MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY NGUYỄN THỊ NHƯ TRIỂM AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTS OF USING THE DIGITAL HOMEWORK ACTIVITIES (DHA) APP ON CHIDREN’S LEARNING OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching Code: 8140111 Supervisor: Dr. NGUYỄN TIẾN PHÙNG BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN NGUYỄN THỊ NHƯ TRIỂM KHẢO SÁT HIỆU QUẢ CỦA VIỆC SỬ DỤNG ỨNG DỤNG LÀM BÀI TẬP VỀ NHÀ TRÊN THIẾT BỊ DI ĐỘNG (DHA) ĐỐI VỚI VIỆC HỌC TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CỦA TRẺ EM Ngành: Lí luận và phương pháp dạy học Tiếng Anh Mã số: 8140111 Người hướng dẫn: TS. NGUYỄN TIẾN PHÙNG i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP The thesis entitled “An investigation into the effects of using the Digital Homework Activities (DHA) app on children’s learning of English vocabulary” is conducted under the supervision Dr. Nguyen Tien Phung, a lecturer working at Quy Nhon University.
I hereby declare that the thesis is entirely my own original work. In addition, I emphasize that the thesis has not been accepted for any degree and is not simultaneously submitted to any candidates for any degree or diploma. Any works of other authors consulted in this thesis are listed in the reference. Author’s signature NGUYEN THI NHU TRIEM ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of this graduation thesis is the result of not only my own efforts but also the assistance of my teachers, colleagues, friends and family to whom I would like to convey my deep gratitude.
First and foremost, I am profoundly thankful to my supervisor, Dr. Nguyen Tien Phung, for the thoughtful guidance, critical comments, and precious advice that he broadened my horizon in this field. Without his great patience and constant encouragement during the process of conducting this study, the work would never have been completed. I feel fortunate to have had his support for my work.
Secondly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of the professors and doctors, not only at Quy Nhon University but also at other universities, for imparting knowledge to me regarding both general and specialized subjects which enabled me to have a strong theoretical foundation and created the ideal environment for my study. This study was made achievable by the presence of the enthusiastic children and their parents at two kindergartens in Quy Nhon city, who devoted their time taking part in this research. I was also thankful to all the teachers at the kindergartens for their fascinating assistance, support, and management during the process. I am very lucky to know all of them.
Last but not least, I would like to express my sincerity to my beloved family and friends. They have always supported me and given me the strength to go through all the difficulties I encountered when I carried out this research. Quy Nhon, October 2023 iii ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine the impact of the Digital Homework Activities (DHA) on vocabulary learning of children. In addition, it sought to find out how pupils and their parents felt about learning English vocabulary through the DHA app.
To achieve the goal, the study was carried out with the participation of 120 five-year-old children in two kindergartens in Quy Nhon City. These participants were divided into two groups, namely control group and experimental group. Three research instruments were employed including a vocabulary test, a questionnaire, and an interview. The data were collected using mixed method: the quantitative data were obtained from a pre-test and post-test on vocabulary whereas the qualitative ones were from a questionnaire and an interview.
The collected data were analyzed in terms of descriptive statistics with the use of SPSS. The findings suggested that both vocabulary learning and vocabulary retention among the control group and the experimental one improved after eight weeks. However, the post-test of the experimental group increased significantly compared to the control group. Additionally, most participants held positive attitudes toward learning and improving their vocabulary retention via the DHA app.
Based on such findings, the researcher proposed several implications focusing on the teaching and learning of English vocabulary for children. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATONS.
vii LIST OF TABLES. viii LIST OF FIRGURES. ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. Research aim and objectives.
Scope of the study. Significance of the study. Organization of the study. 4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.
Definition of vocabulary and the importance of vocabulary. Vocabulary teaching and learning. Teaching young learner vocabulary. Use of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL).
MALL in vocabulary teaching and learning. Application of Digital Homework Activities in vocabulary teaching and learning. Related studies on using MALL in teaching and learning vocabulary.3 Semi- structured interview. 27 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS.
The effective of using DHA app in learning vocabulary. Through vocabulary tests. Students’ vocabulary retention between the two groups before the intervention. Students’ vocabulary retention between the two groups after the intervention.2 Students’ time of using DHA app at home.
Students’ and parents’ attitude towards using DHA app on learning vocabulary at home.3 The easiness to use .4 Parents’ perception on the improvement of children when they use DHA app in learning vocabulary. 44 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS. Summary of major findings. Limitations of the study.
Recommendations for Future Research. 50 APPENDIX 1: VOCABULARY-TEST ( Pre-test). 1 APPENDIX 2: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT. 7 vi APPENDIX 3 THE VIETNAMESE VERSION OF THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS.
13 APPENDIX 4: TRANSCRIPTION OF THE SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW. 15 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATONS MALL Mobile-Assisted Language Learning DHA Digital Homework Activities EFL English as a foreign language ESL English as a second language. L2 second language viii LIST OF TABLES Table 4. 1: Student’s vocabulary retention within control group.
