THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES PHUNG THI THU HIEN A STUDY ON THE USE OF EDTECH TOOLS TO ENHANCE GRADE 8 STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE M.A THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201 THAI NGUYEN-2022 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES PHUNG THI THU HIEN A STUDY ON THE USE OF EDTECH TOOLS TO ENHANCE GRADE 8 STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE M.A THESIS (APPLICATION ORIENTATION) Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201 Supervisor: Bui Thi Huong Giang, Ph.D THAI NGUYEN-2022 ĐẠI HỌC THÁI NGUYÊN TRƯỜNG NGOẠI NGỮ PHÙNG THỊ THU HIỀN NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG CÔNG CỤ EDTECH ĐỂ NÂNG CAO ĐỘNG LỰC HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 8 TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG THCS TỈNH THÁI NGUYÊN LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ (Định hướng ứng dụng) Ngành: Ngôn ngữ Anh Mã số: 8220201 Cán bộ hướng dẫn: TS. Bùi Thị Hương Giang THÁI NGUYÊN-2022 DECLARATION I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the study report titled "A study on the use of EdTech tools to enhance grade 8 students' motivation in learning English at a secondary school in Thai Nguyen Province" has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree at the School of Foreign Languages - Thai Nguyen University. I also declare that this thesis is the result of my hard work and effort and that it has not been submitted for any other university's degree. Where other sources of information have been used, they have been acknowledged.
Thai Nguyen, November 22nd, 2022 Approved by SUPERVISOR Author’s signature Bui Thi Huong Giang, Ph.D Phung Thi Thu Hien i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Bui Thi Huong Giang, for her invaluable advice, guidance, support, and encouragement throughout the completion of this thesis. My heartfelt gratitude also goes to all of the lecturers at the School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University for providing me with invaluable lectures. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the administration of Tan Thinh Secondary School for agreeing to allow me to conduct this research at the school.
I am extremely grateful to the students of class 8A1 at Tan Thinh Secondary School, who actively participated in the research. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my mother and my family for their love and support, which have helped me complete this thesis. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS.
iii LISTS OF TABLES .v LISTS OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………….v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS………………………………………………………. Rationale of the study. Aims of the study. Scope of the study.
Significance of the study. Types of motivation. The importance of motivation in foreign language learning. Factors affecting motivation in foreign language learning.
Data collection instruments. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS. Results collected from Questionnaire. Results collected from Part I.
Results collected from Part II. Summary of the main findings. I iv LISTS OF TABLES Table 1. 10-week syllabus of action for implementing EdTech tools in English class Table 2.
Attitudes toward EdTech tools Table 3. Attitudes toward the lessons using EdTech tools Table 4. Attitudes toward the support of EdTech tools in developing skills Table 5. Language-Efficacy Table 6.
Extrinsic Motivation LISTS OF FIGURES Figure1. Students’ attitudes towards EdTech tools Figure 2. Students’ attitudes towards the lessons using EdTech tools Figure 3. Students’ attitudes toward the support of EdTech tools in developing skills Figure 4.
Language-Efficacy Figure 5. Extrinsic Motivation LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviation Meaning EFL English as a Foreign Language ESL English as a Second Language ICT Information and Communication Technologies IT Information Technology v ABSTRACT This research was conducted at Tan Thinh Lower Secondary School in Thai Nguyen City, where most of the students are supported learning devices, including high-tech tools such as smartphones, computers, tablets, and laptops. The school year 2021-2022 is the third one in that teachers and students have to face the COVID-19 pandemic, so there have been a lot of online lessons to be done. The research, therefore, focuses on the use of EdTech tools to increase grade 8 students’ motivation in learning English at Tan Thinh Lower Secondary School.
By using a variety of EdTech tools, the researcher sets out to investigate factors that contribute to students’ motivation in the English classroom and what EdTech tools motivate the students effectively. The thesis describes a cycle of action research conducted on forty-five students in grade 8. The data will be collected through questionnaires, interviews, and students’ diaries. The results of the research showed that the use of EdTech tools increased the students’ motivation in learning English in the classroom at school and in online lessons.
Some pedagogical implications are also suggested in the hope of assisting Vietnamese teachers in teaching and increasing learners’ interest in learning English. Keywords: EdTech tool, motivation, enhance, increase, learning English. Rationale of the study The importance of English can not be denied and ignored since English is the most common language spoken. English has increasingly become important in many fields, including medicine, engineering, and education, thanks to technological advancements.
Vietnam, in particular, as a developing country, needs to use this global language to demonstrate its international power. This can be based on the effectiveness of the educational system. As a result, English should be practiced in terms of four skills at school, it should be mandatory for school students to do so to keep up with the commanding future. In Vietnam, the Ministry of Education and Training has paid more attention than ever before to teaching and learning foreign languages, particularly English.
