The application of interactive whiteboard in vacabulary instruction at Le Lai primary school

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH OPEN UNIVERSITY

LE THANH TRUC PHUONG

THE APPLICATION OF INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD IN

VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION AT LE LAI PRIMARY SCHOOL

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of

the requirements for the degree of

Master of Arts (TESOL)

Ho Chi Minh City, 2020

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH OPEN UNIVERSITY

LE THANH TRUC PHUONG

THE APPLICATION OF INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD IN

VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION AT LE LAI PRIMARY SCHOOL

Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Major code: 60140111

MASTER OF ART IN TESOL

Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. NGUYEN NGOC VU

Ho Chi Minh City, 2020

i

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that this thesis entitled “The Application of The Interactive Whiteboard

in Vocabulary Instruction at Le Lai Primary School” is my own work.

Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis does not contain

material published elsewhere or extracted in the whole or in part from a thesis by

which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma.

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main

text of the thesis.

This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any

other tertiary institution.

Ho Chi Minh City, 2020

Le Thanh Truc Phuong

ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my gratefulness and deep thank to all who have supported

me in writing up my dissertation.

Firstly, I would like to send my big thank to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Nguyen

Ngoc Vu, for his valuable guidance, advice and suggestions. I really appreciated his

kindness, patient guidance when I was stuck in finding solutions for my thesis.

Undoubtedly, without his support, this thesis is far from being completed.

Therefore, I need to emphasize that words fail me in expressing my indebtedness to

him.

Next, I would like to express my appreciation to Le Lai Primary School, teachers,

parents and students taking part in the research. Thus, I wish to say thanks my

foreign colleagues who read my words and gave me good comments on my writing

styles and word choice. Their cooperation, assistance and contributions have been

vital for my thesis.

Furthermore, I am greatly indebted all lecturers who provided background

knowledge at Master program in Ho Chi Minh Open University, Vietnam. The

precious background guided me to the scientific arena as well as improve my

personal skills to conduct research papers.

Last but not least, my words of appreciation are sent to my family members for their

sacrifice and their endless love. It is worth naming the kindness of my beloved

husband in giving me big encouragement, patience and support.

iii

ABSTRACT

Given that the rapid growth of technology, the Interactive Whiteboard takes priority

in educational settings around the world. Unlike schools in developed countries,

only Vietnamese public elementary schools in big cities of Vietnam have been

newly supplied with this teaching aid since 2014, including Le Lai primary school.

Due to its new application, therefore, the overall aim of the study was to evaluate

the success of integrating the Interactive Whiteboard into vocabulary lessons in

developing the fourth graders’ vocabulary achievement, vocabulary retention and

positive learning attitudes. The fourteen-week quasi-experimental study was

conducted on the two classes 4/1 and 4/3 with the participation of 81 fifth graders

as the control group and the experimental group, respectively. The instruments

included three vocabulary tests (e.g. one pre-test, one post-test and one delayed post￾test); the attitudinal questionnaire and the semi-structured interview. Whilst the

quantitative data were numerically analyzed by SPSS 20.0, the qualitative data were

thematically analyzed. The findings of the study indicated that the Interactive

Whiteboard activities positively contributed to the fourth graders’ vocabulary

achievement and retention. In other words, these interactive activities helped the

students performed vocabulary tests better and retain the words longer. Moreover,

the fourth graders’ level of motivation, positive thought, and active behaviors

considerably increased thanks to the Interactive Whiteboard. Based on the research

findings, the paper concluded with some pedagogical implications and a

recommendation for further study in line of research on the Interactive Whiteboard

application.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .....................................................................................ii

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

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

LIST OF FIGURES.............................................................................................viii

LIST OF CHARTS................................................................................................ix

LIST OF TABLES.................................................................................................. x

Chapter 1................................................................................................................. 1

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1

1.1.Background of the study ................................................................................. 1

1.2.Problem Statement .......................................................................................... 3

1.3.Research Aims ................................................................................................ 4

1.4.Research Questions......................................................................................... 5

1.5.Professional Significance of the Study ........................................................... 5

1.6.Organization of the Thesis.............................................................................. 6

Chapter 2................................................................................................................. 8

LITERATURE REVIEW...................................................................................... 8

2.1. Interactive Whiteboard................................................................................... 8

2.1.1. Introduction ............................................................................................. 8

2.1.2. Features and Functions........................................................................... 9

2.1.3. Benefits .................................................................................................. 10

2.1.4. Challenges ............................................................................................. 11

2.2. Vocabulary Instruction................................................................................. 12

v

2.2.1. Definition of Vocabulary ....................................................................... 12

2.2.2. Components of Vocabulary ................................................................... 12

2.2.3. Vocabulary Acquisition Process............................................................ 13

2.2.4. Principles for Vocabulary Instruction................................................... 14

2.2.5. Vocabulary Retention ............................................................................ 15

2.3. Young Learners............................................................................................ 15

2.4. Learning Attitudes........................................................................................ 17

2.4.1. Definition and Importance..................................................................... 17

2.4.2. Constructs.............................................................................................. 17

2.5. Previous Studies........................................................................................... 18

2.6. Research Gaps.............................................................................................. 21

2.7. Research Hypotheses ................................................................................... 23

2.8. Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 23

Chapter 3............................................................................................................... 24

METHODOLOGY............................................................................................... 24

3.1. Overall Approach......................................................................................... 24

3.2. Research Context ......................................................................................... 25

3.3. Research Participants................................................................................... 26

3.4. Research Procedures.................................................................................... 27

3.4.1. Materials................................................................................................ 27

3.4.2. Time Allotment....................................................................................... 29

3.4.3. Training Procedure for the Experimental and Control Groups............ 31

3.5. Research Instruments................................................................................... 34

3.5.1. Vocabulary Tests ................................................................................... 35

vi

3.5.2. Attitudinal Questionnaire ...................................................................... 37

3.5.3. Semi-structured Interview...................................................................... 39

3.6. Analysis Methodology ................................................................................. 41

3.6.1. Vocabulary Tests ................................................................................... 41

3.6.3. Attitudinal Interview.............................................................................. 42

3.7. Methodological Issues: Validity, Reliability, Ethics, Triangulation ........... 42

3.7.1. Validity................................................................................................... 43

3.7.2. Reliability............................................................................................... 44

3.7.3. Ethics ..................................................................................................... 45

3.7.4. Triangulation ......................................................................................... 45

3.8. Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 46

Chapter 4............................................................................................................... 47

DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS ................................. 47

4.1.1 Tests........................................................................................................ 47

4.1.2. Questionnaire ........................................................................................ 59

4.1.3. Interview ................................................................................................ 66

4.2. Discussion of Findings................................................................................. 69

4.2.1. Research Question 1.............................................................................. 70

4.2.2. Research Question 2.............................................................................. 74

4.3. Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 77

Chapter 5............................................................................................................... 78

CONCLUSION, LIMITATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS .............................. 78

5.1. Conclusion ................................................................................................... 78

5.1.1. Research Question 1.............................................................................. 78

vii

5.1.2. Research Question 2.............................................................................. 79

5.2. Limitations and Strengths of the Study........................................................ 80

5.2.1. Limitations............................................................................................. 80

5.2.2. Strengths................................................................................................ 80

5.3. Implications for This Study.......................................................................... 81

5.4. Recommendations for Further Study ........................................................... 82

5.5. Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 83

REFERENCES ..................................................................................................... 84

APPENDICES....................................................................................................... 91

APPENDIX A: LESSON PLANS FOR THE CONTROL GROUP.................. 92

APPENDIX B: LESSON PLANS FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ....104

APPENDIX C.1: PRE-TEST SAMPLE...........................................................116

APPENDIX C.2: POST-TEST SAMPLE.........................................................117

APPENDIX C.3: DELAYED POST-TEST .....................................................120

APPENDIX D.1: QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH VERSION) ......................123

APPENDIX D.2: QUESTIONNAIRE (VIETNAMESE VERSION)..............125

APPENDIX E.1: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (ENGLISH VERSION)..........128

APPENDIX E.2: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (VIETNAMESE VERSION).129

APPENDIX F: TEST SCORES OF THE GROUPS ........................................130

viii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1 A picture of the Interactive Whiteboard ................................................. 8

ix

LIST OF CHARTS

Chart 4. 1 The pre-test score distribution of the two groups.................................. 48

Chart 4. 2 The post-test score distribution of the two groups................................ 52

Chart 4. 3 The delayed post-test score distribution of the two groups................... 57

