VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES tk 3k 48 218 is 28 is 2 địt oo Eo oR cE ức TRAN SON NGUYET LEARNERS’ CHALLENGES AND PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS ONLINE ENGLISH LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A CASE STUDY OF FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AT A UNIVERSITY IN HANOI Những thách thức va nhận thức của người học đối với Một nghiên cứu trường hợp về sinh viên năm thứ nhất tại một trường đại học ở Hà Nội M. MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 HANOI - 2024 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES tk lí 28 ie 2 địt oo Eo oo ức TRAN SON NGUYET LEARNERS’ CHALLENGES AND PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS ONLINE ENGLISH LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A CASE STUDY OF FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AT A UNIVERSITY IN HANOI Những thách thức va nhận thức của người học đối với Một nghiên cứu trường hợp về sinh viên năm nhất tại một trường đại học ở Hà Nội M. MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231. Tran Thi Thu Hien HANOI - 2024 DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby declare that this project entitled “Learners’ Challenges and Perceptions towards Online English Learning during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A case study of first-year students at a university in Hanoi.” is my own work for the Degree of Master of Arts at the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS), Vietnam National University (VNU), Hanoi.
The thesis has not been submitted for any degrees at any other universities or institutions. The information gained from others’ works has been acknowledged in the text and a list of references. Hanoi-2024 Student’s signature TRAN SON NGUYET Approved by SUPERVISOR (Signature and full name) Date:. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest appreciation to everyone who helped make this project a reality by inspiring and supporting me.
I will do my best to be kind and true in my remarks. First and foremost, I would want to give the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, ULIS, VNU my sincere gratitude for allowing me to complete this thesis. Secondly, my gratitude is to Dr. Tran Thi Thu Hien for supporting me both spiritually and academically.
As my supervisor, she has always been patient and enthusiastic in giving me guidance during the project. I am also grateful for her kind and constructive advice, which are so valuable for me to improve my work. Additionally, I am grateful to be a part of the large extended family, which includes my spouse, my son, my parents, and myself. They have always given me unconditional affection, emotional support, and enthusiastic encouragement, all of which have helped me overcome challenges.
For that, I owe them my sincerest gratitude. Last but not least, I want to sincerely appreciate and be proud of myself for persevering throughout the entire process. It has been a challenging path, but I have always given it my all and have learnt from the little things until I could put a full product together. Above all, I feel thrilled and content with the interesting new things I've learned along the journey.
ii ABTRACT Online-learning, which integrates technology into learning and researching, has had a significant impact on the educational system in the 21st century due to the increase of technological advancement. However, online-learning does not gain its reputation until the period of Covid-19 pandemic when it is one of the most popular learning methods that supports or even replaces traditional classes around the world. This research project was conducted at a higher education institution to examine online learners’ awareness and investigate their barriers to the prospect of online learning in Vietnam, in the context of Covid-19 pandemic. The study utilizes mixed methods with data from a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews.
210 freshmen who have just finished their first semester participated in the survey. The findings identify difficulties and perceptions of learners towards online-learning. Afterward, there are some recommendations for educators to improve online-learning system in the future. Key words: Covid-19 pandemic; Online English learning; Learners’ Challenges and Perceptions; higher education iii TABLE OF CONTENT DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP .- ng HH re 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTTS.Q QQnHnHHHHHgngggHH nHggnệt ii 40V.
11 LIST OF FIGURES 11175. vi LIST OF ABBREYVIA TIONS. HH HH HH Hy vil CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.- 2G HH HH HH nghiệt 1 1. Rationale of the Study.
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Likelihood of taking future online COUTS€S. Comparison of findings with prior literature. Analysis of learners’ perceptions of online learning. Examination of learners’ difficulties in online learning.
