Vietnam national university, Hanoi university of foreign languages & international studies FACULTY of POST-graduate studies ***---*** PHẠM XUÂN ĐẠT AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN LEARNING WRITING for THE THIRD- YEAR STUDENTS OF ENGLISH AT VINH UNIVERSITY Nghiên cứu ứng dụng công nghệ thông tin trong học kỹ năng viết của sinh viên tiếng Anh năm thứ 3 trường Đại Học Vinh M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.10 Supervisor: Đỗ Tuấn Minh, PhD. Hanoi, 2010 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i ABSTRACT ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES AND CHARTS v PART ONE INTRODUCTION 1 I. Purposes of the study 1 III. Scope of the study 1 IV.
Methods of the study 2 VI. Significance of the study 2 VII. Organization of the thesis 3 PART TWO DEVELOPMENT 4 CHAPTER I LITERATURE REVIEW 4 1. Educational technology and EFL teaching and learning 4 3.
Computer and EFL teaching and learning 4 3. Definitions of CALL 5 3. History of CALL 5 3. Applications of IT in EL teaching and learning 7 3.
Computers and writing in EFL 9 4. Conclusion 18 CHAPTER II THE STUDY 19 I. Setting of the study 19 1. Information technology at the Faculty of English 19 2.
Writing teaching and learning at the Faculty of English 19 II. Subjects of the study 19 2. Measurement instrument 20 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Data collection procedure 21 4.
Data analysis procedure 21 CHAPTER III RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 22 I. Presentation of statistical results 22 1. Students’ technological background 22 2. Reality of the students’ use of computer for writing learning 26 3.
Students’ evaluation of learning writing with computer 28 4. Difficulties in learning writing with computer 31 5. Suggestions for a higher outcome 34 II. Implications 36 CHAPTER IV RECOMMENDATIONS 38 1.
For the administrators 38 2. For the lecturers 38 3. For the students 39 PART THREE CONCLUSION AND FUTURE DIRECTION 40 1. Suggestion for further studies 40 4.
Contribution of the study 40 REFERENCES 41 APPENDIX I QUESTIONNAIRE I APPENDIX II INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION III LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com vi LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES AND CHARTS Figures Figure 1- The history of CALL 5 Figure 2- An example of search website 7 Tables Table 1- Students’ computer using frequency 23 Table 2- Students’ writing practice with computer 27 Table 3- Students’ evaluation of the usefulness of computer for the writing 28 stages Table 4- Students’ assessment of the effectiveness of the computer-assisted 29 writing learning Charts Chart 1- Students' computer ownership 22 Chart 2- Reality of the students' Internet connection 23 Chart 3- Popularity of the students' e-mail addresses 24 Chart 4- The students' typing speed 24 Chart 5- The students' habit of using computer for each skill 25 Chart 6- Students' preference for means of writing 26 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 1 PART ONE: INTRODUCTION I. Rationale Information technology (IT) has made the globe quite different in many fields such as economy, science, politics, especially education. English teaching and learning have been made much easier and more effective in higher education under the assistance of computer. The reality shows that learners are popularly applying the computer and its accompanying tools to facilitate their listening, speaking, reading and writing activities.
IT application to ESL (English as a second language) teaching is, therefore, a need. Like it does to the teaching and learning of the other skills, IT has changed the way students deal with writing. It helps, for instance, learners correct their mistakes easily, do peer proofreading online, submit their works to their teachers by e-mail, learn from samples and update information to better their writing. In spite of the potential outcome, the application of IT to promote learning of the writing skill of third-year students at Vinh University is still constrained.
Moreover, even though IT has ever been used for writing learning, studies related to the reality of this application is still lacking. The aforementioned facts lead the author to the study on the following topic: An investigation into the use of information technology in writing learning of the third-year students of English at Vinh University. Purposes of the study The thesis focuses on studying the extent to which IT can facilitate the third-year students to learn the writing skill at Vinh University. Specifically, it aims at: - Investigating the influence that IT has on writing learning of the third-year students at Vinh University.
- Studying the reality of applying IT to writing learning of the students. - Making recommendations for the administrators, the lecturers and the students to better the EFL learning and teaching by means of IT application. Scope of the study The study is in the following scope: IT can be broadly applied to ELT but in the framework of this minor thesis, the researcher would focus on studying the reality in which the students are using the computer in their learning of the writing skill. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 2 Although IT is preferably used for listening, speaking and reading, the application to writing has been so far limited, for both teaching and learning.
This is a reason for the researcher to choose the writing skill to be studied. Moreover, as stated above, the study aims at investigating the reality of the students' IT using for learning the writing skill because the computer is really important for them to learn and to write from the third year. However, it is difficult to carry out this research in a larger scale because of time limit and the framework of a minor thesis. Therefore, the study is narrowed to a group of 100 third-year students.
