MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY --------------- NGUYEN THI HONG DUNG ATTITUDES TOWARDS AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF EDTECH APPS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG EFL STUDENTS AT DINH TIEN HOANG HIGH SCHOOL MASTER’S THESIS Ba Ria - Vung Tau, March 2023 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY --------------- NGUYEN THI HONG DUNG ATTITUDES TOWARDS AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF EDTECH APPS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG EFL STUDENTS AT DINH TIEN HOANG HIGH SCHOOL MASTER’S THESIS Submitted to the Postgraduate Institute in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL Course code: 8140111 Supervisor’s name: Dr. TRAN QUOC THAO Ba Ria - Vung Tau, March 2023 i CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled: ATTITUDES TOWARDS AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF EDTECH APPS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG EFL STUDENTS AT DINH TIEN HOANG HIGH SCHOOL In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s programs issued by Higher Degree Committee of Postgraduate Institute, Ba Ria Vung Tau University Ba Ria- Vung Tau, March 2023 NGUYEN THI HONG DUNG ii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Nguyen Thi Hong Dung, being a candidate for the degree of TESOL accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Thesis deposited in the Library. In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and reproduction for thesis. Ba Ria - Vung Tau, March 2023 Nguyen Thi Hong Dung iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere thanks to those who have supported, encouraged and assisted me in my thesis completion.
First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Tran Quoc Thao for his great patience, professional guidance, efforts and support he gave me through the whole research process. I was very lucky to work on my research under his supervision and constant encouragement which inspired me to greater efforts. Without his support and guidance, this thesis would never have been completed.
Secondly, I am grateful for the assistance and support of the school board staff including the principal and the Postgraduate Institute of the University of Ba Ria - Vung Tau in Vung Tau City, who have helped me greatly to complete this M. Thirdly, I would like to take the opportunity to thank examiners for reading my proposal for their in-depth comments and suggesting future steps they gave during the thesis defense. I am also deeply grateful for the support of administrators, teachers and students at Dinh Tien Hoang High School, the enthusiastic participation of the students in this research project. This study would not have been possible without the valuable data they provided.
Last but not least, I owe my family wholehearted thanks for the everlasting support and encouragement I received. I might not have gone that far on my academic path without them. iv ABSTRACT Technology has grown to be a crucial component in education overall and in English language learning in particular. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in online teaching over the past few years in order to track the learning process.
Thus, educational technology apps (Edtech Apps), namely Nearpod, Quizizz and Padlet, are supposed to be essential during lockdown restrictions and social distancing. This study aims to explore students’ attitudes toward the use of Edtech Apps as well as their perceptions of the effectiveness of Edtech Apps in the context of Dinh Tien Hoang High School. In the academic year 2021-2022, a total of 122 students conveniently chosen from grade 10 to grade 12 at Dinh Tien Hoang High School, Vung Tau City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, participated in the study. To gather the data, the researcher used both quantitative and qualitative methods.
The study used questionnaire and semi-structured interview as its two primary instruments. SPSS was used to process the quantitative data from the questionnaire, while the qualitative data from interviews were analyzed using the content analysis approach. Using SPSS 20, Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient was determined to assess the validity and reliability. From the results of the data processing, it was found that the research participants had positive attitudes and perceptions towards the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning.
Among the three components of attitudes, research participants showed better attitudes in the aspect of affective. They had a strong understanding of how Edtech Apps could help them improve their vocabulary, grammar and reading skills (cognitive attitudes), and they would like to continue using Edtech Apps for their future language learning (behavioral attitudes). The findings also showed that the majority of research participants perceived the effectiveness of Edtech Apps. Students agreed that the use of Edtech Apps helped to enhance their English skills and knowledge (usefulness).
They felt convenient, confident and enjoyable to engage in learning activities with Edtech Apps (ease of use). The findings of the study indicated that Edtech Apps such as Nearpod, Quizizz and Padlet not only have improved students to formulate their positive learning habits but also have promoted their motivation. v Additional pedagogical recommendations have been made for administrators, teachers and students to improve teaching quality in the best possible methods. Keywords: attitude; perception; EFL students ; technology; Edtech Apps vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY.
i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS .iv TABLE OF CONTENTS. vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. ix LIST OF APPENDICES .x LIST OF TABLES .xi LIST OF FIGURES .xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. Background to the study.
Statement of the problem. Aims and objectives of the study. Scope of the study. Significance of the study.
Definitions of the Terms. Organization of the study. 8 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW. The use of EdTech Apps in English language learning.
Effectiveness of the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning in the World and Vietnam. Students’ attitudes towards the use of Edtech Apps in learning English. Definitions of attitudes. The components of attitudes.