It is strongly stated in the project titled "Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, 2008-2020," also known as the "National Foreign Languages Project 2020." According to this project, by 2020, the majority of Vietnamese youths who graduate from vocational schools, colleges, and universities will be able to communicate, study, and work confidently in a foreign language, particularly English, in an integrated environment. After that, the Prime Minister approved the adjustment and supplementation of the project of teaching and learning foreign languages in the national education system for the period 2017-2025 by the decision 2080/QD-TTg dated December 22, 2017. Many education practices that used to take place in person have now shifted to the internet as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a subsequent boom in online learning tools. What was once taught in a classroom is now debated in a chat room, and e-books have replaced textbooks.
EdTech, or education technology, combines information technology and software tools with educational practices to improve learning. EdTech tools help to create a more engaging and interactive online learning experience for students. 1 In Viet Nam, English is supposed to be compulsory in many schools from grade 3 to grade 12, with four skills to be taught and learned for the communicative goal of using English better in the future. The situation of COVID-19 pandemic was taking place very complicatedly.
Most schools across the country were closed. Students had to study online at home. They had to sit in front of computers or smartphones every day to absorb lessons. The same went for students at Tan Thinh Secondary School, where the researcher was working.
Sitting online continuously for many hours in front of electronic devices made students tired, and loss of concentration and interest. So what could help the students learn English better? The most important aspect of the learning process is motivation. “Motivation undoubtedly is the key in any learning” (Frydrychov Klimova & Poulova, 2014). It could be said that learning motivation is the decisive factor for the active participation of students in the teaching process.
It also helps students improve their behavior problems and create a positive learning environment. From the researcher’s experience, using Edtech tools might improve the situation where students have to face online lessons, therefore, it is hoped that within a small research namely “A study on the use of EdTech tools to enhance grade 8 students' motivation in learning English at a secondary school in Thai Nguyen Province” will enhance the English learning motivation of students at Tan Thinh Secondary School. Aims of the study This study aims at investigating the use of features of four EdTech tools: Quizizz, Kahoot, Padlet, and Flipgrid in the classroom which contribute to enhancing students' motivation to learn English. Then it is to help teachers and students realize the importance of these Edtech tools in teaching and learning English in secondary schools.
Research questions Two questions need to be answered: 1. What are the students’ attitudes towards the application of EdTech tools in the English classroom? 2 2. To what extent does the use of Edtech tools affect grade 8 students' motivation in English learning? 4. Scope of the study There are many EdTech tools; however, the researcher only focuses on the following tools: Quizizz, Kahoot, Padlet, and Flipgrip to motivate students in English classrooms.
In addition, due to the limited scope of this study, the participants selected will be 45 students in grade 8 at Tan Thinh Secondary School in Thai Nguyen, a mountainous city in Viet Nam. All the students are willing to take part in the learning activities enthusiastically. The research was conducted in ten weeks and followed Kurt Lewin’s model of Action Research. Significance of the study The study will help the researcher herself realize her students’ positive changes in learning English when she uses of EdTech tools.
It is noteworthy that the research was a great attempt to examine a relevant issue in Vietnam. Therefore, once finished, it can bring several benefits to involved parties such as students, teachers, educational administrators, and researchers of related fields. The researcher hopes that, with the study to be conducted in a very particular context, the effective impacts of using of EdTech tools in teaching English will make Tan Thinh Secondary School students’ English learning better in the future. Thesis organization The thesis consists of 5 chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction - In this chapter, the rationale, objectives, research questions, scope, significance, and organization of the study are clarified.
Chapter 2: Literature Review - This chapter supplies the scientific base of the study, as well as previous researches which help this study have a firm foundation and well-directed approaches. Chapter 3: Research Methodology - This chapter shows the context of the research and methodologies applied to get data and analyze data to find out results. Chapter 4: Findings and Discussions -Based on methodologies, this study finds out the answers to the study and then discusses them. 3 Chapter 5: Conclusion - This last chapter summarizes all the advantages and drawbacks of the study on using EdTech tools to enhance grade 8 students' motivation in learning English at a secondary school in Thai Nguyen Province.
It also talks about the achievements and limitations of the research, which help further research in the future. References and Appendices are shown on the final pages of the research. LITERATURE REVIEW Any language teaching approaches that teachers apply, how to increase students’ motivation in learning is critical job teachers need to perform in any lessons. Since EdTech tools appeared, they have asserted their importance in teaching in general and in language teaching in particular because they help teachers a lot in increasing their students’ learning motivation.
This chapter will review the main concepts of motivation, EdTech tools, and action research. In each section, the researcher will present the definitions as well as theories and studies conducted on the EdTech tools’ effect on students’ motivation. It will also refer to previous studies. Motivation Motivation, according to the PMBOK (A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge), is "powering people to achieve high levels of performance and overcoming barriers in order to change.