Chart 4. 4 Overall Attitudes towards Vocabulary Learning with the Interactive

Whiteboard ............................................................................................................. 66

x

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1 Research Design with Research Instruments......................................... 25

Table 3.2 The Participants’ Demographic Information ......................................... 26

Table 3.3 Content of the Training Material............................................................ 28

Table 3. 4 Time Allotment for the Study ............................................................... 30

Table 3. 5 A Summary of Vocabulary Activities with the Interactive Whiteboard

................................................................................................................................ 33

Table 3.6 The Link between Research Questions and Research Instruments........ 34

Table 3.7 Sources of the Questionnaire Items........................................................ 38

Table 3.8 Validity of the Instruments..................................................................... 43

Table 4.1 Group Statistics on the Pre-test of the Control and Experimental Groups

................................................................................................................................ 48

Table 4. 2 Independent Samples T-test on the Pre-test of the Control and

Experimental Groups.............................................................................................. 49

Table 4. 3 Paired Samples Statistics in the Pre-Test and the Post-Test of the

Control Group......................................................................................................... 50

Table 4. 4 Results of Paired Samples T-test in the Pre-test and the Post-test of the

Control Group......................................................................................................... 50

Table 4. 5 Paired Samples Statistics in the Pre-Test and the Post-Test of the

Experimental Group ............................................................................................... 51

Table 4. 6 Results of Paired Samples T-test in the Pre-test and the Post-test of the

Experimental Group ............................................................................................... 51

Table 4. 7 Group Statistics on the Post-test of the Control and Experimental

Groups .................................................................................................................... 53

Table 4. 8 Independent Samples T-test on the Post-test of the Control and

Experimental Groups.............................................................................................. 53

Table 4. 9 Paired Samples Statistics in the Post-Test and the Delayed Post-Test of

the Control Group................................................................................................... 55

xi

Table 4. 10 Results of Paired Samples T-test in the Post-Test and the Delayed

Post-Test of the Control Group .............................................................................. 55

Table 4. 11 Paired Samples Statistics in the Post-Test and the Delayed Post-Test of

the Experimental Group ......................................................................................... 56

Table 4. 12 Results of Paired Samples T-test in the Post-Test and the Delayed

Post-Test of the Experimental Group..................................................................... 56

Table 4. 13 Group Statistics on the Delayed Post-test of the Control and

Experimental Groups.............................................................................................. 58

Table 4. 14 Independent Samples T-test on the Delayed Post-test of the Control

and Experimental Groups....................................................................................... 58

Table 4. 15 Reliability of the Questionnaire .......................................................... 60

Table 4. 16 The Students’ Affective Attitudes....................................................... 60

Table 4. 17 The Students’ Cognitive Attitudes...................................................... 62

Table 4. 18 The Students’ Behavioral Attitudes .................................................... 64

Table 4. 19 Interview Results................................................................................. 67

1

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of the study

Based on the skeleton for 21st century learning, information and

communication technology (ICT) skills are necessitated for educational

practitioners. More recently, teachers have been able to get an easy access to

technology so that they can develop their professional path as well as create a

friendly rapport between teachers and students in this digital era. In other words, to

catch up with the changing world, use of technological devices in the educational

realm is requisite skill and competence for language teachers. There has been

massive investment in ICT globally over the past few years (Hall & Higgins, 2005).

Contemporarily, ICT has become an indispensable device in language teaching and

learning field, and one type of ICT is so-called the Interactive Whiteboard (Glover,

Miller, Averis & Door, 2005).

The Interactive Whiteboard typically includes a computer, a data projector,

and an electronic screen (Wood & Ashfield, 2008). Movability and internet

connectivity are considered as extremely significant attributes of the Interactive

Whiteboard (Khoo, Merry, Nguyen, Bennett & MacMillan, 2014), assisting

learners’ academic achievement and upgrading their learning engagement and

motivation. In other words, this tool can incorporate in classroom activities to

intensify the learners’ high participation level, active interaction degree, and

positive learning outcomes. The Interactive Whiteboard was initially designed for

office settings, and has not been for schools until recent years. In educational

settings, it was first employed in higher education, and primary schools began to

judge its application in the late 1990s (Higgins, Beauchamp, & Miller, 2007). Many

developed countries, inclusive of the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada,

United States have been reliant on the Interactive Whiteboard’s prospects in