MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY TRINH MINH NHUT QUY NHON UNIVERSITY 3RD-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ONLINE LEARNING OF SPEAKING SKILLS Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching Code: 8140111 Supervisor: Assoc. Nguyen Quang Ngoan Binh Dinh - 2022 BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN TRỊNH MINH NHỰT NHẬN THỨC CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ BA CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN VỀ VIỆC HỌC KỸ NĂNG NÓI THÔNG QUA HÌNH THỨC TRỰC TUYẾN Ngành: Lý luận và phương pháp dạy học bộ môn Tiếng Anh Mã số: 8140111 Người hướng dẫn: PGS. Nguyễn Quang Ngoạn Bình Định - 2022 i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I confirm that the work presented in this research report has been performed and interpreted solely by myself except where explicitly identified to the contrary. I confirm that this work is submitted in partial fulfilment for my M.
degree in Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching and has not been submitted elsewhere in any other form for the fulfilment of any other degree or qualification. This paper does not contain any material or content previously published or written by another paper or anyone else. Binh Dinh, August 2022 Trinh Minh Nhut ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Without the great assistance of my supervisor, Assoc. Nguyen Quang Ngoan, this work would not have been achievable.
I am deeply indebted to my supervisor since from the research proposal to the final version of this report, his vast knowledge, practical experience in the field, great enthusiasm and meticulous attention to detail have been an inspiration and kept me on track. I would like to offer my special thanks to those who participated in my research for their valuable time fulfilling the questionnaire and insightful information from the interview. If it had not been for their willingness and enthusiasm, I could not have collected important data for my study. My deepest gratitude also extends to all of my wonderful classmates for the time we shared as well as the information and experience we gained from one another.
Their continuous support and encouragement mean a lot to me in the accomplishment of this study. Last but not least, my family members have been tremendously significant to me in the pursuit of this project. I would like to express my gratitude to my parents, who have always supported and guided me in my endeavors. They are the definition of positive role models.
iii ABSTRACT During the social distancing period in Vietnam due to the Covid-19 pandemic, online learning was implemented as an emergency replacement for traditional, face-to-face teaching and learning. Research in the field of online learning has been done extensively, yet not much focuses on investigating university students’ perceptions of learning English speaking skills online. This study hence employed Collins and Berge (1996)’s criteria for the success of online learning to collect quantitative and qualitative data from 100 Quy Nhon University 3rd-year English majors. Descriptive design was mainly used since the primary aim of the study is to find out students’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges of online learning of speaking skills.
The questionnaire’s results demonstrate that students show more positive responses toward the benefits than the challenges. The interview data is not only consistent with the questionnaire data but also uncovers new and interesting results. These findings provide a better understanding of the context of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic which serves as a guide for the optimization of this type of teaching and learning in the new age of technology. Keywords: online learning, speaking skills, benefits, challenges, descriptive, English majors iv TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP.
iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. vii LIST OF TABLES. viii LIST OF FIGURES.
ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .2 Aim and objectives of the study .4 Scope of the study .5 Significance of the study .6 Definitions of important terms .3 Context of online learning at Quy Nhon University .7 Structure of the thesis. 6 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .1 The overview of online learning .2 Online learning in Vietnam during the Covid-19 pandemic.3 Computer-mediated communication (CMC) .4 The role of the instructor/ teacher in an online classroom .5 Teachers and students’ perceptions of online learning .2 Online learning of speaking skills .2 Challenges facing learners in the online learning of speaking skills during the Covid-19 pandemic .3 Previous related studies. 40 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .1 Findings from the questionnaire .1 Comparison of the two majors .2 Students’ devices used for online learning of speaking skills .3 Students’ perceptions regarding the benefits of online learning of speaking skills .4 Students’ perceptions regarding the challenges of online learning of vi speaking skills .2 Findings from the interview .1 Students’ perceptions in terms of the benefits of online learning of speaking skills – Interview results .2 Students’ perceptions in terms of the challenges of online learning of speaking skills – Interview results .1 Summary of key findings of the study .1 Students’ perceptions of the benefits of online learning of speaking skills .2 Students’ perceptions of the challenges of online learning of speaking skills .3 Limitations and suggestions for further research. 101 APPENDIX 2: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS.
105 APPENDIX 3: INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION. 106 APPENDIX 4: SPSS STATISTICS. 123 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CMC: Computer-mediated Communication EFL: English as a Foreign Language EL: English Language ERT: Emergency Remote Teaching ESL: English as a Second Language ETE: English Teacher Education ICT: Information and Communications Technology MOET: Ministry of Education and Training QNU: Quy Nhon University SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software TAM: Technology Acceptance Model UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization VCTs: Video Conferencing Tools viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Grid of instrument guidelines.
Evaluation Criteria for Likert Scale questions (Tekin, 2000). Reliability Statistics of the Questionnaire. Means of the questionnaire done by students majoring in EL and ETE. Difference in perceptions of students majoring in EL and ETE.