The students are at the English Faculty of Vinh University. What are the effects of IT in learning the writing skill of the third-year students? b. What are the difficulties the students have in using IT in their writing learning? c. What changes can be made for better use of IT in learning writing? V.
Methods of the study This is a descriptive case study. Data is collected through a questionnaire for the students and interviews for the lecturers. The data is then analyzed, compared, contrasted, and synthesized both qualitatively and quantitatively. We conduct a survey into the third-year students of English at Vinh University using computer in learning the writing skill.
Questionnaires are sent to 100 students and interviews are made on the lecturers. The aim of the survey questionnaire and the interview is to investigate the extents to which the students at the University use IT for learning the writing skill; advantages and difficulties they have and solutions to the problems. Results of the data analysis will be the answers to the research questions mentioned above. Significance of the study The study will play an important part in defining benefits of using IT for learning English as a second language, especially the writing skill at university.
Besides, the thesis will provide an overview of the reality of using IT for language learning at universities of the same background and conditions. Moreover, the study would help discover drawbacks of CALL in the context of higher learning and the findings will be a useful tract of information for lecturers and education administrators to enhance the application of IT to their practices. Last but not least, this is expected to provide information and materials for other researchers to carry out their studies in the same field. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Organization of the thesis The study consists of three main parts: introduction, development and conclusion. The introduction provides the rationale, purposes, scope and significance of the thesis as well as research questions and methods of study. The development part consists of four chapters: literature review, research methodology, results and discussion, and recommendations. In chapter one, the literature review will provide a brief history of computer in foreign language education.
It also discusses the influence of computers on EFL teaching, especially on writing teaching and learning. The second chapter details the methodology in terms of setting and research procedure. In chapter three, findings will be analyzed and discussed before implications are referred to. In chapter four, the researcher will produce some recommendations and suggestions for enhancing the effectiveness of using computer for learning the writing skill.
The last part will summarize the key issues, enclosing some limitations of the study, and suggestions for further studies. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 4 PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Introduction We have experienced essential changes in teaching and learning technology, from the simple tool such as a blackboard and chalk to the modern machine such as computer and LCD projector. The following will consist of studies already made on how technology is applied to foreign language teaching and learning in each period of time, especially to writing teaching and learning.
These theoretical backgrounds will be the basis of the investigation in fulfilling the thesis. Educational technology and EFL teaching and learning Educational technology involves the simplest things such as chalk to the most complicated ones such as computer. According to Warschauer, M. and Carla Meskill (2000), each type of teaching has certain technological items to support it.
The grammar-translation method is, for example, perfect with blackboard which allows teachers to transmit information one-way. Harmer states that boards “provide a motivating focal point” and can be used for different purposes such as a note pad, explanation aid, picture frame, public workbook, game board, notice board (Harmer 2001, pp. These means are still in need in language classrooms; however, the social development and more advanced technologies have decided teaching methods to keep their pace. As a result, teaching tools such as pictures, charts, radios, cassette players, recorders, overhead projectors (OHPs), television sets have changed to facilitate instructors’ performance.
These means have played an important part in language teaching and learning. OHPs can help showing texts or exercises, pictures or diagrams or students’ writing of very high quality (Harmer, 2001:136). Songs and stories recorded on radio tapes create an exciting classroom environment. Videos help bring the real-life things and events into the classroom.
Though educational technologies have bettered language teaching and learning, the real change in effectiveness of these things goes with information and communication technology in which the computer is central. The following will be about the computer and its applications in EFL teaching and learning. Computer and EFL teaching and learning Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is a rapidly evolving academic field that explores the role of computer technologies in language acquisition. A lot of teaching and learning activities can be carried out with the support of computers, the Internet, CDs, VCDs, LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 5 DVDs, projectors, cameras, CD ROMs, radio, television.
The following will give an overview of CALL in respect of its definitions and history.1 Definitions of CALL As posted up on the website Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia (http://en.org/wiki/Computer-assisted language learning), CALL is defined as an approach to language teaching and learning in which computer technology is used to aid to the presentation, reinforcement and assessment of material to be learned, usually including substantial interactive element; an approach that drew heavily on practices associated with programmed instruction. This term originated in the USA and was in common use until the early 1980s, when CALL became a dominant term. Also according to the website, an alternative of CALL is TELL, short for Technology Enhanced Language Learning. This term emerged in the early 1990s, but failed to provide a more accurate description of activities which fall broadly within the range of CALL.
Therefore TELL is not widely accepted as CALL. Levy (1997:1) similarly stated that CALL is the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning.