Quy Nhon university 3rd-year English majors' perceptions of online learning of speaking skills = Nhận thức của sinh viên năm thứ ba chuyên ngành tiếng Anh trường Đại học Quy Nhơn về việc học kỹ năng nói thông qua hình thức trực tuyến

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

QUY NHON UNIVERSITY

TRINH MINH NHUT

QUY NHON UNIVERSITY 3RD

-YEAR ENGLISH

MAJORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ONLINE LEARNING

OF SPEAKING SKILLS

Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching

Code: 8140111

Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Ngoan

Binh Dinh - 2022

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN

TRỊNH MINH NHỰT

NHẬN THỨC CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ BA

CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC

QUY NHƠN VỀ VIỆC HỌC KỸ NĂNG NÓI

THÔNG QUA HÌNH THỨC TRỰC TUYẾN

Ngành: Lý luận và phương pháp dạy học bộ môn Tiếng Anh

Mã số: 8140111

Người hướng dẫn: PGS. TS. Nguyễn Quang Ngoạn

Bình Định - 2022

i

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I confirm that the work presented in this research report has been

performed and interpreted solely by myself except where explicitly identified

to the contrary. I confirm that this work is submitted in partial fulfilment for

my M.A. degree in Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching

and has not been submitted elsewhere in any other form for the fulfilment of

any other degree or qualification. This paper does not contain any material or

content previously published or written by another paper or anyone else.

Binh Dinh, August 2022

Trinh Minh Nhut

ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Without the great assistance of my supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen

Quang Ngoan, this work would not have been achievable. I am deeply

indebted to my supervisor since from the research proposal to the final

version of this report, his vast knowledge, practical experience in the field,

great enthusiasm and meticulous attention to detail have been an inspiration

and kept me on track.

I would like to offer my special thanks to those who participated in my

research for their valuable time fulfilling the questionnaire and insightful

information from the interview. If it had not been for their willingness and

enthusiasm, I could not have collected important data for my study.

My deepest gratitude also extends to all of my wonderful classmates for

the time we shared as well as the information and experience we gained from

one another. Their continuous support and encouragement mean a lot to me in

the accomplishment of this study.

Last but not least, my family members have been tremendously

significant to me in the pursuit of this project. I would like to express my

gratitude to my parents, who have always supported and guided me in my

endeavors. They are the definition of positive role models.

iii

ABSTRACT

During the social distancing period in Vietnam due to the Covid-19

pandemic, online learning was implemented as an emergency replacement for

traditional, face-to-face teaching and learning. Research in the field of online

learning has been done extensively, yet not much focuses on investigating

university students’ perceptions of learning English speaking skills online.

This study hence employed Collins and Berge (1996)’s criteria for the success

of online learning to collect quantitative and qualitative data from 100 Quy

Nhon University 3

rd

-year English majors. Descriptive design was mainly used

since the primary aim of the study is to find out students’ perceptions of the

benefits and challenges of online learning of speaking skills. The

questionnaire’s results demonstrate that students show more positive

responses toward the benefits than the challenges. The interview data is not

only consistent with the questionnaire data but also uncovers new and

interesting results. These findings provide a better understanding of the

context of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic which serves as a

guide for the optimization of this type of teaching and learning in the new age

of technology.

Keywords: online learning, speaking skills, benefits, challenges,

descriptive, English majors

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..............................................................................ii

ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................iii

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

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.........................................................................vii

LIST OF TABLES .........................................................................................viii

LIST OF FIGURES..........................................................................................ix

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

1.1 Research rationale ................................................................................... 1

1.1.1 Theoretical reasons........................................................................... 1

1.1.2 Contextual reasons........................................................................... 2

1.2 Aim and objectives of the study.............................................................. 3

1.3 Research questions.................................................................................. 3

1.4 Scope of the study ................................................................................... 4

1.5 Significance of the study......................................................................... 4

1.6 Definitions of important terms................................................................ 5

1.6.1 Online learning................................................................................. 5

1.6.2 Speaking skills ................................................................................. 5

1.6.3 Context of online learning at Quy Nhon University........................ 5

1.7 Structure of the thesis.............................................................................. 6

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

2.1 Online learning........................................................................................ 8

2.1.1 The overview of online learning ...................................................... 8

2.1.2 Online learning in Vietnam during the Covid-19 pandemic.......... 11

v

2.1.3 Computer-mediated communication (CMC)................................. 11

2.1.4 The role of the instructor/ teacher in an online classroom............. 15

2.1.5 Teachers and students’ perceptions of online learning.................. 16

2.2 Online learning of speaking skills......................................................... 18

2.2.1 Speaking skills ............................................................................... 18

2.2.2 Challenges facing learners in the online learning of speaking skills

during the Covid-19 pandemic................................................................ 22

2.3 Previous related studies......................................................................... 24

Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY........................................................................ 31

3.1 Research approach ................................................................................ 31

3.2 Participants............................................................................................ 32

3.2.1 Research setting ............................................................................. 32

3.2.2 Sampling technique........................................................................ 33

3.3 Instruments............................................................................................ 34

3.3.1 The questionnaire ........................................................................... 35

3.3.2 The interview ................................................................................. 36

3.4 Procedure............................................................................................... 37

3.4.1 Pilot study....................................................................................... 37

3.4.2 Data collection ............................................................................... 38

3.4.3 Data analysis .................................................................................. 40

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ............................................ 42

4.1 Findings from the questionnaire ........................................................... 42

4.1.1 Comparison of the two majors........................................................... 42

4.1.2 Students’ devices used for online learning of speaking skills....... 43

4.1.3 Students’ perceptions regarding the benefits of online learning of

speaking skills......................................................................................... 44

4.1.4 Students’ perceptions regarding the challenges of online learning of

vi

speaking skills......................................................................................... 55

4.2 Findings from the interview.................................................................. 69

4.2.1 Students’ perceptions in terms of the benefits of online learning of

speaking skills – Interview results.......................................................... 69

4.2.2 Students’ perceptions in terms of the challenges of online learning

of speaking skills – Interview results...................................................... 74

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION........................................................................ 80

5.1 Summary of key findings of the study.................................................. 80

5.1.1 Students’ perceptions of the benefits of online learning of speaking

skills......................................................................................................... 80

5.1.2 Students’ perceptions of the challenges of online learning of speaking

skills......................................................................................................... 81

5.2 Pedagogical implications ...................................................................... 82

5.3 Limitations and suggestions for further research.................................. 83

REFERENCES................................................................................................ 85

APPENDICES............................................................................................... 101

APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE.......................................................... 101

APPENDIX 2: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ............................................ 105

APPENDIX 3: INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION................................... 106

APPENDIX 4: SPSS STATISTICS.......................................................... 123

vii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CMC: Computer-mediated Communication

EFL: English as a Foreign Language

EL: English Language

ERT: Emergency Remote Teaching

ESL: English as a Second Language

ETE: English Teacher Education

ICT: Information and Communications Technology

MOET: Ministry of Education and Training

QNU: Quy Nhon University

SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software

TAM: Technology Acceptance Model

UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

VCTs: Video Conferencing Tools

viii

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Participants’ specifications ............................................................... 34

Table 2. Grid of instrument guidelines ........................................................... 37

Table 3. Evaluation Criteria for Likert Scale questions (Tekin, 2000)........... 40

Table 4. Reliability Statistics of the Questionnaire ........................................ 41

Table 5. Means of the questionnaire done by students majoring in EL and

ETE ................................................................................................... 42

Table 6. Difference in perceptions of students majoring in EL and ETE....... 42

Table 7. Students’ perceptions of the benefits of learning speaking skills

online................................................................................................. 44

Table 8. Benefits of online learning of speaking skills (Open-ended

question)............................................................................................ 54

Table 9. Students’ perceptions of the challenges of learning speaking

skills online ....................................................................................... 55

Table 10. Other challenges of online learning of speaking skills (Open￾ended question)................................................................................. 68

Table 11. Results from Interview Question 1 ................................................. 69