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LH HH HH HH TH HH HH rệt XV LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.2: Online Learning EXp€TI€TIC€.-- -- G1113 1+ SE krieerrkrereere 30 Figure 4.3: English Learning DuratIOII.-- <5 < 3+ *****+*vEE+eeeeeereeereeeers 30 Figure 4.4: Background distrIbut1OII.5: Difficulties in Technological Skills (Percentage of Agree) .6: Difficulties in Administrative and Instructors’ Issues .7: Difficulties in Social Interaction 2. cee eeseeeseeesceceeeeeeneeesaeeeseesenessaes 33 Figure 4.8: Difficulties in Academic SKIÏÌS.9: Challenges in Cost and Internet Availabillfy.10: Skill and confidence with online learning technology .11: Effectiveness of online learning (percentage of agree) .12: Enjoyment of Online Learning (Percentage of Agree) .14: Likelihood of Taking Future Online COurSe€s.- - --‹ 5s <+<<s5+ 40 Vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS HE: Higher Education HEIs: Higher Education Institutions MOET: The Ministry of Education and Training ISTE: The International Society for Technology in Education EFL: English as Foreign Language Vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter is an introduction which explains the rationale, the scope of the project. Besides, the objectives of the study and the method utilized to achieve the research aims are explained. Finally, there are explanations of the significance of the study before the structure of the thesis is presented.
Rationale of the study First and foremost, online learning plays an essential role in maintaining the education in case in-person classes are not allowed such as Covid-19 pandemic or other similar situations in the future. Even when there are no conditions to attend school, online learning is the sole option that enables students to keep up with their knowledge and skills development (Adedoyin & Soykan, 2020). Second, online learning, or online education, is anticipated to have a big impact on Vietnamese education in the near future. In comparison to a decade ago, young Vietnamese people are fully familiar with the internet and smart devices, and parents are more receptive to innovative ideas.
Dumbauld (2020) stated that online learning is less expensive, so learners will save more money rather than paying for school facilities. An increasing number of learners tend to enroll in online courses which are more convenient and suitable for their needs of flexible studying time and location. Furthermore, although being one of the global marketplaces with the quickest rate of growth, online learning has, until recently, only had a little impact on Vietnam's official education systems for higher education. The use of online learning in higher education is expected to grow significantly in the educational institutions of Vietnam, however, as a result of the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic epidemic.
From that on, it can be seen that the demand for online learning among tertiary learners is getting higher while but the form of learning is still new, so have to face many difficulties when implementing it. From those observations, the author has always been concerned with the questions “What are my students’ perceptions and feelings towards learning English online?” and “What are the problems that influence the learning effectiveness facing my students when experiencing online learning?”. These questions have become the motivation for this project to be conducted. Scope of the study The primary goal of this research is to investigate students’ challenges and perceptions towards online English learning during the Covid-19 pandemic; using questionnaire and semi-structured interviews as the main research instruments; and the research being conducted with 210 first-year non-English-majored learners at the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the university.
Aims and objectives of the study The research aims at studying first-year students’ challenges and perceptions towards online English learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. The interrelated objectives of the research are: - Finding out challenges faced by the students in online English learning during Covid-19 pandemic. - Investigating the students’ perceptions towards online English learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. Research Questions The research seeks to answer the following questions: 1.
What are the challenges encountered by the students in learning English online during the COVID-19 pandemic? 2. How do the students perceive of English online learning practices during the COVID-19 pandemic? 1. Research methods To achieve the research aims, this study uses mixed methods with quantitative and qualitative data to reveal findings. Firstly, the survey questionnaire is utilized as the main instrument for gathering quantitative data.
The survey is conducted with 210 first-year non-English-majored students to study the factors that influence their fluency in English-speaking classes. Secondly, semi-structured interviews are conducted with 50 students to get an in-depth understanding of the investigated factors. Noticeably, the results of the survey and interviews are studied in parallel and compared to conclude the key factors related to learners’ challenges and perceptions toward online English learning during Covid-19 pandemic. Significance of the study This study has both theoretical and practical implications.
From a theoretical perspective, the study can provide a solid framework for similar studies. From a practical perspective, this study not only offers implications for governments and universities to better prepare for the move from traditional learning to e-learning during this pandemic, but also provides a good practice should there be a similar emergency in the future. Structure of the thesis This study contains five chapters. Each chapter contains different explanations related to the topic which is discussed.
Chapter 1: Introduction — presents a brief description of the study. The rationale, the scope, the aims and objectives, the research methodology, the significance, and the outline of the study are all included in this part. Chapter 2: Literature Review — provides the theoretical knowledge as a base for the study. First of all, there are definitions and relevant explanations of key terms: online learning, online learning during covid-19, perceptions and challenges.
Moreover, several previous studies are reported to indicate the approach of the study and build a fundament for the design of a survey questionnaire and interview questions. Chapter 3: Research Methodology — mentions the methodology utilized to achieve the aim of the study. Besides, it gives a description of the participants chosen for the study. It also presents the instruments for data collection, and the procedure of data analyses as well.