Students’ perceptions of the use of Edtech Apps in learning English. Definitions of perceptions .2 The perceptions of the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning. Sample and sampling procedures. Semi-structured interview.
Data collection procedure. Data analysis procedure. Validity and Reliability .43 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS. Students’ perceptions of the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning.
Students’ attitudes towards the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning .56 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS. Implications for the administrators of Dinh Tien Hoang High School. Implications for the teachers of Dinh Tien Hoang High School. Implications for the students of Dinh Tien Hoang High School.
Recommendations for the further research. 72 ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS NO ABBREVIATIONS MEANING 1 BRVT Ba Ria Vung Tau 2 CALL Computer-Assisted Language Learning 3 DTH Dinh Tien Hoang 4 EDTECH APPS Educational technology applications 5 EFL English as Foreign Language 6 ICT Information and Communication Technology 7 IT Information Technology 8 MALL Mobile-Assisted Language Learning 9 TAM Technology Acceptance Model 10 TELL Technology-Enhanced Language Learning 11 SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences x LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX A .86 xi LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Participant’s background information .2: Participant’s general perceptions about Edtech Apps .3: Cronbach’s Alpha of the questionnaire items .1: Perceptions of the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning .2: Participants’ perceptions of using Edtech Apps in terms of Usefulness .3: Participants’ perceptions of using Edtech Apps in terms of Ease of Use .4: Participants’ perceptions of using Edtech Apps in terms of Motivation .5: Attitudes towards the use of Edtech Apps in English language learning .6: Participants’ cognitive attitudes towards the use of Edtech Apps .7: Participants’ affective attitudes towards the use of Edtech Apps .8: Participants’ behavioral attitudes towards the use of Edtech Apps .53 xii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.4: Learners’ Attitude Model (Solomon et al.5: Learners’ Perception Model (David et al.6: Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (adapted from Davis, 1989) .1: Sequential explanatory design (Creswell, 2009) .2: Frequency of using Edtech Apps. Background to the study For decades, one of the most popular ideas in students’ attitudes towards their learning process literature is the idea that uses some motivational factors like games and technology-based approaches so as to master their knowledge and features learners’ autonomous collaborations in the process of their use of educational technologies. The methods for teaching and learning English have changed significantly as a result of the express development of ICT (Mazman & Uslue, 2010).
Mobile learning programs have been carried out in schools to foster students’ five core competences (collaboration, communication, complex problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity) in Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand (Binsaleh & Binsaleh, 2013; Looi et al. According to Stepp-Greany (2002), students’ motivation can be raised by modern technologies equipped in the classroom. Wang and Hannafin (2005) reports that language students with attractive and genuine correspondence components can foster their language abilities in the classroom. He further proceeds to say that utilizing computers and innovative hardware gives students the feeling of opportunity and support.
Technology may help students experience the real world, and they can be motivated easily. Zengin (2007) indicates that the technological classroom has become crucial nowadays because students are more excited about lessons via multimedia. Donahoe et al. (2019) underline the significance of having an initiating methodology for every class so the student has a chance to acquire an interest in the subject in a pleasant and interactive way.
By employing Edtech Apps (Educational technology applications) in an activating strategy, teachers can bring students into their exercises by using devices that students are familiar with and possibly enthusiastic about. Perceiving the above trend, teachers and students need to be more encouraged to use technology in language learning and teaching in the 4. Most Edtech Apps provide a more flexible learning environment that can accommodate individual needs and preferences and are seen as a method for adopting individualized instruction in the classroom. Since learning that is enjoyable seems to be more effective, Edtech Apps must play a crucial part in the teaching and learning of English (Lepper & 2 Cordova, 1992).
Indeed, as can be seen, today, the role of using Apps to encourage student collaboration and creativity is highly emphasized in most English teaching curriculum. Kearsley and Shneiderman (1998) express that the usage of email, online conferencing, and video conferencing considerably increases the quantity and comfort of communication as well as the accessibility of information. Thanks to technology, students may learn in a setting that encourages the kind of collaboration and communication needed to assist dedication. The demand for transference conventional teaching and learning activities has become a pressing necessity during the Corona crisis.
To have a transformable impact, e-learning and digital online education have been strengthened (Renz et al. As mentioned above, recent dominant trends in applying Edtech Apps in teaching and learning English have led to a proliferation of studies that highlight the integral role of technological knowledge in the EFL field both in the world and in Vietnam. In the Vietnamese context, in alignment with improving the quality of English language teaching, the installation of computers in all of the nation's schools has been funded, and educators are urged to use technology in their instruction rather than rely on customary practice (Peeraer & Tran, 2012). EFL learners can manage the interaction of their own learning and gain access to a wealth of helpful internet resources, study software, and online dictionaries by using technology to learn the English language more effectively and quickly.