BANKING ACADEMY OF VIETNAM FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ---------- GRADUATION THESIS TOPIC: EFL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARD THE UTILIZATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS AT BANKING ACADEMY OF VIETNAM Student : Pham Hong Ngat Course : 2020 – 2024 Class : K23ATCB Student code : 23A7510093 Instructor : Dr. Hoang Quoc Thinh Hanoi, May 2024 BANKING ACADEMY OF VIETNAM FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ---------- GRADUATION THESIS TOPIC: EFL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARD THE UTILIZATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS AT BANKING ACADEMY OF VIETNAM Student : Pham Hong Ngat Course : 2020 – 2024 Class : K23ATCB Student code : 23A7510093 Instructor : Dr. Hoang Quoc Thinh Hanoi, May 2024 DECLARATION I hereby declare that this study is the product of my own efforts, and has not been submitted for any academic degree to any other educational institution. All sources utilized in the research process have been fully acknowledged and all quotes accurately referenced.
Additionally, the research findings are original and have not been copied or plagiarized from any prior works. I am fully aware of the ethical implications and this work fulfills all the necessary criteria set forth by the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Banking Academy of Vietnam. Hanoi, 5th May 2024 Signature Pham Hong Ngat i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Without the assistance and encouragement of a number of individuals, this thesis would not be possible. I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to those who assisted me during the process of this research.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincerest appreciation to my esteemed supervisor, Dr. Hoang Quoc Thinh. His insightful feedback and detailed guidance were instrumental in sharpening my thinking and helping me grow as a researcher. Without his invaluable expertise, this thesis would not have come to fruition.
My heartfelt thanks also go to the participants who actively responded to my questionnaire and open-ended questions. Their willingness to get involved and share their insights significantly contributed to the success of my research. I also would like to express my gratitude to the lecturers at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, who provided me with a solid foundation for my thesis research and equipped me with valuable skills for my future career. I extend my thanks to my dear friends, who stood by me with unwavering support and encouragement throughout the entire process.
Their belief in me helped me to tackle the challenges and overcome obstacles along the way. Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude to my family for their unconditional love and support. Specifically, I want to thank my mother for being my constant source of inspiration and motivation throughout my academic journey. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION.
ii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. vi LIST OF TABLES. vii LIST OF FIGURES.
ix CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION. Background of the study. Significance of the study. Scope of the study.
Structure of the study .3 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW. The significance of vocabulary knowledge. Types of Vocabulary. Strategies to Learn Vocabulary.
Some prominent social media in Vietnam. Social media in acquiring vocabulary. Challenges on using social media for vocabulary acquisition .19 CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODS. Open-ended questions.
Data Collection Methods. Data Analysis Procedures. Quantitative data analysis. Qualitative data analysis .29 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS.
Validity and Reliability. Students’ perception toward vocabulary learning via social media. Social media usage in learning vocabulary. Perception towards the Usefulness of Social Media in Vocabulary Acquisition.
Perception towards the Ease of Use of Social Media in Vocabulary Acquisition. Perception towards the Interaction of Social Media in Vocabulary Acquisition. Perception towards the Enjoyment of Social Media in Vocabulary Acquisition. Behavioral Intention of Using Social Media for Vocabulary Acquisition.
Challenges in learning vocabulary via social media. Students’ perception toward using social media for vocabulary learning. Challenges encountered by learners when learning vocabulary via social media .44 CHAPTER VI: SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS, IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. Summary of the findings.
Implications for learners. Implications for educators. Limitations and recommendations for further research .60 v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviation Meanings English-majored students at the Banking ATC Academy of Vietnam BAV Banking Academy of Vietnam BI Behavioral Intention EFL English as a foreign language L2 Second language PE Perceived Enjoyment PEOU Perceived Ease of Use PI Perceived Interaction PU Perceived Usefulness SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences TAM Technology Acceptance Model vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page Table 3. Number of ATC students joined in the survey 22 Table 3.
Background information of open-ended questions 22 participants Table 3. Items included in the questionnaire 25 Table 3. Five contributing level 28 Table 4. Reliability and Construct Validity 32 Table 4.
Students’ perception towards the usefulness 35 Table 4. Students’ perception towards the ease of use 36 Table 4. Students’ perception toward the interaction 38 Table 4. Students’ perception towards the enjoyment 38 Table 4.
Students’ behavioral intention 39 Table 4. Correlation analysis results (N=104) 40 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page Figure 4. Participants’ English learning experience 31 Figure 4. Participants’ usage frequency of social media 32 Figure 4.
Participants’ frequency of using social media in 33 learning vocabulary Figure 4. Participants’ Favorite Social Media in 33 Vocabulary Acquisition viii ABSTRACT Title: EFL students’ perceptions toward the utilization of social media in vocabulary development: A case study of English-majored students at the Banking Academy of Vietnam Author: Pham Hong Ngat, a senior student of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the Banking Academy of Vietnam. Hoang Quoc Thinh, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the Banking Academy of Vietnam. Keywords: social media, vocabulary learning, vocabulary, perceptions, Banking Academy, English-major students, EFL learners Abstract: Social media has become an increasingly prevalent and versatile tool that serves various purposes, such as communication, entertainment, and education.
