KỶ YẾU

HỘI THẢO KHOA HỌC QUỐC GIA

DẠY HỌC NGÔN NGỮ
XU HƯỚNG ĐỔI MỚI VÀ ỨNG DỤNG

PROCEEDINGS
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
LANGUAGE EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE
INNOVATION AND APPLICATION
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HỌC VIỆN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUẢN LÝ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KINH TẾ
HỒNG ĐỨC NÔNG NGHIỆP VIỆT NAM VÀ CÔNG NGHIỆP HẢI PHÒNG KỸ THUẬT CÔNG NGHIỆP

KỶ YẾU
HỘI THẢO KHOA HỌC QUỐC GIA
DẠY HỌC NGÔN NGỮ
XU HƯỚNG ĐỔI MỚI VÀ ỨNG DỤNG

PROCEEDINGS
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
LANGUAGE EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE
INNOVATION AND APPLICATION

NHÀ XUẤT BẢN THANH HÓA

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 MỤC LỤC
Trang
PREFACE .......................................................................................................................................... 11
CHATGPT AND ITS IMPACTS ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT IN EFL
Tran Thi Ngoc Lien…………………………………………………………………………………13
SỬ DỤNG CÁC CÔNG CỤ TRÍ TUỆ NHÂN TẠO HỖ TRỢ GIẢNG DẠY KỸ NĂNG VIẾT BÀI
LUẬN TIẾNG ANH: GÓC NHÌN TỪ GIÁO VIÊN
Nguyễn Thị Việt Nga……………………………………………………………………………….29
SỬ DỤNG DUOLINGO HIỆU QUẢ NHẰM CẢI THIỆN KỸ NĂNG PHÁT ÂM TIẾNG PHÁP
CHO SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HỒNG ĐỨC
Trịnh Cẩm Xuân................................................................................................................................. 39
AN EVALUATION OF THE APPLICATION OF BROWSER-BASED AND DESKTOP-BASED
COMPUTER-ASSISTED TRANSLATION TOOLS AT UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS -
TECHNOLOGY FOR INDUSTRIES
Le Thi Tam......................................................................................................................................... 46
EXPLORING NON-ENGLISH-MAJOR STUDENTS’ EMOTIONAL DYNAMICS IN EFL
LISTENING CLASSES
Do Thuan Giang ................................................................................................................................. 55
ONLINE IELTS LEARNING EXPERIENCE: VOICES FROM THE LEARNERS
Tran Hoai Ninh, Than Thi Thanh Phuong, Pham Thu Yen………………………………………...66
THE ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS' PERCEPTION OF THE USE OF AI WRITING
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, Dang Thi Thanh Huong…………………………………………………...75
ỨNG DỤNG CÔNG NGHỆ THÔNG TIN TRONG DẠY VÀ HỌCTIẾNG TRUNG TẠI
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KINH TẾ - KỸ THUẬT CÔNG NGHIỆP
Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha………………………………………………………………………………84
ỨNG DỤNG CÔNG NGHỆ THÔNG TIN VÀO DẠY - HỌC NGÔN NGỮ
Nguyễn Đình Thịnh ........................................................................................................................... 92
CÔNG NGHỆ THÔNG TIN: ĐỘNG LỰC THÚC ĐẨY SỰ ĐỔI MỚI TRONG QUÁ TRÌNH
HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ
Trịnh Thị Phú, Trần Minh Ngọc ...................................................................................................... 100
AN INVESTIGATION OF ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF APPLYING
ONLINE TEXT-TO-SPEECH TOOLS (TTS) IN IMPROVING PRONUNCIATION
Nguyen Thi Thuy Ngan ................................................................................................................... 107
USING AI TO DEVELOP CULTURAL COMPETENCE FOR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS
AT HPU
Bui Thi Mai Anh .............................................................................................................................. 116
EXPLORING PERCEPTIONS AND POLICIES ON USING GENAI AS WRITING
ASSISTANCE IN ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS
Le Hong Nhung................................................................................................................................ 128

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THE IMPACT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS ON THE SELF-STUDY PROCESS
OF NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HONG DUC UNIVERSITY
Hoang Kim Thuy, Le Thi Huong, Le Thi Thanh Huong ................................................................. 145
SỬ DỤNG TRANG WEB ELLLO NHẰM NÂNG CAO NĂNG LỰC NGHE HIỂU TIẾNG ANH
CHO SINH VIÊN
Lục Thị Mỹ Bình.............................................................................................................................. 155
THE USE OF MIND MAPS AS A READING STRATEGY TO ENHANCE READING
COMPREHENSION SKILLS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS AT HONG DUC
UNIVERSITY
Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Le Thi Huyen Trang, Le Thi Tam, Truong Thi Diem, Ha Thuy, Quynh, Cao
Thanh Dat, Le Thanh Duong ........................................................................................................... 163
THE USE OF TASK-BASED LEARNING ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE PRE-INTERMEDIATE
ESL LEARNERS’ SPEAKING SKILLS AT ECORP ENGLISH CENTER
Phan Thi Ngoc Han, Phan Lan Anh ................................................................................................. 178
A STUDY ON FIELD TRIPS AND THEIR POSITIVE IMPACTS ON ENGLISH MAJOR
STUDENTS AT HPU
Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa ................................................................................................................... 190
AN INVESTIGATION INTO ENGLISH IDIOMS AND PROVERBS CONCERNING HUMAN
BODY PARTS "BACK", "BONE", "HEAD", "TEETH/TOOTH", AND "SKIN" WITH
REFERENCE TO THE VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS
Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Nguyen Anh Phuong, Pham Huong Lan…………………………………197
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF RELATIVE CLAUSES IN "A CHRISTMAS
CAROL" WRITTEN BY CHARLES DICKENS
Pham Thu Uyen, Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Nguyen Tat Thang……………………………………210
A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES FACED BY FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS WHILE
LEARNING WRITING 2 AT VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Chang Le Xo, Bui Thi La .......................................................................... 218
COMMON ERRORS MADE BY THE THIRD-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS IN LEARNING
TRANSLATION
Tran Thi Thu, Truong Thi Hang, Nguyen Thi Dieu Ha .................................................................. 233
USING DEBATE TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE ENGLISH-MAJORED FRESHMEN’S
SPEAKING SKILLS AT UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS-TECHNOLOGY FOR INDUSTRIES
Dao Thi Thu Huong, Duong Phuong Van, Phan Thi Minh Tam ..................................................... 243
YẾU TỐ VĂN HOÁ TRONG BIÊN SOẠN GIÁO TRÌNH TIẾNG TRNG DÀNH CHO SINH
VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYEN NGỮ
Lò Thị Lan…………………………………………………………………………………………251
ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS’ LISTENING STRATEGY USE IN AND BEYOND
CLASSROOM
Phan Thi Minh Tam, Dao Thi Thu Huong, Duong Phuong Van ..................................................... 259
AN INVESTIGATION INTO ENGLISH VOCABULARY DIFFICULTIES AND ITS
LEARNING STRATEGIES OF 7TH GRADE STUDENTS AT GIANG BIEN SECONDARY
SCHOOL IN HAI PHONG, VIETNAM
Quach Thi Phuong Anh, Nguyen Thu Ha ........................................................................................ 270

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THE EFFECTS OF SCAFFOLDING TECHNIQUES ON STUDENTS’ WRITING
ACHIEVEMENT: A CASE STUDY AT UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS - TECHNOLOGY
FOR INDUSTRY
Pham Vu Minh Loc .......................................................................................................................... 280
ỨNG DỤNG HOẠT ĐỘNG NHÓM TRONG HỌC PHẦN THIẾT KẾ GIÁO ÁN VÀ PHÁT
TRIỂN TÀI LIỆU DẠY HỌC
Hoàng Thị Thu Hà ........................................................................................................................... 289
PROBLEMS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING TRANSLATION RELATED TO CULTURAL
AWARENESS AT PHENIKAA UNIVERITY
Le Thi Thanh Mai ............................................................................................................................ 301
MỘT SỐ VẤN ĐỀ VỀ KIỂM TRA ĐÁNH GIÁ TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH DU LỊCH
Trần Thị Tuyết Mai, Nguyễn Tất Thắng, Bùi Thị Là ...................................................................... 311
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE VIOLATION OF GRICE’S MAXIMS IN “1001 JOKES”-
HUMOUR BOOK BY RICHARD WISEMAN
Nguy Van Thuy, Duong Thi Ha Le, Cao Thi Ha My ...................................................................... 321
DEVELOPING LEARNER AUTONOMY IN LEARNING VOCABULARY FOR SECOND-
YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT HONG DUC UNIVERSITY
Nguyen Thi Ha ................................................................................................................................. 328
A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES FACED BY 9TH GRADE STUDENTS IN LEARNING
ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HANOI
Dang Thi Huyen Trang, Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Nguyen Tat Thang .............................................. 341
ỨNG DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP NGHE - NÓI VÀO GIẢNG DẠY KỸ NĂNG NÓI TIẾNG HÀN
CHO SINH VIÊN TẠI HPU
Trần Thị Hồng Nhung ...................................................................................................................... 354
A STUDY ON METAPHORS, HYPERBOLE, AND IRONY USED IN PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
BY JANE AUSTEN
Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Hoang Huyen Anh ..................................................................................... 362
THE STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF FLIPPED CLASSROOM ON THE SECOND- YEAR
ENGLISH MAJORS’ SPEAKING SKILL AT HPU
Pham Thi Thuy................................................................................................................................. 375
ADDRESSING FACE-SAVING BEHAVIORS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: A
CASE STUDY
Phan Thi Mai Huong ........................................................................................................................ 385
COMPILING A FRIENDLY-USED IPA FOR THE ENGLISH MAJOR FRESHMEN AT HPU
Dang Thi Hoang An ......................................................................................................................... 394
THE IMPACT OF CLASSROOM-BASED NON-LESSON ENGLISH INTERACTIONS ON
STUDENTS’ LANGUAGE SKILLS
Nguyen Thi Hoa ............................................................................................................................... 408
ENHANCING VOCABULARY ACQUISITION FOR ENGLISH MAJORS AT HPU THROUGH
CONTEXTUALIZED LEARNING
Nguyen Thi Phuong Thu .................................................................................................................. 421

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FOREIGN LANGUAGE READING ANXIETY OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IELTS
PREPARATION CLASSROOMS
Dang Quoc Dung ............................................................................................................................. 436
A STUDY ON THE APPLICATION OF VIDEO RECORDINGS IN SPEAKING LESSONS FOR
THE SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT HPU
Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, Nguyen Thi Thu Huong ........................................................................... 444
APPLYING HOWARD GARDNER'S THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES TO
TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES TO STUDENTS
Do Ngoc Bich, Tran Thi Thanh Tam, Le Thi Kim Thu, Tran Thi Hai, Duong Thi Hoa................. 453
BUILDING AN ENGLISH CODING SYSTEM TO SUPPORT ENGLISH MAJORED
STUDENTS IN INTERPRETING
Nguyen Thi Quyet, Hoang Kim Ngan ............................................................................................. 465

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 ORGANIZERS
Hong Duc University
Vietnam National University of Agriculture
Haiphong University of Management and Technology
University of Economics - Technology for Industries
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Prof. Dr. Ngo Chi Thanh - Hong Duc University
Dr. Nguyen Thi Quyet - Hong Duc University
Dr. Nguyen Tat Thang - Vietnam National University of Agriculture
Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy - Vietnam National University of Agriculture
Dr. Tran Thi Ngoc Lien - Haiphong University of Management and Technology
Dr. Nguyen Thu Ha - University of Economics - Technology for Industries
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy - Vietnam National University of Agriculture
Dr. Tran Thi Ngoc Lien - Haiphong University of Management and Technology
Dr. Nguyen Thi Quyet - Hong Duc University
Dr. Nguyen Thu Hà - University of Economics - Technology for Industries
Dr. Nguyen Thi Viet Nga - Academy of Journalism and Communication
Dr. Nguyen Thanh Minh - Hong Duc University
Dr. Trinh Thi Thom - Hong Duc University
Dr. Vu Thi Loan - Hong Duc University
Dr. Le Hoang Huong - Hong Duc University
Dr. Le Thi Huong - Hong Duc University
Nguyen Thi Viet, Ph.D - Hong Duc University
Dang Thi Nguyet, Ph.D - Hong Duc University
Le Thi Huong, Ph.D - Hong Duc University
Pham Huong Lan, MA - Vietnam National University of Agriculture
Tran Thi Hai, MA - Vietnam National University of Agriculture
Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa, MA - Haiphong University of Management and Technology
Bui Mai Anh, MA - Haiphong University of Management and Technology
Vu Viet Phuong, MA - University of Economics - Technology for Industries
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, MA - University of Economics - Technology for Industries
Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha, MA - University of Economics - Technology for Industries

SECRETARIAT
Du Thi Mai, MA - Hong Duc University
Tran Thi Hang, MA - Hong Duc University
CONTACT
Hong Duc University, 565 Quang Trung street, Dong Ve ward, Thanh Hoa city, Thanh Hoa province
Tel./Fax: +84 (0) 237.3910.222
Email: [email protected]

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PREFACE

The National Conference on “Language Education for the Future: Innovation and
Application” has been co-hosted by Hong Duc University, Vietnam National University of
Agriculture (VNUA), Haiphong University of Management and Technology and University of
Economics - Technology for Industries. Our main aim is to provide a platform for students,
teachers, and researchers to discuss novel ideas and share their areas of interest in Applied
Linguistics, Teaching Methodology, Testing and Assessment, English for Specific Purposes, English
as a Medium of Instruction, Translation and Interpretation, ICT Applications in EFL Teaching &
Learning, etc.
Of more than 50 research papers received and reviewed, 44 were selected for publication in
the conference proceedings. The conference attracted more than 100 participants from 15 different
Universities, Colleges, High Schools, and English centers to come, discuss, and share their teaching
experience and latest research findings.
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Hong Duc University, Vietnam National
University of Agriculture, Haiphong University of Management and Technology and University of
Economics - Technology for Industries for their leading role and support. We are indebted to the
organization staff, committee members, reviewers, coordinators, faculty members, and students who
have made great efforts to prepare for the conference. Our deepest gratitude and sincere thanks go
to all the presenters and participants without the contributions of whom the conference was far from
success. We do hope that you find this conference a part of your long-life teaching career and
expect this event helps to expand your professional network to research in linguistics and language
education at universities and colleges across Vietnam.

The Organizing Committee

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CHATGPT AND ITS IMPACTS ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’

ENGAGEMENT IN EFL
Tran Thi Ngoc Lien
Haiphong University of Management and Technology

ABSTRACT
Innovative technology, including ChatGPT, has been incorporated in education. However, the
admission of this learning tool has remained controversial. Grounding on the hypothesis that
ChatGPT could support students and improve their learning, this exploratory study investigates the
impacts of this app on student engagement at a university in Vietnam. Specifically, it aimed to
examine how the permission of ChatGPT in class influenced their behavioral, emotional, and
cognitive engagement. Sixty students were selected randomly from 3 EFL classes. Survey
questionnaires and classroom observations were employed to collect data for analysis. Findings
indicate the overall positive attitudes of the students toward ChatGPT, thus strengthening the case
of using this type of technological chat-boxes in promoting their engagement in learning, and
suggest actions that all the stakeholders can take to take advantage of such usage for the sake of
learning quality enhancement. However, disagreement existed regarding whether students
"actually" engaged in their lesson and bettered their academic performance due to the presence of
ChatGPT.
Keywords: ChatGPT; EFL class; student engagement

1. INTRODUCTION
Technology-based education is no longer novel to language teaching practitioners and
students. It has opened up learning opportunities to people regardless of geographical location,
economic and social backgrounds, and time constraints. However, the pervasiveness of
technological applications, especially AI, in foreign language teaching has sparked controversy, as
it is assumed that students may be over-reliant on the apps, thus their engagement may be lowered
and autonomy eroded. In this paper, the researcher would like to look into the incorporation of an
AI tool namely ChatGPT into English teaching at a university in Vietnam. This robust chatbot has
gained popularity and created a milestone in education in general and English pedagogy in
particular. It is known as the fastest-growing app in internet history (Hu, 2023), exerting massive
impacts on EFL scenarios (Xiao & Zhi, 2023).
Nevertheless, using this tool has remained a constant debate with pros and cons. According to
Ferrouhi, (2023) or Fyfe, (2022), ChatGPT may provide inaccurate and biased answers. This idea
was shared by Rudolph, Tan, & Tan (2023) who said that users should be aware of possible “invalid
information, biased content, and limited knowledge of world events” (ibid, p. 7). Furthermore, there
have been concerns about the hindrance of learners’ critical thinking (Mohamed (2023) and Zakaria
and Ninfrum (2023), creativity and analytical skills (Ferrouhi, 2023). But the most worrying
concern is the problem of cheating and plagiarism (Kohnke et al., 2023). However, the drawbacks
may be outweighed by the benefits of this AI tool. First, student motivation can be promoted by
using ChatGPT (Peterson, 2017; Smith et al., 2018). The second strength is the enhancement of
learner autonomy or learning independence (Liu & Liu, 2023). Third, we should acknowledge the
role of ChatGPT in promoting learner language proficiency (Bender et al., 2021; Kasneci et al.,
2023; Nguyen & Tran, 2023). All in all, realizing the importance of ChatGPT, its applications, and
obstacles, the researcher of this paper aimed to explore the effect of using this revolutionized

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computer-based device to better student engagement in an EFL class in a university in Vietnam. The
study hypothesized that using ChatGPT would benefit learners, particularly student engagement; so
it would look into how this chatbot influences student behavioral, emotional, and cognitive
engagement in EFL classes.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Research questions
Two research questions were raised to find answers for the impacts of using ChatGPT on
student engagement in ELF classes in a university in Vietnam.
1) How does ChatGPT influence student engagement in ELF classes in a university?
2) What is student perception of using ChatGPT in EFL classes in a university?
2.2. Technological applications and English language teaching
Technological applications have been omnipresent these days, especially in education and
English language teaching. Bull and Ma (2001) claimed that learners could get access to unlimited
resources both online and from the huge storage of computer systems. Harmer (2007) and Genç lter
(2015) shared this idea, reckoning teachers and learners tap into this diverse and almost free source
of knowledge. Furthermore, the speed of access (Tomlison, 2009; Genç lter, 2015) and the
usefulness of learning materials available (Clements & Sarama, 2003) were also highlighted. The
appeal of using online materials lies in the opportunities to access a wide variety of digital resources
such as e-books, photos, audio, and video, and this empowers learners to be self-prepared and well-
prepared for their lessons. Moreover, the possibility of generating more effective presentations of
learning materials thanks to various online software is captivating (Rendall & Davies, 2012).
That technological applications have their favor can be boiled down to the probability of
better student ability. Dang (2013) believed that technological tools enabled learners and teachers to
record their lessons times and again, thus being capable of making changes and improvements as
required. For example, speaking skills would be the first to benefit as learners can practice with
numerous available software free of charge and without time and geographical limitations. Most
noticeably, learners no longer need a teacher to practice with, which used to be a hindrance
especially when a native speaker is required. Technological applications these days are not
machines as they can provide necessary stuff such as grammar and vocabulary practice exercises
and can be carried out sequentially as a receptive skill development need (Hughes, 2002 &
Thornbury, 2005). Additionally, the software could provide learners with authentic samples
produced by native speakers of pronunciation features such as intonation, stress, rhythm, elision,
and liaison, which could hardly be provided by a Vietnamese teacher.
Contrary to the concern of old-school scholars and educationists, Carey (2020) and Arnseth &
Hatlevik (2010) proposed that learning through technological apps or devices could also create a
dynamic learning environment. The virtual language classroom would be an ideal place for students
to practice constantly and with a good degree of accuracy. Students are not restricted to the
conventional classroom (Hashemifardnia, 2018). Jung (2006) in his research proved that students
could improve not only their language competence but also their problem-solving skills.
The third attraction of using tech apps in education and language learning is the possibility to
motivate learners and get them engaged more in learning. Arifah (2014) believed in the innovative
functions and audio-visual features of technological devices because they could help increase
learner interest. As for him, the pictures, films, or music integrated into an app could outperform a
human teacher in a way of captivating students. Today, it is no longer necessary to carry a

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cumbersome laptop to assist language learning. Instead, with just a handheld smartphone, students
can learn anywhere and anytime and this approachable feature also makes technological tools
outshined in the educational setting. Speck (2019) said that English language learners will benefit if
they approach technology.
2.3. ChatGPT and its applications
ChatGPT, "Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is an artificial intelligence chatbot that
uses natural language processing to create humanlike conversational dialogues
(https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/ChatGPT). It was generated by OpenAI -- an
artificial intelligence research company, and launched in November 2022. The model employs
transformer architectures to process input information and generate appropriate output (https:/www.
chat.openai.com). It is built on top of the GPT network architecture, which uses large amounts of
data from the Internet to learn and capture the syntax, semantics, and structure of language. The
language model can respond to questions and compose various written content, including articles,
social media posts, essays, code, and emails. ChatGPT is trained with reinforcement learning
through human feedback and reward models that rank the best responses. This feedback helps
augment ChatGPT with machine learning to improve future responses. The United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defined ChatGPT as “systems which
process data and information in a way that resembles intelligent behavior and typically includes
aspects of reasoning, learning, perception, prediction, planning or control” (2023, p. 10).
The primary function of ChatGPT was to mimic human conversation, its applications now
have been extended far beyond this initial intention (Tlili et al., 2023). It has been used across
various fields, from natural language processing to customer service to content creation (Kuraku,
et.al.2023). Since it was launched, people have found new ways to use its great power in various
spheres of life, and language learning almost immediately stole the limelight. as this advanced AI
tool could create a range of output readily accessible to the public (Holmes & Tuomi, 2023).
The use of chatbots, including ChatGPT, in language learning and teaching has become a
topic of interest. Many researchers counted on chatbots as reliable and effective learning tools
because they believed that using these advanced AI tools could create a flexible and relaxing
learning environment, endless materials and resources, student motivation and interest boost,
constant feedback, and ambient opportunities for practice (Fryer and Carpenter, 2006; Shawar,
2017; Costa, 2018). Moreover, chatbots, according to Shin et al. (2021 could boost student
engagement.
2.3.1. Benefits and downsides of using ChatGPT in English language teaching and
learning
2.3.1.1. The Merits
The first appeal of tapping into ChatGPT for EFL students is personalization potential. Just
with a good prompt, they can get texts and exercises on a wide variety of topics of different levels
of difficulty: from beginner to advanced generated by this tool within some seconds. This
experience can improve student efficacy, which has been long considered a fundamental factor in
their better performance in English learning (Kohonen,1992; Knowles, 1980; Littlewood, 1996;
Nunan, 1997; Tran, 2022). This benefit can be garnered owing to the possibility of the constant
response of MLM (machine learning model) and the huge data input of ChatGPT which allow
authentic replies from a piece of writing to a short conversation or lexico-grammatical exercises
(Greyling, 2022; Salam, 2023). The learners feel stunned that ChatGPT self-contains almost

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everything they need. The second advantage of incorporating ChatGPT in EFL classes is the
capability to motivate learners (Peterson, 2017; Smith, 2018), and this feature, which is not known
to be possessed by a machine, may make this AI tool comparable to a human teacher. Another point
is by providing constant feedback, which students always expect to get from their teachers,
ChatGPT can encourage learners to work (Zhai, 2023). In essence, ChatGPT enables learners to
generate questions and topics for discussions, so it is capable of increasing student engagement and
collaboration (Li & Xing, 20121; Lewis, 2022).
Another important merit of using ChatGPT is its ability to enhance language student
performance. Researchers came up with many different findings. First, using ChatGPT supports two
productive skills: writing and speaking because the rich resources it offers enable students to learn
and improve their writing skills (Baidoo-Anu & Owusu Ansah, 2023; Kasneci et al. (2023).
Learners can get assistance from this app, especially when they run out of ideas as this chatbot can
provide suggested logical, accurate, systematic, and instructive outlines (Zhai, 2022; Kasneci et al.,
2023). AI and natural language processing models can help students better their writing skills by
providing suggestions and feedback on the content, structure, and style of their written work.
Furthermore, working with ChatGPT could improve student speaking skills thanks to the
authentic conversations it generates (Tack & Piech, 2022; George and George; 2023). Second, for
receptive skills, which people normally assumed that a machine could not help, using ChatGPT did
work. With a detailed prompt, teachers and learners can be provided with whatever they want to
practice with, for instance, a voiced conversion, a lecture, a speech, or a contextualized debate. The
learners can generate a reading passage with many question types, with different degrees of
complexity and word numbers. It seems that ChatGPT can provide everything we need for a
language lesson, even more than we can imagine.
Another benefit worth mentioning is teacher didactic support. First, ChatGPT can help
teachers analyze student responses and mark their papers (Moore et al., 2022; Rudolph et al., 2023).
Teachers can design a wide range of activities for their language classes, from something very
entertaining such as role play templates, quizzes, games, etc., to something else that is academic, for
example, tests, syllabuses, lesson plans, or exercises (Rudolph et al., 2023; Atlas, 2023). With this
chatbot, language instructors no longer restrict their lessons to whiteboards and thick books.
Instead, they can rip the benefits of vivid audio-visual aids such as slides and worksheets, and
interactive voicing conversations.
2.3.1.2. The downsides
The first problem caused by incorporating ChatGPT into the educational setting is academic
integrity (Cassidy, 2023). Normally, students do not cite the sources produced by this chatbot and
this means that they are committing to plagiarism (Kleebayoon & Wiwanitkit, 2023). The standard
of academic integrity is jeopardized accordingly (Eke, 2023). According to Debby, et.al., (2023),
“AI essay writing systems are designed to generate essays based on a set of parameters or
prompts....therefore students could potentially use these systems to cheat on their assignments by
submitting essays that are not their work (ibid, p.8). Sharing this point, Dehouche (2021) stated that
students could use ChatGPT to create a piece writing assignment and submit it as their writing
product. This is tolerated in education whose purpose is to cultivate knowledge for learners for the
cause of development and innovation rather than nurturing and supporting academic misconduct.
Also, this problem may give rise to the difficulty in evaluations and assessments (Cassidy, 2023).

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Another concern is prejudice or cultural bias. The materials or inputs of ChatGPT are
generated by a group of content developers, based on AI algorithms therefore they have inherent
social biases and preconceptions (Rettberg, 2022; Kasneci et al., 2023; Rudolph et al., (2023). This
may do havoc on the teaching and learning processes (Lund & Wang, 2023).
The third disadvantage lies in the access to authentic and interactive resources provided by
technology (Loncar et al. 2021). Although learners benefit from a wide range of authentic language
materials, such as videos, online articles, and podcasts, which reflect real-life language use, these
materials are not cited or quoted, so it is almost impossible to trace sources of this learning stuff,
and this may adversely affect its reliability.
ChatGPT also shows its flaw in the inability to create an interactive learning environment,
which only traditional pedagogy can. Facts indicate that the omnipresence of advanced
technological applications has not yet overshadowed the organization of conventional classes, and
the prime reason for this lies in human nature, which always requires interactions with each other
and the surrounding environments. Working with ChatGPT, though effective, cannot allow students
to satisfy their needs to exchange talks, ideas, or simply chit-chats. As a result, tech-based lessons
can be monotonous with monologues or pseudo-dialogues.
The final worrying question is student over-reliance on ChatGPT, so their creativity, problem-
solving skills, and critical thinking may be adversely affected. According to Oxford Learner
Dictionaries, critical thinking is the process of analyzing information to make a logical decision
about the extent to which you believe something to be true or false. Shehab, et.al. (2023) stated that
critical thinking is the capacity to distinguish between fact and opinion while remaining open to
diverse points of view. Students rely mainly on ChatGPT, and this did, hampers their capacity to
think critically and independently, and this may ruin the optimal goal of education. Anyway, chat-
bots are not able to think and solve problems in the same way that humans can.
2.4. Student engagement
Viewed as a multidimensional concept, student engagement is commonly known for three
main types namely behavioral, emotional, and cognitive (Fredricks, et al., 2004). The first one
refers to students' academic involvement and participation in learning activities. It includes things
such as effort, persistence, attention, and sense of discipline, etc. The second type involves the
affective attitudes, which can be either the positive or negative reactions, that the students have
towards their school, classroom, classmates, and teachers. It includes such emotions as boredom,
happiness, sadness, anxiety, a sense of belonging, and a liking or disliking toward school. The last is
viewed as students' willingness to master uphill skills. This type goes further beyond the behavioral
and emotional, adding some features such as self-regulation, a preference for challenges and hard
work, efforts in mastering new knowledge and skills, and usage of learning strategies.
Engagement plays a crucial role in promoting student learning as the more commitment the
students show towards their learning process, the more likely they can excel academically. Astin
(1984) confirmed a positive correlation between student's engagement at university and the amount
of knowledge and the level of personal development they gain. Productive involvement brings
about positive learning attitudes, a sense of connectedness, active learning, strong commitments and
devotion, more time on task, and eventually academic achievement (Astin, 1984; Braxton, Milem &
Sullivan 2000; Pascarella & Terenzini 2005; Pike 2006a, 2006b Siddiquim, 2018). Not only the

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students but also their institutes can reap benefits from this. Low dropout rates (Frederick, et al.,
2004), for example, helps a university to earn reputation and income.
To increase student engagement, several strategies can be employed, ranging from satisfying
individual needs such as providing students with free choices in learning, privatizing learning
materials, and giving timely feedback to bettering the learning environment and policies. Among
the popular choices is the encouragement of students to get involved in extra-curriculum activities
because these activities help to raise student engagement, self-confidence, employability skills, and
motivation, which is the educational institution's ultimate objective.
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. Setting
The research involved sixty English majored students randomly selected from three classes in
a university in the north of Vietnam. They were chosen from over 400 students of the English
faculty. From a pilot simple survey, these students admitted that they spent a lot of time online but
did not use technological applications in learning much. They said they knew ChatGPT but did not
use this chat-bot much, adding that they only relied on it when they were pressed for time and could
not have completed their home assignment. These students admitted that they did not know how to
use it properly and did not spend time exploring the various functions and applications of this chat-
bot. The reason behind this choice was that the researcher could get rid of the biased finding results
caused by the ability to use ChatGPT of the sampled population. The participants would be
instructed to work with this tool and provide their opinions about its impacts on student learning
engagement.
At the university selected for this research, English majored students study about 15-20 credits of
English each semester. The use of technological advancements was recommended and promoted by
the management board and teachers. Wifi was provided free of charge anywhere on campus. Half of
the subjects were accredited in form of AUN assessment methods, so students only needed to
complete their assignment, but not a test.
The study took place in the whole semester (10 weeks). A pilot survey was conducted to
examine how much the students knew about and used ChatGPT.
3.2. Research methods:
This was an exploratory study which was expected to help the researcher get a better insight
into the impacts of using ChatGPT on student engagement. From this research, we hoped to gain a
deeper understanding about the positive and negative impacts of this AI tool on student behavioral,
emotional, and cognitive engagement. Also it is assumed that the research findings could provide
some recommendation for the administrators, language practitioners, teachers, and students about
the use of ChatGPT in class.
The study adopted a multimethod approach, which involves qualitative and quantitative
methods. The reason for this selection lies in the potential to secure the validity and reliability of the
research findings. First, a survey questionnaire helped to collect data about student perception
towards using ChatGPT in an EFL class. This tool allowed participants to respond at their
convenience, and the researcher could gather data without time constraints (Munn & Drever, 1995).
Moreover, a well-structured questionnaire with close-ended statements showed a degree of
objectivity and helped to enhance the efficacy of data analysis (Cohen, et.al., 2007). The
questionnaire used for this study was designed based on the theories developed by Cummin (2000)
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 KỶ YẾU HỘI THẢO KHOA HỌC QUỐC GIA: DẠY HỌC NGÔN NGỮ - XU HƯỚNG ĐỔI MỚI VÀ ỨNG DỤNG

and Baker (2011). There were three sections with 30 closed-ended statements in the questionnaire,
seeking answers for three main concerns of the study: examining student perception of the effect of
ChatGPT on student behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. A Google form was utilized
to deliver the questionnaire for convenience and effectiveness. The Likert scale, which ranges from
5 (strongly agree) to 1 (strongly disagree), was applied to the questionnaire. The survey was
delivered in week 5.
Table 1: Survey questionnaire
5 4 3 2 1
1 Students were excited to use ChatGPT in class
Emotional engagement

2 Students were motivated in using ChatGPT in class

3 Students placed a high value in using ChatGPT in class
4 Students felt less pressured with the help of ChatGPT in
class
5 Students ignored the permission of using ChatGPT in class
6 Students found ChatGPT useless in their lessons
7 Stduents felt worried about using ChatGPT.
8 Students did not share their experience of using ChatGPT
with their peers in class.
9 Students did not respond to teacher instrutions using
Behavioral engagement

ChatGPT in class.
10 Students were more confident in learning thanks to ChatGPT
11 Students were disruptive in class
12 Students were not serious about home assignments or class
activities
13 Students increased their interactions with peers
14 Students were more active in learning
15 Students lost their concentration
16 Students found their lessons easier with the support from
Cognitive engagement

ChatGPT
17 Students could improve their test scores thanks to using
ChatGPT
18 Students could not exercise their creativity in lessons
19 Students could increase their engagement.
20 Students could enhance their autonomy.
Secondly, observation allowed the researcher to look into the student feedback and behavior
in class when working with ChatGPT. This approach permitted the researcher to “conduct a fine-
grained analysis of the moment-by-moment process of classroom instruction and interaction”
(Evans, 2009, p.293). Accordingly, the quantitative data could be validated. An observation sheet
consisted three categories, namely emotional, behavioral, and cognitive engagement. The
observation was carried out in three weeks: week 1, week 5, and week 10.

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OBSERVATION SHEETS
Student Engagement Indicators Number Percentage
Emotional Hilarious
Tedious
Behavioral Attentive
Unattentive
Solitary working
Collaborative working
Cognitive Quick response
Highly interactive
Passive
The third research tool is a semi-structured interview, which empowered the researcher to
have an in-depth insight into why ChatGPT is beneficial or harmful. The data triangulation enabled
the researcher to understand the application of ChatGPT and improve the reliability of the results.
Two open-ended questions were used to collect data. (1) What are the benefits of using ChatGPT in
an EFL class? Explain! (2) What are the obstacles to using ChatGPT in an EFL class? Explain!
Both the qualitative and quantitative methods were used. For the former, SPSS 2.5 helps to
obtain numerical measurements. Data collected from the observation sheets were computed and
calculated to verify whether students have linked their opinions with their actual responses. The
qualitative data taken from the interviews were thematically analyzed.
4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. The impacts of ChatGPT on students’ emotional, behavioral, and cognitive engagement
The findings indicate that the participants showed their consensus when being questioned
about the impacts of ChatGPT on student emotional engagement. They almost agreed that using
ChatGPT was necessary (M=4.03; SD=0.55) and this AI tool could ease their pressure in class
(M=4.1; SD=0.4). This was indicated via their responses towards the permission to use ChatGPT to
support their learning. The participants strongly disagreed that they did not care for ChatGPT
(M=1.93; SD=0.48)) and found this chatbot useless with nearly the same statistical results.
However, what was a key concern to the researchers and language practitioners was the blurred
attitude of the students towards the attraction of this hi-tech app. This could be explained by looking
at the background information of the participants. As they admitted prior to the study, they did not
know much about the tool and only counted on it when they found it hard to fulfill their home
assignments.
There was a significant difference in student response to the first statement, which was about
their excitement, the second statement about their motivation, and the third one about their worry.
The mean scores of the first two aspects were not different at 2.95 and 2.87 respectively. The
finding about student motivation contradicted Peterson (2017) and Smith (2018), who stressed the
role of ChatGPT in motivating students to get involved in learning. What stands out from the
statistical result of the third response, that is student’ anxiety. The sampled students strongly agreed
that they felt worried when using ChatGPT (M=4.03) and there was a consensus on this matter
(SD=0.5).

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Table 2: ChatGPT and student emotional engagement

N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation

Q1 60 2 5 2.95 .675
Q2 60 1 4 2.87 .566
Q3 60 2 5 4.03 .551
Q4 60 3 5 4.10 .399
Q5 60 1 3 1.93 .482
Q6 60 1 4 1.93 .516
Q7 60 2 4 3.05 .467
The second concern is about how the ChatGPT application affects student behavioral
engagement. This was shown primarily through three features: interactive possibility, class
attention, and educational seriousness. First, the research findings indicate that there was an
outstanding discrepancy in the responses of the participants.
The survey results contradicted what we expected. Using ChatGPT hindered student
interaction not only with their teachers but also with their peers. The problem could be justified as
these students did not need help or support from these people. They could rely on the chatbot for
their learning experiences. This finding coincided with students’ responses from the interview, in
which they admitted that teacher-student and peer interactions dwindled. However, the most
concerning point is the admission that students were not active in learning anymore (M=4.2;
SD=1.0). We could realize a remarkable disparity in students’ viewpoints through the standard
deviation bigger than 1.0. However, a worthwhile thing to note is the finding was not in alignment
with the opinions of Zhai (2023) that ChatGPT could encourage students to work harder, and Li &
Xing (2021) and Lewis (2022), who believed that ChatGPT enables learners to generate questions,
and topics for discussions so it can increase student engagement and collaboration. In other words,
interactions were enhanced.
Turning to student concentration in class, which is considered an important condition for
learning efficacy, fortunately, the participants disagreed that they lost their attention (M=2.5);
however, the fundamental issue lies in the fact that students did not have the same opinion about
this as indicated by SD being 0.92.
The final concern revealed from the research findings was about educational seriousness,
which means “the practice of using your brain actively and efficiently during the learning process”
(Wilson, 1998). It refers to student engagement, mastery of learning significance or value, and the
capability to become a component in the cause of social changes. Unfortunately, students did not
admit that their confidence could be enhanced thanks to ChatGPT (M=1.9; SD=0.5). To make
matters worse, they did not take home assignments seriously. This could be explained by looking
into the nature and function of ChatGPT, which could provide them with answers to almost all
questions or inquiries within seconds. It is one of the most worrying things in education because
“Practice makes perfect”.

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Table 3: ChatGPT and student behavioral engagement

N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation

Q8 60 1 5 2.18 .813
Q9 60 3 5 4.05 .565
Q10 60 1 4 1.97 .520
Q11 60 2 5 3.13 .650
Q12 60 4 5 4.20 .403
Q13 60 2 4 2.95 .565
Q14 60 1 5 4.42 1.094
Q15 60 1 5 2.50 .966
The final consideration is the repercussions of ChatGPT on student cognitive engagement.
Within this study, this domain was perceived as the ability of this AI tool to assist students in
performing better academically. A paradox existed concerning the research results about student
engagement and autonomy. Despite differences in opinions, they admitted that their engagement
level increased thanks to ChatGPT (M=4.5; SD=0.9), but their self-controlled learning was not
beneficial (M=1.98; SD=0.43). The finding was in stark contrast to Kohonen (1992), Knowles
(1980), Littlewood (1996), and Tran (2022), who were in favor of the capability to motivate learners
of ChatGPT.
Another point is the contrast between the agreement that lessons became easier (M=8.8;
SD=0.36) and disagreement about test score improvements (M=2.9; SD=0.48). The most
remarkable feature in the table was the improbability of exercising students’ creativity in case
ChatGPT was used. Most students agreed with this (M=4.85).
Table 4: ChatGPT and student cognitive engagement
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation

Q16 60 4 5 4.85 .360

Q17 60 2 5 2.97 .486
Q18 60 4 5 4.85 .360
Q19 60 2 5 4.55 .964
Q20 60 1 3 1.98 .431

4.2. Indicators of student engagement

Classroom observations consolidated the survey results in all three aspects: emotional,
behavioral, and cognitive engagement. As we can see from Table 5, to begin with, emotional
indicators, students were increasingly interested in using this chatbot with the figures rising from
70% to 75% (week 1 and week 10 respectively). However, they become less attentive to the lessons,
and this was indicated via a substantial decline in figures from 75% in week 1 to just 35% in week
10. The fluctuation in the rates of students who felt happier with ChatGPT could partly justify the

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survey findings in the respondents said that were not motivated and felt anxious working with
ChatGPT.
Table 5: Engagement indicators
Student Week 1 Week 5 Week 10
Indicators
engagement NO. % NO. % NO. %
Hilarious 42 70.00 38 63.33 45 75.00
Emotional
Tedious 18 30.00 22 36.67 15 25.00
Attentive 45 75.00 40 66.67 35 58.33
Unattentive 15 25.00 20 33.33 25 41.67
Behavioral Solitary working 48 80.00 38 63.33 30 50.00

Collaborative working 12 20.00 22 36.67 30 50.00

Quick response 30 50.00 40 66.67 50 83.33

Cognitive Highly interactive 30 50.00 28 46.67 29 48.33
Passive 25 41.67 20 33.33 10 16.67
Turning to other indicators of behavioral engagement, we can realize that while the ability to
work individually diminished, which was seen through a drop of 30% from week 1 to week 10,
students improved their collaborative working competency owing to a double increase in figures
from 20% in week 1 to 50% in week 10. The findings from observations consolidated the study
results obtained from the survey questionnaire, which showed the unwillingness of students in
learning when they could rely on ChatGPT as a supportive learning tool.
The last domain examined in class was cognitive engagement by three indicators observed. It
came as no surprise that students accelerated their response thanks to ChatGPT by more than 30%.
Nevertheless, they showed a decreasing degree of learning passiveness because the number of
students who were not active at work was 25 in week 1 but more than halved in week 10.
4.3. Student perception about the benefits and downsides of in class ChatGPT’s
permission
Answering two open-ended questions, the interviewees could provide certain elaborations on
the feedback they provided in the survey and some cues to explain the classroom observations.
Of five participants, four said they were interested in the utilized chatbot. Student 2 agreed
that she was a low achiever, so this AI tool could lower her reluctance in class, while students 3 and
4 admitted that she felt more self-confident answering the teacher’s question. Student 5 confessed
that he did not have to spend much time preparing for the lesson. This qualitative finding was not
coincided with the earlier stated quantitative findings as students reported that ChatGPT could not
help them feel more self-reliant and motivated. This mismatch may be explained by the difference
in students’ opinions. The two interviewees could not represent the whole sampled population.
The second benefit the students mentioned is the resources that they could tap into. Students 1
and 5 appreciated the outlines provided by ChatGPT, admitting that their writing skills were
enhanced because the chatbot supported them with numerous ideas. Students 2, 3, and 4 placed a
high value on the ability to create grammatical and lexical exercises of ChatGPT, especially these
practices could be distinguished by levels of difficulty. These findings were in line with Bull and
Ma (2001, Harmer (2007), Genç lter (2015), Tomlison (2009 and Clements & Sarama (2003), who

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highlighted the usefulness of learning materials generated by ChatGPT. Student 5 was keen on
practicing speaking via the authentic conversations that the chatbot generated. This finding was the
same as the conclusions of Dang (2013), Hughes (2002), and Thornbury (2005).
However, the interviews also disclosed some disagreements among students about ChatGPT.
All five students admitted that they were much lazier in learning and consolidation. Students 1 and
3 said they did not have to work hard while students 4 and 5 responded that they spent most of their
time surfing the social networking sites. These findings were the same as the quantitative ones
collected from the survey and the observation.
The second problem these interviewees mentioned is the possibility of boosting their
creativity. They agreed that there was almost no chance to do this as the machine did all for them.
When practicing speaking, student 1 said what she did was solely to repeat the conversations. The
template, for sure, was important but only for students who had a low level of proficiency; however,
it could not work effectively for advanced learners who required a high degree of fluency and
creativity.
The first advantage of ChatGPT for EFL students is personal experience. With a prompt, they
can get texts and exercises on a wide variety of topics at different levels of difficulty generated by
this tool within some seconds.
Secondly, the pronunciation provided by the machine was not diverse and this might impede
their ability to communicate in different settings and backgrounds.
The final concern is the prompts. Two of the five students did not know how to make a good
prompt for the machine to help so they counted on Google translation and this led to
misunderstanding and erroneous answers.
5. CONCLUSION
The study was conducted with the participation of 60 students selected from 3 ELF classes in
a university in Vietnam. It aimed to examine the impacts of ChatGPT on student engagement. In
other words, the researcher tried to figure out whether ChatGPT was beneficial or harmful in a
language class. By using three research instruments including a survey questionnaire, classroom
observations, and a semi-structured interview, the researcher could generate the triangulation of
data, supporting the reliability and validity of data analysis.
Findings from the study revealed that students generally supported the use of ChatGPT. They
appreciated the strengths of this AI tool, stating that this chatbot offered them a rich learning
material resource, and the chance to practice a language with a minimum cost and without
geographical and temporal constraints. Moreover, ChatGPT could remove emotional barriers
suffered by students in class as they no longer felt anxious answering the questions put forth by
teachers.
However, the disadvantages tended to outnumber the advantages. First, they did not find an
improvement in their confidence in class. They found themselves lazier, more passive, and less
creative. They also did not find ChatGPT could motivate them in their learning, in contrast, using
this tool increased their anxiety. What’s more, the attitude towards learning also changed for the
worse. This meant students were not serious with their studies and spent time doing some personal
things rather than concentrating on learning. The authenticity of materials was also a concern, and
the problem of plagiarism had become more serious, going against the ultimate goal of education,
which is to nurture the ability to generate new inventions.

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Although the study enabled the researcher to have a deeper understanding of the use of
ChatGPT in class, there are some limitations that we need to take into consideration. The first is the
downside of an exploratory study with a small sample size and it grounded on opinions but not
experimental findings. The second shortcoming is the control of ChatGPT use was challenging as it
was different between each individual. Another limitation is the study has not yet examined whether
the study time affected student engagement or not. It had been assumed that the longer the students
attended university study, the more independent they were in learning. However, this failed to work
within this study.
From the research findings, it is clear that the permission to use ChatGPT should be
considered seriously by the university administrators and the teachers as the drawbacks overshadow
the benefits. To make good use of ChatGPT, teachers should get better involvement. Students had to
show their teacher their prompts, or teachers would have to provide a prompt for their student in the
form of assistance. Second, we should limit the time for using ChatGPT. Also, teachers need to
design more interactive and creative learning topics, which help to deal with the problem of
plagiarism and promote learning innovation. Third, blending AI and conventional teaching methods
was highly recommended as the chatbot could ease the pressure suffered by students when they
were pressed for time or felt left behind.

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SỬ DỤNG CÁC CÔNG CỤ TRÍ TUỆ NHÂN TẠO HỖ TRỢ GIẢNG DẠY
KỸ NĂNG VIẾT BÀI LUẬN TIẾNG ANH: GÓC NHÌN TỪ GIÁO VIÊN
Nguyễn Thị Việt Nga
Học viện Báo chí và Tuyên truyền

TÓM TẮT
Bài viết khám phá quan điểm của giáo viên về việc sử dụng các công cụ viết dựa trên trí tuệ
nhân tạo (AI) trong giảng dạy kỹ năng viết luận tiếng Anh ở bậc Đại học. Thông qua phỏng vấn 10
giáo viên từ ba trường đại học, nghiên cứu làm sáng tỏ các công cụ AI phổ biến như ChatGPT,
Grammarly, QuillBot, Copy.ai và một số công cụ khác, cũng như các chức năng và tần suất giáo
viên sử dụng chúng. Kết quả cho thấy giáo viên đánh giá cao hiệu quả của công cụ AI trong việc tiết
kiệm thời gian, hỗ trợ sáng tạo ý tưởng và cải thiện vốn từ vựng cũng như tính mạch lạc trong bài
viết của sinh viên. Tuy nhiên, họ cũng bày tỏ lo ngại về sự phụ thuộc quá mức của sinh viên vào AI,
làm giảm khả năng tư duy sáng tạo và tự học. Nghiên cứu này củng cố những phát hiện về tiềm
năng của AI trong giáo dục ngôn ngữ nhưng cũng nhấn mạnh vai trò không thể thay thế của giáo
viên trong việc định hướng và phát triển kỹ năng viết độc lập cho sinh viên. Nghiên cứu đồng thời
đề xuất tích hợp AI vào giảng dạy kỹ năng viết bài luận tiếng Anh một cách hợp lý, sử dụng chúng
như công cụ hỗ trợ thay vì thay thế hoàn toàn phương pháp giảng dạy truyền thống.
Từ khóa: công cụ trí tuệ nhân tạo, bài luận, góc nhìn của giáo viên, dạy kỹ năng viết

1. ĐẶT VẤN ĐỀ
Trong những năm gần đây, sự phát triển nhanh chóng của trí tuệ nhân tạo (Artificial
Intelligence- AI) đã mở ra nhiều cơ hội mới trong lĩnh vực giáo dục. AI không chỉ hỗ trợ giáo viên
và người học trong việc quản lý lớp học hay cá nhân hóa việc học, mà còn đóng vai trò đặc biệt
trong việc phát triển kỹ năng ngôn ngữ, đặc biệt là kỹ năng viết. Với sự ra đời của nhiều công cụ
viết sử dụng công nghệ AI, việc viết luận tiếng Anh đã trở nên dễ dàng và hiệu quả hơn nhờ khả
năng tự động kiểm tra lỗi ngữ pháp, gợi ý cấu trúc câu, và thậm chí là cung cấp ý tưởng sáng tạo.
Tuy nhiên, sự bùng nổ của các công cụ này cũng đặt ra nhiều câu hỏi về ảnh hưởng thực sự của
chúng đến quá trình giảng dạy và học tập.
Trong chương trình học tiếng Anh cơ bản ở các trường đại học ở Việt Nam, sinh viên thường
được dạy viết bài luận (essays) khi học kỹ năng viết. Theo từ điển Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary
(2020), bài luận (essays) được định nghĩa là một bài văn ngắn viết về một chủ đề cụ thể, thường
được thực hiện bởi người học. Paul (1955) cho rằng bài luận là một tác phẩm thể hiện quan điểm cá
nhân của người viết về một chủ đề nhất định. Như vậy, đây là một kỹ năng quan trọng trong việc
học tiếng Anh, không chỉ giúp người học phát triển khả năng diễn đạt bằng ngôn ngữ mà còn rèn
luyện tư duy phản biện và khả năng tổ chức ý tưởng. Theo truyền thống, việc dạy viết đòi hỏi giáo
viên phải đóng vai trò quan trọng trong việc định hướng, chỉnh sửa và đánh giá bài viết của người
học. Tuy nhiên, với sự hỗ trợ của AI, vai trò của giáo viên trong lớp học viết có thể đang thay đổi.
Trong khi một số nghiên cứu cho rằng việc sử dụng các công cụ này có tác động tích cực khi giúp
người học cải thiện kỹ năng viết (Kurniati & Fithriani, 2022; Wang, 2022; Zhao, 2022), các nghiên
cứu khác lại lo ngại về các ảnh hưởng tiêu cực của những công cụ này (Liu et al., 2022; Lund &
Wang, 2023).

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Nghiên cứu này được thực hiện nhằm tìm hiểu hai khía cạnh quan trọng trong việc sử dụng
các công cụ viết AI trong giảng dạy kỹ năng viết luận tiếng Anh. Thứ nhất, nghiên cứu tìm hiểu về
các công cụ AI cụ thể mà giáo viên đang sử dụng trong giảng dạy. Thứ hai, nghiên cứu phân tích
quan điểm của giáo viên tiếng Anh về tác động của các công cụ này đối với việc dạy và học kỹ năng
viết. Từ đó, nghiên cứu không chỉ cung cấp cái nhìn sâu sắc về thực trạng sử dụng AI trong dạy viết
mà còn góp phần định hướng cho việc ứng dụng công nghệ này một cách hiệu quả và phù hợp hơn
trong giáo dục.
2. NỘI DUNG
2.1. Cơ sở lý luận
Sự phát triển của trí tuệ nhân tạo (AI) đã mở ra những hướng đi mới trong giáo dục, đặc biệt
là trong việc hỗ trợ quá trình giảng dạy và học tập. Theo Wang (2018), AI là một thiết bị hoặc hệ
thống có khả năng tư duy như con người, với khả năng học hỏi, nhận thức và đưa ra các quyết định
hợp lý và thông minh. Baker và cộng sự (2019, tr.10) định nghĩa AI là "máy tính thực hiện các
nhiệm vụ nhận thức, thường liên quan đến tư duy của con người, đặc biệt là học tập và giải quyết
vấn đề". Ngày nay các công cụ AI đang ngày càng phát triển và được áp dụng rộng rãi trong giáo
dục nói chung và trong giảng dạy tiếng Anh nói riêng. Các công cụ này đều dễ sử dụng và hiệu quả,
giúp tiết kiệm thời gian và công sức cho cả người học và giáo viên (Chang et al., 2021; Gayed et al.,
2022; Zhao, 2022). Đặc biệt, các công cụ viết AI đã được thiết kế để phân tích văn bản và đưa ra
nhận xét về nhiều khía cạnh của bài viết, chẳng hạn như ngữ pháp, từ vựng, cú pháp, nội dung và
cấu trúc (Hosseini et al., 2023; Thorp, 2023). Các phản hồi này được tạo ra bởi các thuật toán, so
sánh văn bản viết với cơ sở dữ liệu lớn. Nói cách khác, người học có thể nhận được phản hồi tức
thời và phù hợp với bài viết của mình, giúp họ phát hiện và sửa lỗi nhanh chóng hơn. Phản hồi theo
thời gian thực này cũng hỗ trợ người học hiểu các nguyên tắc cơ bản của việc viết hiệu quả và cung
cấp định hướng để cải thiện kỹ năng viết (Akgun & Greenhow, 2022; Nazari et al., 2021).
Nghiên cứu của Tambunan và cộng sự (2022) cho thấy công cụ viết sử dụng AI như
Grammarly giúp cải thiện ngữ pháp và dấu câu của người học. Grammarly phân tích văn bản, cung
cấp gợi ý theo thời gian thực để nâng cao ngữ pháp, chính tả, dấu câu, sự rõ ràng, mức độ thu hút và
cách diễn đạt. Điều này biến quá trình viết thành cơ hội học tập. QuillBot, một công cụ AI khác,
chuyên về diễn giải, giúp người học tránh đạo văn trong khi vẫn giữ nguyên ý nghĩa nội dung.
Nghiên cứu của Kurniati và Fithriani (2021) phát hiện rằng QuillBot hỗ trợ người học phát triển kỹ
năng diễn giải tốt hơn, một năng lực quan trọng trong viết học thuật. Một nghiên cứu khác của
Barrot (2023) về việc sử dụng ChatGPT trong rèn luyện kỹ năng viết cho thấy rằng ChatGPT có thể
đáp ứng một số nhu cầu cấp thiết của người học viết ngôn ngữ thứ hai như phản hồi nhanh chóng,
cung cấp sẵn một nền tảng để luyện viết, và là một công cụ hỗ trợ viết đáng tin cậy.
Mặc dù có những lợi ích rõ rệt, việc sử dụng các công cụ AI trong dạy viết luận vẫn là một
chủ đề gây tranh cãi. Zunaidah và cộng sự (2023) đặt ra lo ngại về sự phụ thuộc quá mức của người
học, giảm sự tham gia vào quá trình học trực tiếp và khả năng gây nghiện đối với những công nghệ
này. Các nghiên cứu của Dehouche, 2021; Lampropoulos và cộng sự, 2023; Sullivan và cộng sự,
2023; Yeo, 2023 cũng thể hiện mối lo ngại nghiêm trọng về tính trung thực học thuật và đạo văn.
Tuy có nhiều nghiên cứu liên quan đến việc sử dụng AI trong giảng dạy, khoảng trống nghiên
cứu vẫn tồn tại ở khía cạnh khám phá góc nhìn của giáo viên, đặc biệt là tại các trường đại học ở
Việt Nam. Bối cảnh giáo dục tại Việt Nam với sự giao thoa giữa phương pháp giảng dạy truyền
thống và hiện đại tạo ra một môi trường độc đáo để nghiên cứu cách AI được sử dụng trong lớp học.
Do đó, việc nghiên cứu các công cụ viết AI từ góc nhìn của giáo viên không chỉ giúp hiểu rõ hơn về
thực tiễn giảng dạy, mà còn cung cấp những gợi ý quan trọng cho việc phát triển và ứng dụng AI
trong giáo dục.
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2.2. Phương pháp nghiên cứu

Nghiên cứu này áp dụng phương pháp định tính nhằm khám phá những công cụ AI mà giáo
viên đã dùng khi giảng dạy kỹ năng viết bài luận tiếng Anh cho sinh viên, cũng như những quan
điểm của họ về tác động của các công cụ này. Phương pháp định tính được lựa chọn vì tính phù hợp
trong việc thu thập và phân tích các quan điểm, trải nghiệm cá nhân, qua đó giúp làm rõ những khía
cạnh đa chiều và phức tạp liên quan đến chủ đề nghiên cứu.
Đối tượng nghiên cứu bao gồm 10 giảng viên tiếng Anh đến từ ba trường đại học khác nhau ở
khu vực miền Bắc Việt Nam. Các giảng viên được lựa chọn dựa trên các tiêu chí: có ít nhất 3 năm
kinh nghiệm giảng dạy học phần Viết luận tiếng Anh (từ 2 đến 3 tín chỉ), có ít nhất một năm kinh
nghiệm áp dụng các công cụ viết AI trong lớp học và sẵn sàng tham gia phỏng vấn. Sự đa dạng về
bối cảnh giảng dạy của ba trường đại học (bao gồm 2 trường công lập và 1 trường tư thục, quy mô
lớp học của các học phần Tiếng Anh cơ bản từ 30-40 sinh viên/lớp, với năng lực tiếng Anh của sinh
viên ở trình độ B1) cũng được xem xét nhằm đảm bảo tính đại diện trong việc thu thập dữ liệu.
Để đảm bảo tính bảo mật, các giáo viên tham gia được định danh từ T1 đến T10. Dữ liệu được
thu thập thông qua các cuộc phỏng vấn bán cấu trúc, cho phép nhà nghiên cứu khai thác sâu các câu
trả lời của giảng viên và điều chỉnh câu hỏi theo diễn biến cuộc phỏng vấn. Bộ câu hỏi phỏng vấn
được xây dựng dựa trên hai câu hỏi nghiên cứu chính, bao gồm các nội dung như: các công cụ AI
mà giảng viên đã sử dụng, mục đích và tần suất sử dụng, đánh giá của giảng viên về hiệu quả của
các công cụ này, cũng như những vấn đề đặt ra khi tích hợp các công cụ này trong giảng dạy. Mỗi
cuộc phỏng vấn được thực hiện bằng tiếng Việt, kéo dài từ 30 đến 45 phút, được thực hiện trực tiếp
hoặc qua nền tảng trực tuyến Zoom hoặc Google Meet.
Sau khi thu thập dữ liệu, quá trình phân tích được thực hiện dựa trên phương pháp phân tích
nội dung (content analysis). Nội dung phỏng vấn được mã hóa theo các chủ đề chính liên quan đến
mục tiêu nghiên cứu, như các loại công cụ AI được sử dụng, nhận định của giảng viên về tác động
tích cực và tiêu cực của các công cụ này
2.3. Kết quả nghiên cứu
2.3.1. Các công cụ viết AI được giáo viên sử dụng
Dữ liệu thu thập được từ giai đoạn phỏng vấn của nghiên cứu cho thấy 10 giáo viên đã sử
dụng nhiều loại công cụ viết AI để hỗ trợ giảng dạy kỹ năng viết luận. Các công cụ này được lựa
chọn với tần suất khác nhau, sử dụng dựa trên tính năng và khả năng đặc trưng, phù hợp với yêu
cầu riêng của môi trường giảng dạy và mục tiêu giảng dạy của họ.
Các giáo viên tham gia phỏng vấn được gợi ý lựa chọn tần suất theo bốn mức định lượng sau:
Rất thường xuyên: Sử dụng hằng ngày, ít nhất 5-7 lần/tuần hoặc trên 20 lần/tháng.
Khá thường xuyên: Sử dụng nhiều lần trong tuần, khoảng 3-4 lần/tuần hoặc từ 10-20
lần/tháng.
Trung bình: Sử dụng 1-2 lần/tuần hoặc từ 4-10 lần/tháng.
Thấp: Sử dụng dưới 1 lần/tuần, khoảng 1-3 lần/tháng.
Cụ thể:
Công cụ Số lượng giáo viên Mức độ sử dụng (giáo viên tự đánh giá)
đã sử dụng
ChatGPT 10/10 10/10 rất thường xuyên
Grammarly 10/10 9/10 rất thường xuyên, 1/10 khá thường xuyên

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QuillBot 8/10 7/10 khá thường xuyên, 1/10 trung bình

Copy.ai 7/10 5/10 trung bình, 2/10 thấp
EssayAI 5/10 5/10 trung bình
AI writer 5/10 4/10 trung bình, 1/10 thấp
Hemingway Editor 3/10 1/10 trung bình, 2/10 thấp
Spinbot 3/10 3/10 thấp
Language Tool 2/10 2/0 thấp
Bảng trên thể hiện hai công cụ được tất cả 10/10 giáo viên tham gia phỏng vấn sử dụng với
tần suất rất cao khi giảng dạy kỹ năng viết là ChatGPT và Grammarly. Các giáo viên liệt kê nhiều
cách tích hợp ChatGPT như: hỗ trợ người học tạo ý tưởng, phát triển luận điểm và nhận phản hồi về
bài viết; giúp người học cải thiện phong cách viết, tạo dàn ý, hoặc kiểm tra tính mạch lạc trong bài
luận. Theo T6, Chat GPT rất hữu ích khi được dùng để tạo dàn ý cho bài luận. Khi người học chưa
nghĩ ra ý tưởng cho bài viết, giáo viên sẽ cho phép họ nhập đề bài luận vào ChatGPT để giúp tạo ra
dàn ý cơ bản. Chẳng hạn, nếu đề bài yêu cầu "viết một bài luận về tác động của công nghệ trong đời
sống con người", ChatGPT sẽ giúp phát triển một dàn ý cụ thể bao gồm các luận điểm chính như lợi
ích và thách thức của công nghệ trong giáo dục. Người học có thể tham khảo dàn ý do ChatGPT tạo
ra để bắt đầu xây dựng bài viết của mình. T8 cũng nhấn mạnh khả năng vượt trội của ChatGPT
trong việc phát triển ý tưởng và luận điểm cho bài luận. Ví dụ, nếu sinh viên được giao viết về một
chủ đề phức tạp như "nguyên nhân và những giải pháp giảm thiểu biến đổi khí hậu", giáo viên có
thể đề xuất sinh viên hỏi ChatGPT về các luận điểm hoặc nghiên cứu liên quan đến vấn đề này.
ChatGPT sẽ đưa ra các ý tưởng và giải pháp có thể được mở rộng trong bài luận, từ đó sinh viên lựa
chọn và triển khai thêm thông tin vào bài viết của mình. T10 nhắc đến khả năng của ChatGPT trong
việc cung cấp các câu văn mẫu hoặc cải thiện các đoạn văn mà người học đã viết. Nếu sinh viên gặp
khó khăn trong việc bắt đầu hoặc diễn đạt một ý tưởng, họ dùng ChatGPT để tạo một đoạn văn mẫu
dựa trên các thông tin đã có, từ đó dễ dàng xây dựng nội dung theo một hướng rõ ràng hơn. Ví dụ,
nếu người học đang viết phần kết luận nhưng chưa biết cách tóm gọn ý chính, họ có thể yêu cầu
ChatGPT viết một đoạn kết luận ngắn gọn, súc tích và giàu sức thuyết phục dựa trên các luận điểm
đã được trình bày trong phần thân bài. T3 cho biết ChatGPT cũng rất hữu ích trong việc giúp người
học từ một đề bài nhưng có thể viết các thể loại bài luận khác nhau, như bài luận thuyết phục, bài
luận so sánh, hoặc bài luận phân tích… Đặc biệt, T2 cho biết đã sử dụng ChatGPT hằng tuần để
cung cấp phản hồi tức thời cho từng bài viết của người học.
Tương tự như vậy, tất cả giáo viên được phỏng vấn cũng thường xuyên sử dụng Grammarly
như là một công cụ kiểm tra ngữ pháp và phong cách viết nhằm phát hiện và sửa các lỗi ngữ pháp,
chính tả, và cải thiện sự rõ ràng trong diễn đạt của bài viết. Giáo viên cho phép người học sử dụng
Grammarly để kiểm tra các bài luận sau khi hoàn thành, đảm bảo rằng bài viết không có lỗi cơ bản
và đã đạt yêu cầu về ngữ pháp. T1 khẳng định Grammarly rất hiệu quả trong việc phát hiện các lỗi
về ngữ pháp, chính tả, dấu câu và cấu trúc câu. Từ một câu văn phức tạp và khó hiểu, Grammarly
có thể giúp điều chỉnh cách diễn đạt lại câu văn sao cho dễ hiểu và mạch lạc hơn.
8/10 giáo viên sử dụng QuillBot chủ yếu để giúp người học diễn đạt lại câu văn, thay đổi cấu
trúc câu và nâng cao vốn từ vựng. T7 cho rằng đây là công cụ hữu ích cho người học khi cần tránh
lặp lại từ ngữ hoặc khi muốn cải thiện độ mượt mà của bài viết do QuillBot có khả năng diễn đạt lại
các câu văn theo nhiều cách khác nhau, giúp người học hiểu được cách sử dụng từ vựng và cấu trúc
câu linh hoạt hơn. Từ một câu văn gốc, QuillBot có thể đưa ra một phiên bản mới với nghĩa tương

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tự nhưng dùng từ và cách diễn đạt khác, người học so sánh hai phiên bản để hiểu cách thay đổi từ
ngữ và cấu trúc mà vẫn giữ nguyên ý nghĩa. Cùng chia sẻ quan điểm này, T4 áp dụng QuillBot để
gợi ý cách thay thế từ vựng, giúp người học nâng cao vốn từ và làm phong phú bài viết. T9 đưa ra
ví dụ từ câu gốc: "Education plays a vital role in shaping the future of society”, QuillBot đã đề xuất
một câu dài hơn, sử dụng vốn từ phong phú hơn: "Education holds a crucial function in
determining the direction of societal progress.". T2 đưa ví dụ về tính năng "Expand" (Mở rộng) của
QuillBot để phát triển các đoạn văn rõ ràng và chi tiết hơn. Chẳng hạn từ một câu ngắn như "Online
learning provides flexibility for students with different schedules.", QuillBot sẽ mở rộng câu cho dài
hơn: "Online learning offers flexibility for students, allowing them to tailor their study schedules to
fit their unique needs, such as balancing work, family responsibilities, or other commitments.". T5
chia sẻ kinh nghiệm trong sử dụng các chế độ khác nhau trong QuillBot như Standard (Tiêu chuẩn),
Fluency (Trôi chảy/Mạch lạc), Creative (Sáng tạo) giúp người học lựa chọn phong cách viết phù
hợp với yêu cầu bài luận. Ví dụ trong một bài luận yêu cầu phong cách học thuật, người học có thể
nhập đoạn văn vào chế độ "Fluency" để cải thiện tính mạch lạc. Nếu bài viết yêu cầu sự sáng tạo,
người học chuyển sang chế độ "Creative" để làm cho câu văn hấp dẫn hơn. T9 còn nhắc tới tính
năng "Summarizer" (Tóm tắt) của QuillBot giúp người học luyện tập kỹ năng tóm tắt.
7/10 giáo viên đã từng sử dụng công cụ Copy.ai để giúp người học tạo ra các ý tưởng và đoạn
văn nhanh chóng, từ đó giúp phát triển bài luận. Giáo viên cho phép người học sử dụng Copy.ai để
tạo nội dung cho các bài luận ngắn hoặc bài viết sáng tạo. Ví dụ, trong một bài học về cách viết mở
bài của bài luận, giáo viên hướng dẫn sinh viên sử dụng Copy.ai để tạo ra nhiều cách mở bài khác
nhau, từ đó lựa chọn phương án phù hợp nhất cho bài viết của mình.
EssayAI và AI writer được năm người được phỏng vấn nhắc tới (T1,T3, T5, T7, T10) như là
những công cụ hỗ trợ người học tạo ra các bài luận hoàn chỉnh từ các ý tưởng ban đầu. AI Writer
là một công cụ hỗ trợ tạo ra các bài viết hoàn chỉnh và có khả năng cung cấp các tài liệu nghiên cứu
tóm tắt. Giáo viên sử dụng AI Writer để giúp người học phát triển dàn ý và viết các bài luận chi tiết.
Chỉ có 3 giáo viên (T1,T3,T7) đề cập đến Hemingway Editor như một công cụ giúp người học
đơn giản hóa và làm rõ bài viết bằng cách phát hiện các câu phức tạp hoặc sử dụng thể bị động.
Giáo viên gợi ý người học sử dụng Hemingway Editor để cải thiện mức độ rõ ràng và mạch lạc của
câu văn. Số lượng giáo viên đã sử dụng Spinbot cũng tương tự, với tần suất thấp (T4, T6, T7).
Spinbot giúp người học diễn đạt lại (paraphrase) các câu văn. Giáo viên đã sử dụng Spinbot để giúp
người học tạo ra các phiên bản khác nhau của cùng một câu văn, giúp tăng tính sáng tạo trong việc
viết bài.
Trong số 10 người được phỏng vấn, chỉ có hai giáo viên (T3 và T7) biết đến ứng dụng
LanguageTool, một công cụ kiểm tra ngữ pháp và sửa lỗi chính tả cho nhiều ngôn ngữ, bao gồm cả
tiếng Anh. Hai giáo viên này đã từng sử dụng LanguageTool để người học kiểm tra các lỗi trong bài
viết và cải thiện phong cách viết.
Khi so sánh thông tin nhân khẩu học của các giáo viên với việc sử dụng các công cụ viết AI,
một số quan sát ban đầu thể hiện các giáo viên có nhiều năm kinh nghiệm hơn trong việc sử dụng
các công cụ viết AI như T3 và T7 có xu hướng sử dụng nhiều công cụ AI hơn. Đáng chú ý, T7,
người lớn tuổi nhất, với trình độ cao nhất (tiến sĩ) và kinh nghiệm giảng dạy nhiều nhất (20 năm)
đều đã sử dụng các công cụ ít phổ biến hơn như Hemingway Editor, Spinbot và LanguageTool.
2.3.2. Quan điểm của giáo viên về tác động của các công cụ viết AI
Các giáo viên trong nghiên cứu này có quan điểm đa dạng về tác động của các công cụ AI đối
với việc giảng dạy kỹ năng viết luận tiếng Anh, thể hiện rõ tác động tích cực và tiêu cực mà những
công cụ này mang lại.
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Một trong những tác động tích cực đáng chú ý là khả năng tiết kiệm thời gian cho giáo viên.
Tất cả giáo viên tham gia nghiên cứu đều đánh giá cao các công cụ AI khi giúp giảm bớt công việc
kiểm tra ngữ pháp và chỉnh sửa bài viết, từ đó giúp họ có thể tập trung nhiều hơn vào việc hướng
dẫn người học về các kỹ năng viết nâng cao và chiến lược lập luận. T1 chia sẻ: "Với Grammarly và
Hemingway, tôi không phải mất nhiều thời gian để sửa lỗi ngữ pháp và cấu trúc câu, điều này giúp
tôi có thêm thời gian để hỗ trợ người học phát triển ý tưởng và sáng tạo trong bài viết." Tương tự,
T3 nhận xét: "Sử dụng ChatGPT giúp người học có thể tạo dàn ý và lập luận nhanh chóng, còn tôi
có thể tập trung vào việc phát triển các kỹ năng phản biện và phân tích."
Giáo viên đưa ra những ý kiến tích cực về cách các công cụ viết AI ảnh hưởng đến sự sáng
tạo và khả năng tạo ý tưởng của người học. T1 cho rằng các công cụ AI giúp người học vượt qua
tình trạng bí ý tưởng bằng cách đưa ra góc nhìn mới và kích thích sự sáng tạo: "Công cụ viết bằng
AI rất hữu ích trong việc tăng cường sự sáng tạo của người học bằng cách cung cấp gợi ý và mở
rộng ý tưởng ban đầu.". Cùng quan điểm đó, T6 đánh giá cao các công cụ AI vì khả năng mở rộng
và tinh chỉnh ý tưởng ban đầu, đặc biệt trong viết học thuật: "Những công cụ này giúp người học
phát triển và hỗ trợ ý tưởng bằng chứng và lập luận, rất hữu ích trong viết học thuật."
Liên quan đến vốn từ vựng và cách sử dụng ngôn ngữ, T5 khen ngợi công cụ AI vì đã nâng
cao vốn từ vựng của người học bằng cách gợi ý các từ đồng nghĩa nâng cao, góp phần cải thiện bài
viết: “Bài viết của người học trở nên tinh tế và hấp dẫn hơn khi vốn từ vựng của họ được mở
rộng.". T9 nhấn mạnh cách công cụ AI giảm thiểu việc lặp từ bằng cách gợi ý từ vựng đa dạng, cải
thiện chất lượng bài viết: "AI khuyến khích người học sử dụng vốn từ mới trong khi tránh lặp lại từ
cũ."
Về tính mạch lạc, các giáo viên cũng cho rằng công cụ viết AI đóng vai trò quan trọng trong
việc cải thiện chất lượng bài viết của người học. T4 nhấn mạnh: "QuillBot là công cụ tuyệt vời để
người học cải thiện vốn từ vựng và cách diễn đạt. Khi người học sử dụng công cụ này để viết lại
câu văn, họ có thể phát triển khả năng sáng tạo và viết mạch lạc hơn." T5 cũng cho rằng, "EssayAI
là công cụ hữu ích khi giúp người học phát triển một luận điểm chặt chẽ từ các ý tưởng ban đầu,
qua đó nâng cao khả năng lập luận và thuyết phục trong bài viết. "Người học viết tự tin hơn khi biết
rằng công cụ có thể hướng dẫn họ theo luồng suy nghĩ logic." (T7). T3 cho rằng công cụ viết AI
giống như một “gia sư cá nhân”, giúp "nâng cao khả năng viết của người học, đặc biệt trong việc
đảm bảo tính liên kết và trôi chảy."
Tuy nhiên, tác động tiêu cực của các công cụ AI cũng không thể bỏ qua. Các giáo viên lo ngại
rằng việc phụ thuộc vào AI có thể làm giảm khả năng sáng tạo và tự lực của người học trong quá
trình viết. T6 cho biết: "Tôi đã thấy nhiều người học chỉ dựa vào AI để viết bài mà không tự suy
nghĩ và phát triển ý tưởng của mình. Điều này khiến cho bài viết của họ thiếu sự sâu sắc và cá nhân
hóa." T8 cũng chia sẻ: "Mặc dù công cụ AI rất hữu ích, nhưng tôi luôn lo lắng rằng người học sẽ trở
nên quá phụ thuộc vào chúng và không còn khả năng tự tạo ra những bài viết độc đáo." T3 cảnh báo
việc lạm dụng, cho rằng điều này có thể làm giảm khả năng tự tạo ý tưởng của người học nhấn
mạnh lợi ích lâu dài của việc tự đối mặt với khó khăn trong sáng tạo: "AI giúp người học không
phải suy nghĩ nhiều. Tuy nhiên việc suy nghĩ để tạo ra ý tưởng có thể phát triển kỹ năng tư duy phản
biện và giải quyết vấn đề. Đây là những yếu tố quan trọng cho sự sáng tạo." T8 đưa ra quan điểm
trung lập, thừa nhận AI có thể hỗ trợ sáng tạo ý tưởng nhưng lo ngại rằng các ý tưởng do AI tạo ra
có thể quá chung chung: "Dù công cụ này có thể là một điểm khởi đầu tốt, nhưng các ý tưởng tạo ra
thường thiếu tính cá nhân và chiều sâu."
Một vấn đề khác mà giáo viên gặp phải là người học lạm dụng AI. T7 nói: "Một số người học
đã sử dụng QuillBot để chỉnh sửa mọi câu trong bài viết mà không hiểu rõ về ngữ pháp hay cấu
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trúc câu. Điều này khiến họ không học được những kiến thức cơ bản về ngôn ngữ." T10 cũng nhấn
mạnh rằng, "Việc sử dụng quá nhiều công cụ AI có thể dẫn đến việc người học chỉ sao chép và dán
các đoạn văn mà không thực sự hiểu được ý nghĩa của nó." T2 cảnh báo về việc sử dụng ngôn ngữ
phức tạp quá mức do AI gợi ý, có thể dẫn đến câu văn vụng về hoặc quá trang trọng: "Người học có
thể sử dụng từ phức tạp mà không hiểu hết ngữ cảnh, dẫn đến câu văn kém tự nhiên.". T10 kêu gọi
sự cân bằng, lo ngại rằng lạm dụng công cụ AI có thể cản trở việc học từ vựng một cách độc lập:
"Những công cụ này nên được sử dụng như một công cụ bổ trợ, không phải là một giải pháp thay
thế."
Về cách tích hợp AI vào giảng dạy một cách hiệu quả, các giáo viên đều nhất trí rằng AI cần
được sử dụng như một công cụ hỗ trợ, không phải là sự thay thế cho quá trình học tập chủ động của
người học. T2 đề xuất: "Thay vì để người học sử dụng AI một cách tự do, tôi khuyến khích họ sử
dụng công cụ này để hỗ trợ phát triển các ý tưởng ban đầu, sau đó họ phải tự viết lại và cải thiện
bài viết của mình." T9 chia sẻ: "Công cụ AI rất hữu ích trong việc kiểm tra và chỉnh sửa, nhưng tôi
luôn yêu cầu người học phải đưa ra lý do và giải thích cho các lựa chọn ngữ pháp hay từ vựng mà
AI đề xuất."
Nhìn chung, giáo viên đều thấy rõ những lợi ích của công cụ AI trong việc cải thiện kỹ năng
viết của người học, nhưng đồng thời cũng nhận thức được sự cần thiết phải kết hợp AI một cách
hợp lý để người học không bị phụ thuộc. Việc sử dụng công cụ AI như một phần hỗ trợ trong quá
trình giảng dạy có thể giúp nâng cao hiệu quả học tập, trong khi giáo viên vẫn giữ vai trò định
hướng và hỗ trợ người học trong việc phát triển kỹ năng viết một cách độc lập và sáng tạo.
2.4. Thảo luận
Kết quả ban đầu từ nghiên cứu đã nhấn mạnh sự đa dạng của các công cụ viết AI được các
giáo viên tiếng Anh sử dụng, thể hiện rằng các giáo viên này có chung một mối quan tâm về việc sử
dụng kết hợp các công cụ AI để nâng cao kỹ năng viết của người học, cho thấy xu hướng tích hợp
công nghệ vào giáo dục. Điều này phù hợp với nghiên cứu của Liu và cộng sự (2021), nhấn mạnh
việc tích hợp nhiều công cụ AI trong việc cải thiện quá trình dạy và học. Trong nghiên cứu, họ nhận
thấy rằng việc kết hợp các công cụ AI có thể tạo ra một môi trường học tập toàn diện hơn, đặc biệt
để nâng cao kỹ năng viết của người học tiếng Anh như một ngoại ngữ. Tương tự, nghiên cứu của
Ouyang và cộng sự (2022) về tác động của AI trong giáo dục cũng củng cố kết quả nghiên cứu của
chúng tôi. Họ ghi nhận xu hướng ngày càng tăng của giáo viên trong việc sử dụng kết hợp các công
cụ AI để làm phong phú trải nghiệm học tập, và điều này đã có tác động tích cực đến hiệu suất học
tập tổng thể của người học, bao gồm cả kỹ năng viết.
Việc các giáo viên thừa nhận công cụ AI mang lại lợi ích cho việc sáng tạo ý tưởng cũng đồng
nhất với kết quả nghiên cứu của Gayed và cộng sự (2022). Tuy nhiên, cũng có những nguy cơ sinh
viên phụ thuộc quá mức vào các công cụ này, làm hạn chế tư duy phản biện và khả năng sáng tạo cá
nhân, như đã được T3, T6, T8 nêu ra và phù hợp với nghiên cứu của Huang và Tan (2023). Họ cho
rằng sự phụ thuộc quá mức vào công nghệ AI có thể làm giảm khả năng tư duy sáng tạo và phản
biện, cũng như khả năng tự đánh giá chất lượng bài viết.
Các giáo viên trong nghiên cứu đều công nhận vai trò tích cực của các công cụ viết bằng AI
trong việc nâng cao độ rõ ràng của bài viết người học, thúc đẩy sự tiến triển logic của ý tưởng và
lập luận. Những phát hiện này phù hợp với nghiên cứu của Malik và cộng sự (2023), những người
đã gợi ý rằng các công cụ AI có thể đóng vai trò quan trọng trong việc cải thiện tổ chức của viết
luận. Giáo viên được phỏng vấn đã đưa ra các quan điểm đa dạng về ảnh hưởng của các công cụ
viết AI đến việc sử dụng và phát triển vốn từ vựng của người học nhưng cũng lại tỏ ra thận trọng về

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những hạn chế tiềm ẩn, bao gồm việc sử dụng ngôn ngữ quá phức tạp và phụ thuộc quá mức vào
các công cụ này. Kết quả này đã được đề cập tới trong nghiên cứu của Gayed và cộng sự (2022).
3. KẾT LUẬN
Trong bối cảnh giáo dục, AI đã và đang được ứng dụng để hỗ trợ giáo viên và tăng cường cá
nhân hóa trong quá trình học ngôn ngữ. Đặc biệt, các công cụ viết AI đã nhanh chóng trở thành một
phần không thể thiếu trong việc phát triển kỹ năng viết luận tiếng Anh, giúp người học và giáo viên
vượt qua những thách thức trong quá trình học và dạy viết. Kết quả nghiên cứu mang lại ý nghĩa
thực tiễn lớn trong việc định hình cách tiếp cận giảng dạy viết luận bằng công cụ AI. Trước hết, các
giáo viên và trường học có thể tích hợp công cụ AI vào chương trình học, tập trung vào việc sử
dụng chúng như một công cụ hỗ trợ thay vì thay thế quá trình học tập của người học.
Kết quả nghiên cứu đã nhấn mạnh việc giáo viên tận dụng nhiều công cụ viết AI khác nhau
trong giảng dạy kỹ năng viết tiếng Anh. Các công cụ phổ biến nhất là ChatGPT và Grammarly,
được cả 10/10 giáo viên sử dụng thường xuyên. Điều này phản ánh tính linh hoạt và hiệu quả cao
của hai công cụ này trong hỗ trợ học sinh cải thiện kỹ năng viết luận. Các công cụ khác như
QuillBot, Copy.ai, EssayAI, và AI Writer cũng được giáo viên sử dụng với tần suất thấp hơn,
thường để bổ trợ cho việc viết sáng tạo, diễn đạt lại câu văn, hoặc phát triển ý tưởng ban đầu.
Hemingway Editor và Spinbot tuy ít được dùng hơn nhưng mang lại giá trị trong việc đơn giản hóa
câu văn hoặc giúp học sinh tránh đạo văn.
Nghiên cứu đã ghi nhận những lợi ích nổi bật của công cụ viết AI, như tiết kiệm thời gian và
cải thiện chất lượng bài viết của học sinh, giúp giảm bớt khối lượng công việc sửa lỗi, cải thiện vốn
từ và nâng cao tính mạch lạc. Tuy nhiên, cũng có sự lo ngại về việc người học quá phụ thuộc vào
AI, dẫn đến mất đi khả năng tư duy sáng tạo và tự lập, thậm chí có thể làm giảm hiệu quả học tập
nếu họ sử dụng chúng một cách máy móc mà không hiểu rõ ý nghĩa của nội dung. Ngoài ra, việc sử
dụng AI có thể tạo ra các câu văn quá phức tạp hoặc không tự nhiên.
Giáo viên đều thống nhất rằng AI chỉ nên là công cụ hỗ trợ, không phải thay thế quá trình học
tập chủ động của người học. Họ đề xuất tích hợp AI vào các hoạt động giảng dạy thông qua việc
khuyến khích người học sử dụng AI để phát triển ý tưởng ban đầu, sau đó tự chỉnh sửa bài viết. Việc
sử dụng hợp lý các công cụ AI có thể mang lại lợi ích lớn, nhưng cần có sự hướng dẫn và giám sát
từ giáo viên để đảm bảo người học phát triển kỹ năng viết luận một cách toàn diện và độc lập.

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SỬ DỤNG DUOLINGO HIỆU QUẢ NHẰM CẢI THIỆN KỸ NĂNG PHÁT ÂM TIẾNG
PHÁP CHO SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HỒNG ĐỨC
Trịnh Cẩm Xuân
Trường Đại học Hồng Đức

TÓM TẮT
Trong thời đại phát triển như vũ bão của công nghệ và trí tuệ nhân tạo, việc sử dụng các phần
mềm và các ứng dụng thông minh để dạy học ngoại ngữ là một yêu cầu tất yếu. Có vô số các phần
mềm và ứng dụng phổ biến rộng rãi trong môi trường dạy học ngoại ngữ hiện nay nhưng Duolingo
được đánh giá là công cụ tuyệt vời cho người học ngoại ngữ để cải thiện kỹ năng phát âm. Báo cáo
này phân tích các bước khai thác Duolingo hiệu quả mà người dạy hướng dẫn cho người học sử
dụng trên lớp và tự học ở nhà. Việc sử dụng kết hợp ứng dụng này cả trên lớp và hướng dẫn sinh
viên tự học ở nhà dưới sự kiểm tra, giám sát và tương tác với người dạy cũng như các bạn cùng lớp
đã cải thiện từng bước kỹ năng phát âm tiếng Pháp cho sinh viên, một trong những khó khăn lớn
nhất của người bắt đầu học tiếng Pháp. Nghiên cứu tiến hành thực nghiệm trên 58 sinh viên của hai
lớp Đại học chuyên ngành Ngôn ngữ Anh năm học 2023-2024 trong thời gian 8 tuần. Kết quả kiểm
tra phát âm sau thực nghiệm chứng tỏ kỹ năng phát âm tiếng Pháp của người học được cải thiện một
cách rõ nét, cụ thể ở số lượng từ đọc đúng tăng lên và ngữ điệu các câu ngắn tiếng Pháp tốt hơn.
Từ khóa: Duolingo, phương pháp tự học, phát âm tiếng Pháp

1. MỞ ĐẦU
Học phần Ngoại ngữ 2 là một trong những học phần có số tín chỉ cao trong chương trình đào
tạo chuyên ngành Đại học Ngôn ngữ Anh và Đại học Sư phạm Tiếng Anh tại trường Đại học Hồng
Đức: 10/120 tín chỉ, dạy học trong 3/8 học kỳ của khóa học. Hiện nay, sinh viên có thể lựa chọn
tiếng Trung và tiếng Pháp để hoàn thành học phần này. Tuy nhiên, tiếng Pháp vẫn được sinh viên
lựa chọn nhiều hơn và kết quả học tập cao hơn tiếng Trung. Mặc dù vậy, tiếng Pháp cũng là một
ngôn ngữ chặt chẽ về ngữ pháp và đặc biệt trong phát âm. Sinh viên gặp không ít khó khăn trong kỹ
năng phát âm: sự nhầm lẫn về phát âm và trọng âm giữa hai ngoại ngữ là Tiếng Anh và Tiếng Pháp
thực sự là rảo cản trong phát triển kỹ năng thực hành tiếng cho người học. Bên cạnh việc ứng dụng
các phương pháp giảng dạy kỹ năng tích cực cũng như giáo trình mới nhất theo đường hướng giao
tiếp cho người học, giảng viên không ngừng tìm hiểu các ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ mới nhất đặc biệt
trong kỹ năng phát âm tiếng Pháp cho người mới bắt đầu học tiếng Pháp. Một trong số ứng dụng
được sử dụng rộng rãi và được rất nhiều người học ngoại ngữ đánh giá cao là Duolingo - một ứng
dụng học ngoại ngữ miễn phí có quy mô toàn cầu. Ứng dụng này đã mang lại làn sóng học ngoại
ngữ tích cực và hiệu quả cho mọi đối tượng người học trên thế giới. Sinh viên có thể tải một cách dễ
dàng ứng dụng này về các thiết bị công nghệ thông minh và tự học một ngoại ngữ mà mình yêu
thích. Chính vì tính tiện ích này mà người dạy tiếp tục tìm hiểu các tính năng và phương pháp khai
thác những lợi ích mà Duolingo mang lại trong việc tăng cường kỹ năng phát âm tiếng Pháp cho
người mới bắt đầu học tiếng Pháp. Câu hỏi nghiên cứu đặt ra là ứng dụng Duolingo có thể hỗ trợ
người học luyện tập phát âm tiếng Pháp hiệu quả như thế nào và người dạy khai thác Duolingo như
thế nào để đánh giá được sự tiến bộ trong phát âm của người học một cách nhanh nhất và chính xác
nhất? Nghiên cứu được tiến hành thực nghiệm 8 tuần cho 58 sinh viên trình độ bắt đầu học tiếng
Pháp với học phần Tiếng Pháp 1 trong chương trình đào tạo ngành Ngôn ngữ Anh, năm học 2023-

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2024. Từ thực nghiệm trên, người dạy tiến hành kiểm tra đánh giá sự tiến bộ từng tuần về kỹ năng
phát âm của người học bằng các phương pháp đánh giá cụ thể để có kết quả chính xác về sự tiến bộ
rõ nét của người học sau 8 tuần sử dụng Duolingo dưới sự hướng dẫn và hỗ trợ của giảng viên và
các trưởng nhóm. Đặc biệt là các câu hỏi phỏng vấn người học sau thực nghiệm cũng giúp người
dạy có kết luận khách quan về tính hiệu của của Duolingo đối với việc cải thiện kỹ năng phát âm
tiếng Pháp cho sinh viên.
2. CƠ SỞ LÝ LUẬN
2.1. Ứng dụng Dualingo trong tự học ngoại ngữ
Duolingo là một ứng dụng học ngôn ngữ trực tuyến miễn phí ra đời từ năm 2011 bởi Giáo sư
Luis von Ahn và sinh viên Severin Hacker tại Đại học Carnegie Mello. Thời kỳ mới ra đời,
Duolingo chỉ hỗ trợ học tập 4 thứ tiếng chính là tiếng Anh, tiếng Tây Ban Nha và tiếng Đức. Tuy
nhiên, đến thời điểm hiện tại, Duolingo đã mở rộng sang hơn 30 ngôn ngữ với hơn 300 triệu người
dùng trên toàn thế giới. Sự lớn mạnh nhanh chóng này đã khẳng định Duolingo là một trong những
nền tảng học ngôn ngữ phổ biến nhất trên toàn cầu. Với những tính năng đặc biệt và nội dung học
tập phong phú, Duolingo là một công cụ học tập thiết yếu đối với các đối tượng người học ngoại
ngữ từ trẻ em đến người lớn trên toàn thế giới. Với giao diện nổi bật và các thư mục thiết kế sáng
tạo, dễ hiểu, Duolingo thu hút người học một cách tự nhiên và tích cực. Duolingo thiết kế các khoá
học khác nhau chia thành các bài học ngắn, phù hợp với mọi trình học tiếng, từ cơ bản đến nâng
cao. Mỗi bài học tập trung vào một chủ đề cụ thể về ngữ pháp, từ vựng. Người học sẽ luyện tập
thông qua các bài tập nghe, nói, đọc, viết. Sau mỗi bài học, người học sẽ được kiểm tra và nhận
phản hồi về kết quả học tập. Đặc biệt, ứng dụng nhắc nhở của chú gà con màu xanh lá Duolingo sẽ
luôn hằng ngày đôn đốc người học dành thời gian để luyện tập để lộ trình cải thiện trình độ ngoại
ngữ của người học đạt được một cách đáng thuyết phục nhất.
Tuy vậy, ứng dụng Duolingo được sử dụng rộng rãi như là phương tiện tự học ngoại ngữ hơn
là được đưa vào các giờ học ngoại ngữ trên lớp. Tính tương tác giữa người học với nhau chưa được
phát huy. Vì thế, ứng dụng này cần được khai thác nhiều hơn nữa trong các giờ học ngoại ngữ tại
lớp dưới sự hướng dẫn và đồng hành của người dạy và sự tương tác hỗ trợ của bạn bè trong lớp.
2.2. Sử dụng Dualingo trong việc nâng cao kỹ năng phát âm tiếng Pháp
Học phần Tiếng Pháp là học phần ngoại ngữ 2 tự chọn của sinh viên chuyên ngành Tiếng Anh
tại trường Đại học Hồng Đức. Theo thống kê 5 khóa học trở lại đây, 95% sinh viên lựa chọn ngoại
ngữ hai là Tiếng Pháp vì sự tương thích với Tiếng Anh về hệ chữ La tinh và sự lôi cuốn của nền văn
hóa văn minh Pháp cũng như sự thú vị của ngôn ngữ này. Tuy nhiên, trong quá trình học tập, sinh
viên gặp rất nhiều khó khăn về hệ thống ngữ âm cũng như cách phát âm của tiếng Pháp và sự chặt
chẽ về từ loại cũng như cấu trúc ngữ pháp của tiếng Pháp. Sự đa dạng của các âm trong tiếng Pháp
cũng như sự khác biệt với tiếng Anh và tiếng Việt về ngữ điệu và trọng âm của tiếng Pháp là khó
khăn lớn nhất mà người học gặp phải. Hơn nữa, phát âm là một trong những yếu tố đầu tiên như là
những viên gạch đặt nền móng cho ngôi nhà ngôn ngữ của người học vững chắc và phát triển. Vì
vậy, việc đặt nền móng vững chắc và tăng cường cho kỹ năng phát âm để nâng cao kỹ năng nói,
một trong bốn kỹ năng giao tiếp là mục tiêu chính của dạy học ngoại ngữ.
Đánh giá được mức độ quan trọng của kỹ năng phát âm tiếng Pháp trong quá trình học tiếng
Pháp của sinh viên, giảng viên giảng dạy tiếng Pháp trước hết đã lựa chọn giáo trình mới nhất theo
đường hướng giao tiếp. Giáo trình đang được sử dụng để giảng dạy tiếng Pháp cho sinh viên trường
Đại học Hồng Đức là một giáo trình mới được thiết kế theo đường hướng giao tiếp. Trong mỗi bài

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học, đều có phần giới thiệu các âm và bài tập luyện phát âm cho người học. Các kiến thức về ngữ
âm được giới thiệu và đưa vào thực hành đều đặn ở mỗi bài học đã giúp người học có nền tảng cơ
bản về phát âm tiếng Pháp. Theo đó, giáo viên có thể sử dụng thêm các ứng dụng bổ ích khác để
tăng cường thực hành và kiểm tra kết quả thực hành của người học. Trong quá trình giảng dạy và
tìm kiếm các ứng dụng và phương pháp hiệu quả nhất trong dạy học phát âm tiếng Pháp cho người
học, Duolingo đã được lựa chọn và ứng dụng cho sinh viên trong học phần tiếng Pháp 1. Bằng việc
ứng dụng Duolingo, với những bài học có âm thanh và hình ảnh sinh động và ứng dụng thu âm của
người học trong các bài tập thực hành đã hỗ trợ người dạy đánh giá kỹ năng phát âm của người học
được thường xuyên hơn và hiệu quả hơn. Từ đó hỗ trợ người học tốt hơn trong rèn luyện kỹ năng
phát âm của mình.
3. NỘI DUNG NGHIÊN CỨU
3.1. Đối tượng và phạm vi nghiên cứu
Đối tượng và phạm vi nghiên cứu ứng dụng Duolingo để cải thiện kỹ năng phát âm là sinh
viên K26 chuyên ngành Ngôn ngữ Anh trong học phần tiếng Pháp 1 năm học 2023-2024. Đây là đối
tượng người học ở trình độ mới bắt đầu học tiếng Pháp, phù hợp việc sử dụng Duolingo để làm
quen với một ngoại ngữ mới và đặc biệt là kỹ năng phát âm luôn cần thiết cho người mới bắt đầu.
Người học tải và sử dụng Duolingo song song với các tài liệu bắt buộc và tham khảo khác của học
phần Tiếng Pháp 1. Người học chọn trình độ mới bắt đầu ngay từ khi đăng nhập ứng dụng Duolingo
của mình để ứng dụng thiết kế nội dung bài học phù hợp. Nội dung chương trình ở trình độ bắt đầu
tại Duolingo về kỹ năng là tương đối phù hợp với nội dung chương trình của giáo trình bắt buộc
trong học phần Tiếng Pháp 1.
3.2. Phương pháp nghiên cứu
Phương pháp nghiên cứu thực nghiệm được thực hiện trong thời gian 8 tuần tại hai lớp K26
Ngôn ngữ Anh, khoa Ngoại ngữ, Trường Đại học Hồng Đức. Sau khi tiến hành ứng dụng Duolingo
cho sinh viên theo quy trình đặt ra của giáo viên cùng với sự kiểm tra đánh giá theo nhóm hàng
tuần, giáo viên tiến hành kiểm tra tổng hợp để có kết quả tổng quan nhất về sự tiến bộ về kỹ năng
phát âm tiếng Pháp của sinh viên sau 8 tuần tiến hành thực nghiệm. Ngoài ra, giảng viên thực hiện
phỏng vấn người học về nhận định của họ về ứng dụng Duolingo với việc nâng cao kỹ năng phát
âm tiếng Pháp bằng các câu hỏi trực tiếp tại lớp. Tổng hợp kết quả kiểm tra, kết quả phỏng vấn từ
sinh viên, giảng viên đưa ra kết luận nghiên cứu và các đề xuất giải pháp hiệu quả hơn cho việc ứng
dụng Duolingo trong cải thiện kỹ năng phát âm và các kỹ năng thực hành tiếng Pháp khác cho
người học.
Nghiên cứu thực nghiệm và phỏng vấn được thực hiện theo các bước sau:
Bước 1: Hướng dẫn và giao nhiệm vụ (trên lớp học): Giáo viên hướng dẫn, giải thích cách
thức sử dụng Duolingo và giao nhiệm vụ học tập/ đánh giá cho sinh viên. Xác định thời lượng, nội
dung và mục tiêu: Giáo viên dựa vào nội dung phần ngữ âm trong giáo trình, xác định chuẩn thời
lượng, nội dung, và mục tiêu phát âm phù hợp trong ứng dụng Duolingo. Chia nhóm từ 4 đến 5 sinh
viên, thiết kế bảng danh sách các nhóm và xác định trưởng nhóm điều hành và kiểm tra kết quả thực
hành mỗi ngày của các thành viên trong nhóm.
Bước 2: Tổng hợp kết quả thực hành hàng ngày của sinh viên (tại nhà và trên Google Doc):
Nhóm trưởng tiến hành kiểm tra và thu thập kết quả trên ứng dụng Duolingo của thành viên nhóm
mình lên bảng tổng hợp kết quả do giảng viên thiết kế và cập nhật trên Google Doc.
Bước 3: Giảng viên thiết kế nội dung kiểm tra từng tuần theo nội dung người học thực hành
trên ứng dụng và nội dung thực hành trong giáo trình trên lớp.
Bước 4: Giảng viên tiến hành kiểm tra đánh giá tại lớp hàng tuần mỗi nhóm 1 thành viên và

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kiểm tra kết quả trên ứng dụng do trưởng nhóm tổng hợp.
Bước 5: Giảng viên và trưởng nhóm tổng hợp kết quả kiểm tra trên lớp và kết quả thực hành
trên ứng dụng Duolingo sau 8 tuần sử dụng.
Bước 6: Giảng viên phỏng vấn trực tiếp người học về nhận định của họ về việc sử dụng
Dualingo trong cải thiện kỹ năng phát âm và các đề xuất phương pháp hiệu quả hơn.
4. KẾT QUẢ NGHIÊN CỨU
4.1. Kết quả thực hành các bài thực hành hằng ngày của sinh viên trên ứng dụng
Hình ảnh đánh giá trên ứng dụng Duolingo mà người học nhận được sau mỗi bài học và thực
hành như sau:

Theo đó, nhóm trưởng tổng hợp vào bảng đánh giá do giảng viên thiết kế và cập nhật thường
xuyên tại Google.Doc như sau:
Theo Bảng đánh giá kết quả thực hàng phát âm hằng ngày của sinh viên trên ứng dụng
Duolingo được cập nhật thường xuyên tại Google.Doc, giảng viên có thể đánh giá được những nội
dung cụ thể sau đây:
Bảng 1: Bảng theo dõi kết quả luyện tập của SV trên ứng dụng Duolingo

- Mức độ chuyên cần: Có những sinh viên không có đánh giá hằng ngày, nghĩa là ngày hôm
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 KỶ YẾU HỘI THẢO KHOA HỌC QUỐC GIA: DẠY HỌC NGÔN NGỮ - XU HƯỚNG ĐỔI MỚI VÀ ỨNG DỤNG

đó không thực hành.

- Số lượng các câu trả lời đúng trong bài học: Kết quả chung về chất lượng phát âm và nhớ từ
vựng, ngữ pháp.
- Thời gian và vận tốc làm bài: Thời gian để hoàn thành các câu trả lời và một bài học trên
ứng dụng.
Kết quả cho thấy, sinh viên chăm chỉ luyện tập thường xuyên sẽ có số câu trả lời đúng nhiều
hơn và nhiều dần sau mỗi ngày và mỗi tuần thực tập. Số đó chiếm khoảng 15% đến 20% và tăng lên
dần sau mỗi tuần thực hành.
Số sinh viên có câu trả lời đúng ở mỗi bài học từ 25- 40 câu cũng tương đối nhiều ( từ 50-60
%) và tăng dần đều sau mỗi tuần thực hành.
Số sinh viên có thời gian trả lời câu hỏi với tốc độ nhanh từ 1phút đến 1phút 30 tương đối
nhiều: 70- 80 % và tăng dần lên 75-85% sau mỗi tuần thực hành.
4.2. Kết quả kiểm tra đánh giá kỹ năng phát âm tại lớp của sinh viên
Sau mỗi tuần, giáo viên tiến hành kiểm tra tại lớp mỗi nhóm 1 sinh viên. Yêu cầu gồm 3 nội
dung với tổng điểm là 30:
- Question 1 (Q1): Sinh viên phát âm lại 5 âm : 2 nguyên âm, 3 phụ âm: 5 điểm
- Question 2 (Q2): Sinh viên đọc to 10 từ đã thực hành trong ứng dụng và 5 từ đã học trên
lớp: 15 điểm
- Question 3 ( Q3): Sinh viên đọc to 5 câu đơn có sử dụng các từ ở trên: 10 điểm

Biểu đồ 1: Kết quả kiểm tra phát âm tiếng Pháp sau 8 tuần thực nghiệm

Quan sát biểu đồ trên ta nhận thấy, mỗi sinh viên sẽ được kiểm tra 2 lần ở hai tuần khác nhau,
mỗi lần cách từ 3-4 tuần. Vì thế, sinh viên có thêm thời gian luyện tập thực hành bằng ứng dụng

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Duolingo. Biểu đồ này thể hiện kết quả của 20 sinh viên sau 2 bài kiểm tra, và phần lớn kết quả lần
kiểm tra thứ 2 tốt hơn lần kiểm tra đầu, một số bằng nhau và không có trường hợp nào kết quả lần 2
thấp hơn lần 1. Đó là tín hiệu đáng mừng và chỉ ra được hiệu quả tích cực của việc luyện tập thường
xuyên trên ứng dụng Duolingo sẽ cải thiện được kỹ năng phát âm tiếng Pháp cho người học.

Biểu đồ 2: Kết quả % SV đạt điểm khá trong bài kiểm tra phát âm tiếng Pháp
Quan sát biểu đồ trên ta nhận thấy, sau hai tuần luyện tập phát âm trên ứng dụng Duolingo,
50% sinh viên đạt điểm khá ở câu hỏi 3 và tổng điểm; trong khi đó, hơn 60% Sv đạt điểm khá ở câu
hỏi 1 và 2 (đọc các âm và các từ đơn trong giáo trình và trên ứng dụng Duolingo) ; Đối với kết quả
kiểm tra lần 2, sau lần 1 từ 3 - 4 tuần, số lượng sinh viên đạt điểm khá đã tăng lên rất nhiều. Có
khoảng 88% sinh viên đạt từ 13/15 điểm ở câu hỏi số 2 (đọc từ đơn đúng) trong khi đọc các âm là
khoảng 80% và đọc câu ngắn là hơn 90%. Như vậy, về kết quả tổng ba câu hỏi và kết quả từng câu
hỏi ở lần kiểm tra thứ 2 đều tăng lên so với lần kiểm tra thứ nhất, sau 4 tuần tiếp tục luyện tập phát
âm trên ứng dụng Duolingo.
Như vậy, với kết quả đánh giá trên ứng dụng Duolingo và kết quả kiểm tra đánh giá của giáo
viên tại lớp sau 8 tuần ứng dụng thực hành sử dụng Duolingo theo quy trình và hướng dẫn cũng như
hỗ trợ của trưởng nhóm và giáo viên, sinh viên đã được luyện tập thường xuyên và đánh giá chính
xác kỹ năng phát âm từ đơn âm đến từng từ rồi đến từng câu. Kết quả ban đầu rất đáng khích lệ và
đề xuất tiếp tục đưa vào sử dụng cho các học phần tiếp theo.
4.3. Đánh giá kết quả phỏng vấn nhận định của sinh viên về hiệu quả sử dụng
Để việc ứng dụng được hiệu quả hơn cho những học phần sau, giảng viên thực hiện phỏng
vấn trực tiếp nhận định của sinh viên về hiệu quả sử dụng phần mềm Duolingo bằng các câu hỏi cụ
thể như sau:
1. Bạn nhận xét như thế nào về phần mềm Duolingo đối với việc thực hành kỹ năng phát âm
tiếng Pháp?
2. Bạn có hào hứng thực hành phát âm tiếng Pháp với ứng dụng Duolingo không?
3. Bạn có nhận thấy sự tiến bộ từng ngày của mình trong kỹ năng phát âm tiếng Pháp nhờ
luyện tập chăm chỉ mỗi ngày?
4. Việc giáo viên và nhóm trưởng hỗ trợ bạn trong quá trình thực hành phát âm với Duolingo
hữu ích như thế nào đối với bạn?
5. Bạn cho điểm về hiệu quả cải thiện kỹ năng phát âm của bạn nhờ ứng dụng Duolingo?

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Đối với 5 câu hỏi này, giáo viên đặt ra cho 5 sinh viên đạt kết quả tốt nhất và 5 sinh viên đạt
kết quả chưa tốt nhưng nhận được những câu trả lời tương đồng nhau:
9/10 sinh viên nhận xét việc sử dụng Duolingo làm họ hào hứng với việc thực hành phát âm
tiếng Pháp và thấy việc phát âm trở nên dễ dàng hơn sau mỗi lần luyện tập. 8/10 sinh viên đánh giá
cao tính hiệu quả của Duolingo trong việc thực hành kỹ năng phát âm bên cạnh việc nhớ và học
nghĩa của từ vựng và cấu trúc ngữ pháp.
Khi nhận xét về sự hỗ trợ của nhóm trưởng và Giáo viên trong quá trình sinh viên sử dụng
Duolingo, 10/10 Sv đều đánh giá họ vừa là người đồng hành cổ vũ động viên, vừa là tổng hợp kết
quả và nhắc nhở kịp thời. Sinh viên khẳng định nếu không có sự đồng hành của nhóm trưởng và
giáo viên, họ sẽ không đủ sự kiên trì và hứng thú để thực hành thường xuyên và chăm chỉ như vậy.
Mặc dù ứng dụng Duolingo đã có những tính năng nhắc nhở, kêu gọi người học phải thực hành mỗi
ngày nhưng được luyện tập theo nhóm và có nhóm trưởng quản lý điều hành thì kết quả cao hơn.
10/10 sinh viên cho điểm từ 8 - 9,5 về tính hiệu quả của sử dụng Duolingo trong cải thiện kỹ
năng phát âm tiếng Pháp và tạo động lực hào hững trong luyện tập kỹ năng phát âm và nói tiếng
Pháp.
5. KẾT LUẬN
Sau thời gian tìm hiểu và thực hiện nghiên cứu thực nghiệm cũng như khảo sát nhận định của
sinh viên về sử dụng Duolingo trong việc cải thiện kỹ năng thực hành tiéng Pháp, giảng viên đã thu
nhận được những kết quả cụ thể thể hiện những cải thiện rõ nét về kỹ năng phát âm Tiếng Pháp của
sinh viên cho đến thái độ học tập tích cực của sinh viên. Từ kết quả phát âm từng âm đơn đến việc
đọc các từ và đọc cả câu, sinh viên đã dần cải thiện được kỹ năng phát âm của mình. Đây thực sự là
một ứng dụng có tính hiệu quả đối với việc luyện tập và cải thiện kỹ năng phát âm cho sinh viên ở
trình độ bắt đầu. Để tiếp tục sử dụng hiệu quả ứng dụng này cho các học phần tiếng Pháp tiếp theo,
giáo viên cần tiếp tục nghiên cứu các cách khai thác ứng dụng này để nâng cao các kỹ năng khác
như kỹ năng nghe nói tiếng Pháp cũng như phát triển vốn từ vựng cho sinh viên ở trình độ cao hơn.
Đối với kỹ năng phát âm, khi trình độ của sinh viên cao hơn, giảng viên có thể giới thiệu thêm một
số ứng dụng luyện tập bổ trợ khác để người học nâng cao hơn nữa kỹ năng phát âm và kỹ năng thực
hành nghe nói Tiếng Pháp như : Dr French, MosaLingua, Busuu, FluentU, Memrise, Va te
conjuger, Reverso, Le détecteur des fautes…Đây là những ứng dụng học tiếng Pháp mới nhất mà
người dạy có thể khai thác và hướng dẫn người học sử dụng để tự học tăng cường cùng với giáo
trình bắt buộc trên lớp để nâng cao trình độ tiếng Pháp và đạt kết quả học tập tốt nhất cũng như tạo
động lực và thái độ học tập tích cực đối với môn học rất khó nhưng lại rất thú vị này.

TÀI LIỆU THAM KHẢO

Bertrand, LAURET. (2007). Enseigner la prononciation du français : questions et outils ,
Hachette FLE.
Bertrand, LAURET. (2006). Phonétique en dialogues: niveau débutant, CLE international, Paris.
CUQ, Jean-Pierre. (2003). Dictionnaire de didactique du français langue étrangère et
seconde. Paris, CLE International, 28 - 221.
Jacky Girardet, Jacques Pécheur (2016). Tendances niveau A1 - Méthode de français, CLE
International/ VUEF, Tours, France.

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AN EVALUATION OF THE APPLICATION OF BROWSER-BASED AND DESKTOP-

BASED COMPUTER-ASSISTED TRANSLATION TOOLS AT UNIVERSITY OF
ECONOMICS - TECHNOLOGY FOR INDUSTRIES
Le Thi Tam
University of Economics - Technology for Industries

ABSTRACT
In the context of Vietnam's integration with countries worldwide in various fields, numerous
economic cooperation agreements and cultural exchanges have created a significant demand for
translation services. Therefore, to meet the increasing demand for translated products in various
formats in Vietnam and globally, translators and interpreters must master and effectively use
translation support software. This article investigates the evaluation of browser-based and desktop-
based computer-assisted translation tools by final-year students majoring in translation and
interpretation at the University of Economics - Technology for Industries. The researcher employed
a comprehensive methodology combining document analysis and questionnaire surveys to ensure
the reliability and validity of the findings. The article examines students' comprehension and
application of the main features of these computer-assisted translation tools (CAT tools) during
translation exercises involving texts translated between English and Vietnamese. This article
analyzes students' attitudes and evaluations on using two kinds of CAT tools such as comparing the
strengths and weaknesses of each type of CAT tool, its speed, and the quality of translation support,
... Based on this feedback, the study provides recommendations for users in general, specifically for
students majoring in Translation and Interpretation, as well as for organizations (translation
companies, universities), to enhance the application of technology in translation work and
contribute to the development of this field.
Keywords: Browser-based computer-assisted translation tools, desktop-based computer-
assisted translation tools, computer-assisted translation tools (CAT tools), evaluation, comparison.

1. INTRODUCTION
In recent years, Vietnam has experienced significant economic growth and an expanding
integration into the global market. This rapid development has necessitated a corresponding rise in
the demand for quality translation and interpretation services. Computer-assisted Translation (CAT)
tools have supported the translation process dramatically. They allow translators to work more
efficiently and maintain consistency across projects. With various CAT tools available on the
market, such as Trados Studio, MemoQ, and browser-based solutions like Google Translate and
MateCat, translators can access them to enhance their productivity and effectiveness (Patiniotaki,
E., 2018).
Although the benefits are obvious, applying these tools faces many challenges. Many
translators in Vietnam, particularly recent graduates, may lack comprehensive training in using
advanced CAT tools. This gap can lead to ineffective use of the available technology and miss
opportunities for improving translation quality. Therefore, the study focuses on analyzing,
evaluating, and comparing the advantages and disadvantages of using two types of CAT tools:
browser-based and desktop-based, thereby determining the effectiveness of using the mentioned
CAT tool; simultaneously, investigating the feedback from final-year students majoring in
translation and interpretation at University of Economics - Technology for Industries (UNETI) on
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the use of the two types of CAT tools (including MateCAT and Smart CAT for browser-based, and
Wordfast, SDL Trados, MemoQ for desktop-based) to enhance the quality of teaching and learning
specialized courses in the English translation and interpretation program at the University of
Economics - Technology for Industries (UNETI).
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Computer-assisted translation tools
CAT, an abbreviation of Computer-Aided Translation, is “the process whereby human
translators use computerized tools to help them with translation-related tasks.” It is a translation
strategy in which translators use a computer program to handle part of the translation process.
Indeed, any translator or language localization expert uses CAT tools to enhance their translation
work by ensuring the consistency of translations while reducing time and increasing the volume of
translation work. For any repeated words and phrases in the document to be translated, CAT tools
will automatically display and suggest them throughout the translation process in large quantities.
This saves time and effort by not having to retype the text multiple times if they are the same while
ensuring that terms are consistently translated throughout the entire document. This function is
achieved thanks to the translation memory, which is regularly updated by the user, usually on the
same topic, field, project, or in various parts of the same project, to ensure high consistency in
translations with better quality and efficiency.
Currently, most professional translators and interpreters in the global and Vietnamese
translation market use at least one CAT tool to complete their translation work, meeting customer
demands. The two most popular CAT tools are browser-based and desktop-based CAT tools. To
provide practical results for selecting the most suitable CAT tools for user needs, this article
discusses the functions, and main features, and compares the effectiveness of these two types of
CAT tools.
2.1.1. Browser-based CAT Tools
Browser-based CAT tools are translation software accessible through a web browser,
eliminating the need for local installation. This flexibility allows translators to work from anywhere,
using any device with internet connectivity. Most browser-based CAT tools feature collaborative
capabilities, allowing multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously. This is particularly
beneficial for teams spread across different geographic locations, as it facilitates real-time
communication, feedback, and project management.
This study highlights the two most popular Browser-based CAT tools in the translation
market: MateCAT and SmartCAT.
2.1.1.1. MateCAT
MateCat (Machine Translation Enhanced Computer Assisted Translation) is widely
recognized for its accessibility and user-friendly interface. As a free web-based CAT tool, it has
become popular among freelance translators, project managers, and enterprises. Its integration with
public translation memories, particularly MyMemory, and machine translation engines such as
Google Translate and Microsoft Translator allows for rapid translation suggestions (Federico et al.,
2014). Studies have shown that MateCat’s reliance on cloud-based resources can accelerate
translation workflows while maintaining quality (Alikaniotis, 2020). However, MateCat also raises
concerns regarding data privacy, given its use of public translation memories, though it offers
personal, confidential TMs for professional use (Castilho et al., 2018). Additionally, MateCat
provides an automated quality assessment tool that evaluates the number of reviewed words,

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allowing project managers to adjust their projects based on productivity and quality needs.
2.1.1.2. SmartCAT
SmartCAT is another leading browser-based CAT tool that stands out for its collaborative
capabilities. Unlike MateCat, SmartCAT integrates both freelance translators and translation
agencies on its platform, offering project management features along with CAT tool functionalities
(Mazet, 2017). Studies have highlighted its potential to enhance teamwork in translation projects
through its real-time collaboration feature (Heine, 2020). Additionally, SmartCAT offers
integrations with machine translation engines and cloud-based translation memories, making it a
robust option for large-scale translation projects. Despite its versatility, researchers note that
SmartCAT’s performance heavily depends on internet connectivity, which may pose challenges for
users in regions with limited access to reliable networks (Lommel & Burchardt, 2018).
2.1.2. Desktop-based CAT Tool
Desktop-based CAT tools have long been the preferred choice for professional translators and
organizations requiring robust functionality, offline capabilities, and advanced translation
management features. These tools typically offer a broader range of features, such as powerful
translation memory systems, customizable termbases, and the ability to handle complex file
formats, making them ideal for large-scale projects.
The article briefly introduces some desktop-based CAT tools as follows:
2.1.2.1. SDL Trados Studio 2022
SDL Trados Studio 2022 remains one of the most comprehensive and widely adopted
desktop-based CAT tools in the market. Its integration with termbases, project management
features, and the ability to handle various file formats make it suitable for complex, large-scale
translation projects (Esselink, 2020). Several studies have praised its powerful translation memory
system, which improves translation consistency over time (García & Stevenson, 2022). However,
the high cost and steep learning curve of Trados are common barriers for smaller agencies and
freelancers (O’Brien et al., 2021).
2.1.2.2. Wordfast
Wordfast is often recognized for its more affordable pricing and user-friendly interface. While
it offers fewer advanced features than Trados, Wordfast’s simplicity and lower price point make it
an attractive choice for freelance translators and small businesses. It provides essential CAT
functionalities like translation memories, glossaries, and machine translation integrations (Bowker
& Fisher, 2010). Wordfast’s compatibility with a variety of file formats and ease of use has been
noted as significant
2.1.2.3. MemoQ
Similar to SDL Trados, is a robust desktop-based CAT tool known for its intuitive interface
and strong translation memory capabilities. MemoQ has been praised for its flexibility in handling a
range of languages and file types, as well as its integration with machine translation engines
(Mellinger & Gasca, 2019). Research suggests that MemoQ offers a balanced mix of features
between SmartCAT's collaborative tools and Trados’ advanced functionalities, making it a suitable
option for both individual translators and larger translation agencies (Cruz-Lara et al., 2018).
MemoQ’s licensing options, which include server-based solutions for agencies, enhance its appeal
to organizations handling multiple projects simultaneously (O’Brien et al., 2021).
2.2. Comparison of the Effectiveness of browser-based and desktop-based CAT Tools

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While desktop-based CAT tools do not require an Internet-connected computer to support

translation work, browser-based CAT tools will not function in the event of a power outage or lack
of Internet connection. This is the biggest difference between these two types of CAT tools.
The following summary table compares the key features, characteristics, and effectiveness of
browser-based and desktop-based CAT tools:
STT Browser-based CAT tools Desktop-based CAT tools
Requires payment for software licensing and
1 Free to use
update costs
Requires an Internet connection; Does not require an Internet connection; can be
2
cannot be used on an airplane used safely on an airplane
Can be used safely without relying on online
3 Dependent on online programs
programs
Occasionally encounters technical obstacles when
Accessing translation support
4 using software already downloaded onto the
software is very simple and easy
computer
Easily collaborates with
5 translators performing online No online translation collaboration available
translation work
Does not require memory to Requires significant memory to store software on
6
store software on the computer the computer
Can support translation at a high
Takes more time for translation work, increasing
7 speed, saving translation time
translation costs
and reducing translation costs
Unlimited number of software Only available to those who have downloaded the
8
users software, limiting the number of software users
Limited translation memory Translation memory is stored and can be used
9
storage for future use long-term in the future
Simple and easy to use without With software that has complex features (e.g.,
10 spending time and effort to learn SDL Trados), users must spend significant time
how to use and effort on training

3. METHODS
3.1. Research questions
This research seeks to address the following two questions.
1. How does the translation speed of browser-based CAT tools compare to desktop-based CAT
tools, and what factors influence these differences?
2. How do students perceive the features, translation quality, and glossary-building
functionality of browser-based versus desktop-based CAT tools?
3.2. Setting
This study was conducted at Faculty of Foreign Languages, UNETI. Participants consisted of
75 final-year students majoring in translation and interpretation. These students had prior
knowledge of translation theories and various translation tools through enrolling in the “IT
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Application in Translation” course. The course provided an ideal context for evaluating the
effectiveness of both browser-based and desktop-based CAT tools. The objective was to assess how
students applied these tools in their translation tasks, focusing on translation speed, student
feedback on features, translation quality, and glossary-building functionality.
3.3. Data collection and analysis
3.3.1. Research Procedures
Students participated in translation experiments involving eight texts (four English-
Vietnamese and four Vietnamese-English), each consisting of approximately 300 words by using
both browser-based CAT tools (MateCAT, SmartCAT) and desktop-based CAT tools (OmegaT,
Wordfast, SDL Trados, and MemSource). These texts covered similar topics: documents 1 and 2 on
health, documents 3 and 4 on the environment, documents 5 and 6 on education, and documents 7
and 8 on tourism. Following the translation tests, surveys were distributed to gather feedback on
using browser-based and desktop-based CAT tools. 75 distributed questionnaires were and 75
received responses ensured a robust dataset for analysis. Participants were assured anonymity, with
survey questions designed to facilitate straightforward responses.
3.3.2. Research Methods
The researcher employed a comprehensive methodology combining document analysis and
questionnaire surveys to ensure the reliability and validity of the findings. After conducting tests
with students translating eight texts, I designed a survey to assess student perceptions and feedback
on the effectiveness of these tools.
4. FINDINGS
After testing with 75 final-year students majoring in translation and interpretation, who
participated in tests of English-Vietnamese and Vietnamese-English translations using both
browser-based and desktop-based CAT tools, I distributed survey questionnaires to investigate
student feedback on the effectiveness of these translation tools. With 75 collected survey responses,
I obtained results comparing translation speed when students used both browser-based and desktop-
based CAT tools, comparing features, translation quality, and specialized dictionary-building
functions when using these CAT tools.
4.1. Comparison of Translation Speed
Table 1 demonstrates significant differences in translation speed among the 71 students using
online and offline CAT software for translating texts on health, environment, education, and tourism
topics. Online CAT software facilitated faster translations (<30 minutes) for a majority of students
(52%) compared to offline CAT software (6.7%). Conversely, offline CAT software required less
time for a smaller percentage of students (>60 minutes: 40%) compared to online CAT software
(5.3%).
Table 1. Comparison of Document Translation Time Using two types of CAT tools
Document/ Number of Students/ Time (minutes)
Tool Used
Language <30 % 30-45 % 45-60 % >60 %
Browser- Document 1
based CAT English- 33 44.0 26 34.7 10 13.3 6 8.0
tools Vietnamese
Desktop-based Document 2
6 8.0 9 12.0 24 32.0 36 48.0
CAT tools English-

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Vietnamese
Browser- Document 3
based CAT English- 39 52.0 24 32.0 8 10.7 4 5.3
tools Vietnamese
Document 4
Desktop-based
English- 5 6.7 11 14.7 29 38.7 30 40.0
CAT tools
Vietnamese
Browser- Document 5
based CAT Vietnamese- 24 32.0 37 49.3 8 10.7 6 8.0
tools English
Document 6
Desktop-based
Vietnamese- 9 12.0 7 9.3 28 37.3 31 41.3
CAT tools
English
Browser- Document 7
based CAT Vietnamese- 27 36.0 37 49.3 7 9.3 4 5.3
tools English
Document 8
Desktop-based
Vietnamese- 10 13.3 6 8.0 25 33.3 34 45.3
CAT tools
English
4.2. Comparison of Student Feedback on Features
Students' feedback on the features of browser-based and desktop-based CAT tools is
summarized in Table 2. Browser-based CAT tools were favored for ease of use (76%), internet
accessibility (90.7%), cost-free usage (94.7%), and rapid memory sharing (73.3%). Conversely,
desktop-based CAT tools was noted for technical issues, mandatory additional software
installations, and frequent upgrade requirements, yet it was appreciated for its extensive features
supporting multiple formats and long-term usage in translation companies.
Table 2. Comparison of features of two types of CAT tools
Type of CAT tools Browser-based CAT tools Desktop-based CAT tools
Number of Percentage Number of Percentage
Feedback/ Student
Students (%) Students (%)
Easy to use 57 76.0 18 24.0
Frequently encounters common
Technical Issues (e.g., document
26 34.7 49 65.3
loading errors, translation interface
glitches)
More Functions Supporting Multiple
24 32.0 51 68.0
Formats
Requires Installation of other
mandatory software for translation 19 25.3 56 74.7
support
Requires Internet-Connected
68 90.7 7 9.3
Computer
Free to Use 71 94.7 4 5.3
Shares Large and Faster Memory 55 73.3 20 26.7
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More frequent upgrades and updates 28 37.3 47 62.7

More Used by Translation
22 29.3 53 70.7
Companies in the Market
Longer-term Use for Future
21 28.0 54 72.0
Translation Work
4.3. Comparison of Translation Quality
In comparing translation quality using CAT tools, Table 3 shows that the majority of students
believe browser-based CAT tools have the advantage of helping them complete translations faster
(89.3%), more accurately and with better quality (76%), requiring less time for editing translations.
However, it suffers from the drawback of not providing better translation security or long-term
storage compared to desktop-based CAT tools.
Table 3. Comparison of translation quality Using two types of CAT tools
Type of CAT tools Browser-based CAT tools Desktop-based CAT tools
Number of Percentage Number of Percentage
Feedback/ Student
Students (%) Students (%)
Complete Translations Faster 67 89.3 8 10.7
Produce More Accurate and High-
57 76.0 18 24.0
Quality Translations
Require More Time for Editing
23 30.7 52 69.3
Translations
Provide Better Translation Security 16 21.3 59 78.7
Store Translations More Durable 20 26.7 55 73.3
4.4. Comparison of Glossary-Building Functionality
Regarding the functionality of building glossaries, the research results in Table 4 below
indicate that a majority of students agree that desktop-based CAT tools have advantages over
browser-based CAT tools because they can more easily build glossaries for various fields (80%), are
upgraded and updated more frequently and allows easier management of glossary entries (77.3%),
enhance the security of glossary terms (72%), and provide longer-term storage of glossary entries
(81.3%).
Table 4. Comparison of glossary-building functionality of two types of CAT tools
Type of CAT tools Browser-based CAT tools Desktop-based CAT tools
Number of Percentage Number of Percentage
Feedback/ Student
Students (%) Students (%)
Build a glossary for different
15 20.0 60 80.0
specialized fields easily.
Upgrade and update the dictionary
17 22.7 58 77.3
regularly and easily.
Help secure the terminology
21 28.0 54 72.0
dictionary better.
Store the terminology dictionary more
14 18.7 61 81.3
durably.
5. DISCUSSION

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Based on the feedback from students using the two types of CAT tools as reflected in the
research results mentioned above, I can summarize the strengths and weaknesses of these two types
of CAT tools as follows:
5.1. Strengths of browser-based and desktop-based CAT tools
5.1.1. For browser-based CAT tools:
Browser-based CAT tools are free to use, which helps reduce costs associated with translation
work. It enables users to complete translations more quickly, accurately, and with better quality,
requiring less time for editing. Additionally, browser-based CAT tools are user-friendly and allow
for quicker sharing of large memories.
5.1.2. For desktop-based CAT tools:
Desktop-based CAT tools are typically used for long-term translation projects. It offers a wide
range of functions and supports multiple formats. These tools can easily build glossaries for various
fields and can be frequently upgraded and updated, particularly for dictionaries. Desktop-based
CAT tools provide better security features and offer longer-term storage for glossaries.
5.2. Weaknesses of browser-based and desktop-based CAT tools
5.2.1. Browser-based CAT tools:
One significant drawback of browser-based CAT tools is the necessity for a computer with
internet connectivity. Additionally, it often has lower security features and less durable storage for
translations.
5.2.2. Desktop-based CAT tools:
Desktop-based CAT tools requires the purchase of licenses and incurs regular upgrade and
update costs. Users may also encounter technical glitches during usage. Moreover, it often requires
the installation of additional mandatory software and demands frequent upgrades and updates.
5.3. Recommendations on Using browser-based and desktop-based CAT tools
Through analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of both browser-based and desktop-based
CAT tools, I propose specific recommendations for using translation support software as follows:
5.3.1. For users (students and professionals in translation and interpretation):
To effectively leverage technology in translation work, it is beneficial to use both types of
translation support software, as each has its unique strengths and weaknesses. It is essential to
master and proficiently use various online tools like MateCAT and SmartCAT, along with numerous
offline tools ranging from those with fewer features to more comprehensive ones like Omega T,
Déjà Vu, Wordfast, MemoQ, MemoSource, Café Tran Espresso, and SDL Trados. Regular practice
and comparison will help users select the most suitable software for their translation tasks. Given
the frequent updates and upgrades of these tools, users must continually learn, update their
knowledge, and enhance their technological skills to fully utilize the features of various software.
5.3.2. For organizations (translation companies, universities):
Organizations should equip themselves with high-quality, network-connected computer
systems to use online translation support software and computers with large capacities to download
and run offline translation tools. Allocating budgets to purchase the latest offline translation support
software and covering regular upgrade and update costs is crucial. Furthermore, regularly
organizing training courses and workshops for users within organizations, such as translation
companies and universities, will significantly enhance the application of modern technology in their
professional work.
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6. CONCLUSION
This study has presented issues related to two browser-based and desktop-based CAT tools,
including the advantages and disadvantages of each type of CAT tools. After introducing the typical
features of these two tool types along with several types of browser-based CAT tools like MateCAT
and SmartCAT and desktop-based CAT tools such as SDL Trados 2022, Wordfast, and MemoQ, I
compared the effectiveness of using these two types of CAT tools with translation experiments for
English-Vietnamese and Vietnamese-English texts for final-year students majoring in translation
and interpretation at the University of Economics - Technology for Industries. Feedback on the
effectiveness of using CAT tools from students reflects practical, accurate, and objective evaluations
of the tools mentioned above. Based on this feedback, the study provides recommendations for
users in general and specifically for students majoring in Translation and Interpretation, as well as
organizations (translation companies, universities), to enhance the application of technology in
translation work and contribute to the development of this field.
REFERENCES
Alikaniotis, D. (2020). Enhancing productivity in translation with CAT tools: A focus on MateCat.
Translation Studies Review, 22(2), 45-60.
Bowker, L., & Fisher, D. (2010). Computer-aided translation tools - An overview of Wordfast.
Journal of Translation Studies, 14(3), 25-36.
Castilho, S., Gaspari, F., Moorkens, J., & Way, A. (2018). Integrating machine translation into
CAT tools: A survey of translation technology adoption. Machine Translation Review,
25(2), 123-145.
Esselink, B. (2020). A practical guide to localization (3rd ed.). John Benjamins Publishing.
Federico, M., Negri, M., & Turchi, M. (2014). The MateCat project: A new approach to CAT tools.
Translation Technology Conference Proceedings, 45-53.
García, I., & Stevenson, M. (2022). SDL Trados Studio: A comprehensive guide for translators and
localization professionals. Language Technology Journal, 18(1), 1-23.
Heine, J. (2020). Collaborative translation: The role of SmartCAT in enhancing team based
projects. Translation Journal, 24(3), 58-72.
Lommel, A., & Burchardt, A. (2018). Challenges in browser-based CAT tools: Internet connectivity
and real-time translation. Computational Linguistics Journal, 16(2), 80-98.
Mazet, A. (2017). SmartCAT: Revolutionizing the translation industry through collaboration.
Multilingual Computing, 28(4), 22-28.
Mellinger, C. D., & Gasca, P. E. (2019). MemoQ: Integration of machine translation and human
translation in CAT tools. Translation and Technology, 6(2), 33-45.
O’Brien, S., et al. (2021). Translation tools for the 21st century: A comparative analysis of CAT
tools. Journal of Language Technology, 34(1), 66-90.
Patiniotaki, E. 2018. Trends & Reality in Translation Technology; Centre for Translation Studies at
UCL University: London, UK.
Zapata, J. (2019). Evaluating Wordfast: A comparison with other CAT tools. Translation Studies
Journal, 15(2), 90-105. https://translationifk.com/cong-cu-ho-tro-dich-thuat-trong-nganh
bien-dich-2/

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EXPLORING NON-ENGLISH-MAJOR STUDENTS’ EMOTIONAL DYNAMICS IN EFL

LISTENING CLASSES
Do Thuan Giang
University of Economics - Technology for Industries

ABSTRACT
English listening skills are vital for effective global communication. However, the English
learning process can evoke complex emotions which range from excitement and enjoyment to
anxiety and frustration. Consequently, it is crucial to understand these emotional dynamics to
improve pedagogical approaches and enhance student performance in EFL listening classes. This
study aims to explore the emotional dimensions experienced by 172 non-English-major students in
EFL listening classes at University of Economics - Technology for Industries. The quantitative
methodology was employed, and data was collected via a questionnaire adapted from the Foreign
Language Enjoyment (FLE) and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS)
developed by Dewaele and MacIntyre (2016). The analysis revealed a wide range of emotions
among participants, including positive and negative emotional responses. Those emotional
dynamics were reported to significantly impact their level of engagement in listening activities. The
findings not only provide valuable insights into the emotional landscape of EFL listening instruction
but also highlight the importance of addressing enjoyment and anxiety to promote a more
supportive learning environment.
Keywords: Emotional dynamics, Foreign Language Enjoyment, Foreign Language
Classroom Anxiety Scale, EFL listening.

1. INTRODUCTION
Emotions are essential by all means in each step of the learning process and impact the
learners engagement with the content and how well they perform (Schutz & Lanehart, 2002). This
emotional engagement becomes further elicited for students who are involved in learning a second
language (L2), because of the specificity of L2 teaching. For instance, L2 class very different from
other subjects class has no set syllabus, thus making the learning process very dynamic (Coyle et
al., 2010; Stryker & Leaver, 1997). Furthermore, when learning a new language, one does not only
have to learn words and grammar but also assimilate other sociocultural aspects and sometimes deal
with their identities (Dewaele, 2016; Dornyei, 2005; Gardner & Lambert, 1959). All these factors
make learning rather tricky and simultaneously intriguing, especially regarding emotions where
both positive and negative emotions exhibit quite a force on learners progression.
In Second Language Acquisition (SLA), especially EFL listening comprehension, previous
studies tend to lean more towards anxiety only. Anxiety is primarily seen as a negative parasitic
tendency that can prevent individuals from understanding and using a new language, especially
during listening exercises. Such exercises require much attention and the ability to understand
language as it is delivered. That tends to stress learners, more so the doubtful ones, during the
learning process. This emotional strain can cause mistakes and eluding actions which are not
suitable for the development of listening skills. Though anxiety has been the primary emotion dealt
in literature of L2 emotions, more recent work has pushed the emotional centre of gravity to

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positive emotions like enjoyment, excitement etc., which are also very helpful in language learning
but quite the opposite from anxiety (Dewaele, 2016).
The focus on emotional dynamics can be seen in the research impact concerning non-English-
major students in EFL listening classes at the University of Economics - Technology for Industries
(UNETI). Hence, there must be a need to explore types of emotions when EFL teachers prepare
educational materials and methods. Students who capture famously difficult listening
comprehension often get it wrong when engaging with listening due to emotions like anxiety,
frustration, enjoyment and others that the interaction involves. Most of the studies that focus on
emotions in learning neglect how these emotions in the listeners are not only present, but also run
the entire listening process for instance among the non-English significant students. Therefore, such
as the emotions of the students in EFL listening classes and the impact of such emotions on their
listening comprehension skills, are the goals of current research. Therefore, the following research
question needs addressing:
What emotional dynamics do non-English-major students experience in EFL listening classes
at UNETI?
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Emotional dynamics in second language acquisition
In the area of SLA, learners’ emotions have not adequately been an area of research, even if
the majority of research suggest that they affect the learning outcomes (Swain, 2013). There has
emerged more consideration of both constructive and destructive emotions in language learning
(Prior, 2019).The emotional categorization in SLA is understood from the differences in the
functions of positive and negative emotions. On one hand negative emotions such as anxiety tend to
create narrowed attention and actually impede learning while on the other hand, positive emotions
such as enjoyment tend to create broadened attention that is conducive to the learning process
(Fredrickson, 2001, 2013; MacIntyre & Gregersen, 2012).
Language anxiety constitutes the most focused upon negative emotion in SLA, which has
been found to negatively affect learners' achievement, decrease their confidence in using language,
and suppress their urge to communicate (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2016). Non-relaxed state of mind
takes away attention from language and its understanding causing deficient performance in
language tasks especially those that require the absorbed input such as listening comprehension
which is filled with anxiety since one cannot determine the speed of the input one receives
(MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994; Elkhafaifi, 2005). Numerous studies have provided evidence that
anxiety has a detrimental impact on learners' performance in listening, including studies that relate
such anxiety either with the language or with the situation like testing (Boudreau et al., 2018;
Gregersen et al., 2014; Zhang, 2013).
However, there is not as much of a body of work which establishes associations of such
positive emotions with language acquisition as there is with negative emotions. Foreign Language
Enjoyment (FLE), whose core elements involve creativity, fun and social interactions, has been
proven to improve language learning performance (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014). The Broaden-
and-Build Theory propounds that besides encouraging people to engage in activities, positive
emotions also increase the probabilities of the individual’s cognitive resources (Fredrickson, 2001,
2013). Studies reveal that while both enjoyment and anxiety affect learning, the former is more
adaptive, especially because enjoyment forms more positive learning scenarios than anxiety does
negative ones (Dewaele & Alfawzan, 2018).

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2.2. Theoretical framework

The Well-Being Theory, suggested by Seligman (2011), emphasizes achieving five elements:
Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning/ Purposes and Accomplishment (PERMA).
Figure 1 illustrates the theory with PERMA model

Figure 1: PERMA model grounded by The Well-Being Theory by Seligman (2011)

While teaching listening comprehension, it is important to encourage positive emotions such
as enjoyment and creating interest in a subject area in students’ cases to participate more actively
and willingly which will improve language learning and studying. Also in the same way, well-being
is an essential aspect for Language education as it is advocated by Oxford (2016), since positive
emotional experiences are needed in developing language to create and uphold mental well-being
through one’s life.
Owing to the broadening of emotions by Fredrickson’s (2003), the Broaden-and-Build Theory
explains that an individual can undertake several modes of actions, thereby increasing cognitive
flexibility. Discerning emotions in EFL listening classes, positive emotions can enable students to
widen their attentional spectrum thus allowing them to be more exposed to linguistic content and
foster cultural more in-depth comprehension.... Such emotions are salient; they facilitate language
learning by broadening language learners' vision and their awareness of possible new language
structures. Dewaele and MacIntyre's (2014) also add that the feeling of enjoyment and the playful
things in... This emotional bond helps to promote language exploration and also reinforces social
relatedness among language learners, which is a bask make factor of the Well-Being theory’s
emphasis on relationships.
The Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale
(FLCAS) measures those variables among other developed by Dewaele and MacIntyre (2016) paper
focusing on the emotional aspect of language learners. In this case definition, FLE involves
focusing on the classrooms in the language context and everything positive that the learners go
through. This fits into the PERMA model concerning positive emotions and engagement by
explaining how enjoyment can enhance the motivation of learning a foreign language. Additionally,
as FLE measures positive emotions, these can help students achieve a sense of satisfaction and
respect from their peers and teachers which would help promote a positive learning atmosphere.
Alternatively, the Broaden-and-Build Theory argues the opposite; positive effects broaden the scope
of an individual’s cognition and actions and thus encourage curiosity and inventiveness. FLE assists

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in this theory by showing that the enjoyment of teaching languages increases the students’
willingness to learn and communicative competence.
Conversely, the FLCAS assesses the threats to the students emotionally with stressors such as
the foreign language classroom. Anxiety can have narrowing effects on people, as visualized in the
Broaden-and-Build Theory, which may hinder the students from attending to and engaging in new
activities. By employing the FLCAS to grasp and reduce anxiety, it would be possible for educators
to create a more appropriate setting, free from negative emotions and instead providing room for
positive emotions.
Based on Seligman’s (2011) Well-Being Theory, this current study is firmly based on PERMA
in achieving overall well-being. Applying this theory in EFL classrooms highlights positive
emotions and engagement as critical in making students willing to learn and favoring overall
language acquisition. This study further explores the emotional dynamics in EFL listening classes
using Integrated FLE and FLCAS created by Dewaele and MacIntyre (2016). FLE can be said to
match the PERMA model through positive emotions and engagement. Thus, enjoyment contributes
to motivation, the application of learning communicative competence, and the creation of a
favorable learning environment. In addition, FLCAS can evaluate anxiety, which can then shrink
the scope of cognitive and attentional processes preventing language learning. The next part will
shed light on the functions of emotion in listening skills
2.3. Emotions and listening skills
Listening is an integral language skill, which is fundamental in learning a second or a foreign
language. It is more than hearing and understanding speech, it includes higher order mental
functions such as focusing, remembering, and drawing together the language used. As Vandergrift
(2012) describes, listening is an active process where students interact with the material by
decoding and making predictions, reading between the lines and making logical conclusions.
Conversely, listening is an essential part of L2 acquisition that has often been overlooked in L2
instruction compared to speaking that is more prominent and easier to evaluate (Oxford, 2019;
Vandergrift, 2003; Zeng & Goh, 2018). This neglect is partly justified in terms of the nature of the
listening comprehension process, which is always in a state of interaction among many factors like
language command and working memory capacity (Long, 1990; Oxford, 2019).
The effectiveness of listening skills in language learning is determined to great extent by
emotions. In this regard, anxiety is considered a problem since it prevents learners from focusing
and attending to essential aspects of a listening task, which may lead to listening comprehension
failure (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994). They cannot save enough attention to cope with the
performance of listening tasks during such high anxiety situations. Teimouri et al. (2019) emphasize
the little understanding of issues related to anxiety and listening comprehension even though it is a
recognized problem. Anxiety is one of these emotions and such as affects attention and memory
processes that are vital for listening comprehension and as a result spoken language is complex for
learners.
2.4. Previous studies
In recent years, the evaluation of emotional variables regarding the process of language
learning through FLE and FLCAS foreign language education has been gaining much attention.
Botes et al. (2020) carried out a meta-analysis and established a moderate inverse relationship
between anxiety and academic performance, this indicates that anxiety has adverse effects on the
learning of languages. Likewise, Le (2023) interviewed Vietnamese students in English-medium

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classes and discovered relatively moderate anxiety consisting primarily of making bloody mistakes
and being judged negatively which stress the need for the surroundings to be supportive to alleviate
the above. In addition, Łodej and Osmoła (2024) were also concerned with the situation’’ of Polish
students of higher education whom it shall be noted that enjoyment of language prevailed over
anxiety, where enjoyment was related to a complimentary discourse and anxiety - to fear of
criticism. Myhre et al. (2023) also studied the effect of outdoor education on teenagers regarding
their anxiety level and subjective enjoyment level, some small anxieties were reported and
moderately positive effects of the activity were found. With the help of further studies into the area,
Nguyen (2023) argued that awareness of the psychology of language learners positively affects
communication skills of intercultural specialists. While examining the correlates of language
anxiety in fifth-grade students, Ozer and Altay (2021) observed a positive correlation between
anxiety and enjoyment, implying that decreasing the level of anxiety can lead to increasing the level
of enjoyment in students. About Su (2022), FLE was found about teachers, while anxiety was
related to learner individuality for Chinese EFL undergraduates. According to Xethakis et al.
(2012), however, Japanese university students appeared to enjoy rather than be anxious about
learning the language, where enjoyment was positively correlated with attitude and active use of the
target language. Finally, Zhu & Aslan (2023) stressed that students' emotions fostered better
learning of the language as demonstrated that if listening achievement was positively correlated
with listening enjoyment, it was negatively correlated with listening anxiety.
Nonetheless, there are still some gaps in the research about the affections that non-English-
major students feel in EFL listening classes in a context of institutions like UNETI. Research in this
area has successfully brought FLE and FLCAS into general language learning situations. However,
listening skills are neglected. As a result, the present study attempts to investigate the students’
perception of the anxiety barrier and the impact of enjoyment as two emotional factors present
during their EFL listening classes.
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. Participants
The research focuses on 172 non-English major students, from different departments of
University of Economics - Technology for industries (UNETI), a self-financing public university in
Vietnam. This varied population group offers much insight about the emotional aspects that the
learners undergo in EFL listening classes. The students are from different fields of study, which may
change their approaches to learning a language and how they feel. Because it is economic institution
oriented, UNETI can adopt various novel ways and resources in imparting knowledge to the
students which might alter the interaction within the environment as well as the general emotions of
the learners. The English course books and the non- English majors course syllabus used in the
English language include Market Leader series by Pearson.
The subjects of this research are 172 non-English primary students at the University of
Economics and Technology of Vietnam (UNETI), consisting of 58 males with 33.72%, and 114
females 66.28%. The research subjects are of various study years with 94 students 54.65% in year
two, 71 students 41.28% in year three, and 7 students 4.07% in year four. Listening difficulty of
these students, from the researcher’s observing experiences, may arise from such factors as lack of
authentic listening material, low vocabulary knowledge and rapid English language speech. It was
established that emotional factors can aggravate these difficulties. For example, anxiety can result in
the inability to pay attention which impairs one’s ability to listen to and understand spoken words.

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Enjoyment in language learning on the other hand can boost the desire to partake in tasks and work
on improving listeners’ comprehension.
3.2. Research design and data collection instrument
The research is quantitative in nature, which is highly suited for research that seeks to
quantify any variables in a study and determine the relationships within the collected data
(Creswell, 2013). Therefore, it enables language acquisition data from a large number of subjects.
Quantitative research is valuable in educational settings as it helps transform attitudes, behaviors or
any other measurable variable into quantifiable variables for testing against a broader population.
According to Creswell (2013), questionnaires have been adopted as one of the most popular
data collection tools in educational research because of how quickly a large number of subjects can
be reached and data collected from them. They also offer a low-cost solution as distributing them
particularly online is relatively easy. They also ensure the confidentiality of those responding
making them give true or more correct feedback in cases where feelings and anxiousness are
required to be addressed.
The questionnaire that was used in the present work has been adapted from the Foreign
Language Enjoyment (FLE) and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS)
developed by Dewaele and MacIntyre (2016). It contains sections about demographics, 10 items
relating FLE (item 1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16) and 6 items concerning FLCAS (item 2, 3, 5, 6,
9, 13). With a 5-point Likert Scale ranging from "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree" which is
used in the scale. The questionnaire was then translated into Vietnamese in order to enhance
comprehension and avoid any potential confusion as it was targeted towards the non-English-major
students in UNETI.
3.3. Data analysis
The statistical analysis for this research study was carried out using SPSS 25.0. The reliability
of the questionnaire was measured by Cronbach's Alpha, a coefficient that can depict internal
consistency. In this research, the value of the Cronbach's Alpha was 0.890 which shows excellent
reliability of the entire questionnaire as all the items in the questionnaire are measuring the similar
construct quite effectively. Also with SPSS, emotional mean and standard nexus were used to
measure students’ different degree of emotional changes in response to English listening.
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. Students’ perspectives of enjoyment as an emotional dynamic in EFL listening classes
The analysis of the FLE items reveals several insights into students' perspectives regarding
enjoyment as an emotional dynamic in EFL listening classes. The mean scores suggest that students
generally have a positive attitude towards their English listening classes, with enjoyment being a
significant factor. Table 1 demonstrates students’ level of enjoyment in EFL listening classes
Table 1. Descriptive statistics on students’ perspectives of enjoyment as an emotional dynamic
Mean Std. Deviation
Fle.1 3.86 1.078
Fle.4 3.75 1.049
Fle.7 3.77 1.025
Fle.8 3.73 1.103
Fle.10 3.75 1.055
Fle.11 4.02 1.167

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Fle.12 3.45 1.050

Fle.14 3.84 .888
Fle.15 3.64 1.059
Fle.16 3.31 1.084
In terms of interest, and enjoyment, students were indicated to find the English listening
classes interesting (M = 3.86) and attending English listening classes is fun (M = 3.75).’ This is
consistent with the premise that positive emotions will contribute to increased engagement and
motivation (Fredrickson, 2013). This is further supported by the Broaden-and-Build Theory that
holds that positive emotions also facilitate learning in students by broadening their attentional scope
(Fredrickson, 2003). On the other hand, with regard to the feeling of belongingness and
achievement, the students perceived themselves as qualified members of the class (M=3.77) and
took pride in their achievements (M=3.73) indicating that pleasure rounds in belongingness and
achievement as well (Seligman, 2011; Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014).
For issues related to positive atmosphere, it is noted that “It is a positive environment in the
English listening classes” (M=3.75) and “The atmosphere in English listening classes is
encouraging” (M=3.64), underlining the primacy of a positive learning climate (Dewaele &
MacIntyre, 2014). Positive classroom and social atmosphere is critical in curtailing anxiety and
enhancing the learning habits of students. This is in agreement with the findings that positive
feelings are able to relieve the depressive-focused aspects of worries. Hence, more active and
communicative environment is fostered in the class (MacIntyre & Gregersen, 2012). In addition to,
for example, responses highlighted students concern that social factor could increase the level of
satisfaction, to support the Oxford (2016), Łodej and Osmoła (2024) in particular. To illustrate,
there is a significant level of enjoyment in social aspects as shown in “The peers in English
listening classes are nice” (M=3.84), and “We laugh a lot in English listening classes” (M=3.31).
4.2. Students’ perspectives of anxiety as other emotional dynamic in EFL listening classes
The analysis of students' perspectives on anxiety in FLCAS listening classes illustrated in
Table 2 reveals several key insights.
Table 2. Descriptive statistics on students’ perspectives of anxiety as another emotional dynamic
Mean Std. Deviation
Flcas.2 3.80 .972
Flcas.3 2.90 1.041
Flcas.5 3.42 1.767
Flcas.6 3.33 .997
Flcas.9 2.86 1.067
Flcas.13 2.85 1.203
In students’ opinions, English listening classes offer confidence as long as the students’
preparation is undertaken well (M=3.80). This would mean that the right amount of preparation
helps alleviate anxiety and increase confidence. However, in relation to one’s peers, students were
not very confident when comparing their own listening ability (M=2.90). This shows that there was
a level of anxiety among students themselves. It supports what had already been documented with
regards to language learning anxiety. It is well acknowledged that anxiety hindered the process of
acquiring language due to depletion of cognitive resources and performance drawbacks (MacIntyre
& Gardner, 1994). The students’ worries about being wrong and making mistakes in their ability

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alls part of the language anxiety that affects communication and confidence in Dewaele and
MacIntyre (2016); and Le (2023).
Physical feelings of anxiety, as in any other evaluation such as the heart pounding when called
upon (M=3.42) are moderate. This corresponds to the nervousness of the learners during listening
classes. It is also the case that in English listening classes, concerns about making mistakes are
moderate (M=3.33), anxiety connected with the performance or with error correction. Both the
medium levels of anxiety about physical symptoms and worries about the mistakes correlating with
the performance relate to the studies. As a result, it corresponded the negative effect of anxiety to
the listening skills (Zhang, 2013). This class of emotions could interfere with students’ capabilities
to properly make use of the auditory processing system which is described by MacIntyre and
Gardner (1994).
Students need to be more confident among themselves when they are involved in speaking
activities. Listening and speaking confidently yield a mean score of 2.86 and volunteering answers
earn (M=2.85). The research clearly indicates that speaking activities provoked more anxiety than
listening which brought to light how students were less of confidence and participation with regard
to the speaking tasks. Students appeared less confident with respect to speaking activities due to the
fact that speaking rather than listening was viewed as more intimidating (Gregersen et al., 2014)
owing to audience and negative evaluation. This indicates that there was a necessity of having
classroom environments which lowered anxiety and enhanceed skilful affect as destructive
emotions should be avoided, according to the Broaden-and-Build Theory (Fredrickson, 2001).
4.3. Overall students’ perspectives of emotional dynamics in EFL listening classes
Examining students’ points of view about the emotional dimensions in English listening
classes shows that there is a mixture of positive feelings and anxiety. In respect to the FLE itemises,
enjoyment refers to the fact that the learners are usually bored in their English listening classes. It
is, therefore, based on Broaden-and-Build Theory (Fredrickson, 2001) which claims that positive
emotion broadened the recipient’s cognitive scope and receptivity to new knowledge. This inclusion
also benefits the learners’ sense of achievement and belonging which strengthens the social aspect
of learning as pointed out by Seligman (2011) and Dewaele & MacIntyre (2014).
On the other hand, the inquiry regarding anxiety as measured by the FLCAS items suggests
that students were confident during preparation, but anxiety existed, particularly in self-assessment
and skill comparison. This dread of negative evaluation and making errors were detrimental to
language learning as in MacIntyre and Gardner (1994) because it took away the available cognitive
load necessary for language learning processes. The onset of physical symptoms of anxiety was
another suggestion of its influence. Hence, there is a need to ‘settle’ these emotional dynamics,
implying that more focus should be made on strategies aimed at increasing enjoyment and
decreasing the anxious deficits to make the learning environment more pleasant and productive.
5. CONCLUSION
The present study has established that emotional factors, such as enjoyment and anxiety, are
essential aspects of the EFL listening classes. Enjoyment is vital in increasing student engagement
and motivation, which enhances the classroom atmosphere. Such positive emotions allow students
to develop a feeling of incorporation and achievement which is vital for efficient language learning.
On the other hand, anxiety, which is derived from appraisal apprehension or self-comparison with
other students, detracts from students’ learning achievements by wasting cognitive resources on
non-language related activities.

