VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES NGUYEN THI THU HIEN FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ BLENDED LEARNING - ASTUDY AT A UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM của sinh viên- Nghiên cứu tại một trường đại học ở Việt Nam) Major: English teaching methodology Code: 9140231.01 DOCTORAL DISSERTATION ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY Hanoi, 2023 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYEN THI THU HIEN FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ BLENDED LEARNING - ASTUDY AT A UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM (Những yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến việc học theo mô hình học tập kết hợp của sinh viên- Nghiên cứu tại một trường đại học ở Việt Nam) Major: English teaching methodology Code: 9140231.01 DOCTORAL DISSERTATION ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY Assoc. Nguyễn Thi Mai Hương Hanoi, 2023 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP The thesis entitled: “Factors affecting students’ blended learning- A study at a university in Vietnam” has been submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. An approval for the research has been obtained from Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Languages and International studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. As the sole author of this thesis, I declare that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree at any other university or institution so far.
Besides, it does not contain work extracted froma thesis, dissertation or research paper without full acknowledgement and reference. Signature of the candidate: Date: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To complete the current dissertation, I have faced innumerous challenges; however, the undying support and encouragement that I received from so many people motivated me to keep trying and moving forward. Therefore, I would like to express my great gratitude to those, without whom I could not fulfill this work. First and foremost, I would like to demonstrate my special thanks to my principal supervisor, Assoc.
Prof Hoang Tuyet Minh as well as my associate supervisor, Assoc. Prof Nguyen Thi Mai Huong, who provided me with excellent support, detailed guidance, and timely encouragement during the research project. Their instructions, support and mentoring have been invaluable to me. I would like to express my deep appreciation for the support from the judging panels whose constructive comments and suggestions are of great value to me.
Whenever I made a presentation on my thesis at Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, I could receive indispensable recommendations from them which not only substantially contributed to the completion of my thesis but also assisted me a lot in my career and research pursuits in the future. I am also indebted to the University where I work and my colleagues, who created favorable conditions for me to pursue my thesis and accomplish my work at the same time. I also owe thanks to many of my friends, who shared the difficulties with me during the time I conducted my research and gave me timely encouragement. Special thanks to my colleague and my friend, Ms To Thi Mai, who was always available when I was in need and willing to share with me useful materials and sources.
My great gratitude goes to 20 student participants who enthusiastically participated in my research and honestly shared with me their experiences with the blended course. Last but not least, I am grateful to my family, especially my husband, Mr Trinh Trong Thuy and my two children Trinh Thuy Lam and Trinh Nhat Minh, who were always by my side and motivated me when I felt blue or depressed. Their unconditional love encouraged me to overcome the obstacles on my journey to reach my destination. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP.
vi LIST OF ABBREVIA TIONS. 10 rêu VI LIST OF TA BLES. n2 HH HH2 HT HH ng ret 1X LIST OF 0:00. H212 11 re, 1 II co.
Background to the Study .- 5 v12 11T HH ng HH HH nung 4 1. Socio-cultural context Of V1€tfiaTm. c5: S+ + xxx xxx re 4 1. The application of ICT in higher education in V1efnam.
Vietnamese EFL students’ personal and psychological characteristics. Research aims and research QuestiONns. Scope Of the. Significance of the SUẦy.
18 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEYW. An overview of blended ÏearTIng. Understandings of “Blended learninng”. Types of blended Ïearn1ng.
Challenges of using blended learning. Blended learning in EFL eduCatIOIn. Pedagogical principles for the implementation of blended learning. Blended learning theories and models.
Complex adaptive blended learning system (CABLS). Factors affecting blended learning. Student-related factors. Design-related factors.
- -- thà 111212111111 1101111111 HH ng nh 79 11 2. Institution- related factors .-- -- ¿<5 2z E18 231 251 31 93 31 31 23 Hy ng rưn 80 "0i áo na. Students’ learning in the blended €OUTS€. Research trends in Blended Ïearn1ng.
--- - + + +ssx+xxsxe+eEeeereeeerrsereerke 87 2. Research trends in Blended learning all over the worÌd. Research trends in Blended learning in Ÿ1efnam. 5s 55s <+s+sx+e+sxeee+s 91 /hN©i i0 2000 an.
99 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. The socio-cultural context of this SfUy. Qualitative research approach. Analytical framework used in the present StUdy.
Research instrument developMentt .--- 5 + 65+ SE +3 E*t£EeE+reetrereseresrersre 113 3. Semi-structured ITIECTVICWW. -ó-s- «+ ch TH HT TT TH nh nghe 113 3. Data collection procedures.
Collecting data from semi-structured ITIf€TVICWW. Collecting data from document analysis. Data analysis procedures. G5 56 S+ 13121 911v 11T HH TH ng kg 119 3.
Data analysis for semi-structured 1TI€TVI€W. Data analysis for document analysis. The role of the researcher 0. Trustworthiness Of the Stud 11.
140 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Contributing factors to students’ learning in the current a blended English course ——. Students’ readiness for accommodation of blended learning. Teachers’ active engagement in BL environeii.
Institution’s advocacy of blended implemenfation. Hindering factors to students’ learning in the current a blended English course. Students’ insufficient preparation to learn in BL environmens. Incompatibility between Vietnamese cultural attributes and blended learning 00920111.
Institution-related iSSues. Implications for EFL blended learning implementation at Vietnamese UNIVETSILICS 000. eee ee eeeeceeecceeeeeeenncececeeeeeeeenaaaeeeeeceseeesaaeeeeeeceeeeeaeeeeeeeceeeeeaneeeeeeees 238 5. Implications for institutions T0.