In the context of language learning, social media has been found to be relatively effective in assisting learners with vocabulary acquisition, as evidenced by previous research. The purpose of this study is to examine how EFL students perceive social media as a means of vocabulary acquisition and identify any challenges they face using this method. The study employed a mixed method, with a survey of 104 students from the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the Banking Academy of Vietnam and open-ended questions for 5. The data then was analyzed through SPSS Version 26.
The results showed that students have a positive attitude toward using social media to expand their English vocabulary. However, there were still some challenges associated with this learning method. Based on the findings, it is suggested that educators and learners incorporate social media as an effective teaching and learning tool for vocabulary. ix CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION The chapter presents the background of the study about the investigation of students’ perception of vocabulary acquisition via social media.
It also outlines the research aim, research question, its significance, research scope, and the structure of the research. Background of the study In today’s technology-driven world, social media platforms have evolved into a substantial component of human daily life. Social media platforms, for example, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube have played a critical part in simplifying human lives and have enabled them to share information, find solutions, offer guidance, and communicate with people around the world in a virtual milieu (Amedie, 2015; Hashim et al. With billions of users worldwide, social networks have not only become a primary means of digital communication but also piqued academic interest (Varga, 2018).
Accordingly, social media platforms offer a valuable space for instructors and learners to exchange and discuss academic materials. For instance, students can easily access educational videos and search for data online, making learning more accessible and convenient (Nguyen, 2021). Some teachers, moreover, have created accounts to share useful educational resources and conduct live programs or short courses to attract an audience (Aguilar et al. With the majority of learners spending more time on social media platforms than on educational websites created solely for academic purposes, these platforms will undoubtedly become an indispensable source of education and information.
Vocabulary is an essential component for boosting linguistic competence. It serves as “the building blocks of any language of the world and the lack of vocabulary hinders the learning process significantly” (Abbas et al. Vocabulary mastery, furthermore, refers to an individual’s specific competence to use words in a language determined by their interests, needs, and motivation (Alqahtani, 2015). Simply drilling vocabulary may not lead to the best learning outcomes or rate of improvement, as learners may only regurgitate what they learned during the lesson 1 period and forget them afterward.
Prior studies have demonstrated how vocabulary knowledge connects the four language abilities of speaking, writing, listening, and reading in language learning. Accordingly, students who lack vocabulary skills often struggle with speaking performance (Pham et al., 2022), comprehending reading materials (Pringprom, 2012), understanding listening content (Farrokhi & Modarres, 2012), and producing quality writing (Karakoç & Köse, 2017). Among various vocabulary learning approaches proposed by experts and teachers, social media has recently emerged as an innovative and efficient tool for vocabulary acquisition, particularly among younger learners. This is because social media offers exposure to contemporary language use and provides real-life scenarios for word usage, thus expanding vocabulary knowledge in specific contexts and improving language skills.
As a result, social media platforms are a valuable medium for enlarging the vocabulary size of ESL learners and also serve as useful teaching tools for educators (Abbas et al. Despite the flexibility and suitability of this modern method of learning vocabulary, it still has advantages and disadvantages as stated in previous research. Besides, several studies have been conducted to highlight the prominent application of social media in English proficiency; however, there are limited studies on the utilization of social media in vocabulary enlargement in Vietnam. Given such, this study was to look into EFL students’ perspectives on employing social media for vocabulary learning, as well as their challenges when applying this method.
Research Objectives This study attempts to achieve the following objectives: 1. To examine the perception toward enhancing vocabulary through social media platforms of English-majored students at the Banking Academy of Vietnam. To investigate the challenges that English-majored students at the Banking Academy of Vietnam usually encounter when utilizing social media to acquire vocabulary. Research Question Research Question 1: What are EFL students’ perceptions towards using social media for vocabulary enlargement? Research Question 2: What are the difficulties that EFL students usually encounter when acquiring vocabulary via social media? 1.
Significance of the study The aim of this research is to examine the perception of the use of social media to advance the vocabulary of students who study at the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the Banking Academy of Vietnam. First, the research offers valuable theoretical knowledge in the area of learning vocabulary. Second, the study is expected to provide stakeholders (educators and EFL learners) with constructive information about teaching and learning vocabulary methods via social media. Furthermore, the research is hoped to be a valuable reference for further research of the related topic through the results and recommendations.
Scope of the study This research examines the perception of English major students at the Banking Academy of Vietnam in utilizing social media to advance their vocabulary size. All students who are currently studying in the major of foreign languages at BAV are invited to join in this research. The research was undertaken within nearly two months from 11th March 2024 to 2nd May 2024. Structure of the study This research comprises six chapters including: Chapter I: Introduction.
This chapter provides an overview of the case study, involving its background, research question, purpose, scope, significance, and structure. Chapter II: Literature Review. This chapter reviews relevant theories and studies related to social media and vocabulary acquisition, as well as the framework guiding the study.