Students’ perceptions of the benefits of learning speaking skills online. Benefits of online learning of speaking skills (Open-ended question). Students’ perceptions of the challenges of learning speaking skills online. Other challenges of online learning of speaking skills (Open- ended question).
Results from Interview Question 1. Results from Interview Question 2. Results from Interview Question 3. Results from Interview Question 4.
Results from Interview Question 5. Results from Interview Question 6. Results from Interview Question 7. Results from Interview Question 8.
Results from Interview Question 9. Results from Interview Question 10. 78 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. The proportion of online content delivered in different kinds of learning - Allen and Seaman (2007, p.
The percentage of students’ devices used for online learning of speaking skills. Students’ perceptions of the benefits of learning speaking skills online - Bar chart. Percentage of Statement 1. Percentage of Statement 2.
Percentage of Statement 3. Percentage of Statement 4. Percentage of Statement 5. Percentage of Statement 6.
Percentage of Statement 7. Percentage of Statement 8. Percentage of Statement 9. Percentage of Statement 10.
Percentage of Statement 11. Percentage of Statement 12. Students’ perceptions of the challenges of learning speaking skills online - Bar chart. Percentage of Statement 14.
Percentage of Statement 15. Percentage of Statement 16. Percentage of Statement 17. Percentage of Statement 18.
Percentage of Statement 19. Percentage of Statement 20. Percentage of Statement 21. Percentage of Statement 22.
Percentage of Statement 23. Percentage of Statement 24. Percentage of Statement 25. Percentage of Statement 26.
Percentage of Statement 27. 66 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the rationale of the study, which includes the theoretical and contextual background for the study, online teaching and learning situation and the reasons for conducting the research. Also, details about the aim and objectives, research questions, scope, significance, organization and definitions of important terms are introduced.1 Theoretical reasons Many educational institutions adopted various online teaching formats during the Covid-19 pandemic epidemic. In anticipation of the decision to end face-to-face encounters, most Vietnamese universities have turned to online learning to meet the issue.
Online learning is a novel method of delivering education that makes use of technical instruments such as computers and the Internet to facilitate the transfer of learning materials (Carliner, 2004, pp. Universities have been able to conduct innovative education with the use of online learning, either entirely or partially, in recent years as a result of technology advancements. However, because of the Covid-19 issue, institutions have been compelled to embrace online learning on a large scale in order to maintain instruction. Online learning can be divided into three types of learning environments: synchronous learning, asynchronous learning, and hybrid learning (Perveen, 2016, p.
Synchronous learning refers to real-time online learning that allows students and teachers to communicate at the same time or in real-time (Salmon and Gilly, 2013, p. 5; Shahabadi and Uplane, 2015, p. Video conferencing, teleconferencing, live chatting, and live-streaming lectures are all instances of synchronous learning environments. Because teachers may 2 directly observe the learners’ replies during the learning process, the advantages of synchronous online learning include increased student engagement and motivation (Hrastinski, 2008, p.
This is supported by a study that found that synchronous learning environments can boost students’ engagement and improve the quality of their learning (Wdowik, 2014, p. In contrast, because it is not constrained by time, location, or classroom, an asynchronous learning environment allows students and teachers more flexibility in conducting the learning process (Mayadas, 1997, p. Asynchronous learning environments help learners and teachers who are unable to be online at the same time (Hrastinski, 2008, pp. Asynchronous learning environments include email, online modules, virtual libraries, lecturer’s online notes, lecturer’s blogs, online discussion forums, and social media platforms.
A hybrid learning environment combines synchronous and asynchronous learning settings to create the best learning experience possible (Perveen, 2016, p.2 Contextual reasons According to Son (2020), some universities in Vietnam offer online learning, but it is not available in general education. In a separate statement, he states that the Vietnamese MOET has been directing and guiding the online implementation of university and school education for the past few years. Several institutions have been using online education at various levels in order to meet their particular training objectives. UNESCO, in 2020, released its first estimate of the number of students out of school in early 2020, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The number of students out of school is estimated to be over 290 million. In reaction to school closures, they advocate for the use of online learning and open educational tools, which allow teachers to reach out to students from afar and 3 reduce the danger of disruption in the classroom. To respond to UNESCO’s appeal to join the global educational mainstream in the face of a pandemic, most universities in Vietnam, and Quy Nhon University, in particular, have temporarily turned to online learning. “Even if students have to stay off school, their learning will not be interrupted” - Vietnamese education has tried to retain the mentality (Son, 2020).
When there are many conflicting viewpoints from teachers and students about mandatory online courses during the social distancing period, the idea for this research arises. The current study hence tries to take focus on exploring Quy Nhon University English Majors’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges considering the implementation of online learning of speaking skills.2 Aim and objectives of the study This study aims to investigate Quy Nhon University English majors’ perceptions of online learning of speaking skills during the Covid-19 pandemic.