Limitations of the Study occ eeessessssseseseseseseseseessessescscscssssssensesesusseseseasasasanenens 241 5. Suggestions for further Studies. 243 THESIS-RELATED PUBLICA TIONS.- HH HT nrirg I Appendix A: Semi-structured intervie oo. eeeseessseesessssseseseseseescscseaeaseeseenseseseseseneaeaees I Appendix B: Sample of student ITIfCTVI€W.
s- + xnxx HH ng rkc I Appendix C: The congruence of the interview questions, literature review and data bi. XXV Appendix D: Subthemes and themes from raw dafa.-- - 5s s+s£+x+xseeexseeesee XL Appendix E: Primary topics in blended learning worldwide and their sub-topics. XLII Appendix F: Research trends in Blended learning all over the world. XLIV Appendix G: Research trends in Blended learning in Vietnam .--- 55+ L ABSTRACT In the last few years, blended learning (BL) has become a popular delivery method in higher education, not only in Western countries but also in Asian regions as well (Kim & Bonk, 2006; Latchem & Jung, 2009, Tham & Tham, 2011) due to its advantages of integrating both traditional face-to-face and online components.
Therefore, it is even considered as an inevitable trend of education all over the world, or “the single greatest unrecognized trend in higher education today” (Young, 2002, p. However, as a matter of fact, there is no “one-size-fits-all” model; therefore, whether the implementation of this new teaching method really brings course effectiveness with regards to students’ outcomes and satisfaction, etc., in a particular context is still an open-ended question. Previous studies also demonstrate contradicting results about the effectiveness of blended learning. While a lot of research support that students can attain higher academic outcomes and feel more satisfied in a blended environment, many others show the opposite results.
From these evidences, it is apparent that teaching and learning “influenced by more than just the teaching format” .” (Nortvig et al. Therefore, this study is expected to explore the contributing as well as the hindering factors to students’ learning in the context of Vietnam where the number of research conducted on BL is still restricted (Huynh & Le, 2014, Ngoc et al., 2020a; Chi, Vinh, Lin. Besides, this study also aims at verifying whether the factors mentioned in literature review in other contexts all over the world also coincide with those revealed in this study or there are some unique factors in Vietnamese context. Last but not least, some recommendations can be made to minimize the negative effects of the hindering factors and enhance the effectiveness of BL implementation.
Based on the aims of the study and a careful review of relevant literature, this study employs Complex Adaptive Blended Learning Systems (CABLS) as a theoretical framework. To collect the in-depth data, this study relies on a qualitative research methodology. To be more specific, basic qualitative research is chosen to be the research design of this study. This research involves 20 freshmen who have Vi just experienced the blended course themselves.
The primary data collection instrument used in this study is semi-structured interviews with the students with regard to six key components of blended learning included in the CABLS framework. In addition, official documents (e., university policies relating to the implementation policy of blended course, faculty documents relating to specific instructions to employing and managing the current course or course outlines and schedules) were also collected for analysis. The results indicate that there are three main contributing factors to students’ learning in this blended course including students’ readiness for accommodation of blended learning, teachers’ active engagement in BL environment and institution’s advocacy of blended learning implementation. Besides, three hindering factors consist of students’ insufficient preparation to learn in BL environments, incompatibility between Vietnamese cultural attributes and original blended learning model, and some institution-related issues.
Based on the results from the analyzed data, some implications for teachers and the institution are offered to improve the shortcomings of the current blended course and mitigate the hindering factors were proposed. Vil LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ASEAN: Association of South East Asian Nations BL: Blended learning CALL: Computer — Assisted Language Learning CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages CHC: Confucian heritage culture CK: Content knowledge CLT: Communicative Language Teaching EFL: English as a Foreign Language HE: Higher education HERA: High Education Reform Agenda ICT: Information and Communication Technology LMS: Language Management System MOET: Ministry of Education and Training PK: Pedagogical knowledge TK: Technological knowledge TPACK: Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge VNuni: the university under investigation ZPD: Zone of Proximal Development Vili LIST OF TABLES Table 2. Different levels of blending. (Bonk & Graham, 2012, pp.
Categories of blended learning systems (Bonk & Graham, 2012, p. Design models of blended learning (Twigg, 2003). Pedagogical principles of EFL blended learning. E-learning framework, Khan, n.d, cited in Bowyer & Chambers, 2017).
Key components of CABLS (based on literature review). Description of a blended English course in the VNI. Description of semi-structured interview participant. Interview question content based on CABLS subsystems (Creswell & ®\.
Illustration of the data analysis process for the semi-structured interviews (Development of inductive codes from data) .5: Overview of documents reviewed and analyzed in this research. 134 1X LIST OF EIGURES Figure 1. A decade of ICT Policy Guidelines in Vietnam, adopted from Peeraer 810/20) 01.1: Different levels where blended learning can occur (Graham, 2009). Technology Acceptance Model (Adapted from Davis, 1993:476).
A Grounded Model for Blended Environments (Shea, 2007, p.4: The complex adaptive blended learning system_(Wang, Han, & Yang, "0h00. Theoretical framework of the sfUdy. 6-5 Sàn krrkeeeet 112 Figure 3. Data Analysis in Qualitative reS€aTCh.-- - s5 + sxseeerersrerrrkrk 120 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.
Rationale In the age of Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) explosion, Blended learning (BL) has proved to be an effective tool of education which can bring numerous benefits. Being defined as a combination of face-to-face instruction and computer-mediated instruction (Graham, 2006), BL seems to compensate for the shortcomings of both conventional classes and the online ones.