BANKING ACADEMY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ---------- GRADUATION THESIS TOPIC: ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF USING FACEBOOK FOR VOCABULARY ACQUISITION Student: LUU THI NGOC ANH Class: K23ATCA Academic Year: 2020-2024 Student ID: 23A7510011 Advisor: MA. DUONG THI THANH HOA BANKING ACADEMY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ---------- GRADUATION THESIS TOPIC: ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF USING FACEBOOK FOR VOCABULARY ACQUISITION Student: LUU THI NGOC ANH Class: K23ATCA Academic Year: 2020-2024 Student ID: 23A7510011 Advisor: MA. DUONG THI THANH HOA DECLARATION I declare that this research paper is my work and has not been submitted to any institutions. References and studies used are accurately acknowledged and cited.
Hanoi, 3rd May 2024 Signature Luu Thi Ngoc Anh i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to Ms. Duong Thanh Hoa for giving her time and invaluable experience to guiding and helping me throughout this research project. Her careful instruction and insightful feedback have facilitated the development of my ability to research, leading to the timely completion of this assignment. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the lecturers at the Banking Academy for their unwavering support and encouragement during my academic path.
The assistance provided by lecturers not only aided me in overcoming the difficulties of acquiring knowledge but also facilitated the development of social connections and the improvement of life skills. I cannot disregard the continual encouragement from my friends and family throughout this period. The words of encouragement and endless backing from my friends and family have been a great source of motivation, empowering me to face all challenges and successfully accomplish my research Finally, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the 123 individuals who dedicated their time to participate in the surveys and generously shared their invaluable views. Your involvement and contributions have enhanced the depth and significance of this research.
ii ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine the perspectives of English major students at Banking Academy about the usefulness and difficulties associated with utilizing Facebook for vocabulary acquisition. The methodology employed in this study is quantitative, utilizing data gathered via a questionnaire. The findings suggest that students observe Facebook as beneficial in all stages of Vocabulary acquisition. Nevertheless, typical obstacles frequently encountered by students include the potential for distraction caused by entertainment content, absence of sufficient guidance from teachers, absence of reliability in study materials, and insufficiency of study materials.
This research highlights the possibilities of implementing Facebook into teaching practices and emphasizes the importance of providing direction to students in order to effectively utilize social media to improve their vocabulary. In addition, students may utilize Facebook in a more balanced and productive manner for education while having fun after assessing and recognizing the practical advantages that it contributes to the process of acquiring vocabulary. To obtain a broader and more comprehensive understanding of students' viewpoints, future research should include a mixed methodology or qualitative methodology, such as interviews, that cover a variety of perspectives. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION.
iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. vii LIST OF TABLES. viii LIST OF FIGURES .ix CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .3 Scope of the study .4 Significance of the study .5 Structure of the Study .3 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW.2 The Importance of Vocabulary .2 Social media and language learning .2 Social media and language learning .3 Facebook and Language Learning .2 Use of Facebook in Language Learning .10 CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .1 The locale of the study .3 Data gathering procedure .4 Population, Sample, and Sampling Technique .7 Reliability and validity .16 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .1 Reliability of the measurement .1 Gender, Academic year, and English level .2 Time spent on FB per day .3 Frequency of engaging with English content on FB .4 FB used features to engage in English content .3 The effectiveness of using FB for vocabulary acquisition .1 Approaching New Vocabulary .2 Acquiring vocabulary on Facebook .3 Remembering the meanings of new vocabulary encountered on Facebook .4 Using the word .4 Difficulties of using Facebook for Vocabulary Acquisition .1 The effectiveness of using FB for vocabulary acquisition .2 Difficulties of using FB for Vocabulary Acquisition .40 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS .1 Summary of the findings .55 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviations Meanings ATC English-major students at Banking Academy FB Facebook SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences vii LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1:Interpretation of Mean Score .1: Scale reliability of Reading and Watching .2: Scale reliability of Social Interaction.3: Scale reliability of Passive Discovery .4: Scale reliability of Guessing .5: Scale reliability of Dictionary Usage .6: Scale reliability of Study Basic Aspects .7: Scale reliability of Study Extended Aspects .8: Scale reliability of Contextual Retrieval .9: Scale reliability of Active Use .10: Scale reliability of Difficulties .11: Gender, Academic year, and English level .12: Time spent on FB per day .13: Frequency of engaging with English content on FB .14: Approaching New Vocabulary .15: Acquiring vocabulary on Facebook .16: Remembering the meanings of new vocabulary encountered on Facebook .17: Using the word .18: Difficulties of using Facebook for Vocabulary Acquisition.37 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1: Sample size calculation based on Fisher’s formula (Loan, 2022) .1: FB used features to engage in English content .29 ix CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research problem In the present era, it is undeniable that foreign languages, including English, play a crucial role in facilitating communication among individuals from many countries and professional domains across the globe. Social networks have become an integral and significant aspect of daily life, with the purpose of connecting and facilitating interaction among individuals.
Currently, social networks serve as more than just a tool; they also have a significant impact on several parts of our lives (Şanal et al. Vietnam is not exempt from these two waves. Universities not only incorporate English into their curriculum, but they also offer specialized knowledge in English-based degrees, such as the Faculty of English at Banking Academy. In addition, statistical data indicates that around 91.6% of the Vietnamese population possesses a Facebook social network account (Vietnam Digital Report 2023, 2023).
