ESL engineering students’ self-efficacy in learning an interdisciplinary english mooc: a comparative study :Graduation Thesis - Faculty of Foreign Languages

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE

INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

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GRADUATION THESIS

ESL ENGINEERING STUDENTS’ SELF-EFFICACY IN

LEARNING AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ENGLISH MOOC:

A COMPARATIVE STUDY

STUDENT NAME: NGUYEN NHU QUYNH

ID NUMBER: 17022051

CLASS CODE: DHAV13C

COHORT: 2017 – 2021

SUPERVISOR NAME: PHAN THI TUYET NGA, Ph.D.

HCMC, 06/2021

HCMC, 06/2021

STUDENT NAME: NGUYEN NHU QUYNH STUDENT ID NUMBER: 17022051

SUPERVISOR NAME: PHAN 1|P a g e

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE

INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

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Student name : Nguyen Nhu Quynh

ID Number : 17022051

Class Code : DHAV13C

Cohort : 2017 – 2021

Supervisor Name : Phan Thi Tuyet Nga, Ph.D.

Chen Cheng-Hu, Ph.D.

Student’s declaration: I declare that this graduation report is entirely my own work

and does not involve in plagiarism or collusion. It also has not been accepted as part

of a submission to another purpose else where. I accept heavy penalty for any

cheating or plagiarism.

Date submitted : 17/06/2021

Signed : Nguyễn Như Quỳnh

Word count : 7757 words

STUDENT NAME: NGUYEN NHU QUYNH STUDENT ID NUMBER: 17022051

SUPERVISOR NAME: PHAN 2|P a g e

ESL ENGINEERING STUDENTS’ SELF-EFFICACY IN

LEARNING AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ENGLISH MOOC:

A COMPARATIVE STUDY

ABSTRACT

In recent years, there has been considerable research into the self-efficacy of engineering students

in online learning. By contrast, few studies have focused investigated English as second language

(ESL) engineering students’ self-efficacy in MOOCs learning in Asia countries. This study

examined and compared the MOOCs’ self-efficacy levels of engineering students in Taiwan and

Vietnam by surveying 222 students, which including 100 students from a technical university in

Vietnam and 122 students from a comprehensive university in Taiwan. The results show that there

were no significant differences in the self-efficacy beliefs of students in both sites in three

dimensions of MOOCs: a) using technology, b) managing time, and c) learning in the

interdisciplinary English MOOCs environment. In addition, to contribute to the research on Asian

engineering students’ MOOCs self-efficacy, by conducting focus group interviews on 30

volunteers from the survey participants, our study showed that previous experience, planning skills,

English language ability could predict how confident an engineering student would be in an English

MOOCs environment.

Keywords: ELS, MOOCs, self-efficacy, Asian students, engineering students, MOOCs learning,

MOOCs self-efficacy.

STUDENT NAME: NGUYEN NHU QUYNH STUDENT ID NUMBER: 17022051

SUPERVISOR NAME: PHAN 3|P a g e

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Throughout the writing of this dissertation, I have received plenty of enthusiastic help and support

that guide and encourageme to overcome all the challenges and finish our research work. Without

them, this project would not exist as it does today.

Firstly, I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my esteemed supervisor – Dr.

Phan Thi Tuyet Nga, from Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City (IUH), for her invaluable

supervision, guidance and tutelage during my research process. She not only gave me the golden

opportunities to do this wonderful project on the topic “ESL engineering students’ self-efficacy in

learning an interdisciplinary English MOOC”, which allowed me gained precious knowledge and

useful skills but also me sharpen my thinking and brought my work to a higher level with her

insightful comments and suggestions. I also would like to extend my sincere thanks toAssoc. Prof.

Dr. Chen Cheng-Hu, co-advisor, from National I-Lan University (NIU), and his teamfor their

meaningful assistance at every stage of the research project. Without their support, my team could

not achieve our goals and this thesis could not be done on schedule.

Secondly, I wish to express my sincere appreciationto all IUH and NIU engineering university for

their patience and effort in participatingin the questionnaire survey as well as focus group

interviews. They not only provided me meaningful data of engineering students’ self-efficacy but

also sharedwith me their feelings, opinion and experiences in learning MOOCs. Their positive

support was the key factor that completed my research work.

Last but not least, I also had great pleasure of working with Dang Thi Mi Chau and Truong Thi

Thanh Huong. As my team members, I could not begin to express my thanksfor their wonderful

collaboration, for the stimulating discussions and all the sleepless night we were working together

before deadlines. And as friends, their unwavering support and belief in me, as well as their

treasured advices and encouragements were things that helped me to maintain a positive mindset

and successfully overcome all the challenges during this period of writing the dissertation. Working

with them in this research project was one of the most cherished experiences in my life.

STUDENT NAME: NGUYEN NHU QUYNH STUDENT ID NUMBER: 17022051

SUPERVISOR NAME: PHAN 4|P a g e

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................5

1.1. Rationale ...................................................................................................................... 5

1.2. Research Objectives:..................................................................................................... 6

1.3. Research Questions....................................................................................................... 6

1.4. Scope of the study......................................................................................................... 7

2. CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................8

2.1. Definition of key terms/concepts................................................................................... 8

2.1.1. Engineering Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs....................................................... 8

2.1.2. Online Learning and MOOCs............................................................................. 9

2.1.3. Engineering education and MOOCs: .................................................................. 9

2.1.4. Comparative Study ........................................................................................... 10

2.2. Results of previous studies.......................................................................................... 11

3. CHAPTER III: RESEARCH DESIGN.........................................................................14

3.1. Research site............................................................................................................... 14

3.2. Participants................................................................................................................. 14

3.3. Research methodology and research methods.............................................................. 14

3.3.1. Research methodology ..................................................................................... 14

3.3.2. Research methods............................................................................................. 15

3.4. Procedures.................................................................................................................. 16

3.5. Data analysis............................................................................................................... 17

4. CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .........................................................18

4.1. Findings...................................................................................................................... 18

4.1.1. Question 1: What are the perceived self-efficacy levels of engineering students in

joining an Interdisciplinary English MOOC at the two universities?................................. 18

STUDENT NAME: NGUYEN NHU QUYNH STUDENT ID NUMBER: 17022051

SUPERVISOR NAME: PHAN 5|P a g e

4.1.2. Question 2: What predicts engineering students’ self-efficacy in joining the MOOC

in the two contexts? ......................................................................................................... 19

4.2. Discussion .................................................................................................................. 24

5. CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION .....................................................................................26

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1.Perceived self-efficacy of IUH and NIU engineering students.....Error! Bookmark not

defined.8

Table 4.2.Comparative analysis between the engineering students of two universities regarding

the MOOCs self-efficacy scale.................................................................................................. 18