MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY NGUYEN THI LAN A STUDY ON USING VISUAL AIDS IN ENGLISH CLASSROOM FOR 11TH GRADE AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN GIA LAI PROVINCE Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language TeachingCode:8140111 Supervisor: Bui Thi Dao, PhD BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN NGUYỄN THỊ LAN NGHIÊN CỨU SỬ DỤNG PHƯƠNG TIỆN TRỰC QUAN TRONG TIẾT HỌC TIẾNG ANH CHO LỚP 11 TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG Ở TỈNH GIA LAI Ngành:Lý luận và phương pháp dạy học bộ môn Tiếng Anh Mã số: 8140111 Người hướng dẫn:TS. Bùi Thị Đào i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I now declare that this thesis has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. I have not used any sources other than those listed and identified as references. I further declare that I have not submitted this thesis at any other institution to obtain a degree.
Signed: Date: 31/10/2023 Nguyễn Thị Lan i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to acknowledge the debt of gratitude to my supervisor, Bui Thi Dao, Ph. for her helpful suggestions, invaluable critical feedback, and encouragement in the writing of this study. Without her guidance and help, this work would not have been completed. I want to thank those who participated in my research for their valuable time fulfilling the questionnaire and the insightful information from the questionnaire.
If it had not been for their willingness and enthusiasm, I could not have collected important data from the 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. Finally, I would also like to express my thanks to my family and my husband for their wholehearted encouragement and support during the time I focused on my thesis.
ii ABSTRACT This study investigates issues relating to using visual aids in English classrooms for grade 11 at a high school in Gia Lai province. It aims to explore the EFL teachers’use of visual aids in English classrooms and to find out whether using visual aids in English classrooms has positive impacts on students’ motivation and active participation during English lessons. The data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations. Eight teachers and ninety-two students at a high school in Chu Pah district, Gia Lai province participated in the study.
The results of the study showed that teachers frequently used different kinds of visual aids in their lessons. Besides, both teachers and students had positive opinions toward the application of visual aids in language classrooms. As a result, some recommendations were made based on the major findings to minimize problems and maximize the implementation of visual aids in English classrooms at high schools. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP.
ii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. v LIST OF TABLES. vi LIST OF FIGURES.
Aims of the study. Objectives of the study. Scope of the study. Significance of the study.
Structure of the thesis. An overview of visual aids. Definition of visual aids. Types of visual aids.
Visual aids in language acquisition. Roles of visual aids in the classroom. Using visual aids in the classroom. Use of visual aids in approaches of ELT.
Students’ motivation and participation. Kinds of motivation for learning English. Review of previous studies. Data collection instruments.
Data collection procedure. Data analysis methods. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Research question 1: To what extent do teachers use visual aids in teaching English?.
Finding from teachers’ questionnaire. Findings from the interview. Findings from the observations. Research question 2: How does the use of visual aids influence students’ motivation and participation in the English classroom?.
Findings from the students’ questionnaires .1 EFL teachers’ using visual aids in English classrooms. The influences of using visual aids on students’ motivation and participation in English classrooms. Suggestions for School Administrators:. Recommendations for Teachers:.
75 v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English as a Foreign Language L2: Second Language ELT English Language Teaching vi LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Background information of the teachers (N=8) .2: Background information of the students (N=92). Description of items in the questionnaire for teachers. Description of items in the questionnaire for students. Type of visual aids that teachers use in their teaching.
The circumstances when teachers made use of visual aids. The sources of visual aids used by teachers. Teachers’ consideration of the effectiveness of visual aids in the classrooms. Teachers’ consideration of the challenge of visual aids in the classrooms.
Kinds of visual aids teachers used. Types of visual aids used in language skills .8 Level of students’ interaction with visual aids. Error! Bookmark not defined. Students’ opinions on the frequency of each visual aid used (N=92).
Students Engagement in lessons incorporated with visual aids (N=92). Students’ Motivation in lessons incorporated with visual aids (N= 92). The kinds of visual aids students like to study with (N=92). Students ’ opinions on the benefits of visual aids (N=92).
Students’ satisfaction with the use of visual aids in their English classroom(N= 92) .59 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4. Teachers’ use of visual aids in the classroom. Frequency of the use of visual aids in English teaching. Teachers’ consideration of the importance of visual aids in the classrooms.
Teachers’ challenge of using visual aids in the classrooms. Teachers’ intention of using visual aids in the future. Frequency of visual aids used by teachers. Students' opinions on the frequency of visual aids used by.
