BANKING ACADEMY OF VIETNAM FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ---------- GRADUATION THESIS ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARD THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LEARNING ENGLISH THROUGH WATCHING FILMS AT BANKING ACADEMY Full name : DO THI THUY LOAN Class : K21ATCA Course : 2018 - 2022 Student ID : 21A7510089 Supervisor : DR. CAN THUY LIEN HANOI – May 2022 17014126242071000000 DECLARATION I hereby declare that this graduation thesis is my original work, completed after a 3 - month period of strenuous completion for the MPh program at the Foreign Language Faculty at Banking Academy of Vietnam. I promise this has not been included in any thesis or dissertation submitted to other institutions for a degree, diploma or other qualifications. Author of graduation thesis (Signature and Full name) Do Thi Thuy Loan i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr.
Can Thuy Lien, who has followed my work since the very first day of starting. Thank you so much for not only guiding me to be on the right track to finish this overwhelming work, but also teaching me so many valuable lessons in daily life throughout the writing process. I would also like to show my deepest appreciation to all of the teachers at Banking Academy, especially those from the Faculty of Foreign Languages with their valuable lectures during the whole time I studied here. Secondly, I am really grateful to all of the students at Banking Academy who participated in my online survey.
Without their support, this project would not have been completed. Moreover, I want to express my special thanks to my beloved parents who brought me up with a lot of good values and always support me unconditionally. Besides, I am thankful to you, all the people reading this project. Hope that you can see all of the dedication in my thesis and get something you are interested in.
Last but not least, I have to thank myself for not giving up in the middle of the process despite all of the stress and anxiety from the workplace, internship place, and the study load. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iii LIST OF FIGURES.
vi LIST OF TABLES. vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .3 Objectives of the study .4 Significance of the study .5 Scope and limitations of the study .6 Definition of terms .5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .1 The locale of the study .3 Data gathering procedure .4 Population, Sample and Sampling technique .7 Reliability and validity .25 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .1 Respondents’ behaviors in watching films to learn English .1 Time spent watching films to learn English.2 Types of movies used as English learning materials .3 The frequency of using subtitles. The level of agreement toward the impacts of watching films on aspects .3 Reading and writing skills .5 The range of vocabulary.6 Learners’ cultural awareness .7 The impacts of watching films with subtitles .8 The impacts of watching films on learning motivation .9 Respondents’ opinions toward learning English by watching films and its limitations .1 The impacts of watching films on speaking skills .2 The impacts of watching films on listening skills.3 The impacts of watching films on reading skills .4 The impacts of watching films on writing skills .5 The impacts of watching films on communication skills .6 The impacts of watching films on range of vocabulary .7 The impacts of watching films on cultural awareness .8 The impacts of watching films with subtitles .9 The impacts of watching films on the motivation to learn English .10 Limitations of learning English through watching films .47 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.
Summary of results .1 For Banking Academy .2 For The Faculty of Foreign Languages .57 APPENDIX v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1: Data gathering steps .2: Respondents’ distribution by gender .3: Distribution by year of study .4: Distribution by English level .5: Distribution by the amount of time for learning English .6: Distribution by preference of entertaining activities .7: Distribution by frequency of having entertaining activities in English22 Figure 3.8: Distribution by the purpose of having entertaining activities in English .1: Time spent watching films to learn English .2: Types of movies used as English learning materials .3: Frequency of using subtitles .4: Distribution by subtitle language .5: The level of agreement toward the impacts of watching films on Speaking skills .6: The level of agreement toward the impacts of watching films on Listening skills.7: The level of agreement toward the impacts of watching films on Reading and Writing skills .8: The level of agreement toward the impacts of watching films on Communication skills .9: The level of agreement toward the impacts of watching films on Range of vocabulary .10: The level of agreement toward the impacts of watching films on Cultural awareness.11: Respondents’ opinions toward learning English by watching films and its limitations .39 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Reliability and validity of survey’s answers and questions .1: The level of agreement toward the impacts of watching films with subtitles .2: The level of agreement toward the impacts of watching films on learning motivation .38 APPEDIXES vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BA Banking Academy EFL English as a Foreign Language MS Mean Score SD Standard Deviation viii ABSTRACT The title of the thesis: English majored students’ perceptions toward the effectiveness of learning English through watching films at Banking Academy. Author: Do Thi Thuy Loan, student of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Banking Academy of Vietnam. Can Thuy Lien, the Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Banking Academy of Vietnam. Key words: Effectiveness, English, language skills, watching films, English majored students Abstract: This study was conducted to investigate how students in the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Banking Academy assessed the effectiveness of using English films in their learning process as a way to improve language abilities and other social relations.