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Nevertheless, the research does have several limitations. The sample population may, of
course, need more attributes and thus the study may not be generalizable across a broader student
population. Furthermore, this research tends to rely on self-reported data which is subject to bias
since students may not be honest about their emotional conditions or know what the responses
really are. The cross-sectional design of the study further hampers any causal conclusions with
regards to the connection between emotional dynamics and language learning outcomes.
To respond to these shortcomings, it would be a good idea to use longitudinal designs in the
future research so as to comprehend how emotions develop over a period and what role they play in
language learning. Increasing the size and heterogeneity of the sample further strengthens the
generalizability of the results. Most importantly, utilizing both self-report and physiological
measures can better help to describe the emotional states of the students in EFL listening classes.
Interventions reducing anxiety and increasing the level of enjoyment should also be developed for
better outcomes during foreign language learning.
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ONLINE IELTS LEARNING EXPERIENCE: VOICES FROM THE LEARNERS

Tran Hoai Ninh, Tran Thi Thanh Phuong, Pham Thu Yen
University of Economics - Technology for Industries

ABSTRACT
The past few years have witnessed an everincreasing trend in the number of students enrolling
in online IELTS preparation courses in Viet Nam. This paper aims to shed light on Vietnamese
learners ’perception of preparing for the IELTS test in online classes using mixed methods research
with limited quantitative data from a survey, and qualitative data from interviews. All participants
are high school students and university graduates in Viet Nam preparing for the IELTS test in
different language centres using the online mode. 21 participants answered questions in an online
survey before 10 were selected to take part in a semi-structured interview, which delved into the
reasons why learners chose the online learning mode, what learners are and are not satisfied with
learning online when preparing for the IELTS test, and their suggestions to improve learners ’
experience in such online IELTS courses. The study found out that the majority of learners enrolled
in online classes by choice rather than being asked by parents, due to a wide variety of reasons,
among which were flexibility, time efficiency, the ease of not having to commute to classes, and
personalized learning experience. While learning materials and attention from teachers stood out as
the most favorable aspects of online learning in the surveyed context, technical and physical issues,
including but not limiting to internet connection stability, the lack of movements and having to look
at the screen for an extended period of time were among the most prevalent problems encountering
online IELTS classes. On this basis, it is recommended that more interaction and chances to practice
speaking should be added into the course, and more attention should be paid to individual learners
to enhance their online learning experience.
Keywords: Online learning, online IELTS learning, learners ’perspective, learners ’
perception, technology.
1. INTRODUCTION
Even though Viet Nam is a relatively homogeneous culture and Vietnamese in general do not
speak English to each other in daily life, there has been an annual upsurge in the number of English
learners, which makes Viet Nam one of the most vigorous countries in the world to teach and learn
English (Tran & Tanemura, 2020). Vietnamese study the language for various reasons, such as
studying abroad, job opportunities and promotion prospects (Nguyen, 2017). Considered a symbol
of internationalization, English has also been used in some universities all over the country as a
means of instruction. Acknowledging the increasing importance of the language, the Ministry of
Education and Training set the goal for most Vietnamese students and workers to be able to fluently
use a foreign language, especially English, by 2020 (Nguyen, 2017; Tran & Tanemura, 2020).
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is organized by British Council,
IDP; and Cambridge University Press & Assessment to test language command of people wanting
to live and study in a region where English is spoken. Being the most widely spread test in the
world, it can be considered a linguistic gatekeeping and the key to global opportunity (Hamid et al.,
2019). Similarly, in Viet Nam, together with other international and domestic proficiency test,
IELTS opens the door to academic and career enhancement. For example, for high school students,
IELTS scores can be of paramount importance as it can be translated into high results for the
entrance examination to different universities all over the country (Nhat, 2024). IELTS preparation

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courses are widely offered and promoted throughout the countries, in online, in person or blended
mode.
A rich body of research has investigated online learning. However, few of those actually
address how learners feel about these courses. Among the few studies that raise learners’ voice is a
qualitative, in-depth exploratory case study by Kuong (2015). With the help of online survey,
interviews, observations and email follow-up questions, the author found out that most learners
were happy with the experience, although lack of social connections to some extent impacted the
collaboration between students and reduced the sense of belonging in a learning community.
However, the study seems to lack an individual insight into experience of learners, as learners seem
to mutually agree on most negative and positive sides of online learning, which means the study did
not show a diversity of opinion on the matter discussed.
Regarding IELTS preparation courses in Viet Nam, most research to date has tended to focus
on the predictive validity (Dang & Dang, 2023; Hoang, 2020) and how to teach separate skill such
as writing (Nguyen & Le, 2022; Pham et al., 2020) and speaking (Dinh, 2021) to prepare for the
test. To be more specific, Dang and Dang (2023) questioned Vietnamese students from 31 higher
education institutions across The United Kingdom to find out that there is positive relation between
IELTS scores and academic achievement. Further interviews showed that IELTS preparation
courses do cover some, but not all the necessary knowledge and skills needed at university. Also
investigating the same topic of predictive validity, Hoang (2020) suggested that IELTS scores do
not adequately reflect academic achievements in a Vietnamese university. Nguyen and Le (2022)
did a quasi-experimental research and interview, and found out that with the use of noticing
hypothesis and model essays, considerable increase the overall performance and lexical resource
was recorded among the experimental group.
Although a considerable amount of research on the test and its preparation process has been
carried out, no study has specifically investigated online learning as well as learners’ experience of
IELTS online preparation course. Therefore, there is a clear lack of research that reflects learners’
voice when they prepare for the IELTS test online. This article aims to address this research gap by
giving an insight into why learners chose to learn online, how they feel about the test and what
should be done to enhance learning experience in these online courses.
2. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The study aims to answer 3 specific questions:
- Why did learners choose to prepare for the IELTS test in online courses?
- What are learners satisfied and not satisfied with when preparing for the IELTS test in online
courses?
- What should be done to enhance learners experience when preparing for the IELTS test in
online courses?
3. RESEARCH METHODS
This study is an exploratory mixed methods research with limited quantitative data, in which a
questionnaire was used to shed light on students’ experience while learning online, before an
interview was employed to shed light on how and why learners have such experience. As the paper
does not aim to generalizing the finding, a survey was conducted with only 21 participants.
Quantitative data was gathered by an online multiple choice survey, which were employed to
investigate why learners chose to take online courses, what they are and are not satisfied with when
learning, and how the courses should be improved. A Google form, rather than a pen and paper
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questionnaire, was used for survey purpose. Given that learners are from different parts of the
country and their schedule is relatively busy, which can hardly allow for a face-to-face appointment
where paper-based questionnaire should be given, an online survey was used for the sake of
convenience. Besides, as learners regularly have to do a significant number of assignments online,
they are already equipped with basic technological skills to handle the online survey. To ensure
clear communication with the participants, the survey was conducted in Vietnamese. The English
equivalence of it can be found at the appendix. Statistics were subsequently visualized for analysis
and major tendencies are identified. After that, the author conducted online interviews with 10 of
the participants using Zoom teleconferencing platform to look further into the responses participants
had previously given in the survey and to see differences in learners’ attitude towards factors in
online learning process. The interviews were recorded with participants’ content, before transcript
was created for analysis. Keywords were used to highlight perspectives that learners shared in
common and hold differently. After that, the most noticeable insights were presented in this paper.
4. PARTICIPANTS
Participants are currently enrolling in online IELTS preparation courses or did prepare for the
test in online mode in the past. There is a mixture of genders and geographical areas, as they are
based in different regions of Viet Nam. Their ages vary from 16 to 27. The cohort includes high
school students, university students and graduates. They are enrolling in or have been in three
different IELTS training institutions, which the author has worked in. While some learners are still
engaging in their preparation process, some other have dropped out of the courses, switched to face-
to-face learning or finished the courses. The length of the online courses they undertook or are
undertaking varies, depending on their input level and when they want to take the IELTS test.
Therefore, the time participants engage with online learning ranges from two months to two years.
The author had their contacts as they are or used to be trained for the IELTS test by the author. 47
learners or formal learners were individually messaged to explain about and ask for interest in the
research. Only 21 of them agreed to take part in the survey. In order for qualitative data to be
manageable, only 10 of the participants were subsequently contacted for interviewing
5. FINDING AND DISCUSSION
a, Reason to choose online IELTS preparation courses

Figure 1. Voluntariness level of IELTS preparation course registration among participants

From Figure 1, it can be seen that almost all learners being surveyed wanted to take the online
courses. They either registered by themselves or were registered by their parents. No participants
showed any discontent toward being registered by their parents. Only one student got to the courses
by recommendation from teachers, and one showed a neutral attitude to the courses. When asking if
they could choose the way they learn IELTS (either online or face to face) again, 81% showed a

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preference toward learning online, while only 19% opted for face-to-face learning. Following are
some insights from the interview with learners. Participant 1 said: “My parent registered me in the
course. I also like to learn IELTS myself. I have been in this course for one year. I prefer learning
face to face.” Participant 2: “I chose to learn IELTS online by myself. I knew about the course
through advertisement at school and asked my parents if I can enroll in”.

Figure 2. Reason for learners to choose online IELTS preparation courses.

When it comes to the reason why parents and learners chose to enrolled in the online IELTS
preparation courses (see Figure 2), the most noticeable reason can be the ease of not having to
commute to classes, with a majority of 85.7% participants citing this in their survey. Flexibility
ranked second, at 71.4%. Time-saving is the third most popular reason. In addition, 57.1% of the
learners said that the ability to study at their own pace is also among what attracted them to these
online courses. They are also the dominating themes in interviews, with participant 1 saying: “I
chose to learn online due to the flexibility it brought about and I do not have to go to the
classroom”. Participant 5 also stated: “However, I chose online learning so I can be at home while
learning. I have to go to school a lot these days, so one or two days studying from home is great. If I
learn online, the class is 25 minutes away from my home, which means it takes me nearly an hour
to and from the class, which will certainly take away my relaxing time in the evening.”
Cost effectiveness, the ability to engage in learning even when unwell, a wide source of
teachers and individualized learning experience are also frequently cited. These insights have not
been effectively mentioned in Okyar (2023).
b, What learners were and were not satisfied with their online IELTS preparation courses

Figure 3. Learners’ satisfaction about IELTS online preparation courses

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Regarding learner’s experiences, which can be seen in Figure 3, it can be seen that the
learners are generally happy with teachers’ attention to their learning and materials, at 57.1% each.
Almost half of the participants (47.6%) are satisfied with their concentration capacity when learning
online. Learning pace and movement are the third most popular aspects, at 42.9%. Interestingly,
learners reported that when learning online, they have more chances to stand up and move than
when learning in person, because they have to sit down for an extended period of time in the
classroom. Interaction and speaking practice, with one third of the participants choosing at the
survey, is surprising the most prominent theme in the follow-up interview. Participant 6 said:
“When learning online I can interact more [with classmates and teachers] by messaging”, while
participant 8 told the author: “I am more comfortable interacting in the online environment.” In
addition, participant 2 said: “I chose learning online as I can individualize my learning. I am not too
keen on crowded places, so studying online make me feel like I have some privacy, and I can sit
alone and do not feel under pressure from having people look at me. There is a problem with my
camera so people cannot look at me clearly, so I feel pretty comfortable.”
With regard to the areas that learners are not happy with (see Figure 4), technical and health
issues stand out as the most concerning aspect of IELTS online preparation courses. To be more
specific, a majority of 63.2% are tired of looking at the screen for hours. 42.1% are troubled by the
internet connection of themselves or their teachers. Noticeably, the same proportion of learners are
not satisfied with the balance between immobility and movement. They point to sitting in front of
the screen for hours as the main source of frustration, which is quite interesting as other learners
reported that they have more chances to move around in online learning. In other words, when they
are tired, they can stand up for a short walk around their rooms to stretch the legs, or go to the
kitchen to have some snacks and water. They reported that in their physical classrooms, it is not
unusual for students to sit for hours without not very actively contributing to the lesson, which
might eventually lead to boredom and tiredness. Given the two different viewpoints, it can be seen
that the same affordance of the online classroom can possibly have different effects on learners,
depending on how they personally take advantage of it. Personal concentration capacity, autonomy
and learning devices are also among the factors hinder learning, with participant 9 confessed: “My
connection is not good enough. Sometimes, I have difficulties getting into Zoom and then being
logged off while learning. Looking at the screen for a long time is not such a matter for me. I find it
very disruptive when my parents get to the room when I am learning.” Participant 8 also agreed
with the disruptive aspect of learning online: “I am regularly distracted by notifications on my
devices.” Meanwhile, communication, which has been cited previously as a point of satisfaction,
creates a lack of motivation for participant 7: “When learning online I am not as motivated as when
learning face to face, as I cannot see the teachers and classmates in person.” This is in line with
finding from Kuong (2015) that the sense of belonging in a learning community can be lowered in
the online learning environment.

Figure 4. Learners’ dissatisfaction with online IELTS preparation courses

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c, How to enhance learners’ experience in the online IELTS preparation courses

The learners are also asked what needs to be done in order to improve their learning
experience. Interaction in the class is the most favorable method, with 77.8% chosen. Participant 3
said: “I think we can create more chances for interaction, like speaking to each other, messaging in
the group chat, or using breakout rooms. And I feel better interacting when enabling my camera.”
On top of that, nearly half of the learners asked for more attention to homework correction. Besides,
a significant percentage of the participants (38.9%) want their learning process to be more
personalized, while another 33.3% need activities that involve more movement. To be more
specific, participant 10 reported: “I think we need to know our levels, then the [language] centre
gives us materials of our levels so we can learn at a more proper pace.” Noticeably, besides the
options provided by the researcher, learners also wanted a platform to be used to store materials and
submit homework. In these courses, a social media group chat (Zalo) is the major means of
communication. Homework and materials are uploaded there together with other administrative
communication with parents and students, which significantly draw attention away from learning
content. Besides, the storage level of the social group chat is limited, which results in file being lost
within days of uploading. Therefore, a digital platform for materials and homework management is
of great importance.
6. CONCLUSION
To encapsulate, learners chose online learning due to its flexibility and personalized learning
experience. They are generally happy with teachers’ attention and their ability to concentrate on the
lesson, while not too satisfied with looking at the screen for a long time, internet connection and
balance between mobility and movement. However, some items of satisfaction and dissatisfaction
are rather personal, since some participants considered a particular item as satisfying, while other
can think of it as a source of frustration. For example, 47.6% are happy with their ability to
concentrate, while another 31.6 % marked their concentration ability as dissatisfactory. With
regards to how to promote learning experience in IELTS online courses, it is highly recommended
that interaction and speaking practice are included in the course. There is also the need for more
attention to homework correction and personalized learning programs.
Regarding future research, as the study was conducted with a small sample size (21 responses
to survey) in a relatively local context (three language centres), the result can not be generalized to a
larger context. Therefore, this study sheds light on some particular online IELTS learning situations
rather than the general online IELTS learning experience. Therefore, further quantitative research
with a larger sample size from separate language centres or language schools all over the country is
highly advisable to offer a more overall look of learners’ experience.
Secondly, in this study, the author contacted and distributed survey questions to her own
students. This might reduce the level of objectivity in the responses, as it is likely that learners may
find it difficult to express their own feelings and experiences directly to their teacher. Therefore, in
further studies, surveys can be conducted with learners from different teachers in order to ensure
objectivity.
In addition, although this study includes a semi-structured interview, students’ experience has
not fully been discovered. Deeper qualitative interview, or even case study should be done to look
further into how learners feel about learning IELTS online.

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Besides, more means of data collection can be utilized in latter research on learners’
experience of online IELTS courses, such as metaphor elicitation technique and focus group
interview (Okyar, 2023).
On top of that, it is highly recommendable for researchers to delve into IELTS online in Viet
Nam from other stakeholders’ perspectives, including but not limited to teachers, educators and
parents. Besides learners’ experience, other aspect of online IELTS courses can be further explored,
such as family language policy, motivation, digital learning and the use of technology.

REFERENCES
Dang, C. N., & Dang, T. N. Y. (2023). The Predictive Validity of the IELTS Test and Contribution of
IELTS Preparation Courses to International Students ’Subsequent Academic Study: Insights
from Vietnamese International Students in the UK. RELC Journal, 54(1), 84-98.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220985533
Dinh, T. T. K. (2021). The Implementation of Authentic Award-winning Acceptance Speeches to
Enhance IELTS Learners ’Motivation in Speaking Skills. Theory and Practice in Language
Studies, 11(3), 262-267. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1103.05
Duong, V. A., & Chua, C. S. (2016). English as a symbol of internationalization in higher education:
a case study of Vietnam. Higher Education Research and Development, 35(4), 669-683.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2015.1137876
Hamid, M. O., Hoang, N. T. H., & Kirkpatrick, A. (2019). Language tests, linguistic gatekeeping
and global mobility. Current Issues in Language Planning, 20(3), 226-244
https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2018.1495371
Hoang, H. L. (2020). The Predictive Validity of The IELTS Test at Thai Nguyen University –
Vietnam. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications.
https://doi.org/10.29322/ijsrp.10.06.2020.p10292
Kuong, H. C. (2015). Enhancing Online Learning Experience: From Learners ’Perspective.
Procedia, Social and Behavioral Sciences, 191, 1002-1005.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.403
Nguyen, L. Q., & Le, H. V. (2022). Improving L2 learners ’IELTS task 2 writing: the role of model
essays and noticing hypothesis. Language Testing in Asia, 12(1), 1-20.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-022-00206-0
Nguyen, N. T. (2017). Thirty Years of English Language and English Education in Vietnam: Current
reflections on English as the most important foreign language in Vietnam, and key issues for
English education in the Vietnamese context. English Today, 33(1), 33-35.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266078416000262
Nhat, N. (2024). Tuyển sinh 2024: Quy đổi IELTS vào các trường đại học như thế nào. Goverment
News. https://baochinhphu.vn/tuyen-sinh-2024-quy-doi-ielts-vao-cac-truong-dai-hoc-nhu-
the-nao-102240502084431239.htm\
Okyar, H. (2023). University-level EFL students ’views on learning English online: a
qualitative study. Education and Information Technologies, 28(1), 81-107.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11155-9
Pham, T. N., Lin, M., Trinh, V. Q., & Bui, L. T. P. (2020). Electronic Peer Feedback, EFL Academic
Writing and Reflective Thinking: Evidence From a Confucian Context. SAGE Open, 10(1).
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Tran, P. M., & Tanemura, K. (2020). English in Vietnam. World Englishes, 39(3), 528-541.
https://doi.org/10.1111/weng.12489
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APPENDIX
Questionnaire for survey
1. Did you enroll in the online preparation course by yourself?
A, Yes, I heard about the course and registered by myself.
B, My parents registered me in the course and I also wanted to.
C, No, my parents/someone else enrolled me in but I did not want to.
D, Other, please specify here
…………………………………………………………………………………………
2. If you can choose, would you prefer to prepare for the IELTS in online or face-to-
face class?
A, Yes
B, No
C, I am not sure
3. What are the reasons for you/your parents to choose the online learning mode rather
than face to face? - choose all reasons applied to you.
A, Time saving
B, No need to commute to class
C, A wider variety of teachers and resources to choose from
D, Cost-effective
E, Flexible
F, Customized learning experience
G, Able to study at your own pace
H, Able to communicate with classmates and instructor
I, Able to attend even when sick
K, Other reasons, please specify ………………………………………………………
4. When preparing for the IELTS test in online classes, which aspect of the learning are
you satisfied with? - choose all items applied to you.
A, The pace of learning
B, Classroom interaction and speaking practice
C, Attention from teacher
D, Classroom discipline
E, Assessments
F, Learning materials
G, Network connection
H, Sound quality
I, Lesson recordings
K, Self-discipline and effort
L, Ability to concentrate
M, Looking at the screen for an extended period of time
N, Digital devices
O, Physical movement
P, The amount of homework
Q. Other, please specify here
……………………………………………………..…………………………………

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5. When preparing for the IELTS test in online classes, what aspect of the learning are
you NOT satisfied with? - choose all items applied to you.
A, The pace of learning
B, Classroom interaction and speaking practice
C, Attention from teacher
D, Classroom discipline
E, Assessments
F, Learning materials
G, Network connection stability
H, Sound quality
I, Lesson recordings
K, Self-discipline and effort
L, Ability to concentrate
M, Looking at the screen for an extended period of time
N, Digital devices
O, Physical movement
P, The amount of homework
Q. Other, please specify here
……………………………………………………..…………………………………
6. What should be done to make your online learning experience better?
A. Add more physical activities
B. Add more interaction and speaking practice
C. Change the learning schedule
D. Change the assessment
E. Individualize learning
F. Upgrade the digital devices
G. Add more homework
H. Check homework in more detail
I. Improve the network connection stability
K. Other. Please specify here
…………………………………………………………………………………………

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THE ENGLISH- MAJORED STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION

OF THE USE OF AI IN WRITING
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, Dang Thi Thanh Huong
University of Economics- Technology for Industries

ABSTRACT
The applications of AI tools in writing have been used widespread. This study investigates the
perceptions of 101 second-year students majoring in English at the University of Economics-
Technology for Industries regarding the integration of AI tools in their writing process. A mixed
method was applied: the survey results was employed to explore students’ use of the currents AI
tools and their perceptions toward benefits and challenges of using AI tools in English writing;
while the interview was conducted to explore the students’ approaches of putting prompts into AI
applications and proofing. The findings indicated (i) a heavy reliance on ChatGPT, with students
demonstrating limited use of grammar-checking tools and a lack of understanding of how to
effectively prompt AI models, (ii) significant benefits of AI applications in writing (structure and
organization, idea development, grammar and syntax, vocabulary enhancement, paraphrasing and
rewriting, critical analysis and editing and proofreading); (iii) potential challenges in using AI tools
in improving writing; (iv) the students’ approaches in using AI in writing; and (v) their ways of
avoiding plagiarism. This study suggests the need for comprehensive AI literacy programs to equip
students with the skills necessary to use AI responsibly and effectively in their writing.
Key words: Writing; AI applications; Students’ perception
1. INTRODUCTION
The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have revolutionized various fields,
including education and language learning. As AI tools become increasingly sophisticated, it is
imperative to investigate their impact on learners, particularly in the context of English language
education. Besides, previous research, including studies by Selim (2024), Chan and Hu (2023), and
Nguyen Ngoc Mai (2024), has explored various aspects of AI integration in language learning.
While these studies provide valuable insights, there is a need for further research to examine the
specific experiences of students from different academic backgrounds and to explore the long-term
implications of AI on writing skills. Therefore, this study makes a novel contribution to the field by
investigating the integration of AI in writing among second-year English majors at the University of
Economics-Technology for Industries. By focusing on this specific population, this article aims to
extend the existing body of research and provide practical implications for educators and students.
2. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
2.1 Second language writing skills
According to Weigle (2002), the ability to write in a second language depends on several
factors. The first one is vocabulary: Having a rich vocabulary helps writers select appropriate words
for different contexts, which is essential for effective expression. The second one is Grammar:
Correct grammar usage and sentence structure are fundamental for clarity and professionalism in
writing. Next, mechanics: This involves the accurate use of punctuation and spelling, which
contributes to the readability and technical accuracy of the text. Besides, rhetoric: The effective use
of rhetorical devices can enhance the clarity and persuasiveness of a written piece, making it more

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engaging for readers. Last, logic: Connecting ideas in a logical and coherent manner ensures that
the writing flows well and that the audience can easily follow the argument or narrative.
To write effectively in a second language, learners must be able to select words and phrases
that are both accurate and engaging, follow grammatical rules, and use rhetorical devices to
maintain the reader's attention and guide their understanding.
2.2 The use of AI in Students’ writing
Mahapatra (2024) listed positive impact of AI tools in students’ writing: AI tools can provide
students with personalized feedback on grammar, style, and coherence, helping them to improve
their writing skills over time. AI can help students generate ideas, brainstorm topics, and even draft
initial versions of their writing, saving them time and effort. AI-powered writing tools can be used
to support students with learning disabilities or language barriers, making writing more accessible
for all. Abdullayeva & Musayeva (2023 stated that the use of AI in students' writing is a complex
issue with both potential benefits and drawbacks. The first of disadvantages is overreliance:
Students may become too reliant on AI tools, leading to a decline in their critical thinking and
problem-solving skills. The second one is that AI-generated text can be difficult to distinguish
from human-written work, raising concerns about plagiarism and academic integrity. Last, the use
of AI in education raises ethical questions about the role of technology in learning and the potential
for bias in AI algorithms.
The use of AI in students' writing has the potential to be a valuable tool, but it must be used
with caution and in conjunction with traditional teaching methods. By addressing the ethical
concerns of using AI and providing appropriate training and support, schools can ensure that AI is
used to enhance student learning and development.
Language learners can significantly benefit from AI-powered writing tools. Applications such
as Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, and Pro Writing Aid provide real-time feedback on grammar,
style, and clarity, helping learners refine their writing. Tools like Quillbot and ChatGPT offer
creative writing prompts and can generate diverse text formats, making language learning engaging
and effective. ChatGPT , in particular, can serve as a virtual writing partner, providing feedback and
suggestions and even generating entire paragraphs or essays.
2.3 Previous studies
Previous studies on English-majored students' perceptions of the use of AI in writing have
generally highlighted both the potential advantages and challenges associated with integrating AI
tools, such as ChatGPT or other AI-based writing assistants, into academic writing practices. Selim
(2024) evaluated the effectiveness of AI-powered language learning tools in boosting vocabulary
among university English students. A quantitative research design with a pre-test and post-test was
used. One hundred English majors were randomly assigned to either an experimental group using
AI tools or a control group using other methods. Results showed that the experimental group
significantly outperformed the control group in vocabulary acquisition. While the study's rigorous
design and large sample size are strengths, the lack of qualitative data limits a deeper understanding
of student perceptions. Overall, the findings suggest AI tools can be valuable supplements to
traditional language learning, enhancing vocabulary for university students. By surveying 399
university students in Hong Kong, Chan & Hu (2023) delved into their perceptions of generative AI
tools like ChatGPT and their potential role in higher education. While students expressed
enthusiasm for AI's ability to personalize learning and support academic tasks, they also voiced
concerns about accuracy, privacy, and ethical implications. This research highlights the importance

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of understanding students' perspectives to effectively integrate AI into education. Nguyen Ngoc Mai
(2024) also raises concerns about the potential for overreliance on AI and the need for critical
thinking. It focuses on the immediate benefits of AI but lacks a comprehensive analysis of its long-
term impact on writing skills.
In a word, Selim (2024) and Chan & Hu (2023) both highlight the potential benefits of AI in
enhancing English writing skills, particularly in terms of vocabulary acquisition and personalized
learning support. However, they also emphasize the need for caution and a balanced approach,
acknowledging the limitations of AI and the importance of critical thinking. Nguyen Ngoc Mai
(2024) aligns with the article, emphasizing the potential for overreliance on AI and the need for
critical thinking. However, this article does not focus on the specific use of ChatGPT, it provides
valuable insights into the broader implications of AI integration in writing abilities.
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1 Objective
This study aims to investigate the perceptions of 101 second-year English majors at the
University of Economics-Technology for Industries regarding the integration of AI tools into their
writing processes.
3.2 Research Questions
Building upon the research objectives, the following research questions were established:
What are students' perceptions of using AI as a tool to improve their writing skills?
The research question delves into the four key themes that emerged from the study
investigating students' perceptions of using AI to enhance their writing skills. These themes
encompass the students' use of AI applications, their agreement on the benefits of AI, their
perceived challenges, and their approaches to using AI in writing, such as: the students' use of AI
applications in writing English (The first subtheme explores how often students utilized AI
applications in their writing tasks), the agreement level regarding perceptions of the benefits of AI in
improving writing skills (This subtheme focuses on identifying areas where students expressed a
high level of agreement regarding the benefits of AI in writing. These benefits might include
improved grammar and syntax, enhanced vocabulary, better organization, or more effective
paraphrasing), students' perception of challenges of using AI in writing (This subtheme explores the
technical challenges students encountered when using AI applications. These challenges might
include software glitches, compatibility issues, or difficulties in understanding the tools'
functionalities.), and students' approaches to using AI in writing (his subtheme examines how
students actively engaged with AI tools. This includes their strategies for providing effective
prompts, interpreting AI-generated suggestions, and critically evaluating the output.)
3.3 Research participants
The study sample consisted of 101 second-year English majors at the University of
Economics-Technology for Industries. These students, primarily female and from varied geographic
locations, had completed their first year of English language study but demonstrated a lower initial
writing proficiency compared to students from other institutions. Having been exposed to a
comprehensive language curriculum, they were now deepening their understanding of written
English through their second-year writing course.

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3.3 Data collection and analysis

Step 1: Initially, an online survey (Google Forms) was distributed to 137 students to assess
their perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs concerning the utilization of ChatGPT to enhance academic
writing proficiency. The survey commenced with a screening question: "What kinds of AI tools
have you used to improve your writing?" This question was designed to filter out responses from
students with no prior experience using AI applications, ensuring that only relevant data was
collected. A total of 101 respondents indicated their use of AI tools, providing a suitable sample size
for further analysis.
The survey, adapted from Nguyen Ngoc Mai (2024), was designed to explore the role of AI in
the academic writing process. The survey consisted of three sections: an inventory of AI tools used,
an assessment of perceived benefits, and an exploration of challenges encountered. By
understanding the specific AI tools employed, the perceived advantages, and the obstacles faced,
this study aimed to provide insights into the integration of AI in enhancing writing skills among
English- majored students in UNETI.
To gauge participants' satisfaction with the AI application, a Likert scale was utilized.
Responses to each survey item were measured on a five-point Likert scale. The mean scores of
these responses were then computed to derive quantitative data on participants' satisfaction levels.
Step 2: Following the collection of 101 survey responses, a qualitative component was
introduced through semi-structured interviews with 10 randomly selected participants. The
interviews aimed to explore the specific ways in which students employed AI tools in their writing
tasks, as well as their approaches to avoiding plagiarism.
Interview questions
Question 1: Once you have a topic, what specific commands or prompts do you usually input
into the AI tool?
Question 2: What steps do you take to avoid plagiarism?
4. FINDINGS
4.1 The students’ use of AI applications in writing English
This section delves into the specific ways in which students utilized AI applications to
enhance their English writing skills, which is shown in the following table.
Table 1: Student’s utilization of different types of AI in writing English
No. AI Application Number Percentage
1 Grammarly 3 3%
2 Hemingway Editor 0 0%
3 ProWritingAid 0 0%
4 Quillbot 2 2%
5 Chat GPT 95 94.1%
6 Other 1 1%
Total 101 100%
Table 1 shows the usage statistics of various AI applications based on a sample size of 101
responses. According to the data, 95 out of 101 users (94.1%) selected Chat GPT as their preferred AI
application. This overwhelming preference reflects the transformative nature of this tool in writing
assistance. In contrast to Chat GPT, the other AI applications show significantly lower usage, some

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even registering at 0%. For instance, Grammarly, one of the most well-known AI-based grammar
correction tools, was chosen by only 3 out of 101 users (3%). Similarly, Hemingway Editor and
ProWritingAid, both of which are designed to improve the readability and flow of writing, have 0
users in this data. Quillbot, another AI-powered writing tool, was selected by 2 users (2%). Lastly,
other tools accounted for 1 user (1%), suggesting that there are niche tools outside of the more
mainstream AI writing applications. This small percentage further highlights the trend that most users
prefer comprehensive and flexible platforms like Chat GPT. Despite the limited use of various AI
tools among language students to improve their writing skills, the survey highlights a strong
recognition of the significance of these tools, particularly ChatGPT, in the context of English writing.
Both studies emphasize the positive impact of ChatGPT on academic writing, but with
different focal points. Your research highlights its dominance as the preferred AI tool, with 94.1%
of users choosing ChatGPT over other AI applications like Grammarly or Quillbot, showing its
popularity for writing assistance. In contrast, Nguyen Ngoc Mai (2024) focuses on user satisfaction,
with a mean rating of 4.18, noting that students find ChatGPT reliable for improving writing speed,
confidence, and productivity. While both studies affirm the tool’s effectiveness, yours emphasizes
usage statistics, whereas Mai’s explores user satisfaction and productivity enhancement.
Furthermore, the Perceptions of AI's Benefits in Enhancing Writing Skills will be expressed in
Table 2:
Table 2. The Agreement Level Regarding Perceptions of the Benefits of AI in Improving Writing
Skills
Perception Like scale
I believe that AI can help me
1 2 3 4 5 Mean
improve the writing skills
1. Structure and organisation 0 0 6 15 80 4.3
2. Idea development 0 0 6 15 80 4.7
3. Grammar and syntax 0 0 0 11 90 4.9
4.Vocabulary Enhancement 0 0 0 9 92 4.5
5.Paraphrasing and Rewriting 0 0 0 3 98 4.6
6.Critical analysis 21 9 11 20 40 3.2
7. Editing and Proofreading 0 0 2 34 65 4.2
The overall results indicate a positive view of AI’s role in enhancing writing, with certain
areas standing out more than others. The highest mean score is seen in Grammar and Syntax (4.9),
where most respondents strongly agree that AI tools significantly aid this aspect of writing.
Similarly, Idea Development and Paraphrasing and Rewriting also receive high mean scores of 4.7
and 4.6, respectively, reflecting strong agreement on AI's usefulness in these areas. Vocabulary
Enhancement (mean: 4.5) and Structure and Organization (mean: 4.3) also score well, showing that
many respondents find AI helpful in these aspects, although to a slightly lesser degree than the top-
rated categories. In contrast, the category of Critical Analysis receives the lowest mean score of 3.2,
with a notable number of respondents giving it the lowest rating (21 respondents marked "1"). This
suggests that while AI is generally seen as helpful in technical and organizational aspects of writing,
it may be perceived as less effective in supporting deeper, more analytical tasks. Lastly, Editing and
Proofreading also sees a favorable response with a mean of 4.2, indicating that many participants
agree on AI’s usefulness in this area. Overall, the data suggests that AI is seen as a valuable tool for

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improving writing, especially in mechanical areas like grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, but is less
favored for more complex skills like critical analysis.
The interview results show both similarities and differences when compared to the findings in
Table 2. One key similarity is that the students in both cases seem to recognize the technical
benefits of using AI, such as for grammar and syntax, idea development, and paraphrasing and
rewriting. In the interviews, students mentioned relying on ChatGPT to write essays automatically,
which aligns with the high mean scores in Table 2 for areas like grammar and syntax (4.9) and
paraphrasing (4.6), where AI is perceived as particularly useful. This suggests that students find
ChatGPT effective for handling the mechanical aspects of writing, confirming the quantitative data
from Table 2.
However, there is also a notable difference regarding the issue of plagiarism. In Table 2, the
use of AI for writing is seen as beneficial in several areas, but plagiarism is not explicitly mentioned
as a concern or benefit. In contrast, the interviews reveal that students tend to overlook plagiarism,
showing a lack of awareness or concern for the ethical implications of using AI-generated content,
as long as they are not caught by their teachers. This reveals a potential gap in students'
understanding of academic integrity when using AI, which is not reflected in the quantitative data
from Table 2.
Additionally, the interview responses suggest a passive approach to using AI (simply copying
the prompt and letting AI write the entire essay), whereas the data in Table 2 imply a more nuanced
use of AI for specific areas of improvement like editing, proofreading, and critical analysis.
Interestingly, critical analysis has the lowest mean score (3.2) in Table 2, indicating that students
may not view AI as particularly helpful for deeper, more complex thinking tasks, which aligns with
the interviews where students use AI for basic writing tasks without much critical engagement.
In summary, while both the interviews and Table 2 show that students recognize the
usefulness of AI in improving mechanical aspects of writing, the interviews expose a lack of
concern for plagiarism and a more passive use of AI, which contrasts with the more detailed
feedback on specific writing skills from Table 2.
Both studies highlight the usefulness of ChatGPT in improving specific writing skills, but
with some variation in focus. The study shows that grammar and syntax receive the highest praise
(mean = 4.9), with significant emphasis on mechanical aspects of writing like paraphrasing and
rewriting (mean = 4.6). Similarly, Nguyen Ngoc Mai (2024) emphasizes idea development as the
most valued benefit (mean = 4.35), reflecting how ChatGPT assists with expanding and structuring
ideas. Both studies agree that ChatGPT enhances vocabulary and supports paraphrasing, but Mai's
study introduces a more nuanced view on academic integrity, mentioning that students tend to
overlook plagiarism concerns. This ethical aspect is less pronounced in this study’s findings, where
the primary focus is on technical skill improvements.
Next, the learners’ attitudes toward the worries of using AI in writing English which is
demonstrated in Table 3:
Table 3: Students’ perception of challenges of using AI in writing
Like scale
Perception
1 2 3 4 5 Mean

1.I am worried about the

40 25 24 11 1 1.9
accuracy of the information

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provided by AI

2. I am worried about
35 36 28 2 0 1.8
plagiarism when using AI
3. The answers provided by
AI may lack specialized 11 13 35 40 2 3.3
knowledge.
4.I am worried about
becoming overly reliant on 4 10 12 31 44 3.7
AI
5.AI may misunderstand the
context of my question or
provide answers that do not 32 14 16 14 25 2.6
accurately align with my
intended purpose
The table illustrates students' perceptions of the challenges associated with using AI in
writing. The results reveal a mix of concerns, with some challenges more prominent than others.
Worry about the accuracy of AI-provided information has the lowest mean score of 1.9, suggesting
that most students do not view accuracy as a major issue, with 40 respondents strongly disagreeing
that it is a concern. Similarly, concern about plagiarism has the lowest mean of 1.8, indicating that
students are not particularly worried about AI leading to plagiarism, as evidenced by the large
number of low ratings in this category.
On the other hand, a more moderate concern is the idea that AI may lack specialized
knowledge, which receives a mean score of 3.3. This reflects a somewhat divided opinion, with
many students acknowledging that while AI can be helpful, it may not always provide expert-level
responses. The highest level of concern is seen in the category of becoming overly reliant on AI,
which has a mean score of 3.7. A significant portion of respondents (44) rated this a "5," showing
that students fear the risk of depending too heavily on AI tools for their writing tasks.
Lastly, the challenge that AI may misunderstand the context of questions or provide
misaligned answers has a mean of 2.6, suggesting a moderate level of concern. While not the
highest priority, some students do express worry about AI misinterpreting their intent. Overall, the
data indicate that while students trust AI’s accuracy and do not fear plagiarism, there are real
concerns about over-reliance and the limitations of AI in delivering context-specific or specialized
information.
The interview results show that many students use ChatGPT passively in the essay writing
process, typically by simply copying the prompt into the AI and allowing it to generate the essay.
This supports and complements the analysis of the concern about plagiarism in table 3, where
students’ level of worry about this issue is very low (mean: 1.8). From the interviews, it is evident
that students do not really care whether they might inadvertently commit plagiarism, as long as they
are not caught by their teachers. This attitude directly reflects their indifference towards the risk of
plagiarism when using AI, explaining why most students did not see it as a significant issue when
surveyed.

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On the other hand, the lack of attention to avoiding plagiarism does not mean that students
fully trust AI. They still show concern about becoming overly reliant on AI (mean: 3.7). This may
stem from their awareness that overusing AI could diminish their personal skills or reduce their
control over the content of their writing. Overall, the interview data supports the conclusion that
students have not fully recognized the issue of plagiarism when using AI, but they do express a
certain level of concern about becoming too dependent on this technology.
5. DISCUSSION
The study revealed several key findings regarding students' use of AI tools in their writing.
Firstly, there was a heavy reliance on ChatGPT, with limited use of other applications such as
grammar-checking tools. This suggests that students have developed a strong dependence on
ChatGPT and may be neglecting other important aspects of writing, such as plagiarism prevention.
Secondly, the study highlighted students' concerns about becoming overly reliant on AI. Lastly, the
findings indicated that students often used a simplistic approach to prompting AI, merely copying
and pasting assignment prompts without providing specific instructions or guidelines. These results
underscore the need for more comprehensive AI literacy programs to equip students with the skills
to effectively and responsibly use AI in their academic work.
Therefore, the study revealed a high level of reliance on AI tools, particularly ChatGPT,
among students. While these tools offer significant benefits, such as generating ideas and improving
writing structure, it is crucial for students to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how
to effectively utilize them. This includes learning to provide clear and specific prompts, exploring a
variety of AI tools beyond ChatGPT, and understanding the limitations of AI-generated content. To
optimize the use of AI in writing, students should be encouraged to: (1) experiment with different
AI tools and platforms; (2) learn to craft detailed and nuanced prompts; (3) critically evaluate the
output generated by AI tools; and (4) use AI as a supplement rather than a replacement for their own
critical thinking and writing skills. By developing these skills, students can harness the power of AI
to enhance their writing while maintaining their own intellectual independence.
This article is complementary for Selim (2024), Chan & Hu (2023) and Nguyen Ngoc Mai
(2024), which states that (i) Positive Perception of AI: All three studies consistently found that
students have a favorable view of AI tools and their potential to enhance writing skills. (ii)
Concerns about Overreliance: However, the studies also raised concerns about the potential for
students to become overly dependent on AI, which can hinder their own critical thinking and
writing development. However, this study extended that study provides insights into the unique
experiences and perceptions of students at a particular stage of their academic journey and it delves
into various aspects of AI use, including student approaches to prompting, grammar-checking tool
usage, and plagiarism avoidance in University of Economics- Technology for Industries.
The integration of AI in academic writing has raised various concerns among students, which
my research explores, particularly in comparison to Nguyen Ngoc Mai’s (2024) findings. In the
study, students showed lower levels of concern regarding the accuracy of AI-generated content
(mean 1.9) and the risk of plagiarism (mean 1.8), in contrast to Nguyen Ngoc Mai’s results, where
these issues were rated more critically (means 3.44 and 3.45, respectively). However, both studies
revealed similar concerns about the potential over-reliance on AI, with scores of 3.7 (mine) and 3.81
(Nguyen Ngoc Mai’s). Additionally, the concern over AI’s lack of specialized knowledge was
moderate in both studies (mean 3.3 in this study, 3.27 in hers). Despite some differences, the
findings suggest that students are aware of AI’s benefits but remain cautious about its limitations,

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especially in academic integrity and overuse. Educators should guide students on responsible AI
usage to maximize its potential without compromising learning.
6. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this study highlights the widespread use of AI tools, particularly ChatGPT,
among second-year English majors at the University of Economics-Technology for Industries. The
findings reveal a strong reliance on ChatGPT, with limited use of other grammar-checking tools and
a lack of proficiency in effectively prompting AI applications. While students benefit significantly
from AI tools in areas such as structure, idea development, grammar, and paraphrasing, challenges
remain in fully utilizing these tools, particularly in fostering critical analysis and avoiding
plagiarism. The study emphasizes the need for comprehensive AI literacy programs to help students
use AI responsibly and enhance their writing skills effectively.
This study provides valuable insights into the perceptions and practices of second-year
English majors regarding AI tools in writing; however, it is limited by its small sample size of 101
students from a single university. This may not adequately represent the broader student population.
Future research should aim to include a larger, more diverse sample to enhance the generalizability
of the findings and provide a more comprehensive understanding of AI tool usage in writing across
different educational contexts.

REFERENCES
Abdullayeva, M., & Musayeva, Z. M. (2023). The Impact of Chat Gpt on Student's Writing Skills:
An Exploration of Ai-Assisted Writing Tools. In International Conference of Education,
Research and Innovation (Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 61-66).
Chan, C. K. Y., & Hu, W. (2023). Students’ voices on generative AI: Perceptions, benefits, and
challenges in higher education. International Journal of Educational Technology in
HigherEducation, 20(1), 43.
Mahapatra, S. (2024). Impact of ChatGPT on ESL students’ academic writing skills: a mixed
methods intervention study. Smart Learning Environments, 11(1), 9.
Nguyen Ngoc Mai (2024). Nhận thức của sinh viên đại học và giảng viên về việc sử dụng ChatGPT
để cải thiện kỹ năng viết học thuật. Ngôn ngữ và đời sống, 4(352), 94-101.
Selim, A. S. M. (2024). The transformative impact of AI-powered tools on academic writing:
Perspectives of EFL university students. International Journal of English Linguistics, 14(1),
14.
Weigle, S. C. (2002). Assessing Writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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ỨNG DỤNG CÔNG NGHỆ THÔNG TIN TRONG DẠY VÀ HỌCTIẾNG

TRUNG TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KINH TẾ - KỸ THUẬT CÔNG NGHIỆP
Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hà
Trường Đại học Kinh Tế - Kỹ Thuật Công Nghiệp

TÓM TẮT
Công nghệ thông tin (CNTT) thay đổi nhiều mặt của xã hội và có vị thế chủ đạo trong các
ngành, giáo dục cũng nằm trong số đó. Hiện nay, nếu thiếu CNTT dạy cũng như học ngoại ngữ chắc
chắn sẽ trở lên khó khăn hơn nhiều. Cùng sự phát triển lớn mạnh của tiếng Trung, CNTT càng trở
lên quan trọng hơn. Bài viết nêu lên được thực trạng, vị thế của CNTT đối với dạy cũng như học
tiếng Trung ở trường Đại học Kinh tế Kỹ thuật Công nghiệp (UNETI). Thông qua việc đánh giá,
phân tích và từ các kết quả đã có, kết hợp với kinh nghiệm của chính tác giả trong giảng dạy, thêm
vào đó chúng tôi đã dùng phương pháp định lượng, thu thập các kết quả từ việc khảo sát các sinh
viên (SV) năm hai và phương pháp định tính thông qua phỏng vấn SV năm thứ tư khoa Ngoại ngữ
tại UNETI. Kết quả đã cho chúng ta hiểu được CNTT quan trọng ra sao trong việc dạy cũng như
học tiếng Trung. Trên kết quả tổng hợp được, chúng tôi sẽ có một vài kiến nghị để việc dạy, học
tiếng Trung mang lại kết quả cao.
Từ khóa: dạy học tiếng Trung, ứng dụng công nghệ thông tin, vai trò của công nghệ thông
tin, giáo dục
1. ĐẶT VẤN ĐỀ
Chúng ta thấy vai trò của CNTT vô cùng lớn. Các mặt của xã hội đều có sự xuất hiện của
CNTT. Spencer trong cuốn sách “Nattering on the net” đã từng nói ứng dụng CNTT ( UDCNTT) có
mặt trong tất cả các mặt của giáo dục. Vì vậy UDCNTT vào dạy cũng như học ngôn ngữ là điều tất
yếu. Từ sự giúp sức của thiết bị, người dạy và người học có thêm phương tiện để tương tác nhiều
hơn, thêm vào đó là mạng internet, mạng xã hội cũng tạo lên sự kết nối rộng lớn, nhờ vậy chúng ta
đã không còn khó khăn khi kết nối với nhau, và cũng dễ dàng kết nối với người bản xứ.
Các nghiên cứu trong và ngoài nước đã khẳng định tính tích cực của CNTT vào trong giảng
dạy như của tác giả Châu Ngọc Huy (2019) , Mai Phương Thúy (2023), Nguyễn Thùy Linh (2021) ,
汪峥, 陈烨, 龚园 ( 2020) , 侯羽穜 (2017) … Trong luận án tiến sỹ “ Nghiên cứu UDCNTT trong
dạy học kỹ năng nghe nói cho sinh viên chuyên ngành tiếng Trung Quốc ở Việt Nam ” của tác giả
Nguyễn Thị Bảo Ngân ( 2019) đã chỉ ra rằng hầu hết các giáo viên đều công nhận lợi ích của CNTT
trong giảng dạy. Việc sử dụng CNTT kích thích sự hứng thú của sinh viên trong việc học, giúp sinh
viên tập trung hơn, học tập hiệu quả hơn. Tiếng Trung là thứ tiếng đặc thù, học tiếng Trung chúng ta
ngoài học phiên âm còn phải học chữ viết nên giảng dạy chúng ta cần chú ý nhiều hơn. Dạy ngôn
ngữ ngoài việc dạy kiến thức còn giúp người học hiểu thêm văn hóa của nước họ. Do đó chúng ta
phải tạo được sự hấp dẫn, sinh động và hiệu quả ở các giờ học. Việc UDCNTT là một cách tốt nhất
giúp người dạy đạt được điều đó.
Nhờ CNTT mà việc dạy cũng như học đã thay đổi nhiều. Từ việc giáo viên được lấy làm
trung tâm thì trung tâm hiện nay là người học và CNTT đã trợ giúp rất tốt việc này. Người học chủ
động hơn, sáng tạo hơn, các em chịu khó tương tác hơn, góp phần làm tăng kết quả dạy và học.
Tính đến hiện tại, nghiên cứu về tác dụng của CNTT trong dạy và học đã có nhiều nhưng để
làm rõ về UDCNTT trong dạy và học tiếng Trung một cách toàn diện thì chưa có, cũng chưa có
nghiên cứu nào nói về UDCNTT trong dạy học tiếng Trung tại UNETI. Chính vì thế, ở bài này, tác

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giả muốn phân tích thực trạng việc UDCNTT vào dạy, học tiếng Trung, cũng như vai trò của nó
trong dạy, học tiếng Trung hiện nay tại UNETI, dựa vào kết quả thu thập được, chúng tôi sẽ đưa ra
các kiến nghị nhằm làm cho chất lượng dạy, học được nâng cao.
Câu hỏi nghiên cứu
a. Mức độ sử dụng và vai trò của UDCNTT trong việc dạy học tiếng Trung ?
b. Các công cụ và phần mềm CNTT nào được sử dung hiệu quả trong việc giảng dạy tiếng
Trung tại UNETI?
2. CƠ SỞ LÝ THUYẾT
2.1. Xu hướng và vai trò của UDCNTT trong dạy học ngoại ngữ
Trước sự nhảy vọt thần tốc của công nghệ, CNTT được thúc đẩy mạnh mẽ trong việc dạy, học
và có ảnh hưởng rất lớn. Theo tác giả Châu Ngọc Huy (2019) vệc UDCNTT giảng dạy ngoại ngữ sẽ
giúp cho bài học càng hấp dẫn hơn, SV hứng thú hơn với học tập, chất lượng dạy và học sẽ tốt hơn.
Tác giả Mai Phương Thúy (2023) cũng cho rằng sự phát triển của CNTT thực sự đã tạo được nhiều
cơ hội học tập hơn. Việc UDCNTT trong học tiếng Trung Quốc giúp người học có nhiều nguồn tài
nguyên học tập mới mà trước đây không có được. Việc ứng dụng mạnh mẽ CNTT trong học tập đã
kết nối người học đến với thế giới tiếng Trung Quốc rộng lớn, kho kiến thức đa dạng. Tác giả
Nguyễn Thùy Linh (2021) cũng cho rằng UDCNTT vào giảng dạy mang lại tiện lợi rất lớn. Người
dạy và người học linh động cả thời gian cũng như địa điểm, năng lực cá nhân cũng được phát huy;
chất lượng về nhân lực cũng được đáp ứng.
Có thể thấy việc dạy và học có UDCNTT làm cho người dạy có các buổi giảng hấp dẫn, sinh
động, người học cũng cảm thấy thích thú hơn với môn học. Các kỹ năng giao tiếp phát triển toàn
diện hơn. Người dạy có thể sử dụng tivi, máy tính, công cụ máy chiếu, hay quản lý lớp qua hệ
thống, qua các nền tảng học tập để làm cho tiết học lôi cuốn hơn. Từ các nguồn tài liệu đa dạng trên
internet, người học được thêm nhiều kiến thức, ngoài ra còn rèn luyện thêm kỹ năng và các cách
giải quyết vấn đề cần thiết cho thời đại số. Các phần mềm được dùng dạy học cũng dần được phổ
biến rộng trong các trường.
Với đề án tăng cường UDCNTT và chuyển đổi số trong giáo dục và đào tạo giai đoạn 2022 -
2025, định hướng đến năm 2030 được Chính phủ phê duyệt ngày 25/11/2022 đã cho thấy CNTT
chiếm một vai trò vô cùng quan trọng trong dạy, học. Nhờ UDCNTT mà người dạy và người học đã
theo kịp xu hướng số hóa hiện nay và năng lực công nghệ cũng được phát triển đồng đều hơn.
Ngoài ra, năm 2023-2024 Bộ Giáo dục có hướng dẫn cụ thể các trường thực hiện nhiệm vụ chủ yếu
trong đó có UDCNTT. Điều này càng chứng minh cho xu hướng UDCNTT hiện nay trong dạy cũng
như học, rất khó để tách khỏi CNTT.
Việc khai thác CNTT được triển khai bằng nhiều cách. Khả năng sử dụng thành thạo hết các
tính năng của CNTT ở mỗi người là khác nhau. Nếu người dạy khai thác tốt và hướng dẫn được
người học khai thác được các tính năng này thì tính tự học được phát huy và người học không tốn
nhiều thời gian học mà vẫn giao tiếp tốt bằng ngoại ngữ.
Richard E. Mayer trong nghiên cứu của mình chỉ ra rằng nhờ các công cụ như âm thanh, hình
ảnh, đồ họa…hỗ trợ mà người dạy sẽ tạo ra được những bài giảng lôi cuốn người học, giúp họ tập
trung hơn, GV kết hợp nhiều phương pháp dạy học thì GV với SV sẽ có sự trao đổi, tương tác qua
lại tốt hơn. Cũng nhờ có các phần mềm, chất lượng giảng dạy được nâng cao, trên lớp có thể tạo ra
được nhiều hoạt động tương tác hơn, việc kiểm soát người học cũng nhờ đó mà tốt hơn. Khả năng
của người học sẽ được phát huy tốt nhất, khi đó họ càng tự tin hơn và sẽ sôi nổi tham gia tương tác
cùng người dạy. Với sự kết nối của internet, máy tính là kho dữ liệu phong phú cung cấp tài liệu cho
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việc dạy và học. GV và SV chủ động hơn, trao đổi thông tin cũng dễ dàng. Vai trò trung tâm của
người thầy cũng dần được thay đổi, trở thành người hướng dẫn.
Người học có môi trường học tốt hơn nhờ việc UDCNTT, được nghe giọng chuẩn, chính xác
của người bản xứ. SV có thể luyện tập nghe nói, từ đó phát triển nhanh nghe, nói, đọc viết của bản
thân, giúp các em có phản xạ nhanh, hứng thú hơn trong học tập và ngày càng tự tin hơn. Việc
CNTT tham gia vào dạy cũng như học ngoại ngữ đã trở thành xu thế trong giáo dục hiện nay.
2.2. UDCNTT trong dạy và học tiếng Trung tại UNETI
GV dạy tiếng Trung tại UNETI đều đang dùng sự trợ giúp của phần mềm powerpoint.
Powerpoint được trình bày đẹp mắt, thu hút SV với nhiều hình ảnh cuốn hút, các audio được tích
hợp sử dụng giúp SV luyện phát âm và luyện nghe dễ dàng. Ngoài ra, nhờ phần mềm
strokeorder.com - phần mềm chạy chữ, SV có thể viết chữ Hán đúng, dễ dàng hơn.
Hiện nay giáo trình Hán ngữ 6 quyển đang được triển khai cho SV khoa ngoại ngữ không
chuyên tiếng Trung. Giáo trình có sẵn các audio luyện phát âm, giúp SV phát âm chuẩn, thêm vào đó
là các audio đọc từ mới và bài khóa giúp SV luyện đọc, luyện nghe. Giáo trình được thiết kế từng
phần rõ ràng giúp cho GV khi triển khai xây dựng bài giảng dễ dàng hơn.
Phần mềm LMS, EGOV được dùng để cung cấp tài liệu và quản lý SV như: điểm danh, giao
bài tập, chấm điểm, nhập điểm...Khi học, SV làm bài tập theo tuần, sau đó gửi lên LMS. Việc ứng
dụng phần mềm giúp cho GV và SV giao bài, chấm bài cũng như nộp bài thuận lợi hơn.
Trong quá trình luyện phát âm, SV được yêu cầu nghe audio và nhắc lại, ngoài ra còn quay
video và nộp lại, việc này giúp cho GV ngoài giờ dạy trên lớp vẫn kiểm tra được việc phát âm của
SV xem chính xác chưa. Không chỉ trên lớp mà sau giờ học, SV được giao làm việc theo cặp, theo
nhóm để luyện kỹ năng nói theo các chủ điểm GV yêu cầu sau đó quay lại video nộp cho GV. Nhờ
vậy khả năng nói của SV được cải thiện.
Nhằm tăng thêm hứng thú cho SV, các trò chơi được xây dựng trên quizizz, kahoot. Nhờ dùng
phần mềm này trong việc tạo trò chơi trong giảng dạy đã giúp giờ học hấp dẫn và cuốn hút hơn.
Tiến bộ lớn nhất mà CNTT mang lại cho việc giảng dạy tiếng Trung tại UNETI chính là các
khóa học trực tuyến. Khi dùng các nền tảng như Zoom, Google Meet, SV chỉ cần có internet là có
thể tham gia học dù đang ở nơi nào. Đặc biệt, những bài giảng được ghi lại và lưu trữ trực tuyến
giúp SV dễ dàng xem lại. Mấy năm trước, khi đại dịch Covid bùng phát, các lớp học đã được phát
huy rất hiệu quả, giúp GV, SV vẫn có thể triển khai dạy, học bình thường, dù là đại dịch, hay cách ly
thì dạy và học không bị ảnh hưởng.
Các phần mềm học tiếng Trung miễn phí như: HelloChinese, Duolingo, Hanzi.dict, google
Translate...cũng được các bạn SV sử dụng rất nhiều, nhờ vậy mà các em có tiến bộ rõ rệt, chỉ cần có
mạng wifi cùng chiếc điện thoại hiện đại là các em có thể học dù đang ở bất kỳ đâu.
Tuy việc UDCNTT trong dạy tiếng Trung được GV thực hiện khá tốt nhưng cũng vấp phải
những khó khăn. GV chưa đồng đều về khả năng CNTT và chưa nắm được toàn bộ những công
dụng của phần mềm. Thêm vào đó chất lượng mạng Internet của trường đôi khi chưa đủ mạnh để
GV, SV có thể tham gia vào bài nhanh nhất. Có phòng học thiết bị giảng dạy như máy tính đã quá
cũ chưa được thay thế giúp cho việc trình chiếu bài giảng có chạy chữ Hán gặp khó khăn.
3. PHƯƠNG PHÁP NGHIÊN CỨU
3.1. Phương pháp nghiên cứu
Phương pháp định lượng được áp dụng trong nghiên cứu này nhằm làm rõ CNTT có vai trò ra sao
trong dạy học tiếng Trung. Tác giả sử dụng bảng khảo sát nhằm tìm hiểu mức độ UDCNTT trong giờ

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học cũng như mức độ UDCNTT trong học tiếng Trung của SV và hiệu quả sử dụng CNTT trong giảng
dạy tại UNETI. Ngoài ra phương pháp định tính cũng được tác giả sử dụng thông qua phỏng vấn các em
SV việc UDCNTT và sử dụng các app học tiếng Trung.
3.2. Đối tượng và phạm vi nghiên cứu
Đối tượng nghiên cứu là 131 SV năm hai và năm tư chuyên ngành tiếng Anh đang học ngoại
ngữ 2 tiếng Trung tại Khoa Ngoại ngữ của UNETI.
Chúng tôi đã gửi bảng câu hỏi tới 100 SV năm hai Khoa Ngoại ngữ tại UNETI ở các lớp khác
nhau để thấy được vai trò của UDCNTT trong dạy và học tiếng Trung tại UNETI. Ngoài ra chúng
tôi phỏng vấn 31 SV năm thứ tư Khoa Ngoại ngữ tại UNETI để thấy UDCNTT và sử dụng các app
học tiếng Trung làm tăng thành tích học tập của các em.
3.4. Công cụ thu thập dữ liệu
Số liệu được lấy từ bảng khảo sát đối với các SV năm hai Khoa Ngoại ngữ Uneti thông qua
Google Forms và phỏng vấn sinh viên năm thứ tư Khoa Ngoại ngữ Uneti . Bảng khảo sát được dựa
trên nội dung khảo sát trong bài nghiên cứu “Ứng dụng CNTT trong dạy và học tiếng Anh ở bậc đại
học” của tác giả Huỳnh Tấn Hội năm 2018 và bài nghiên cứu “ Đánh giá thực trạng ứng dụng
CNTT vào giảng dạy tiếng Trung Quốc tại Viện Ngoại ngữ ĐH Bách Khóa Hà Nội” của tác giả
Phạm Thị Thanh Vân, bảng khảo sát có điều chỉnh nội dung tương thích với mục tiêu nghiên cứu.
4. KẾT QUẢ VÀ THẢO LUẬN
4.1. Kết quả khảo sát từ bảng câu hỏi
Khảo sát về ứng dụng và vai trò của CNTT trong dạy và học tiếng Trung tại UNETI được
triển khai đối với 100 SV khoa Ngoại ngữ UNETI ở 3 lớp khác nhau. Nhóm SV này đã học xong
môn tiếng Trung 1. Kết quả cho thấy:
4.1.1. Về mức độ UD CNTT trong giờ học
Mức độ (%)

STT Hình thức Sử dụng Tương

Thỉnh Không sử
thường đối đều
thoảng dụng
xuyên đặn
1 Sử dụng ghi âm bài đọc 47 21 21 11
2 Trình chiếu slide 83 13 4 0
3 Áp dụng phần mềm dạy học viết chữ 72 18 8 2

Qua tổng hợp khảo sát cho thấy trong giờ học có 68% ( 47+21) GV thường xuyên và khá đều
đặn sử dụng ghi âm bài đọc. 21% thi thoảng và 11% không sử dụng.
83% thường xuyên trình chiếu slide, 13% khá đều đặn và 4% thi thoảng sử dụng. không có
GV nào không áp dụng. Qua ta phân tích của thể thấy được rằng slide được ứng dụng vào giảng dạy
tiếng Trung ở tất cả các giờ học.
Ngoài sử dụng ghi âm bài đọc, chiếu slide, các phần mềm khác như phần mềm viết chữ cũng
được GV thường xuyên dùng, chiếm 72%. Có 18% sử dụng khá đều đặn và 8% là thi thoảng sử
dụng. Chỉ có 2% là không áp dụng. Ta có thể thấy các phần mềm cũng được GV sử dụng với số
lượng lớn ở các giờ giảng.
4.1.2. Về mức độ UDCNTT trong học tiếng Trung của SV

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Việc UDCNTT vào học tiếng Trung là rất cấp thiết nhằm nâng cao chất lượng học của SV,
thực tế từ số liệu thu được có 46% SV thường xuyên sử dụng CNTT, 32% sử dụng khá đều đặn,
20% thi thoảng sử dụng và chỉ có 2% không áp dụng. ( Hình 1) ( Mức độ sử dụng CNTT trong học
tiếng Trung).

Hình 1

Sự phát triển của mạng Internet giúp SV có thêm nguồn tài liệu để học tiếng Trung tốt hơn,
tổng hợp số liệu thu được có tới 45% các bạn sinh viên được hỏi thường xuyên sử dụng các app
hoặc trang web từ điển online để phục vụ cho việc học tiếng Trung, 45% sử dụng các app học tiếng
Trung, 4% sử dụng phần mềm chuyên dụng viết chữ, 6% sử dụng các trang web học tiếng
Trung.(Hình 2) (UDCNTT trong việc học tiếng Trung )
Hình 2

4.1.3. Kết quả của việc dùng CNTT trong giảng dạy
(Thang đo Likert đã được sử dụng để xây dựng các câu hỏi, được chia theo 5 mức như sau: Mức
1: rất không đồng ý, Mức 2: không đồng ý , Mức 3: tương đối đồng ý, Mức 4: đồng ý, Mức 5 : rất đồng
ý)
STT Kết quả %
Mức độ Mức độ Mức độ Mức độ Mức độ
1 2 3 4 5
1 Hỗ trợ việc học và viết từ mới 6 12 34 22 26

2 Bài giảng có tính tương tác làm 6 14 30 25 25

tăng hứng thú cho SV.
3 Giúp SV sôi nổi xây dựng bài 5 10 32 28 25

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4 Trao đổi kiến thức giữa SV với 3 12 31 21 33

GV và SV với SV dễ dàng hơn
5 SV chủ động hơn trong tìm kiếm 5 11 24 24 36
học liệu và đề ôn.
6 SV được luyện tập thường xuyên 5 12 24 22 37
hơn nhờ các phần mềm hoặc
website hỗ trợ học tập.

Từ thống kê số liệu trên ta thấy kết quả của việc dùng CNTT trong giảng dạy ở mức độ 1,2
chỉ chiếm < 20%, còn lại mức độ 3,4,5 chiếm > 80%. Ta có thể thấy UDCNTT trong giảng dạy
mang lại kết quả rất lớn, việc học và viết từ mới của SV được hỗ trợ rất nhiều. Ngoài ra ứng dụng
CNTT còn làm cho SV tăng hứng thú với tiết học, làm cho tiết học trở lên sôi nổi hơn. Không chỉ
có vậy qua việc UDCNTT, người học có thể chủ động và học thường xuyên nhờ phần mềm hoặc
các trang website. Việc kết nối giữa SV với nhau, giữa SV với GV cũng trở lên dễ dàng hơn.
Có đến 71% SV cho rằng nên áp dụng CNTT vào trong giảng dạy vì sẽ giúp SV học tiếng
Trung tốt hơn. 22% cho rằng rất cần thiết và nên áp dụng ngay. Chỉ có 7% cho rằng áp dụng cũng
được và không cũng được. (Bạn nghĩ sao nếu áp dụng CNTT vào trong giảng dạy tiếng Trung?)
4.2. Kết quả phỏng vấn
Qua phỏng vấn 31 SV năm thứ 4 khoa Ngoại ngữ UNETI, 100% các em đều cho rằng
UDCNTT trong học tiếng Trung làm tăng thành tích học tập tiếng Trung lên rất nhiều. Có 77.4%
cho rằng sử dụng các app học tiếng Trung trau dồi thêm được nhiều kiến thức. Số còn lại không có
ý kiến.
4.3. Đề xuất giải pháp UDCNTT trong dạy và học tiếng Trung tại UNETI
Kinh tế phát triển góp phần đưa tiếng Trung trở thành ngôn ngữ được nhiều người dùng chỉ
sau tiếng Anh. Cùng với sự tăng nhanh về số người học tiếng Trung, các công cụ hỗ trợ học cũng
được quan tâm nhiều hơn, trong đó có CNTT. CNTT không chỉ hỗ trợ tốt cho việc đào tạo tiếng
Trung mà còn giúp người học có thêm hứng thú với môn học. Tuy vậy, việc UDCNTT của mỗi GV
là khác nhau, hiệu quả cũng không giống nhau. Để việc áp dụng CNTT trong đào tạo tiếng Trung
hiệu quả hơn, cần chú ý những điều sau:
4.3.1. Đối với GV
GV tham gia giảng dạy tiếng Trung cần trang bị cho mình kỹ năng CNTT nhất định, khi đó
mới có đủ khả năng để UDCNTT vào xây dựng bài giảng, linh hoạt triển khai bài giảng một cách
hiệu quả. Trong một buổi học, để SV dễ dàng nắm được cách viết Hán tự, GV có thể giới thiệu các
ứng dụng về cách viết thứ tự các nét chữ Hán qua phiên bản 4.0 Chinese Writing Master. Để luyện
phát âm tiếng Trung, GV có thể chia sẻ phần mềm Ezipinyin. Ngoài ra, GV còn có thể chia sẻ các
phần mềm học tiếng Trung hay từ điển điện tử để việc học của SV được hiệu quả và thú vị hơn.
Để có nội dung bài học sinh động, hấp dẫn trình chiếu cho SV trong các buổi học tiếng Trung
đòi hỏi GV phải không ngừng tìm tòi và UDCNTT. Để bài học thu hút người học hơn, GV có thể
xây dựng các trò chơi ở các bài giảng. Ngoài các phần mềm Quizizz, kahoot, GV có thể khai thác
một số trò chơi có trên PowerPoint để các em ôn tập bài đã học, rèn thêm các kỹ năng và tạo không
khí sôi nổi cho buổi học. GV cần làm tốt vai trò hướng dẫn, khích lệ sinh viên UDCNTT vào việc tự
học tiếng Trung, giúp người học tăng hiệu quả tự học.

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GV ngoài việc tự cố gắng bồi dưỡng kỹ năng CNTT, tìm hiểu và UDCNTT hiệu quả để giảng
dạy tiếng Trung được nâng cao, thì cũng rất cần nhận được sự hướng dẫn, đào tạo từ nhà trường, từ
những chuyên gia về lĩnh vực CNTT. Ngoài việc nỗ lực từ bản thân GV, để bồi dưỡng cũng như
khích lệ GV sử dụng CNTT trong dạy học còn phải trang bị máy móc đầy đủ như tivi, máy chiếu,
mạng wifi...giúp GV có thể dùng CNTT để triển khai trên bài giảng của mình. Vì vậy, nhà trường
cần nâng cấp, trang bị các thiết bị và mạng wifi để GV và SV có thể vào dễ dàng để lấy các tài liệu
dạy và học.
4.3.2. Đối với SV
Biết UDCNTT trong học tập làm thành tích học tập tăng lên rất nhiều. Đối với SV học tiếng
Trung ngoài việc học ở trường lớp, các em còn có thể dùng các app học tiếng để trau dồi thêm kiến
thức như các app Hellochinese, Duolingo, phần mềm luyện phát âm, các trang website học tập tiếng
Trung, các bài học trên youtube, tra cứu từ điển online như Hanzii.dict...Chúng ta chỉ cần điện thoại
và mạng wifi thì có thể học vào bất kỳ thời gian nào và bất kỳ ở đâu. Hãy tích cực, chủ động
UDCNTT để thành tích học tập được nâng cao, rèn luyện phát âm chuẩn giống người bản xứ.
5. KẾT LUẬN
UDCNTT trong việc dạy cũng như học tập tiếng Trung tại UNETI đã có tác dụng lớn. Ngoài
việc nâng cao được chất lượng giảng dạy thì những cơ hội mới cho SV trong công việc sau này
cũng được mở rộng. Công nghệ không chỉ hỗ trợ đắc lực mà còn là nơi kết nối GV và SV, SV với
SV, lý thuyết với thực tiễn, ngôn ngữ với văn hóa.
Nhờ UDCNTT trong việc dạy cũng như học tiếng Trung mà hiệu quả học tập đã tăng cao. Có
thể nói kết quả mà CNTT mang lại là không nhỏ. Giờ dạy có UDCNTT lôi cuốn được không chỉ
người học mà còn cả người dạy. Từ hứng thú với môn tiếng Trung, các em sẽ tìm ra các cách học
riêng hiệu quả cho mình.
Trong bối cảnh tiếng Trung được dùng ngày càng nhiều, việc tích hợp CNTT vào giáo dục
ngôn ngữ càng cần thiết hơn. UNETI đang khẳng định mình là một trong nhiều đơn vị sử dụng
thành công công nghệ vào giảng dạy, chuẩn bị cho SV không chỉ kiến thức về ngoại ngữ mà còn có
được những kỹ năng cần thiết để có thể sử dụng cho công việc sau này.
Qua nội dung nghiên cứu, chúng ta thấy vai trò quan trọng của việc UDCNTT trong dạy cũng
như học tiếng Trung, từ đó cũng đã chỉ ra được một số giải pháp để chất lượng dạy và học có kết
quả tốt hơn. Tuy nhiên bài viết vẫn còn hạn chế do lượng SV tham gia khảo sát chưa đông và mới
chỉ khảo sát được các em SV năm hai và năm thứ tư khoa Ngoại ngữ. Qua nghiên cứu này, chúng
tôi hy vọng sẽ giúp GV và SV hiểu rõ vai trò của UDCNTT trong dạy và học tiếng Trung, để CNTT
ngày càng được ứng dụng nhiều hơn, mang lại hiệu quả cao hơn cho người dạy cũng như người
học.
TÀI LIỆU THAM KHẢO
Tiếng Việt
Châu Ngọc Huy ( 2019). Một số giải pháp UDCNTT trong dạy và học tiếng Trung
Huỳnh Tấn Hội ( 2018 ). UDCNTT trong dạy và học tiếng Anh ở bậc đại học, Tạp chí khoa học
trường ĐH Đồng Tháp, số 34
Nguyễn Thùy Linh (2021). Một vài kiến nghị về ứng dụng công nghệ thông tin vào giảng dạy tiếng
Trung Quốc cho sinh viên hệ từ xa, Tạp chí Khoa học trường ĐH Mở Hà Nội
Mai Phương Thúy (2023). Các UDCNTT trong học khẩu ngữ tiếng Trung Quốc, Tạp chí khoa học
trường ĐH Mở Hà Nội, số 108

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Phạm Thị Thanh Vân ( 2017). Đánh giá thực trạng ứng dụng công nghệ thông tin vào giảng dạy
tiếng Trung Quốc tại Viện Ngoại ngữ Đại học Bách Khoa Hà Nội, Tạp chí Khoa học Ngoại
ngữ Quân sự, số 09
Nguyễn Thị Xuyên ( 2022). Một số giải pháp UDCNTT trong dạy và học ngoại ngữ thời kỳ 4.0
<http://ftf.saodo.edu.vn/nghien-cuu-trao-doi/mot-so-giai-phap-ung-dung-cong-nghe-thong-t
in-trong-day-va-hoc-ngoai-ngu-thoi-ki-4-0-125.html>
Tiếng Trung
侯,羽.穜.(2017).科技軟體應用於語文教育面面觀 ，2017 年 OSET 自由軟體與
育科技學術研討會
王,佳.璐., 刘,吉.祥., 张,靖.雯.(2021). 线上教学背景下高校师生互动情况研究
汪,峥., 陈,烨., 龚,园.(2020). 浅析信息技术在教学中的应用, 现代教育论坛
余,可.华. (2016). 多种现代技术支持的第二语言学习, 海外华文教育

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ỨNG DỤNG CÔNG NGHỆ THÔNG TIN VÀO DẠY - HỌC NGÔN NGỮ
Nguyễn Đình Thịnh
Trường Đại học Hồng Đức Thanh Hóa

TÓM TẮT
Bài báo này nghiên cứu về sự ứng dụng của công nghệ thông tin (CNTT) trong giáo dục ngôn
ngữ, đặc biệt là trong việc cá nhân hóa và nâng cao trải nghiệm học tập. Các công cụ học tập trực
tuyến và ứng dụng như Duolingo, Grammarly, cùng với công nghệ trí tuệ nhân tạo (AI) và phân tích
dữ liệu, đang tạo ra những thay đổi đáng kể trong cách thức dạy và học ngôn ngữ. Bài báo cũng
khảo sát việc kết hợp công nghệ với phương pháp giảng dạy truyền thống, nhấn mạnh vai trò của
giáo viên trong việc phát triển tư duy ngôn ngữ của học viên. Mặc dù CNTT mang lại nhiều lợi ích,
bài viết cho rằng cần có một cách tiếp cận cân bằng để phát huy tối đa tiềm năng của cả hai yếu tố.
Các nghiên cứu tiếp theo có thể tập trung vào việc phát triển giải pháp khắc phục các thách thức
hiện tại, nhằm tối ưu hóa hiệu quả học tập và cải thiện chất lượng giảng dạy ngôn ngữ.
Từ khóa: Cá nhân hóa học tập, Công nghệ thông tin, Giáo dục ngôn ngữ, Học máy, Trí tuệ
nhân tạo.
1. ĐẶT VẤN ĐỀ
Trong bối cảnh chuyển đổi số và sự bùng nổ của công nghệ thông tin, giáo dục đã bước vào
một giai đoạn phát triển mới với sự tích hợp ngày càng sâu rộng của công nghệ vào quá trình dạy và
học. Đặc biệt, trong lĩnh vực dạy và học ngôn ngữ, các công nghệ tiên tiến như trí tuệ nhân tạo (AI),
học máy (machine learning), và phân tích dữ liệu lớn (Big Data) đã và đang thay đổi cách tiếp cận
truyền thống, mang đến những cơ hội và thách thức mới. (Li, J., & Wong, C. S. (2021))
Sự phát triển nhanh chóng của các nền tảng học tập trực tuyến như Duolingo, Babbel, và
Rosetta Stone đã chứng minh khả năng ứng dụng công nghệ trong cá nhân hóa lộ trình học tập, tạo
môi trường học tập tương tác, và nâng cao hiệu quả giáo dục. Các công cụ này không chỉ giúp
người học tiếp cận kiến thức một cách thuận tiện mà còn cung cấp phản hồi tức thì, tự động hóa
việc đánh giá và tối ưu hóa nội dung học tập theo thời gian thực. (Vesselinov, R., & Grego, J. ,2020)
Bên cạnh đó, các công cụ dịch thuật tự động và tương tác thời gian thực như Google Translate
cũng đã góp phần quan trọng trong việc hỗ trợ người học ngôn ngữ. Những công cụ này không chỉ
giúp người dùng vượt qua rào cản ngôn ngữ mà còn mở ra cơ hội tiếp cận tài liệu, kiến thức toàn
cầu một cách dễ dàng hơn.
Tuy nhiên, sự tích hợp công nghệ vào dạy học ngôn ngữ cũng đặt ra một loạt vấn đề cần giải
quyết. Người học có thể trở nên phụ thuộc vào công nghệ, giảm sự tương tác trực tiếp với giáo viên
và môi trường học tập thực tế. Giáo viên, trong khi đó, cần phải đối mặt với áp lực nâng cao năng
lực sử dụng công nghệ và tìm cách cân bằng giữa phương pháp giảng dạy truyền thống và hiện đại.
Những câu hỏi về hiệu quả thực sự của các công nghệ này và cách chúng có thể được sử dụng để bổ
sung, chứ không phải thay thế, vai trò của giáo viên cũng cần được giải đáp.
Xuất phát từ nhu cầu cấp thiết này, bài viết đặt mục tiêu phân tích và đánh giá hiệu quả của
việc ứng dụng công nghệ thông tin, đặc biệt là AI, học máy, và phân tích dữ liệu, trong dạy và học
ngôn ngữ. Qua đó, nghiên cứu cũng đề xuất những hướng đi mới, phù hợp và bền vững để tận dụng
tối đa tiềm năng của công nghệ, đáp ứng nhu cầu ngày càng cao của người học và nâng cao chất
lượng giáo dục ngôn ngữ trong bối cảnh hiện đại.