Table 12. Results from Interview Question 2 ................................................. 69

Table 13. Results from Interview Question 3 ................................................. 72

Table 14. Results from Interview Question 4 ................................................. 72

Table 15. Results from Interview Question 5 ................................................. 73

Table 16. Results from Interview Question 6 ................................................. 74

Table 17. Results from Interview Question 7 ................................................. 74

Table 18. Results from Interview Question 8 ................................................. 76

Table 19. Results from Interview Question 9 ................................................. 77

Table 20. Results from Interview Question 10 ............................................... 78

ix

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. The proportion of online content delivered in different kinds of

learning - Allen and Seaman (2007, p. 4)........................................... 9

Figure 2. The percentage of students’ devices used for online learning of

speaking skills................................................................................... 43

Figure 3. Students’ perceptions of the benefits of learning speaking skills

online - Bar chart .............................................................................. 46

Figure 4. Percentage of Statement 1 ............................................................... 46

Figure 5. Percentage of Statement 2 ............................................................... 47

Figure 6. Percentage of Statement 3 ............................................................... 48

Figure 7. Percentage of Statement 4 ............................................................... 48

Figure 8. Percentage of Statement 5 ............................................................... 48

Figure 9. Percentage of Statement 6 ............................................................... 48

Figure 10. Percentage of Statement 7 ............................................................. 50

Figure 11. Percentage of Statement 8 ............................................................. 51

Figure 12. Percentage of Statement 9 ............................................................. 52

Figure 13. Percentage of Statement 10 ........................................................... 52

Figure 14. Percentage of Statement 11 ........................................................... 53

Figure 15. Percentage of Statement 12 ........................................................... 53

Figure 16. Students’ perceptions of the challenges of learning speaking

skills online - Bar chart..................................................................... 57

Figure 17. Percentage of Statement 14 ........................................................... 58

Figure 18. Percentage of Statement 15 ........................................................... 59

Figure 19. Percentage of Statement 16 ........................................................... 60

Figure 20. Percentage of Statement 17 ........................................................... 60

Figure 21. Percentage of Statement 18 ........................................................... 61

Figure 22. Percentage of Statement 19 ........................................................... 62

x

Figure 23. Percentage of Statement 20 ........................................................... 62

Figure 24. Percentage of Statement 21 ........................................................... 62

Figure 25. Percentage of Statement 22 ........................................................... 64

Figure 26. Percentage of Statement 23 ........................................................... 64

Figure 27. Percentage of Statement 24 ........................................................... 64

Figure 28. Percentage of Statement 25 ........................................................... 66

Figure 29. Percentage of Statement 26 ........................................................... 66

Figure 30. Percentage of Statement 27 ........................................................... 66

1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents the rationale of the study, which includes the

theoretical and contextual background for the study, online teaching and

learning situation and the reasons for conducting the research. Also, details

about the aim and objectives, research questions, scope, significance,

organization and definitions of important terms are introduced.

1.1 Research rationale

1.1.1 Theoretical reasons

Many educational institutions adopted various online teaching formats

during the Covid-19 pandemic epidemic. In anticipation of the decision to end

face-to-face encounters, most Vietnamese universities have turned to online

learning to meet the issue. Online learning is a novel method of delivering

education that makes use of technical instruments such as computers and the

Internet to facilitate the transfer of learning materials (Carliner, 2004, pp. 3-

4). Universities have been able to conduct innovative education with the use

of online learning, either entirely or partially, in recent years as a result of

technology advancements. However, because of the Covid-19 issue,

institutions have been compelled to embrace online learning on a large scale

in order to maintain instruction. Online learning can be divided into three

types of learning environments: synchronous learning, asynchronous learning,

and hybrid learning (Perveen, 2016, p. 27).

Synchronous learning refers to real-time online learning that allows

students and teachers to communicate at the same time or in real-time

(Salmon and Gilly, 2013, p. 5; Shahabadi and Uplane, 2015, p. 131). Video

conferencing, teleconferencing, live chatting, and live-streaming lectures are

all instances of synchronous learning environments. Because teachers may