Thus, numerous studies have explored and put into practice the integration of foreign language acquisition and social network apps to foster interaction. This is due to the fact that users are frequently deeply involved with social networks, dedicating several hours each day to accessing the content offered by the application. This presents a novel chance to make foreign languages more captivating. The learning process can evolve according to this pattern of usage.
Research has been undertaken to explore the advantages of utilizing social networks as a tool or platform to facilitate English language learning among students (Kabilan et al., 2010; AbuSa'aleek, 2015; Blattner & Fiori, 2009), and these studies have consistently demonstrated good outcomes. Furthermore, comprehensive studies were carried out to analyze and evaluate specific components of language, including various skills (Shih, 2021; Ahmed, 2016). Vocabulary is also an important component of language as well as foreign language learning, so it is not surprising that studies have also begun to find a correlation between Facebook use and vocabulary development (Guvendir & Gezgin, 2015; Kabilan et al. While there have been some positive indications 1 documented, there have also been some unfavorable outcomes documented (Monica- Ariana & Anamaria-Mirabela, 2014).
However, previous research has examined the usage of social media and Facebook for vocabulary learning; yet, the majority of studies are conducted in controlled groups and classroom environments with teacher guidance. Therefore, independent studies are suggested to be conducted to closely examine students’ perspectives (Alharthi et al. Moreover, there is currently a lack of research on this topic at the Banking Academy. Therefore, undertaking a new research track with current trends can provide valuable insights and additional perspectives for future studies.2 Research question The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Facebook in facilitating students' vocabulary acquisition, as well as identifying the challenges they have when utilizing Facebook for this purpose.
To accomplish this, the research will respond to the following two inquiries: 1. To what extent do English major students perceive the effectiveness of FB for Vocabulary acquisition? 2. What are the difficulties of English major students in using Facebook for Vocabulary Acquisition? 1.3 Scope of the study This study will specifically examine the effectiveness and difficulties associated with utilizing Facebook as a means of acquiring vocabulary among English-major students at the Banking Academy in Hanoi, Vietnam. The scope of this research is students majoring in English language, including those in their first to fourth year of study.
The research was carried out over four days, from April 13 to April 16, 2024.4 Significance of the study This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and difficulty of students' usage of Facebook for vocabulary acquisition. Firstly, the findings of this study can offer 2 educators valuable insights into the capacity of Facebook and other social networks to enhance students' learning experiences. Thus, Facebook can be utilized to facilitate the process of instructing and acquiring language for students. Secondly, this study enables students to assess the value of Facebook in the vocabulary acquisition process.
Consequently, students can get a deeper knowledge of engaging with social networks, thereby enhancing the learning process constructively and efficiently.5 Structure of the Study This research has 5 chapters, which are outlined below: Chapter I - Introduction: This chapter presents the rationale and importance of researching students' perceptions about utilizing Facebook for vocabulary acquisition. It also includes the research question, the extent of the study, the significance, and the structure of the research. Chapter II - Literature review: This chapter presents theories, definitions, and linkages with previous research that are relevant to this topic. Chapter III - Research Methodology: This chapter covers the research methodology, which includes the location, study design, data collecting procedure, research instrument, statistical treatment, and the reliability and credibility of the method.
Chapter IV - Results and Discussion: This chapter presents the findings, analysis, and discussion with previous studies. Chapter V - Conclusion and recommendations: This chapter provides a concise overview of the research findings, offers recommendations, and acknowledges limitations. Chapter summary: This chapter introduces the research subject, emphasizing the significance of studying the effects of utilizing Facebook for Vocabulary Acquisition. The chapter outlined the study objectives aimed at investigating the efficacy and challenges associated with utilizing Facebook for Vocabulary Acquisition.
The research aims to determine the effectiveness and challenges associated with utilizing Facebook for Vocabulary Acquisition. The study's significance was discussed, 3 highlighting its prospective contributions to academic knowledge, lecturers, and learners. In addition, the thesis structure was condensed, giving a brief outline of the topics discussed in each following chapter. To summarize, this chapter establishes the foundation for a thorough investigation into the effects of using Facebook for vocabulary acquisition.
The following chapter will explore the concepts in theory and literature review that support this research. 4 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Vocabulary Linguistics experts have different views on what vocabulary means. Vocabulary can be defined as a linguistic unit with form (Nation, 2001), or as a collection of words a person knows (Linse, 2005), a viewpoint that aligns closely with the explanation provided by the Cambridge Dictionary. Moreover, many researchers argue that vocabulary including not only knowing words but also being able to use them in practical situations.
Specifically, vocabulary is a collection of words that speakers of a language use to communicate (Hatch & Brown, 1995), and a similar definition was mentioned in a study about a decade later: Vocabulary can be seen as "words that we must know to communicate effectively" (Neuman & Dwyer, 2009, p. However, many studies refer to vocabulary as a composite of factors. Vocabulary is not merely a collection of individual words but rather the combination of these words to form clusters for expression in a context (Lewis, 1993), or even the combination of idioms or phrases together (Ur, 1996).