iii ABSTRACT The application of ICT in the EFL classroom is very important for students to learn in an information age. Studying barriers to the use of ICT in teaching English may help educators anticipate difficulties and become successful technology adopters in the future. This study aims to provide an analysis of teachers’ ICT use to present perceived barriers to technology integration in teaching English. The findings indicates that teachers have a strong desire for ICT application into EFL teaching but that, they faced up with many barriers.
The major barriers were lack of access, lack of time, lack of training and lack of technical support. These barriers are mostly extrinsic barriers. Therefore, it is very necessary for administrator to provide them to teachers for successful ICT integration. However, it is undeniable to say that no one component in itself is sufficient to provide good teaching.
The important thing is that the presence of all components increases the possibility of excellent integration of ICT in learning and teaching opportunities. Generally, this study provides information and recommendations to those for the integration of new technologies into EFL teaching at Thanh Hoa PCEC. TABLE OF CONTENTS LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com iv Page DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATION vi LIST OF TABLES vii PART I – INTRODUCTION 1 1. Aims and objectives 1 3.
Scope of the study 2 4. Methods of the study 2 5. Significance of the study 2 6. Design of the study 3 PART II – DEVELOPMENT 4 CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 4 1.
Theoretical background of computers and EFL 4 1. Education technology and EFL teaching and learning 4 1. Computer and EFL teaching and learning 4 1. History of CALL 5 1.
Computer uses for language teaching and learning 7 1. Challenges of ICT application in EFL teaching 9 1.2 Classification of barriers 9 1.1 Intrinsic barriers 9 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.2 Extrinsic barriers 11 CHAPTER II: THE STUDY 16 2. The setting of the study 16 2. ICT in EFL education at Thanh Hoa Provincial Continuing Educational Centre (Thanh hoa PCEC).
Teaching EFL at Thanh Hoa PCEC 16 2.3 Using computer in EFL teaching at Thanh Hoa PCEC 17 2.1 Data analysis of teachers’ survey questionnaire 19 2.2 Data analysis of teachers’ interview 23 2.4 Implications 28 CHAPTER III: RECOMMENDATIONS 29 3.2 Recommendations to the administrators 29 3.2 Recommendations to teachers 31 PART III. CONCLUSION 34 REFERENCES 36 APPENDICES LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com vi LIST OF ABRREVIATION IT : Information Technology WWW : World Wide Web EFL : English as a Foreign Language ICT : Information Communication Technology Thanh Hoa PCEC : Thanh Hoa Provincial Continuing Educational Centre OHPs : Overhead Projectors FL : Foreign Language CALL : Computer-Assisted Language Learning LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Teachers’ Software use 19 Table 2: Use of Instructional Tools and Materials 20 Table 3: Teachers’ preferred methods for professional development 21 Table 4: Percentage of Assessed Barriers that English Teachers Faced During Technology Use in Teaching-Learning Process 22 Table 5: Recommendations to the administrators 29 Table 6: Recommendations to teachers 31 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 1 PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale Information technology (IT) is a major force which has brought about revolutionary changes in the development of the global, digital society. Since its first appearance in Vietnam, IT has justified its usefulness in many fields to which teaching and learning have greatly contributed.
Regarding foreign language training, IT has been considered as a potential tool. Many researches on IT application have been conducted. Many articles on effectiveness of IT application have been debated. High standard technology classes have been set up in many schools and centers to help students study both receptive and productive skills.
Locally and internationally connected Computers allow students to take part in distant courses and search further information to support their studying. Teachers with textbook and PowerPoint presentation, Word Processor, Window Media and more complexed using like Internet, WWW, Website, Weblog… have helped students be more motivated and more independent in studying. However, during the time of ICT application in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Thanh Hoa Provincial Continuing Educational Centre (Thanh Hoa PCEC), along with IT strength, the author has found some challenges that affect the success of ICT intergration in teaching English. Therefore, in this paper, the author investigates these challenges and suggests some solutions to them.
Aims and Objectives This study aims to investigate some challenges of IT application in English teaching at Thanh Hoa PCEC. Hence, it is expected to achieve objectives which could be summarized into three research questions: 2.1 Which ICT resources (software, instructional tools and materials) do English teachers often use in their teaching? 2.2 What are teachers preferred methods for professional development? LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.3 What are the barriers English teachers face during technology application in their teaching process? 3. Scope of the study Due to the limitation of time and knowledge, this study only focuses on challenges (barriers) of IT application in teaching EFL in Thanh Hoa Provincial Continuing Educational Centre, and these challenges are analyzed and then recommendations to those will be given. Methods of the study To carry out this research, some methods have been combined.
Theoretical knowledge on ICT and a review of challenges of ICT application in teaching language are stated. Then, data is collected through the survey questionnaires and interviews with English teachers. After that data is categorized and challenges of ICT application in EFL teaching are compared and analysed. Lastly, some recommendations to analysed challenges are stated.