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2. CƠ SỞ LÝ LUẬN
2.1. Trí tuệ nhân tạo và học máy trong giáo dục ngôn ngữ
Trí tuệ nhân tạo (AI) và học máy (machine learning) đã trở thành một phần quan trọng trong
giáo dục hiện đại, đặc biệt là trong lĩnh vực giáo dục ngôn ngữ. AI có khả năng mô phỏng các kỹ
năng nhận thức của con người, từ việc học hỏi, hiểu biết ngữ nghĩa đến ra quyết định, giúp tạo ra
những hệ thống học tập tự động và tương tác với người học một cách linh hoạt và hiệu quả hơn.
Một trong những ứng dụng nổi bật của AI trong giáo dục ngôn ngữ là các hệ thống học ngôn ngữ
trực tuyến như Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, và Babbel. Các nền tảng này sử dụng AI để điều chỉnh nội
dung học tập sao cho phù hợp với từng học viên, dựa trên các dữ liệu thu thập được từ tiến độ học tập
của họ. Việc sử dụng AI giúp các hệ thống này cá nhân hóa quá trình học, từ đó nâng cao hiệu quả học
ngôn ngữ. Chẳng hạn, Duolingo sử dụng các thuật toán học máy để theo dõi sự tiến bộ của người học và
điều chỉnh độ khó của bài tập, giúp học viên tiếp tục thử thách mà không cảm thấy quá khó hoặc quá dễ.
(Vesselinov, R., & Grego, J. ,2020)
Một ứng dụng khác của AI trong giáo dục ngôn ngữ là nhận diện giọng nói. Các công cụ này
sử dụng các thuật toán AI để nhận dạng và đánh giá khả năng phát âm của người học, cung cấp
phản hồi ngay lập tức về cách họ phát âm từ và câu. Điều này không chỉ giúp học viên cải thiện khả
năng phát âm mà còn nâng cao sự tự tin khi sử dụng ngôn ngữ. Chẳng hạn, Rosetta Stone đã phát
triển một công nghệ nhận diện giọng nói giúp người học nhận ra lỗi phát âm và cải thiện chúng một
cách hiệu quả. (González, A., 2020)
Ngoài ra, AI cũng đóng vai trò quan trọng trong việc tự động hóa các bài kiểm tra và bài tập.
Các hệ thống AI có thể đánh giá và phản hồi tự động đối với bài tập viết của học viên, giúp tiết
kiệm thời gian và mang lại phản hồi tức thì. Các ứng dụng như Grammarly sử dụng AI để kiểm tra
ngữ pháp, từ vựng, và phong cách viết, từ đó hỗ trợ học viên cải thiện kỹ năng viết của mình.
2.2. Phân tích dữ liệu và học tập cá nhân hóa
Phân tích dữ liệu lớn (Big Data) đã tạo ra một bước ngoặt lớn trong giáo dục, đặc biệt trong
việc cá nhân hóa quá trình học tập. Các công cụ phân tích dữ liệu như Learning Analytics (Phân tích
học tập) cho phép thu thập và phân tích hành vi học tập của học viên, từ đó xây dựng một trải
nghiệm học tập phù hợp với nhu cầu và phong cách học của từng cá nhân. (Siemens, G. ,2013)
Learning Analytics sử dụng các thuật toán và mô hình phân tích dữ liệu để theo dõi tiến độ học
tập của học viên qua từng bài học, từ việc đọc tài liệu, làm bài tập cho đến sự tham gia trong các hoạt
động học nhóm. Các dữ liệu này giúp giáo viên có cái nhìn sâu sắc về mức độ hiểu bài của học viên,
từ đó có thể đưa ra các điều chỉnh trong phương pháp giảng dạy hoặc các bài học tiếp theo. Ví dụ, nếu
một học viên gặp khó khăn trong một chủ đề nào đó, giáo viên có thể điều chỉnh lại phương pháp
giảng dạy hoặc cung cấp các tài liệu hỗ trợ thêm.
Các công cụ phân tích dữ liệu còn giúp tạo ra những trải nghiệm học tập cá nhân hóa, tức là
mỗi học viên có thể học theo lộ trình riêng của mình dựa trên khả năng, tốc độ học tập và sở thích
cá nhân. Điều này không chỉ giúp học viên tiến bộ nhanh chóng mà còn giúp giáo viên đưa ra các
phản hồi nhanh chóng và chính xác. Một ví dụ điển hình là Knewton, một nền tảng học trực tuyến
sử dụng phân tích dữ liệu để tạo ra các bài học và tài liệu học tập được tùy chỉnh cho từng học viên.
Các ứng dụng của phân tích dữ liệu không chỉ hỗ trợ người học mà còn giúp giáo viên quản lý
lớp học hiệu quả hơn. Nhờ vào các công cụ phân tích, giáo viên có thể dễ dàng theo dõi tiến độ của
cả lớp và phát hiện sớm những học viên gặp khó khăn, từ đó can thiệp kịp thời. Hơn nữa, việc sử
dụng Learning Analytics giúp cải thiện quá trình giảng dạy và học tập một cách liên tục, tạo ra một
môi trường học tập linh hoạt và phản hồi nhanh chóng. (Long, P. D., & Siemens, G. (2011))
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Các công cụ như Google Classroom và Moodle cũng hỗ trợ giáo viên và học viên trong việc
thu thập và phân tích dữ liệu học tập, giúp họ đưa ra quyết định chính xác và kịp thời để tối ưu hóa
kết quả học tập.
Tóm lại: Việc ứng dụng AI và học máy trong giáo dục ngôn ngữ không chỉ cải thiện hiệu quả
học tập mà còn mang đến những cơ hội mới trong việc cá nhân hóa trải nghiệm học. Đồng thời, phân
tích dữ liệu giúp tối ưu hóa quá trình dạy học, mang lại phản hồi nhanh chóng và giúp giáo viên đưa
ra những chiến lược giảng dạy phù hợp với nhu cầu của học viên. Những tiến bộ này đang dần thay
đổi cách thức học và dạy ngôn ngữ trong kỷ nguyên số.
3. PHƯƠNG PHÁP NGHIÊN CỨU
Nghiên cứu này được tiến hành thông qua một sự kết hợp giữa phương pháp phân tích tài liệu,
khảo sát ý kiến người dùng và phỏng vấn với giáo viên, học viên để đánh giá hiệu quả của các công
cụ công nghệ thông tin (CNTT) trong việc dạy và học ngôn ngữ, đặc biệt là các công cụ học ngôn
ngữ trực tuyến phổ biến. Các công cụ này, bao gồm Duolingo và Grammarly, được chọn làm ví dụ
minh họa điển hình để nghiên cứu sự ảnh hưởng của CNTT trong giáo dục ngôn ngữ.
3.1. Phân tích tài liệu
Phương pháp phân tích tài liệu được sử dụng để tổng hợp các nghiên cứu trước đây, các bài
báo khoa học, và các tài liệu liên quan đến việc ứng dụng công nghệ trong giáo dục ngôn ngữ. Các
tài liệu này cung cấp cái nhìn tổng quan về xu hướng phát triển của các công cụ học ngôn ngữ dựa
trên AI, học máy và phân tích dữ liệu. Đặc biệt, nghiên cứu tập trung vào việc phân tích các tính
năng nổi bật của các nền tảng học trực tuyến như Duolingo, một ứng dụng học ngôn ngữ phổ biến
sử dụng công nghệ AI để cá nhân hóa quá trình học và Grammarly, một công cụ hỗ trợ viết ngữ
pháp và cải thiện kỹ năng viết. Phân tích tài liệu giúp xác định các lý thuyết nền tảng và các phương
pháp dạy học mới được hỗ trợ bởi CNTT, từ đó cung cấp cơ sở lý luận cho nghiên cứu. (Chenliang
Deng, 2022)
3.2. Khảo sát ý kiến người dùng
Để có cái nhìn sâu sắc về hiệu quả thực tế của các công cụ CNTT trong việc học ngôn ngữ,
nghiên cứu tiến hành khảo sát ý kiến người dùng trên các nền tảng học trực tuyến như Duolingo và
Grammarly. Khảo sát này được thiết kế với các câu hỏi trắc nghiệm và câu hỏi mở, nhằm thu thập
phản hồi từ người học về trải nghiệm của họ với các công cụ học ngôn ngữ, mức độ hài lòng, và
cảm nhận của họ về việc cải thiện kỹ năng ngôn ngữ thông qua những công cụ này. Các câu hỏi tập
trung vào các yếu tố như:
• Tính hiệu quả: Người dùng cảm thấy thế nào về sự cải thiện trong kỹ năng ngôn ngữ của
họ sau khi sử dụng các ứng dụng này?
• Cá nhân hóa trải nghiệm học tập: Duolingo sử dụng AI để cá nhân hóa bài học. Học viên
có cảm thấy rằng chương trình học được điều chỉnh phù hợp với trình độ và tốc độ học của họ
không?
• Tính dễ sử dụng và sự tiện lợi: Các ứng dụng có dễ sử dụng và thuận tiện trong quá trình
học hay không?
Khảo sát được thực hiện qua các kênh trực tuyến, đảm bảo tính đại diện của mẫu khảo sát,
bao gồm cả người học mới bắt đầu và người học có kinh nghiệm.
3.3. Phỏng vấn giáo viên và học viên
Ngoài khảo sát, nghiên cứu cũng tiến hành phỏng vấn sâu với một nhóm giáo viên và học
viên. Phỏng vấn giáo viên nhằm làm rõ những nhận xét và đánh giá của họ về việc tích hợp công

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nghệ trong giảng dạy ngôn ngữ, các công cụ CNTT nào họ sử dụng trong lớp học và những lợi ích
cũng như thách thức khi áp dụng công nghệ vào quá trình giảng dạy. Các câu hỏi phỏng vấn bao
gồm:
• Tác động của công nghệ đến phương pháp giảng dạy: Công nghệ đã thay đổi cách thức
giảng dạy ngôn ngữ như thế nào?
• Hỗ trợ học viên: Các công cụ như Duolingo và Grammarly có giúp giáo viên trong việc
hỗ trợ học viên đạt được kết quả tốt hơn không?
Phỏng vấn học viên tập trung vào việc tìm hiểu trải nghiệm thực tế của họ khi sử dụng các
công cụ học ngôn ngữ trực tuyến, đặc biệt là về khả năng phát triển kỹ năng ngôn ngữ, sự phù hợp
của các bài học với nhu cầu học tập cá nhân và mức độ động viên mà các công cụ này mang lại.
Các câu hỏi phỏng vấn học viên bao gồm:
• Cảm nhận về việc học: Bạn cảm thấy thế nào khi sử dụng các ứng dụng học ngôn ngữ
này? Nó có giúp bạn cải thiện kỹ năng ngôn ngữ không?
• Các vấn đề gặp phải: Bạn gặp phải những khó khăn gì khi sử dụng các công cụ học này,
và bạn nghĩ gì về sự hỗ trợ của công cụ này đối với việc phát triển kỹ năng của bạn?
3.4. Các công cụ nghiên cứu và ứng dụng minh họa
Để làm rõ ứng dụng thực tế của CNTT trong giáo dục ngôn ngữ, nghiên cứu sử dụng hai ứng
dụng tiêu biểu: Duolingo và Grammarly. (Vesselinov, R., & Grego, J., 2012)
• Duolingo là một nền tảng học ngôn ngữ trực tuyến nổi bật, sử dụng các thuật toán AI để
cá nhân hóa trải nghiệm học, giúp học viên cải thiện các kỹ năng ngôn ngữ như nghe, nói, đọc và
viết thông qua các bài học ngắn và dễ tiếp cận. Duolingo cũng sử dụng trò chơi hóa để giữ học viên
động lực học tập và tạo ra một môi trường học tập vui vẻ và hiệu quả.
• Grammarly là một công cụ giúp người học cải thiện kỹ năng viết ngữ pháp và chính tả.
Bằng việc sử dụng AI và học máy, Grammarly cung cấp phản hồi tức thời về ngữ pháp, dấu câu, cấu
trúc câu và phong cách viết, giúp người học dễ dàng nhận diện và sửa lỗi trong bài viết của mình.
Công cụ này đặc biệt hữu ích trong việc nâng cao kỹ năng viết, đặc biệt là cho những người học
ngôn ngữ không phải là tiếng mẹ đẻ.
3.5. Phân tích và đánh giá dữ liệu
Sau khi thu thập dữ liệu từ khảo sát và phỏng vấn, nghiên cứu sử dụng phương pháp phân tích
định lượng và định tính để đánh giá hiệu quả của các công cụ CNTT trong giảng dạy và học ngôn
ngữ. Dữ liệu định lượng từ khảo sát sẽ được phân tích bằng phần mềm thống kê để tìm ra các xu
hướng và mối liên hệ giữa việc sử dụng công nghệ và kết quả học tập của học viên. Dữ liệu định
tính từ các cuộc phỏng vấn được mã hóa và phân tích để xác định các chủ đề chính, từ đó rút ra kết
luận về tác động của công nghệ đối với việc học ngôn ngữ.
4. KẾT QUẢ NGHIÊN CỨU
4.1. Tăng cường hiệu quả học tập
Các nền tảng học trực tuyến tích hợp trí tuệ nhân tạo (AI) đã chứng tỏ được hiệu quả trong
việc nâng cao khả năng phát âm, ngữ pháp, và kỹ năng viết của học viên. AI có khả năng nhận diện
giọng nói, từ đó đưa ra các phản hồi chính xác về phát âm và lỗi ngữ pháp. Ví dụ, hệ thống AI trong
các nền tảng như Duolingo có thể điều chỉnh phản hồi dựa trên mức độ chính xác của học viên, từ
đó khuyến khích học viên học tập và sửa lỗi theo một cách tiếp cận từng bước. Các ứng dụng học
ngôn ngữ này sử dụng thuật toán học máy để phân tích sự tiến bộ của học viên và cung cấp các bài
tập phù hợp với trình độ của họ, giúp cải thiện nhanh chóng kỹ năng sử dụng ngôn ngữ.

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4.2. Cá nhân hóa nội dung

Một trong những lợi ích lớn của công nghệ trong giáo dục ngôn ngữ là khả năng cá nhân hóa
nội dung học tập. Các hệ thống học trực tuyến như Duolingo hay Rosetta Stone sử dụng thuật toán
AI để điều chỉnh lộ trình học phù hợp với trình độ và nhu cầu của từng học viên. Thông qua việc
phân tích hành vi học tập và các kết quả đầu vào của học viên, hệ thống sẽ tự động điều chỉnh độ
khó của các bài tập, cung cấp các bài học và ví dụ phù hợp hơn với người học. Điều này giúp học
viên có thể học ở tốc độ và cách thức phù hợp nhất với khả năng của mình, đồng thời thúc đẩy động
lực học tập.
4.3. Tự động hóa đánh giá
Một yếu tố quan trọng trong việc cải thiện hiệu quả học tập là khả năng cung cấp phản hồi
nhanh chóng và chính xác. Các công cụ như Grammarly và Write & Improve tự động hóa việc đánh
giá văn bản viết của học viên, giúp họ nhận được phản hồi ngay lập tức về các lỗi ngữ pháp, cấu
trúc câu, và từ vựng. Các công cụ này không chỉ giúp học viên sửa chữa lỗi mà còn cung cấp những
gợi ý cải thiện nội dung, từ đó giúp nâng cao chất lượng bài viết. Tự động hóa đánh giá giúp tiết
kiệm thời gian cho giáo viên và học viên, đồng thời tạo điều kiện cho việc học tập liên tục và cải
thiện kỹ năng viết mà không cần sự can thiệp trực tiếp của giáo viên.
4.4. Thách thức
Mặc dù công nghệ mang lại nhiều lợi ích, nhưng cũng có những thách thức đáng kể. Một số
học viên có thể trở nên quá phụ thuộc vào công nghệ, dẫn đến việc thiếu sự tương tác thực tế với
giáo viên và bạn học. Việc học thông qua máy tính có thể tạo ra khoảng cách giữa học viên và giáo
viên, giảm thiểu các cơ hội thực hành giao tiếp trực tiếp và phản hồi ngay lập tức. Hơn nữa, không
phải tất cả giáo viên đều có khả năng ứng dụng công nghệ thông tin (CNTT) một cách hiệu quả. Sự
khác biệt trong khả năng sử dụng và khai thác công nghệ giữa các giáo viên có thể dẫn đến việc áp
dụng công nghệ không đồng đều, gây khó khăn trong việc triển khai các công cụ học tập số trong
lớp học.
5. THẢO LUẬN
Công nghệ hiện đại đang tạo ra những thay đổi sâu sắc trong dạy - học ngôn ngữ, mang đến
nhiều cơ hội cải thiện hiệu quả học tập và giảng dạy. Các công cụ như Duolingo, Grammarly và các
nền tảng học trực tuyến khác đã chứng minh được tính hiệu quả trong việc hỗ trợ học viên trong
việc tiếp cận và nâng cao các kỹ năng ngôn ngữ. Tuy nhiên, việc ứng dụng công nghệ trong giáo
dục không thể đơn giản là thay thế hoàn toàn phương pháp giảng dạy truyền thống mà cần có một
sự kết hợp hợp lý giữa công nghệ và phương pháp truyền thống để phát huy tối đa tiềm năng của cả
hai.
5.1. Lợi ích của công nghệ trong dạy - học ngôn ngữ
Công nghệ cung cấp các công cụ mạnh mẽ giúp cá nhân hóa việc học. Các nền tảng như
Duolingo sử dụng trí tuệ nhân tạo để điều chỉnh các bài học sao cho phù hợp với trình độ của người
học, từ đó giúp học viên tiến bộ với tốc độ phù hợp với năng lực của mình. Hệ thống phân tích dữ
liệu trong các ứng dụng này có thể theo dõi quá trình học của người dùng và cung cấp phản hồi
ngay lập tức, giúp học viên nhận ra và cải thiện những điểm yếu của mình một cách hiệu quả.
Công nghệ cũng giúp tạo ra môi trường học tập linh hoạt, cho phép học viên tiếp cận kiến
thức mọi lúc, mọi nơi. Việc học ngôn ngữ qua các ứng dụng di động giúp học viên có thể học mọi
lúc mọi nơi, từ đó tối ưu hóa thời gian học tập và tạo ra trải nghiệm học tập chủ động. Các công cụ
như Grammarly hỗ trợ học viên nâng cao kỹ năng viết bằng cách cung cấp phản hồi chi tiết về ngữ

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pháp, cấu trúc câu, và phong cách viết, giúp người học cải thiện dần dần khả năng sử dụng ngôn
ngữ chính xác và tự tin hơn. (Gulati, S. , 2016)
5.2. Cần một cách tiếp cận cân bằng
Mặc dù công nghệ mang lại nhiều lợi ích, nhưng việc quá phụ thuộc vào nó có thể dẫn đến
những hạn chế nhất định. Công nghệ không thể thay thế hoàn toàn vai trò của giáo viên trong việc
hướng dẫn và phát triển tư duy ngôn ngữ của học viên. Giáo viên không chỉ là người cung cấp kiến
thức mà còn là người tạo ra một môi trường học tập giao tiếp, giúp học viên thực hành ngôn ngữ
trong các tình huống thực tế và phát triển kỹ năng tương tác.
Do đó, cần một cách tiếp cận cân bằng giữa việc sử dụng công nghệ và phương pháp giảng
dạy truyền thống. Công nghệ có thể hỗ trợ học viên phát triển kỹ năng tự học, nhưng giáo viên vẫn
cần giữ vai trò trung tâm trong việc hướng dẫn, động viên và điều chỉnh quá trình học. Phương pháp
giảng dạy truyền thống, như việc tổ chức các buổi thảo luận, bài tập nhóm, và các hoạt động thực
hành trực tiếp, vẫn rất quan trọng để giúp học viên nâng cao khả năng giao tiếp và phản xạ ngôn
ngữ trong môi trường tương tác thực tế. (Gulati, S. , 2016)
5.3. Đào tạo giáo viên để sử dụng công nghệ hiệu quả
Để tận dụng tối đa tiềm năng của công nghệ trong dạy - học ngôn ngữ, giáo viên cần được đào
tạo để sử dụng các công cụ CNTT một cách hiệu quả. Điều này không chỉ giúp họ cải thiện việc
thiết kế bài giảng mà còn giúp họ theo dõi và đánh giá tiến độ học tập của học viên một cách chính
xác. Giáo viên cần hiểu rõ về các công cụ học tập số và cách tích hợp chúng vào chương trình giảng
dạy để tăng cường hiệu quả học tập.
Ngoài ra, giáo viên cũng cần có khả năng khuyến khích học viên sử dụng công nghệ một cách
tự chủ và độc lập, đồng thời giữ vai trò dẫn dắt trong việc phát triển tư duy ngôn ngữ của học viên.
Một giáo viên có năng lực công nghệ cao không chỉ giúp học viên làm quen với các công cụ học tập
mà còn khuyến khích họ phát triển kỹ năng ngôn ngữ một cách sáng tạo và phản xạ tốt hơn trong
các tình huống giao tiếp thực tế. (Van der Meij, H. & de Jong, T. , 2019)
5.4. Vai trò của người học
Trong quá trình kết hợp công nghệ vào dạy - học ngôn ngữ, người học cũng đóng vai trò quan
trọng. Họ cần chủ động và tự giác sử dụng các công cụ công nghệ để cải thiện kỹ năng ngôn ngữ
của mình. Tuy nhiên, điều này chỉ có thể xảy ra khi họ nhận thức được giá trị và hiệu quả của các
công cụ này trong việc hỗ trợ học tập.
Người học cần có thói quen sử dụng các ứng dụng học tập như Duolingo để luyện tập từ
vựng, ngữ pháp và phát âm ngoài giờ học chính thức. Cùng với đó, việc sử dụng các công cụ như
Grammarly để kiểm tra và sửa lỗi trong viết bài sẽ giúp họ tiến bộ nhanh chóng, đặc biệt trong việc
học các kỹ năng viết. (Godwin-Jones, R. , 2018)
Công nghệ trong dạy - học ngôn ngữ mở ra nhiều cơ hội mới, giúp tối ưu hóa quá trình học
tập và giảng dạy. Tuy nhiên, để đạt được hiệu quả tối ưu, cần phải kết hợp công nghệ với phương
pháp giảng dạy truyền thống, trong đó giáo viên đóng vai trò trung tâm trong việc phát triển tư duy
ngôn ngữ của học viên. Việc đào tạo giáo viên và nâng cao nhận thức của học viên về vai trò của
công nghệ trong học ngôn ngữ là điều kiện tiên quyết để đạt được sự cân bằng và hiệu quả trong
quá trình dạy - học.
6. KẾT LUẬN
Việc ứng dụng công nghệ thông tin (CNTT) trong giáo dục ngôn ngữ đã mang lại nhiều cơ
hội đổi mới và cải thiện chất lượng học tập. Các công cụ học tập trực tuyến, ứng dụng di động và

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phần mềm hỗ trợ như Duolingo, Grammarly, hay các nền tảng học tập trực tuyến khác đã và đang
giúp cá nhân hóa quá trình học tập, tối ưu hóa các kỹ năng ngôn ngữ của người học một cách hiệu
quả. Nhờ vào các công nghệ như trí tuệ nhân tạo (AI), học máy và phân tích dữ liệu, học viên có thể
nhận được phản hồi tức thời, được điều chỉnh học liệu phù hợp với khả năng và tiến độ học tập
riêng của mình. Điều này không chỉ giúp tăng cường khả năng tự học mà còn nâng cao sự tham gia
và động lực học tập của người học.
Tuy nhiên, mặc dù công nghệ mang lại những lợi ích rõ rệt, nó cũng không phải là một "phép
màu" có thể thay thế hoàn toàn phương pháp giảng dạy truyền thống. Việc áp dụng CNTT vào
giảng dạy ngôn ngữ cần phải có một cách tiếp cận hài hòa, kết hợp chặt chẽ với phương pháp giảng
dạy truyền thống. Giáo viên vẫn đóng vai trò trung tâm trong việc hướng dẫn, giám sát và phát triển
tư duy ngôn ngữ của học viên, nhất là trong những tình huống mà công nghệ chưa thể hoàn toàn
thay thế sự tương tác trực tiếp giữa người dạy và người học. Việc tích hợp công nghệ vào giảng dạy
ngôn ngữ không nên chỉ là việc áp dụng công cụ, mà phải là một quá trình thiết kế giáo dục toàn
diện, giúp phát huy tối đa tiềm năng của cả hai yếu tố công nghệ và phương pháp truyền thống.
Hơn nữa, để khai thác tối đa tiềm năng của CNTT trong giáo dục ngôn ngữ, cần tiếp tục
nghiên cứu và phát triển các giải pháp khắc phục những thách thức hiện tại, như việc cải thiện chất
lượng các công cụ tự động, giải quyết các vấn đề về bảo mật và quyền riêng tư của người học, và
đảm bảo tính công bằng trong việc tiếp cận công nghệ. Các nghiên cứu tiếp theo có thể tập trung
vào việc phát triển các phương pháp giảng dạy kết hợp hiệu quả giữa công nghệ và phương pháp
truyền thống, đồng thời mở rộng ứng dụng của AI và phân tích dữ liệu để tạo ra những giải pháp
học tập linh hoạt và hiệu quả hơn.
Nhìn chung, ứng dụng công nghệ trong giáo dục ngôn ngữ không chỉ là xu hướng hiện đại mà
còn là yếu tố quan trọng để nâng cao chất lượng dạy và học. Tuy nhiên, để đạt được hiệu quả toàn
diện, cần có một chiến lược phát triển bền vững và sự kết hợp hợp lý giữa công nghệ và phương
pháp giảng dạy truyền thống.

TÀI LIỆU THAM KHẢO

Li, J., & Wong, C. S. (2021). Artificial Intelligence in Language Learning: Current Trends and
Future Directions. Educational Technology & Society, 24(4), 15-28.
Vesselinov, R., & Grego, J. (2020). Duolingo Effectiveness Study. Duolingo Research Reports
González, A. (2020). Artificial Intelligence and Language Learning: How AI is Revolutionizing the
World of Language Education. Springer.
Siemens, G. (2013). Learning Analytics: The Emergence of a New Science of Learning. In
Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge, 1-6.
Long, P. D., & Siemens, G. (2011). Penetrating the Fog: Analytics in Learning and Education.
EDUCAUSE Review, 46(5), 31-40.
Chenliang Deng (2022). A Review on the Research of Computer-assisted Language Learning in
Language Teaching, Social Attitudes and Some Other Academic Circles. Journal of
Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Volume 5, 43-54
Vesselinov, R., & Grego, J. (2012). Duolingo Effectiveness Study. Duolingo Research.
Gulati, S. (2016). "Technology-enhanced learning in education: The shift towards digital learning
platforms." Educational Technology Research and Development, 64(3), 453-471.

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Van der Meij, H. & de Jong, T. (2019). "The role of educational technology in supporting teacher
student interaction." Computers & Education, 132, 107-118.
Godwin-Jones, R. (2018). "Emerging Technologies: Language Learning and Technology."
Language Learning & Technology, 22(2), 1-9.

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CÔNG NGHỆ THÔNG TIN: ĐỘNG LỰC THÚC ĐẨY SỰ ĐỔI MỚI
TRONG QUÁ TRÌNH HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ
Trịnh Thị Phú
Trần Minh Ngọc
Trường Đại học Hồng Đức.

TÓM TẮT
Bài báo nhấn mạnh vai trò của công nghệ thông tin (CNTT) trong việc cải tiến phương pháp
học ngoại ngữ, đặc biệt với sự phát triển nhanh chóng của các ứng dụng và nền tảng học tập trực
tuyến. Thông qua việc kết hợp trải nghiệm cá nhân của người học và phân tích các công cụ CNTT, bài
viết làm rõ cách công nghệ không chỉ nâng cao hiệu quả học tập mà còn tạo ra một môi trường học
tập ngoại ngữ linh hoạt, cá nhân hóa và tối ưu. Đồng thời, bài báo cũng xem xét các cơ hội và thách
thức mà công nghệ mang lại trong lĩnh vực giáo dục ngoại ngữ.
Từ khóa: Công nghệ thông tin, cá nhân hóa học tập, đổi mới giảng dạy, học ngoại ngữ, ứng
dụng giáo dục.
1. ĐẶT VẤN ĐỀ
Trong bối cảnh cách mạng công nghiệp 4.0, công nghệ thông tin (CNTT) đã trở thành động
lực chính thúc đẩy sự đổi mới trong nhiều lĩnh vực, bao gồm giáo dục. Với sự phát triển vượt bậc
của các công nghệ tiên tiến như trí tuệ nhân tạo (AI), dữ liệu lớn (Big Data), và mạng Internet vạn
vật (IoT), việc học tập nói chung và học ngoại ngữ nói riêng đang trải qua những thay đổi đáng kể.
Học ngoại ngữ từ lâu đã được xem là kỹ năng thiết yếu trong một xã hội ngày càng toàn cầu
hóa. Việc thông thạo ngôn ngữ không chỉ giúp con người mở rộng cơ hội nghề nghiệp, mà còn thúc
đẩy sự giao lưu văn hóa và hội nhập quốc tế. Tuy nhiên, các phương pháp học truyền thống thường
gặp hạn chế trong việc đáp ứng nhu cầu học tập linh hoạt, cá nhân hóa và phù hợp với từng đối
tượng người học.
Sự ra đời và phổ biến của các ứng dụng và nền tảng học tập trực tuyến như Duolingo, Rosetta
Stone, Busuu hay Coursera đã mở ra những hướng đi mới trong học ngoại ngữ. CNTT không chỉ
tạo điều kiện tiếp cận nguồn tài nguyên phong phú, mà còn giúp người học cá nhân hóa hành trình
học tập của mình. Tuy nhiên, bên cạnh những lợi ích rõ rệt, việc áp dụng CNTT vào giáo dục ngoại
ngữ cũng đặt ra nhiều thách thức:
• Liệu công nghệ có thể thay thế hoàn toàn vai trò của giáo viên truyền thống?
• Làm thế nào để đảm bảo tính học thuật và chất lượng nội dung trong các công cụ học tập
trực tuyến?
• Làm sao để vượt qua rào cản về kỹ thuật số và đảm bảo rằng mọi người học đều có cơ hội
tiếp cận công nghệ một cách công bằng?
Những câu hỏi trên làm nổi bật sự cần thiết phải nghiên cứu sâu hơn về vai trò của CNTT
trong học ngoại ngữ. Bài viết này tập trung vào việc phân tích:
1. Những cơ hội mà CNTT mang lại trong việc đổi mới phương pháp học ngoại ngữ.
2. Những thách thức hiện hữu khi triển khai CNTT vào thực tiễn giảng dạy và học tập.
3. Các giải pháp tiềm năng để tối ưu hóa việc sử dụng CNTT trong lĩnh vực này.

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Bằng cách kết hợp tổng hợp tài liệu và phân tích trải nghiệm thực tế của người học, bài viết sẽ
cung cấp một góc nhìn toàn diện về tác động của CNTT đối với quá trình học ngoại ngữ trong thời
đại kỹ thuật số.
2. CƠ SỞ LÝ LUẬN
CNTT đã và đang thay đổi cách tiếp cận truyền thống trong việc học ngoại ngữ. Sự phát triển
nhanh chóng của các nền tảng học tập trực tuyến, các ứng dụng di động và các công cụ hỗ trợ kỹ
thuật số đã mở ra những phương pháp mới giúp nâng cao hiệu quả học tập. Cơ sở lý luận của
nghiên cứu này dựa trên những lý thuyết học tập hiện đại và các kết quả nghiên cứu đã công bố về
vai trò của CNTT trong giáo dục.
2.1. Lý thuyết học tập hỗ trợ CNTT
Constructivism (Thuyết kiến tạo): Constructivism cho rằng việc học là một quá trình xây
dựng kiến thức dựa trên kinh nghiệm cá nhân và tương tác với môi trường xung quanh. Trong bối
cảnh CNTT, các công cụ như mô phỏng, bài tập tương tác và học tập dựa trên dự án giúp người học
xây dựng kiến thức một cách chủ động và phù hợp với nhu cầu của bản thân. Các nền tảng học
ngoại ngữ như Duolingo và Busuu, thông qua các bài học được thiết kế theo ngữ cảnh và tình
huống thực tế, đã minh chứng cho khả năng ứng dụng lý thuyết này. (Jonassen, D. H. , 1999)
Connectivism (Thuyết kết nối): Connectivism nhấn mạnh vai trò của mạng lưới trong việc
học tập, cho rằng kiến thức không chỉ tồn tại trong cá nhân mà còn trong các mối quan hệ, công cụ,
và nguồn thông tin trực tuyến. Trong học ngoại ngữ, các cộng đồng học tập trên nền tảng trực tuyến
như italki hoặc Coursera giúp người học kết nối với giáo viên, bạn học và tài liệu từ khắp nơi trên
thế giới, tạo nên một môi trường học tập liên kết và tương tác. (Siemens, G. , 2005)
2.2. Lợi ích của môi trường học tập kỹ thuật số
Các nghiên cứu trước đây đã chỉ ra nhiều lợi ích của việc áp dụng CNTT trong học ngoại ngữ:
• Tăng khả năng tương tác: CNTT cung cấp các công cụ hỗ trợ như chatbots, trò chơi giáo
dục, và video tương tác, giúp người học thực hành kỹ năng ngôn ngữ một cách sinh động và hiệu
quả. (Vygotsky, L. S., 1978)
• Cải thiện kỹ năng ngôn ngữ: Các nền tảng học tập trực tuyến cung cấp tài liệu đa dạng, từ
kỹ năng nghe, nói, đọc, viết đến phát âm, giúp người học tiếp cận và thực hành ngôn ngữ toàn diện.
(Blake, R. J., 2013)
• Tạo động lực học tập: Giao diện thân thiện, các tính năng trò chơi hóa (gamification) như
phần thưởng, xếp hạng và thử thách cá nhân, giúp người học duy trì hứng thú và động lực trong
suốt quá trình học.
2.3. Hạn chế cần lưu ý
Mặc dù có nhiều lợi ích, việc áp dụng CNTT trong học ngoại ngữ cũng gặp một số hạn chế:
• Khả năng truy cập công nghệ: Không phải mọi người học đều có điều kiện tiếp cận với
các thiết bị và kết nối Internet ổn định, đặc biệt ở các vùng nông thôn hoặc các nước đang phát
triển.
• Chi phí sử dụng: Một số công cụ và nền tảng yêu cầu trả phí cao, làm hạn chế cơ hội
tiếp cận của nhiều người học.
• Mức độ thích ứng của người học: Không phải ai cũng có kỹ năng số để sử dụng các
công cụ CNTT hiệu quả. Điều này đặc biệt đúng với những người lớn tuổi hoặc ít tiếp xúc với công
nghệ.

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• Hạn chế trong tương tác xã hội: Mặc dù công nghệ hỗ trợ học tập cá nhân hóa, nhưng
nó không thể thay thế hoàn toàn sự tương tác trực tiếp với giáo viên và bạn học, yếu tố quan trọng
trong việc thực hành ngôn ngữ một cách tự nhiên.
Những cơ sở lý luận nêu trên khẳng định rằng việc áp dụng CNTT vào học ngoại ngữ là một
xu hướng tất yếu và đầy tiềm năng. Tuy nhiên, để tận dụng triệt để lợi ích mà công nghệ mang lại,
cần giải quyết các hạn chế về truy cập, kỹ năng và chi phí, đồng thời phối hợp giữa các lý thuyết
học tập hiện đại để xây dựng một môi trường học tập toàn diện và hiệu quả. (Van Dijk, J. A. G. M.,
2020)
3. PHƯƠNG PHÁP NGHIÊN CỨU
Bài viết sử dụng phương pháp nghiên cứu hỗn hợp, bao gồm việc tổng hợp tài liệu và phân
tích trải nghiệm thực tế của người học ngoại ngữ nhằm cung cấp một cái nhìn toàn diện về vai trò
của công nghệ thông tin (CNTT) trong đổi mới phương pháp học tập.
3.1. Tổng hợp tài liệu
Phương pháp này tập trung vào việc thu thập và phân tích các nguồn tài liệu thứ cấp liên quan
đến ứng dụng CNTT trong giáo dục ngoại ngữ. Các nguồn tài liệu bao gồm:
o Các bài báo khoa học từ các tạp chí chuyên ngành uy tín như Journal of Language and
Technology và Computers & Education.
o Báo cáo nghiên cứu từ các tổ chức giáo dục, ví dụ như UNESCO và Hội đồng Anh
(British Council), về xu hướng công nghệ trong học tập ngôn ngữ.
o Sách chuyên khảo về giáo dục số, các phương pháp học tập hiện đại và ứng dụng của trí
tuệ nhân tạo (AI) trong giảng dạy ngoại ngữ.
Nội dung từ các tài liệu này được phân loại thành các chủ đề chính: lợi ích của CNTT trong
học ngoại ngữ, các công nghệ hỗ trợ học tập hiện đại và những thách thức đối với người học và giáo
viên.
3.2. Phân tích các công cụ học tập trực tuyến
Nghiên cứu đã thực hiện đánh giá sâu các nền tảng học tập phổ biến, tập trung vào ba công cụ
chính:
o Duolingo: Một ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ miễn phí với hệ thống bài học dựa trên trò chơi
hóa.
o Busuu: Nền tảng học tập có sự kết hợp giữa nội dung do chuyên gia phát triển và tương
tác cộng đồng.
o Coursera: Hệ thống khóa học trực tuyến cung cấp các chương trình học ngoại ngữ từ các
trường đại học danh tiếng.
Mỗi công cụ được đánh giá dựa trên các tiêu chí: tính thân thiện với người dùng, khả năng cá
nhân hóa nội dung học tập, mức độ hỗ trợ kỹ năng ngôn ngữ toàn diện (nghe, nói, đọc, viết) và chi
phí sử dụng.
3.3. Khảo sát thực tế
Khảo sát được tiến hành với 50 học viên đang tham gia các khóa học ngoại ngữ trực tuyến ở
nhiều cấp độ khác nhau (từ cơ bản đến nâng cao). Mẫu khảo sát bao gồm:
o Sinh viên đại học sử dụng ứng dụng học tập miễn phí hoặc có phí.
o Nhân viên văn phòng học ngoại ngữ để phát triển kỹ năng nghề nghiệp.
o Người tự học qua các nền tảng trực tuyến.

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Khảo sát tập trung vào các câu hỏi liên quan đến:
o Tần suất sử dụng các công cụ CNTT trong học tập.
o Đánh giá mức độ hiệu quả và sự hài lòng khi học qua các nền tảng trực tuyến.
o Những khó khăn và thách thức gặp phải trong quá trình sử dụng công nghệ.
Dữ liệu thu thập được phân tích định tính và định lượng, từ đó làm nổi bật các ưu và nhược
điểm của CNTT trong học ngoại ngữ.
3.4. Kết hợp và phân tích
Dựa trên thông tin thu thập từ tài liệu và khảo sát, nghiên cứu tiến hành so sánh và đối chiếu
giữa các lý thuyết, công cụ CNTT, và phản hồi thực tế từ người học. Phương pháp này giúp xác
định rõ ràng những khía cạnh mà CNTT hỗ trợ hiệu quả và những điểm cần cải tiến để đáp ứng tốt
hơn nhu cầu học tập ngoại ngữ trong bối cảnh hiện nay.
4. KẾT QUẢ NGHIÊN CỨU
Nghiên cứu đã phân tích và tổng hợp dữ liệu từ tài liệu, công cụ CNTT và khảo sát thực tế,
từ đó làm rõ những cơ hội và thách thức trong việc ứng dụng CNTT vào học ngoại ngữ.
4.1. Cơ hội từ CNTT trong học ngoại ngữ
Kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy CNTT mang lại nhiều lợi ích vượt trội, đặc biệt trong việc tối ưu
hóa quá trình học tập:
• Học tập linh hoạt về không gian và thời gian: Các nền tảng học trực tuyến cho phép
người học chủ động lựa chọn thời gian và địa điểm học tập phù hợp với lịch trình cá nhân. Điều này
đặc biệt hữu ích cho những người bận rộn như sinh viên làm thêm hoặc nhân viên văn phòng.
(Godwin-Jones, R., 2011)
• Tài liệu học tập phong phú và đa dạng: CNTT cung cấp quyền truy cập vào nhiều loại tài
liệu, từ video, bài giảng tương tác, đến các tài nguyên miễn phí hoặc có phí trên các nền tảng như
Duolingo, Coursera, và YouTube. Điều này giúp người học tiếp cận được nguồn kiến thức cập nhật
và chất lượng từ các chuyên gia trên toàn cầu. (Blake, R. J., 2013)
• Hỗ trợ cá nhân hóa quá trình học: Công nghệ trí tuệ nhân tạo (AI) và học máy (Machine
Learning) cho phép các ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ tùy chỉnh nội dung học tập dựa trên trình độ, sở
thích và mục tiêu của từng người học. Ví dụ, AI trong Duolingo có thể theo dõi tiến độ học tập và
đề xuất các bài học phù hợp với nhu cầu cá nhân.
• Môi trường học tập sáng tạo và thú vị: Các yếu tố như trò chơi hóa, bài kiểm tra tương tác
và hoạt động học tập thực tế giúp duy trì động lực học tập và làm cho quá trình học ngoại ngữ trở
nên hấp dẫn hơn.
4.2. Thách thức khi ứng dụng CNTT vào học ngoại ngữ
Mặc dù mang lại nhiều cơ hội, việc triển khai CNTT trong giáo dục ngoại ngữ vẫn đối mặt
với các thách thức quan trọng:
• Sự chênh lệch trong tiếp cận công nghệ: Ở các khu vực có điều kiện kinh tế và cơ sở hạ
tầng hạn chế, người học gặp khó khăn trong việc tiếp cận thiết bị công nghệ và kết nối Internet chất
lượng cao. Điều này tạo ra khoảng cách lớn về cơ hội học tập giữa các nhóm đối tượng. (Van Dijk,
J. A. G. M., 2020)
• Thiếu kỹ năng số của người học và giáo viên: Nhiều người học và giáo viên thiếu kiến
thức hoặc kỹ năng để sử dụng hiệu quả các công cụ CNTT. Điều này làm giảm đáng kể hiệu quả
của các ứng dụng học tập. (Selwyn, N., 2011)

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• Hạn chế trong tương tác xã hội: Các nền tảng trực tuyến không thể thay thế hoàn toàn sự
tương tác trực tiếp giữa giáo viên và học viên hoặc giữa các học viên với nhau. Điều này có thể ảnh
hưởng đến việc phát triển các kỹ năng giao tiếp thực tế.
• Thiếu tính học thuật ở một số ứng dụng: Nhiều ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ tập trung vào các
nội dung cơ bản, thiếu tài liệu hoặc phương pháp phù hợp cho người học trình độ cao. Điều này làm
hạn chế hiệu quả đối với những người muốn đạt được trình độ ngôn ngữ chuyên sâu. (Stockwell,
G., 2012)
Tóm tắt kết quả
Kết quả nghiên cứu nhấn mạnh rằng CNTT là công cụ hỗ trợ mạnh mẽ trong học ngoại ngữ,
nhưng để tận dụng hết tiềm năng, cần giải quyết các rào cản về kỹ thuật, kinh tế và phương pháp.
Điều này đòi hỏi sự phối hợp và đầu tư từ các nhà phát triển công nghệ, giáo viên, và cả người học.
5. THẢO LUẬN
Kết quả nghiên cứu đã làm rõ những tiềm năng to lớn mà công nghệ thông tin (CNTT) mang
lại cho việc học ngoại ngữ, đồng thời chỉ ra các vấn đề cần được giải quyết để tối ưu hóa ứng dụng
công nghệ trong giáo dục ngôn ngữ.
5.1. Lợi ích của CNTT trong học ngoại ngữ
o Tạo động lực học tập: Các nền tảng học trực tuyến thường tích hợp các yếu tố trò chơi
hóa (gamification) như điểm thưởng, huy hiệu, bảng xếp hạng, giúp người học duy trì sự hứng thú
và cam kết lâu dài với việc học. Điều này đặc biệt hiệu quả đối với người mới bắt đầu hoặc những
người cần cải thiện động lực tự học.
o Tăng cường hiệu quả học tập: Nhờ các công nghệ như trí tuệ nhân tạo (AI) và học máy
(machine learning), các công cụ học tập hiện đại có thể cá nhân hóa nội dung học phù hợp với trình
độ và mục tiêu của từng người học, từ đó tối ưu hóa quá trình tiếp thu kiến thức. Ví dụ, Duolingo sử
dụng AI để theo dõi tiến độ học tập và điều chỉnh độ khó của bài học.
o Mở rộng khả năng tiếp cận: CNTT giúp người học vượt qua rào cản địa lý và thời gian.
Các nền tảng như Coursera hay Busuu cung cấp các khóa học từ xa, cho phép người học tiếp cận
kiến thức từ các trường đại học và chuyên gia quốc tế mà không cần phải rời khỏi nơi ở của mình.
5.2. Thách thức và hạn chế
o Thiếu đồng đều trong tiếp cận công nghệ: Sự khác biệt về điều kiện kinh tế và kỹ thuật số
giữa các khu vực dẫn đến tình trạng không đồng đều trong việc tiếp cận CNTT. Ở các khu vực nông
thôn hoặc quốc gia đang phát triển, việc thiếu cơ sở hạ tầng và thiết bị công nghệ khiến nhiều người
học gặp khó khăn.
o Hạn chế trong tương tác xã hội: Các nền tảng học tập trực tuyến thường không thể thay
thế hoàn toàn sự tương tác trực tiếp giữa giáo viên và học sinh. Điều này có thể làm giảm hiệu quả
trong việc rèn luyện kỹ năng giao tiếp thực tế, đặc biệt là kỹ năng nói.
o Thiếu tính học thuật ở một số công cụ: Nhiều ứng dụng học ngoại ngữ tập trung quá mức
vào các bài học cơ bản, thiếu nội dung phù hợp cho người học trình độ nâng cao.
5.3. Sự phối hợp giữa các bên liên quan
Để tối ưu hóa hiệu quả ứng dụng CNTT, cần có sự hợp tác chặt chẽ giữa:
o Nhà phát triển công cụ: Cần cải tiến các nền tảng học tập bằng cách tích hợp nội dung
học thuật chất lượng cao, công nghệ hỗ trợ đa ngôn ngữ và chức năng tương tác xã hội.

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o Giáo viên: Đóng vai trò là người hướng dẫn và hỗ trợ, giúp học viên sử dụng hiệu quả
các công cụ CNTT. Giáo viên cũng cần được đào tạo kỹ năng số để khai thác triệt để tiềm năng của
công nghệ.
o Người học: Cần nâng cao ý thức tự học và sử dụng công nghệ một cách hiệu quả, kết hợp
giữa học trực tuyến và thực hành trong môi trường thực tế.
5.4. Giải pháp và chiến lược cải thiện
o Đào tạo kỹ năng số: Xây dựng các chương trình đào tạo dành cho giáo viên và người học
để nâng cao kỹ năng sử dụng công nghệ trong học tập.
o Tăng cường tính tương tác: Kết hợp các hoạt động giao tiếp trực tiếp hoặc qua video call
để phát triển kỹ năng nói và tương tác xã hội.
o Nghiên cứu và phát triển: Đầu tư vào nghiên cứu để cải tiến các công cụ học tập, đảm bảo
phù hợp với nhu cầu thực tế của người học ở các cấp độ khác nhau.
Việc ứng dụng CNTT trong học ngoại ngữ đang mở ra nhiều triển vọng, nhưng để khai thác
hết tiềm năng, cần giải quyết các thách thức hiện tại và đảm bảo sự phối hợp đồng bộ từ nhiều phía.
Điều này sẽ giúp tạo ra một môi trường học tập tối ưu, toàn diện và hiệu quả hơn cho tất cả người
học.
6. KẾT LUẬN
Công nghệ thông tin (CNTT) đã chứng minh vai trò không thể thay thế trong việc đổi mới và
nâng cao hiệu quả học ngoại ngữ. Thông qua các công cụ và nền tảng học tập hiện đại, CNTT
không chỉ hỗ trợ người học vượt qua các rào cản về không gian và thời gian mà còn cung cấp môi
trường học tập cá nhân hóa và giàu tính tương tác.
6.1. Những đóng góp nổi bật của CNTT trong học ngoại ngữ
Bài viết đã làm rõ những tiềm năng to lớn mà CNTT mang lại, bao gồm:
• Cải thiện trải nghiệm học tập: Công nghệ giúp quá trình học ngoại ngữ trở nên linh hoạt,
thú vị và phù hợp với nhu cầu đa dạng của người học.
• Tăng cường khả năng tiếp cận giáo dục: CNTT tạo điều kiện cho mọi người, từ học sinh,
sinh viên đến người lớn tuổi, tiếp cận với tài nguyên học tập chất lượng cao từ khắp nơi trên thế
giới.
• Thúc đẩy sự sáng tạo trong phương pháp giảng dạy và học tập: Công nghệ đã mở ra
những cách tiếp cận mới, giúp kết hợp lý thuyết và thực hành một cách hiệu quả hơn.
6.2. Thách thức cần vượt qua
Bên cạnh những lợi ích, bài viết cũng chỉ ra các rào cản cần được giải quyết để tối ưu hóa việc
ứng dụng CNTT trong giáo dục ngoại ngữ:
• Khoảng cách kỹ thuật số: Sự khác biệt trong điều kiện tiếp cận công nghệ vẫn là thách
thức lớn ở nhiều nơi trên thế giới.
• Hạn chế trong nội dung và tính học thuật: Nhiều công cụ học tập cần được cải tiến để đáp
ứng nhu cầu học tập chuyên sâu và đa dạng hơn.
• Thiếu kỹ năng số: Cả người học và giáo viên cần được trang bị kỹ năng sử dụng công
nghệ để khai thác triệt để tiềm năng của CNTT.

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6.3. Tầm quan trọng của việc ứng dụng công nghệ hợp lý
Để tận dụng triệt để tiềm năng của CNTT, cần có sự hợp tác đồng bộ từ các bên liên quan.
Các nhà giáo dục cần đóng vai trò hướng dẫn, giúp người học khai thác công nghệ hiệu quả, trong
khi các nhà phát triển công cụ cần tập trung cải tiến sản phẩm để phù hợp với nhu cầu thực tế.
6.4. Hướng phát triển tương lai
Trong bối cảnh toàn cầu hóa và hội nhập quốc tế ngày càng sâu rộng, việc ứng dụng CNTT
trong học ngoại ngữ không chỉ là xu hướng mà còn là yêu cầu thiết yếu. Các chiến lược dài hạn cần
tập trung vào:
• Đầu tư vào nghiên cứu và phát triển: Tạo ra các công cụ học tập thông minh, linh hoạt
hơn, hỗ trợ người học ở mọi trình độ.
• Xây dựng hệ sinh thái học tập toàn diện: Kết hợp giữa công nghệ và các yếu tố học tập
truyền thống để tạo ra môi trường giáo dục toàn diện.
• Đào tạo kỹ năng số cho người học và giáo viên: Đảm bảo rằng mọi người đều có khả
năng tiếp cận và sử dụng hiệu quả công nghệ.
Tóm lại, CNTT không chỉ là một công cụ hỗ trợ mà còn là động lực quan trọng thúc đẩy sự
đổi mới trong giáo dục ngoại ngữ. Việc tận dụng công nghệ một cách hợp lý sẽ mang lại lợi ích lâu
dài, góp phần phát triển nguồn nhân lực toàn cầu có khả năng ngôn ngữ tốt hơn, phù hợp với yêu
cầu của thời đại kỹ thuật số.
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Jonassen, D. H. (1999). Designing Constructivist Learning Environments. In Instructional Design
Theories and Models. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. International Journal of
Instructional Technology and Distance Learning.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes.
Harvard University Press.
Blake, R. J. (2013). Brave New Digital Classroom: Technology and Foreign Language Learning.
Georgetown University Press.
Van Dijk, J. A. G. M. (2020). The Digital Divide. Polity Press.
Godwin-Jones, R. (2011). Emerging Technologies: Autonomous Language Learning. Language
Learning & Technology.
Blake, R. J. (2013). Brave New Digital Classroom: Technology and Foreign Language Learning.
Georgetown University Press.
Van Dijk, J. A. G. M. (2020). The Digital Divide. Polity Press.
Selwyn, N. (2011). Education and Technology: Key Issues and Debates. Bloomsbury Academic.
Stockwell, G. (2012). Computer-Assisted Language Learning: Diversity in Research and Practice.
Cambridge University Press.

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AN INVESTIGATION OF ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF

APPLYING ONLINE TEXT-TO-SPEECH TOOLS (TTS) IN IMPROVING
PRONUNCIATION
Nguyen Thi Thuy Ngan
Hong Duc University

ABSTRACT
The use of online Text-to-Speech (TTS) tools to enhance students’ pronunciation through self-
study has gained increasing popularity. However, there is limited research on this subject within the
Vietnamese context. Therefore, this study aims to explore students’ perceptions regarding (1) the
effectiveness of TTS as a self-learning tool, and (2) the strengths and limitations of the application.
The research adopted an experimental design and employed a mixed-methods approach to data
collection, using both questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to gather both quantitative and
qualitative data. Seventy participants (64 females, 6 males) were selected through convenience
sampling. The results indicated that participants generally viewed the use of TTS as beneficial for
improving their English pronunciation. Additionally, the study discusses the strengths and
weaknesses of the tool based on students' reflections. Finally, recommendations are offered to
enhance the quality of pronunciation self-study.
Keyword: Text-to-Speech (TTS), perception, English-majored students, pronunciation

1. INTRODUCTION
Pronunciation plays a crucial role in language learning, as clear pronunciation aids
comprehension, while poor pronunciation can lead to communication difficulties. However,
mastering English pronunciation is a challenging task for learners, requiring considerable time and
effort to improve. At the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Hong Duc University, great emphasis is
placed on teaching English pronunciation, with two specialized courses dedicated to the subject,
totaling 5 credits. Despite this, for English majors aiming for excellent or native-like pronunciation,
independent study outside of class becomes essential.
The use of online tools to enhance students' pronunciation through self-study has gained
increasing popularity. Bester and Brand (2013) note that the integration of ICT (Information and
Communication Technology) tools in education fosters more effective, constructive learning
compared to traditional teaching methods. Modern, technology-driven learning activities encourage
learner autonomy and serve as strong motivators for language learners, as observed by Sharma and
Barret (2007). Zhang (1998) also highlights that technology, when used appropriately, can be a
valuable complement to pronunciation instruction. By using technology, learners can study and
practice at their own pace outside the classroom, which can also help alleviate anxiety about
speaking practice, offering valuable exposure and opportunities, especially when access to authentic
target language input is limited.
The rationale for this study stems from the growing interest in using technology to improve
English pronunciation, particularly through online Text-to-Speech (TTS) tools. While the use of
TTS tools in language learning has been widely discussed in international literature, there is a
noticeable gap in research exploring their application within the Vietnamese context, especially
among English-major students. In particular, English majors at universities such as Hong Duc
University face considerable challenges in achieving native-like pronunciation, despite formal

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pronunciation courses. These students often lack opportunities for regular interaction with native
speakers, which is crucial for improving spoken language skills. While classroom instruction
provides foundational knowledge and practice, independent study plays an essential role in enabling
learners to master pronunciation at their own pace. The advent of online TTS tools offers a
promising solution to this issue by providing students with a non-threatening, accessible, and self-
paced method of practicing pronunciation outside the classroom.
This research aims to bridge this gap by examining how English-major students at Hong
Duc University perceive the use of online TTS tools in improving their pronunciation. By gathering
insights through both quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews) data, this study seeks
to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of TTS tools as a self-learning
resource. Additionally, it aims to highlight the practical challenges and limitations students
encounter when using these tools, thereby contributing to the development of more effective
strategies for integrating technology into pronunciation instruction. Finally, the findings of this
research will offer recommendations for enhancing the use of TTS tools in language learning,
ensuring that they serve as a valuable complement to traditional instructional methods and a
sustainable resource for long-term language development.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
The use of text-to-speech (TTS) technology in language learning has gained increasing
attention in recent years, particularly in the context of improving pronunciation. With advancements
in artificial intelligence and speech processing, from-text-to-speech (TTS) systems have become a
valuable tool for learners aiming to improve their spoken English skills. This literature review
synthesizes research related to TTS systems in language learning, with a specific focus on their
application in learning English pronunciation.
2.1. Pronunciation
2.1.1. Definition of Pronunciation
Yates (2002) describes pronunciation as the process of producing sounds that effectively
communicate meaning. Paulston and Burder (1976) emphasize that good pronunciation, from both
the speaker's and listener's perspectives, involves generating a sound system that does not obstruct
communication. Stevick, E.W. (1978) defines pronunciation as the primary medium through which
we make our use of language noticeable to others. It involves the realization of features related to
the sound system/phonemes, syllabic structure, and prosody (such as word stress and intonation),
while constructing a spoken verbal message.
2.1.2. The Role of Pronunciation in Language Learning
Pronunciation is a key component of second language (L2) acquisition, directly impacting
communicative competence and intelligibility. Celce-Murcia et al. (2010) emphasize that effective
pronunciation involves mastering the segmental features (individual sounds) and suprasegmental
features (intonation, stress, rhythm) of a language. For many L2 learners, particularly those from
non-English speaking backgrounds, achieving near-native pronunciation can be challenging due to
differences in phonetic systems. Traditional methods, such as teacher-led instruction, repetition, and
oral practice, remain the primary tools for addressing pronunciation issues. However, these
approaches can be time-consuming and may not always provide immediate or precise corrective
feedback.

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2.1.3. Technology and Pronunciation Learning

The integration of technology in language learning has provided significant opportunities for
enhancing pronunciation instruction. Chun (2016) highlights how digital tools, such as TTS
software, have facilitated individualized language learning experiences. In particular, TTS systems
allow learners to hear correct pronunciations of words, sentences, and phrases without the need for
a human instructor to model them continuously. This is particularly beneficial for learners in regions
with limited access to native speakers or formal language programs. Moreover, TTS software can
generate multiple speech outputs at different speeds, helping learners to grasp the rhythm and stress
patterns of English.
Liu and Wei (2020) conducted a study showing that the use of TTS tools in English
pronunciation practice improved learners’ accuracy in segmental pronunciation, especially in terms of
vowel sounds and consonant clusters. TTS systems are capable of producing clear, standardized, and
consistent pronunciations, which are vital for learners to develop a reliable auditory model of the
target language. Furthermore, such technologies can facilitate pronunciation practice beyond the
classroom setting, allowing learners to study at their own pace and according to their personal needs.
2.2. Text-to-speech websites
2.2.1. Process of using text-to-speech websites
The analysis describes the process of using text-to-speech websites. Many websites provide
text-to-speech services, and users can find them by searching for "from text to speech" online. In
this study, the author used the website http://www.fromtexttospeech.com. Users can visit the site
and log in or sign up if they don’t already have an account. They can also sign in using their Google
or Apple accounts.
Once logged in, users can type in a word, sentence, or text in the input box or upload a Word
or PDF document using the + icon. Before listening to the pronunciation, they can customize the
voice settings by choosing the speaker’s gender, volume, and speech speed. After adjusting the
settings, users can click the play button to hear the pronunciation of a native speaker. Teachers can
encourage students to mimic the native pronunciation to help improve their English skills.
The website also offers a simple and quick way to convert text into MP3 audio files. It can
generate English speech in various accents, including British, American, and others. While a free
version is available, the paid version provides additional features, making it useful for teaching
English pronunciation. This tool synthesizes human-like speech from text input and offers valuable
support for students working on their English pronunciation. Overall, the text-to-speech tool is an
effective and easy-to-use resource for enhancing English pronunciation.
2.2.2. Advantages of From-Text-to-Speech Software in Pronunciation Learning
One of the primary advantages of using from-text-to-speech software for pronunciation
practice is the availability of instant feedback. According to Derwing and Munro (2005), corrective
feedback is crucial in pronunciation learning, and TTS tools provide immediate auditory
corrections, thereby reinforcing correct pronunciation models. By listening to the TTS output,
learners can compare their own speech to that of the software, identifying discrepancies and making
adjustments in real-time.
Furthermore, TTS systems often incorporate phonetic transcriptions alongside standard text,
allowing learners to visualize and understand the articulatory processes involved in producing
specific sounds. This is particularly useful for learners who are unfamiliar with the International
Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) but can still benefit from a visual representation of speech patterns. Some
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systems also allow for the customization of pronunciation features, such as accent or intonation, to
suit the learner's needs or the specific dialect of English they are studying.
The potential for personalized learning is another significant benefit of TTS software. As
Wang (2018) observes, learners can adjust the pace, pitch, and voice of the TTS output to suit their
level of comprehension and comfort. This individualized approach ensures that learners can practice
pronunciation at their own speed, revisiting difficult words or phrases as many times as needed.
2.2.3. Limitations of From-Text-to-Speech Systems
While TTS software has numerous benefits, there are several limitations to consider. One
challenge is the lack of emotional intonation in many TTS systems. Traditional human teachers are
able to model emotional expressions, pitch variation, and contextual cues that are crucial for
conveying meaning in spoken language. TTS systems, although improving, often struggle with
producing natural-sounding emotional inflections, which can limit their effectiveness in teaching
suprasegmental features of pronunciation, such as stress, intonation, and rhythm.
Li and Wang (2021) noted that while TTS systems are excellent at providing precise
segmental feedback, they fall short in representing the more complex and variable aspects of
pronunciation that contribute to fluent and natural speech. These systems may also struggle with
certain accents, dialects, or informal speech patterns that deviate from standard English
pronunciation.
Another limitation is that learners may become overly reliant on the software, neglecting the
need for human interaction and the subtleties of real-time conversation practice. Liu and Wei (2020)
argue that while TTS systems provide valuable auditory models, they cannot replace the
communicative practice that is necessary for improving fluency and developing real-world
conversational skills. Thus, the integration of TTS software should be viewed as a supplementary
tool rather than a standalone solution for pronunciation improvement.
2.3. Future Directions and Research Opportunities
Despite the limitations, the potential for TTS technology in enhancing English pronunciation
is immense. Future research could explore ways to address the challenges of emotional inflection
and contextual intonation in TTS systems, making them more effective in teaching the full range of
pronunciation skills. Additionally, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into TTS systems could
allow for more dynamic and context-sensitive pronunciation feedback.
The combination of TTS with other technologies, such as speech recognition software and
interactive language learning platforms, may also present new opportunities for learners to engage
in more holistic pronunciation practice. Yuan et al. (2023) suggest that AI-powered language
learning tools that combine speech synthesis and recognition could provide adaptive learning paths
for learners based on real-time assessments of their speech output. Such innovations could bridge
the gap between technology-mediated learning and authentic conversational practice.
2.4. Conclusion
The literature suggests that from-text-to-speech (TTS) software can be a powerful tool for
improving English pronunciation, particularly by providing immediate feedback, personalized
practice, and consistent auditory models of the target language. While TTS systems are effective at
teaching segmental features of pronunciation, there is a need for further advancements in addressing
suprasegmental features and emotional intonation. Future developments in TTS technology,
particularly in the integration of AI and speech recognition, promise to enhance the effectiveness of
these tools in supporting learners' pronunciation development.
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3. DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

3.1. Research questions
The study was guided by the following research questions:
1) What are the views of English-major students on learning pronunciation?
2) How do English-major students perceive the effectiveness of text-to-speech websites?
3) What are English-majored students‟ reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of text-to-
speech websites?
3.2. Participants
The study involved 70 freshmen (64 female, 6 male) from the Faculty of Foreign Languages
at Hong Duc University during the first semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. Participants were
selected through convenience sampling, and all were enrolled in the Phonetics and Phonology
course taught by the researcher.
3.3. Research instruments
The study utilized two primary research tools: a questionnaire and interviews.
• Questionnaire:
A set of questionnaires was employed to address the first two research questions. Trainees
were asked to evaluate a series of Likert-type statements on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 represented
"strongly disagree" and 5 represented "strongly agree." The first 9 questions examined the students'
views and practices regarding pronunciation, while the remaining 8 focused on their perceptions of
the effectiveness of text-to-speech websites.
Table 1. Likert Scale Scoring
Value Range
Strongly Disagree 1 (1.00-1.80)
Disagree 2 (1.81-2.60)
Neither/Nor Agree 3 (2.61-3.40)
Agree 4 (3.41-4.20)
Strongly Agree 5 (4.21-5.00)
• Interviews:
Interviews were conducted with 20 participants from the total group of 70. These interviews
aimed to gain deeper insights into the students' opinions on the benefits and limitations of using
text-to-speech websites for independent study. The interviews primarily focused on two questions:
the advantages and disadvantages of using these websites for independent study.
In conclusion, the combination of questionnaires and interviews allowed for a
comprehensive exploration of the students’ perspectives. The questionnaire provided quantitative
data on student opinions regarding pronunciation and text-to-speech tools, while the interviews
offered qualitative insights into the strengths and weaknesses of these resources in language
learning. Together, these methods contributed valuable data to the study's overall research
questions.
3.4. Research steps
Over the 13 weeks of the course, the lecturer set up a Facebook page to share additional
exercises that would help students practice their pronunciation independently outside of class.

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On this page, the instructor posted English passages, typically around 250 words, along with
various other exercises. Students were encouraged to use text-to-speech programs to listen to the
passages and practice speaking along with the audio. In the first week, the teacher provided
instructions on how to use the website. At the end of each week, students were required to record
themselves reading the texts aloud and upload the recordings to the Facebook page. In the final
week of the course, the instructor distributed questionnaires and conducted interviews with the
students to collect data.
4. FINDINGS
4.1. Students’ perceptions regarding pronunciation learning
The initial section of the questionnaire aimed to collect information about students'
perspectives and practices concerning pronunciation learning. After the study concluded,
participants filled out a final questionnaire to provide their reflections and thoughts on the process.
The findings are presented below.
Table 2. Teacher trainee opinions and practices about pronunciation.
Survey Items Mean
1 It’s important for me to have good English pronunciation 4.79
2. I should aim to develop a native-like accent. 4.30
3. English pronunciation is a challenging skill to master. 3.51
4. I am not satisfied with my pronunciation. 4.13
5. I would like to improve my pronunciation. 4.56
6. Incorrect pronunciation of sounds can lead to confusion. 4.64
7. Errors in stress and intonation can lead to misunderstandings. 4.02
8. Pronunciation can be practised outside the class for improvement. 4.15
9. Online resources are the most effective way to gain extra practice and 3.56
enhance pronunciation.

Participants rated statements on a scale from 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree). The
average scores for each statement reflect the degree of agreement. According to the Likert scale
referenced in Table 1, the participants strongly agreed on the significance of pronunciation, with an
average score of 4.79 for item 1. They also expressed a strong desire to improve their
pronunciation, scoring 4.30 for item 2. However, their satisfaction with their current pronunciation
level was somewhat lower, with mean scores of 4.13 and 4.56, indicating that they were not fully
satisfied with their pronunciation. The teacher trainees acknowledged that pronunciation issues
could lead to misunderstandings in communication, as reflected in items 7 and 8. Additionally,
participants recognized the importance of self-practice in pronunciation and the role of online tools
in enhancing their skills.
In conclusion, the results indicate that the participants place high value on pronunciation,
recognizing its importance and expressing a strong desire to improve. While they acknowledge the
impact of pronunciation on effective communication, their self-assessment suggests dissatisfaction
with their current proficiency. Furthermore, the findings highlight the participants' awareness of the
benefits of self-practice and the use of digital resources in advancing their pronunciation skills.
These insights suggest a need for targeted support and resources to help students enhance their

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pronunciation, which could improve their overall language proficiency and communication
effectiveness.
4.2. Students’ reflections on the usefulness of text-to-speech websites
This section presents the results from a survey, capturing students’ reflections on the use of
TTS in enhancing their language learning journey. The survey covers several key aspects, including
ease of use, self-reliance in learning, and the effectiveness of TTS in improving pronunciation,
stress, intonation, and speech flow. The findings provide valuable insights into how teacher trainees
engage with TTS tools and their overall satisfaction with these resources.
Table 3. Reflections on the teacher trainees’ use of text-to-speech websites
Survey Items Mean
10. The Text-to-Speech (TTS) program is good. 4.34
11. The TTS program is very easy to use. 4.62
12. Using TTS allows me to become more self-reliant in my learning. 4.01
13. Using TTS was interesting and useful. 3.67
14. TTS is effective in improving stress and intonation patterns. 2.64
15. TTS is effective in practising flow of speech. 3.87
16. I can improve my pronunciation with the use of TTS 3.97
17. I would like to use the TTS program again in the future. 4.18
Specifically, while most respondents expressed positive attitudes towards TTS, with high
ratings for ease of use and future intention to continue using the program, the effectiveness of TTS
in addressing certain linguistic features, such as stress and intonation patterns, received
comparatively lower ratings (2.64). This analysis offers a nuanced understanding of the potential
benefits and limitations of TTS programs in the context of language learning for future educators.
4.3. Students’ reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of text-to-speech websites
This section investigates the advantages and limitations of text-to-speech (TTS) websites as
a tool for self-practice in pronunciation. Data was gathered from 20 interviewees who shared their
experiences and insights on how TTS technology aids in improving pronunciation skills. The
findings highlight various benefits, such as ease of use and the availability of diverse pronunciation
models, while also pointing out certain drawbacks, including the mechanical nature of the speech
output and issues related to internet speed. This analysis aims to provide a comprehensive
understanding of how TTS websites can be utilized for language learning and areas that require
improvement.
Advantages:
• User-Friendliness: All 20 students reported no difficulties in using the TTS
websites, emphasizing their simplicity. After receiving initial training on how to operate the
websites, students found them easy to navigate.
• Effective Pronunciation Models: 15 out of the 20 students indicated that they
improved their pronunciation by comparing their own speech to the accurate models provided
by the TTS system, which includes various accents. This allowed them to mimic the examples and
enhance their pronunciation over time. The ability to listen to reading materials at their own pace
also contributed to better understanding and passive learning.

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• Extended Texts: 14 students appreciated that TTS websites offer audio for
longer texts, which proved more convenient compared to traditional dictionaries that only
provide pronunciation for single words.
Limitations:
• Text Length Limitations: 16 students expressed a desire for the ability to
upload longer texts for pronunciation practice. The current limit of 500 characters on most
TTS websites restricts the length of the content that can be used for practice.
• Lack of Emotion in Speech: 17 participants criticized the robotic, emotionless
quality of the speech generated by TTS systems, which detracted from the authenticity of the
pronunciation models.
• Internet Speed Issues: 14 students noted that slow internet speeds sometimes
hindered the effectiveness of TTS technology, affecting the clarity and fluidity of the audio.
In general, the study highlights the significant role that text-to-speech websites can play in
pronunciation practice, especially through their ease of use, diverse accent models, and the ability to
listen to longer passages. However, it also identifies key limitations, such as the lack of emotional
nuance in speech and the technical constraints regarding text length and internet connectivity. While
TTS technology offers a valuable tool for learners, addressing these issues could enhance its overall
effectiveness for language practice.
5. CONCLUSION
This study presents preliminary findings on how English-major students use text-to-speech
websites for self-study in pronunciation. The results suggest that while a solid understanding of
English pronunciation and phonology is crucial, access to web-based resources for independent
practice is also important. The effectiveness and ease of use of these tools will influence their
ongoing usage by students, potentially leading to improved learning outcomes over time. It is
important to recognize that text-to-speech websites are not the only or the best resource for
pronunciation improvement, but they can be a valuable self-study tool, as demonstrated by this
research. Therefore, it is recommended that students be made aware of similar online resources

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Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., & Goodwin, J. M. (2010). Teaching pronunciation: A course
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Chun, D. M. (2016). Digital tools for pronunciation practice. Language Learning & Technology,
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Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2005). Second language accent and pronunciation teaching: A
research-based approach. TESL Canada Journal, 22(2), 49-70.
Li, X., & Wang, Y. (2021). Challenges and limitations of text-to-speech technology in second
language learning. Journal of Language Technology, 15(4), 35-49.

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Liu, Y., & Wei, X. (2020). The effectiveness of text-to-speech tools in improving segmental
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Paulston, C. B., & Burder, R. (1976). Teaching English as a second language: Techniques and
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pronunciation teaching. Educational Technology Research Journal, 45(1), 13-28.

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USING AI TO DEVELOP CULTURAL COMPETENCE FOR

ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HPU
Bui Thi Mai Anh
University of Management and Technology Hai Phong

ABSTRACT
In today’s globalized world, English language learners are not only expected to develop
language proficiency but also cultural competence and intercultural communication skills. Having
this ability is vital for students to interact effectively across different cultures, particularly those
who aspire to careers that require international collaboration. This study focuses on utilizing
Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist third-year English major students at Haiphong University of
Management and Technology in enhancing their cultural competence and intercultural
communication skills. By implementing AI tools, such as chatbots and virtual intercultural
simulations, students can receive real-time feedback and engage with a diverse range of cultural
scenarios. The study utilizes a quantitative method, with a survey and questionnaire distributed to
30 third-year students, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of AI in achieving these educational
goals.
Key words: Artificial Intelligence, cultural competence, intercultural communication skills

1. INTRODUCTION
In today’s increasingly interconnected and globalized society, the ability to develop cultural
competence and intercultural communication skills is critical for students majoring in English,
especially for those who aim to pursue careers in international settings. Mastery of these skills
enables individuals to navigate diverse cultural contexts effectively, fostering greater understanding
and collaboration. This paper examines the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an innovative
tool for enhancing these skills among third-year English majors at Haiphong Management and
Technology University (HPU). Specifically, the study explores how AI can support students in
gaining the necessary cultural sensitivity and communication capabilities to interact successfully
across cultural boundaries.
AI technologies, such as virtual simulations and conversational chatbots, have shown promise
in delivering interactive and immersive learning experiences that provide real-time feedback,
thereby promoting heightened cultural awareness and strengthening intercultural communication
skills. These tools allow students to engage with AI-driven scenarios that mimic real-life cultural
interactions, offering unique opportunities to practice and refine their communication strategies in a
supportive, simulated environment.
This research employs a mixed-methods approach, utilizing both surveys and structured
questionnaires to gather data on the experiences and perceptions of a sample of 30 third-year
English major students at HPU. By assessing students’ responses before and after engaging with AI-
facilitated learning activities, the study seeks to provide measurable insights into the impact of AI
on the development of cultural competence and intercultural communication abilities. By exploring
the effectiveness of AI in this context, this research aims to provide valuable insights into the
potential of technology-enhanced language learning and contribute to the development of
innovative pedagogical approaches in higher education.

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Cultural Competence and Language Learning
Cultural competence involves the ability to effectively interact with individuals from various
cultural backgrounds. According to Byram (1997), intercultural competence forms a crucial
component of language learning, incorporating knowledge, skills, and attitudes that help individuals
communicate respectfully and appropriately in diverse cultural settings.
As global communication expands, proficiency in multiple languages has become essential,
often facilitated by digital platforms. Traditional language learning methods frequently fall short of
addressing the specific needs of learners from culturally diverse backgrounds. This shortfall
underscores the need for a comprehensive approach to language instruction, one that not only
teaches language but also bridges cultural gaps, fostering mutual understanding on a global scale.
The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in language learning marks a transformative
step toward personalized education, creating adaptable learning environments that cater to the
unique linguistic and cultural backgrounds of each learner. However, despite its potential, AI
remains underutilized in cross-cultural language education, where it could significantly enhance
effective intercultural communication.
The Cross-Cultural Intelligent Language Learning System (CILS), implemented across
various educational platforms, represents an advanced solution that integrates AI to optimize
language learning effectiveness. Over the past year, this system has been tested with learners of
different age groups and linguistic backgrounds, particularly those at beginner and intermediate
levels. Through adaptive algorithms and personalized content recommendations, CILS adjusts
instructional approaches based on individual progress and needs, yielding measurable outcomes.
This research proposes CILS as a method to bridge the gap by using advanced AI technology
to personalize the language learning experience. CILS is structured to adapt to individual learner
profiles, offering tailored content that not only teaches language but also deepens cultural
understanding. This approach is expected to foster a more immersive and intuitive learning
experience, especially effective in multicultural settings where understanding cultural subtleties is
vital for communication.
2.2 AI in Language Education
Recent research shows that AI plays a significant role in language education. AI-powered tools,
such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), virtual reality simulations, and intelligent tutoring systems,
deliver personalized, adaptive learning experiences (Choukaier, 2024). AI-based platforms allow real-
time interaction and can simulate intercultural scenarios, giving learners the chance to practice language
and communication skills in diverse cultural contexts.
The integration of AI into education marks a substantial shift in content delivery and
customization. AI’s ability to process large data sets and adapt to user interactions makes it a
valuable tool in language learning, offering personalized, adaptive learning environments that
improve engagement and outcomes.
NLP, a critical AI technology, has revolutionized language learning by enabling computers to
understand, interpret, and generate language in context. This technology supports AI language
learning systems that offer instant feedback on pronunciation, grammar, and usage, creating an
interactive experience akin to human tutoring.