Thereafter, comments will be made on the impacts of watching films on enhancing language proficiency and some recommendations will be suggested. Quantitative method was utilized in the study and data was collected through an online survey with the participation of 120 students from the Faculty of Foreign Languages. They were given a set of questionnaires to fill in so as to examine their attitudes regarding learning English by watching films. The study showed that students hold positive opinions toward using English films to improve language skills, especially speaking and listening skills.
It has pedagogical implications for EFL learners in terms of incorporating films into their studying time since well- selected film materials with oriented learning goals will not only level up their language skills but also improve their social relations and the familiarity with native speakers’ culture. ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction The importance of learning a foreign language in today’s society is obviously undeniable since the globe has been “flat” and has become a global village (Johnson, 2013). In this setting, English has gained enormous attention during the previous several decades. Vadivel et al.
(2019) went on to say that non-native English speakers account for 70% of all English based communication. It is currently the official language of over 50 nations and regions, the second language of almost a hundred countries and the common language of more than 400 million people worldwide. English can be considered as one of the most effective and convenient means for people all over the world to communicate. As English has become the globe’s lingua franca, nations all over the world have included it into their educational systems.
Many countries start with primary school, and pupils are actively learning the language at an increasingly younger age. Vietnam is not out of trend to be one of the countries that teaches English at the primary level and sets it as a compulsory subject as well as a must-have qualification for university students to graduate. Learning a foreign language, on the other hand, is one of the most challenging obstacles an individual might have to overcome in their lives. Therefore, current linguistics students are looking for a number of techniques to make the learning experience more enjoyable but still effective.
Most language instructors, study material designers, and research professors have recently expressed huge interest in evaluating the efficacy of various tactics and approaches to be used in English learning classes (Nguyen & Terry, 2017). They are searching for more appealing methods for students to achieve language skills and other social relations. Since technological media is an excellent tool to reinforce and change boring lessons into attention-grabbing and engaging learning experiences, one of the trending techniques is to effectively integrate entertainment activities, such as 1 watching English films to motivate language learners to develop and enhance their linguistic competencies. This kind of activity is an aspect of visual literacy, and an enjoyable combination between entertainment and language acquisition.
Several studies that looked into the influence of employing movies in the EFL environment found that they occupy a significant place in the language learning process because of their remarkable impacts on the development of fundamental language skills such as reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Authentic linguistic input and a dynamic context for further discussions are provided by films, according to Sefero Iu (2008). They also provide a genuine glimpse of the language and culture, giving insight into the real lives of native English speakers in the actual world (Florence, 2009). Consolidating this judgment, a lot of scholars have discovered that films utilized in ESL schools can become an essential element of the language curriculum.
This is due to the fact that films or movies expose viewers to “actual language” in authentic circumstances and in the cultural context of the second language. They’ve also realized that movies appeal to learners, and that can boost their motivation to learn. Movies can be seen as a bridge between entertaining and language objectives, and their use in ESL process provides background information that activates earliest knowledge, which is critical in driving the four skills’ activities. Proponents of using this type of media believe that movies allow for more interactive and appealing ways of teaching and learning English.
However, some other researchers (Kusumaningrum, 2016; Sari & Sugandi, 2015) have argued that watching movies for learning English has some drawbacks because of its lack of instructional and pedagogical intentions. Students may become distracted by the movie's actors and actresses and forget their initial aim or purpose. Consequently, they are unable to concentrate on their jobs while watching. As can be seen, there are mixed views and opinions about learning English through watching films, which might make students confused when deciding whether to use this method or not.
Based on the need of a comprehensive assessment in the influence of watching films in the language learning journey, the topic “English majored 2 students’ perceptions toward the effectiveness of watching films to learn English at Banking Academy” was chosen as the research topic to find out students’ current behavior in watching films and their attitudes toward its impacts on English learning acquisition as well as to propose some needed recommendations for a better learning method.2 Background of the study Vietnamese students in general, and students at Banking Academy in particular, have long valued English as an indispensable tool for personal and professional growth. In order to have a chance to work in an international environment such as in some big banks, the ability to use English is likely a must in every resume. Therefore, language and communication skills are among the main concerns of a student in Faculty of Foreign Languages at Banking Academy. Nevertheless, attaining a second language can be a complicated process that takes a lot of time and effort.
Despite having studied English as a foreign language for at least seven years before the entrance of university, the majority of students are still unable to communicate effectively in the language. The causes of this failure are numerous and complicated to nail down.