An investigation into the use of kahoot applacation for teaching and learning vocabulary = Khảo sát về việc sử dụng ứng dụng kahoot để dạy và học từ vựng

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

QUY NHON UNIVERSITY

NGUYỄN LÊ HƢƠNG LAN

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF

KAHOOT APPLICATION FOR TEACHING

AND LEARNING VOCABULARY

MASTER OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

Binh Dinh - 2022

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

QUY NHON UNIVERSITY

NGUYỄN LÊ HƢƠNG LAN

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF

KAHOOT APPLICATION FOR TEACHING

AND LEARNING VOCABULARY

Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching

Code: 8140111

Supervisor: VO DUY DUC, PhD

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO

TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN

NGUYỄN LÊ HƢƠNG LAN

KHẢO SÁT VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG ỨNG DỤNG

KAHOOT ĐỂ DẠY VÀ HỌC TỪ VỰNG

Chuyên ngành: Lý luận và phƣơng pháp dạy học bộ môn tiếng Anh

Mã số: 8140111

Ngƣời hƣớng dẫn: TS. VÕ DUY ĐỨC

i

STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP

The work presented in this thesis has never before been submitted to a

university for a degree or certification. I certify that, to the best of my

knowledge and belief, my thesis contains no information that has already been

published or written by another person, with the exception of passages where

appropriate citation is made.

Date: 01/ 08/2022

Signed:

Nguyen Le Huong Lan

ii

ABSTRACT

In each language acquisition skill, vocabulary is at the heart of growing

proficiency and achieving competency. Furthermore, as technology advances,

the practice of incorporating technology into education has become

unavoidable. The purpose of this research was to find out the perceptions of

teachers and students when using "Kahoot!" in vocabulary teaching and

learning. This study took a descriptive quantitative and qualitative approach,

collecting data through questionnaires and interviews. The research

investigated fifty teachers and one hundred and twenty students who used

"Kahoot!" App in the teaching and learning process from high schools in Quy

Nhon City. Most teachers and students had positive thoughts regarding the

usage of "Kahoot!" Application in boosting vocabulary skills. The students

stated that using ―Kahoot!‖ helped them enhance their vocabulary abilities

and use their English effectively, and that the activities on "Kahoot!" pushed

them to be more motivated and thrilled to practice English with their peers.

Furthermore, with the use of "Kahoot!" in the classroom, students could

exchange their expertise with one another. Technical issues such as unreliable

internet connections, difficulty reading questions and answers on a projected

screen, inability to change an answer after submission, stressful time pressure

for giving answers, insufficient time to answer, fear of losing, and difficulty

catching up if an incorrect answer was given are among the main challenges

mentioned by teachers and students. Getting the difficulty level of questions

and answers, network connectivity challenges, and scoring based on how

quickly students answer were also cited by teachers. Teachers and students

alike are thrilled about using the ―Kahoot!‖ App to teach and learn

vocabulary. Teachers are encourged to use the ―Kahoot!‖ App as a teaching

and learning technology tool.

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Without the encouragement and support of numerous people and

organizations, I would not have been able to finish this paper. I would like to

take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude for all of their help

during the difficult process of writing this paper.

I want to start by saying how appreciative I am to Dr. Vo Duy Duc,

who served as my supervisor, for his encouragement, patience, and support

throughout my research. His technical and editorial guidance was crucial to

the preparation of this publication and has given me countless insights and

lessons about how academic research generally functions.

Also deserving of my sincere gratitude are the English Department

instructors who taught me valuable information while I was enrolled in the

M.A. program.

I also want to express my gratitude to the Quy Nhon City high school

participants for their steadfast assistance with this study work. Without their

enthusiastic involvement and feedback, the study could not have been carried

out satisfactorily.

Last but not least, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and

affection to my family and friends for their commitment and the many years

of support during my thesis studies, which laid the groundwork for my effort.

Finally, I thank everyone who helped me finish the thesis and extend my best

wishes to them.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP...............................................i

ABSTRACT......................................................................................................ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................iv

LIST OF FIGURES.........................................................................................vii

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 1

1.1. Rationale ................................................................................................. 1

1.2. Aim of the study...................................................................................... 3

1.3. Objectives of the study............................................................................ 3

1.4. Research questions:................................................................................. 3

1.5. Scope of the study................................................................................... 4

1.6. Significance of the study......................................................................... 4

1.7. Organization of the study........................................................................ 4

CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................... 6

2.1. Vocabulary.............................................................................................. 6

2.1.1 The importance of vocabulary........................................................... 6

2.1.2 Vocabulary teaching and learning ..................................................... 8

2.1.3 Vocabulary learning and vocabulary memorizing........................... 11

2.2. Motivation............................................................................................. 12

2.2.1 Intrinsic motivation.......................................................................... 13

2.2.2 Extrinsic motivation....................................................................... 14

2.3 ―Kahoot!‖ Application .......................................................................... 17