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Additionally, NLP enables conversational agents, or chatbots, to engage learners in dialogue,

allowing practice in essential conversational contexts. Deep learning, an advanced machine learning
approach, has further enhanced NLP by enabling systems to understand and generate complex
language. These deep learning models, trained on extensive language data, can facilitate
conversations with learners, improving communicative competence.
Intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) use AI to simulate tailored tutoring experiences, adjusting
to each individual’s learning pace and needs in language education. Such systems provide custom
hints and challenges that match learners’ current levels, enhancing the educational experience.
Additionally, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies create immersive
learning environments, where learners can engage in realistic dialogues and cultural exchanges that
naturally build language proficiency and cultural understanding.
2.3 AI and Intercultural Communication
AI systems, such as chatbots and virtual assistants, simulate cultural exchanges, allowing
students to engage in conversations with AI characters representing diverse backgrounds. Studies
show that these tools can improve cross-cultural understanding by offering active learning
opportunities and instant feedback (Wei, 2023).
In recent years, advancements in AI, especially in deep learning and NLP, have transformed
language learning, particularly in multicultural settings. AI-driven platforms increasingly utilize
algorithms that detect linguistic and cultural nuances, providing contextually relevant learning
materials sensitive to cultural dynamics. This advancement enables real-time interaction, instant
feedback, and adaptable learning content, enhancing both linguistic precision and cultural
comprehension and better preparing learners for real-world multicultural communication.
The globalized world necessitates efficient cross-cultural communication, a focus that is
becoming central in language education. Understanding and navigating intercultural interactions is
essential for fostering international relations and meeting the diverse communication needs of
people from various demographics. Thus, modern language education aims to develop both
language proficiency and cultural competence.
Ethnolinguistics, which explores the relationship between language and cultural identity,
reveals that language learning extends beyond vocabulary and syntax, encompassing cultural values
and perspectives. Integrating an ethnolinguistic perspective in language education helps learners
grasp cultural implications, facilitating more effective intercultural communication. Educational
technology supports cross-cultural language learning by enabling intercultural interactions through
multimedia, simulations, and virtual reality. These tools allow learners to practice in realistic,
diverse cultural settings, preparing them for authentic conversations.
Additionally, global virtual teams in education encourage students to collaborate with peers
worldwide, developing skills in managing cross-cultural communication and time zones,
underscoring cultural awareness and adaptability. Many language programs now use online
platforms for these collaborations, offering hands-on experience in international teamwork and
communication. Cross-cultural communication curricula often include culturally relevant teaching
methods, which honor the diversity of learners’ backgrounds and create inclusive environments that
cater to all students.
Mastering these elements is crucial for learners to function effectively in a global society.
Cross-cultural language education emphasizes language skills, cultural literacy, and intercultural
communication, creating a well-rounded foundation for success in international settings.

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3. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
This research aims to harness AI’s potential to transform language learning in multicultural
contexts through the development of CILS. The goals of this research reflect the complex and
promising integration of AI with linguistic frameworks, enhancing intercultural communication.
The study seeks to design a modern system that blends AI and educational strategies to
enhance language acquisition. This system will analyze and adapt to individual learning patterns,
adjusting instructional content according to language proficiency and cultural background. This
bidirectional adaptability will create a more effective language-learning experience that respects the
nuances of intercultural communication.
The AI-driven system will be implemented in diverse educational settings as part of this
project to evaluate its practical efficacy. This research will provide empirical evidence of
improvements in language and cultural competence facilitated by the CILS model, comparing its
outcomes with those of traditional language learning approaches.
4. METHODOLOGY
4.1 Participants
The study sample comprised 30 third-year English major students from Haiphong
Management and Technology University (HPU), selected through purposive sampling. This method
was chosen to ensure that participants possessed both prior experience in language learning and a
demonstrable interest in enhancing their cultural competence, key factors deemed necessary for
maximizing engagement with AI-based educational tools. This selection strategy aimed to ensure
that the students would not only benefit from the AI-driven learning interventions but also exhibit
the motivation required to actively engage with the intercultural communication resources utilized
in the study.
4.2 AI Tools Implemented
The study introduced students to two primary AI-based tools designed to enhance cultural
competence and intercultural communication skills:
4.2.1. Culture-Specific Virtual Environments
• These immersive tools allowed students to engage with virtual settings crafted
to reflect various cultural contexts. Within these environments, students interacted with
avatars and AI-generated characters programmed to exhibit behaviors, traditions, and
communication styles specific to different cultures. By simulating real-world interactions, these
tools provided an experiential platform for students to observe and engage with diverse cultural
practices.
4.2.2. AI-Powered Conversational Agents
• These AI-driven chatbots engaged students in simulated dialogues across a
range of intercultural scenarios. Designed to facilitate practice in real-time interactions, these
agents prompted students to use culturally appropriate language, gestures, and social norms in
communication. The conversational agents provided immediate, contextual feedback on students’
responses, offering corrections and culturally relevant suggestions as needed to reinforce learning.

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4.3 Data Collection

A mixed-methods approach was employed to comprehensively assess the impact of AI tools
on students’ cultural competence, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data collection
techniques:
4.3.1. Surveys
• Pre- and post-intervention surveys were administered to measure changes in students’
self-perceived cultural competence. The surveys included:
o Likert-scale items designed to assess students’ confidence in intercultural communication
and their perceived cultural competence before and after using the AI tools.
o Open-ended questions that gathered qualitative insights into students’ experiences with
the AI tools, aiming to capture how these experiences influenced their learning and perceptions of
intercultural interactions.
4.3.2. Observations and Additional Data Collection
• Observational data were collected on student interactions with the AI tools throughout the
intervention period to track engagement patterns and responses.
• Additional qualitative data were obtained through focus groups and individual
interviews with a subset of participants. These discussions provided a deeper understanding of
students’ experiences with the AI intervention and allowed exploration of individual differences in
the development of cultural competence. This qualitative feedback enriched the study’s findings by
revealing diverse perspectives on the effectiveness of AI in fostering intercultural skills.
5. RESEARCH FINDINGS
5.1 Improvement in Cultural Awareness
The data collected from post-intervention surveys and observations demonstrated a marked
improvement in the students’ ability to recognize and navigate cultural differences. Students
reported feeling more comfortable and confident interacting with people from diverse cultural
backgrounds. For instance, one student noted that engaging with AI-powered conversational agents
helped them understand the subtle differences in communication styles across cultures, such as
direct versus indirect communication.
5.2 Increased Confidence in Intercultural Communication
Over 75% of students indicated a significant increase in their confidence when
communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds. The immersive cultural
environments and conversational practice with AI agents allowed students to refine their
understanding of culturally appropriate language, gestures, and behavior. Many students highlighted
the immediate feedback provided by the AI systems as instrumental in helping them quickly adjust
and improve their communication strategies.
5.3 Survey and Questionnaire Analysis
The findings from the study reveal a significant positive impact of AI tools on improving
cultural competence and intercultural communication among third-year English major students at
Haiphong Management and Technology University (HPU).
• Figure 1: Improvement in Cultural Competence
5.3.1. Pre-Intervention vs. Post-Intervention Data
• Pre-Intervention:

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o Students displayed limited confidence and awareness in recognizing cultural nuances.

The baseline average cultural competence score was 3.0 out of 5, indicating moderate competence.
• Post-Intervention:
o A significant improvement was observed, with the average score rising to 4.2 out of 5,
reflecting a 40% increase in cultural competence.
Analysis of Group-Specific Feedback
• Students who frequently engaged with AI-powered conversational agents reported greater
improvements in recognizing indirect communication styles and cultural subtleties. For instance:
o High-frequency users of the AI tools demonstrated a more nuanced understanding of
culturally appropriate gestures and etiquette.
Low-frequency users exhibited improvements but at a slower pace, suggesting that consistent
engagement with the AI tools is a key factor in achieving substantial gains.

Figure 2. Student Confidence in Intercultural Communication

Post-Intervention Insights
• 90% of students reported feeling more confident in their intercultural communication
abilities after using the AI tools.
• This confidence was attributed to the immersive and interactive nature of AI-driven
simulations, which allowed students to practice real-life scenarios in a low-risk environment.
Comparison of Confidence Levels
• Pre-Intervention:
o Confidence levels were varied, with only 30% of students reporting “high” or “very high”
confidence in intercultural communication.
o A significant portion of students (45%) felt “neutral” or “low” confidence before the
intervention.
• Post-Intervention:
o The number of students reporting “high” or “very high” confidence rose to 70%,
demonstrating a marked shift in self-perception.
Insights from Group Differences
• Students with Advanced Language Proficiency:

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o These students benefited from the immediate feedback provided by AI tools, refining
their use of culturally appropriate language in advanced scenarios.
• Students with Intermediate Proficiency:
o Gained confidence primarily through practice in structured conversational scenarios,
focusing on basic cultural norms and etiquette.

The research findings from the charts underscore the transformative potential of AI in
enhancing cultural competence and intercultural communication. By leveraging virtual
environments and conversational agents, students gained significant improvements in confidence
and competence. These tools provide a replicable model for integrating AI into language education,
offering valuable insights for educators and researchers alike.
Qualitative Insights on AI-Enhanced Cultural Competence Learning
The qualitative data gathered from open-ended responses provides valuable insights into how
students perceive the effectiveness of AI tools for fostering cultural competence. In particular,
students described how AI-assisted learning facilitated their understanding of intercultural etiquette,
encompassing appropriate greetings, gestures, and conversational topics.
For the first open-ended question, “What was the most useful feature of the AI tools for
developing cultural competence?” responses indicate that the most valued aspect of AI tools for
English major students at Haiphong Management and Technology University (HPU) is their
capacity to simulate real-world intercultural interactions through virtual environments and AI-
driven chatbots. This feature enables students to:
• Immerse Themselves in Diverse Cultural Contexts: By engaging in AI simulations, students
encounter different cultural norms, customs, and social cues, enhancing their practical
understanding of intercultural dynamics.
• Practice Intercultural Communication Skills: Interacting with AI personas from various
cultural backgrounds allows students to refine their language use, nonverbal communication, and
overall intercultural competence.

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• Receive Real-Time Feedback: AI tools provide immediate feedback on language usage,

cultural knowledge, and communication strategies, guiding students in improving their skills.
• Learn at an Individualized Pace: With the flexibility to engage with AI independently,
students can tailor their learning experience to their unique needs and progress.
Through these interactive experiences, AI tools significantly contribute to students’ cultural
awareness and intercultural communication abilities, preparing them for effective interaction in a
globalized world.
For the second question, “Describe any challenges you encountered while using AI for
cultural learning,” students identified several obstacles associated with using AI tools in cultural
education, including:
• Lack of Nuance and Contextual Understanding: Although advanced, AI may fail to fully
capture the subtleties of human culture, potentially leading to simplified or inaccurate
representations that could mislead learners.
• Limited Emotional Intelligence: AI lacks the capacity for empathy and emotional
comprehension, both essential for deep intercultural engagement. This deficiency restricts the depth
of insights students can acquire through AI interactions.
• Technical Limitations: The quality of AI-generated cultural content can be constrained by
technical factors such as processing power, data quality, and algorithmic limitations.
• Reliance on Data Quality: The effectiveness of AI tools depends on the quality and diversity
of the training data. Biases in this data can lead to stereotypes or partial understandings of various
cultures.
• Risk of Misinterpretation: Without careful curation and oversight, AI content may be
misinterpreted, resulting in potentially incorrect assumptions about different cultures.
Addressing these challenges requires a deliberate approach to the design and deployment of
AI tools for cultural learning. By acknowledging AI’s limitations and incorporating human
expertise, the potential of AI to foster cultural understanding and intercultural communication can
be maximized.
For the third open-ended question, “Do you have suggestions for improving the AI tools to
better support cultural competence development?” students offered several recommendations, such
as:
1. Enhanced Data Quality and Diversity:
• Diverse Training Data: Training AI models on a broad range of culturally representative
datasets can minimize biases and reduce stereotypes.
• Continuous Data Updates: Regularly updating datasets can ensure alignment with evolving
cultural norms and practices.
2. Improved Natural Language Processing (NLP):
• Contextual Understanding: Developing NLP models capable of grasping the context of
conversations, including cultural nuances and implicit meanings, would enhance cultural sensitivity.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Training AI models to recognize and respect cultural differences can
prevent them from generating offensive or insensitive responses.
3. Human-AI Collaboration:

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• Expert Input: Involving cultural experts and language educators in AI development could
improve the accuracy and appropriateness of content.
• Human Oversight: Implementing human oversight can ensure that AI-generated content
remains accurate and culturally respectful.
4. Personalized Learning Experiences:
• Adaptive Learning: AI tools could tailor learning experiences to meet individual student
needs.
• Real-Time Feedback: Providing immediate, specific feedback on students’ language use and
cultural comprehension can reinforce effective learning.
5. Gamification and Engaging Activities:
• Interactive Simulations: Creating immersive virtual environments can simulate real-world
cultural experiences, providing more practical insights.
• Gamified Challenges: Designing game-based tasks can engage students and foster a more
enjoyable learning experience.
6. Ethical Considerations:
• Privacy and Security: Ensuring responsible use of AI tools, with strong protections for user
privacy and data security, is essential.
• Bias Mitigation: Actively addressing biases in AI algorithms and training data can lead to
fairer, more accurate outputs.
Addressing these areas could yield more effective and culturally sensitive AI tools, equipping
learners with the intercultural competence needed to thrive in diverse environments.
Additional Insights
Further analysis revealed correlations between engagement with AI tools and learning
outcomes. Students who frequently interacted with AI-powered conversational agents showed
greater improvement in communication skills compared to those who mainly used virtual
environments. This suggests that real-time interaction with AI agents is particularly effective for
enhancing intercultural communication. Additionally, differences in engagement patterns were
noted: high-achieving students actively utilized AI feedback, while lower-achieving students
occasionally found the feedback overwhelming, indicating the need for adaptive AI support tailored
to individual learning profiles.
6. CONCLUSION
This study demonstrates that AI tools hold substantial promise for enhancing cultural
competence and intercultural communication skills among English major students at HPU. Through
interactive, immersive learning experiences, AI empowers students to explore cultural scenarios in
meaningful ways. Future research should explore the long-term impact of AI-assisted cultural
learning and its potential applications across other language skills.
While this study highlights the potential of AI tools in enhancing cultural competence and
intercultural communication skills, it is essential to recognize certain limitations that may affect the
generalizability and robustness of the findings. Addressing these limitations can guide future
research toward more comprehensive and impactful results.
6.1 Limitations of the Study
6.1.1 Small Sample Size

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• Issue: The study involved a sample size of only 30 third-year English major students,
which may not sufficiently represent the broader population of language learners.
• Impact: The limited sample size reduces the statistical robustness of the findings, thereby
constraining the generalizability of the results to other student groups or educational contexts.
6.1.2 Sampling Method Bias
• Issue: The purposive sampling approach targeted students with prior experience in
language learning and a demonstrated interest in improving cultural competence. While this method
ensured the inclusion of relevant participants, it may have introduced selection bias by excluding
less motivated or inexperienced learners.
• Impact: The findings may overstate the effectiveness of AI tools, as the participants were
inherently predisposed to engage positively with the interventions.
6.1.3 Reliance on Self-Reported Data
• Issue: The study relied heavily on self-reported data collected through surveys and
questionnaires, which measured participants’ perceptions of their confidence and competence.
• Impact: Self-reported data can be subjective and prone to social desirability bias,
potentially leading to discrepancies between reported improvements and actual gains in cultural
competence.
6.1.4 Limited Scope of AI Tools
• Issue: The research focused exclusively on two AI tools: culture-specific virtual
environments and conversational agents. While these tools were effective, they represent only a
subset of the broader range of AI technologies available for cultural learning.
• Impact: The findings may not fully capture the potential benefits of more advanced or
diverse AI applications in language education.
6.2 Future Research Directions
To address these limitations and expand upon the findings, future research should consider the
following directions:
• Comparative Effectiveness: Examine the comparative efficacy of AI tools against
traditional teaching methods in fostering cultural competence to identify their relative strengths and
weaknesses.
• Learner Variability: Investigate the influence of individual factors, such as age, language
proficiency, and cultural background, on the outcomes of AI-based interventions to ensure
inclusivity and adaptability.
• Hybrid Models: Explore the integration of AI tools with traditional and human-mediated
approaches to assess the impact of blended learning on intercultural communication skills.
• Group Dynamics: Analyze how AI tools facilitate collaboration and cultural competence
development in group settings, such as virtual teams or multicultural classrooms, to evaluate their
potential in collective learning scenarios.
By explicitly acknowledging these limitations and implementing the suggested enhancements,
future research can provide a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of AI’s role in
fostering cultural competence. Such efforts will contribute to the development of evidence-based
strategies for integrating AI into diverse educational contexts.

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REFERENCES
Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence.
Multilingual Matters.
Choukaier, D. (2024). Integrating AI In English Language Pedagogy: Innovations And Outcomes In
Teaching English As Second /Foreign Language. Educational. Administration: Theory and
Practice, 30(5), 3811-3822. https://doi.org/10.53555/kuey.v30i5.3538
Wei, L. (2023). Artificial Intelligence in Language Instruction: Impact on English Learning
Achievement, L2 Motivation, and Self-Regulated Learning. Frontiers in Psychology, Volume
14 - 2023
APPENDIX: Survey Questionnaire
Section A: Background Information
1. Age:
18-20 21-23 24 or above
2. Gender:
Male Female
3. Have you previously used any AI tools for language learning?
Yes No
4. Rate your current confidence in communicating with individuals from different cultures.
Very Low Low Neutral High Very High
    
Section B: Cultural Competence and Intercultural Communication Skills
Please rate the following statements based on your experience with the AI tools provided in
this course.
1. Cultural Awareness
AI tools helped me understand the importance of cultural awareness.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
    
The AI simulations exposed me to various cultural norms and practices.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
    
2. Communication Skills
I feel more confident in adjusting my communication style to suit different cultural contexts.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
    
Practicing with AI-driven conversational agents helped me improve my intercultural
communication skills.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
    

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3. Behavioral Adaptation
The AI tools have helped me understand and practice culturally appropriate behaviors (e.g.,
gestures, greetings, etiquette).
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
    
I feel more prepared to handle real-life situations that require cultural sensitivity.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
    
Section C: Feedback and Suggestions
1. What was the most useful feature of the AI tools for developing cultural competence?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Describe any challenges you encountered while using AI for cultural learning.
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
3. Do you have suggestions for improving the AI tools to better support cultural competence
development?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
4. Overall, how would you rate your experience using AI tools to develop cultural
competence?
Very Poor Poor Neutral Good Excellent
    

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EXPLORING PERCEPTIONS AND POLICIES ON USING GENAI AS WRITING

ASSISTANCE IN ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS
Le Hong Nhung
Hong Duc University
ABSTRACT
This paper explores the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in academic writing
and its impact on academic integrity and relevant policies within higher education. Utilising a
mixed-methods approach underpinned by a pragmatic paradigm, this study integrates qualitative
data from semi-structured interviews and quantitative data from questionnaires. The research
focuses on the perceptions of both academic staff and students regarding GenAI’s utility and ethical
implications, as well as the effectiveness of existing institutional policies. Key findings reveal
GenAI is valued for its assistance in idea generation and literature reviews. However, concerns
about its impact on critical thinking, originality, and skill development persist. The article highlights
the inadequacies of current AI detection tools and the need for continuous policy updates and
effective communication strategies among stakeholders. Recommendations for policy
improvements and educational practices are provided to ensure the responsible use of GenAI in
academic writing, aiming to uphold academic integrity.
Key words: Academic integrity, Academic writing, AI detection tools, Generative Artificial
Intelligence, ethical practices.
1. INTRODUCTION
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies, a subfield of AI that focuses on
creating models capable of generating human-like text based on given prompts (Zhao, Cox, and
Cai, 2024), have brought profound changes to various fields, including education. In higher
education, the integration of GenAI tools into academic writing practices has sparked significant
debate (Cotton, Cotton, and Shipway, 2023; Dwivedi et al., 2023; Liebrenz et al., 2023; Bobula,
2024; Perkins et al., 2024). These tools’ ability to generate coherent and contextually relevant texts
brought about both opportunities and challenges (Cotton, Cotton, and Shipway 2023). They have
proven to be able to support students in generating ideas, structuring essays, and conducting
literature reviews (Enriquez et al., 2024; Nguyen et al., 2024; Ou, Stöhr, and Malmström, 2024).
However, their potential to undermine academic integrity by facilitating plagiarism as well as
reducing critical engagement poses serious concerns (Eaton, 2023; Vetter et al., 2024).
Despite the extensive focus on AI and its implications in education, there is still no consensus
on what constitutes ethical practices. Students and educators remain divided and confused on the
issue (Barrett and Pack, 2023; Ou, Stöhr, and Malmström, 2024; Vetter et al., 2024; Yusuf, Pervin,
and Román-González, 2024). Moreover, current AI detection tools fail to provide accurate and
reliable results, complicating the enforcement of policies regarding GenAI in academia (Elkhatat,
Elsaid, and Almeer, 2023; Gao et al., 2023; Weber-Wulff et al., 2023). The policy landscape is
similarly problematic, with a lack of clear guidelines on appropriate practices (Perkins and Roe,
2023). Therefore, updating and revising pertinent policies is urgently needed to regulate the
implications of GenAI in education and emphasise its ethical and proper use. Understanding the
perspectives of stakeholders like students and teachers is crucial to this process.
This study aims to contribute to the existing literature on GenAI in academic writing, focusing
on its impact on academic integrity and institutional policy responses. Adopting a pragmatic
paradigm, the study combines qualitative and quantitative methods to provide a comprehensive
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understanding of the issues at hand. Through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, the
research captures the perceptions of both academic staff and students, examining their experiences
and attitudes towards GenAI tools. Using reflexive thematic analysis and descriptive statistics, this
study highlights the complexity and nuanced views regarding GenAI’s implications for academic
integrity. It also reveals the communication gap between stakeholders regarding the policies around
GenAI and the varied opinions on recommended regulations. Thus, this study justifies the need for
further research, particularly in understanding the balance between leveraging GenAI tools for
efficiency and ensuring critical academic engagement.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Generative Artificial Intelligen (GenAI)
Despite the ubiquity of the term “artificial intelligence” (AI), a precise definition remains
elusive (Bearman, Ryan, and Ajjawi 2023), probably due to the rapidly evolving nature of the
technology (Crompton and Burke 2023). Nonetheless, the conceptualisation of AI in contemporary
scholarship largely adheres to Turing’s 1950s philosophy, which compares machine behaviours to
human intelligence and cognition (Crompton and Burke 2023; Ou, Stöhr, and Malmström 2024). As
such, AI can be broadly defined as a range of technologies that enable machines to perform
cognitive tasks typically associated with human minds, such as learning, adapting, and problem-
solving (Popenici and Kerr 2017; Malik et al. 2023)
GenAI represents a significant advancement in AI technology, encompassing a variety of
technologies that create human-like content across multiple media formats, including text, images,
audio, and video (Tlili et al. 2023; Strzelecki 2024). While GenAI is a broad term to refer to any
form of AI capable of creating original content; within the educational context, interests have
particularly focused on GPT (Generative Pretrained Transformer) models, a distinct type of GenAI
developed by OpenAI (Farrelly and Baker, 2023). To be more specific, GPT models are trained on
extensive datasets including articles, books, and written conversations (Adiguzel, Kaya, and Cansu,
2023). Launched publicly in 2022, ChatGPT is considered one of the largest language models
available. ChatGPT is distinguished by its ability to perform a broad spectrum of language tasks
with minimal or no task-specific training (Cotton, Cotton, and Shipway 2023).
Although ChatGPT has significantly shaped the initial discussions about GenAI in education,
it is essential to recognise that it represents just one popular model among many (Farrelly and Baker
2023). Other popular tools include Copilot, Perplexity.ai, and Bard (now Gemini), which are AI
chatbot-powered research and conversational search engines (Google, 2024; Microsoft, 2024;
Perplexity AI, 2024). Grammarly also introduced its GenAI features which can generate text on
prompts as well as customise one’s writing for tone, clarity, or length (Grammarly, 2024).
2.2. GenAI in Academic Writing
In academic writing, AI tools such as grammar checkers (Grammarly), and paraphrasing tools
(Quillbot and Wordtune) have been popularised over the years (Zhao, Cox, and Cai 2024). These
tools primarily improve existing content and focus on specific tasks, GenAI, on the other hand,
offers comprehensive support and can generate original content (Storey, 2023). Due to its
accessibility, GenAI usage among higher education students has significantly increased. Despite
concerns about GenAI’s impact on teaching, learning, academic integrity, and assessment methods
(Cotton, Cotton, and Shipway, 2023; Dwivedi et al., 2023; Liebrenz et al., 2023; Bobula, 2024;
Perkins et al., 2024); the use of GenAI in academic writing can be seen as positive as it provides

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students with instant feedback and support throughout the process (Nguyen et al. 2024), starting
with idea generation.
GenAI’s integration into academic writing, particularly in idea generation and outline
formation, has shown considerable promise (Enriquez et al. 2024; Ou, Stöhr, and Malmström 2024).
A systematic review by Khalifa and Albadawy (2024) highlights GenAI’s effectiveness in
facilitating brainstorming and suggesting hypotheses. However, opinions are divided regarding its
benefit in idea generation. Besides, several studies have highlighted the questionable reliability and
accuracy of information and sources provided by GenAI (Chan and Hu, 2023; Ngo, 2023; Peres et
al., 2023). As such, Singh (2023) suggests that whilst GenAI might provide useful information,
users should curate it for accuracy before using it.
Another implication of GenAI in academic writing is its ability to enhance language outputs
at lexical, grammatical, and discourse levels (Ou, Stöhr, and Malmström 2024). This is particularly
useful considering that the linguistic aspects of academic writing are often among the most
challenging (Fang, 2021). GenAI is also seen as particularly helpful for students studying in a
foreign language, enabling them to focus less on grammatical errors and more on critical writing
elements (Nazari, Shabbir, and Setiawan, 2021). GenAI can also help these students to paraphrase
texts and translate their writing into English (Roe and Perkins, 2022; Cotton, Cotton, and Shipway
2023).
Regardless, GenAI’s ability to generate entire essays on various topics and genres, potentially
matching or even surpassing human writing abilities, continues to raise concerns about eroding
academic writing skills and maintaining academic integrity in higher education (Cotton, Cotton, and
Shipway 2023; Kasneci et al. 2023)
2.3. Research questions
• What are the perceptions of academics and students on the impacts of GenAI as writing
assistants on academic integrity?
• What are the perceptions of academics and students on the existing policies on academic
integrity regarding GenAI as writing assistants?
3. METHODS
3.1. Research methods
In designing this research from a pragmatist perspective, which embraces various methods
based on their suitability in addressing research questions, a mixed-methods approach was a natural
fit. Mixed methods research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to generate a more
comprehensive understanding of social phenomena than either approach alone (Shannon-Baker,
2016; Biesta, 2021). Qualitative methods do not allow for generalisation, while quantitative data do
not deeply investigate individual perspectives (Creswell, 2015). In contrast, integrating qualitative
and quantitative data provides a nuanced understanding that transcends numerical data by
generating rich, rigorous data, reducing subjectivity, and enhancing the validity of findings
(Creswell 2015; Biesta 2021; Sharma et al. 2023)
3.2. Participants
For this study, the 2 staff members and 3 postgraduate students were chosen from the same
school at a university in the UK. Their involvement with the university’s policies and practices
provided valuable context-specific perspectives. All participants were invited to choose a
pseudonym; otherwise, one would be assigned to them (see Table 1)

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Pseudonym Age group Academic role and background

Olivia Gen X Domestic postgraduate student
Alice Millennials International postgraduate student
Nolan Millennials International postgraduate student
Ellie Gen X Senior lecturer and course leader for an MA program
Kevin Millennials School Learning and Teaching Manager and Academic
Integrity Coordinator
Table 1. Interview Overview
In the second phase of the research, the questionnaire link was distributed to some master’s
program students via communal chat and to school staff through emails and the staff newsletter.
There were 18 respondents, with 8 being faculty members and the remainder being students, all
involved in the field of education. Half of the respondents are native English speakers. Although the
sample may not be statistically representative, it is sufficient to generate meaningful insights into
the research problem. The participation of both staff and students allowed for a range of
perspectives within the university, offering a balanced view of the current state of GenAI usage and
policy.
3.3. Instruments
This study employed two main data collection instruments, namely the interview and the
questionnaire.
The interview:
In this study, semi-structured interviews was conducted, allowing for an in-depth exploration
of participants’ perceptions, experiences, and opinions regarding the use of GenAI in academic
writing. This method provides the flexibility to probe deeper into interesting or unexpected areas
that emerge during the conversation (Adams, 2015), allowing for the exploration of new areas of
interest that arise. However, semi-structured interviews also present challenges, requiring
sophisticated interviewing skills to guide the conversation effectively and probe deeper when
necessary (Adams, 2015).
The questionnaire:
After conducting a thematic analysis of the interviews, I designed a questionnaire based on
the emergent themes to capture data from a larger sample. This approach allows me to quantify the
prevalence of certain perceptions and attitudes across a broader population. The questionnaire
included both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Closed-ended questions provide data that
can be easily analysed statistically, identifying trends and general patterns within the larger group
while open-ended questions allow participants to provide additional context or elaborate on their
answers (Bloom et al. 2016).
3.4. Data collection procedure
The data collection procedure consists of two main phases as follows:
Phase 1 (Online semi-structured interview): The interviews were conducted online using MS
Teams, starting with questions about participants’ academic backgrounds and familiarity with
GenAI. Participants then shared their perceptions of the potential uses of GenAI in each stage of the
academic writing process and the possible issues it entails. They also provided predictions about the
future of GenAI in academia. Next, participants were asked about their awareness of AI detection
tools and their opinions on their effectiveness. Finally, they discussed their institution’s policy and
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offered suggestions for policy implementation regarding the use of GenAI in higher education (see
Appendix A).
Phase 2 (online questionnaire): The questionnaire was administered online using MS Forms,
comprising five sections. Section 1 provided participants with information about the study and their
rights, as well as explicitly sought their consent. Section 2 collected demographic information such
as age group, academic role, and field of study. Sections 3 and 4 included questions about their
perceptions of GenAI use in academic writing and policy regarding GenAI. In the final section,
gratitude was expressed to participants, and contact details were provided for any questions or
additional feedback (see Appendix B).
3.5. Data analysis
In this study, reflexive thematic analysis was employed for the qualitative data, while
descriptive statistics were used for the quantitative data, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of
participants' experiences and perceptions regarding GenAI in academic writing.
Reflexive thematic analysis was chosen for the qualitative data from semi-structured
interviews due to its fluid, reflective, and interpretive approach (Byrne, 2022). All interviews were
transcribed verbatim using the MS Teams automated transcription feature and checked manually for
any inaccuracies. Data were anonymised by replacing participants’ names with pseudonyms and
removing personal details. I followed Braun and Clarke’s (2022) 6-phase data analytic process,
which includes dataset familiarisation; data coding; initial theme generation; theme development
and review; theme refining, defining and naming; and writing up.
The qualitative data from open-ended questions in the questionnaire were analysed using the
same method as the interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics,
summarising and describing the main features of the data. I utilised the automated summary
statistics and visualisations from MS Forms, exporting the responses to a spreadsheet for manual
checking and analysis. This ensured the data was error-free and consistent, resulting in a
comprehensive report with both automated and custom analyses, visualisations, and interpretations.
4. FINDINGS/RESULTS
4.1. Levels of knowledge about GenAI
All interviewees were aware of GenAI tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Bing (Copilot),
but their understanding of the technology varied widely. Olivia, a GenX could not distinguish
between AI and GenAI, and felt “out of touch” with technology. Conversely, Millennials Alice and
Nolan rated their familiarity as 4 out of 5 but also struggled to differentiate between AI and GenAI,
highlighting a gap in deeper understanding despite their higher self-perceived familiarity.
Among the staff, levels of understanding differed significantly as well. Ellie, also a GenX,
expressed doubt about reaching a higher understanding while acknowledging its importance for her
role. In contrast, Kevin demonstrated both confidence and actual understanding of the technology.
His job in academic integrity likely contributes to his in-depth knowledge, as GenAI has caused
several concerns in this field. He explained in the interview that his knowledge of GenAI is “mostly
based around potential misuse”.
Of 18 questionnaire respondents, half (4 students and 5 faculty) reported using GenAI as a
writing assistant, specifically mentioning ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing (Copilot), Elicit, Claude.ai, and
Poe. They rated themselves as 3 or 4 out of 5, showing relatively high self-perceived familiarity.

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The findings reveal high awareness of GenAI tools, with ChatGPT being the most popular,
consistent with previous studies (Chan and Hu, 2023; Črček and Patekar, 2023; Yusuf, Pervin, and
Román-González, 2024). Qualitative data suggest a generational gap in self-perceived digital skills,
with younger individuals showing higher confidence. This aligns with Woods et al. (2021), who
found that generation and gender significantly predict technology efficacy among teachers.
4.2. Uses and concerns of GenAI in Academic Writing
Generally, participants agreed that GenAI can be used within specified assessment
regulations, but opinions varied on what constitutes appropriate practice.
4.2.1. GenAI in early stages of writing
All interviewees found using GenAI acceptable in the early writing stages for obtaining a
quick overview of the research topic, brainstorming ideas, and outlining essays.
Questionnaire responses supported these views, with respondents’ comments highlighting the
“usefulness” and “convenience” of GenAI for idea generation and planning (see Figure 1)

Figure 1. Students and Staff’s Perception of the Use of GenAI in the Early Stages of Writing
4.2.2. GenAI in Literature Review
Interviewees found GenAI tools particularly useful for literature reviews. They can use AI to
explore the literature is deemed acceptable because it supports the search for relevant materials and
to paraphrase and summarise articles, especially complicated ones. This is particularly valuable for
students for whom English is not their first language.
Despite the benefits, concerns were raised about the potential devaluation of reading skills if
students over-rely on GenAI.
The questionnaire also showed general acceptance of GenAI for literature reviews, but staff
were more sceptical about its use for paraphrasing, viewing it as potentially inappropriate (see
Figure 2). One comment left by a faculty member indicated that using GenAI to paraphrase “feels
like cheating”.

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Figure 2. Students and Staff’s Perception of the Use of GenAI in Literature Review
4.2.3. GenAI in writing and post-writing stages
Nearly all participants agreed that it is unethical to pass AI-generated text as one’s own
writing (see Figure 3). However, some interviewees felt that students can use GenAI to write for
them if they apply their own critical thinking.
Interestingly, while paraphrasing using AI was generally considered unacceptable, translating
was deemed appropriate (see Figure 3), “especially if English isn’t your first language as it is a very
hard language to get right all the time”, as a domestic student commented in the questionnaire.

Figure 3. Students and Staff’s Perception of the Use of GenAI in Writing

Interestingly, although participants in the questionnaire had varied opinions on the
acceptability of students using GenAI for proofreading, they largely concurred that employing
GenAI to enhance writing style is acceptable (see Figure 4). The questionnaire results also reveal
reservations about using GenAI to generate citations and references, with more participants
opposing it than supporting it (see Figure 4). Moreover, concerns about GenAI in writing included
potential loss of originality and uniformity of AI-generated texts.

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Figure 4. Students and Staff’s Perception of the Use of GenAI in Post-writing Stages
4.3. Detection of GenAI use
4.3.1. AI detection tools
While some students metioned Turnitin and ZeroGPT as AI detection tools, assuming it could
detect AI-generated content as their university uses it for plagiarism detection, all interviewed
students expressed uncertainty regarding the mechanisms and effectiveness of these tools.
Interestingly, several participants noted that the effectiveness of AI detection tools depends on
how students use GenAI. For instance, Alice believes that if students use GenAI as a writing
assistant rather than relying on it to complete the entire assignment, it will not be detected.
Similarly, Nolan suggests that if students modify and refine the AI-generated text to make it more
“human”, it will also evade detection.
4.3.2. Academics’ detection capabilities
The interviewees were unanimous in their view that academics can distinguish between AI-
generated and human-written texts. The majority of participants attributed markers’ ability to detect
AI-generated text to their familiarity with students’ writing styles.
However, it is also believed that detecting the use of GenAI in academic writing will become
more challenging as the technology evolves.
The findings reveal a significant gap in the effectiveness and understanding of AI detection
tools among both students and academics. While students assume tools like Turnitin can detect AI-
generated content, academics express doubts about their reliability and effectiveness. Currently,
academics rely heavily on their intuition and familiarity with students’ writing styles to identify
GenAI use, but this method is challenged by the evolving sophistication of AI technology and larger
class sizes. Regardless, the current state of AI detection tools requires continuous improvement to
keep pace with advancements in AI, and further research is needed to develop more reliable and
effective solutions. At the same time, staff training on the advancement and application of GenAI
tools, as well as on identifying their use in marking, needs to be continuously conducted and
updated.
4.4. Current policy landscape and recommendations for the future
4.4.1. Awareness of current policies

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The awareness level regarding institutional policies on AI use among interviewees was
alarmingly low.
The questionnaire revealed a higher reported awareness, with 14 out of 18 respondents
claiming to know their institution’s policy. The staff mentioned the policy was conveyed to them via
email and training workshops, for students, most of them became aware of it because their tutors
and lecturers mentioned it. However, since there was no follow-up question to check whether this
awareness truly exists, it might be a similar case to the participants in the interviews who were all
aware that the policy exists but uncertain of what the specific regulations are.
4.4.2. Recommendations for policy improvement
All participants unanimously believe that students will continue to use GenAI in their
academic endeavours. They agreed that GenAI should be permitted, provided students use it
responsibly and give proper acknowledgement. The questionnaire echoed these views, with the
majority supporting the regulated use of GenAI (see Figure 5).
However, as aforementioned, there is no clear consensus on the ethical use of GenAI.
Moreover, as the technology evolves, ethical standards will need continuous updates.

Figure 1. Students and Staff’s Opinions Regarding Regulatory Approaches for GenAI
Implementation
Opinions also differ on the level of regulation, with some advocating for university-wide
policies for consistency and others for departmental flexibility, which was reflected in the
questionnaire results (see Figure 6). The responses also reflected the need for continuous discussion
about GenAI throughout the academic year through various channels such as emails, tutorials, and
assignment briefings. It can be seen that there is a strong emphasis on the role of teaching staff in
conveying the policy to students.

Figure 6: Students and Staff’s Opinions Regarding Organisational Level for GenAI Regulation

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The findings reveal a complex and fragmented landscape in terms of institutional policies on
GenAI within academia. Despite recognising the need for policies, there is a notable gap in effective
communication and implementation. Interviewees expressed uncertainty about their institution’s
stance on GenAI, recalling vague directives rather than concrete guidelines. In addition, a critical
issue in policy communication is that academics and students might be aware of the existence of
policies, but without clear, accessible, and continuous engagement, their practical impact is limited.
To address the identified gaps and improve policy effectiveness, several recommendations can
be implemented. First, institutions should develop more effective communication strategies to
ensure that all stakeholders are well-informed about AI policies. Secondly, while a university-wide
policy provides consistency, allowing some flexibility at the departmental level can accommodate
the diverse needs and contexts of different academic areas. Thirdly, given the fast-paced
development of AI technology, policies should include mechanisms for regular review and revision.
This ensures that guidelines remain relevant and effective in addressing new challenges and ethical
considerations.
5. CONCLUSION
The findings of this study underscore the multifaceted impacts of GenAI on academic writing
and integrity in higher education. While GenAI tools are increasingly popular among students and
staff for streamlining the writing process, significant concerns remain regarding their potential to
erode essential academic skills and compromise academic integrity. The study also reveals a notable
gap in awareness and understanding of institutional policies on GenAI use, pointing to the necessity
for continuous, clear, and engaging communication strategies.
Moreover, despite the attention devoted to the ethical implications of GenAI in higher
education, the issue remains relatively new. Given the evolving nature of GenAI and its integration
into academic practices, longitudinal studies would be particularly valuable. Furthermore, future
research could explore the differential impacts of GenAI on various academic disciplines. As this
study indicates, the perceived appropriateness and utility of GenAI may vary across fields,
suggesting that discipline-specific investigations are needed.
While this study makes a valuable contribution to understanding the implications of GenAI in
higher education, it is important to acknowledge that the small sample size limits the
generalisability of the findings. Additionally, the lack of open-ended questions in parts of the
questionnaire posed challenges in understanding and explaining the discrepancies observed between
the qualitative and quantitative datasets. Despite these limitations, this investigation contributes to
the ongoing discourse on the responsible integration of GenAI in academia, providing actionable
insights and recommendations for policy and practice. By fostering a balanced approach that
leverages the benefits of GenAI while safeguarding academic integrity, higher education institutions
can navigate the complexities of this evolving technological landscape.

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APPENDIXES
Appendix A: Interview schedule
1. What is your current academic role?
2. Are you aware of the existence of GenAI technologies such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Bing?
3. How did you first learn about them?
4. How would you describe your level of familiarity with using such technologies on a scale from 1
to 5, with 1 being not familiar at all and 5 being very familiar?
5. Can you provide an example of how you have used GenAI technologies, if at all?
6. Could you define the differences between AI and GenAI and provide examples of each?
7. Which one do you think is more useful in academic writing and why?
8. In what ways do you think GenAI can be used in academic writing?
9. Which of those uses is acceptable and which is not?
10. What are your concerns about using GenAI in academic writing?
11. How do you think these concerns can be addressed?
12. How do you see the role of GenAI evolving in academic writing over the next 5-10 years?
13. Are you aware of the existence of AI-detection tools such as Turnitin or ZeroGPT?
14. Have you or your institution used these tools?
15. How effective do you think AI-detection tools such as Turniti are?
16. Do you have any experiences or examples to share?
17. Are you aware of the existing policy regarding this issue?
18. How was the policy conveyed to you?
19. How effective is the current policy in maintaining academic integrity in the context of GenAI
use?
20. Can you provide examples of its effectiveness or shortcomings?
21. Should AI be regulated at the university level or localised at the school/departmental level?
22. What do you think should be implemented to better regulate the use of GenAI in academic
writing?
Appendix B: Questionnaire
Demographic information
1. What is your current role? *

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• Undergraduate student
• Postgraduate student
• Faculty member
• Administrator
• Other
2. What is your primary field of study or teaching? *
3. What is your age group? *
• 18-24
• 25-34
• 35-44
• 45-54
• over 55
Generative AI in academic writing
4. Have you ever used a Generative AI tool such as Chat GPT and Microsoft Bing (Copilot) as a
writing assistant? *
• Yes
• No
5. Please list the Generative AI tools that you have used in academic writing *
6. Please rank your level of familiarity with using such technologies with 1 being not familiar at all
and 5 being very familiar. *
7. What are the potential uses of Generative AI as a writing assistant in academic writing? *
• Generate ideas
• Create essay/assignment plans
• Clarify terminologies and concepts
• Search for information
• Summarize articles
• Paraphrase articles
• Paraphrase one's own writing
• Translate articles
• Translate one's own writing
• Proofread
• Improve writing style
• Generate citation and reference
• Write parts of the essay/assignment
• Write the whole essay/assignment
• Other
8. If you mentioned other ways to use Generative AI in academic writing in the previous question,
are they acceptable ways of using Generative AI?
Yes No Unsure

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Other 1
Other 2
Other 3
9. Is it acceptable to use Generative AI to...? *
Yes No Unsure
... generate ideas
... create essay plans
... clarify terminologies and concepts
... search for information
... summarize articles
... paraphrase articles
... paraphrase one's own writing
... translate articles
... translate one's own writing
... proofread
... improve writing style
... generate citation and reference
... write parts of the essay/assignment
... write the whole essay/assignment
10. Please explain the reasons why you think certain ways of using Generative AI in academic
writing are acceptable/unacceptable or why you are unsure what is acceptable/unacceptable.
Policy regarding Generative AI
11. Are you aware of your institution's current policy regarding the use of Generative AI in
academic writing? *
• Yes
• No
12. How did you become aware of the policy?/How was the policy conveyed to you? *
13. How effective do you think the current policy is on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being very
ineffective and 5 being very effective? *
14. What policy should academic institutions adopt regarding Generative AI in writing? *
• Completely prohibited
• Completely allowed
• Allowed with specific regulations
• Other
15. At which organizational level should the use of Generative AI be regulated? *
• University level
• School or departmental level
• Overarching university policy with some flexibility for school/departmental levels
• It does not need regulating

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• It cannot be regulated
• Other
16. Please explain why you believe this policy on Generative AI in academic writing is the best
approach.
17. How should the policy be conveyed to staff and students? *

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THE IMPACT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS ON THE SELF-STUDY

PROCESS OF NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HONG DUC UNIVERSITY
Hoang Kim Thuy
Le Thi Hương
Le Thi Thanh Huong
Hong Duc University
ABSTRACT
Today, the application of information technology in teaching and learning foreign languages
has become more and more popular. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) has been considered
as a promising tool in foreign language teaching and learning to enhance learners' outcomes.
Foreign language learners are using artificial intelligence (AI) to support their self-regulated
learning processes and achieve better academic results. This paper aims to explore the impact of
artificial intelligence tools on autonomous English learning among English non-major students at
Hong Duc University. Seventy-six students participating in this study come from different classes at
Hong Duc University. Data processing used qualitative and quantitative methods and a
questionnaire supported by SPSS 26 software. The results showed that all students recognized the
positive impact of artificial intelligence tools on their self English learning process. However, there
are a number of challenges that they have faced such as the cost, the real life interaction, and the
internet connection were also indicated. To address these challenges, several solutions are proposed
such as providing affordable AI service packages through collaborations with AI tool providers,
establishing a strong and stable Wi-Fi network on campus and providing technical support and AI
usage guidance through detailed guides and training courses.
Key words: Artificial intelligence; AI tools, impacts of AI tools; English self-study, English
non-major students
1. INTRODUCTION
Today, the use of information technology in teaching and learning foreign languages is
considered essential and necessary in all levels (Ahmadi, 2018) . Among them, AI (artificial
intelligence) has become a highly significant tool in foreign languages teaching and learning to
achieve better learning results and to have greater effectiveness in self-learning process
(Hirstiani,2019). AI tools are characterized by having intelligent assistance that can provide
information, answer questions, and facilitate rapid and accurate information access. These
instruments have a significant impact on increasing student's engagement and improving their
foreign language abilities (Lu,2018). As a result, the learning of English another foreign language
with AI assistance is considered a promising approach, especially when both teachers and students
can comprehend and utilize AI tools effectively.
Many investigations about the effect of AI in education have been conducted, specifically in
the field of English language learning. Junaidi (2020) and Sharkly (2021) considered the beneficial
effects of AI tools in the development of language abilities for EFL students. Font and Araya (2023)
evaluated the strategic value of AI-based tools in the English language learning field. Another study
by Hsu and colleagues (2023) investigated the impact of students utilizing AI in the vocabulary
learning process, they showed that students had an advantage in retaining and recalling vocabulary.
Despite the fact that these studies demonstrate the beneficial effects of AI tools in terms of
increasing foreign language abilities, they suggest that additional development and specific
applications are necessary.

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In Vietnam, the use of AI in language teaching is also gaining attention, especially since
English is seen as an important skill for young people. According to the Ministry of Education and
Training (2021), many schools are starting to use AI-powered English learning tools in their
programs to encourage students to practice outside the classroom. However, there are still
challenges, especially for students without an English specialization who may lack experience with
self-study techniques and are less familiar with AI tools for their learning.
At Hong Duc University, although there is interest in using AI in teaching and learning, there
hasn’t been much research on how these tools affect the self-regulated study of non-English major
students.The aim of this study is to explore how AI tools affect their self-study process and to
suggest ways to support some more effective and creative self-study practices.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. An introduction to AI.
Makridakis (2017) defines artificial intelligence (AI) as computers' ability to do numerous
activities in a methodical and human-like manner. It is also characterized as a discipline of
computer science and technology concerned with information processing, research, design, and the
creation of smart systems capable of simulating human intelligence (Barr et al, 1989).
Furthermore, Barr and his co-authors (1989) describe artificial intelligence (AI) as a discipline
of computer science that focuses on designing and developing intelligent systems. These systems
behave similarly to human intelligence in domains such as language comprehension, learning,
reasoning, and problem solving
2.2. An introduction to self-study process
Nguyen Thi Cuc (2011) describes self-study skills as the ability to apply knowledge,
experiences, and practical skills to obtain desired results dependent on conditions. Considering self-
study in foreign language learning, Benson (2011) emphasizes the importance of the "ability to
control one's own learning process". Foreign language acquisition is regulated by a number of
characteristics, as Littlewood (1997) points out, including four factors that are critical for successful
self-study: motivation, confidence, knowledge, and skills. As a result, self-study is defined as the
act of seeking, learning, and applying knowledge, particularly in language acquisition, when
students are motivated, confident, knowledgeable, and skillful.
2.3. The relationship between English Self-Study and AI Tools
The advancement of AI has resulted in the production of numerous language learning
applications. This advancement underscores the necessity of improving the user experience and
providing improved support for learners' English self-study. Today's learners have numerous
resources for using AI-based language applications. AI tutoring systems serve as virtual instructors,
giving automatic coaching and enabling users to improve their learning abilities (Mukhallafi,2020).
This is enabled by AI's ability to evaluate data and provide insights based on general market trends.
According to Wei (2023), the application of AI in English learning has proven to be effective.
This demonstrated that the use of AI in education, particularly in English learning, is very
appropriate. Learners who wish to improve their English skills efficiently should select AI tools
carefully, choosing those that align with their learning goals.
2.4. Research Questions
To fulfill the purpose of the study, the survey was conducted to answer the following question.

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- What is the current state of using AI tools in the English self-study process of English non-
major students?
- How does the use of AI tools affect the English self-study process of English Language non-
smajor students?
3.METHODS
3.1. Participants
A number of 76 students aged 18 and over were chosen to participate in the study. They are at
a diverse range of academic backgrounds and English proficiency levels.
3.2. Research design and research methodology
This study employed a mixed-methods research design combining quantitative and qualitative
approaches to comprehensively explore the impact of AI tools on English self-study among non-
English major students at Hong Duc University.
The version of SPSS used in this study is SPSS Statistics 26. The data analysis process
follows a specific procedure. First, the data was entered into SPSS and checked for completeness
and accuracy. Then, the variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics to understand the
distribution and characteristics of the data. Next, the correlation between variables was analyzed
using Pearson correlation to assess the relationships between factors. Hypothesis testing was
conducted using t-tests (t-test for independent samples) to compare the differences between groups.
Finally, the results were visualized in the form of charts and tables to clarify the information and
findings obtained from the study.
3.3. Research instruments
Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used to meet the study's aims.
Qualitative data was gathered through surveys, while quantitative results were analyzed by using
SPSS 26 software. The survey included 76 non-English majors from Hong Duc University.
Participants who took part in the survey responded to closed-ended questions and open-ended
questions about the impact of AI on their English self-study process. The research team conducted a
survey of students' preferences directly.
The survey was based on the Kumar's questionnaire (Kumar,2023) and utilized a 5-point scale
with levels of agreement: "strongly agree," "agree," "neutral," "disagree," and "strongly disagree."
The questionnaire from Kumar (2023) was adapted to suit non-language major students at Hong
Duc University. The questions in the original survey were modified in terms of meaning and
grammar to ensure that students could easily understand and respond. Some technical terms were
replaced with more common words, better suited to the level and comprehension abilities of non-
language major students. This adaptation was necessary due to the unique characteristics of the
target group in terms of their academic level and approach to information. These changes made the
questionnaire more accessible and more accurately reflected the needs and concerns of non-
language major students. To ensure reliability and validity, the questionnaire was pilot-tested with a
small group of non-language major students at Hong Duc University. The pilot test results showed
that the adapted questions were clear and appropriate. The questionnaire was also reviewed by
faculty members in the fields of education and social research to ensure its validity. Based on
feedback from the faculty, some minor adjustments were made to further improve the clarity of the
questions.

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The information gathered from the survey was evaluated, analyzed, and processed using SPSS
26 software.
4. FINDINGS
4.1. The Present Use of AI Tools in English Self-Study by Non-English Major Students
AI technologies are growing more popular; however, whether foreign language learners,
particularly non-English major students, have completely exploited these tools for English self-
study, and to what extent, indicates the impact of AI. As a starting point, the research team carried
out a survey of students' current AI tool usage, which included ChatGPT, Google Bard, Texti, ELSA
Speak, Duolingo, Grammarly, and LingoDeer. The statistical data are shown in table 1.
Table 1. Current Use of AI Tools by Non-English Major Students
Frequency of Using AI Tools Percentage of
for English Self-Study Students
Never 2.6%
Rarely 5.3%
Occasionally 32.9%
Frequently 57.9%
Always 1.3%

The results in Table 1 show that 97.4% of students have been using AI tools for English self-
study at varying frequencies. Among them, 57.9% of surveyed students reported frequently using AI
tools, including ChatGPT, Google Translate, Texti, ELSA Speak, Duolingo, and Grammarly, for
daily English learning. Google Translate and ChatGPT were the most frequently used tools.
Meanwhile, 32.9% of students occasionally used AI tools for English learning. Only 5.3% of
students reported rarely using AI for English study, a much smaller percentage compared to the
combined total of students who use it frequently and always. Therefore, the results indicate an
increasing trend in the use of AI tools for English self-study among students, reflecting their
proactive approach in seeking learning support and demonstrating the influence of AI tools on
students’ English self-study process.
4.2. The impact of AI Tools on the English Self-Study Process of Non-English Major
Students
Kumar (2023) proposed several criteria related to the impact of AI tools on language learning.
These criteria were similarly considered in the English self-study process of students. The survey
results on the level of impact are presented in the data tables below.
Table 2: The benefits of AI tools on the English self-learning process
5 4 3 2 1
Statement 1
Creating positive learning environment. 42 18 2 14 0

Statement 2
Providing instant feedback 38 22 10 6 0

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Statement 3
Minimizing costs related to travelling, service and time. 52 10 8 6 0

Statement 4
Creating chances to learn from community. 50 10 6 10 0

The table showed that, among the four statements, the factor of minimizing costs related to
travel, services, and time was rated the highest, with 52 responses of strongly agree and 10
responses of agree, indicating this as a primary concern. Providing instant feedback also received
strong support, with 38 responses of strongly agree and 22 responses of agree, reflecting the
demand to improve the learning process through timely feedback. Regarding creating a positive
learning environment, although there were 42 responses of strongly agree and 18 responses of
agree, there were also 14 responses of disagree, suggesting that some people felt this aspect could
still be improved to meet expectations. Finally, learning from the community was highly valued,
with 50 responses of strongly agree and 10 responses of agree, but it also received 10 responses of
disagree, indicating that some respondents did not find this factor fully satisfying their expectations.
In summary, cost reduction and instant feedback were the most highly rated factors, while a positive
learning environment and community learning were considered valuable yet required optimization
to enhance the learning experience.
Table 3: Descriptive Statistics of the benefits of AI tools on the English self learning process
Statement 1 Statement 2 Statement 3 Statement 4
Mean 4.16 4.21 4.42 4.32
SD 1.151 0.963 0.976 1.093

Based on the mean and standard deviation, the factor of minimizing costs (Statement 3)
achieved the highest average score of 4.42 with a low standard deviation (0.976), indicating it as the
most important factor with a high level of agreement among participants. This is followed by
creating opportunities to learn from the community (Statement 4), which has an average score
of 4.32 but a higher standard deviation (1.093), reflecting differing opinions among individuals.
Providing instant feedback (Statement 2) has an average score of 4.21 and a low standard
deviation (0.963), showing that this is also a highly valued factor with consistent opinions. Lastly,
creating a positive learning environment (Statement 1) has an average score of 4.16 and the
highest standard deviation (1.151), indicating that although positively rated, there is more
variability in views. Overall, the factors are rated highly, but there is a clear difference in consensus
regarding the importance of each factor.
Table 4: The impact of using AI tools on self-study for non-English major students
5 4 3 2 1

Statement 5
The use of AI-supported language learning tools increases 38 24 4 10 0
your motivation to learn English.

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Statement 6
AI-integrated software/chatbots make learning English 50 10 10 6 0
more enjoyable compared to traditional materials.
Statement 7
Using AI-integrated language tools/software makes 42 18 8 8 0
learning English outside the classroom easier for you.
Statement 8
Your English proficiency is improved after learning 44 16 8 8 0
through AI-integrated language tools/software.
Statement 9:
AI tools help improve your listening skills by providing 45 15 9 7 0
interactive listening exercises and real-time feedback.
Statement 10:
AI-integrated language tools enhance your speaking skills 47 14 7 8 0
through conversational practice and pronunciation
feedback.
Statement 11:
AI-supported writing tools help improve your writing by 46 16 6 8 0
offering grammar and style suggestions.
Statement 12:
AI-driven reading comprehension tools assist you in 44 18 7 8 0
understanding complex texts and expanding your
vocabulary.
The data analysis from the table above shows that AI-supported language learning tools have
a positive impact on non-English major students' English learning. Specifically, a significant
number of students (77%) agree that using AI language learning tools increases their motivation to
learn English (Statement 5), and makes learning more enjoyable compared to traditional materials
(Statement 6). Additionally, 75% of students believe that AI helps make learning outside the
classroom easier (Statement 7) and improves their English proficiency (Statement 8). AI tools also
enhance specific language skills, with 75% of students agreeing that AI improves their listening
skills through interactive exercises and real-time feedback (Statement 9), and helps develop
speaking skills through conversational practice and pronunciation feedback (Statement 10).
Similarly, AI tools assist in improving writing skills by offering grammar and style suggestions
(Statement 11) and help with reading comprehension and vocabulary expansion (Statement 12).
Overall, the results indicate that AI tools not only increase motivation and engagement in
learning but also have a strong impact on improving specific language skills such as listening,
speaking, writing, and reading. AI helps students learn more effectively and independently,
unlocking the great potential of integrating technology into the language learning process,
especially in modern learning environments.

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Table 5: Descriptive Statistics of The impact of using AI tools on self-study for non-English major
students
STATEMENTS MEAN SD
Statement 5 4.18 1.036
Statement 6 4.37 0.998
Statement 7 4.24 1.025
Statement 8 4.26 1.032
Statement 9 4.29 0.74
Statement 10 4.32 0.71
Statement 11 4.32 0.07
Statement 12 4.27 0.72
The data from the statements show that AI-supported language learning tools have a
significant positive impact on students' English learning. The Mean values for the statements range
from 4.18 to 4.37, indicating that the majority of students agree that AI helps improve motivation,
makes learning materials more engaging, and makes it easier to learn outside the classroom.
Specifically, students highly rate the improvement in their language skills, with strong agreement on
listening, speaking, writing, and reading skills.
All four language skills received high Mean values between 4.24 and 4.32, showing that AI
has a positive impact on improving English proficiency. Notably, speaking and writing skills
received the highest levels of agreement, with Mean values of 4.32 and SD values (0.70-0.71) that
indicate consistent responses from students, suggesting that they clearly perceive improvements in
speaking through conversation practice and pronunciation feedback, as well as improvements in
writing through grammar and style suggestions. Additionally, Statement 9 and Statement 12 on
listening and reading comprehension also received high agreement, with Mean values of 4.29 and
4.27, and relatively low SD (0.74-0.72), indicating that students clearly perceive the support of AI
in improving their listening and reading comprehension skills.
Although most responses were consistent, there was some slight variation in the responses to
Statement 5 and Statement 7, with higher SD values, indicating that some students did not perceive
the same level of increased motivation or improvement in learning outside the classroom as others.
4.3. Challenges faced by non-English major students in utilizing AI Tools for their Self
English Learning
To explore the challenges faced by non-language major students in using AI tools, the
research team conducted interviews with 10 students. The analysis of challenges faced by non-
language major students in using AI tools for English self-study reveals three primary factors: cost,
unstable internet connections, and lack of interaction.
The cost of advanced AI tools often limits access for students, especially for those on a
budget. While some tools offer free versions, they frequently lack the full range of features required
for effective learning, pushing students to consider premium options that may be financially
prohibitive. As one student explained, “I tried a free version of a language learning app, but it
didn't have enough content. To unlock more lessons, I would need to pay, and as a student, that’s
just not possible for me.” Another student shared similar frustrations: “The premium versions of AI

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tools look great, but they are expensive. It feels like I’m paying more than I can afford just to
improve my English skills.”
Unstable internet connections present a significant barrier, as AI tools, especially those
offering live feedback or interactive components, rely heavily on consistent connectivity.
Disruptions in internet service not only interrupt learning sessions but also cause frustration and
reduce the overall effectiveness of these tools. One student mentioned, “I find it difficult to use AI
tools effectively because the internet keeps cutting off. When the connection fails, I lose everything
I’ve learned in that session.” Another student explained, “When I try to use AI-based learning
tools, they freeze or stop working because of weak internet. It’s really frustrating, especially during
important practice sessions.”
Lastly, the lack of human interaction is another critical challenge. While AI tools provide
structured responses, they fall short in offering the nuanced feedback and motivation that a teacher
or peer might provide, leading some students to feel isolated or unsupported in their learning
journey. One student noted, “AI can give you the right answers, but it can’t explain things like a
teacher would. I miss having a real person to talk to when I don’t understand something.” Another
shared, “It’s hard to stay motivated without anyone giving me encouragement or feedback. AI just
gives me responses, but it doesn't really understand when I’m struggling.”
Addressing these issues could improve the effectiveness and accessibility of AI tools for
students. By exploring solutions such as subsidizing costs for students, enhancing internet
infrastructure, and integrating more interactive elements in AI tools, the learning experience could
be significantly improved.
5. DISCUSSION
With the goal of examining how AI tools affect English self-study among English Language
students, this study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. A questionnaire with both
multiple-choice and open-ended questions was used to check how often students use AI tools and
their satisfaction with them. Data analysis showed that 97.4% of students have used or are currently
using AI tools for learning English at various frequencies. This result aligns with studies by Kumar
(2023) and Hsu et al.(2023), showing the popularity of AI tools and their appeal to students as
engaging and interesting ways to support language learning. A small group of respondents said they
never use AI tools, partly because of limited tech skills and partly due to concerns about becoming
dependent on technology. These reasons are in line with broader concerns about technology overuse
and dependency.
The survey on student satisfaction with AI tools in their English self-study highlights the
importance of technology in learning languages. This finding is consistent with other studies
(Hiristiani,2019;Lu,2018;Font,2023; Makridakis,2017). The authors observed that many students
use AI tools, including chatbots and language learning apps. Importantly, most students said AI has
motivated them to learn English, with some even preferring AI-based tools over traditional study
materials. Many students also believe their English has improved because of AI tools. This suggests
that AI has a positive impact, boosting motivation and helping students improve, while also making
learning more engaging and accessible outside of the classroom.
However, the result from the interviews shown that while AI tools offer many benefits for
supporting English self-study, students still face various challenges, including high costs, reliance
on internet connectivity, and limited real-world interaction. These challenges highlight the need for
improvements in designing learning tools that are more accessible, user-friendly, and better tailored

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to students' learning needs. Such enhancements could optimize the benefits of AI in language
learning and boost students’ motivation.
To help students overcome challenges when using AI tools for self-studying English, the
following suggestions should be taken into account”
Providing affordable AI service packages: The University can collaborate with AI tool
providers to negotiate discounted rates for students. Additionally, offering financial support through
scholarships, grants, or free AI access for a limited time would help increase student access.
Establishing a strong and stable Wi-Fi network on campus: To address connectivity issues,
schools should ensure a reliable Wi-Fi network with wide coverage, especially in study areas and
libraries. This will allow students to access AI learning tools without interruptions.
Integrating AI into the curriculum and create an Interactive learning environment: The
University can organize classes or workshops on effectively using AI tools, helping students
familiarize themselves with technology. Combining AI with interactive lessons involving teachers
would create a balanced learning environment, blending AI learning with direct human interaction.
Providing technical support and AI usage guidance: To minimize difficulties in accessing AI
tools, schools can offer detailed guides and training courses on AI skills. This not only helps
students make the most of these tools but also improves their technical skills, thereby enhancing the
learning experience.
Encouraging AI use in group activities: Schools should encourage students to use AI in group
assignments to complement self-study. This approach not only improves learning outcomes but also
creates opportunities for students to share experiences and interact with one another, reducing
monotony and enhancing cohesion in the learning process.
These solutions will enable schools to better support students using AI in their studies,
optimizing the effectiveness of technology and fostering well-rounded development as students
learn English.
6. CONCLUSION
This study has shed a light on the positive impact of artificial intelligence (AI) tools on the
self-directed English learning students who are not majoring in English at Hong Duc University.
The findings reveal that most students perceive AI as not only a motivator in their learning journey
but also an effective means of improving language skills and enabling convenient learning outside
the classroom. AI tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, and Duolingo have introduced new, engaging
learning experiences and optimized the effectiveness of language learning.
However, the study also noted some challenges, including the cost of using AI tools,
dependency on a stable internet connection, and the lack of direct interaction. These challenges
underscore the need for improvements in AI learning technology to make these tools more
accessible and better suited to students' learning needs.
To optimize the use of AI in language learning, collaboration between educational institutions
and AI service providers is essential to support costs, improve connectivity infrastructure, and
integrate AI into the curriculum. These measures will not only address current limitations but also
create opportunities for students to develop their language skills comprehensively and more
effectively.

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Makridakis, S. (2017). The forthcoming artificial intelligence (AI) revolution: Its impact on society
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SỬ DỤNG TRANG WEB ELLLO NHẰM NÂNG CAO NĂNG LỰC

NGHE HIỂU TIẾNG ANH CHO SINH VIÊN
Lục Thị Mỹ Bình
Trường ĐH Hồng Đức

ABSTRACT
Nghiên cứu này đã điều tra các vai trò tiềm năng của trang web ELLLO trong việc cải thiện
kỹ năng nghe hiểu cho sinh viên. Nghiên cứu đã đánh giá một chương trình thực nghiệm trong đó
bốn mươi sinh viên năm thứ hai chuyên ngành kinh tế tại Đại học Hồng Đức được giới thiệu về
trang web ELLLO và được hướng dẫn sử dụng trang web này để tự học. Dữ liệu thu thập được cho
thấy rằng mặc dù gặp một số khó khăn, nhìn chung sinh viên có thái độ tích cực khi sử dụng trang
web ELLLO trong việc học kỹ năng nghe hiểu. Sinh viên thấy rằng việc học kỹ năng nghe hiểu
thông qua trang web ELLLO rất thú vị và hướng dẫn của giáo viên là hiệu quả và cần thiết.
Từ khoá: sinh viên, nghe hiểu, kỹ năng, thực nghiệm, ELLLO

I. MỞ ĐẦU
1. Lý do chọn đề tài:
Trong thời đại công nghệ số ngày nay, việc học ngoại ngữ nói chung, kỹ năng nghe hiểu nói
riêng, ngày càng trở nên quan trọng và có thể tiếp cận dễ dàng thông qua các công cụ trực tuyến.
Trong số đó, trang web ELLLO (English Listening Lesson Library Online) nổi lên như một kho tài
nguyên phong phú, đa dạng và hiệu quả, cung cấp hàng ngàn bài nghe với nhiều cấp độ và chủ đề
đa dạng. Trang web này ngoài việc mang đến cho người học cơ hội tiếp xúc với tiếng Anh qua các
giọng điệu, cách phát âm và ngữ điệu từ nhiều quốc gia khác nhau, mà còn giúp họ nâng cao khả
năng hiểu ngữ cảnh và phản xạ trong giao tiếp.
Thực tế cho thấy, kỹ năng nghe hiểu vẫn là một trong những trở ngại lớn đối với sinh viên học
tiếng Anh, đặc biệt là trong môi trường không phải quốc gia nói tiếng Anh. Mặc dù ELLLO là một
công cụ học tập tiềm năng, nhiều sinh viên hiện nay vẫn chưa thực sự biết cách khai thác hết các
tính năng hữu ích mà trang web này mang lại.Vì vậy, việc nghiên cứu và đề xuất cách sử dụng trang
web ELLLO một cách hiệu quả là việc làm thực sự cần thiết, góp phần cải thiện quá trình học tập
và nâng cao kỹ năng ngôn ngữ của sinh viên. Trong nghiên cứu của mình, chúng tôi tiến hành thực
nghiệm sử dụng trang web ELLLO đối với 40 sinh viên năm thứ 2 ngành Kế toán trường ĐH Hồng
Đức, họ đã có kiến thức cơ bản về tiếng Anh sau khi học xong học phần Tiếng Anh 1, Tiếng Anh 2
và đang học học phần Tiếng Anh 3 để đánh giá những hiệu quả mà trang web này mang lại trong
việc cải thiện kỹ năng nghe cho sinh viên.
2. Mục tiêu nghiên cứu và câu hỏi nghiên cứu:
Đề tài được thực hiện với các mục tiêu chính sau:
- Nghiên cứu cơ sở lý luận và thực tiễn về kỹ năng nghe hiểu tiếng Anh.
- Nghiên cứu về hiệu quả của việc sử dụng trang web ELLLO trong việc cải thiện kỹ năng
nghe cho sinh viên.
Dựa trên mục tiêu nghiên cứu, câu hỏi nghiên cứu được đề ra là:
1. Các tính năng trên trang web ELLLO hỗ trợ như thế nào trong việc cải thiện kỹ năng nghe
hiểu tiếng Anh?

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2. Việc sử dụng trang web ELLLO có hiệu quả như thế nào trong việc nâng cao năng lực nghe
hiểu tiếng Anh của sinh viên?
3. Phương pháp nghiên cứu:
Để thực hiên đề tài này, tác giả đã sử dụng phương pháp nghiên cứu lý thuyết nghiên cứu thực
nghiệm.
II. NỘI DUNG:
2.1. Cơ sở lý luận và thực tiễn
2.1.1. Khái niệm nghe hiểu
Anderson và Lynch (1988) mô tả: nghe hiểu là một quá trình phức tạp, trong đó người nghe
không chỉ nhận biết âm thanh mà còn phải giải mã ý nghĩa thông qua bối cảnh, các tín hiệu ngôn
ngữ, và hiểu ý định của người nói. Họ nhấn mạnh rằng nghe hiểu không chỉ là việc tiếp nhận thông
tin mà còn là quá trình tương tác chủ động, trong đó người nghe xây dựng ý nghĩa dựa trên các dữ
kiện được cung cấp.
Rost (1994) định nghĩa nghe hiểu là khả năng xác định và hiểu những gì người khác đang nói.
Để làm được điều này, người nghe phải hiểu được ngữ pháp, từ vựng, giọng điệu, cũng như các yếu
tố ngữ cảnh liên quan. Rost coi nghe hiểu là một kỹ năng mang tính tương tác, liên quan đến việc
suy luận và dự đoán ý nghĩa dựa trên các tín hiệu ngôn ngữ và phi ngôn ngữ.
Vandergrift (1999) cho rằng nghe hiểu là một kỹ năng nhận thức đòi hỏi người nghe phải chủ
động tham gia vào quá trình diễn giải thông tin. Ông phân tích quá trình nghe thành ba giai đoạn:
tiền nghe (pre-listening), trong khi nghe (while-listening) và sau khi nghe (post-listening). Các giai
đoạn này giúp người nghe xây dựng ý nghĩa, tăng cường khả năng tư duy và hiểu sâu về nội dung
nghe.
Buck (2001) đề cập rằng nghe hiểu không chỉ đơn giản là nhận biết từ vựng và cấu trúc câu,
mà còn phải có khả năng nắm bắt thông tin qua các ngữ cảnh, điều chỉnh cách hiểu dựa trên các yếu
tố phi ngôn ngữ như ngữ điệu, ngôn ngữ cơ thể. Buck cho rằng nghe hiểu đòi hỏi một sự nhạy bén
cao trong việc phân tích và suy luận dựa trên các yếu tố phức tạp.
Theo Field (2008), nghe hiểu là một quá trình động, trong đó người nghe cần xây dựng ý
nghĩa từ những tín hiệu âm thanh nhận được. Field nhấn mạnh rằng người nghe không chỉ đơn
thuần là người tiếp nhận thông tin mà còn là người tích cực tìm kiếm, giải mã và tổng hợp thông tin
để hình thành ý nghĩa phù hợp với bối cảnh giao tiếp.
Những định nghĩa này đều nhấn mạnh nghe hiểu là một quá trình phức tạp và mang tính chủ
động, đòi hỏi người học phải vận dụng nhiều kỹ năng và kiến thức nền để nắm bắt thông tin một
cách chính xác và đầy đủ.
2.1.2. Các yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến việc học kỹ năng nghe
Theo Underwood (1989), người học tiếng Anh như một ngoại ngữ thường gặp phải bảy khó
khăn chính, bao gồm: (1) không thể bắt kịp tốc độ của người nói, (2) không thể nhớ lại được thông
tin vừa nghe, (3) vốn từ vựng còn hạn chế, (4) không nhận biết được các tín hiệu ngữ cảnh, (5)
không hiểu nội dung, (6) dễ mất tập trung, và (7) thiếu thói quen học tập có hiệu quả.
Rubin và Thompson (1994) cũng nhận diện ba vấn đề thường gặp và đề xuất các giải pháp
cho người học. Đầu tiên là tốc độ nói quá nhanh. Trong trường hợp này, người nghe có thể yêu cầu
người nói lặp lại, nói chậm hơn hoặc diễn đạt lại ý một cách dễ hiểu hơn. Thứ hai, người nghe gặp
khó khăn trong việc hiểu ngôn ngữ đích khi xem các chương trình truyền hình hoặc phim. Để khắc
phục, người nghe có thể dự đoán trước nội dung nhờ các gợi ý hình ảnh, câu hỏi, hoặc các hoạt
động khởi động từ giáo viên. Thứ ba, người nghe thường dừng lại khi nghe thấy từ hoặc cụm từ

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mới, làm mất thông tin tiếp theo có thể giúp hiểu rõ hơn các từ ngữ lạ. Do đó, người nghe cần tập
trung vào các phần quen thuộc và tiếp tục nghe để hiểu toàn bộ nội dung.
Hassan (2000) bổ sung yếu tố liên quan đến kỹ năng nghe là việc cần chú ý đến chất lượng
thông tin được nghe. Ông cho rằng mức độ tập trung và yêu cầu phản hồi đầy đủ, chính xác có thể
ảnh hưởng trực tiếp hoặc gián tiếp đến khả năng nghe hiểu, với bốn yếu tố chính là: nội dung thông
tin, người nghe, người nói và các điều kiện bên ngoài.
Tóm lại, nghiên cứu của các nhà khoa học đã chỉ ra rằng có nhiều yếu tố tác động đến quá
trình nghe hiểu, trong đó bao gồm nội dung, từ vựng, ngữ điệu, giọng nói, mức độ quan tâm, và yêu
cầu về độ chính xác trong câu trả lời.
2.1.2. Giới thiệu về trang web ELLLO
ELLLO (English Listening Lesson Library Online) là một trang web giáo dục nổi tiếng, cung
cấp hàng ngàn bài học và tài liệu nghe hiểu tiếng Anh miễn phí cho người học ở nhiều trình độ khác
nhau. Được sáng lập vào năm 2003 bởi Todd Beuckens, một giáo viên giàu kinh nghiệm, ELLLO
đã trở thành nguồn tài nguyên quý giá cho hàng triệu người học tiếng Anh trên toàn thế giới.
Trang web này cung cấp các bài nghe đa dạng về chủ đề và giọng điệu, giúp người học không
chỉ làm quen với các cách phát âm từ nhiều vùng khác nhau mà còn hiểu rõ hơn về các nền văn hóa.
Mỗi bài nghe trên ELLLO thường đi kèm với phụ đề, bài tập luyện từ vựng, câu hỏi kiểm tra và bài
tập điền từ, tạo điều kiện cho người học phát triển kỹ năng nghe hiểu một cách toàn diện. Ngoài ra,
các đoạn hội thoại và bài nói trên ELLLO cũng được trình bày với tốc độ và mức độ khó khác nhau,
giúp người học dễ dàng tìm thấy nội dung phù hợp với trình độ của mình.
Với giao diện thân thiện, tài liệu phong phú, và không yêu cầu đăng ký, ELLLO là một công
cụ hữu ích cho những ai muốn cải thiện kỹ năng nghe hiểu tiếng Anh mà không cần phải đầu tư
nhiều vào các khóa học đắt tiền.
2.2. Thực nghiệm sử dụng trang web ELLLO nhằm nâng cao năng lực nghe hiểu cho sinh viên
2.2.1 Quy trình thực nghiệm sử dụng trang web ELLLO
- Mục tiêu:
• Nâng cao năng lực nghe hiểu cho sinh viên thông qua các bài nghe đa dạng trên trang web
ELLLO, giúp các em tăng cường khả năng nắm bắt thông tin, từ vựng và ngữ điệu trong tiếng Anh.
• Xây dựng cho sinh viên khả năng tự tin và kỹ năng tự học, giúp họ có thể áp dụng trong
việc học và làm việc sau này.
- Đối tượng: 40 sinh viên năm thứ 2 ngành Kế toán, đã có kiến thức cơ bản về tiếng Anh sau
khi học xong học phần Tiếng Anh 1, Tiếng Anh 2 và đang học học phần Tiếng Anh 3 và sử dụng
giáo trình English File. Tuy nhiên đa số các em còn gặp rất nhiều khó khăn về kỹ năng nghe hiểu
tiếng Anh.
- Thời gian thực hiện: Thực nghiệm diễn ra trong 6 tuần (mỗi tuần 1 buổi), song song với
chương trình học của giáo trình English File.
- Phương pháp thực hiện:
• Trước khi tiến hành thực nghiệm sinh viên được yêu cầu làm 1 bài kiểm tra trước thực
nghiệm để đánh giá trình độ nghe hiểu và làm cơ sở để so sánh sau này.
• Mỗi buổi thực nghiệm kéo dài khoảng 50 phút, với 3 giai đoạn: trước khi nghe, trong khi
nghe, và sau khi nghe.
• Sau khi tiến hành thực nghiệm sinh viên được yêu cầu làm 1 bài kiểm tra sau thực nghiệm
để đánh giá sự tiến bộ về khả năng nghe hiểu.
- Quy trình chi tiết:
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Giai đoạn 1: Trước khi nghe (10 phút)

• Giảng viên giới thiệu ngữ cảnh và chủ đề của bài nghe từ ELLLO, giúp sinh viên hình
dung trước nội dung.
• Cung cấp từ vựng và cụm từ quan trọng liên quan đến bài nghe để sinh viên nắm rõ và
chuẩn bị tốt hơn cho việc nghe hiểu.
• Yêu cầu sinh viên dự đoán nội dung hoặc ý chính của bài nghe dựa trên các từ khóa và chủ
đề.
Giai đoạn 2: Trong khi nghe (25-30 phút)
• Sinh viên nghe bài nghe từ ELLLO, mỗi bài sẽ được nghe 2-3 lần để đảm bảo hiểu rõ nội
dung.
• Ở lần nghe đầu tiên, sinh viên tập trung vào ý chính của bài nghe.
• Ở lần nghe thứ hai và thứ ba, sinh viên chú ý vào chi tiết, từ vựng, và cố gắng hiểu rõ hơn
về nội dung.
• Trong quá trình nghe, giảng viên có thể tạm dừng để giải thích các câu khó, hoặc đặt câu
hỏi để kiểm tra mức độ hiểu của sinh viên.
Giai đoạn 3: Sau khi nghe (10-15 phút)
• Giảng viên đặt câu hỏi để sinh viên thảo luận và tóm tắt lại nội dung của bài nghe.
• Sinh viên hoàn thành các bài tập trên ELLLO (nếu có), bao gồm các câu hỏi kiểm tra, bài
tập điền từ hoặc các câu hỏi về ý chính.
• Mỗi nhóm sinh viên thảo luận và chia sẻ về những khó khăn mà họ gặp phải khi nghe bài
và các từ/cụm từ khó hiểu.
• Cuối buổi, giảng viên cung cấp phản hồi, ghi nhận tiến bộ của sinh viên, và hướng dẫn
cách cải thiện những điểm yếu trong kỹ năng nghe.
- Đánh giá hiệu quả:
• Cuối mỗi tuần, sinh viên sẽ làm một bài kiểm tra ngắn để đánh giá mức độ tiến bộ trong kỹ
năng nghe của mình.
• Sau 6 tuần thực nghiệm, sinh viên sẽ làm một bài kiểm tra tổng hợp, bao gồm các đoạn
nghe liên quan đến kiến thức chuyên ngành Kế toán, nhằm đánh giá kỹ năng nghe hiểu và khả năng
vận dụng kiến thức.
• Thu thập phản hồi từ sinh viên về mức độ hữu ích của trang web ELLLO và các bài nghe,
qua đó điều chỉnh các hoạt động nếu cần thiết.
2.2.2. Nội dung thực nghiệm:
Tuần Mục tiêu Hoạt động
Tuần 1: Làm Giới thiệu - Giới thiệu ELLLO: Giảng viên hướng dẫn sinh viên cách
quen với kỹ trang ELLLO truy cập, tìm kiếm và lựa chọn các bài nghe phù hợp với trình
năng nghe hiểu và giúp sinh độ.
và giới thiệu viên nắm - Bài nghe: Chọn một bài nghe ngắn và đơn giản từ ELLLO
trang web vững kỹ năng với chủ đề phổ biến (ví dụ: "Daily Routines" hoặc "Favorite
ELLLO nghe cơ bản. Foods").
- Thực hành: Sinh viên nghe và trả lời câu hỏi đơn giản về ý
chính và từ vựng.
- Phản hồi và thảo luận: Thảo luận những khó khăn khi nghe
lần đầu và chia sẻ những từ/cụm từ mới.

