. (Nguyen, & Yukawa, 2019). 2.1.2 Internet-assisted language teaching (IALT) Computer-assisted language learning has been transformed, and the Internet has become a major information source. According to Shin and Son (2007), teachers can utilize attractive materials to create network-based teaching environments in which they can design relevant objectives and use suitable resources in EFL sessions. These new tools and tactics are connected to the use of Internet technology as the main resource for motivating students to