2.3.1 "Kahoot!" ......................................................................................... 17

2.3.2 "Kahoot!" Application in teaching and learning vocabulary........... 20

2.4. Previous studies on using ―Kahoot!‖ in teaching and learning vocabulary21

v

CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................ 27

3.1. Research hypotheses............................................................................. 27

3.2. Research design..................................................................................... 27

3.3. Participants........................................................................................... 30

3.3.1 Teachers........................................................................................... 30

3.3.2 Students........................................................................................... 31

3.4. Instruments............................................................................................ 31

3.4.1 The questionnaire............................................................................ 32

3.4.2 The semi- structured interview ....................................................... 33

3.5. Data collection and data analysis.......................................................... 35

3.5.1 Data collection procedure ............................................................... 35

3.5.2 Data Analysis.................................................................................. 36

CHAPTER 4. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ...................... 38

4.1. Teachers’ perception on the use of "Kahoot!" App for teaching

vocabulary.................................................................................................... 38

4.1.1. Increasing students’ motivation with "Kahoot!" App .................... 39

4.1.2. Developing students’ rapid-thinking skills through the use of

"Kahoot!" App.......................................................................................... 40

4.1.3. Promoting an active learning towards using "Kahoot!" App ......... 40

4.1.4. Offering a good technique to teaching vocabulary......................... 41

4.1.5. Creating a measurable goal to work toward employing "Kahoot!"

App............................................................................................................ 42

4.1.6. Providing feedback effectively through the use of "Kahoot!" App 43

4.1.7. Promoting teachers’ active role in a class with "Kahoot!" App..... 43

4.1.8. Supplementing textbooks through "Kahoot!" App......................... 44

4.1.9. Obtaining various topics via "Kahoot!" App’ activities................. 45

4.1.10. Using "Kahoot!" App for warm-up activities............................... 46

4.1.11. Using "Kahoot!" App for reviews ................................................ 47

vi

4.2. The teachers’ problems and their solutions when using "Kahoot!" App

in teaching vocabulary ................................................................................. 50

4.2.1. Some obstacles in using "Kahoot!" App to improve the ability of

students in teaching vocabulary................................................................ 51

4.2.2. Some solutions to tackle the problems ........................................... 52

4.3. Students’ perception of using "Kahoot!" App on learning vocabulary 53

4.3.1. A clear and understandable App..................................................... 54

4.3.2. An enjoyable atmosphere when learning with "Kahoot!" App ...... 55

4.3.3. An easy and effective teaching aid ................................................. 56

4.3.4. Students' vocabulary improvement................................................. 57

4.3.5. A wider range of vocabulary activities........................................... 58

4.3.6. Accessibility by students’ own devices.......................................... 58

4.3.7. Students’ preference for written vocabulary lists........................... 59

4.3.8. The opportunity to deliver richer content towards using "Kahoot!"

App............................................................................................................ 60

4.4. Students’ problems students face when using "Kahoot!" App in

learning vocabulary...................................................................................... 64

4.5. Summary of the study ........................................................................... 66

CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS .............................. 67

5.1. Conclusions.......................................................................................... 67

5.2. Implications........................................................................................... 68

5.3. Limitations and suggestions for further research.................................. 69

REFERENCES................................................................................................ 71

APPENDICES

vii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4.1: The teacher's frequency of teaching "Kahoot!" App in class....... 38

Figure 4.2: The promotion of students' motivation......................................... 39

Figure 4.3: Development of Rapid-thinking skills ......................................... 40

Figure 4.4: An active learning environment ................................................... 41

Figure 4.5: An effective strategy for teaching vocabulary ............................. 41

Figure 4.6: A measurable goal when using "Kahoot!" App ........................... 42

Figure 4.7: Teachers’perception of giving feedback over "Kahoot!" App..... 43

Figure 4.8: The vigorous teachers’ role .......................................................... 44

Figure 4.9: The supplement of textbooks through "Kahoot!" App................. 44

Figure 4.10: Acquiring various topics through "Kahoot!".............................. 45

Figure 4.11: The use of Kahoot! App for an introductory activity................. 46

Figure 4.12: A check-in activity through "Kahoot!" ...................................... 47

Figure 4.13: The student's frequency of learning "Kahoot!" in class............. 54

Figure 4.14: A clear and understandable App. ............................................... 54

Figure 4.15: Learning atmosphere .................................................................. 55

Figure 4.16: An effective teaching aid............................................................ 56

Figure 4.17: Vocabulary improvement ........................................................... 57

Figure 4.18: A wider variety of vocabulary activities .................................... 58

Figure 4.19: Connecting to the app on their own devices .............................. 59

Figure 4.20: Students’ preference ................................................................... 60

Figure 4.21: The ability to give deeper content through the use of Kahoot!.. 61