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Tuần 2: Tập Rèn luyện - Bài nghe: Lựa chọn bài nghe liên quan đến một chủ đề phổ
trung vào kỹ khả năng biến trong kế toán như "Money Matters" hoặc "Financial
năng nghe chi nhận diện từ Planning".
tiết (Detailed vựng và - Thực hành: Sinh viên nghe bài và ghi chép lại các từ, cụm
Listening) thông tin chi từ liên quan đến tài chính và kế toán. Lặp lại bài nghe 2-3 lần
tiết trong bài để cải thiện khả năng nghe chi tiết.
nghe.
- Bài tập điền từ: Sinh viên điền vào chỗ trống các từ khóa
được nghe trong bài.
- Phản hồi: Giảng viên hướng dẫn cách nhận diện từ vựng
chuyên ngành khi nghe.
Tuần 3: Kỹ Giúp sinh - Bài nghe: Chọn bài nghe với tình huống hội thoại như "Job
năng đoán ý viên luyện Interview" hoặc "Business Etiquette".
dựa trên ngữ tập khả năng - Thực hành: Sinh viên nghe và dự đoán ý nghĩa của một số
cảnh suy luận và từ/cụm từ chưa biết thông qua ngữ cảnh.
(Inferencing đoán ý dựa
- Bài tập: Thảo luận trong nhóm về ngữ cảnh, tìm hiểu cách
Skills) vào ngữ cảnh
các từ/cụm từ ảnh hưởng đến ý nghĩa chung.
nghe.
- Phản hồi: Giảng viên cung cấp giải thích chi tiết về các từ
mới và khuyến khích sinh viên vận dụng kỹ năng đoán ý khi
gặp từ lạ.
Tuần 4: Kỹ Tập trung vào - Bài nghe: Chọn các bài về kế toán và tài chính trên ELLLO
năng nghe hiểu các bài nghe (ví dụ: "Budgeting Tips" hoặc "Accounting Basics").
trong môi có nội dung - Thực hành: SV nghe để nắm bắt các thuật ngữ chuyên
trường chuyên chuyên ngành ngành và nội dung cốt lõi.
ngành kế toán.
- Bài tập từ vựng: SV ghi chép các thuật ngữ kế toán mới,
(Business-
sau đó thảo luận ý nghĩa và cách sử dụng trong ngành.
related
- Phản hồi: GV giải thích các thuật ngữ chuyên ngành và làm
Listening)
rõ ý nghĩa để hỗ trợ việc hiểu nội dung bài nghe.
Tuần 5: Kỹ Luyện tập kỹ - Bài nghe: Chọn bài về các chủ đề chuyên sâu hơn như
năng ghi chú năng ghi chú "Investment Strategies" hoặc "Tax Advice".
khi nghe nhanh và hiệu - Thực hành: SV nghe và ghi chú lại các điểm chính của bài.
(Note-taking quả trong khi Sau đó, chia sẻ ghi chú với bạn cùng nhóm để bổ sung thông
Skills) nghe. tin.
- Bài tập: SV xem xét lại ghi chú và cố gắng trình bày lại nội
dung bài nghe theo cách hiểu của mình.
- Phản hồi: GV cung cấp các mẹo ghi chú và cách tổ chức
thông tin hiệu quả khi nghe.
Tuần 6: Tổng Đánh giá kỹ - Bài kiểm tra: Sinh viên làm một bài nghe tổng hợp có độ
kết và đánh giá năng nghe khó cao hơn, với các câu hỏi yêu cầu nắm bắt cả ý chính lẫn
tiến bộ của sinh viên chi tiết.
và cung cấp - Thực hành: Sau khi nghe, sinh viên trả lời các câu hỏi và
phản hồi cuối tóm tắt lại nội dung bài.
cùng.
- Thảo luận nhóm: Các nhóm SV trao đổi về những tiến bộ

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và khó khăn đã gặp trong suốt 6 tuần.

- Phản hồi: GV nhận xét về sự tiến bộ của sinh viên và đưa ra
lời khuyên tiếp tục rèn luyện kỹ năng nghe hiểu.

3. KẾT QUẢ NGHIÊN CỨU

3.1. Kết quả kiểm tra trước thực nghiệm
Trước khi tiến hành thực nghiệm, sinh viên được yêu cầu làm 1 bài kiểm tra trước thực
nghiệm để đánh giá trình độ nghe hiểu và làm cơ sở để so sánh sau này. Kết quả của bài kiểm tra
được thể hiện qua bảng 2 dưới đây:
Bảng 2. Kết quả kiểm tra trước thực nghiệm
Điểm Yếu (<5) Trung bình (5-6.4) Khá (6.5-8) Giỏi (>8)
Test tổng hợp 13/40 15/40 10/40 2/40
Tỉ lệ % 32,5 37,5 25 5

Kết quả bài kiểm tra đầu vào cho thấy tỉ lệ sinh viên có điểm trung bình (37,5%) và yếu
(32,5%) còn khá cao trong khi đó tỉ lệ sinh viên khá và đặc biệt là giỏi còn rất thấp. Mục tiêu đặt ra
là sau quá trình thực nghiệm sử dụng ELLLO tỉ lệ sinh viên đạt điểm khá giỏi sẽ tăng lên và giảm
bớt tỉ lệ sinh viên đạt điểm trung bình và yếu.
3.2. Kết quả thực nghiệm sử dụng ELLLO
Sau 6 tuần áp dụng phương pháp thực nghiệm sử dụng trang web ELLLO trong lớp học, kết
quả cho thấy sự cải thiện rõ rệt trong kỹ năng nghe hiểu của sinh viên. Cụ thể, sự tiến bộ được thể
hiện qua từng yếu tố đã nêu trong nội dung thực nghiệm như sau:
Kỹ năng nghe cơ bản và làm quen với ELLLO
• Kết quả: Sinh viên đã thành thạo trong việc sử dụng trang web ELLLO để truy cập các
bài nghe phù hợp với trình độ và nhu cầu học tập. Họ có thể dễ dàng tìm kiếm chủ đề và dạng bài
nghe phù hợp, đồng thời làm quen với tốc độ và các giọng phát âm khác nhau.
• Nhận xét: Nhờ việc tiếp cận với nhiều bài nghe đa dạng, sinh viên không còn e ngại trước
những giọng tiếng Anh không quen thuộc. Họ cũng hiểu cách chuẩn bị từ vựng trước khi nghe để
nắm ý chính dễ dàng hơn.
Kỹ năng nghe chi tiết (Detailed Listening)
• Kết quả: Sinh viên cải thiện rõ rệt trong việc nhận diện các từ và cụm từ quan trọng trong
bài nghe, đặc biệt là các từ vựng chuyên ngành liên quan đến kế toán và tài chính.
• Nhận xét: Sau tuần thứ 2, sinh viên đã có thể ghi lại các thông tin chi tiết và thuật ngữ
chuyên ngành xuất hiện trong bài nghe. Kết quả bài tập điền từ và kiểm tra cho thấy số lượng lỗi
nhận diện từ giảm đáng kể, cho thấy kỹ năng nghe chi tiết đã được nâng cao.
Kỹ năng đoán ý dựa trên ngữ cảnh (Inferencing Skills)
• Kết quả: Sinh viên đã phát triển khả năng đoán ý và hiểu được các từ mới trong ngữ cảnh,
ngay cả khi gặp từ vựng chưa quen thuộc.
• Nhận xét: Ở tuần thứ 3, sinh viên thể hiện sự tiến bộ trong việc suy luận ý nghĩa của các
cụm từ hoặc câu nói dựa vào ngữ cảnh, thay vì ngừng lại khi gặp từ mới. Kết quả thảo luận nhóm
cho thấy họ đã tự tin hơn khi xử lý các đoạn hội thoại với nội dung phức tạp và không bị gián đoạn
khi gặp từ khó hiểu.
Kỹ năng nghe hiểu trong môi trường chuyên ngành (Business-related Listening)
• Kết quả: Sinh viên có thể hiểu được nội dung các bài nghe liên quan đến chủ đề tài chính
và kế toán, bao gồm cả các thuật ngữ và ngữ cảnh đặc thù trong ngành.
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• Nhận xét: Sau tuần thứ 4, sinh viên nắm bắt tốt hơn các nội dung nghe chuyên ngành. Kết
quả kiểm tra cho thấy họ có thể tóm tắt chính xác nội dung các bài nghe về tài chính, điều này minh
chứng cho việc tăng cường vốn từ chuyên ngành và hiểu biết về lĩnh vực kế toán.
Kỹ năng ghi chú khi nghe (Note-taking Skills)
• Kết quả: Khả năng ghi chú thông tin khi nghe của sinh viên đã được cải thiện đáng kể,
giúp họ nắm bắt và sắp xếp các thông tin chính từ bài nghe.
• Nhận xét: Ở tuần thứ 5, sinh viên đã có thể ghi lại các ý chính và thông tin quan trọng từ
bài nghe một cách hiệu quả và có hệ thống. Kỹ năng ghi chú tốt hơn giúp họ dễ dàng ôn tập lại nội
dung nghe và sử dụng thông tin đã ghi trong các bài kiểm tra và bài tập thảo luận.
Khả năng nghe hiểu tổng hợp và sự tự tin trong giao tiếp
• Kết quả: Kết quả bài kiểm tra tổng hợp vào tuần thứ 6 cho thấy sinh viên có khả năng
nắm bắt cả ý chính lẫn các chi tiết quan trọng của bài nghe với độ khó cao hơn so với đầu kỳ. Họ
cũng thể hiện sự tự tin hơn trong giao tiếp và thảo luận các nội dung nghe hiểu trong nhóm.
• Nhận xét: Sau 6 tuần thực nghiệm, sinh viên không chỉ cải thiện kỹ năng nghe hiểu mà
còn thể hiện sự tự tin hơn trong việc trao đổi thông tin và chia sẻ ý kiến. Những tiến bộ này giúp họ
có nền tảng vững chắc để tự học nghe hiểu và áp dụng trong các tình huống thực tế.
3.3. Kết quả kiểm tra sau thực nghiệm
Kết quả bài kiểm tra tổng hợp sau thực nghiệm được thể hiện trong bảng 3 dưới đây:
Bảng 3. Kết quả kiểm tra sau thực nghiệm
Điểm Yếu (<5) Trung bình (5-6.4) Khá (6.5-8) Giỏi (>8)
Test tổng hợp 9/40 11/40 15/40 5/40
Tỉ lệ % 22,5 27,5 37,5 12,5
Có thể thấy sau 6 tuần thực nghiệm, kết quả kiểm tra của sinh viên đã có những tiến bộ rõ rệt.
Tỉ lệ sinh viên yếu giảm còn 22,5%, tỉ lệ Trung bình, Khá và Giỏi lần lượt là 27,5% - 37,5% và
15%. Sự thay đổi được thể hiện rõ hơn trong biểu đồ 1 dưới đây:

Biểu đồ 1. Kết quả kiểm tra trước và sau thực nghiệm

Như vậy có thể thấy sau quá trình thực nghiệm, tỉ lệ sinh viên yếu và trung bình đã giảm 10%
từ 32,5 xuống còn 22,5% và từ 37,5% xuống còn 27,5%; trong khi đó tỉ lệ sinh viên được điểm khá,
giỏi tăng lên lần lượt là 12,5% và 7,5%. Đây là một tín hiệu đáng mừng chứng tỏ hiệu quả của việc
sử dụng ứng dụng ELLLO trong cải thiện kỹ năng nghe hiểu cho sinh viên.
4. KẾT LUẬN
4.1. Kết luận
Xuyên suốt bài nghiên cứu chúng tôi đã nêu ra được các vấn đề chính về kỹ năng nghe hiểu

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nói chung và việc thực nghiệm sử dụng trang web ELLLO để cải thiện kỹ năng nghe hiểu cho sinh
viên.
Việc sử dụng ELLLO trong giảng dạy kỹ năng nghe cho sinh viên đã chứng minh được hiệu
quả tích cực, mang lại nhiều lợi ích đáng kể. Trước hết, ELLLO cung cấp nguồn tài liệu đa dạng,
phong phú và cập nhật, giúp sinh viên tiếp cận với nhiều giọng nói và văn hóa khác nhau, từ đó
nâng cao khả năng nghe hiểu thực tế. Ngoài ra, các bài nghe trên ELLLO được thiết kế với nhiều
cấp độ khác nhau, phù hợp với năng lực của từng sinh viên, giúp họ tự tin hơn khi luyện tập. Bên
cạnh đó, ELLLO còn tạo điều kiện cho sinh viên rèn luyện kỹ năng tự học và phát triển chiến lược
nghe hiệu quả thông qua các câu hỏi và bài tập đi kèm. Nhìn chung, ELLLO là một công cụ hữu ích
và hiệu quả trong việc cải thiện kỹ năng nghe, góp phần nâng cao chất lượng học tập và khả năng
ngôn ngữ của sinh viên.
Từ đó chúng tôi đề xuất việc ứng dụng trang web ELLLO nhằm nâng cao kĩ năng nghe hiểu
cho sinh viên nên được áp dụng rộng rãi.
4.2. Hạn chế
Do còn nhiều hạn chế về mặt thời gian và khả năng, bài nghiên cứu vẫn còn những hạn chế
nhất định. Thứ nhất, thời gian nghiên cứu ngắn có thể không đủ để sinh viên trải nghiệm đầy đủ các
tính năng của ELLLO. Bên cạnh đó, hiệu quả của việc sử dụng ELLLO có thể cần thời gian dài để
đánh giá, trong khi nghiên cứu ngắn hạn có thể không phản ánh đầy đủ tác động thực sự. Hơn nữa,
các bài kiểm tra nghe hiểu hoặc công cụ đánh giá có thể không đủ chính xác để đo lường toàn diện
sự tiến bộ của sinh viên.

TÀI LIỆU THAM KHẢO

Anderson, A., & Lynch, T. (1988). Listening. Oxford University Press.
Buck, G. (2001). Assessing Listening. Cambridge University Press.
Field, J. (2008). Listening in the Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press.
Hasan, A. S. (2000). Learners’ perceptions oflistening comprehension problems. Language, Culture
and Curriculum. 13(2), 137-153.
Rost, M. (1994). Listening in Language Learning. Longman.
Rubin, J., & Thompson, I. (1994). How to Be a More Successful Language Learner (2nd Edition).
Heinle & Heinle.
Underwood (1989). Teaching Listening. Longman.
Vandergrift, L. (1999). Facilitating second language listening comprehension: Acquiring successful
strategies. ELT Journal, 53(3), 168-176.

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THE USE OF MIND MAPS AS A READING STRATEGY TO ENHANCE READING

COMPREHENSION SKILLS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS AT HONG DUC
UNIVERSITY
Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Le Thi Huyen Trang, Le Thi Tam,
Truong Thi Diem, Ha Thuy Quynh,
Cao Thanh Dat, Le Thanh Duong
Hong Duc Univeristy

ABSTRACT
This study investigates the use of mind maps as a reading strategy for improving reading
comprehension among English language students at Hong Duc University. An experimental design
was used, the participants were divided into two groups: an experimental group, in which students
actively created mind maps on Gitmind- a mind mapping software- and based on reading materials,
while a control group, which employed conventional reading strategies. A pre-test and post-test was
administered to both groups to compare their reading comprehension levels before and after the
treatment. Additionally, a questionnaire was distributed to experimental group to explore students’
attitudes toward the implementation of mind maps as a reading technique. The results revealed a
statistically significant improvement in the reading comprehension scores of the experimental group
compared to the control group. The questionnaire responses showed students’ positive attitudes
toward the strategy. The study recommends the integration of mind maps into English language
learning to improve reading comprehension skills and the engagement with reading materials.
Key words: Mind maps, Digital mind mapping, reading comprehension, reading strategy,
English language learners, Gitmind
1. INTRODUCTION
Reading comprehension is commonly regarded as a significant concern among educational
researchers who greatly desire to find ways to improve students’ reading performance. Because of
its complex cognitive process, reading comprehension contains multiple elements that students must
navigate to extract information from reading materials (Meniado, 2016). The quality of reading
comprehension is affected by various factors, including vocabulary and grammatical knowledge,
background information and reading strategies (Koda,2007).
Reading comprehension is a process that enables students to acquire and master specialized
knowledge, particularly in foreign language fields. For EFL students, proficiency extends beyond
vocabulary and grammar; it includes the development of analytical and synthesis skills, which are
essential to interpret and integrate information from texts. To facilitate this, various instructional
methods have been employed, including mind mapping to foster students’ reading comprehension
of the content (Long and Carlson, 2011) and their attitudes.
Mind mapping serves as a multifunctional tool that helps learners organize information
visually from the texts. According to Buzan (2018), mind mapping is a revolutonary thinking tool
that enables the users process information, develop
new ideas, enhance study methods. By using diagrams to organise information hierarchically, the
students’ creative capacity will be boosted. In addition, Eppler (2006) describes mind mapping as an
associational tool that links concepts utilising diagrams and pictures to foster students’ creative
thinking and brainstorming. It also supports the visualization of information and reflect the structure

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of the human brain (Buran & Filyukov, 2015). Therefore, learning and systematizing knowledge
using Mind Maps has many scientific bases and brings many practical effects to language learning.
Harrell (2008) and Al-Jarf (2009) also noted that Mind Maps have positive effects on learners'
ability to recall main ideas and develop critical thinking when reading complex texts. In particular,
research by Park & Kim (2016) emphasizes that integrating mind mapping into teaching not only
improves students' reading comprehension but also enhances their confidence and engagement in
the learning process.
In the digital era, mind mapping software like Gitmind has proven to be a valuable asset for
educational purposes. Gitmind features a user-friendly interface and various functions, such as
automatic arrangement, a variety of symbols, and interactive editing tools, which make it easy for
students to create and organize mind maps. Its online collaboration feature allows students to work
effectively in groups, enabling them to share and edit mind maps in real-time. Sarica & Cavus
(2009) suggest that digital tools like Gitmind foster creativity in learning and align well with
Generation Z's study habits. However, most previous studies paid much attention to mind mapping
in general, with little research into the use of visual mind mapping to improve students' reading
ability undergraduate and into the students’ attitudes toward the implementation, especially at Hong
Duc University. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the impact of using Gitmind on the reading
comprehension skills of second-year students at the Foreign Languages Faculty of Hong Duc
University. The primary objective is to assess whether Gitmind, as a tool for creating mind maps,
can help students enhance their reading comprehension ability and how they react to the
employment.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
With the rapid advancement of study platforms and applications, teaching and learning
practices have been facilitated effectively. Educational institutions, such as Hong Duc University,
are ceaselessly endeavoring to embrace innovative teaching methodologies. Mind Mapping emerges
as an influential tool that facilitates information structuring and enhances memory retention.
According to Buzan (2015), mind mapping aids learners in organizing ideas visually, helping them
link concepts and improve overall information retention. Tools like Gitmind further streamline this
process by allowing for real-time creation, collaboration, and sharing of mind maps online, making
them accessible and engaging for students across various learning environments. Gitmind has
garnered significant interest among educators and researchers due to its interactive features, which
enable students to organize, collaborate, and visualize information effectively. Such tools offer great
potential to enhance student engagement and foster critical thinking, especially when applied to
skills like reading comprehension. Therefore, research on integrating Gitmind into higher education
contexts is growing, specifically exploring its impact on developing students’ reading
comprehension.
2.1. Features of Gitmind
Gitmind is a digital tool designed for creating mind maps, offering a user-friendly interface
and a range of features to support educational applications. Gitmind includes automatic
arrangement of nodes, diverse symbols, and real-time collaboration, allowing users to organize
information visually and interactively. These features make it suitable for students working
individually or in groups, especially for tasks that require organizing and connecting ideas, such as
reading comprehension exercises. Sarica & Cavus (2009) noted that digital tools like Gitmind foster
creativity and align with the study habits of Generation Z, who are accustomed to interactive and
collaborative digital platforms.
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Table 2.1. Gitmind Applications Details

1 Link https://Gitmind.com/
2 Author Gitmind Inc.
3 Contact https://Gitmind.com/
Email: [email protected]
4 Product type Web-based and Smartphone Applications
5 Languages Multilingual
6 Level Beginner to advanced
7 Media format Text, Images, customizable nodes, and symbols
8 Operating system PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone
9 Hardware Internet-enabled devices/ Online and Offline access (with
requirements PDF files)
10 Price Free for basic accounts on the website
Premium subscriptions available for additional features
($19 per month and $69 per year).
2.2. Strengths and Weaknesses of Gitmind
2.2.1 Strengths
Gitmind offers numerous advantages that enhance educational engagement and foster
creativity, making it particularly effective in higher education settings. One of Gitmind’s primary
strengths is its user-friendly interface and accessibility, which allow users of all technical skill levels
to quickly become proficient with its tools. This ease of use is crucial for both students and
educators, as it enables them to integrate the tool into teaching and learning activities seamlessly
and without extensive training. Furthermore, Gitmind’s availability on both web and mobile
platforms allows students to access their mind maps from various devices, offering flexibility and
convenience in line with the modern student’s need for mobile study options.
Additionally, Gitmind enhances interactivity and engagement by supporting various types of
content embedding, such as text, images, and links, within mind maps. This capability allows
students to create visually rich, multidimensional study materials that facilitate deeper
understanding and reviewing (Buzan, 2018). By enabling students to organize content in a way that
suits their individual learning preferences, Gitmind caters to diverse learning styles, making
complex information more accessible and memorable.
Collaboration is another notable strength of Gitmind. Its real-time co-editing and sharing
features allow students to work together on mind maps for group projects or study sessions,
fostering essential teamwork and communication skills. Through Gitmind’s collaborative
environment, students can brainstorm collectively, logically organize information, and efficiently
divide tasks. This flexible workspace not only promotes productivity but also enhances mutual
learning and peer engagement.
Gitmind’s contribution to environmental sustainability also stands out. By offering a fully
digital platform, Gitmind reduces the need for physical materials like paper and notebooks, thus
helping to conserve resources. This digital format also provides a convenient and organized storage
solution for students and educators, ensuring that mind maps are easily accessible, storable, and
retrievable.

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Finally, Gitmind’s customization options support personalized learning and systematic

thinking. With features for adjusting color schemes, icons, and branching styles, Gitmind allows
students to design mind maps that align with their unique study needs and preferences. This
customization not only fosters a sense of ownership in the learning process but also promotes
critical thinking and organizational skills. By structuring mind maps logically and hierarchically,
students can develop systematic thinking that extends beyond the classroom.
2.2.2 Weaknesses
Despite its many strengths, Gitmind also presents limitations that may hinder its effectiveness
in certain educational contexts. One significant drawback is its reliance on internet connectivity. As
an online platform, Gitmind requires internet access for key functionalities, including saving
progress, collaborating with others, and exporting mind maps. This dependency on connectivity can
be a barrier for students in remote or under-resourced areas who may not have reliable internet
access. Without an offline mode, Gitmind may not always be accessible to students needing flexible
study options.
Another limitation arises from Gitmind’s free version, which restricts access to several
advanced features, such as increased storage capacity, enhanced collaboration, and premium
templates. Many students, particularly those at institutions with limited funding for additional
software, may find these paywall-restricted features inaccessible. This limitation could prevent
students from fully utilizing Gitmind’s capabilities, impacting their ability to create detailed and
complex mind maps that support their academic goals.
Gitmind’s limited support for multimedia integrations, such as audio and video files, also
restricts its usability in subjects that benefit from multimodal learning. Although text and image
embedding are supported, the inability to incorporate dynamic content like video and audio may
diminish engagement for students who rely on diverse media. For students studying fields that
require auditory or visual elements, Gitmind’s lack of multimedia options limits its potential as a
comprehensive educational tool.
In addition to technical constraints, Gitmind lacks built-in assessment and analytical tools that
could enhance its functionality in academic settings. Features like progress tracking, comprehension
evaluation, or embedded quizzes would allow instructors to better measure learning outcomes and
track students’ progress. Without these tools, educators may need supplementary resources to
monitor student development, complicating Gitmind’s integration into structured learning
environments.
Finally, while Gitmind’s extensive customization options are beneficial, they may also lead to
cognitive overload for some users, particularly those new to mind mapping. The multitude of
available visual adjustments can be overwhelming and potentially distract students from focusing
on essential study material. For students unfamiliar with visual organization, the tendency to over-
embellish mind maps with colors, icons, and branches might reduce clarity, limiting Gitmind’s
intended purpose of supporting effective learning.
In conclusion, while Gitmind provides valuable benefits in promoting interactivity,
collaboration, and customization, its limitations such as internet dependency, multimedia
constraints, and potential cognitive overload highlight areas where improvements could enhance its
educational impact.

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2.3. Using Gitmind to facilitate student learning

Research supports the benefits of digital mind mapping tools like Gitmind in enhancing
reading comprehension and critical thinking. Mind mapping organizes information hierarchically,
which helps students process and remember details by seeing connections between ideas (Buzan,
2015). Park and Kim (2016) found that students using mind maps showed the enhancement of
reading comprehension and engagement in their studies because the visual organization helped
them understand and retain complex content. In Vietnam, recent studies further support these
findings such as Hoàng Thị Hạnh (2017) and Phạm Thị Lan (2018) both found significant
improvements in comprehension and memory retention among students who used mind maps
The collaborative feature of Gitmind enables students to work in groups, an approach that
fosters engagement and active learning, which has been shown to improve educational outcomes
(Kop & Fournier, 2011). Sarica & Cavus (2009) suggest that tools like Gitmind, which provide
interactive, real-time learning experiences, meet Generation Z’s preferences for digital,
collaborative study methods. In essence, Gitmind aligns well with students’ learning needs by
making comprehension exercises more interactive and engaging.
2.4. Research questions
The study aims at answering two research questions:
1. How does the use of Gitmind impact learners' reading comprehension result?
2. What are the learners’ attitudes towards the use of Gitmind to facilitate English reading
comprehension skills?
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. Participants
We selected two English major classes with 58 students aged 18 and older from K26A and
K26C who were studying the Reading and Writing 3 course during the first semester of the 2023-
2024 academic year. The participants were chosen based on convenience sampling (Fraenkel et al.,
2012) because of their accessibility and closeness. One class of 27 students was randomly selected
as the treatment group, and the other class was called the control group (31 students). Both groups
are provided the same reading material. After the treatment, 27 students from the experimental
group completed a questionnaire about their opinions on using Gitmind.com for English reading
comprehension. The demographic information of the participants is shown in the following table.
Table 3.1. Participant characteristics
Variable Number of Age Gender
Participants
Male Female

Control 31 19-22 6 19,3.% 25 80,.7%

Experimental 27 19-22 5 18.5% 22 81.5%
3.2. The overview of the course
The study was carried out while students was studying Reading and Writing 3 course
presented in 12 weeks. Reading accounts for 50% of the total schedule, taught two or three periods
per week. Each period lasts for 50 minutes. At the end of the course, students have to achieve B2
level in language proficiency. The material used in the study was taken in the coursebook namely
Active skills for reading 2 by Neil J Anderson. The sellected readings aligned with the course

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objectives and provided additional opportunities for practice. The following table shows the
detailed contents of the experiment.
Table 3.2. Contents of experimental process
No Teaching week Name of readings Page number

1 Week 3 The rise of J.J Abrams 37

2 Week 4 Seeing with the ears 65

3 Week 5 Scrapbooking 71

4 Week 6 Album reviews 93

5 Week 7 The Right job for your personality 103

6 Week 8 Savory chooclate 123

3.3. Research design

The study follow an experimental design, which entails establishing the research topic,
organizing the experimental treatment, carrying out the experiment, evaluating the data, and
producing a report outlining the results. The impact of the Gitmind.com application on the reading
comprehension ability and attitudes of FFL students on utilizing Gitmind.com to acquire reading
comprehension was investigated in this study using pre-treatment and post-treatment assessments
and a questionaire. Two Hong Duc University English major groups were selected randoomly: one
served as the experimental group (27 students) and the other as the control group (31 students).
During a 6-week treatment period, the experimental group used Mindmap to facilitate their
reading comprehension skills, while the control group received instructions using the conventional
way. Both groups took a pre-test before the intervention began. A post-test was given to students to
gauge their progress in reading comprehension. The first research question (How does the use of
Gitmind impact learners' reading comprehension result?) was addressed using the pre-test and post-
test results using Gitmind. A questionnaire was also given to the experimental group to find out how
they felt about utilizing Gitmind in practising English reading tasks. The findings from this
questionnaire address the second research question (What are the learners’ attitudes the use of
Gitmind to facilitate English reading comprehension skills?).
3.4. Research instruments
A questionnaire and pre- and post-treatment tests are tools used in this study to gather data to
address two research questions. the pre-treatment and post-treatment tests were given at the
beginning and ending of the treatment respectively to examine, compare and evaluate the students’
reading comprehension ability. The questionnaire aims at providing the researchers students’
opinions after experiencing Gitmind software. The construction was carefully checked and
rechecked carefully then tested the reliability using SPSS software version 26 by the research team.
The Cronbach Alpha of 0.863 indicated good reliability of the study. Sixteen statements were
catogorised into five themes to identify the impact of Gitmind on individual value, group value,

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obstacles and the readiness of its future use. A five-point Likert scale (1 for strongly disagree to 5
for strongly agree) was employed to measure participants’responses.
4. MAJOR FINDINGS
4.1. Tests results
4.1.1. The pre-treatment test results
Table 4.1. Descriptive Group statistics Test on the Pre-tests
Group N Min. Max. Mean SD df T Sig. (2-taile)

Pre - CG 31 2,5 8,0 5,5 1,1328 56

-1,338 0,186
test EG 27 3,8 8,0 5,056 1.3960 56
(CG= Control group EG = Experimental group)
As can be seen from Table 4.1, the scores of the pre-treatment test of both groups were
comparable. We can see that the control group scored a mean of 5,50 whereas the treatment group
scored 5,056. The control group did a little better than the treatment group but there was no
significant difference between the two groups as the result from the Independence sampleT-test. The
test indicates that p value (=0.146) was more than 0.05 and p-value (=0,186) > 0.05. The results
infer that the participants in both groups had equivalent levels of English proficiency before the
treatment.
4.1.2. The post-treatment test results
Table 4.2. Descriptive Group statistics Test on the Post-tests
Group N Min. Max. Mean SD df T Sig. (2-taile)

Post - CG 31 5,0 9,5 6,355 0,9416 56

3,422 0,001
test EG 27 5,5 9,5 7,204 0,9432 56
(CG= Control group EG = Experimental group)

It can be seen from Table 4.2 that the control group scored a mean of 6,355, whereas the
treatment group scored 7,204. It means that the treatment group got higher average scores than the
control group. The treatment participants increased their reading comprehension result much higher
than the control participants. Moreover, the Independence sampleT-test indicates that sig. (=0.991)
was more than 0.05 and p-value (=0,001) was smaller than 0.05. The results infer that the there was
a statistically significant difference in the results of two groups.
4.2. Questionnaire results
4.2.1. The value of Gitmind for individuals
Table 4.3. Descriptive students’ perceptions of the use of Gitmind for individual learning

Statement Mean SD
Statement 1
Designing mindmaps on Gitmind software helps me remember the main 4,15 0,718
ideas of readings better.

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Statement 2
Designing mindmaps on Gitmind software helps me design reading 3,93 0,917
presentation better.
Statement 3
Designing mindmaps on Gitmind software helps me connect information 3,93 0,616
of readings better.
Statement 4
Designing a mind map on Gitmind software helps me remember 4,67 0,620
vocabulary in readings better.

Statement 5
Designing a mind map on Gitmind software helps me remember detailed 4,15 0,662
information in readings better.

Table 4.4. Percentages of students’ perceptions on the use of Gitmind for individual learning
Level of agreement
1
5 4 3 2
Strongly
Statement Strongly agree agree neutral disagree
disagree
number
F P (%) F P (%) F P (%) F P (%) F P (%)

1 9 33,3 13 48,1 5 18,5 0 0 0 0

2 9 33,3 8 29,6 9 33,3 1 3,8 0 0

3 4 14,8 17 63,0 6 22,2 0 0 0 0

4 20 74,1 5 18,5 2 7,4 0 0 0 0

5 8 29,6 15 55,6 4 14,8 0 0 0 0

Table 4.3 and 4.4 reveal students’ viewpoints on the effectiveness of Gitmind for individual
learning. Table 4.3 summarises responses regarding mean scores and standard deviations, while
Table 4.4 illustrates detailed distribution of responses for five- scale statements. Overall, the
majority of population strongly agree and and agree with the positive impacts of Gitmind in
facilitating them remember the main ideas and details, vocabulary and connect information better.
The most striking feature is that students voted Gitmind the most useful for remembering
vocabulary, with Mean = 4,67 (SD = 0,620). There were 20 students accounting for 74,1% strongly
agree that studying with Gitmind could enhance vocabulary retention. The participants also showed
strong agreements with the effectiveness of Gitmind to memorise main ideas and detailed
information of reading texts, both statements got Mean score = 4,15 (SD= 0,718 and SD = 0,662

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respectively), with . Meanwhile, the students provided positive feedback for statement 2 and 3
(Mean = 3,93) but slightly lower than other statements. The researcher also carried out One-Sample
T Test to identify whether the results were statistically different from 3,41 or not. The results of the
test indicated that the participants responded positively to the statements because p-value measured
by One-Sample T Test was much lover than 0.05. The following table give a more detailed
illustration of the test.

Table 4.5: One-Sample Test on students’ perceptions on the use of Gitmind for individual learning

Test Value = 3.41

95% Confidence Interval of the
Sig. (2- Mean Difference
T df tailed) Difference Lower Upper
Statement 1 5,341 26 ,000 ,738 ,45 1,02
Statement 2 2,924 26 ,007 ,516 ,15 ,88
Statement 3 4,355 26 ,000 ,516 ,27 ,76
Statement 4 10,529 26 ,000 1,257 1,01 1,50
Statement 5 5,791 26 ,000 ,738 ,48 1,00

4.2.2. The impact of Gitmind on students’ confidence, motivation and creativity

Table 4.6. Descriptive students' opinions on the impact of Gitmind on their confidence, motivation
and creativity
Statement Mean SD
Statement 6
Designing mind maps on Gitmind software helps me more confident. 3,96 0,641

Statement 7
Designing mindmaps on Gitmind software motivates me in studying reading. 4,11 0,751

Statement 8
Designing mindmaps on Gitmind software helps me more creative. 4,04 0,706

Table 4.7. Percentages of students’ opinions on the impact of Gitmind on their confidence,
motivation and creativity
Level of agreement
5 4 3 2 1
Statement Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
number F P (%) F P (%) F P (%) F P (%) F P (%)

6 5 18,5 16 59,3 6 22,2 0 0 0 0

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7 9 33,3 12 44,5 6 22,2 0 0 0 0

8 7 25,9 14 51,9 6 22,2 0 0 0 0

Overall, the tables indicate that the use of Gitmind software has significantly improved
students' confidence, motivation and creativity. As shown in Table 4.6. all mean scores are above
3,5, implying that students reported strong positive attitudes toward their enhancement of
confidence, motivation and creativity. With Mean = 4,11 (SD = 0,751), Statement 7 reveals that the
software is helpful in motivating students learning. Moreover, the statistics show relatively low
standard deviation, which represents consistency in students’ answers (SD < 0,76).
Table 4.7 illustrates the number of responses on 5-likert scale. Generally, students show
positive feedback on the use of Gitmind as it significantly contributes to motivation, confidence and
creativity. When it comes to confidence, there were 21 students (77,8%) agree that the application
of Gitmind has shown positive effect. For motivation, more students (9 tudents account for 33,3%)
were strongly agree that Gitmind encouraged them significantly in reading. Statement 8 also
received positive feedback on fostering creativity, with 7 students (25,9%) chose strongly agree and
14 students (51,9%) sellected agree.
The test of One - Sample test below also demontrates the statistically different from the test
value of 3.41 which can be understood that when the test result is higher test value, the students
agree with the statement. As can be seen from Table 4.8, it can be inffered that participants hold
supportive perspectives regarding motivation, confidence and creativity. Particularly, results of P-
value (=0.000) were much lower than 0,05, which adds more evidence of students’ agreement.
Table 4.8. One-Sample Test on students' opinions the impact of Gitmind on their confidence,
motivation and creativity
Test Value = 3.41
95% Confidence Interval of
the Difference
T df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference Lower Upper
Statement 6 4,425 26 ,000 ,553 ,30 ,81
Statement 7 4,851 26 ,000 ,701 ,40 1,00
Statement 8 4,614 26 ,000 ,627 ,35 ,91

4.2.3. The influence of Gitmind software on teamwork performance

Table 4.9. Descriptive students' opinions on the influence of Gitmind software on teamwork
performance
Statement Mean SD
Statement 9
Designing mind maps on Gitmind software enhances the effectiveness of 4,07 0,730
groupwork.

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Statement 10
Designing mindmaps on Gitmind software help group finish work on time. 4,67 0,620

Statement 11
Designing mindmaps on Gitmind software help groups increase collaboration. 3,96 0,808

Statement 12
Designing mind maps using the Gitmind software enhances group 4,07 0,675
responsibility.

Table 4.10. Percentages of students’ opinions on the influence of Gitmind software on teamwork
performance
Level of agreement
5 4 3 2 1
Statement Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
number F P (%) F P (%) F P (%) F P (%) F P (%)

9 8 29,7 13 48,1 6 22,2 0 0 0 0

10 20 74,1 5 18,5 2 7,4 0 0 0 0

11 8 29,7 10 37,0 9 33,3 0 0 0 0

12 7 25,9 15 55,6 5 18,5 0 0 0 0

As presented in Table 4.9, most students agreed or strongly agreed with the positive influence
of Gitmind on various aspects of teamwork performance. Notably, statement 10, with Mean = 4,67,
represents the students’ opinion that Gitmind could help them finish their work on time. However,
students replied less interest in collaboration on Gitmind (Mean = 396, SD = 0,808).
In Table 4.10, 25 students (92,6%) affirmed that designing mind maps using Gitmind
enhanced their awareness of punctuality (statement 10). Additionally, 22 students (81,5) reported
improvement in their responsibility. Collaboration was assessed the lowest, with 18 students
(66,7%) showed strongly agree and agree opinion. Additionally, the following table helps the
researcher affirm the results of the responses. As the p- value of One-Sample Test were much lower
than 0.05 (Sig. = 0,000 and 0,001), they explored positive influence of the software for group work.

Table 4.11. One-Sample Test on the influence of Gitmind software on teamwork performance

Test Value = 3.41

95% Confidence Interval of
t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference the Difference

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Lower Upper
Statement 9 4,727 26 ,000 ,664 ,38 ,95

Statement 10 10,529 26 ,000 1,257 1,01 1,50

Statement 11 3,557 26 ,001 ,553 ,23 ,87

Statement 12 5,111 26 ,000 ,664 ,40 ,93

4.2.8. some obstacles students experienced with Gitmind

Table 4.12. Descriptive students' opinions on obstacles and future use of Gitmind
Statement Mean SD
Statement 13
Designing mindmaps on Gitmind software is time- consuming. 3,67 0,480

Statement 14
Designing mindmaps on Gitmind software requires stable Internet connection. 3,44 0,751

Statement 15
Designing mindmaps on Gitmind software met some difficulties because of its 4,07 0,785
complex functions.
Statement 16
I love using Gitmind to study other courses in the future. 4,41 0,636

Table 4.13. Percentages of students’ opinions on obstacles and future use of Gitmind
Level of agreement
1
5 4 3 2
Strongly
Statement Strongly agree agree neutral disagree
disagree
number
F P (%) F P (%) F P (%) F P (%) F P (%)

13 0 0 18 66,7 9 33,3 0 0 0 0

14 2 7,4 10 37,0 13 48,2 2 7,4 0 0

15 9 33,3 11 40,7 7 25,9 0 0 0 0

16 13 48,1 12 44,5 2 7,4 0 0 0 0

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The data show that students encountered some challenges. With the highest mean score
(M=4,07, SD = 0,781), stable Internet connection became the most significant concern for students.
Students also affirmed difficulties in time- consuming and its complex functions, with M = 3,67
(SD =0,480) and M = 4,07 (SD = 0,781) respectively. Table 4.13 illustrates specific numbers of
students assessing challengings they might encounter while participating in experimental process.
Significantly noone strongly agreed that using the software is time-consuming. Among 27 students,
there were 20 students (74%) experienced difficulty because of complex functions on Gitmind. It is
incredible that 25 students (92,6%) and 2 students (7,4%) confirmed strongly agree and agree
respectively to continually use Gitmind for their future study.
The following One - Sample Test provides additional evidence to conclude that students met
those difficulties when experiencing Gitmind. Specifically, statement 13 and statement 15 got p-
value (Sig. = 0,010 and Sig. = 0,000 respectively) lower than 0,05. The data show a statistically
significant difference from the neutral value (3,41); therefore, students could experience Gitmind as
time - consuming software. Statement 14 has greater p-value (0,814) in comparion with neutral
value of 3,41 so it can be stated that students in the study perceived less problems with Internet
access.

Table 4.14. One-Sample Test obstacles and future use of Gitmind

Test Value = 3.41

95% Confidence Interval of
the Difference
t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference Lower Upper
Statement 13 2,776 26 ,010 ,257 ,07 ,45

Statement 14 ,238 26 ,814 ,034 -,26 ,33

Statement 15 4,419 26 ,000 ,664 ,36 ,97

Statement 16 8,148 26 ,000 ,997 ,75 1,25

5. DISCUSSION
The study investigated the impact of using Gitmind to facilitate the creation of mind maps.
The findings from this study have contributed to understand how mind mapping can impact on
students’ reading comprehension in terms of their reading ability and their attitude toward the use of
Gitmind as a tool to create mind maps at a university in Thanh Hoa province.
Regarding the first research question, the study reveals that the use of digital mind mapping
could improve students' reading comprehension ability. The post-test results show a statistically
significant difference in reading performance mean scores of the experimental and control groups.
The findings have indicated that the implementation of Gitmind as a tool to design mind maps had
potential to enhance comprehension among students in the experimental groups, surpassing the
reading performance achieved by their counterparts in the control group. This observation aligns
with the theoretical perspectives of several scholars (Buzan, 2018; Grabe, 2009; Saori, 2020) who
discuss that mind mapping effectively aids in improve their comprehension and can be used as a
strategy. One possible reason for this impact is that students could visualize the structure of

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information presented to them by breaking down complex texts into manageable parts, making it
easier to process text meaning. Once students interacted with the reading texts, they could identify
the main ideas or key concepts, connections, and relationships, and then organize information in a
meaningful way (Khodadady & Ghanizdeh, 2011; Pham & Nguyen, 2018; Phan, 2017).
The questionnaire result shows that the participants possed positive attitude. Most of them
affirmed strongly agree and agree options that support their individual work effectively; improve
their confidence, motivation and creativity; Gitmind also helped them collaborate smoothly in their
teams and they concluded that they would use Gitmind for their future study. This finding share the
same with with other studies (Duong et al., 2020; Novak & Canas, 2006) with regard to the benefits
of implementing mind mapping while reading. The improvement in their reading abilities could be
attributed to their optimistic attitudes. However, students reported that while using mind mapping in
reading lessons, some challenges were identified as time-consuming, internet condition and its
functions.
6. CONCLUSION
According to the study, students were quite satisfied with the features, individual advantages,
and class-wide advantages of the implementation. Gitmind offers students a range of templates,
easy-to-follow instructions, and integrated features that facilitate group work by enabling everyone
to edit and add ideas simultaneously. Students individually attested to their increased self-assurance
and desire for more innovative learning. Additionally, the majority of students expressed great
satisfaction with the use of Gitmind in English reading comprehension sessions.
The questionnaire results indicated that most experimental group members felt positively
about Gitmind, which was used to practice reading comprehension in English. The vast majority of
survey respondents claimed to enjoy Gitmind because it helped them get better at English reading
comprehension. Gitmind gives teachers and students access to a variety of templates that allow
students to freely produce contents that supports and improves their vocabulary memorization and
reading comprehension skills. The application was successful in helping students in the
experimental group enhance their reading comprehension, according to the findings. This was
demonstrated by the mean scores on the pre-treatment and post-treatment tests before and after the
treatment.

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Duong, A. V. T., Nguyen, T. P., Hoang, K. M. K., & La, Q. T. (2020). The effects of mindmapping
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Grabe, W. (2009) Reading in a second language: Moving from theory to practice. New York:
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Harrell, B. (2008). Mind Mapping in Education. University of California.Al-Jarf, R. (2009).
Enhancing ESL Students' Writing with Mind Mapping Software. King Saud University.
Park, H., & Kim, Y. (2016). Digital Tools and Reading Comprehension in the Classroom. Seoul
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Pham, Q. N., & Nguyen, H. B. (2018). Concept mapping influencing students’ ability to summarize
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Phan, T. T. (2017). The effects of concept mapping on EFL students’ reading comprehension.
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Saori, S. (2020). The use of mind mapping to teach reading comprehension. JOLLT Journal of
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THE USE OF TASK-BASED LEARNING ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE

PRE-INTERMEDIATE ESL LEARNERS’ SPEAKING SKILLS AT ECORP ENGLISH
CENTER
Phan Thi Ngoc Han
Pham Lan Anh
Hanoi Metropolitan University

ABSTRACT
In Vietnam, traditional grammar-translation methods dominate English instruction, focusing
heavily on grammar and vocabulary but often neglecting communication, leaving students with low
speaking proficiency and high anxiety in real-life language use. This action research study
investigates the potential of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) to address these challenges,
particularly among 30 pre-intermediate students at Ecorp English Center. The study aimed to: (1) to
evaluate the impact of task-based speaking activities on students' speaking proficiency, and (2) to
explore students' attitudes towards these activities in their English lessons. The study followed a
structured methodology: Initiation, identifying issues like grammatical anxiety and passivity
through observations; Preliminary Investigation, evaluating current speaking methods; Hypothesis,
suggesting task-based activities could enhance speaking skills; Intervention, implementing a five-
week task-based program using English for Life A2 topics; and Evaluation, measuring
improvements via post-tests and a questionnaire. Data collection included pre- and post-tests, each
assessing factual responses and personal preferences, and a questionnaire adapted from Nguyen Thi
Lan Ngoc (2023) to measure attitudes and perceived impact. Results indicated a significant
improvement in speaking skills, with post-test scores higher than pre-test scores. Additionally, the
questionnaire revealed positive attitudes, with students feeling more confident and engaged during
task-based speaking activities. These findings suggest that task-based speaking activities can
effectively enhance both speaking proficiency and student engagement in pre-intermediate English
classes. This study could offer valuable insights for educators aiming to boost student participation
and improve speaking skills through task-based methods.
Keywords: task-based activities, speaking proficiency, action research, student attitudes, pre-
intermediate level

1. INTRODUCTION
In comparison to the three other language abilities of reading, writing, and speaking, speaking
is perceived to be the most important. "The speaker of language" refers to someone who speaks a
language as though it encompasses all other forms of knowledge (Ur, 2012, p.117). One way that
people communicate with each other is through speaking. Everywhere it occurs, it has ingrained
itself into our everyday routines. Speaking is an interactive process in which a person interacts with
others and expresses themselves through words. Via conversation, he or she also imparts knowledge
to others (Ningtyas, 2014, p.1). But because it's one of the hardest and most complex skills that
students must learn, speaking language is sometimes seen as the most demanding of the four. The
majority of pupils struggle to articulate grammatically accurate sentences since their native
language's grammar differs significantly from that of the other. The speaker does not have time to
review what they have said while speaking. According to Brown and Yule (1983), the speaker is

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also distinctly under strain. Students' inadequate confidence in their capacity to talk is another
reason they are hesitant to speak since they are not familiar with speaking exercises and practices.
(Nguyen, 2011). Since they are merely practicing what their teacher has taught them, students
believe that speaking in class does not involve acquiring any new concepts at all (Adhikari, 2010).
They also don't have the language to convey what they're thinking (Al Hosni, 2014).
Traditional grammar-translation technique has been the predominant method used in English
language instruction in Vietnam; it places a strong emphasis on vocabulary and grammar principles.
Yet, this approach has drawn criticism for failing to emphasize communication and for not being
able to help students improve their language proficiency in authentic settings (Van, 2018). At the
Ecorp English Centre, one of the issues that contributes to the lack of students’ speaking abilities is
their excessive focus on grammatical rules and their anxiety about making mistakes. Another
problem is that teachers frequently use excessive amounts of Vietnamese compare to English.
Because of all these issues, students were reluctant to practice speaking and communicating with
others in the target language.
This calls for a change in focus toward establishing a welcoming environment for language
instruction where students can practice and improve their speaking abilities. Students that engage in
engaging, dynamic, and group language learning activities will speak more confidently and
eloquently, according to certain study (Masrom, Alwi, & Daud, 2015). Task-Based Language
Teaching (TBLT) is regarded as an innovative method of teaching languages since it allows students
to utilize the language in groups and pairs. Students get the opportunity to practice speaking with
partners, which boosts their confidence and reduces their speaking anxiety (Ho & Long, 2014;
Anjum, et al., 2019). Previous researchers have also conducted a number of experiments on the
effect of task-based learning on speaking. Task-based learning increased speaking greatly most of
the time. This article looks into the possible advantages of using task-based learning activities to
help pre-intermediate ESL students at Ecorp English Center become better speakers.
According to Crookes (1986 p.1), a task is any work or activity that is carried out as part of a
course, at work, or to gather information for a study and typically has a particular goal. According
to Richards (1986), a task-based method uses activities that force students to negotiate and
communicate meaningfully. Consequently, the use of task-based learning activities has been shown
to be especially useful in improving speaking abilities.
In the backdrop, the researcher has decided to conduct a study entitled ‘The Use of Task-
based Learning Activities to Enhance Pre-intermediate ESL Learners’ speaking skills at Ecorp
English Center" with an effort to find out how task-based learning activities helps pre-intermediate
ESL students' at the Ecorp English Center improve speaking abilities. It will also provide a review
of existing research on second-language speaking and present pedagogical recommendations for
enhancing speaking skills.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
As noted by Willis and Willis (2007), Nunan (2004) describes how task-based learning
provides language training by placing an emphasis on communication by using goal-oriented
assignments rather than direct grammatical teaching. By completing several task kinds, including
listing, comparing, and experience sharing, as well as ordering, sorting, and problem-solving,
learners in TBLT classes are provided opportunities to engage in natural language usage (Bui, 2019;
Nguyen & Jaspaert, 2021; Willis, 1996). According to Long, M. (2015). Language learners can
become more proficient in the language by taking part in challenging tasks that call for them to

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speak and engage with peers clearly through linguistic nuances, and look into unusual language
patterns.
Prabhu (1987) categorized classroom activities into three types based on the type of cognitive
activity required to complete the tasks: (1) information-gap activities, which involve sharing
information from one person or place to another; (2) reasoning-gap activities, which involve
drawing new information from the information provided; and (3) opinion-gap activities, which
involve sharing a personal preference, feeling, or attitude. As a specific form of work, listing
activities involving brainstorming was one of the task types selected for the pre-task phase in one of
the task-based lessons conducted in Phase 2 of this study. Activities that include listing or
brainstorming are referred to as "the simplest types of task" because they can provide a list of words
or phrases.
Task-based learning (TBL) consistently improves the speaking abilities and motivation of
EFL learners, according to a number of studies by authors that discuss the best way to use TBL to
improve learners' speaking skills. These authors include Vo Thi My Xuyen and Nguyen Huynh
Trang (2020), Tran Tin Nghi (2003), Bao Ngoc Pham Nguyen, and Bui Le Diem Trang (2019). Vo
Thi My Xuyen and Nguyen Huynh Trang demonstrated that students exposed to task-based
speaking activities performed better than those in traditional instruction, highlighting its benefits in
non-English majors' oral proficiency. Tran Tin Nghi’s study, using task-based learning and authentic
resources, indicated an increase in learners’ English competency and motivation. Similarly, Bao
Ngoc Pham Nguyen’s mixed-method research in Ho Chi Minh City confirmed TBL's effectiveness
in improving ninth-graders’ speaking skills, supported by both qualitative and quantitative data,
though not focused on pre-intermediate students. Bui Le Diem Trang’s 2019 project explored TBLT
in primary EFL classrooms, showing significant speaking improvements in students and positive
attitudes toward task-based exercises. Despite differing student levels, these findings underline
TBLT as an effective method for Vietnamese EFL learners' speaking skill enhancement.
International research echoes these findings. Flores-Purpura (2021) observed slight attitude
improvements among eighth-grade ESL students in the Philippines, though their pre- and post-test
scores showed minimal changes. In contrast, Ebedy (2017) reported that TBL activities significantly
enhanced speaking comprehension among second-year prep students. Ulla (2020) noted increased
motivation in ASEAN learners through TBL, while Argawati and Syahrizal (2016) found TBL
boosted Indonesian students’ speaking confidence and proficiency. While these studies validate
TBL’s efficacy, few focus specifically on pre-intermediate learners.
The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) further contextualizes this study by
addressing factors influencing students’ participation in speaking activities. TPB highlights attitudes
(students' beliefs in TBL's effectiveness), subjective norms (peer and teacher expectations), and
perceived behavioral control (students’ confidence in task performance) as crucial drivers of
behavior. This framework is instrumental in tackling anxiety, passivity, and low motivation, offering
insights into how TBL can cultivate supportive norms, self-efficacy, and engagement.
This literature review indicates a consistent link between task-based learning and
improvements in speaking skills across various learner levels and contexts, although most studies
do not explicitly focus on pre-intermediate learners. This research therefore aims to expand on these
findings by specifically investigating the effects of task-based speaking activities on pre-
intermediate EFL learners' oral proficiency, contributing to the existing body of knowledge in this
field.

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3. METHODOLOGY
The study follows Nunan’s (1992) action research model to address issues related to the
speaking skills of pre-intermediate ESL learners. This model is designed to tackle practical
classroom challenges and enhance teaching practices through a cyclical process of planning, action,
observation, and reflection. Action research, as outlined by Nunan, allows educators to identify
problems, implement solutions, and assess the impact of their actions on student learning. In this
study, the action research approach was used to examine students' challenges with speaking,
particularly grammatical anxiety and passivity during task-based speaking activities. By employing
Nunan's seven-step model, the research aimed to develop effective strategies to boost speaking
proficiency and encourage greater student engagement.
Following Nunan's (1992) seven-step action research process, the study was conducted in the
following stages:
Initiation: Observations and notes in the classroom highlighted students' challenges in
speaking, such as grammatical anxiety and passivity in class.
Preliminary Investigation: A discussion and evaluation of current speaking methods at Ecorp
English Center identified areas for improvement.
Hypothesis: The hypothesis posited that task-based activities could improve students'
speaking skills.
Intervention: Over five weeks, 30 pre-intermediate students at Ecorp engaged in task-based
activities from the English for Life A2 coursebook, covering speaking themes such as future plan,
pack your bad, explore a city, etc.
Evaluation: Following the intervention, a post-test and a questionnaire assessed students'
improvement and attitudes towards the task-based approach were used.
The participants were 30 pre-intermediate students (ages 19-21) at Ecorp English Center in
Gia Lam Province. All participants had completed high school and possessed an A1 input level,
with the aim of achieving an A2 output by the end of the course. As a teaching assistant, the
researcher aimed to integrate task-based activities with minimal disruption to students’ schedules.
Data collection involved pre- and post-tests, each consisting of two sections. In the first
section, participants responded to factual or personal information questions, taking 3-4 minutes. The
second section required students to discuss their likes and dislikes and explain their reasons, with
each student completing the task in 5-6 minutes. The results of the pre- and post-tests were analyzed
to determine any significant differences in scores.
Additionally, a questionnaire, adapted from Nguyen Thi Lan Ngoc (2023), was administered
to measure students' attitudes towards task-based activities and their perceived impact on speaking
performance. The 25-item questionnaire, using a five-point Likert scale, included questions on (i)
general attitudes, (ii) perceived usefulness, (iii) effects on oral performance, and (iv) open-ended
responses on learners' attitudes towards task-based learning. Participants were given 10 minutes to
complete the questionnaire.
Data analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel to calculate the mean, maximum, and
minimum scores for the quantitative data.
To further interpret attitudes, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) served as the core
framework, examining motivation, self-efficacy, and social factors that influence learners’
engagement. Supplementary models like the Self-Determination Theory and the Elaboration

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Likelihood Model provided additional insights into learners' motivation and confidence, while the
Ecological Systems Theory helped analyze how classroom dynamics and peer relationships affected
attitudes toward speaking activities. Together, these frameworks offered a comprehensive view of
how task-based activities influenced students’ speaking skills and engagement.
4. MAJOR FINDINGS
4.1. From the pre-test and post-test
The pre-test occurred on Friday, March 29, 2024. Before beginning the action research in
class, the pre-test was given by the researcher to gauge the pupils' speaking proficiency. The pre-test
results revealed that 47%, or 14 out of 30 students, scored band 3, while 30%, or 9 students,
obtained band 4. The remaining 3% to 13% (1 to 4) pupils completed the remaining bands. Based
on the pretest results, students in class LPI035 had an average score of3.
The researcher examined the improvement in scores and speaking skills after using task-based
speaking exercises. The most significant post-test results suggest that 40%, or 12 pupils, attained
band 4, while 37%, or 11 students, achieved band 5.
Following that, 17% or 5 students achieved band 3. As can be observed, the number of
students Students reaching bands 2 and 3 declined drastically, whereas students achieving bands 4
and 5 grew dramatically. Data reveal that students in class LPI035 have an average score of 4.
The statistical information in the descriptive data mostly consists of mean, maximum, and
lowest scores. Table 3.2 displays the findings and descriptive information from the pre- and post-
tests, therefore, there were substantial variations in absolute and minimum, maximum and mean
scores between the two tests.
Table 1 Descriptive Statistics of Pre-test and Post-test
N Minimum Maximum Mean
Pre-test 30 1 5 3
Post-test 30 3 5 4

• Figure 1. Classification of Test Results in Pre-test and Post-test

The comparison of test results before and after a task-based learning exercise is depicted in
figure 1. There seems to be an upward trend in results between the pre- and post-test, according to
the data shown in the chart. The proportion of pupils passing in each band - aside from Band 1 - in

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the post-test is greater than it was in the pre-test. The proportion of pupils achieving Band 5
increased significantly from the pre-test (3%) to the post-test (37%).
The chart reveals a positive shift in student performance between the pre-test and post-test.
Most bands have shown noticeable progress with the most significant increase occurring in Band 5
(highest score), where scores jumped from 3% to 37% of students. Bands 3 saw moderate drop,
with scores rising from 45% to 17%. Similarly, Band 2 showed a slight fall from 13% to 7%.
Whereas, band 4 increased from 30% to 40% respectively. Interestingly, The proportion of pupils
receiving a score in the lowest band (Band 1) has somewhat decreased, falling from 5% to 0%.
Overall, the evidence indicates that students' speaking skills have been enhanced by task-based
learning activities, as evidenced by the improvement across the mid-range bands.

Figure 2. Classification of Test Results According to Assessment Criteria

Based on the provided bar chart titled "Classification of Test Results According to Assessment
Criteria," the analysis of pre-test and post-test results for pre-intermediate level students' speaking
skills reveals notable improvements across three key criteria: Grammar and Vocabulary,
Pronunciation, and Interactive Communication.
Initially, students scored around 2 in Grammar and Vocabulary in the pre-test, which
increased to about 3 in the post-test, indicating a positive effect of task-based activities on this
aspect of their speaking skills. In Pronunciation, scores improved from around 3 in the pre-test to
approximately 4 in the post-test, showing significant enhancement in students' ability to pronounce
words correctly. The most substantial improvement was observed in Interactive Communication,
where scores rose dramatically from around 3 in the pre-test to about 5 in the post-test,
demonstrating that task-based activities greatly benefited students' ability to engage in
conversations and interactive dialogues.
Overall, the consistent increase in scores across all criteria confirms the effectiveness of the
task-based approach in improving the speaking skills of pre-intermediate level students, with the
most significant gains in interactive communication.
4.2. From the questionnaire
To assess learners’ attitudes toward task-based speaking activities, this study utilized the
Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), focusing on how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived
behavioral control shape participants' engagement. The questionnaire, adapted from Nguyen Thi

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Lan Ngoc (2023), included 25 statements divided into five categories: (i) general attitudes (3 items),
(ii) perceived usefulness of task-based speaking activities (5 items), (iii) attitudes toward effects on
oral performance (12 items), and (iv) open-ended responses (5 items). Responses were recorded on
a five-point Likert scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” Designed to ensure validity
and clarity, the questionnaire was reviewed by academic instructors, translated into Vietnamese, and
administered to pre-intermediate students at the Ecorp English Center. Collected data was analyzed
to examine minimum, maximum, mean, and standard deviation scores.
Table 2 Percentage of Answering Questionnaires from Students
No Students’ general attitudes Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
towards task-based speaking disagree agree
activities
1 I feel more at ease working with 0% 0% 13% 77% 10%
tasks in speaking class.
2 I appreciate speaking lessons when I 0% 0% 10% 63% 27%
learn with tasks.
3 I'd like to continue participating in 0% 0% 17% 60% 23%
speaking lessons.
Students’ opinion towards the
Strongly Strongly
No usefulness of task-based speaking Disagree Neutral Agree
disagree agree
activities
4 I found the task useful to practice
0% 0% 10% 60% 30%
my English.
5 I found the task improved my ability
0% 0% 30% 57% 13%
to speak.
6 I found the task provided me
enough opportunities to express my 0% 0% 33% 57% 10%
ideas.
7 I could understand what my partner
0% 0% 20% 63% 13%
said.
8 I can use my language and
structures to convey my ideas to 0% 0% 23% 57% 20%
complete tasks
No Students’ attitudes towards the Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
effects of task-based speaking disagree agree
activities on their oral
performance
9 I learn some great ideas from my 0% 0% 23% 63% 13%
friends during tasks
10 My vocabulary is enhanced 0% 0% 20% 67% 13%
significantly as a result of working
on tasks.

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11 I can identify and pick up useful 0% 7% 20% 63% 10%

linguistic structures from my peels’
works.
12 I can identify and correct my 0% 7% 10% 67% 17%
pronunciation errors with my
friends’ feedback
13 I can utilize non-verbal features to 0% 0% 23% 50% 27%
support my speaking performance to
finish tasks.
14 I gain a greater understanding of the 0% 0% 13% 73% 13%
target topic when I work on tasks.
15 I am able to discuss a variety of 0% 3% 20% 70% 7%
subjects in a variety of contexts
using language that is suitable.
16 I can arrange my speech to convey 0% 7% 27% 60% 7%
ideas since I prepared a report.
17 I am able to evaluate my own 0% 7% 17% 63% 13%
speech because of the clear results
and standards.
18 The usage of tasks in English 0% 0% 20% 73% 7%
lessons has improved my ability to
speak the language more fluently.
19 I am able to report the task findings 0% 13% 37% 53% 10%
to the class in English with
confidence.
20 My speaking performance enhances 0% 0% 20% 67% 13%
when I study with tasks.
The study found that 63% of students prefer task-based learning in speaking classes,
indicating a positive learning environment. 77% reported high comfort levels with tasks, suggesting
it may reduce speaking anxiety. 63% expressed a desire to continue participating, fostering
motivation and a positive attitude towards developing speaking skills. Task-based exercises have
been found to enhance students' speaking skills, with 57% and 13% agreeing or strongly agreeing.
However, 30% of students have a neutral view, suggesting they may not significantly impact their
abilities. Tasks also encourage strong communication and listening skills, with 73% of students
applying language structures effectively. However, some students lack confidence in presenting
their views, suggesting a need for more thorough instruction and psychological support. Overall, the
research suggests that task-based learning has a positive impact on students' attitudes and perceived
effectiveness for developing English speaking skills. Students reported increased comfort levels
while speaking, a desire to continue participating in these activities, and a preference for task-based
lessons. Tasks also provide opportunities for vocabulary improvement, exposure to new language
structures through peer learning, and self-correction of pronunciation errors.

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4.3. From the open-ended questionnaire

In exploring students' perspectives on task-based speaking activities, the responses to open-
ended questions revealed an overwhelmingly positive attitude. In response to the first question,
most students (24) highlighted the enjoyable and collaborative environment fostered by task-based
speaking, with several (6) also noting improvements in presentation, speaking, and listening skills.
When asked about any dislikes (Question 2), only 4 students mentioned that the tasks were time-
intensive, though the majority (26) had no negative feedback. The third question, regarding the
impact on speaking skills, showed that nearly all students felt an improvement, with some reporting
notable gains due to discussion and presentation aspects of the tasks. Responses to Question 4
indicated that about half the students felt that task-based activities provided more speaking
opportunities than traditional methods, contributing to gains in fluency and communicative skills.
Finally, for Question 5, a significant majority (27) expressed interest in repeating similar task-based
activities, appreciating the enhancement in language reflexes and engagement.
Overall, the findings suggest that task-based speaking activities foster a positive, interactive
learning atmosphere, contributing to students' speaking abilities and comfort in expression.
Addressing the time-related concern raised by a few students could further enhance the
implementation of task-based learning in the classroom.
5. DISCUSSION
The study’s findings show that students had positive opinions based on the questionnaire and
the interview, the study shows the scores of the students had an enhancement between the pre- and
post-test measurements. The pre-test and post-test results revealed a significant improvement in
student performance across most bands. There is a moderate decrease in the proportion of students
achiving in Band 3, from 47% in the pre-test to 17% in the post-test. In contrast, there was a 10%
rise There has been a rise in student performance in Band 4 comparing the pre- and post-tests. in the
mid-range of the scale. The most notable increase occurred in the highest band (Band 5), where
scores jumped from 3% to 37%. These findings align with the positive feedback from the
questionnaire. Students acknowledged that discussions and presentations involved in task-based
activities helped them improve their speaking abilities.
The questionnaire results highlight the positive aspects of task-based activities. Most students
found these activities to be fun and contribute to a comfortable and positive class atmosphere.
Students appreciated the opportunities to present ideas and engage in discussions, fostering
collaboration and language development. Additionally, only a small number of students mentioned
time constraints as a negative aspect, suggesting an overall positive sentiment towards these
activities.
The questionnaire data indicates that task-based activities allocated students with more
speaking chances compared to other activities. Students reported increased use of structures and
vocabulary to express their thoughts, suggesting that these activities facilitate fluency, accuracy, and
communicative competence development.
The majority of students expressed a desire to participate in similar speaking tasks again,
finding them enjoyable, interesting, and beneficial for improving language skills. This strong
student motivation signifies the positive impact of task-based learning on student engagement.
The researcher contends that task-based learning fosters student engagement and speaking
skills development. Students' appreciation for discussion, presentation, and speaking practice
improves fluency and accuracy, as shown by Ulla (2020) and Bui Le diem Trang's 2019 research,

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highlighting the positive impact on motivation. Additionally, the strong desire expressed by students
to participate in similar tasks again highlights the positive impact on student motivation. The study's
findings indicate that incorporating task-based activities enhances the speaking abilities of pre-
intermediate pupils when incorporated into the education system. This is evidenced by the
significant improvement in test scores with notable increase in the highest bands. In contrast, Ulla's
and Ningtyas's studies focused on real-life application and student motivation. As such, the
processes of teaching and learning have become more robust. To ensure that the lesson may be
implemented in real life, the use of this approach should be congruent with the learners' prior
experiences and the situations of daily life.
While the overall sentiment towards task-based activities is positive, addressing the time-
consuming aspect mentioned by a few students could be an area for improvement. Perhaps
structuring these activities with clearer time limits or incorporating shorter, more frequent tasks
could address this concern.
6. CONCLUSION
6.1. Recapitulation
The purpose of this study is to adopt task-based activities to improve pre-intermediate
students' English speaking skills at the Ecorp English Centre. The research lasted 5 weeks and
involved 30 LPI035 students. This study's data was collected using three main research instruments:
a pre-test, a post-test, and a questionnaire. The results of the study instruments showed that using a
text-based strategy could boost pre-intermediate students' capacity to master speaking abilities. The
current study also discovered that students have positive sentiments toward using task-based
activities to teach speaking.
Firstly, test scores and questionnaire show that participants made progress in interactive
communication, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and grammar. Task-based activities
significantly improved speaking gains in English language learning. These findings suggest that
task-based speaking exercises are a useful method for improving speaking proficiency in EFL
classes and should be recommended for future use.
Second, the data gleaned from the post-questionnaire replies shows how enthusiastically
students regard conversations that require them to use their own judgment. Despite not being in
place for long, they enjoyed these activities, fostering a welcoming learning environment. They also
valued the opportunity to contribute to debates and provide suggestions, promoting cooperation and
language development. However, the main challenge for students is time constraints and a lack of
vocabulary and grammar. Furthermore, the researcher encountered challenges in selecting case-
based exercises that aligned with the learning objectives within the time constraints. In conclusion,
given the obstacle presented, task-based learning can help students achieve the desired results in
terms of improving their speaking skills.
6.2. Limitation
Certain limitations remain despite the fact that this study was successful in its aims. In
general, the researcher chose to conduct the study in a pre-intermediate level English class, rather
than selecting 30 random students from each class. In addition, due to time constraint, the
researcher only conducted 5 steps in action research. Therefore, the significance and scope of the
findings may be limited and they may not be representative of all English learners at the Ecorp
English center.

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Besides, Students’ lack of vocabulary and fluency are the main difficulties, which is why a
second cycle research is needed. Lastly, researchers ought to focus heavily on fostering a more
relaxed atmosphere among students during in-class activities and increasing their enthusiasm to
learn.
Although there are several limits to this study's use of task-based speaking activities research,
it can still be strengthened by incorporating feedback from students who took part in the survey.
6.3. Recommendation
The aforementioned findings serve as the foundation for the following suggested instructional
implications. Students need to be motivated and excited about studying in order to get the best
learning outcomes. This implies that their main priorities should be making and meeting learning
objectives, actively engaging in class discussions, and connecting with classmates and teachers.
On the other hand, the researcher should conduct the 2nd cycle in all levels and classes to
propose further research to solve the same research problem as well as applying task-based learning
activities in other skills.
Since students are at the centre of most assignments. They must also provide relevant
assignments that support students in making connections between what they have learned and actual
circumstances. To motivate pupils, teachers must provide speaking exercises and keep a close eye
on the speaking stages. The only way learning can get easier and more efficient is if pupils are
really driven. Additionally, the instructor would be better off having many resources for different
teaching philosophies or approaches while leading speaking exercises. Task-based learning is one of
the approaches. Implementing task-based education is an additional strategy to keep students from
becoming bored.
On the part of administrators, English teachers should be encouraged to use TBLT with
students in speaking classes because it can bring positive results for improving students' speaking
skills and learning attitudes.