2: Students’ vocabulary retention within experimental group. 3: Students’ vocabulary retention before and after intervention. Time students spend studying English vocabulary through DHA app at home. 5 Students’ and parents’ Perceptions of DHA app Based English Vocabulary Learning (N=60).
Children’s attitude of using DHA app in term of usefulness. Children’s attitude of using DHA app in term of enjoyment. Children’s attitude of using DHA app in term of easy to use. Children’s attitude of using DHA app in term of convenience.
41 ix LIST OF FIRGURES Figure 2.1: Features in each unit. 1 Students's scorre classsification in experimental group. 2 Participant’s vocabulary retention before and after the study. 3Time students spend studying English vocabulary through the DHA app at home.
35 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Chapter 1 introduces the rationale underlying this current study. The chapter includes six main parts including the rationale, the aim of the study, the research questions, the scope of the study, the significance of the study and the organization of the study. Rationale English is very important for children because it is an international language and is used in various fields. The ideal age to start learning English is specifically between ages four and five.
When listening, imitating, and communication abilities are at their highest level so kids are more likely to pick up new languages rapidly. Therefore, Circular 50/2022 of the Ministry of Education and Training has always actively implemented a program to get preschool children acquainted with English; however, teaching English to children is not the same as teaching it to adults. Teaching and studying English vocabulary for children in Quy Nhon still faces many challenges. One of the biggest challenges is that teachers do not have enough time to teach vocabulary in class because of time constraints and other reasons.
In addition, kids have very little attention, so it is crucial to provide them with diverse learning tools and help them learn vocabulary at home. Learning on mobile devices is a recent trend to promote children's learning vocabulary at home. Besides, learning in this era has been related to the rapid development of technology, the emerging and developing of technology and its application to teaching comes into full play in education. Therefore, it is not too difficult for children to learn through smartphones at home.
Wang (2017) asserted that using applications on smartphones in teaching and learning generates positive ideas and benefits that motivate children to 2 learn and understand better. In recent years, almost every household has had one or more smartphones so children can study English at home through many English learning apps. Many other studies have shown the positive effects of English learning apps on mobile phones. They encouraged students to be active and self-study at home (Alan & Dilla; 2020; Li, 2021; Redd & Schmidt- Crawford, 2011).
As a useful tool to support the process of learning English, Digital Homework Activities (DHA) is a new and cost-effective application that helps students review and practice English at home. According to what I have researched, there have been no studies about this application so far. This has generated my motivation to conduct a study on “An investigation into the effects of using the Digital Homework Activities (DHA) app on children's learning of English vocabulary” to investigate the effects of utilizing digital homework activities (DHA) on my students at two kindergartens where I am teaching. Research aim and objectives 1.
Research aim The study aims to investigate the impacts of using the Digital Homework Activities (DHA) on EFL children’s learning of English vocabulary. Research objectives The objectives of the study are formulated as follows: - to examine the effects of using the Digital Homework Activities (DHA) on EFL children’s learning of English vocabulary. - to gain insights into parents’ and children’s perspectives of using Digital Homework Activities (DHA) learning English vocabulary of EFL children. Research questions In an attempt to achieve the above-presented aims, the study seeks to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the effects of using the Digital Homework Activities (DHA) app on EFL children’s learning of English vocabulary? (2) What are parents’ and children’s perspectives of the using the Digital Homework Activities (DHA) app in learning English vocabulary? 1.
Scope of the study The study concentrates on investigating the effects of the DHA on improving children's vocabulary learning and exploring parents’ and chidren’s perception of using DHA app for children vocabulary retention. Because of time constraints and the length of the study, the focus of the study is on children in kindergatens in Quy Nhon City especially in the age of 5. Additionally, 60 parents whose children are in the experimental were contacted for data to provide additional perspectives through questionnaire and interviews. The study is carried out over 8 weeks during the second semester of the academic year 2022-2023.
Significance of the study This study provides insight in both theoretical and practical significances. In term of the practical significance, the findings will provide useful information, which may dramatically contribute to raising awareness among students’ parents, and students about using the DHA app to learn vocabulary at home. The research also hopes to gain insights into the use of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), particularly the DHA app, to assist students in acquiring the vocabulary at home successfully and increase students' interest in learning English vocabulary. In addition, the findings will so clarify 4 the positive effects of DHA app in vocabulary acquisition.
The current research findings are also hoped to bring valuable information about teaching and learning English as a foreign language especially children. They might contribute to the theoretical knowledge on learing English vocabulary at home. Organization of the study This research paper is divided into five chapters: Introduction, Literature Review, Research Method, Results and Discussion, and Conclusion. Chapter One: Introduction: It provides the rationale for the research.
Then it presents the research aims and objectives, the research questions, the scope, and the significance of the study. Finally, it describes the organization of the study.