51 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This chapter presents such topics as the background of the study, statements of the problem, the purpose of the study, significance of the study, scope, and structure of the study. Rationale Technological advancements crafted by humans have caused the world to become smaller. Traveling and communicating with other societies around the world are considerably simpler today. We exchange cultures, ideas, and values, making the world more interconnected.
English, the most widely spoken language in the world, must be understood and used to communicate on such a large scale (Fidanboylu, 2014). As a result, there is a growing necessity for millions of individuals worldwide to acquire English as a second language, as highlighted by Crystal (2005) as cited in Gonzales, Houghton, Kaye & and Stewart (2012). Acquiring proficiency in a language that significantly differs from one's native tongue presents a formidable challenge, particularly in today's technology-driven age where traditional teaching methods alone appear inadequate. Prior studies have demonstrated that incorporating audio-visual materials, including images, diagrams, presentations, videos, and audio resources, into the language learning process can make a substantial and valuable contribution to supplement traditional resources like textbooks, oral instruction, and exercises, as evidenced by Narayan (1980).
Undoubtedly, the integration of technology into the teaching and learning dynamic is an undeniable reality. In other words, educators should carefully choose suitable technological tools that align with their specific teaching and learning contexts to enhance their students' educational experiences, as suggested by Ismail (2006). For instance, when instructing students in English speaking skills, the incorporation of audiovisual materials 2 enhances the teaching and learning process, making it more hands-on and interactive. These multimedia resources not only render language lessons more engaging but also infuse vitality into the classroom by captivating students' attention, whether directed at the teacher or the subject matter.
Capper (2003) highlights that technological tools should function as complementary supports to the curriculum rather than overpower it and that numerous teachers, despite having access to technology, refrain from its use due to their lack of technical expertise and contentment with their current teaching methods. He suggests that these instructors encounter challenges when utilizing technology or struggle to find the time to incorporate tech-supported lessons effectively. A proficient amalgamation of teaching resources and strategies enhances the learning environment. English Language Teaching (ELT) is considered one of the popular communication language teaching approaches nowadays, according to Freeman (2000), and different innovations are brought in the field of ELT to come out from the traditional teaching approaches.
ELT was introduced in the early 1980s to practice language expressed in daily communication around the classroom. Learners can learn another language after their mother tongue to maintain communication with others in a different language. As a result, with the changed necessity of learning the English language, teaching methods and approaches have also been adapted. That is the reason why teachers of English are trying to bring innovations and approaches in their teaching to make their lessons more effective.
In this approach, the use of visual aids has been highly emphasized. As Patesan et al. (2018) stated, visual aids are considered powerful tools used for the ELT process, especially in high schools where students are under the pressure of studying a variety number of subjects and often ignore the importance of studying English in modern life. Moreover, from my own experience as a teacher of English in high 3 school for several years, I am aware of the fact that teaching English is not an easy task, especially in high school, hence, it needs to be interesting enough to remove the anxiety of the learners.
For this reason, teachers tend to deal with different techniques to teach English more interestingly. With the rapid growth and availability of technology, teaching English is incorporating different additional aids along with the textbooks to teach. Apart from electronic boards, overhead transparency, multimedia projectors, computers, visual aids such as wallboard, roll-up board, pictures, posters, charts, cartoons, cue sheets, flannel boards, and flashcards are also important approaches to make the teaching and learning processes become interesting and enjoyable. Teachers, thus, seek ways to deal with visual aids in their lessons to attract students with better learning conditions and increase the student’s interest, knowledge, and proficiency in English learning.
For all the above reasons, using visual aids in English classrooms has become a challenging task for every teacher of English at high schools. It is worth noting that the instruction of applying visual aids has been provided in a limited way since different teachers have their own way of using visual aids. This fact is one of the motivations that inspired me in my decision to work on the theme. From the outcome, an insightful investigation into “A study on using visual aids in English classrooms for 11th grade at a high school in Gia Lai province” is carried out to examine the perceptions of English teachers in a high school in Gia Lai province toward the use of visuals aids in English classrooms and to attract learners’ interest in English classroom so that they can study better and avoid boringness, and then to some extents, to give some practice value on English teaching using visual aids in the classroom.
Aims of the study This study aimed to explore the EFL teachers’use of visual aids in English classrooms and to find out whether using visual aids in English classrooms has 4 positive impacts on students’ motivation and active participation during English lessons. Objectives of the study The study proposes the objectives as follows: a. To identify EFL teachers’ using visual aids in English classrooms. To explore the influences of using visual aids on students’ motivation and participation in English classrooms.
Research questions The study aims to answer the following research questions: 1. To what extent do teachers use visual aids in teaching English? 2. How does the use of visual aids influence students’ motivation and participation in the English classroom? 1.