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A STUDY ON FIELD TRIPS AND THEIR POSITIVE IMPACTS ON ENGLISH MAJOR

STUDENTS AT HPU
Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa
Haiphong University of Management and Technology

ABSTRACT
The modern educational landscape is shifting from a teacher-centric model to a learner-
centered approach that emphasizes self-discovery. By balancing indoor and outdoor learning,
educators can better prepare students for real-world challenges. Field trips have become a popular
tool for educators across all levels and disciplines. At Haiphong University of Management and
Technology (HPU), students are provided with opportunities to participate in field trips related to
their majors, allowing them to gain hands-on experience and practical knowledge. This study aims
to evaluate the effectiveness of field trips at HPU. Preliminary findings suggest that students have
benefited significantly from these experiences. Students have reported increased learning,
enjoyment, and acquisition of practical skills and knowledge.
Key words: field trip, benefits, practical knowledge

1. INTRODUCTION
Recently, it is a common belief among educators that tutoring trend is shifting from the purely
teacher-centered approach to the self-discovered approach where the learner is allowed to learn
through discovery. Moreover, giving the same priority to both indoor as well as outdoor activities
which can orient students to be well prepared for what happens in the real world. That is the reason
why field trips have been a common activity for educators in any levels and majors.
Moreover, it cannot be denied that field trips can color students’ lives in plenty of ways. These
real-world experiences can make students become well-rounded citizens with a profound
understanding and appreciation for knowledge, culture and the world around them. Hence, field
trips should be considered as a dispensable part of the learning experience by both educators and
parents so that these can bring potentials to inspire and educate future generations.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Research Questions
In order to fulfill the purpose of the study, the survey was conducted to answer the following
questions
1. What is a field trip?
2. What are the effectiveness of applying field trips in HPU?
2.2. Field trips
2.2.1. Definitions of field trip
Although field trips are not a brand-new term in education and there have been many different
linguistics defined it.
According to Pearce and Lee (2021), field trips offer students the opportunity to explore
diverse learning environments, enhance their education, and take a break from the regular school
routine. Dessy Utami (2014) describes field trips as a method for providing students with firsthand
experiences beyond the classroom. Similarly, Jordan (2014) emphasizes that field trips broaden the

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resources available to students, enriching their learning by allowing them to interact with real-world
examples that illustrate and reinforce what they have been taught.
Atyeo (1939) highlights that field trips encompass any excursion to an out-of-school setting
and are traditionally classified into three categories: academic, non-academic, and extracurricular.
Similarly, Krepel and Du Vall (1981) define field trips as educational journeys organized by training
institutions to fulfill specific learning objectives. They emphasize that such trips introduce students
to new environments where they can engage with tangible learning materials—allowing them to
"touch," "feel," observe, and actively participate in the learning process.
According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, a field trip is described as a journey
undertaken by a group, often students, to explore and study something in its natural environment.
Similarly, the Cambridge Dictionary defines a field trip as an excursion made by students to
examine and learn about a subject outside their school or college.
Field trips have long been recognized as an effective tool in English teaching, much like in
many other disciplines, and have been widely adopted in numerous countries since their early
introduction. Dessy Utani (2014) considers field trips one of the most effective methods for
teaching and learning English, as they provide students with both adventure and hands-on
experiences. Similarly, Hughes and Moore (2014) highlight that field trips create opportunities for
students to recall and connect their prior learning, thereby enhancing their motivation to learn.
2.2.2. Kinds of field trip
Field trips can be organized in various ways, depending on the subject’s objectives or the
desired outcomes. These include different formats such as on-campus excursions during class time,
off-campus visits during class hours, day trips, extended overnight stays, or even semester-long
study abroad programs. Examples of potential destinations include:
History/ Science/ Art Museum
Zoo, Wildlife Sanctuary, or Nature Reserve
Farm or Agricultural Center
Historical Sites
Botanical Garden/ Parks
Planetarium
Aquarium
Cultural Center
Different cities/ contexts
Beaches
2.2.3. The importance of the field trips
2.2.3.1. Academic outcomes
For many students, some of the most memorable moments of their academic journey come
from field trips, which blend the thrill of discovering new places, participating in engaging
activities, and the pleasure of learning. While students often find these experiences enjoyable, the
social and educational benefits of field trips are significant and cannot be overlooked. These
benefits may include the following:
- Hand-on learnings

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It is clear that students are naturally curious and often have numerous questions, not only
about academics but also about real-world experiences. Field trips cater to this curiosity by
providing hands-on learning opportunities where students can observe, listen, and physically
interact with the subject matter. This approach supports three of the four primary learning styles:
Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic. Additionally, field trips are an excellent way to foster an inclusive
learning environment, engaging students who might not typically express enthusiasm or possess
strong intrinsic motivation for education.
- Interactive Learning
There is no denying that experiencing something firsthand, such as physically touching an
object, is far more impactful than simply reading about it in a book. Field trips embrace this hands-
on approach, enabling students to actively engage with what they are learning. This immersive
experience goes beyond merely studying concepts in a textbook, allowing students to participate
and connect with the material on a physical level.
- Context understanding
Field trips provide students with the chance to observe how the knowledge gained in the
classroom translates into real-world applications. This experience helps bridge the gap between
theoretical concepts and practical implementation.
- Students’ engagement
Internal and external motivators can sometimes limit student involvement in class. Field trips,
on the other hand, provide a chance for students to participate in activities outside the regular
curriculum. These experiences can help students develop practical skills, critical thinking, and the
ability to take ownership of their learning.
- Academic achievement
Not only do field trips boost student engagement and school attitudes, but they can also
enhance academic performance, especially test scores. This improvement is a result of the deeper
comprehension of subjects that field trips provide.
- Critical Thinking
By presenting students with real-world scenarios, field trips encourage critical thinking and
problem-solving skills. A trip to a historical battlefield, for example, can lead to discussions about
strategy, decision-making, and the consequences of choices. These experiences cultivate analytical
abilities and a thirst for knowledge.
2.2.3.2. Affective outcomes
Field trips not only enhance academic performance but also contribute to students' social and
emotional well-being.
- Cultural exploring
By experiencing history, art, and traditions firsthand, students can challenge stereotypes and
develop empathy for other cultures. This firsthand exposure fosters a deeper appreciation for
diversity, leading to more inclusive and open-minded perspectives.
- Interest and motivation
Field trips can inspire students to pursue specific academic or career interests. A visit to a
school might inspire a future educator, while exploring a wildlife sanctuary could spark a passion
for conservation biology. These experiences can be the catalyst for lifelong hobbies and career
choices.
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- Social skill
Interacting with peers and teachers in new environments during field trips can foster students'
social skills. These experiences can help students develop communication, teamwork, and
cooperation skills as they navigate unfamiliar situations, work together on tasks, and build
relationships outside of the classroom.
- Appreciation of nature / history/ culture
Field trips to outdoor locations, such as national parks, nature reserves, and coastal
ecosystems, can cultivate an appreciation for the environment. These experiences allow students to
connect with nature, observe wildlife, and understand the importance of conservation. Furthermore,
visits to historical and cultural sites can deepen students' understanding of the past and different
cultural values.
- Sense of wonder and curiosity kick start.
Even though field trips are planned, they offer students a sense of adventure by taking them to
unfamiliar places. These experiences introduce students to new locations, concepts, and ideas, while
also reinforcing classroom learning. This can stimulate curiosity and imagination.
- Community engagement
Local field trips can strengthen the connection between schools and their communities. Local
businesses, museums and organizations often welcome school groups, fostering positive community
relationships and support for education.
- Inspiration for teachers
Field trips can inspire educators by providing them with exposure to innovative teaching
methods and resources. After participating in field trips, teachers often discover new ways to engage
students and incorporate experiential learning into their classrooms.
2.3 Challenges
Despite the many advantages of field trips, factors such as cost, logistics, and preparation can
limit their implementation. Budget constraints, transportation costs, and the time required for
planning and coordination can pose significant challenges. To successfully organize field trips,
educators must carefully select trips that align with their curriculum and prepare students for the
experience. This may require additional planning time, which could potentially take away from
regular classroom instruction. However, the long-term benefits of field trips often justify the initial
investment of time and resources.
3. METHODS
3.1. Setting
This study was conducted with the participation of 50 students of third and fourth year at
Haiphong University of Management and Technology, ageing from 20 to 22, 80% of them are
females. They are English majors and have had chances to join in all kinds of trips such as on-
campus trips during class time, off-campus trips during class time, day trips or extended overnight
trips. Them themselves have experienced almost all the outcomes of those trips and have different
feedback and reflections. Moreover, after some trips, they have joined in the preparation and even
have organized some of the trips on their owns.
3.2. Data collection and analysis
A mixed research approach was adopted to help carry out this study. The quantitative method
supported the researcher to collect quantitative data and justify the problem via the research
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findings from the data collected. The qualitative research method enabled researchers to obtain
insights into which outcomes the students gained. The first research instrument which was used to
serve this purpose was a survey questionnaire which helped the researcher realize feedback. There
were 13 statements in the questionnaire. Statements 1-6 were to ask for the participants’ responses
to academic achievement. Statements 7-13 were used to seek the participants’ opinions regarding
their affection outcomes. Responses obtained from the participants were coded in the Likert scale of
agreement from 1 “strongly disagree”, 2 “disagree”, 3 “neutral”, 4 “agree”, and 5 “strongly agree”.

N Min Max Mean SD

QS1 To improve hand-on learnings
QS2 To improve interactive learning
QS3 To develop context understanding
QS4 To improve students’ engagement
QS5 To improve academic achievement
QS6 To develop critical thinking
QS7 To create cultural exposure
opportunities
QS8 To improve interests and motivation
QS9 To improve social skills
QS10 To appreciate the nature/ history/culture
QS11 To kick start sense of wonder and
curiosity
QS12 To develop community engagement
QS13 To inspire teachers
The qualitative research method enabled researchers to obtain insights into how the students
feel about the field trips and their problems. To collect qualitative data, the researcher made use of a
semi-structured interview which consists of 3 open-ended questions. The first question is to find out
how the students rate the field trips. The second question is to find out what were the biggest
challenges and why. The last question is about how the students handled the problems they
encountered.
4. FINDINGS
4.1. Academic outcomes
N Min Max Mean SD
To improve hand-on learnings 50 3 5 4.14 .700
To improve interactive learning 50 3 5 4.70 .544
To develop context understanding 50 3 5 4.02 .553
To improve students’ engagement 50 2 5 3.10 .580
To improve academic achievement 50 1 4 2.18 .523
To develop critical thinking 50 3 5 4.02 .553

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Looking at the table, when being asked about the academic outcomes, most of the students
agreed that joining in field trips create chances for them to their interactive learning and hand on
learning at 4.70 and 4.14. Ranking at the next is their agreement on the development of context
leaning and critical thinking with 4.02 of them for both. Moreover, more than 50 % of them suppose
field trips can improve their engagement (3.10). Lastly, less then 50% of them agree that they can
improve academic achievement.
4.2. Affective outcomes
N Min Max Mean SD
To create cultural exposure opportunities 50 3 4 3.24 .431
To improve interests and motivation 50 3 5 4.70 .580
To improve social skills 50 3 5 4.66 .658
To appreciate the nature/ history/culture 50 3 5 4.74 .565
To kick start sense of wonder and curiosity 50 3 5 4.68 .653
To develop community engagement 50 3 4 3.24 .431
To inspire teachers 50 3 5 4.74 .565
As can be seen, when being asked about the affective outcomes, he most common choice of
them is the appreciation of the nature/ history/ culture and strategies and improvement of interest
and motivation at 4.74 and 4.70 at roster. Ranking at the second position is the social skill
improvement and sense of wonder and curiosity at nearly 4.70. At the bottom is the cultural
exposure at 3.24.
For the open ended question about the feedback of the trips, most of the students gave the
positive feedback and said that those trips were unforgettable events for them with 80 % while the
neutral and negative feed back was the same at 10% for each. The next question about the
challenges the students faced, massive volume of them answered that was the expense covered by
themselves due to their limited budget. Lastly, fund raising is one of the ways for HPU students to
save up the money for the field trips by collecting the recycled.
5. DISCUSSIONS
The value of field trips as an educational tool has sparked much discussion in recent years.
Despite a decline in their frequency, field trips offer significant educational benefits that
complement traditional classroom learning. Research has shown that well-planned field trips can
positively impact student academic and developmental outcomes both inside and outside the
classroom. By providing hands-on learning experiences, field trips can enhance students'
observational skills, foster an appreciation for art and culture, and increase engagement in their
studies.
While field trips offer many benefits, they also present challenges such as cost, logistical
difficulties, and potential risks. However, these challenges can be mitigated through careful
planning and coordination. Additionally, field trips don't necessarily have to be expensive or time-
consuming. Local field trips, including those within the school itself, can provide valuable learning
experiences. In cases where physical field trips are not feasible, virtual field trips offer an
alternative solution.

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6. CONCLUSION
By actively incorporating field trips into their teaching, educators can elevate the quality of
student learning and improve classroom outcomes. In addition to academic benefits, field trips can
also positively impact students' social and emotional development. While teachers may not have
direct control over the decision-making process for field trips, they can submit proposals to
administrators and school boards to advocate for these valuable experiences.
It's crucial to communicate the significant benefits of field trips to decision-makers. Student-
centered learning through field trips offers numerous advantages that outweigh any challenges.
Whether it's nature-based, arts-based, or virtual, field trips can provide positive learning experiences
that contribute to a high-quality education
REFERENCES
Behrendt, M., & Franklin, T. (2014). A review of research on school field trips and their value in
education. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 9(3), 235-245.
https://doi.org/10.12973/ijese.2014.213a
Clarke-Vivier, S., & Lee, J. C. (2018). Because life doesn’t just happen in a classroom: Elementary
and middle school teacher perspectives on the benefits of, and obstacles to, out-of-school
learning. Issues in Teacher Education, 27(3), 55-72.
Das, A. (2021, November 9-11). Virtual field trips and impact on learning [Conference
presentation]. Innovate Learning Summit 2021, Online, 85-89.
https://www.learntechlib.org/p/220274/
Florick, L., Greene, J. P., Levenberg, R., & Pogue, R. (2021). The benefits of
multiple arts based field trips. Phi Delta Kappan, 102(8), 26-29.
Greene, J. P., Kisida, B., & Bowen, D. H. (2014). The educational value of field trips. Education
Next, 14(1), 78-86.
Heras, R., Medir, R. M., & Salazar, O. (2020). Children’s perceptions on the benefits of school
nature field trips. Education, 48(4), 379-391. Musselman, S. (2020). Connecting with
community. Science and Children, 58(1), 43-47.
Pattacini, L. (2018). Experiential learning: The field study trip, a student-centered curriculum.
Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching, 11(2).
https://doi.org/10.21100/compass.v11i2.815
Pearce, M. K., & Lee, T. (2021). Comparing teaching methods in an environmental education field
trip program. Journal of Interdisciplinary Teacher Leadership, 5(1).
https://doi.org/10.46767/kfp.2016-0037
Whitesell, E. R. (2016). A day at the museum: The impact of field trips on middle school science
achievement. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 53(7), 1036-1054.
https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21322

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AN INVESTIGATION INTO ENGLISH IDIOMS AND PROVERBS CONCERNING

HUMAN BODY PARTS "BACK", "BONE", "HEAD", "TEETH/TOOTH”, AND "SKIN"
WITH REFERENCE TO THE VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS
Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy
Nguyen Anh Phuong
Pham Huong Lan
Vietnam National University of Agriculture

ABSTRACT
This paper aims to research English idioms and proverbs, an aspect considered difficult for
language learners because of its diversity and profound implications. The main topic of the article is
proverbs and idioms about the human body parts concerning "back", "bone", "head", "teeth/tooth",
and "skin". The results are based on 137 idioms and proverbs found in English data and 85 idioms
and proverbs in Vietnamese. In addition, the methods used throughout the study include
comparison, analysis, and statistics to clarify the idioms and proverbs. Similarities and differences
are explained based on the meaning and usage of the two languages. Accordingly, verb phrases are
most frequent in English syntax, while noun phrases make up the majority in Vietnamese.
Regarding semantics, metaphor is the most used rhetorical device of both languages, and irony only
occurs in Vietnamese. The results presented here may facilitate improvements in the learning and/or
translating and interpreting English and/or Vietnamese.
Keywords: English, human body parts, idioms, proverbs, Vietnamese

1. INTRODUCTION
Idioms and proverbs hold significant importance in our society as they serve as cultural and
linguistic expressions that convey deeper meanings and wisdom. They give us a unique way of
understanding complex ideas and emotions through concise, figurative language. Idioms and
proverbs reflect the values, beliefs, and customs of a particular culture to maintain and pass on
cultural heritage from one generation to another.
In reality, idioms and proverbs are often used in communication both in English and
Vietnamese. Strutz (1996) claims “Nobody can be said to be proficient in a language until they
possess an ‘idiomatic’ control of it”. Idioms and proverbs enrich our vocabulary and help express
sentences more effectively. In addition, they convey the experience, advice, and life lessons. They
often encapsulate centuries of collective human experience and provide valuable insights into
various aspects of life, such as relationships, decision-making, and personal growth.
On the other hand, how to use idioms and proverbs correctly is a huge challenge not only for
the natives but also for non-natives. We cannot guess their meaning clearly (literally) if we only
understand every word, as they are considered fixed phrases with distinct meanings in each specific
context. It may be difficult for learners to communicate, as they cannot understand or
misunderstand what others are saying.
Many scholars around the world have chosen topics related to idioms and proverbs for their
research. Their topics are truly diverse. Some examples are "An investigation into English and
Vietnamese idioms containing the words of possession" (Pham Thi Mai Phuong, 2011), “Linguistic
features of proverbs expressing wisdom and foolishness in English versus Vietnamese” (Nguyen Nu

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Nha Uyen, 2013) or “Cultural Awareness through Animal Proverbs in English and Myanmar” (Ni,
2019). Idioms and proverbs related to the human body are interesting and worth exploring. Some
scholars research idioms and proverbs referring to the human body, but most do not dig into them.
Therefore, the authors decide to choose the topic “An investigation into English idioms and
proverbs concerning human body parts “back”, “bone”, “head”, “teeth/tooth”, and “skin” with
reference to the Vietnamese equivalents” to find out the meaning, similarities, and differences in
English and Vietnamese.
The objectives of the present work paper are (1) Investigating syntactic and semantic features
of English idioms and proverbs concerning human body parts (I&P CHBP) "back", "bone", "head",
"teeth/tooth", and "skin" with reference to Vietnamese equivalents, and (2) Finding the similarities
and differences of the syntactic and semantic characteristics of the English idioms and proverbs
concerning human body parts "back", "bone" "head", "teeth/tooth", and "skin" regarding the
Vietnamese equivalents.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Previous Studies
In the last few years, idioms and proverbs concerning human body parts "back", "bone"
"head", "teeth/tooth", and "skin" in English and their equivalents in Vietnamese have been
conducted by several authors at home and abroad such as Maria (2015), Nguyen Thu Hanh &
Nguyen Tien Long (2018), Nguyen Thi Thu Huong (2019), Bataineh, and Al-Shaikhl (2020),
Adelina & Suprayogi (2020), and La Thi Hong Bich (2022). The summary of their study are as
follows.
Nguyen Thu Hanh and Nguyen Tien Long (2018) investigated the main features of English
idioms containing human-body parts and their Vietnamese equivalents with the data taken mainly
from two English novels (The Godfather and To Kill a Mockingbird) and their Vietnamese
translations versions. They uncovered a list of 31 human body parts with 106 idioms. “The
Godfather” has 70 samples while “To Kill A Mockingbird” has only 36 samples. The results
indicate that the eyes and hand are the two human body parts with the highest percentages in the
two novels. Other body parts like the head, bones, and teeth are ranked 3rd, 13th, and 18th, while
the skin is at the bottom of the list.
Nguyen Thi Thu Huong (2019) carried out “A study on English idioms related parts of the
body”. The author has thoroughly analyzed idioms related to human body parts such as head, hand,
feet, leg, and heart throughout her article. 53 idioms refer to parts of the human body are listed. It is
impossible to guess its meaning if only based on the sentence and understood literally (the original
meaning). The limitation of her research is that although she has provided a list of idioms for each
department, it has not analyzed and made clear statistics to give specific final results.
La Thi Hong Bich’s (2022) delved into idioms and proverbs relating to the words face, ears,
eyes, nose, mouth, lips, hands, legs in English and mặt, tai, mắt, mũi, miệng/mồm, môi, tay, chân in
Vietnamese. The research collected 106 English idioms and proverbs, and 116 Vietnamese cases.
The results reveal that verb phrases and noun phrases are prevalent in both languages. Metaphors
and metonymies are frequently employed, with action being a typical semantic field in English,
whereas personality is more common in Vietnamese. Nevertheless, the author has not indicated
which parts of the human body in idioms and proverbs are most commonly used in each language.
Maria (2015) uncovered the similarities and differences in English and Romanian idioms of
three main parts of the body such as shoulder, arm, and hand. Bataineh and Al-Shaikhl (2020) in

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“Cultures Think Alike and Unlike: A Cognitive Study of Arabic and English Body Parts Idioms”
aim to investigate the similarities and differences between English and Arabic in cognitive systems.
An outcome of “Contrastive Analysis of English and Indonesian Idioms of Human Body” by
Adelina & Suprayogi (2020) shows some conclusions about the equivalent and non-equivalent body
parts idioms in Indonesian and English.
In short, while most previous studies have compared and contrasted English idioms related to
human body parts with other languages, almost no research has specifically addressed idioms and
proverbs about five body parts: back, bones, head, teeth/tooth, and skin in English and their
equivalents in Vietnamese. Consequently, this paper concentrates on examining the similarities and
differences between English & Vietnamese proverbs and idioms concerning these body parts.
2.2. Review of theoretical background
2.2.1. Definition of Idioms and Proverbs
Hornby (1995, p. 589) argues that an idiom is “not clear from its words and which must be
found out as a whole unit”. Idioms are fixed combinations of words whose meaning is often
difficult to guess from the meaning of each word. For instance, “no skin off my nose” does not
mention the skin and nose in literal meaning. It is “a matter of indifference to me; I am unaffected
by something” - that is the figurative meaning (Oxford Dictionary of Idiom, 2004).
The Online Cambridge Dictionary defines a proverb as “a short sentence which is started
something commonly based on experiment or giving advice by many people” or “a short statement
gives advice or expresses some common truth” in literature. Hoang Phe’s point of view (2002,
p.1026) is that “A proverb is a concise, frequently rhyming sentence encapsulating the wisdom, life
experiences, and ethical teachings of a community” (The researcher’s translation)
In brief, idioms and proverbs are set expressions that cannot explained by literal meanings.
Idioms often lead to multiple interpretations while proverbs encapsulate the customs, wisdom,
advice, and life lessons passed down through generations.
2.2.2. Characteristics of Idioms & Proverbs
Lapytė (2018, p. 4) states in his research that “An idiom has two defining characteristics: an
independent semantic meaning and being a multi-word unit”. In addition, Kvetko (2005) made a
short list of features of idiom. Firstly, “lexical complexity and semantic simplicity: an idiom’s
meaning cannot be determined from the meaning of its “. Secondly, “invariability: paradigmatic
variants, i.e. alternative forms that can be substituted for each other in a sequence, are limited or
non-existent”. Finally, “figurativeness: idioms contain some figurative (non-literal) language”.
Hoang Tat Truong (1993) argues that proverbs are also set expressions, their meaning is
usually figurative and they are ready-made units as well. They must be studied together with other
set expressions.
Although idioms and proverbs possess distinct features, they are generally regarded as fixed
expressions whose meanings are conveyed as a whole figuratively, rather than depending on the
total meanings of all components. Therefore, “idioms and proverbs” can be used as the general term
in this paper. The research investigates their syntactic and semantic aspects.
2.2.2.1. Syntactic features
Nguyen Thien Giap (1975) concludes that idioms and proverbs are fixed sets of words with
unchangeable forms: the fixed combinations derived from established words and phrases. Hence,

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this report discusses five types of phrases: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, and prepositional phrases
in English and Vietnamese.
Noun Phrases
Herring (2016, p.1419) claims that “Noun phrases are groups of two or more words within a
sentence that function grammatically as nouns. They consist of a noun and other words that modify
the noun.”
E.g. 1. He's all skin and bone after his illness.
Meaning: Someone’s appearance is very thin or looks unhealthy.
E.g. 2. Đừng giao du với chúng, nhìn là biết toàn lũ đầu trâu mặt ngựa.
Meaning: It is advisable to avoid contacting with people who appear and exhibit aggressive
and fierce behavior, often indicative of thuggish.
Verb Phrases
According to Cambridge Dictionary Online, “A verb phrase consists of a main verb alone, or
a main verb plus any modal and/or auxiliary verbs. The main verb always comes last in the verb
phrase”
E.g. 3. The homicides in Detective Conan movie make my skin crawl.
Meaning: Some scenes of the movies make someone feel frightened.
E.g. 4. Anh em sống chung một nhà, có chuyện gì bảo nhau, hà cớ gì lại đi vạch áo cho người
xem lưng?
Meaning: A person who shows something publicly that should be kept in private.
Adjective Phrases
Herring’s point of view (2016, p.1431) is that “An adjective phrase is an adjective and any
additional information linked to it that work together to describe a noun or pronoun in a sentence.
The adjective around which an adjective phrase is formed is known as the headword of the phrase”
E.g. 5. The soil is as dry as a bone
Meaning: Something is extremely dehydrated.
E.g. 6. Đường ở đây khấp khểnh như răng bà lão.
Meaning: A roughly, uneven road.
Adverb Phrases
The upshot of Herring’s study (2016, p.1439) is that adverbial phrase “modifies a verb,
adjective, adverb, clause, or the sentence as a whole. They often feature an adverb (known as the
headword) being modified by other elements, but not always”
E.g. 7. It is no skin off my nose because they do not want me to help them!
Meaning: Somebody who does not care what others do because it does not affect them.
Prepositional Phrases
Prepositional phrases consist of a preposition and the words follow it. The complement is
most commonly a noun phrase or pronoun, but it can also be, an adverb phrase, a verb in the -ing
form, or, less commonly, a prepositional phrase or a wh-clause. (Cambridge Dictionary Online, n.d)
E.g. 8. You may be out of your head to have spent all your time and money on gambling!
Meaning: Someone who is extremely foolish or silly. (informal)

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Idioms and proverbs not only exist in forms of phrases, some of them are built as sentences.
As Greenbaum’s work (1996) leads him to conclude that each clause comprises the parts that must
be included by the basic principles for clause construction (subject, verb, and verbal complements,
with the exception that the understood subject is often deleted in imperative statements). This study
only presents 4 types of sentences including simple, compound, complex, and comparative
sentences.
Simple Sentences
Herring’s conclusion (2016, p.1506) is that “A sentence can be short or long and must express
a complete idea. They must consist of at least one independent clause subject and predicate that
make a complete thought. Sometimes they are also referred to as main clauses”
E.g. 9. I will help you to do this task. Two heads are better than one.
Meaning: The problem will be solved easily when you have another opinion from two people.
Compound sentences
Herring (2016, p.1517) also confirms that “Compound sentences are one of the four main
sentence structures. They are made up of at least two independent clauses expressing closely related
ideas of equal or similar importance that are joined using a comma and a conjunction or just a
semicolon”
E.g. 10. You scratch my back and I will scratch yours.
Meaning: If someone helps you, you will help them.
Complex sentences
The substance of Herring’s study (2016, p.1526) states that a complex sentence “is made up of
a dependent clause that is introduced and linked to the independent clause by a subordinating
conjunction.”
E.g. 11. A dog that will fetch a bone will carry a bone.
Meaning: A gossip carries scandal about other people to you but will also relay tales about
you back to them.
Comparative sentences
Using Jindal & Liu’s work (2006, p.1332), it is possible to show that “Comparatives are based
on specialized morphemes, to establish orderings of superiority, inferiority, and equality, and “than”
and “as” for making a ‘standard’ against which an entity is compared.”
E.g. 12. The soil is as dry as a bone.
Meaning: Extremely dry
E.g. 13. Lưng dài như chó liếm cối.
Meaning: A lazy person.
2.2.2.2. Semantic features
Some authors such as Nguyen Thu Hanh & Nguyen Tien Long (2019) and Bui Thi Kim Loan
(2023) suggest that figurativeness is one of the typical features of idioms and proverbs. This study
examines some figures of speech such as simile, metaphor, metonymy, hyperbole, and irony.

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Simile
Crowther’s work (ed.) (1992, p. 848) allows him to draw the conclusion that “the use of
comparison of one thing with another” is a simile but “not all comparisons belong to simile” (To
Minh Thanh, 2007, p. 36).
E.g. 14. He spent the whole morning washing his car and it was as clean as a hound’s tooth.
Meaning: Make something spotless.
E.g. 15. Đầu cô ấy đau như búa bổ do uống quá nhiều rượu.
Meaning: Someone has a splitting headache.
Metaphor
According to Crowther (1992, p. 564), metaphor is “the use of a word or phrase to indicate
something different from the literal meaning”.
E.g. 16. She doesn’t focus on working. She usually has her head in the clouds.
Meaning: Someone who is absent-minded and daydreaming.
Metonymy
To Minh Thanh’s work (2007, p.39) allows her to conclude that “Metonymy is the substitution
of the name of one thing for that of another to which it is related/with which it is associated”.
E.g. 17. They have a good head on their shoulders in every situation.
Meaning: People who are intelligent and have good judgment.
Hyperbole
Crowther’s point of view (ed.) (1992, p.446) is that “Hyperbole is the use of an exaggerated
statement that is made for special effect and is not meant to be taken literally.”
E.g.18. I’m too tired. I worked my fingers to the bone to finish my thesis on time.
Meaning: To work extremely hard, especially for a long time
Irony
Some authors such as Crowther (ed.) (1992) and To Minh Thanh (2007) claim that irony is the
expression of one’s meaning by saying the direct opposite of one’s thoughts to be emphatic,
amusing, etc.
E.g.19. Nó thương tôi lắm, thương gặm xương chẳng được bà ạ.
Meaning: Someone who has good intentions in their mouth but has deceitful behavior with
another person.
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. Research methods
Firstly, the contrastive and comparative method can be considered an important method to
investigate the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese idioms and proverbs
related to human body parts “back”, “bone”, “head”, “teeth/tooth”, and “skin”.
Secondly, the analytical method is employed to categorize, synthesize, and analyze the
prevalence and frequency of idioms and proverbs' syntactic and semantic features.
Finally, the descriptive method describes the syntactic and semantic features of idioms and
proverbs related to human body parts in English and Vietnamese.

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3.2. Data collection

85 cases are collected from some Vietnamese materials such as “Từ điển thành ngữ & tục ngữ
Việt Nam” (Dictionary of Vietnamese Idioms & Proverbs) (Vũ Dung, Vũ Thúy Anh, Vũ Quang
Hào, 2000), Tuyển tập thành ngữ, tục ngữ ca dao Việt-Anh thông dụng (A collection of common
Vietnamese-English idioms and proverbs) (Nguyễn Đình Hùng, 2014). In English, 137 cases are
found from the Oxford Dictionary of Idioms, Second Edition (Siefring, 2004), The Free Dictionary.
com, The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs, Fifth Edition (Jennifer Speake, 2008), and Cambridge
Dictionary Online.
3.3. Data analysis
This paper focusses on analyzing the syntactic features (noun phrase, verb phrase, adverb
phrase, adjective phrase, prepositional phrase, and type of sentences) and semantic features based
on the figure of speech such as simile, metaphor, metonymy, hyperbole, and irony. The data were
extracted from the dictionaries in English and Vietnamese. Here are two illustrations of syntactic
and semantic features.
Table 1. Syntactic analytical framework
Comparative criteria English Vietnamese
Noun Phrases A thick skin (The Free Đầu trâu mặt ngựa (TDTNTN, p.
Dictionary) 244)
Verb Phrases Keep your head (OD, p139) Vạch áo cho người xem lưng
(TNTNCD, p. 203)
Adj Phrases Be skin and bone (OD, p.265) Dài lưng tốn vải (TDTNTN,
p.200)

Adv Phrases No skin off my nose None

(OD, p.265)
Prep Phrases Off the top of one’s head (ODI, Trên răng dưới khố (TDTNTN,
p.139) p.584)
Simple sentences Two heads are better than one Gậy ông đập lưng ông (TNTNCD,
(ODI, p.301) p. 89)
Compound sentences You scratch my back and I will Ở gần nhà giàu, đau răng ăn cốm;
scratch yours (TODP, p.437) ở gần kẻ trộm, ốm lưng chịu đòn
(TDTNTN, p. 305)
Complex sentences A dog that will fetch a bone will Bảy mươi chưa đui chưa què, chớ
carry a bone (TODP, p.143) khoe răng tốt (TDTNTN, p.57)

Comparative sentences The soil is as dry as a bone Đầu như trái ké (TDTNTN, p.243)
(CDO)
(Sources: The Free Dictionary.com, Oxford Dictionary of Idioms Second Edition, The Oxford
Dictionary of Proverbs, Từ điển thành ngữ & tục ngữ Việt Nam, Tuyển tập thành ngữ, tục ngữ ca
dao Việt-Anh thông dụng)

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Table 2. Analytical Framework for Figures of Speech

Figures of Speech English Vietnamese
Simile As dry as a bone (CDO) Khấp khểnh như răng bà lão
(TDTNTN, 370)
Metaphor Head in the clouds (CDO) Chung lưng đấu cật (TDTNTN,
p.148)
Metonymy A/per head (TFD) Đầu son tuổi trẻ (TDTNTN, p.244)

Hyperbole Work one's fingers to the bone Đầu đội trời, chân đạp đất
(ODI, p.33) (TDTNTN, p.241)
Irony None Thương gặm xương chẳng được
(TDTNTN, p.568)
(Sources: Cambridge Dictionary Online, Oxford Dictionary of Idioms Second Edition, Oxford
Dictionary of Proverbs, Idioms, The Free Dictionary. com, Từ điển thành ngữ & tục ngữ Việt Nam)
4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
4.1. Findings
4.1.1 Syntactic features
The study’s results begin with the categories of each body part. “Head” is the most popular
part and “bone” is the less common part in idioms and proverbs in both languages. The details are
presented in the table below.
Table 3. Classification of I&P CHBP
I&P CHBP English Vietnamese
Number % of total Number % of total
Back 19 13.87 14 16.47
Bone 14 10.22 12 14.12
Head 59 43.07 35 41.18
Skin 22 16.06 10 11.76
Teeth/Tooth 23 16.78 14 16.47
Total 137 100 85 100
The data of English and Vietnamese I&P CHBP indicates tat there are 137 samples in English
and 85 samples in Vietnamese. The analysis is illustrated in the table below.
Table 4. I&P CHBP with phrases and sentences in English and Vietnamese
Phrases and Sentences English % Vietnamese %
Noun Phrases 16 11.68 46 54.11
Verb Phrases 90 65.69 12 14.12
Adjective Phrases 5 3.65 6 7.06
Adverb Phrases 3 2.19 0 0
Preposition Phrases 12 8.76 1 1.18
Simple Sentences 7 5.11 7 8.24

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Compound Sentences 1 0.73 2 2.35

Complex Sentences 1 0.73 5 5.88
Comparative Sentences 2 1.46 6 7.06
Total 137 100 85 100

Table 4 reveals the number of I&P CHBP noun phrases, verb phrases, adjective phrases,
adverb phrases, preposition phrases, and sentences in English and Vietnamese. As can be seen from
the table, in English, verb phrases rank the 1st with the highest percentage 65.69%. The second is
noun phrases (11.68%), the third is preposition phrases (8.76%) and the last is adjective and adverb
phrases 3.65% and 2.19% respectively. On the other hand, in Vietnamese, noun phrases are the most
popular with 54.11 %. The second is verb phrase with 14.12% and the third is adjective phrase with
7.06%. Finally, preposition phrases are 1.18% and there is no case with adverb phrases.
The finding of the present study also suggests that simple sentences are common in both
languages: English with 5.11% and Vietnamese with 8.24%. Compound sentences are the lowest
part with 0.73 % and 2.35% in English and Vietnamese, respectively. In brief, set expressions using
verb and noun phrases are most frequently used in both languages, while adverb phrases and
compound sentences are the least.
4.1.2. Semantic features
This section examines and explores the semantic properties of idioms and proverbs about
human body parts. However, the research concentrates solely on their meanings through rhetorical
figures. The table below presents the number and frequency of these instances.
Table 5. The figures of speech of I &P CHBP in English and Vietnamese
I&P CHBP
Figures of Speech English % Vietnamese %
Simile 8 5.84 8 9.41
Metaphor 102 74.45 63 74.11
Metonymy 21 15.33 11 12.94
Hyperbole 6 4.38 1 1.18
Irony 0 0 2 2.36
Total 137 100 85 100

Table 5 shows figures of speech of idioms & proverbs concerning human body parts in
English and Vietnamese. It can be seen from the table that metaphor outmatches all non-literal
communication with 102 cases equal to 74.45% in English. After that, metonymy has the equivalent
ratio of 15.33%. The last ranking belongs to “irony” with no cases. Vietnamese also have metaphor
as the figure of speech with the highest percentage (74.11%). Metonymy takes the second place
with 12.94%. The simile ranks the third with 9.41%. Hyperbole and irony come in the fourth and
fifth, respectively.
For instance:

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E.g.20. “Teeth like stars” is a simile because it compares a person's teeth shining as the stars
in the sky. “Lưng dài như chó liếm cối” in Vietnamese means someone has a very long back -
implying laziness.
E.g.21. “Bury your head in the sand” is a metaphor describing somebody ignoring the
problems rather than facing them. “Gậy ông đập lưng ông”- make a plan to harm someone else but
bear all the consequences.
E.g.22. “Turn your back” is considered a metonymy when used to refer to the act of ignoring
or rejecting someone or something. In Vietnamese, “Đầu đen máu đỏ” - The representative race, or
ethnic group in a nation.
E.g.23. “Laugh one’s head off” is an exaggeration that means to laugh uncontrollably. “Đầu
đội trời, chân đạp đất” - The steady, brave mettle of a macho. They are some illustrations for
hyperbole.
E.g. 24. “Thương gặm xương chẳng được” means someone has good intentions in their mouth
but bad, deceitful behavior with another person. It is a case of irony in Vietnamese.
4.2. DISCUSSIONS
4.2.1. Syntactic features
4.2.1.1. Similarities
In terms of syntactic features, idioms and proverbs concerning human body parts in English
and Vietnamese share some similarities, for example, they are considered as set expressions. These
idioms and proverbs are all based on phrase and sentence forms. The first is the structure S + V + O
in a simple sentence, for example, “Let your heart (S) rule (V) your head” (O). This sentence means
to listen to emotions instead of reason or reality in English. In Vietnamese, “thắt lưng (S) buộc (V)
bụng (O)” represents poverty, and they have to save as much as possible. The second is a
comparison with degrees in comparative sentences. With comparative equality, an example is "The
soil is as dry as a bone” (the dry is extremely dry) with "as" meaning in Vietnamese "như". For
instance, "Đầu như búa bổ" (Splitting headache) or "Khấp khểnh như răng bà lão" (Rough, not flat).
With the comparison, we also have structures consisting of the word “than” such as "Two heads are
better than one" (Working together will solve a problem more quickly). On the other side, "Đầu gà
còn hơn đuôi trâu" (Work as a leader in a small organization rather than be an employee in a large
organization). The third is the structure "Pre + N + Pre + N" with "From head to toe" (Cover one's
body completely) or "On the lower teeth" (Impoverished person). In addition, phrases also account
for a higher proportion than sentences. Moreover, adverbial phrases, prepositional phrases,
compound sentences, and complex sentences all appear quite rarely in both languages.
4.2.1.2. Differences
While there are similarities, notable differences exist as well. In English, the phrasal verb
structure is predominant, with 90 instances accounting for 65.69%, featuring key elements like
verbs, nouns, and prepositions. In contrast, Vietnamese uses this structure less frequently, primarily
with verbs and nouns. Conversely, noun phrases represent a larger share in Vietnamese at 54.11%,
with no instances of adverb phrases. English has more prepositional phrases, with 12 examples
compared to just one in Vietnamese. Sentence-wise, English features a variety of equivalent cases
and structures, with simple sentences being the most prevalent. However, Vietnamese use simple
sentences and frequently employ comparative and complex sentences. Overall, Vietnamese idioms
and proverbs related to the human body tend to have more varied structures.

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4.2.2. Semantic features

4.2.2.1. Similarities
The analysis and results from Table 5 highlight some similarities such as the prevalent use of
metaphors in both languages. In English, 102 cases account for 74.45%, while in Vietnamese, there
are 63 cases at 74.11%. An example is the idiom “bury your head in the sand”, where “head”
symbolizes awareness or knowledge of an issue, and 'bury' suggests ignoring it, indicating
avoidance of a problem. Another one "Nói ngọt lọt đến xương" means to speak sweetly to persuade
others. Metonymy follows with a lesser frequency. For instance, “Đầu đen máu đỏ” denotes people
of the same ethnicity, and “go to somebody's head” implies that success affects one's behavior, often
leading to pride or arrogance. Simile and hyperbole are infrequent, and irony is particularly rare or
absent in this context.
4.2.2.2. Differences
There are some significant differences between the two languages. Although metonymy
ranked the second, it appears less frequently in Vietnamese with 11 instances (12.94%). In contrast,
the English case has a limited number of hyperbole examples (4.38%), while the Vietnamese have
only one instance (1.18%). It is noticeable that irony is the rarest expression and is positioned at the
bottom of the list. It is present in Vietnamese proverbs concerning these five body parts with two
instances and is absent in English.
4.3. Comparison with previous findings
The present findings also support all studies above which concluded that metaphors are
predominantly used in idioms and proverbs of the human body, with "head" being the most
frequently mentioned part. However, there are notable differences; for instance, "back" is the least
mentioned in some dictionaries for both languages, whereas "skin" is the least referenced in the
research by Nguyen Thi Thu Hanh and Nguyen Tien Long (2019). Besides that, the outcomes of
this study are in alignment with La Thi Hong Bich's work (2022) in which verb phrases and noun
phrases are most prevalent, with adverb phrases being the least. On the other hand, this study
focuses on only five body parts, the sentence structure S + V + O is more common. This shows that
within the scope of idioms and proverbs about the human body, different body parts may yield
varying results.
5. CONCLUSION
The purpose of the current study was to investigate the similarities and differences between
English and Vietnamese I&P CHBP in terms of syntactic and semantic features. Syntactically, I & P
CHBP in English and Vietnamese are structured as phrase structures rather than sentence structures.
However, verb phrases are most frequent in English syntax, while noun phrases make up the
majority in Vietnamese. Sentences are constructed as simple, compound, complex, and comparative
sentences, in which simple sentences are the most common in both languages. Semantically, the
study clarifies that idioms and proverbs predominantly express meanings through figures of speech
such as simile, metaphor, metonymy, hyperbole, and irony, in which metaphor is the most utilized in
both languages.
This paper focuses solely on the most common syntactic and semantic characteristics of
English idioms and proverbs about five human body parts, of which “Head” is the most popular part
and “bone” is the less common part in idioms and proverbs in both languages. Several possible
future studies using the same research setup are apparent. It would be interesting to assess the
effectiveness of some aspects such as delving deeper into the cultural, societal, and historical

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origins of these idioms and proverbs, exploring why themes related to human body parts are
prevalent, and possibly extending the research to other body parts.
In teaching or translation, it is crucial to rely on context and meaning, utilizing dictionaries to
construct the most effective lectures or translations. A plethora of illustrative examples should be
provided to aid language learners in understanding and applying this knowledge in daily life.
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AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF

RELATIVE CLAUSES IN “A CHRISTMAS CAROL”
WRITTEN BY CHARLES DICKENS
Pham Thu Uyen
Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy
Nguyen Tat Thang
Vietnam National University of Agriculture

ABSTRACT
This research study focuses on discovering the relative clauses (RCs) used in Charles
Dickens’s work - “A Christmas Carol”. It synthesizes the theoretical background of RCs,
emphasizing their syntactic and stylistic functions, and employs qualitative and quantitative
methods to investigate the issue. Through a qualitative syntactic analysis, the RCs are identified and
examined to determine whether each clause is classified as restrictive or non-restrictive and to
identify the noun in the main clause they modify. Subsequently, using quantitative analysis, a total
of 237 RCs were identified: 182 sentences containing relative pronouns, 36 with relative adverbs,
and 19 reduced RCs. The analysis reveals that restrictive RCs are the most common, constituting
48% of all RCs, helping to clarify the story’s context. The pronoun 'which' is the most frequently
used (46%), providing necessary information about objects or things. Additionally, the study
explores the meaning of RCs, showing how Dickens employed them to enhance readers’
understanding and engagement with the story while conveying the realities of Christmas in the 19th
century and reflecting the syntactic intricacies characteristic of Victorian literature.
Keywords: A Christmas Carol, relative clause, relative pronoun, relative adverb, reducing
relative clause
1. INTRODUCTION
Language is a vital tool for communication, fostering economic, cultural, and social
connections. As the most widely spoken language globally (Ethnologue, 2023), English plays a
crucial role in scientific, technological, and international fields, granting users access to global
knowledge.
Research on RCs in English is essential for improving language proficiency by clarifying
sentence subjects and meanings, enhancing effective communication and precise expression. In
literature, studying RCs enriches understanding of syntax and grammar, refining literary analysis
and writing skills. This study explores Charles Dickens’s use of RCs in A Christmas Carol,
addressing two main questions “Which relative clauses are used in “A Christmas Carol” written by
Charles Dickens?” and “Which type of relative clauses is used most in “A Christmas Carol” by
Charles Dickens?”. It identifies and compares the frequency of RC types, analyzing their impact on
the narrative. The research highlights how Dickens employs RCs to add depth to the context,
enhance thematic elements, and develop characters, particularly in portraying Scrooge’s
transformation. Additionally, the study provides English learners with insights into the use of RCs
in literature and Dickens’s writing style, revealing how he captured the essence of the 19th-century
Victorian era in his work.

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Since its publication in 1843, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens has been widely studied,
with research focusing on literary themes, reflections on Victorian society, character analysis,
metaphor symbolism, and Dickens's style. Notable works include Gilmour (1981), who explored
how Scrooge reflects Victorian ideals of gentility and morality; Hancock (2016), who examined
Dickens’s critique of socioeconomic disparities through Scrooge's transformation; and Daly (2024),
who argued that Scrooge's miserliness stems from a deep fear of judgment, with his transformation
symbolizing both personal and societal redemption. Despite extensive research, no studies, either in
Vietnam or abroad, have specifically analyzed the use of relative clauses (RCs) in the novel. This
study addresses that deficiency by consulting existing works to build a comprehensive research
foundation.
Studies by Permatasari & Putu (2014), and Sulistiani (2018) conclude that RCs can be
classified into restrictive and non-restrictive types. Their findings agree that non-restrictive RCs are
the most prevalent in the novel, functioning to add extra information about a noun, provide
contextual details, and enhance reader understanding and engagement while preserving the
sentence’s core meaning.
Kadariyah & Purwanti’s (2017) study examined the forms, sources, and frequency of RCs,
identifying five distinct types. The most common was “that”, appearing 99 times in “Bridge to
Terabithia”. This RC type functions to enhance sentence detail, enrich reader understanding, and
maintain the story’s cohesiveness.
In the work of Deborah, Udayana, & Qomariana (2018), several types of RCs have been
identified, including “who”, “which”, “that”, “whose”, and “when”. While their research provides a
thorough analysis of these forms, it omits RCs introduced by “whom”, “where”, and “why”,
which are also significant in the language. This gap suggests that, despite its broad scope, the study
does not fully address the complete range of RCs, leaving opportunities for further exploration and
analysis.
Juliarta & Wirawa (2023) explained “A relative clause can give more information about the
person or things described”. Three primary structural forms of RCs were identified: verbless
clauses, non-finite clauses, and finite clauses (ibid.).
Dajang & Bwai (2023) state that RCs enable writers to expand their arguments without
starting a new sentence, allowing for greater specificity and elevating the quality of writing. They
noted common challenges in using RCs, including understanding their structure, choosing the
appropriate pronoun or adverb, applying correct punctuation, and maintaining subject-verb
agreement.
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. Research methods
This study uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine RCs across 133 English
pages, including the preface of the bilingual version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens,
translated by Viet Ha and Vuong Long, and published by Tre Publishing House in 2011. The
qualitative method is used to describe, explain, and evaluate the data, while the quantitative method
focuses on measuring and analyzing the frequency and usage patterns of these clauses.
3.2. Data collection

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The researchers collected all RCs from the printed version of “A Christmas Carol” (2011),
thoroughly reading all five chapters, including the preface, to support the results section. Using
frameworks from Azar (2001), Huddleston and Pullum (2002), and Swan (2005), the researcher
identified two types of RCs as restrictive RCs and non-restrictive RCs across 237 sentences. These
were further categorized into five types of relative pronouns (who, whom, whose, which, that) and
three types of relative adverbs (where, when, why). All data were systematically recorded in a
spreadsheet, noting the type, function, context, and page number of each RC. Frequencies and
percentages were calculated to identify common RC types and elements. By combining qualitative
and quantitative analyses, the study reveals trends in Dickens’s use of RCs and draws
comprehensive conclusions.
4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. Findings
In “A Christmas Carol” (2011), the researcher found that Charles Dickens used all relative
words, including pronouns and adverbs, to depict the Victorian era. Restrictive and non-restrictive
RCs were alternately employed throughout the story. The data show 237 sentences with RCs: 182
using relative pronouns, 36 using relative adverbs, and 19 with reduced RCs. This data highlights
the preference for relative pronouns and the significant prevalence of restrictive clauses in the
novel.

Figure 1. The frequency of using RCs

4.1.1. Relative pronouns
Table 1. The prevalence of each type of relative pronouns found in the novel
Relative clause Who Whom Which That Whose
Restrictive 50 7 24 24 9
Rate (%) 27% 4% 13% 13% 5%
Non-restrictive 7 1 60 0 0
Rate (%) 4% 1% 33% 0% 0%
Total 31% 5% 46% 13% 5%
These results highlight the varied frequency and function of restrictive relative pronouns in
providing clarity and essential details in sentences. The most regular relative pronoun discovered in
the novel is “which” at 46% of all, contributes significantly to the story’s richness, coherence, and
detail, and gives more detailed descriptions, develops characters, links concepts, and adds

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superfluous details that give the story depth. Dickens makes the narrative both interesting and
understandable using these devices, which adds to its emotional resonance and enduring appeal.
4.1.2. Relative adverbs
Table 2. The prevalence of each type of relative adverbs found in the novel
Relative clause Where When Why
Restrictive 23 4 1
Rate (%) 64% 11% 3%
Non-restrictive 0 8 0
Rate (%) 0% 22% 0%
Total 64% 33% 3%
It can be seen from Table 2 that the relative adverb “where” reaches the top distribution of
relative adverbs that were explored in the story by 64%. In “A Christmas Carol”, Charles Dicken
employs relative adverbs to create rich, interconnected sentences that add time, space, and other
details to his storytelling. These RCs serve several critical functions that reflect both Dickens’s
literary style and the societal context of Victorian England.
4.1.3. Reduced relative clauses
Table 3. The prevalence of reduced RCs found in the novel
Relative clause No RC
Restrictive 19
Rate (%) 100%
Non-restrictive 0
Rate (%) 0%
Table 3 shows that all instances of omitted RCs observed in the novel with 19 occurrences are
categorized under restrictive RCs at 100%. This uniformity might reflect a specific stylistic choice
or a limitation in the data categorization. Further analysis of additional data might be required to
understand the underlying reasons for this result.
4.2. DISCUSSION
Based on the results, the most common type of RCs in “A Christmas Carol” is the restrictive
RCs, comprising 68% of all identified clauses. Besides, the relative pronoun “which” is the most
frequently used relative pronoun, appearing in 46% of RCs. Each of them was discussed to prove
that Dickens used most relative pronouns in restrictive type to highlight the use of precise and
essential information to develop the narrative and characters in “A Christmas Carol”.
4.2.1. Relative pronouns
According to the collected data, the relative pronoun “who” was most commonly used to
substitute for a noun, appearing 40 times out of 56 total instances, with all cases referring to people.
In the remaining 17 cases, “who” usually described a group of people.
Example 1: “Every idiot, who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled
with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!” (A Christmas
Carol, 2011, p. 20).
In this sentence, the relative pronoun “who” introduces the non-restrictive clause “who goes
about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips”, which provides additional information about “every

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idiot” without changing the main meaning. This clause is supplementary, set off by commas,
emphasizing Scrooge’s contempt for Christmas cheer. His miserly nature and intense disdain for the
holiday spirit are highlighted, with the hyperbole of boiling and burying with holly further
amplifying his aversion to festive joy.
Besides, the function of the relative pronoun “whom” is to provide an additional context
without altering the main meaning of the sentence.
Example 2: “He had been quite familiar with one old ghost, in a white waistcoat, with a
monstrous iron safe attached to its ankle, who cried piteously at being unable to assist a wretched
woman with an infant, whom it saw below, upon a door-step.” (A Christmas Carol, 2011, page. 76).
The clause “whom it saw” adds details about the “wretched woman with an infant”,
specifying whom the ghost saw and wanted to help. This deepens the description of the ghost,
emphasizing its remorse and sorrow. It characterizes the ghost as a once indifferent spirit now
tormented by its inability to assist others, aligning with Dickens’s moral themes of compassion and
social responsibility.
Furthermore, the relative pronoun “whose” is categorized as a restrictive RC, indicating
ownership and highlighting significant elements.
Example 3: “In came the six young followers whose hearts they broke.” (A Christmas Carol,
2011, p. 114).
The clause “whose hearts they broke” adds detail about the “six young followers”
emphasizing that their hearts were broken. The use of “whose” connects readers to the emotional
impact on these followers, invoking feelings of sadness and loss. The restrictive clause focuses
attention on this specific group and their shared experience, making their plight more significant
within the narrative. The word “whose” enhances the emotional depth of the story, characteristic of
Dickens’s emotionally resonant storytelling.
From the data in Table 1, it is apparent that 84 sentences contain the relative pronoun
“which”. More specifically, 47 relative clauses use “which” to refer to things, 23 replace a previous
clause or the entire preceding sentence, 04 refer to places, 01 refers to a time, and the other
sentences refer to nouns or noun phrases mentioned in the main clause. This extensive use of
“which” highlights its versatility in the story, providing essential information in restrictive clauses
and additional context in non-restrictive clauses. The frequent use of non-restrictive RCs is an
effective method for providing descriptive information while maintaining the sentence’s essential
meaning. It allows Dickens to write a deeper, more complex narrative, which improves the reader’s
grasp of the story’s background.
Example 4: “The chuckle with which he said this, and the chuckle with which he paid for the
Turkey, and the chuckle with which he paid for the cab, and the chuckle with which he recompensed
the boy, were only to be exceeded by the chuckle with which he sat down breathless in his chair
again, and chuckled till he cried”. (A Christmas Carol, 2011, page. 294).
In this sentence, the relative pronoun “which” appears multiple times to describe the various
instances of chuckling. Each of “which” describes a different action associated with “the chuckle”,
adding detail to the narrative, describing the various joyful actions performed by Scrooge, while he
is chuckling. The cumulative effect of the repeated clauses builds emphasis, culminating in the final
chuckle, when “he sat down breathless in his chair again, and chuckled till he cried”. The repetition
of the phrase “the chuckle with which” underscores the significant change in Scrooge’s character.
The parallel structure of the sentence conveys the increasing joy and emotional release. Each

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incidence of “chuckle” represents a moment of delight, pointing up his change from a miser to a
charitable character. The final image of him sitting down breathless and chuckling till he cried
encapsulates the overwhelming emotion of his redemption. The repetition reinforces the theme of
redemption and joy highlighting the way Dickens uses metaphor in his style.
Additionally, 24 RCs with “that” are used in the story to add essential, specific information
through restrictive clauses. This usage enhances characterization, clarifies relationships and actions,
and contributes to the story’s thematic depth. By focusing on important details while maintaining
narrative coherence, relative pronoun “that” helps Dickens convey his moral lessons effectively,
creating a richly detailed and engaging narrative.
Example 5: “… he was thinking of an animal, a live animal, rather a disagreeable animal, a
savage animal, an animal that growled and grunted sometimes, …” (A Christmas Carol, 2011,
page. 216).
The use of “that” to introduce the clauses “that growled and grunted sometimes”, builds
suspense and curiosity. It keeps readers intrigued about the animal’s identity, which, in the context
of the story, refers to Scrooge himself as part of a metaphor. By detailing the animal’s disagreeable
and savage nature, along with its ability to growl, grunt, and talk, Dickens indirectly characterizes
Scrooge before his transformation. This emphasizes his harsh and unpleasant demeanor, effectively
conveying the severity of his character and enriching the story’s thematic depth.
In conclusion, the relative pronouns “who” and “whom” are primarily used for people,
highlighting social relationships and character transformations; “whose” shows possession,
establishing relationships and emphasizing themes of responsibility and context; “which” refers to
things or animals, adding non-essential but enriching details; and “that” provides essential
information, focusing on crucial narrative details. Relative pronouns in A Christmas Carol play a
vital role in providing clarity, adding descriptive detail, emphasizing themes, and creating narrative
rhythm. They help Dickens vividly depict characters, their relationships, and the broader social
context, enhancing reader engagement and understanding. Most importantly, Dickens uses relative
pronouns to portray Scrooge's transformation, from a miser who slanders Christmas to a nobleman
who cares for his family and society, embracing the festive Christmas spirit after his journey with
the three Spirits. This transition aligns with Gilmour’s (1981) and Daly’s (2024) studies, as noted
earlier in the research.
4.2.2. Relative adverbs
Relative adverbs play a key role in Dickens’s ability to create vivid settings and immerse
readers in the story’s various locations. For example, when Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas
Past travel, the relative adverb “where” helps describe places that evoke nostalgia and reflection,
reinforcing the themes of memory and redemption.
Example 6: “Although they had but that moment left the school behind them, they were now in
the busy thoroughfares of a city, where shadowy passengers passed and repassed; where shadowy
carts and coaches battled for the way, and all the strife and tumult of a real city were.” A Christmas
Carol, 2011, page. 110).
In this sentence, the relative adverb “where” introduces two clauses, painting a dynamic
picture of the bustling city. These vivid descriptions contrast the tranquility of the school,
highlighting the stark difference between the two settings, a hallmark of Dickens's narrative style.
Relative adverbs also help link complex ideas and enhance narrative fluidity, conveying
multiple layers of meaning within a single passage.

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Example 7: “The only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women
seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they
really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other
journeys.” (A Christmas Carol, 2011, page. 22).
This clause used the relative adverb “when” to set a specific temporal context, marking
Christmas as a distinct period when people act with compassion and empathy. This ties into the
story's central themes of social connection and shared humanity, reflecting the social dynamics of
Victorian society.
Besides, the relative adverbs “why” serve to highlight cause-and-effect relationships in the
narrative.
Example 8: “There was plenty of width for that, and room to spare; which is perhaps the
reason why Scrooge thought he saw a locomotive hearse going on before him in the gloom.” (A
Christmas Carol, 2011, page. 48).
In this case, why links the physical environment to Scrooge's eerie vision, enhancing the
supernatural atmosphere of the story. It also underscores the moral lessons embedded in the
narrative, revealing how Scrooge’s actions and understanding evolve.
In conclusion, the use of relative adverbs in A Christmas Carol enriches Dickens’s
storytelling, enhancing the descriptive quality, connecting complex ideas, and highlighting the
social commentary woven throughout the novel. This technique reflects both Dickens's literary style
and his critique of Victorian society, creating a powerful narrative of personal transformation and
social redemption.
4.2.3. Reducing relative clauses
Reducing relative clauses (RCs) can significantly enhance writing by making sentences more
concise, clear, and impactful. Charles Dickens’s use of omitted RCs in A Christmas Carol
showcases his ability to create direct and engaging prose that contributes to the story's tone and
thematic depth.
Example 9: “Old Marley as dead as a door-nail”: Reduced form. (A Christmas Carol, 2011,
page. 10).
Full relative clause form: “Old Marley, who was as dead as a door-nail.”
By omitting the relative clause “who was as dead,” Dickens creates a concise, powerful
sentence. The simplicity of “Marley was dead: to begin with” grabs the reader’s attention,
establishing a serious tone right away. This reduction not only enhances clarity but also sets the
stage for the supernatural events to follow. By avoiding unnecessary detail, Dickens emphasizes the
significance of Marley’s death, building suspense and contributing to the gothic atmosphere and the
themes of mortality and redemption in the story.
5. CONCLUSION
This investigation into the use of relative clauses in “A Christmas Carol” written by Charles
Dickens provides deeper insight into his writing style and demonstrates how these linguistic
structures contribute to the story’s richness and fame. Dickens employs RCs to craft complex
sentences, vividly describe scenes, and develop characters, enrich the narrative’s ideas and
emotions. The results of the current study offer a comprehensive analysis of RCs, supported by a
theoretical framework, a thorough investigation, and descriptively quantitative analysis.

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The study draws on reliable sources to define RCs as subordinate clauses adding information
about a noun, typically introduced by relative pronouns or adverbs, and categorize them into
restrictive and non-restrictive types. A quantitative analysis was then conducted to count and
calculate the frequency and relative popularity of each RC type. The analysis showed the
distribution of RC types, such as the frequency of restrictive versus non-restrictive clauses, and the
use of relative pronouns versus relative adverbs. By analyzing all RCs in A Christmas Carol, the
research identifies that the restrictive relative clauses are the most frequent type, and the relative
pronoun “which” is the most commonly used by Charles Dickens. The findings reveal how
Dickens’s use of RCs reflects his stylistic preferences and supports themes of character
transformation and societal metaphor. This research provides valuable insights into the use of RCs
in literary texts, enhancing both linguistic theory and practical understanding of RCs in the novel.
REFERENCES
Dajang, I. & Bwai, P. (2023). Relative clauses in Amaka Azuike’s “Violated”. Universal Journal of
Educational Research, 2(3), 258-267. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8352959
Daly, K. (2024). Fearing The World Too Much: Another View of Ebenezer Scrooge. Dickens
Studies Annual, 55(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.53-25/dickstudannu.55.1.0001
Deborah, I. A., Udayana, I. noun., & Qomariana, Y. (2018). The syntactic functions of relative
clauses in a Game of Thrones novel. Humanis, 14.
https://doi.org/10.24843/jh.2018.v22.i02.p03
Dickens, C. (1843). A Christmas Carol. London, England: Chapman and Hall.
https://read.gov/books/pageturner/2003bit37729/
Dickens, C. (2011). A Christmas Carol. Translated by Viet Ha & Vuong Long. Tre Published
House. Ethnologue. (2023). The top 200 most spoken languages.
https://www.ethnologue.com/insights/ethnologue200/
Gilmour, R. (1981). The idea of the gentleman in the Victorian novel. In Routledge eBooks.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315617268
Hancock, P. (2016). A Christmas Carol: A reflection on organization, society, and
the socioeconomics of the festive season. The Academy of Management Review, 755-765.
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Huddleston, R., & Pullum, G. K. (2002). The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language.
Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9-781316423530
Huddleston, R. & Pullum, G. K. (2005). A student’s introduction to English grammar. Cambridge
University Press. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427-580701340766
Juliarta, M. & Wirawa. I. G. noun. (2023). Analysis in relative clause found in the novel entitled
“Buddha”. English Journal of Indragiri: Studies in Education Literature and Linguistics.
https://doi.org/1-0.32520/eji.v7i1.2336
Sulistiani, A. F. (2018). An Analysis Of Relative Clause In The Novel “Paper Towns” By John
Green. Journal of Language and Literature. https://doi.org/10.35760/jll.2018.v6i2.2485
Permatasari, B., & Putu, noun. L. (2014). The Syntactic Structure Of Relative Clause With
Reference To John Green’s Novel “The Fault In Our Stars. Humanis. Available at:
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Swan, M. (2005). Practical English Usage. (3rd ed.), 477-487. Oxford University Press.

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A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES FACED BY FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS WHILE

LEARNING WRITING 2 AT VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy
Chang Le Xo
Bui Thi La
ABSTRACT
Today, English is significant in most parts of the world, it has evolved into a global language
and is playing an increasingly important role in students' education and future professions. In
addition, writing skills are an indispensable part of every user's life and work to express thoughts,
feelings, and opinions to readers. However, to master and use writing skills effectively, English
learners, including English majors at Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA), still face
many difficulties and obstacles. So, "A study on difficulties faced by first-year English majors while
learning writing 2 at VNUA" is conducted to find the main difficulties affecting the writing process
of first-year students as well as provide appropriate solutions to overcome them. Questionnaires and
semi-structured interviews are the two main research tools used by the researchers to synthesize and
analyze the data. Research results show that difficulties with grammar, vocabulary, and background
knowledge are the three main difficulties that first-year English majors encounter when learning
writing 2 at VNUA. Thereby, the researcher offers some solutions to improve students' writing
skills.
Keywords: difficulties, first-year English majors, Vietnam National University of Agriculture,
writing.
1. INTRODUCTION
Language has become an imperative instrument of communication for humankind to
communicate their messages to others. As a result, there is a want for people to pick up dialect
capacities so that they can express their contemplations, suppositions, thoughts, sentiments,
feelings, and interests. English is now considered a vital subject from primary school to university,
as it is spoken in practically every country around the world as a second language. Learning English
must concentrate more on the four skills of reading, speaking, listening, and writing as well.
Learning to write well in English can be challenging for non-native speakers. It requires a lot
of effort and practice to master writing skills. Because of the English language's complexity, writing
is considered the top skill that causes many difficulties for students in communication. In an English
Language Learner (ELL) environment, learners find it difficult to express themselves well in
writing when assigned certain tasks and exercises. Indeed, this difficulty is expressed in Johnstone's
statement et al. (2002) that native speakers also encounter many difficulties and obstacles in being
able to write well.
Di Loreto & McDonough (2013) characterize writing as a personal, private, or forlorn
activity. It is troublesome since this skill requires a long progress to create a good result. Hyland
(2019) says that learning writing in a foreign language or a new language is not simple.
Understudies must learn both phonetic characteristics and states of mind, such as the readiness to
hone and practice more than once amid the writing preparation. The writer transmits messages
utilizing letters and images that address substance, organization, creativity, style, familiarity,
exactness, and the right utilization of explanatory shapes of discourse (Spratt, Pulverness, &
Williams, 2005). Moreover, Alodwan and Ibnian (2014) recommended that the composing handle

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includes prewriting, drafting, modification, altering, and publishing. As a result, some students may
find this process tough and dull.
Writing in a university is considered one of the most complex and difficult English skills,
requiring thorough methods to create highly rich writing. Learning writing is difficult for English
learners. University students in Vietnam have faced numerous obstacles while writing from their
native language to English due to a variety of issues such as vocabulary, grammar, and background
knowledge.
The study "A Study on Difficulties Faced by First-Year English Majors while Learning
Writing 2 at Vietnam National University of Agriculture" aims to identify and analyze the specific
difficulties that freshmen encounter in learning writing 2 and to propose potential solutions to
address these difficulties. The research endeavors to obtain answers to the following questions:
1. What are the difficulties faced by first-year English majors at VNUA while learning writing
2?
2. What solutions could be suggested to enhance first-year English majors' writing 2 at
VNUA?
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Previous studies
In the past few years, the study on students’ difficulties in learning writing skills has been
discussed by a number of scholars at home and abroad such as Pham Thi Vu Ho and Pham Ngoc
Thuy Duong (2015), Thai Cong Dan et al. (2018), Pham Thu Uyen et al. (2020), Eni and Abdul
(2020), Perumal and Ajit (2022). The summary of their study is as follows:
Pham Thi Vu Ho and Pham Ngoc Thuy Duong (2015) aim to determine whether prolonged
writing improves students' writing fluency and to look at typical writing faults found in students'
writing journals. The study results reveal that tenses, phrases, spelling, and verb forms are the most
common mistakes students make when writing in their journals. Besides that, the study confirms
that consistent writing practice improves writing fluency in terms of length.
The results of Thai Cong Dan et al. (2018) showed that the main or most frequent errors
detected in the CTU English-Majored Freshmen’s writing were in the “Word Formation” and “Word
Choice” errors. In addition, the study also found that the relationship between student writing and
teacher feedback is also an important factor. Hence, the researchers suggest some implications to
help students reduce grammatical mistakes in their papers and assist English teachers in meeting
their students' needs.
Pham Thu Uyen et al. (2020) went into particular detail about the difficulties that Tay Do
University's second-year English majors encounter in learning writing essays. The writers claimed
that because there are so many potential errors, writing an essay is difficult. Additionally, it explains
how to prevent issues and gives students the tools they need to solve them quickly. The findings
show that vocabulary, grammar structures, concept organization, and prior knowledge are the usual
challenges.
The outcome of Eni and Abdul’s research (2020) reveals that students have difficulty in
general structure and grammar because they cannot describe sentence structure and words
accurately. At the same time, they also have difficulty with spelling errors because they cannot write
English words correctly. According to research, characteristics that contribute to difficulty in
creating descriptive text include a lack of expertise in production skills, an absence of knowledge
about the subject matter area of the script to be written, and not having a desire to learn English.

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Perumal & Ajit (2022) examined difficulties faced by first-generation learners in writing
skills. The results showed a positive impact on students' writing abilities. The majority of students
lack vocabulary, interfere with grammatical standards, and are confused about them. The
researchers attempted to find solutions to improve students' writing skills by identifying the causes
of specific challenges and devising strategies to improve their writing skills through writing
exercises.
The previous studies discussed in this paper have made significant contributions to a better
understanding of the difficulties in learning to write that learners are facing. However, not only the
above difficulties, learners still encounter many more hidden difficulties that need to be further
explored. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore, improve, and fill the missing gaps in
finding out the difficulties encountered when learning writing 2 by first-year English majors.
2.2. Theoretical background
2.2.1. Definition of writing
Writing is a crucial ability among the four fundamental skills in English learning. Writing
allows for thought, experimentation, and consideration of the impact on the reader. Brown (2001)
states that writing may be a thinking process. Due to the extensive planning and numerous revisions
involved, writing often undergoes significant changes before it is released. Moreover, writing can be
a two-step process, i.e. the Prewriting Phase and the Writing Phase. Through writing, main thoughts
can be reflected, so each learner always needs to manipulate these two processes so as not to miss
the ideas already in mind. Besides, writing also needs to go through two processes of selecting the
meaning of words and the meaning of whole sentences to create a paragraph or an essay with the
most correct meaning. It is also pointed out that writing can be a way of conveying a message to
another person with a purpose. Furthermore, Brown (2001) proposed that writing was primarily
used to record speech and reinforce grammatical and lexical elements of language.
In short, writing in this study refers to a means of communication, an important skill to
convey thoughts and ideas from one person to another.
2.2.2. The importance of writing skills
Writing plays an incredibly crucial role in various aspects of life, society and for learning
foreign languages, given that it not only affects students' performance but also provides a firm
foundation for pupils to successfully complete specialized studies and future careers. Writing is very
crucial in a student's academic career, and development and contributes to educational success.
In the first two years of the Faculty of Tourism and Foreign Languages' education curriculum,
students are instructed in modules such as Vocabulary, Grammar, and Pronunciation, as well as
practical modules such as Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. That is the foundation and
core skills required for students to pursue further studies in specialized fields. Writing abilities are
very important for tertiary-level students majoring in English because they are required to complete
daily assignments as well as write their final research project. Enhancing the ability to write,
particularly fluency in diverse sorts of writing will provide numerous advantages to students' future
careers.
Overall, writing is a fundamental skill that plays an important role in various aspects of life,
from effective communication and critical thinking to personal development and artistic expression.
2.2.3. The process of writing
The four fundamental steps of the writing process are planning, drafting, revising, and editing
(Richard & Renandya, 2002).

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a) Planning
Before beginning to write, writers must decide what they are going to write about. When
planning their writing, they should consider three main issues. The first is the purpose of their
writing, including the language they use and the information they choose to include. The second is
the audience they are writing for, as it can influence the structure of the writing. The third is the
content structure, including how they sequence the facts, ideas, or arguments that they decide to
include.
b) Drafting
Drafting is the writer's initial attempt to capture ideas on paper (Johnson, 2008). During this
stage, writers do not need to worry about spelling and mechanics; instead, the focus is on generating
a quantity of writing rather than ensuring high quality. As a result, only the most relevant and
appropriate ideas should be carried forward to the next step of the writing process (ibid.). However,
drafting requires time, patience, and specific training, which may pose challenges for some
students.
c) Revising
Johnson (2008) claims that revision is the core of the writing process since it allows the writer
to make numerous revisions and refinements to the work at this point. At this stage, students ought
to give their work some thought and decide which draft best suits their needs (Grave,1983, cited in
Johnson, 2008).
d) Editing
Step four involves editing, which includes correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation
errors. It is recommended that writers do not perform these activities while they revise the piece
(Johnson, 2008). Editing during the writing process is important because it helps students recognize
the link between their practice and their actual writing.
2.2.4. Difficulties in learning writing skills
Writing challenges, as with any other educational obstacle, can be detrimental to a student.
Heaton (1975) claimed that writing is not only complex but sometimes difficult to teach. The
application of language characteristics or abilities in writing, such as punctuation, spelling,
grammar, vocabulary, and so on, is the primary reason why writing is difficult. Professional
training is required to write in areas such as spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing.
Writing is often regarded as the most challenging skill in learning another language. Even
international students face similar difficulties in their essays. They generally struggle with
adequately expressing themselves in a new language. Vocabulary, grammar, and background
knowledge are the main reasons that limit this skill's ability to generate ideas and demonstrate their
full thought process.
a) Grammar
Grammar is the first obstacle pupils face when writing. Hirai et al. (2010) define grammar as
a method of organizing sentences and producing good language. The initial obstacle students
confront with grammar is the use of tenses; it can be hard to fit the context in English, and the
tenses might alternate, leaving students puzzled. The second grammatical issue concerns sentence
word order. Every language has its word order standards that learners must respect and adhere to.
When studying a foreign language, the learners’ mother tongue influences how they think and
utilize that particular language.

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b) Vocabulary
The study of languages relies heavily on vocabulary. Vocabulary is a vital element in learning
writing. Vocabulary is the fundamental element in constructing sentences, which is at the core of
effective writing skills. A good vocabulary repertoire can help students express their thoughts
explicitly in writing. Vocabulary is a critical component of language proficiency, forming the
foundation upon which pupils talk, listen, read, and write (Richards & Renandya, 2002). A lack of
vocabulary provides various obstacles in the writing process. Among the issues is selecting which
words are appropriate for the context. The word choice of language is the employing of rich,
colorful, precise words to express in a way that moves and informs the reader. Well-chosen words in
writing that are descriptive creates mental images for the reader.
In addition, the lack of vocabulary can hinder the expression of ideas and result in incomplete
conveyance of the text. Limited vocabulary forces students to overuse familiar words, leading to
dull, repeat words, unappealing sentences and potentially impacting writing fluency.
c) Background Knowledge
Prior knowledge also causes significant difficulties for students' process of writing. It is also
regarded as knowledge earned through experience and acknowledged as one's technique.
Background awareness refers to the past. Background information can impact a person's capacity to
comprehend the text's meaning. In addition, it is claimed that all learning involves transfer from
previous experiences. Without adequate background knowledge, writers cannot develop good ideas.
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. Research methods
To achieve the desired outcomes, the study uses both quantitative and qualitative approaches
with two research instruments such as the survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. By
using semi-structured interviews for qualitative methods and questionnaires for quantitative
methods, the difficulties of first-year English majors studying Writing 2 at VNUA are
comprehensively analyzed. There were 207 out of 215 valid surveys, 8 were invalid due to absent
students in the classes and a few did not fully answer the questions.
3.2. Research setting
This research was conducted in semester 2 for a total of 215 VNUA first-year English majors
learning Writing 2, "Compact Preliminary for Schools Student’s Book without Answers with CD-
ROM, published by Cambridge University Press in 2013. The book includes 8 Units. Each Unit
consists of vocabulary, grammar, and four core skills: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing.
The age of the participants ranges from 18-23 years old; most have studied English for many
years, specifically from 9 to 13 years, and achieved different levels ranging from score F to score A.
The research focuses on analyzing the challenges and difficulties of first-year English majors when
studying Writing 2 at VNUA in the second semester of the 2023-2024 school year.
3.3. Data collection
Questionnaire
The survey questionnaire adapted from Phan Thi Minh Uyen and Nguyen Thi Hong Nga
(2023) consists of three parts: the first part includes Questions 1-5 about the personal data of the
students participating in the survey; the second part consists close-ended questions 6-8 on the
importance of writing; the third part including Questions 9 -20 deals with the difficulties in learning
writing 2 and Questions 21 -26 ask students about suggested solutions to improve writing 2. In the

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third part, these statements utilized a 5-point Likert scale corresponding to the answers coded as
follows: (1) Strongly Agree, (2) Agree, (3) Neutral, (4) Disagree, (5) Strongly Disagree.
Semi-structured interview
The researcher randomly selected 20 first-year English majors at VNUA in 2023-2024 who
participated in the survey questionnaire, and then face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 4
questions, which were designed by the researcher in two languages: English and Vietnamese so that
interviewees would not misunderstand the questions. The interview contained 3 questions about the
difficulties in learning Writing 2 as well as suggested some solutions to overcome the difficulties.
4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. Findings from the questionnaire
4.1.1. The current situation of first-year English majors’ learning writing 2 at VNUA

Chart 1. Number of years students learn English

Chart 1 shows that the number of VNUA first-year English majors who have studied English
for 12 years accounts for the highest percentage (39.6%), which shows that the majority of students
started learning English in the fifth grade. It can be clearly seen that students with 10 and 11 years
of English study are almost equal at 23.7% and 27.1%. In addition, 13 years and 9 years are the
lowest proportions in this survey data (9.2% and 5%). In short, students have access to English
quite early.

Chart 2. Students’ interests in writing

Chart 2 indicates the students' interest in Writing 2. It can be seen that the majority of first-
year English majors show normality in learning Writing 2 (36.7%). Besides that 10.6% of
participants really enjoyed and 33.3% expressed interest in learning Writing 2 so they will spend a
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lot of time practicing and writing this subject fluently. On the other hand, there are also a small
number of learners who find it uninteresting (15.5%) and even extremely boring (3.9%) when
learning English Writing.