Significance of the study Although the author of this study only focuses on the challenges of using technology in English teaching, its significance is remarkable. Firstly, it timely touches upon an issue that is having great impacts on education in technology age and is currently drawing many attentions from educators and teachers who are teaching English; particularly it is carried out in the context of Thanh Hoa PCEC where ICT application still needs consideration from teachers and administrators. The results of the study are also expected to improve the efficiency of applying technology in language teaching by investigating some chanllenges and giving out some suggestions to limit them. Besides this, the study is also hoped to lay the foundation for further research into the issue within a larger scope.
Design of the study This study consists of three parts: introduction, development and conclusion. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 3 The introduction presents the rationale, aims, scope, methods and significance of the study and design of the study. The development consists of three chapters: Chapter I: the author reviews the theoretical backround to the application of technology in EFL. Chapter II details the setting, the study, and the findings of the study Chapter III is centered on the author’s recommendations to administrators and teachers The conclusion, apart from summarising the main issues so far touched upon in the study, proposes some suggestions for further research.
LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 4 PARTB: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Theoretical background of computers and EFL 1.1 Educational technology and EFL teaching and learning Technology in FL classroom, which is called “Educational technology” (Harmer,2001:134) becomes available in every type of classroom. According to Warschauer and Meskill (2000), each type of FL classroom teaching has its own technologies to support. The first technologies based on classrooms with chalk, blackboards, pens, paper and textbooks. FL teachers who followed the grammar-translation method treated the blackboard as an useful way to convey information.
In Harmer’s view, the boards “provide a motivating focal point” for the whole class focusing and can be used for many different purposes as note pad, explanation aid, picture frame, public workbook, game board or notice board (Harmer,2001) Nowadays, these means still keep their own values in the teaching and learning process. However, the appearance of modern media with clear and easy-to-use instruction makes this process more creative and flexible. Pictures, charts, radios, cassette players, recorders, overhead projectors (OHPs), movies, televisions have changed the classroom atmosphere and structure and have positively supported learners’ knowledge acquisition process. OHPs can offer “showing the exercises and texts, pictures or diagrams or students’ writing of very high quality” (Hamer, 2001:136).
Songs, stories and news recorded on audio tapes create an exciting classroom environment. Videos help bring the real life things and events into classroom. It is undeniable that the improvement and achievement of technology in education is non-stop process. The actual revolution in FL education, however, is still waiting for achievements of scientific branch called Information Technology whose core component is computer or computer technology.2 Computer and EFL teaching and learning LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 5 Computer has had a certain effect on the general picture of FL education since the first time introduced to FL teaching and learning in 1960s.
Parellel development of IT, the impact of computer in FL teaching and learning still makes controversal. The following subsections will present brief information about definition of CALL, history of CALL and uses of computers in FL classroom.1 CALL Since first introduction of computers into the field of second language education, a great number of practitioners have agreed that this technology keeps great potential for language learning (Levy, 1997; Muyskens,1997; Pennington,1996; Warschauer,1996, Warschauer& Healey,1998). This beliefs leads to what is known as Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL). According to Levy, CALL is defined as “the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning” (Levy, 1997).
Beatty in “Teaching and Reasearching CALL, Pearson, 2003” gives a broader definition of CALL that takes into considerations of its changing nature: “any process in which a learner uses a computer and, as a result, improves his or her language”. There are many other definitions to describe CALL, but they have the common views: describle CALL as a good tool for learning and teaching process.2 History of CALL Though CALL has developed over the last 30 years, this development can be categorized in terms of three somewhat distinct phases which the author will refer to as behaviorstic CALL, communicative CALL and Integrative CALL - Bahavioristic CALL is the first phase of CALL. It conceived in the 1950s and implemented in the 1960s and 1970s CALL in this phase was based on the then-dominant behaviorist theories of learning. Program of this phase entailed repeative language drills and can be refered to as “drill and practice” “Drill and practice” courseware is based on the model of computer as a tutor (Taylor, 1980).
In other words, the computer servers as a vehicle for delivering instructional materials to students. The rationale behind drill and practice was not totally spurious, which explains in LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 6 part the fact that CALL drills are still used today. Briefly, according to Taylor, behavioristic CALL: Repeated exposure to the same material is beneficial or even essential to learning. A computer is an ideal tool for carrying out repeated drills , since the machine does not get bored with presenting the same material and since it can provide immediate non-judgemental feedback.
A computer can present such material on an individual basis, allowing students to proceed at their own pace and freeing up class time for other activities. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, bahavioristic CALL was undermined by two important factors. Firstly, bahavioristic approaches to language learning had been rejected at both the theoretical and pedagogical level. Secondly, the introduction of the microcomputer allowed a whole new range of possibilities.
The Stage was set for a new phase of CALL.