2.4

10.1
15.5

26.2

45.4

Score A Score B or B+

Chart 3. Student’s writing skill level (final grade of writing 1

in semester 1, 2023-2024 school year)
It can be seen from Chart 3 that the scores of first-year English majors at VNUA are divided
into five main groups: Excellent (A); Good (B or B+); Average (C or C+); Weak (D or D+) and
Poor (F). Among them, students achieving Average scores with C or C+ scores accounted for the
highest rate with 45.4%.

Chart 4. Students' self-study writing time

Chart 4 shows that self-study significantly impacted students' English writing skills,
particularly in improving their writing ability. Specifically, 39.1% of participants dedicated more
than one hour to practicing writing, and 32.4 % of students spend less than one hour learning
Writing, which reveals that students do not pay adequate attention to this productive skill as
required. The majority of students did not display a positive attitude towards self-study in English
writing

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Chart 5. Students’ difficulties in learning writing

Chart 5 presents data about the obstacles encountered by English majored freshmen in English
writing. The responses indicate that students considered vocabulary as the most significant
challenge.
3.1.2. The importance of writing

Chart 6. The importance of writing

Chart 6 indicates that more than half of the surveyed respondents strongly agreed and
admitted that Writing plays a very important role. 62.3% of students state that to communicate
effectively, improving writing skills is also very important. The freshmen believe that Writing has a
great influence on their academic success (66.2%). Besides, there are also a number of students who
still think Writing is a basic subject and that it is not important and significantly affects learning
outcomes and effective communication (37.7% for Q6; 33.8% for Q7; 40.6% for Q8, respectively).
3.1.3. Students’ challenges in learning English writing skills
The data of the study show that VNUA first-year English majors encounter three main
problems: Grammar, Vocabulary, and Background knowledge in learning Writing 2. Among them,
Vocabulary is considered as the biggest difficulty for students, which can be clearly seen in the
following table:
Table 1. Average value of difficulties in learning English writing skills
Difficulties Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree
Grammar 22.43% 33.45% 30.5% 11.23% 2.4%
Vocabulary 21.2% 44.13% 22.4% 8.78% 3.5%
Background Knowledge 17.4% 26.48% 38.88% 14.25% 21.2%
The following is the detailed analysis of each specific difficulty.

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Chart 7. Difficulty in Grammar

Chart 7 shows the level of Grammar difficulty that participants encountered when learning
English writing skills. It can be seen that the majority of students completely agree with the
statement that because they do not mastered the 12 English tenses, they often make mistakes when
writing (46.2%). The results of the next statement show that a large number of students think that
making mistakes in the agreement between subjects and nouns, adjectives, incorrect sentences, and
grammatical errors during the writing process is moderate (38.2%).
In summary, the number of first-year students majoring in English who have grammatical
difficulties with tenses when writing accounts for the highest proportion. The second grammatical
problem related to word order in sentences is ranked second and last, using simple, short sentences.

Chart 8. Difficulties in Vocabulary

The data from Statement 13 “My vocabulary capacity is limited” indicates that a significant
portion of students struggle with limited vocabulary capacity when writing. 37.2% of respondents
"agree" with this statement. This suggests that vocabulary limitations are a pervasive challenge for
many students in their written work. Similarly, Statement 14 “I always spend lots of time choosing
appropriate words to write” shows that 38.2% of students "Agree" spend a considerable amount of
time selecting appropriate vocabulary while writing. This aligns with the finding that a lack of
lexical resources is a common issue, as students strive to choose the right words to express their
ideas effectively. Furthermore, Statement 16 reveals that 40.3% of students "agree" and 14.5%
"strongly agree" that they do not know how to choose suitable words in different contexts. This

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further underscores the difficulties many students face in employing vocabulary appropriately,
which can lead to repetitive and unattractive written work.

Chart 9. Difficulties related to Background knowledge

The survey data from Statements 17 to 20 underscores the significance of background
knowledge in students' English writing development. For statement 17, 27.5% of students "strongly
agree" that good background knowledge is essential for improving writing skills, indicating its
value for effective written work. Conversely, 41.5% of respondents remained "neutral" about
whether a lack of background knowledge hinders their ability to develop ideas or write on
unfamiliar topics, suggesting they can still engage with new subjects to some extent. Additionally,
44% chose "neutral" regarding confidence in writing new essays due to insufficient background
knowledge, while 22.2% agreed that this lack can create insecurity. For statement 20, 36.3%
recognized foundational knowledge as crucial for writing well, yet 27.9% are unaware of its
importance.

Chart 10. Possible solutions to improve writing

As depicted in Chart 10, a majority of students (57.9%) utilize online tools like Grammarly to
correct grammar errors, with 55.5% employing linking words to improve sentence complexity.
Learning vocabulary in clusters and using synonyms is another popular method (43.4%), while
reading books and newspapers ranks lowest at 27.5%. Around 44 % of students agree and/or
strongly agree that they often use synonyms or words with similar meanings to help avoid repetition
in writing.
Students’ answer to an open-ended question “What can you do to overcome the difficulties
you encounter in learning Writing 2” revealed that different students have different strategies for
overcoming difficulties in writing. However, most of the students clearly state that in order to
overcome difficulties in writing they themselves should improve their vocabulary first, then
grammar and background knowledge. More specifically, their answers include practicing writing

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daily at home, setting goals for writing, chatting with friends in English, asking AI for help in
organizing ideas when writing, note-taking while watching films, having self-motivation, studying
in quiet settings, and joining English clubs or study groups for collaborative learning.
4.2. Findings from the semi-structured interview
When asked “Q1. What problems do you usually face when writing? How did you solve those
problems?”, most students said that they face various challenges in writing, primarily related to
grammar, vocabulary, background knowledge, and organizing ideas. Specifically, 80% of students
identified grammar, vocabulary, and background knowledge as their main difficulties, while 15%
reported issues with organizing ideas. To address these challenges, students suggested practicing
writing regularly, reviewing grammar, memorizing vocabulary by topic, and reading extensively.
They also recommended outlining before drafting to help organize their thoughts.
When asked which aspect (grammar, vocabulary, and background knowledge) they found the
most difficult, 55% of students cited vocabulary due to its complexity and the presence of
homophones and synonyms. Grammar was considered challenging by 35% due to its diverse
structures and tenses, while 10% noted that a lack of background knowledge hindered their ability
to generate ideas for unfamiliar topics.
When asked “Q3: Do you face any issues other than grammar, vocabulary, and background
knowledge while learning Writing 2?”, most students reported other difficulties, including
organizing ideas (45%), motivation issues (25%), and poor expression of ideas. In response to these
challenges, students emphasized the importance of familiarizing themselves with grammatical
structures, expanding their vocabulary through categorization, and enhancing reading skills.
Strategies for motivation included setting clear goals, creating a conducive study environment,
engaging with English media, and participating in English-speaking activities
When interviewed to suggest some solutions to overcome the difficulties encountered when
learning Writing 2, most students have suggested various solutions to improve writing skills. These
include memorizing common grammatical structures to avoid sentence errors, organizing
vocabulary into clusters or topics, and practicing reading skills. Additionally, students recommend
reading books, newspapers, and watching documentaries to enhance general knowledge. To stay
motivated, learners set clear goals and create a quiet, comfortable study space. Other strategies
include listening to music, watching movies in English, joining English clubs, and interacting with
native speakers.
4.3. Discussions
To answer the first research question “What are the difficulties faced by first-year English
majors at VNUA while learning writing 2?”, through the results of interview and questionnaire,
three main challenges cause first year English majors to struggle to write in English: vocabulary,
grammar structures, and background knowledge. Students struggle with vocabulary usage, making
it difficult to express their ideas clearly and apply appropriate words in various contexts. Grammar
issues include errors with subject-verb agreement, coherence, personal pronouns, and tenses,
leading to confusion in writing. Additionally, organizing thoughts coherently in essays presents a
significant challenge.
For the second research question “What solutions could be suggested to enhance first-year
English majors' writing 2 at VNUA?”, different solutions proposed by the researcher are
acknowledged by the vast majority of students: They recommend memorizing common
grammatical structures, practicing vocabulary in clusters, and improving reading skills to enhance

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writing, asking AI for help in organizing ideas. Additionally, the use of online grammar-checking
tools is becoming increasingly popular. Students also emphasize the importance of reviewing verb
tenses and using linking words to create cohesive and logical writing. Learning vocabulary in
clusters and using synonyms to diversify language are also highlighted as key strategies. Moreover,
students are encouraged to engage with various texts to broaden their knowledge and improve their
writing skills, alongside participating in English clubs and having discussions with native speakers.
The research results show that this study has some similarities and differences compared to
previous studies. First of all, Vocabulary, Grammar, and Background Knowledge, Arranging ideas
are common challenges in the process of learning Writing, this result is similar to the research
conducted by Ho and Dong (2015), Dan et al. (2018), Pham Thu Uyen et al. (2020); Perumal and
Ajit (2022). Positive relationships between teachers and students are an important factor also shown
in research conducted by Dan et al.(2018). Following the difference, while this study explores the
difficulties in the process of learning writing, studies conducted by Eni and Abdul (2020), Dan et al.
(2018), Ho and Dong (2015), and Pham et al. (2020) only studied the difficulties of a certain type of
writing.
5. CONCLUSION
This paper presented results of difficulties faced by first-year English majored students at
VNUA while learning Writing 2. Through analysis of survey and interview data, several key
findings and conclusions were drawn. The results show that most first-year English majors at
VNUA were aware of the importance of Writing, influencing factors, and common difficulties in the
writing process.
The first major finding is that first-year English majors at VNUA have encountered numerous
challenges in mastering writing skills, particularly with vocabulary, grammar, and background
knowledge. Vocabulary is a major and top challenge for language students. Due to limited
vocabulary, students often struggle with writing. Having a limited vocabulary affects word choice
when writing for a specific context. Additionally, a lack of vocabulary hinders the development of
ideas, resulting in underdeveloped sentences and paragraphs, which can lead to a loss of readers’
interest.
One of the next challenges in the writing process except for the lack of vocabulary is basic
grammar knowledge. Students often struggle with word order, which can result in sentences that are
structurally incorrect and fail to convey the intended meaning. Selecting the appropriate tense for
the topic is also time-consuming, and choosing the wrong tense significantly impacts the overall
quality of writing papers. Additionally, many students tend to use simple sentences exclusively,
avoiding the use of compound sentences due to a lack of understanding of their structure. This
tendency results in paragraphs that are overly simplistic, less engaging, and lacking in clarity.
Additionally, having background knowledge is a significant factor for practical knowledge
and learning in school. It also affects writing because it is related to vocabulary. When students are
familiar with the topic, they find it easier to develop ideas. However, unfamiliar topics can confuse
students, making it more difficult for them to develop ideas and leading to the use of common
words instead of specialized ones. This can result in spending a lot of time on completing a
paragraph.
The second major finding is that the research also offers some solutions such as using online
grammar correction tools; reviewing the 12 basic English tenses; learning vocabulary in clusters
and applying synonyms/ antonyms and equivalent meanings; increasing reading books and

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newspapers to improve background knowledge; joining English clubs; and regularly

communicating with native speakers, chatting with friends, watching movies and note taking, etc. in
order to enhance the writing. Hopefully, this paper’s results will help learners of English recognize
their weaknesses in the writing process and provide them with effective learning directions.

REFERENCES

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developing university students' essay writing skills in EFL. Review of Arts and Humanities,
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Dan, T. C., Duc, V. M., & Chau, P. T. H. (2018). An investigation into common mistakes in
paragraph writing of first-year English-major students: A case study at Can Tho University,
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Gonzalez, E. F. (2010). Improving EFL writing through the process approach (Research report).
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APPENDIX
QUESTIONNAIRES
Section 1. Personal background (Questions 1 -5)
Section 2. The importance of writing and factors affecting the learning
Please circle the answer that best matches your opinion.
6. Do you believe writing is crucial for effective communication?
A. Yes B. No
7. Do you think writing plays a significant role in academic success?
A. Yes B. No
8. Do you believe writing helps in organizing thoughts and ideas?
A. Yes B. No
Section 3. Students’ challenges in learning English writing
Please tick (✔) only one column for each statement in the following table, according to the 5-
point Likert scale, namely
Strongly Agree -1; Agree -2; Neutral -3; Disagree - 4; Strongly Disagree -5

Statements 1 2 3 4 5
Difficulties in Grammar
9. Because I do not master the basic English grammar in 12 tenses, I
often make mistakes.
10. I do not know how to use tense appropriately in sentence.
11. During the writing process, I often make mistakes in subject-verb and
noun-adjective agreement, ill-formed sentences, grammatical errors.
12. I often overuse single sentences or short sentences in English writing.
Difficulties in Vocabulary
13. My vocabulary capacity is limited (Khả năng từ vựng của tôi có hạn)
14. I always spend lots of time choosing appropriate words to write.
15. Due to the lack of vocabulary, my ideas are not expressed well.
16. I do not know how to choose appropriate words in contexts.
Difficulties related to Background Knowledge
17. It is very essential to have good background knowledge in order to
learn English writing better.
18. I do not know how to develop ideas for my writing due to unfamiliar
topics because I have a shortage of background knowledge.
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19. I am not confident in writing a new assignment in English

because I don’t have sufficient background knowledge of the topic
that I am going to write about.
20. Background knowledge is an essential component in the process of
learning English, especially writing skills.
Suggested solutions
21. I often use some online tools (such as Grammarly Check, ...) to
improve grammar errors.
22. I often use linking words to avoid using simple sentences in writing
23. I study vocabulary in clusters so that I can choose words appropriate
to the context in writing.
24. I often use synonyms or words with similar meanings to help avoid
repetition in writing.
25. I always spend a lot of time reading books and newspapers to
improve my background knowledge and write better in English.
26. What can you do to overcome the difficulties you encounter in learning Writing 2?
…………………………………………………………………………………………

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COMMON ERRORS MADE BY THE THIRD-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS IN LEARNING

TRANSLATION
Tran Thi Thu, Truong Thi Hang, Nguyen Thi Dieu Ha
University of Economics - Technology for Industries

ABSTRACT
Translation plays a vital role in various aspects of human communication, cultural exchange,
and global interaction. Translation serves as a bridge that connects people, cultures, and ideas,
contributing to a more interconnected and harmonious global society. It enables the exchange of
knowledge, promotes mutual understanding, and fosters cooperation in various domains of human
activity. In a globalized world where interactions between individuals, businesses, and governments
occur across borders, translation facilitates cross-cultural communication and fosters understanding
and cooperation. Amidst the rapid globalization of translation services, the University of Economics
- Technology for Industries (UNETI) strives to nurture highly skilled translators capable of meeting
the dynamic demands of society. With deep concern about the situation, the study aims to identify
common mistakes made by the third - year students at UNETI while studying English Translation 2,
and offer recommendations for enhancing practices. The researchers employed a comprehensive
methodology combining document analysis and questionnaire surveys to ensure the reliability and
validity of the findings. It is anticipated that the outcomes of this study will not only benefit aspiring
translators but also provide valuable insights for educators within the translation department at
UNETI.
Keywords: translation, translation errors, translation technique, translation course

1. INTRODUCTION
Translation is a multifaceted endeavor that transcends mere linguistic conversion. It
encompasses intricate cultural and educational nuances that wield significant influence over the
perceptions and attitudes of the audience. It operates within the dynamic framework of cultural and
political landscapes, intricately interwoven with the context of the texts being translated
(Dingwaney & Maier, 1995). David Katan (2004) portrays the translator as a bilingual mediator
bridging monolingual communication participants across divergent linguistic communities. Hence,
translators must not only navigate diverse language systems but also serve as intercultural
mediators, embodying both linguistic fluency and cultural acumen, as emphasized by Aniela
Korzeniowska and Piotr Kuhiwczak (2006).
Furthermore, translation has significant implications in political realms, where it serves as a
powerful tool for reconciliation, diplomacy, and social cohesion. Translators often play a key role in
mediating between conflicting parties, facilitating communication, and building bridges across
linguistic and cultural divides. In post-conflict settings, translation can help foster dialogue,
promote understanding, and contribute to the process of healing and reconciliation. Additionally,
translations wield considerable influence in shaping the discourse surrounding global and human
rights issues. Translators have the power to amplify voices of dissent, advocate for social justice,
and raise awareness about systemic injustices and human rights violations. By translating works that
shed light on issues such as poverty, inequality, discrimination, and environmental degradation,

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translators contribute to global efforts aimed at promoting social change and sustainable
development.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
The concept of translation is multifaceted and subject to diverse interpretations, reflecting the
polysemy inherent in the term. Various scholars approach translation from distinct vantage points,
contributing to a rich tapestry of perspectives that enrich our understanding of this complex
phenomenon. At its core, translation involves the conversion of a source text from one language
into another, a process that plays an indispensable role in virtually every facet of human life today.
As its significance continues to burgeon, so too does the imperative for ensuring the quality of
translated output.
However, the task of translation is far from facile; it demands a nuanced combination of skills
and expertise. Translators must possess a deep understanding of both the source and target
languages, along with proficiency in navigating the cultural and contextual nuances inherent in
each. Yet, despite their best efforts, translators often encounter difficulties that can precipitate errors
in the translated text.
According to Nord (1997), translation errors are often interconnected, forming a complex web
of interdependencies wherein the resolution of one error can impact the resolution of others. This
interconnectedness underscores the need for a holistic approach to error correction, wherein
addressing one issue necessitates consideration of its broader ramifications within the translation
process. In essence, errors in translation can be likened to nodes in a network, wherein remedying
one node can ripple effect across the entire system, influencing the resolution of other errors.
Translation errors encompass a spectrum of linguistic inaccuracies, ranging from grammatical
and spelling errors to incorrect word choices influenced by the meaning of the original text or the
intended audience. These errors not only compromise the fidelity and coherence of the translated
text but also have the potential to impede effective communication and comprehension.
Translation errors encompass a diverse array of linguistic inaccuracies, with common
occurrences found within the surface structure of the translated text. These surface-level errors often
manifest as semantic, lexical, morphological, and grammatical discrepancies, reflecting challenges
in accurately conveying the form and meaning of the source language into the target language.
However, another significant category of translation errors pertains to the deep structure, which is
intricately linked with cultural disparities between the source and target languages. These cultural
nuances pose unique challenges to translators, as they must navigate divergent cultural contexts to
ensure the faithful rendition of meaning.
In the context of translation education, errors play a pivotal role in assessing students’
performance and proficiency. Error analysis serves as a valuable tool for evaluating translations
undertaken by students, with the number and nature of errors serving as indicators of their
competence and progress in translation. Common examples of translation errors include spelling
mistakes, incorrect grammar, poor word choice, mistranslated terms, and missing or added content,
all of which contribute to deviations from the intended meaning and impact the overall quality of
the translation.
Translations do not emerge from cultural vacuums; translation scholars unanimously assert
that the mere pursuit of linguistic equivalents in the target language falls short of capturing the
essence of the source text (Dingwaney & Maier, 1995). Therefore, translators, in the words of
Korzeniowska and Kuhiwczak (2006), must transcend their role as mere intermediaries and

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embrace the mantle of intercultural mediators. Their task is to traverse cultural and national
boundaries, facilitating the exchange of ideas in a manner conducive to mutual understanding and
growth. Thus, the translation of narratives from the global south assumes paramount importance in
fostering development education.
Various types of translation errors have been documented in previous studies, shedding light
on the manifold difficulties encountered by translators in their endeavors. Yousofi (2014) posits that
translation errors stem not merely from a deficiency in the target language but also from a lack of
proficiency in both the source and target languages, encompassing issues related to structure,
vocabulary, and punctuation. This deficiency manifests in three primary categories of error:
linguistic, cultural, and stylistic errors, each presenting unique challenges to the fidelity and
coherence of the translated text. Wongranu (2017) contributes further to the taxonomy of translation
errors by identifying syntactic errors as a prominent category. This underscores the significance of
syntactic coherence in ensuring the fluidity and comprehension of the translated text.
Moreover, other studies have unearthed additional categories of translation errors, including
morphological errors and syntax oversight errors, which further enrich the typology of translation
challenges. The recognition of these diverse manifestations of error underscores the complexity
inherent in the translation process and underscores the importance of meticulous attention to detail
and linguistic proficiency in achieving translation fidelity. Silalahi, Rafli, and Rasyid (2018)
illuminate the specific challenges encountered in the translation of scientific texts from English into
Indonesian, highlighting lexical errors as a predominant issue. This underscores the domain-specific
nature of translation challenges and emphasizes the need for specialized expertise in handling
technical and scientific texts. Pym (1992) posits that translation errors can be seen as a reflection of
deficiencies in various aspects of the translator's skills. He categorizes these errors into two broad
types: binary translation errors and non-binary translation errors.
Translation errors are not confined to traditional paper-based translations; they also manifest
in digital translation applications where texts are translated manually by individuals from diverse
backgrounds. Salam, Akil, and Rahman (2017) conducted a study uncovering five distinct types of
errors in such translation applications: inversion of meaning, addition of meaning, omission of
meaning, deviation of meaning, and modification of meaning. These errors, arising from the varied
linguistic competencies and cultural nuances of translators, have significant repercussions beyond
altering the meaning of the source text. They can impede the effective delivery of the source text's
intended purpose, potentially leading to reader misinterpretation and misunderstanding.
The preceding studies have not only cataloged various categories of translation errors but
have also delved into the underlying reasons behind them. Liao (2010) meticulously classifies
different types of translation errors and identifies eleven distinct reasons contributing to these
errors. Furthermore, Liao (2010) goes beyond mere diagnosis by providing valuable
recommendations aimed at improving translation instruction, thereby enriching the translation
practice.
Wongranu (2017) introduces an alternative perspective on the origins of translation errors.
While acknowledging factors such as carelessness, including misinterpretation and interference
from prior knowledge, Wongranu (2017) emphasizes the significant role of anxiety in influencing
translators’ errors. This psychological dimension adds a nuanced layer to the understanding of
translation challenges.

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Jahanshahi and Kafipour (2015) further contribute to this discourse by highlighting additional
causes of translation errors. They attribute such errors to factors such as cultural disparities between
Iran and English-speaking nations, time constraints in translation training, and the distinct register
of Islamic texts. These insights underscore the multifaceted nature of translation challenges.
Utami (2017) expands on the discussion by pinpointing intra-lingual interference and
ignorance of the target language as sources of translation errors. Similarly, Popescu (2013)
emphasizes the significance of linguistic proficiency in mitigating translation errors, shedding light
on the importance of a solid understanding of both source and target languages.
In the quest for deeper comprehension of the intricacies inherent in the study at hand, the
researcher embarked on an intellectual expedition, meticulously examining a constellation of
scholarly articles. Among these academic endeavors, several emerged as keystones in elucidating
the nuanced challenges confronting translation studies. With meticulous attention to detail, the
researcher traversed through a diverse array of scholarly contributions, navigating through the rich
tapestry of theories, methodologies, and empirical findings. These scholarly endeavors provided
invaluable insights into the myriad complexities and nuances inherent in the field of translation
studies, shedding light on the intricate interplay between language, culture, and communication.
The first one was the the seminal work by Le Thi Tuyet Hanh and Tran Thi Phuong Thao
(2022) which delved into the subjective factors influencing the translation capacity of English
majors at Vinh University. This scholarly endeavor sought to unravel the multifaceted difficulties
encountered by third-year English majors, employing a methodologically robust framework
encompassing participant reflections, group interrogations, and a calibrated Likert scale
questionnaire. Through this rigorous inquiry, the researchers unearthed a tapestry of obstacles,
ranging from deficiencies in grammatical proficiency to nuanced lacunae in specialized vocabulary
and pragmatic nuances. The study not only illuminated these challenges but also delineated a
roadmap for pedagogical interventions aimed at enhancing the translation proficiency of university-
level English majors, underscoring the imperative of evidence-based strategies to address prevailing
challenges.
In addition, the collaborative effort led by Nguyen Hai Ha, Chu Thi Huyen Mi and Tran Thi
Bich Ngoc (2015) constituted a scholarly milestone in the domain of translation studies. Their
investigation focused on detecting and categorizing prevalent errors in the translation endeavors of
third-year students, grounded in a meticulous analysis of translation tasks undertaken by a cohort of
25 students. After conducting a thorough analysis, the researchers were able to distinguish between
three different types of errors: language, understanding, and translation issues. They then provided a
set of instructional techniques designed to help address these difficulties. These treatments, which
ranged from developing grammatical acumen to encouraging lexical enrichment and collaborative
discourse, were designed to help students develop more robust translational skills, which will
enhance the academic conversation in translation studies.
Furthermore, the seminal contribution by Nguyen Thi Thu Hang and Trieu Thu Hang (2015)
provided invaluable insights into the pitfalls confronting second-year translation-major students
engaged in Vietnamese-English translation tasks. Their inquiry, structured around three central
inquiries, unraveled common errors plaguing these students, with a particular emphasis on lexical
intricacies and deficiencies in foundational translation theories. Drawing on these discoveries, the
researchers developed practical suggestions that emphasized the need of improving grammar and
vocabulary in addition to broadening one's prior knowledge. This was a strong demand for
consistent work toward language proficiency and intellectual development.
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The study aims at exploring the common mistakes of third - year students at UNETI while
studying English Translation 2. With the above aims, the study focus on finding the answer for the
following questions:
1. What are the common errors that the third- year English majors at UNETI often make in
learning Translation 2?
2. What are the suggestions to overcome the errors?
3. METHODS
To collect data, a questionnaire was used to gather both quantitative and qualitative data,
allowing for a comprehensive analysis of students’ responses. The study engaged a focus group of
30 third-year English majors from UNETI. Participants received a questionnaire via a Google form
link. The research is structured around two main steps, aimed at gaining comprehensive insights
into common mistakes made by third-year students studying Translation 2 and proposing effective
strategies to address these challenges. For survey responses, the researchers employed a
combination of Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel which contribute distinct functionalities to the
analytical process.
By employing both qualitative and quantitative methods, the study followed 2 steps:
Step 1 involved distributing surveys to 30 third-year English majors, focusing on their
background information and their experiences with translating passages. This step included
inquiries about the students’ learning situation and the frequency of encountering translation
problems.
Step 2 entailed collecting and analyzing data from the feedback on the learning process and
the results of error analysis from the translated passages in the survey. This comprehensive
approach facilitates a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by third-year students in
Translation 2 at UNETI and enables the researchers to propose effective solutions.
4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
In the first item of the questionnaire, students were prompted to reflect on their experiences in
learning Translation 2. The results revealed a notable divergence in perceptions among the student
cohort.
Table 1. Students’ experiences in learning Translation
Item Yes No
Do you have any problems in learning English Translation 2? 20 (67%) 10 (33%)

Not surprisingly, a majority of students, 20 out of 30, counting for 67%, expressed struggles
and challenges in mastering the intricacies of Translation 2. This significant proportion underscores
the complexity inherent in acquiring translation skills, particularly in the context of a second
language.
Conversely, a minority of students, comprising 10 out of 30 respondents (counts for 33%)
reported that they did not find Translation 2 particularly challenging. This contrasting perspective
raises intriguing questions regarding the factors contributing to their relative ease with the subject
matter. It's plausible that these students possess prior language proficiency or exposure to
translation principles, providing them with a foundational advantage in grasping the concepts
covered in Translation 2.

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The analysis of the questionnaire responses represented experiences and perceptions

surrounding the learning of Translation 2. While the majority of students encountered difficulties, a
subset demonstrated relative proficiency or comfort with the subject matter. Moving forward, it is
imperative for educators to leverage these insights to tailor instruction, provide targeted support,
and foster a more equitable learning experience for all students. Through proactive measures and
ongoing assessment, educators can empower students to overcome challenges, build confidence,
and achieve proficiency in Translation 2 and beyond.
The second item of the questionnaire focused on the challenges students encountered when
translating from English into Vietnamese or from Vietnamese into English. The data revealed a
nuanced landscape of difficulties, reflecting the complexities inherent in bilingual translation tasks.
Table 2. Students’ respondents to the difficulty when learning translation
Vietnamese - English- Both
English Vietnamese
Do you find it hard to translate from
English into Vietnamese or from 8 (27%) 16 (53%) 6 (20%)
Vietnamese into English?
From Table 2, a notable proportion encountered challenges when translating from English to
Vietnamese. Six out of thirty students, representing 20% of the cohort, reported difficulty in
rendering texts from English into Vietnamese. This finding underscores the linguistic and cultural
nuances that learners must navigate when transitioning between these two languages.
Besides, a slightly higher number of students faced challenges when translating from
Vietnamese into English. Eight out of thirty students, counting for 27% of respondents, found it
difficult to convey Vietnamese text accurately into English. This difficulty may stem from the
differences in sentence structure, word order, and grammatical conventions between the two
languages. Additionally, learners may struggle with expressing complex ideas or concepts in
English while preserving the intended meaning of the original Vietnamese text.
However, the most striking revelation from the data is that the majority of students,
comprising sixteen out of thirty respondents, or 53%, encountered difficulties with both English-
Vietnamese and Vietnamese-English translation tasks. This finding highlights the multifaceted
nature of translation challenges, which often transcend mere linguistic barriers. Students grappling
with both directions of translation may struggle with issues such as maintaining coherence and
fidelity to the source text, adapting language register and tone appropriately, and effectively
conveying cultural nuances across languages.
*Common translation errors
Table 3. Students’ common errors

Number of Percentage
Categories Sub-categories
students (%)

Subject-verb agreement 10 33,3%

Grammatical errors Word order 8 26,7%

Verb form 12 40%

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Too freely translation 17 56,7%

Semantic errors
Literal translation 13 43,3%

Specialized vocabulary 11 36,7%

Lexical errors Wrong choice of words 3 10%
Idiom 16 53,3%

The survey results presented above offer a comprehensive glimpse into the diverse landscape
of translation errors encountered by third-year majors enrolled in Translation 2 at UNETI. This
detailed analysis sheds light on the challenges inherent in both Vietnamese-English and English-
Vietnamese translation tasks, highlighting areas where students grapple with accuracy and fluency.
These translation errors, as revealed by the survey findings, can be broadly categorized into three
main groups, each indicative of distinct challenges and opportunities for enhancing students'
translation proficiency:
In terms of grammatical errors, the survey reveals that a notable proportion of students
encounter challenges in this domain, particularly with subject-verb agreement, word order, and verb
forms. The data highlights that 40% of students, representing 12 out of 30 respondents, struggle
with verb form errors. This challenge stems from a lack of clarity regarding the various forms of
verbs, including past tense, past participle, to-infinitive verbs, non-to-infinitive verbs, regular verbs
in the simple present tense, present participle, etc. Without a thorough understanding of verb
conjugation rules and verb forms, students may inadvertently commit errors in verb usage, leading
to grammatical inconsistencies in their translations. Specifically, 33,3% of the participants, counting
for 10 out of 30 respondents, struggle with subject-verb agreement. This difficulty arises from a
lack of comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles governing subject-verb
agreement, including tense, phrase structure, and sentence form. Consequently, students may face
challenges in selecting an appropriate verb that aligns with the subject, leading to grammatically
incorrect constructions. Additionally, the survey findings indicate that 26,7% of students make
errors related to word order. This issue typically arises when students attempt to translate directly
from their native language to the target language without considering the inherent differences in
word order. As a result, the translated sentences may deviate from the syntactic norms of the target
language, resulting in grammatical inaccuracies and diminished clarity.
With regard to semantic errors, the survey findings reveal that a significant portion of students
face challenges in this aspect of translation. Specifically, 17 out of 30 students, constituting 56,7%
of the sample, struggle with overly liberal translation practices. This phenomenon occurs when
students take liberties with the original text, attempting to rephrase or embellish it according to their
personal preferences. Consequently, the original message undergoes substantial alteration, leading
to a divergence from the intended meaning. This tendency towards liberal translation reflects a
misunderstanding or disregard for the importance of fidelity to the source text and adherence to the
intended message. Furthermore, the survey results indicate that literal translation errors pose a
notable obstacle for a subset of students. Specifically, 13 out of 30 participants, representing 43,3%
of the sample, exhibit difficulties with literal translation. This type of error occurs when students
translate individual words or phrases verbatim, without considering the broader context or meaning
of the entire sentence or passage. As a result, the translated text may lack coherence, fail to convey

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the intended message accurately, or even distort the original meaning altogether. Literal translation
errors underscore a lack of comprehension of the nuances and idiomatic expressions inherent in
language, as well as a failure to employ contextual interpretation skills.
Related to lexical errors, 16 out of 30 students have difficulty with idioms, counting for the
largest proportion of 53%. This difficulty stems from a lack of exposure to idiomatic language
during earlier stages of English language education. Due to limited exposure, students may find it
challenging to recall and accurately translate idioms and proverbs, which are integral components of
nuanced communication. Besides, 11 students make mistakes with wrong choice of words,
consisting of 36,7%. This issue arises from a lack of clarity regarding the precise meanings and
contextual usage of words. Students may struggle to discern the subtle nuances between similar
words or may fail to grasp the appropriate word for a given context, leading to inaccuracies in their
translations. There are 3 students, making up 10%, who have challenges with specialized words.
This obstacle is attributed to the vast array of terminology across various subject areas, making it
challenging for students to master all the nuances of specialized terminology. Without a
comprehensive understanding of specialized vocabulary, students may struggle to accurately convey
the intended meaning or context in their translations.
5. CONCLUSION
In addition to its role in facilitating cross-cultural communication, translation also plays a
crucial role in fields such as diplomacy, international business, and academia. In diplomacy,
accurate translation ensures that agreements and negotiations are conducted smoothly and
effectively between nations, fostering peaceful resolutions to conflicts and promoting diplomatic
relations. In international business, translation enables companies to reach global markets, navigate
cultural nuances, and establish trust with customers from diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, in
academia, translation facilitates the dissemination of research findings and academic knowledge
across linguistic boundaries, enriching scholarly discourse and fostering collaboration among
researchers worldwide. As technology continues to advance, translation tools and platforms have
become increasingly sophisticated, further enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of translation
services and fostering greater global connectivity and understanding.
Moreover, translation serves as a catalyst for inclusivity and diversity, allowing voices from
all corners of the world to be heard and understood. By breaking down language barriers,
translation empowers marginalized communities, indigenous peoples, and minority languages to
participate fully in the global conversation, preserving their unique heritage and perspectives.
Beyond mere linguistic conversion, translation embodies empathy and respect for cultural
differences, fostering empathy and building bridges of empathy across diverse societies. As we
navigate an increasingly interconnected world, the role of translation as a tool for building empathy
and fostering inclusivity becomes ever more essential in shaping a truly harmonious and equitable
global community.
The results of this study have shown that third-year students majoring in English Language at
UNETI often have three main groups of errors in English-Vietnamese and Vietnamese-English
translations when studying Translation 2. Through the survey, combined with the synthesis and
analysis of these common translation errors made by students, some specific solutions to overcome
the above-mentioned text translation errors as follow:

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The first solution is allocating additional class time to clarify the translation components that
students find challenging as well as to examine and discuss common text translation mistakes made
by students in order to avoid them.
Another solution is setting group conversations in translation courses. Engaging in group
discussions facilitates students’ ability to express more personal viewpoints and reduces their stress
levels.
Besides, asking students double-check each other’s translation. One of the most important
steps in translating is proofreading the target text. In order to provide students with real-world
experience and to practice identifying errors in translations, it is recommended that teachers should
encourage them to read and provide feedbacks on group members’ works.

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Utami, S. (2017). The source of errors in Indonesian-English translation. Journal Kata: Penelitian
Tentang Ilmu Bahasa Dan Sastra, 1(2), 192-202. Retrieved on June, 4, 2022.
Wongranu, P. (2017). Errors in translation made by English major students: A study on types and
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Yousofi, N. (2014). Describing the Errors in the Translations of Iranian Novice English Translators.
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USING DEBATE TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE ENGLISH-MAJORED FRESHMEN’S

SPEAKING SKILLS AT UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS-TECHNOLOGY FOR
INDUSTRIES
Dao Thi Thu Huong, Duong Phuong Van, Phan Thi Minh Tam
University of Economics - Technology for Industries

ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to explore first-year students’ viewpoints on the implementation of
debate techniques in Speaking lessons at the University of Economics - Technology for Industries
(UNETI). The data was collected in mixed-method approach, unveiling that a significant number of
students gained benefits from participating in debate techniques in speaking lessons. Debates were
considered as interactive activities for expanding their vocabulary, improving their grammar,
pronunciation as well as fluency, boosting their confidence in public speaking, enhancing critical
thinking, increasing their proactivity in English speaking and promoting their team-working skills.
Moreover, several challenges that students encountered in debate sessions were found to originate
from their language proficiency limitations, lack of familiarity with debate formats, and fear of face
loss. Based on these results, recommendations were made for improving the quality of debates in
Speaking classrooms and promoting students’ active involvement to acquire their language
proficiency.
Keywords: English-majored students, debate techniques, benefits, challenges, speaking skills
1. INTRODUCTION
In a globalized world, the competency of effective communication skills, especially speaking,
plays an important role in both academic and professional success (Arung & Jumardine, 2016).
According to Brown (1994) and Burns and Joyce (1997), speaking is obviously an interactive
process consisted of three stages, namely the reception, the processing and the production of
information in which communicating or conveying messages takes place as a result. It is undeniable
that many students experience challenges with English speaking skills, largely due to anxiety,
limited practice opportunities and real-world speaking exposure (Horwitz, 2001). Therefore, to
address their speaking challenges, students should be given more opportunities to practice speaking
English frequently. In-class speaking activities such as debates should be engaging and incorporated
with effective techniques to improve students' skills. In fact, debate emerged as one of several
pedagogical tools that fosters an enjoyable environment for students to express their viewpoints and
promote their critical thinking as McGarrity and Thomas (2016) suggested, thereby boosting their
confidence in English communication. Moreover, Dwyer’s (2010) research shows that integrating
debates into the curriculum can greatly enhance students’ speaking skills such as fluency,
coherence, and persuasive argumentation. Participating in debates helps students build essential 21st
century soft skills like teamwork, research, and public speaking apart from strengthening their
language abilities.
Similar to any groups of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, English-majored
freshmen at UNETI also face significant challenges in developing these productive skills. The
ability to convey thoughts clearly and persuasively is essential for the first-year students who are in
preparation for future career that demands English proficiency. However, from our close
observation and hands-on experience, there are two primary difficulties that UNETI students have
encountered in general. Firstly, lacking confidence is considered a barrier for participating in
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discussions, resulting in missed opportunities for their speaking improvement. Secondly,

excessively focusing on receptive skills at high school levels leads to their insufficient experience
with speaking practice. It comes as no surprise that students struggle to express their ideas
spontaneously and coherently in real-time conversations. Therefore, with certain benefits suggested
above, this research aims to explore whether another sampling of participants like UNETI first-year
students have positive attitudes towards the application of debate techniques in the curriculum of
speaking modules. Moreover, through this study, some recommendations on the ways teachers can
adopt debate techniques in speaking lessons are made to promote the quality of teaching English
language, especially in academic settings of UNETI.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Definition of English-speaking process
According to Brown (1994) and Burns and Joyce (1997), speaking is an interactively
systematic meaning-making process that involves the reception, the processing and the production
of information. In addition, Nunan (1999) states that speaking requires EFL learners to demonstrate
specific aspects of language such as grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary. Meanwhile, Leong and
Ahmadi (2017) assert that speaking entails more than merely uttering words; it also entails using
words to communicate ideas. Through speech, individuals can share stories, convey ideas and
information, discuss thoughts and feelings with others and foster social connections. Undoubtedly,
research indicates that many students face difficulties in speaking English, often stemming from
anxiety, lack of practice, and insufficient exposure to authentic speaking situations (Horwitz, 2001).
Studies by Liu and Jackson (2008) suggest that anxiety can significantly hinder students’
willingness to participate in speaking activities, resulting in lower fluency and confidence.
Furthermore, a review by Goh and Burns (2012) emphasizes the need for interactive teaching
methodologies that encourage active participation to foster speaking skills.
2.2. The role of debates in developing Speaking skills
Debates are defined as the acts of presenting supporting perspectives and articulating
opposing ones. As highlighted by McGarrity and Thomas (2016), debates could foster an
environment where students are compelled to protect their arguments and express dissenting
opinions, thereby enhancing their ability to think on their feet. This activity not only helps students
practise their speaking skills but also boosts their confidence and reduces anxiety over time. Krieger
(2005) claimed that debates served as a highly effective speaking activity that fosters significant
development in students' communication skills. Through engaging in debates, students who are
exposed to multiple viewpoints could sharpen their ability to analyze and understand complex
topics. Furthermore, debates could be considered as a valuable tool for language acquisition,
particularly in learning a foreign language. By actively participating in debates, students immerse
themselves in a dynamic learning environment that stimulates cognitive and linguistic growth.
Research by Pezhman et al. (2013) supported that debate not only facilitated language learning but
also nurtured critical thinking and communication competencies essential for academic and
professional success. Both Dwyer (2010) and Gage (2012) also demonstrates that incorporating
debates into the curriculum can lead to significant improvements in not only students' speaking
abilities but also their critical life skills such as teamwork, research, information retention and
public speaking. Moreover, the application of debate techniques aligns with the principles of task-
based language teaching (TBLT), which emphasizes the use of meaningful tasks in language
learning (Ellis, 2003). TBLT advocates for activities that simulate real-life communication, making
debates an effective tool for enhancing practical speaking skills.
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2.3. The procedure of debate in English speaking classes

Halvorsen (2005) stated that applying debate technique in speaking class involved six stages
as follows. Firstly, teachers must help students be conscious of debatable issue, which is followed
by the step of empowering students to generate ideas and opinions. After that, small groups of three
or four students that advocate the same point of view need to be created. Next, teachers should
encourage students to examine the potential arguments of competitors and find the way to respond
these arguments. On closer inspection, a debate should involve various opposing parties (two to
four parties) that express their positions and arguments. A speaking class can follow a traditional
format of debate which contains opening and closing statements with time set aside for responses as
well as can involve small groups or pairs sharing their differing perspectives. Moreover, teachers
should evaluate each party's argument to determine their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, teachers
allow not only himself or herself but also students to choose the winning group who has the
strongest arguments.
2.4. Previous studies
Previous researches have been conducted to examine the relationship between learners' skills
and in-class debates. These studies discovered the effects of debates on students' speaking
efficiency. Combs & Bourne (1994) organized the competitive debates among marketing students
and realized the enhancement of students' speaking proficiency. Having the same perspective,
through a debate contest of 286 participants at 70 university, McGee & Worth (2001) indicated that
debate techniques improved the contestants’ communicative skills. Moreover, the research which
was conducted by Jaya Nur Iman (2017) found out a significant mean difference between the
experimental and control groups, demonstrating that Indonesia students gained remarkable
development in critical thinking and speaking ability after using debate technique in speaking class.
Dina Syarifah Nasution (2023) also proved that using debate techniques for enhancing oral
communicative aspects, especially in terms of fluency, pronunciation, comprehension and
vocabulary.
Likewise, research suggested that debates is effective in enhancing sustaining oral
communication as well as critical thinking skills. According to Kennedy (2007), by using debate
practice, students would improve their English communication skills, allowing them to express
opinions and ideas or present their point of views more effectively, whether in the classroom or in
other settings. Zare and Othman (2015) investigated how students utilize the practice of classroom
debates as a helpful way to enhance critical thinking and oral communication skills. They explored
that students believed in the effect of debates on these skills. In addition, other benefits were also
identified such as having deeper understanding of course material, increasing confidence, reducing
anxiety and boosting teamwork skills. Similarly, Lumbangaol and Mazali (2020) shared the same
perspective and suggested that students enhance their speaking skills through asking questions and
providing explanations.
Based on the findings of the prior studies, this research tries to investigate the impact of
debate techniques on improving the speaking proficiency of first-year students at UNETI. While
similar topics have been conducted in various countries, this study represents the first one involving
English-majored freshmen at UNETI in Vietnam, to the best of the researchers' knowledge.
Consequently, it is expected to provide valuable insights for learners, teachers, researchers, and
anyone interested in this area.

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2.5. Research objectives and questions

As can be seen, the literature review highlights the critical importance of speaking skills for
English major students and the challenges they face in developing these skills. Debate techniques
emerge as a promising pedagogical approach to address these challenges, offering a structured yet
dynamic environment for practice. However, recognizing and addressing the difficulties students
may encounter is essential for maximizing the effectiveness of debate as a teaching tool. This study
seeks to build upon existing research by examining the specific impacts of debate techniques on the
speaking abilities of first-year English major students at UNETI, ultimately contributing to the
ongoing discourse on effective language teaching methodologies. With the above aims, the study
focus on finding the answers for the following questions:
1. What are benefits and difficulties do students have when using debate techniques in English
speaking?
2. What are students’ insights and suggestions for using debate technique in English speaking
classes?
3. METHODS
3.1. Setting and sampling
Participants of this study were 50 (18 males and 32 females). They were chosen randomly
from about 200 first-year students majoring in English language at UNETI. First-year students are
at the beginning stage of their academic journey which serves as a foundation for their future
careers. If they could build up a solid foundation, it would benefit them in the long term.
3.2. Data collection and analysis
This study used a mixed-methods approach, aimed at providing a full understanding of the
research problems. To collect data for assessesing the effectiveness of debate techniques in
improving English language skills and explores the attitudes and perceptions of participants toward
using debate techniques for English language learning, questionnaires and interviews were used.
The questionnaire was close ended questionnaire adapted from Zare and Othman. The number of
questions in the questionnaire was shortened to align with the research objectives, focusing on the
benefits rather than both the benefits and perspectives of students. There were 8 items of
questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale (Strongly Disagree=1 to Strongly Agree=5) and 3
questions of interview. Data collection was conducted on the university campus, particularly in
designated classrooms for English language instruction. The procedures were outlined as follows:
Step 1. Distribute survey forms to groups in English language classes and ask students
complete the survey questions.
Step 2. Interview 10 of the 50 people who participated in the survey.
Step 3. Compile and analyze the obtained data to draw conclusions.
4. FINDINGS/ RESULTS
The survey was conducted to collect data about the benefits and difficulties as well as
students’ insights and suggestions for using debate techniques in English speaking.
RQ1: What are benefits and difficulties do they have when using debate techniques in
English speaking?
When exploring the benefits of participating in debates, a majority of 23 individuals (46%)
agreed with the benefits on vocabulary expansion. 22 students which accounted for 44% agreed
with the benefits of debates techniques on improving their grammar, 29 students (58%) agreed on
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impoving their pronunciation and 35 students (70%) found the improvement in their speaking
fluency. Moreover, 32 out of 50 students surveyed which counted for 64% agreed that using and
practicing debate techniques helps them reduce their anxiety when speaking in front of an audience
or crowd. A significant number of respondents (72%) recognized that debates are effective in
enhancing critical thinking skills, emphasizing the mental advantages linked to this technique.
Additionally, 26 out of 50 students (52%) found themselves more active through debates. Besides,
68% students reported that debate participation improved their teamwork skills, contributing to
prove the collaborative nature inherent in those activities.

No. Statement

Disagree
Strongly

Strongly
disagree

Neutral

Agree
agree
1 Debates help me to expand my vocabulary 4% 8% 42% 28% 18%

2 Debates help me to improve my grammar 8% 12% 36% 34% 10%

3 Debates help me to improve my pronunciation 6% 16% 20% 30% 28%

4 My speaking fluency improved through debate 2% 8% 20% 38% 32%

5 Debates help me to reduce my anxiety level to 0% 6% 30% 36% 28%

speak in front of the crowd

6 Debate helps me to enhance my critical thinking 0% 8% 20% 56% 16%

7 I can be more active to speak through debate 4% 8% 36% 38% 14%

8 Debates promote collaboration as I work in teams 4% 10% 18% 32% 36%

Table 1: Benefits of Debate Techniques

Asking about difficulties students may face when participating in debates, several problems
were raised. 6 out of 10 students had the similar issues as mentioned in the response by student 1: “I
lack of vocabulary and ideas when debating. I also feel quite tense when speaking in front of a
crowd”. 2 students pointed out the reasons for not performing well in debate sections was due to
their reflexes and critical thinkings not being quick enough. One student showed his confusion with
the format of debates and another student said he always avoided participating in debates because
he was afraid of losing face if he couldn’t do it well.
RQ2: What are students’ insights and suggestions for using debate technique in English
speaking?
The results are recorded in the answer by student 3: “For me, participating in debates not only
helps me express my thoughts and arguments clearly, but also promote critical thinking and the
ability to address opposing viewpoints effectively. I find that it encourages me to explore topics in
depth, conduct thorough research, and develop persuasive arguments. Moreover, the
competitiveness in debates strengthens my resilience and adaptability.”

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Another advantage students had from joining debates is that it helps expand their vocabulary,
with 68% agreeing on this point. One of respondents expressed how debates have enriched his
vocabulary: “It’s so useful for me because when we debate at class, we have to express our views
clearly and coherently, which requires us to convey our arguments effectively. For example, when
debating on environmental issues, we often encounter scientific terms like ‘carbon footprint,’
‘sustainable development,’ and ‘renewable energy sources,’ which enhances our vocabulary so
much.”
Moreover, students also showed positive views on the use of debate in speaking classes and
agreed that it provided benefits for their future careers. Student 5 stated how debate techniques
support both his academic and professional growth in English: “I think debating has improved my
communication skills. This proficiency benefits me not only in presentations and class discussions
but also in every field of our life and career in the future.”
Asking about suggestions to enhance the effectiveness of debate techniques in English
speaking, Student 2 emphasized the importance of implementing structured feedback mechanisms,
stating, “Constructive feedback from peers and mentors after each debate gives me useful ideas for
improvement. Moreover, having chances for quick feedback and self-reflection would be very
helpful.”.
Likewise, Student 4 suggested that access to mentorship and coaching from experienced
debaters could greatly assist participants, noting, “Personalized guidance can help me improve my
speaking skills. In addition, setting up organized group discussions and reflection sessions after
debates can help us share knowledge and learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
Student 5 underscored the significance of fostering a collaborative and supportive learning
environment, stating, “I see integrating debates into speaking classes is so useful because it
promotes collaboration and the learning environment, making the debates more effective.”.
5. DISCUSSION
The findings from this research show the significant benefits and challenges that first-year
English major students at the University of Economics-Technology for Industries may have when
using debate techniques. Besides the improvement in language and speaking skills including
improvement in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and fluency, 64% of participants agreed that
debates help reduce anxiety, a significant barrier to effective communication in academic and
professional fields. This aligns with existing literature suggesting that structured speaking activities,
like debates, can foster a more confident speaking environment (Horwitz, 2001; Liu & Jackson,
2008).
The survey results also indicated that a substantial number of students (72%) recognized the
enhancement of critical thinking skills through debate participation. This finding supports previous
studies, such as that by Iman (2017), which highlighted the cognitive benefits of debate, where
students not only articulate their viewpoints but also engage in analyzing and countering opposing
arguments. Critical thinking skills are crucial for achieving academic success and advancing in
future careers, particularly in areas that demand strong communication and teamwork.
However, the results also pointed out the challenges faced by students. Problems such as a
lack of vocabulary, slow reflexes in critical thinking, confusion with the format of debates and
anxiety about public speaking are barriers to effective participation in debates. This echoes findings
from Kang (2018), which emphasized that language anxiety can significantly impact students'

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willingness to engage in speaking activities. Addressing these challenges is vital for educators to
enhance the effectiveness of debate techniques in language acquisition.
Students provided valuable insights and suggestions to improve the debate experience. The
emphasis on structured feedback mechanisms and mentorship indicates a need for a more
supportive learning environment. Student suggestions align with the pedagogical framework that
promotes continuous feedback and peer learning, reinforcing the notion that collaborative
environments enhance learning outcomes (McGarrity & Thomas, 2016). Furthermore, integrating
diverse topics and providing opportunities for practice could alleviate anxiety and improve students'
confidence.
6. CONCLUSION
This study underscores the effectiveness of using debate techniques as an educational
approach to improve speaking skills of first-year English majors at the University of Economics-
Technology for Industries. The benefits identified including improved vocabulary, grammar,
pronunciation, fluency, reduced anxiety, enhanced critical thinking, increased proactivity and
promoted team- working skills highlight the potential of debates to prepare students for the
communicative demands of their future careers.
However, challenges such as language proficiency and public speaking anxiety must be
addressed to maximize the impact of these techniques. The students’ insights suggest that
implementing structured feedback, providing mentorship, and fostering a collaborative learning
environment are crucial steps in enhancing the effectiveness of debate as a learning tool.
Overall, the findings indicate that with targeted support and innovative teaching strategies,
debate techniques can significantly contribute to the development of speaking skills, ultimately
equipping students with the necessary competencies to thrive in an increasingly globalized world.
Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to assess the long-term impacts of debate
participation on students’ language proficiency and communication skills in real-world contexts.

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YẾU TỐ VĂN HÓA TRONG BIÊN SOẠN GIÁO TRÌNH TIẾNG TRUNG DÀNH CHO
SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN NGỮ
Lò Thị Lan
Trường Đại học Kinh tế - Kỹ thuật Công nghiệp

TÓM TẮT
Mục đích của học ngôn ngữ là để trao đổi trực tiếp với người bản xứ, để cuộc đối thoại một
cách tự nhiên và lưu loát, người học cần học tốt các kỹ năng nghe nói đọc viết, đồng thời phải có kiến
thức nhất định về con người và văn hóa (VH) của đất nước đó. Giáo trình là tài liệu để sử dụng cho
việc dạy và học. Chính vì thế, yếu tố VH cần trình bày rõ trong giáo trình. Yếu tố VH trong học tiếng
Trung không đơn thuần là tìm hiểu về VH của Trung Quốc mà còn cần đan xen có chọn lọc các yếu tố
VH, phong tục tập quán của Việt Nam. Việc xử lý tốt các yếu tố VH trong biên soạn tài liệu học tập
tiếng Trung sẽ giúp người học vừa học ngôn ngữ vừa học VH, thông qua ngôn ngữ trở thành “chiếc
cầu” truyền bá VH giữa hai quốc gia. Chúng tôi thông qua phương pháp nghiên cứu tài liệu, tiến hành
tổng kết về xu hướng biên soạn giáo trình, thực trạng sử dụng sách giáo trình tiếng Trung tại Việt
Nam. Tiếp đó, khảo sát đặc điểm học tập tiếng Trung của sinh viên (SV) không chuyên. Cuối cùng,
đưa ra một vài ý kiến về lựa chọn yếu tố VH trong biên soạn sách giáo trình tiếng Trung dành cho SV
không chuyên.
Từ khóa: tiếng Trung, văn hóa, sinh viên không chuyên ngữ, biên soạn giáo trình
1. ĐẶT VẤN ĐỀ
VH luôn song hành cùng ngôn ngữ. VH là gia vị giúp cho ngôn ngữ thêm phần thi vị. Học
ngoại ngữ không chỉ cần học các kỹ năng để giao tiếp, mà còn cần tìm hiểu về VH. Giáo trình là cơ
sở để giáo viên dẫn nhập các yếu tố VH, chính vì thế các yếu tố VH cần được trình bày trong giáo
trình. Tác giả Nguyễn (2022) nhận định việc lồng ghép yếu tố VH không khó, nhưng làm sao để tìm
ra nội hàm bên trong của nó là một điều rất khó. Chỉ khi đã tìm ra nội hàm của VH mới có thể đưa
ra kế hoạch đan xen yếu tố VH sao cho hợp lý nhất.
Đối tượng người học mà giáo trình hướng tới, quyết định nội dung và hình thức của giáo
trình. Lưu Hớn Vũ (2014) cho rằng khi biên soạn sách tiếng Trung, tác giả cần xác định đối tượng
sử dụng giáo trình là SV chuyên ngành tiếng Trung hay SV không chuyên từ đó lựa chọn hướng
biên soạn giáo trình phù hợp.
SV không chuyên có thời gian học tiếng Trung tương đối ngắn. Lý do học tiếng Trung tương
đối phức tạp, trong đó có một phần SV lựa chọn học tiếng Trung vì chương trình đào tạo yêu cầu,
hoặc do sở thích cá nhân. Với đối tượng người học này, nếu giảng viên lấy giao tiếp làm mục đích
chính, nhồi nhét từ vựng hay ngữ pháp dễ khiến người học nhàm chán. Vạn sự khởi đầu nan, khi
khối lượng kiến thức nhiều, dồn dập sẽ dễ khiến người học dần mất đi động lực học tập, từ đó có
thể khiến người học nảy sinh tâm trạng chán ghét môn học. Việc đan xen yếu tố VH trong biên soạn
giáo trình tiếng Trung sẽ giúp người học vừa học ngôn ngữ, vừa tìm hiểu VH. Chúng tôi cho rằng,
yếu tố VH trong xây dựng giáo trình tiếng Trung cần nhận được chú trọng.
Trong bài nghiên cứu này chúng tôi kết hợp phương pháp nghiên cứu tài liệu kết hợp phương
pháp khảo sát nhằm tổng hợp thông tin từ nhiều nguồn khác nhau, giúp xây dựng một cái nhìn khái
quát về vấn đề nghiên cứu. Tin rằng việc kết hợp hai phương pháp này sẽ tạo nền tảng vững chắc để
đưa ra những kết luận sát thực về yếu tố VH trong biên soạn sách giáo trình tiếng Trung. Cụ thể
thực hiện lần lượt như sau: Từ các nghiên cứu trước đó chúng tôi khái quát về xu hướng, thực trạng

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sử dụng giáo trình ở Việt Nam trong những năm gần đây. Tiếp đến, thực hiện khảo sát nhằm chỉ ra
đặc điểm khi học tiếng Trung là ngoại ngữ hai của SV không chuyên. Cuối cùng, chúng tôi nêu ra
một vài ý kiến về chọn lọc và sắp xếp yếu tố VH vào trong biên soạn giáo trình tiếng Trung sử dụng
cho SV không chuyên.
2. NỘI DUNG NGHIÊN CỨU
2.1. Xu hướng biên soạn giáo trình tại Việt Nam trong những năm gần đây
Sự bùng nổ của kinh tế, khiến việc tuyển dụng nhân lực biết tiếng Trung ở các ngành nghề
tăng cao. Biết tiếng Trung là một lợi thế giúp người học tìm được việc làm có mức đãi ngộ tốt hơn.
Theo tác giả 吴应辉 (2013) cơn sốt tiếng Trung khiến số lượng người học tăng nhanh, trong đó có
một bộ phận người học lựa chọn đến Trung Quốc du học, nhưng có đến 99% người học tiếng Trung
trên thế giới lựa chọn học tiếng Trung ở ngoài lãnh thổ Trung Quốc. Từ đó, giáo dục Hán ngữ đã
chuyển từ khẩu hiệu "mời vào" (mời học sinh đến Trung Quốc học tiếng Trung) sang "bước ra
ngoài", nhằm đưa giáo dục tiếng Trung đến với quốc gia của người học.
Sử dụng giáo trình tiếng Trung thông dụng do các chuyên gia Trung Quốc biên soạn khó có
thể phù hợp với những người học có ngôn ngữ gốc khác nhau. Việc chọn lựa sách tiếng Trung phù
hợp với người học trở thành vấn đề cần ưu tiên giải quyết. “Ở Đông Nam Á, đặc biệt là Việt Nam,
công tác biên soạn giáo trình tiếng Trung còn thiếu về số lượng và thiếu tính thực tế, tính thú vị.
Nghiên cứu và biên soạn giáo trình tiếng Trung ở Việt Nam vẫn còn lạc hậu, với số lượng giáo trình
dành riêng cho người bản địa rất hạn chế, chủ yếu vẫn sử dụng các giáo trình do chuyên gia Trung
Quốc biên soạn” (Nguyễn Quang Hưng, (2022).
Nhìn chung, các nghiên cứu về biên soạn sách tiếng Trung dành riêng cho người Việt đều
nhấn mạnh mục tiêu phát triển tài liệu học tập phù hợp. Tác giả Trần Truyền Tuấn (2016) chỉ ra
những tồn tại của bộ sách giáo khoa "Tiếng Trung Quốc" xuất bản năm 2002 và nhấn mạnh sự cần
thiết có giáo trình tiếng Trung riêng cho người Việt. Trần Thị Thu Lan (2012) cũng phân tích các
nhược điểm của "Giáo trình Hán ngữ" bản tiếng Việt khi áp dụng tại Việt Nam. Với vai trò giảng
viên trực tiếp đào tạo tiếng Trung, chúng tôi nhận thấy rõ những bất cập mà giáo trình hiện tại mang
lại và mong muốn có thêm nhiều giáo trình tiếng Trung do các tác giả, nhà nghiên cứu Việt Nam
biên soạn, để nâng cao hiệu quả giảng dạy tiếng Trung tại Việt Nam.
2.2. Thực trạng nghiên cứu và sử dụng giáo trình tiếng Trung tại Việt Nam
Theo tác giả Trần Truyền Tuấn (2016) hiện nay phần lớn các địa chỉ đào tạo tiếng Trung
chuyên và không chuyên ở Việt Nam đều chọn dùng sách tiếng Trung do Trung Quốc đại lục biên
soạn hoặc dùng tài liệu do nhà trường, trung tâm biên soạn, cũng có sách tiếng Trung đến từ các
quốc gia Âu Mỹ. Tác giả Nguyễn Quang Hưng (2022) thống kê và chỉ ra các giáo trình do Trung
Quốc biên soạn được dùng phổ biến như: “Tân giáo trình Hán ngữ ứng dụng”, “Giáo trình Hán
ngữ”, “Giáo trình phát triển Hán ngữ”, “Boya”, “Giáo trình tiêu chuẩn HSK”, “Giáo trình Vườn
Hán ngữ”, “Giáo trình học tiếng Trung thật dễ”; “Giáo trình Hán ngữ khái niệm mới”, “Giáo trình
360 câu đàm thoại tiêu chuẩn tiếng Hán”….
Từ đầu thế kỉ XXI đến năm 2019, các nhà ngôn ngữ học bắt đầu chú trọng đến vấn đề lựa
chọn, biên soạn sách tiếng Trung. Nhưng số bài nghiên cứu được công bố còn khá ít. Theo tác giả
Lưu Hớn Vũ (2020) đa phần các bài nghiên cứu về sách tiếng Trung chỉ đánh giá hay tổng kết xu
hướng, hiện trạng sử dụng giáo trình, mà chưa thực sự quan tâm đến biên soạn giáo trình.
Tác giả Trần Truyền Tuấn (2016) chỉ ra, việc chọn giáo trình thích hợp sử dụng trong đào tạo
tiếng Trung là rất khó, đã có không ít giáo viên tiếng Trung lựa chọn tự biên soạn giáo trình. Nhưng

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“các giáo trình tiếng Trung ở Việt Nam hiện nay đa phần được biên soạn căn cứ theo kinh nghiệm
của tác giả và còn mang tính tùy tiện, ít có giáo trình được biên soạn theo một hệ thống, một khung
chuẩn ngôn ngữ nhất định, đại đa số giáo trình chưa được xây dựng dựa trên một cơ sở giáo học
pháp nào đó” (Lưu Hớn Vũ, 2014). Chính vì thế, làm sao để có được bộ sách giáo trình “mới” hơn
so với những giáo trình đã có, làm sao để có một bộ sách giáo trình phù hợp cho người học có mục
đích học tiếng Trung khác nhau... Là câu hỏi mà nhiều nhà ngôn ngữ học đang tìm cách giải quyết.
2.3. Yếu tố VH trong biên soạn giáo trình tiếng Trung
Tác giả Hoàng Thị Băng Tâm (2023) nhấn mạnh yếu tố VH có vai trò chủ chốt giúp SV
không chỉ học ngôn ngữ mà còn hiểu được đặc trưng của VH và xã hội của quốc gia sử dụng ngôn
ngữ đó. Tuy đa số các sách tiếng Trung hiện nay, đặc biệt là sách biên soạn tại Trung Quốc, chủ yếu
chú trọng ngữ pháp và từ vựng mà ít quan tâm đến yếu tố VH.
Các tác giả như Nguyễn Quang Hưng (2022) và Trần Thị Thu Lan (2012) chỉ ra các giáo trình
phổ biến hiện nay thiếu sự chú trọng đến việc đưa yếu tố VH địa phương vào, đặc biệt là khi sử
dụng tại Việt Nam. Điều này khiến giáo trình tiếng Trung trở nên khô khan và thiếu sinh động, làm
giảm hứng thú của người học khi học tập. Tuy một số nghiên cứu đã chỉ ra việc cần phải lồng ghép
VH vào giáo trình, nhưng còn thiếu các nghiên cứu thực tế và tổng quan về cách thức triển khai yếu
tố VH trong biên soạn sách tiếng Trung dành riêng cho người Việt Nam nói chung và dành riêng
cho SV không chuyên ngữ nói riêng.
3. MỘT VÀI ĐẶC ĐIỂM HỌC TIẾNG TRUNG Ở SV KHÔNG CHUYÊN
3.1. Khảo sát
Chúng tôi thực hiện bài khảo sát để chỉ ra đặc điểm học tiếng Trung ở SV không chuyên, tìm
hiểu mong muốn khi học tiếng Trung của SV, tiếp đến, đề xuất ý kiến góp phần biên soạn giáo trình
sử dụng riêng cho đối tượng người học này. 10/2024 chúng tôi khảo sát 31 SV K15 Ngành ngôn
ngữ Anh ở Trường Đại học Kinh tế - Kỹ thuật Công nghiệp.
Chúng tôi phân phát, thu thập, phân tích các số liệu được thu về qua công cụ
https://surveypluto.com/. Survey Pluto là một nền cung cấp nhiều tính năng tiện lợi để hỗ trợ việc
thực hiện các cuộc khảo sát trực tuyến, cung cấp kết quả phân tích số liệu trong các nghiên cứu và
thu thập ý kiến từ người tham gia. Trong bài nghiên cứu, việc sử dụng Survey Pluto để khảo sát SV
không chuyên học tiếng Trung giúp thu thập dữ liệu về nhận thức, cảm nhận và mong muốn của SV
đối với việc học tiếng Trung, từ đó đưa ra các đề xuất về việc lồng ghép yếu tố VH trong giáo trình.
Phiếu khảo sát tổng cộng có 13 câu hỏi về các vấn đề: quan niệm học tiếng Trung (bao gồm
các câu Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 ), cảm nhận của SV về tiếng Trung (bao gồm các câu Q5, Q6, Q7), đánh
giá của SV về giáo trình tiếng Trung (bao gồm các câu Q8, Q12), mong muốn học ngôn ngữ kết hợp
tìm hiểu VH của SV (gồm các câu Q9, Q10, Q11, Q13) Chúng tôi đã phát ra 31 phiếu, thu về 31
phiếu, tỷ lệ phiếu hợp lệ 100%.
3.2. Kết quả
3.2.1 Về quan niệm học tiếng Trung của SV không chuyên
Thực tế SV không chuyên đã ý thức được lợi thế khi biết tiếng Trung, có trên 80% SV cho
rằng học tiếng Trung quan trọng (70,97%) và rất quan trọng (19,35%), chỉ có 1% SV học để lấy
điểm. Kết quả khảo sát đúng với thực tế nhận thức của người học về mức độ cần thiết của tiếng
Trung. Kết quả này phù hợp khi số liệu được công bố bởi Tổng cục Du lịch Việt Nam biểu thị từ
tháng 1 đến 7/2024, có 2,1 triệu lượt người du lịch Trung Quốc, chiếm 21,4% số khách nước ngoài
đến Việt Nam. Làm tăng nhu cầu nhân sự ở ngành du lịch và các ngành nghề phục vụ khác.

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Hình 1
Hình 1 (câu hỏi Q1) cho thấy lý do tham gia học tập tiếng Trung của SV không chuyên rất
phức tạp, trong đó có các lý do cơ bản sau: bản thân SV tự nhận thấy biết nói tiếng Trung sẽ có cơ
hội nhận được mức đãi ngộ cao hơn, một số SV khác học tiếng Trung do chương trình đào tạo yêu
cầu, một bộ phận SV lựa chọn học tiếng Trung vì cá nhân như sở thích xem phim, du lịch tìm hiểu
về VH và con người Trung Quốc.
Về ý thức học tập (câu hỏi Q3 “có chủ động học tiếng Trung không”, Q4 “Bạn sẵn sàng dành
bao nhiêu thời gian cho việc tự học tiếng Trung”), đa số người học (77,42%) đã có ý thức cao trong
việc tự học tiếng Trung, có 48,39% sẵn sàng bỏ ra nhiều thời gian nhất để học tiếng Trung. Điều
này khẳng định, dù là SV không chuyên, nhưng người học có tinh thần học tiếng Trung tốt, và sẵn
sàng bỏ ra thời gian để tự học.
3.2.2 Cảm nhận của SV về tiếng Trung

Hình 2
Về cảm nhận của SV về tiếng Trung được thể hiện rõ ở hình 2 (câu hỏi Q5), thực tế khảo sát
cho thấy có đến 90,32% SV cho rằng môn tiếng Trung khó và rất khó. Trong đó, có 64,52% SV cho
rằng viết chữ Hán là khó nhất. Từ số liệu trên có thể kết luận, SV không chuyên gặp nhiều khó khăn
khi học tiếng Trung, trong đó khó khăn nhất là kỹ năng viết chữ Hán.
3.2.3 Mong muốn của SV về giáo trình
Các giảng viên Trường Đại học Kinh tế - Kỹ thuật Công nghiệp lựa chọn "Giáo trình Hán
ngữ" của Dương Ký Châu để dạy tiếng Trung cho SV ngành Ngôn ngữ Anh. Bài khảo sát sinh viên
K15 hiển thị 64.52% SV cho rằng bộ giáo trình này phù hợp cho việc học tập, 12,9% SV cho rằng
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bộ giáo trình này khó, 9,68% SV cho rằng bộ giáo trình này không phù hợp và (9,68%) SV kiến
nghị cần sửa đổi để phù hợp hơn. Khi đánh giá về bộ giáo trình này, tác giả Nguyễn Lý Uy Hân và
cộng sự (2015) nhận định giáo trình này sẽ khó khăn đối với SV không chuyên nếu không thay đổi
cách học. Về yếu tố VH, giáo trình chú trọng VH Trung Quốc nhưng thiếu từ ngữ liên quan đến VH
Việt Nam. Tác giả Hoàng Thị Băng Tâm (2023) chỉ ra việc phân chia độ khó giữa các từ ngữ VH
trong giáo trình thiếu hợp lý, chủ yếu nghiêng về VH miền Bắc Trung Quốc. Do đó, việc sử dụng
giáo trình này sẽ là thử thách lớn cho giảng viên và sinh viên không chuyên.

Hình 3
Hình 3 (câu hỏi Q12) cho thấy, người học muốn có một bộ sách tiếng Trung dành riêng cho
SV không chuyên. Điều này đúng với thực trạng khi hiện nay chưa có bộ giáo trình nào đáp ứng
được mong muốn trên của SV. Để phục vụ tốt cho những mong muốn trong việc học tiếng Trung
của SV không chuyên, đã đến lúc cần thiết phải có một bộ giáo trình riêng biệt phục vụ riêng cho
đối tượng người học này.
3.2.4 Mong muốn học ngôn ngữ kết học tìm hiểu kiến thức VH
Từ kết quả khảo sát có thể thấy rõ nhu cầu học tiếng Trung kết hợp với việc tìm hiểu VH của
SV không chuyên. Cụ thể, thông qua câu hỏi Q9 “Bạn muốn giáo trình tiếng Trung có nhiều thêm
từ vựng về chủ đề nào?” 100% SV mong muốn vừa học tiếng Trung vừa tìm hiểu VH, có thể thấy
trong mắt sinh viên, việc học ngôn ngữ không thể tách rời khỏi yếu tố VH. Điều này phản ánh nhận
thức của SV rằng ngôn ngữ không chỉ là để đối thoại mà còn là cánh cửa để hiểu về một nền VH,
đặc biệt là khi ngôn ngữ đó thuộc về một đất nước có nền VH giàu bản sắc như Trung Quốc.
Khi trả lời câu hỏi (Q13) về mức độ tương đồng VH giữa Việt Nam và Trung Quốc 61,29%
SV cho rằng VH hai nước có nhiều nét tương đồng. Con số này phản ánh bản thân SV đã có ý thức
quan tâm về mối liên hệ giữa hai nền VH. Khi SV nhận thấy sự tương đồng VH này, họ dần có xu
hướng tìm kiếm những yếu tố VH Việt Nam trong các bài học tiếng Trung. Từ đó tăng hứng thú học
tập tiếng Trung của người học một cách tự nhiên và hiệu quả.

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Hình 4
SV ngoài mong muốn học VH Trung Quốc, khi trả lời câu hỏi Q11 "Giáo trình tiếng Trung có
cần thêm từ vựng và chủ đề về VH Việt Nam không?", có đến 87,1% SV trả lời là "có". Đây là một
tỷ lệ cao, thể hiện rõ nhu cầu mạnh mẽ của SV trong việc kết hợp yếu tố VH Việt Nam vào quá
trình học tiếng Trung.
Học ngôn ngữ kết hợp với VH đã trở thành xu hướng, phản ánh quan điểm hiện đại trong học
ngôn ngữ, khi ngôn ngữ không thể tách rời VH. Đặc biệt, đối với SV không chuyên, những người
có thời gian học tiếng Trung ngắn và mục đích học phức tạp, việc hiểu biết về VH càng trở nên
quan trọng.
4. MỘT VÀI Ý KIẾN VỀ LỒNG GHÉP YẾU TỐ VH TRONG GIÁO TRÌNH
TIẾNG TRUNG
Để tăng hứng thú của người học, giáo trình cần phát huy vai trò chủ đạo là dạy ngôn ngữ,
đồng thời đưa ra các nền tảng chính để chia sẻ kiến thức VH. Khi lựa chọn, sắp xếp các yếu tố VH
trong giáo trình tiếng Trung dành cho SV không chuyên người biên soạn cần lưu ý các điểm sau:
(1) Thêm chủ điểm VH vào các bài học tiếng Trung
Thêm chủ điểm VH vào các bài học ngôn ngữ là một trong những cách đơn giản và hiệu quả
để tích hợp VH vào giáo trình. Các chủ đề này có thể được chia thành các phần nhỏ phù hợp với các
kỹ năng ngôn ngữ mà SV đang học, như nghe, nói, đọc, viết. Ví dụ: Các chủ đề về lễ hội và truyền
thống, chủ đề về ẩm thực, chủ đề về tín ngưỡng và phong tục.
(2) Kết hợp VH Trung Quốc và Việt Nam
Để tạo sự gắn kết và giúp SV dễ dàng tiếp thu, các bài học tiếng Trung nên được thiết kế để so
sánh, đối chiếu giữa VH Trung Quốc và Việt Nam. Điều này không chỉ giúp SV thấy được những
điểm tương đồng mà còn thấy rõ sự khác biệt giữa hai nền VH, từ đó làm phong phú thêm khả năng
giao tiếp ở môi trường đa VH. Nội dung trong giáo trình có thể bổ sung các hoạt động so sánh VH,
ví dụ: khi học về phong tục Tết Nguyên đán, SV có thể được yêu cầu so sánh cách tổ chức Tết
truyền thống ở hai nước, từ các hoạt động gia đình, việc cúng bái tổ tiên đến những món ăn đặc
trưng...
(3) Thêm mục "Chia sẻ Văn hóa"
Thêm mục "Chia sẻ Văn hóa" vào cuối mỗi bài học để giới thiệu các lễ hội lớn của Trung
Quốc như Tết Nguyên đán (春节), Tết Trung thu (中秋节), cùng các hoạt động, món ăn truyền

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thống và nội hàm VH của chúng. Mục có thể tạo cơ hội nâng cao khả năng giao tiếp và hiểu biết
của SV về nền VH của quốc gia sử dụng ngôn ngữ đó.
(4) Lựa chọn các yếu tố VH truyền thống và hiện đại
Lựa chọn các yếu tố VH truyền thống và hiện đại để đan xen vào nội dung giáo trình. Trong
giáo trình tiếng Trung ngoài chú trọng VH giao tiếp, giúp người học tránh các lỗi cơ bản khi giao
tiếp với người Trung Quốc, còn cần chia sẻ về VH truyền thống, VH hiện đại, để sinh viên hiểu
thêm về VH cũng như con người nước họ, góp phần tăng tính thú vị cho bài học.
5. TỔNG KẾT
Bài nghiên cứu này khẳng định tầm quan trọng của lồng ghép yếu tố VH vào sách giáo trình
tiếng Trung cho SV không chuyên. Học ngôn ngữ không chỉ để giao tiếp mà còn là công cụ kết nối
người học với nền VH của quốc gia đó. Kết quả khảo sát cho thấy SV mong muốn học tiếng Trung
kết hợp với việc tìm hiểu VH, đặc biệt là VH của cả Trung Quốc và Việt Nam. Do đó, giáo trình
tiếng Trung không chỉ nên tập trung vào ngữ pháp và từ vựng, mà cần tích hợp các chủ đề VH phù
hợp với nhu cầu và bối cảnh học tập của SV.
Để đáp ứng mong muốn học tập này của SV không chuyên ngữ, giáo trình cần bổ sung các
chủ đề VH của cả hai quốc gia, giúp SV không chỉ học ngôn ngữ mà còn hiểu sâu sắc về xã hội và
VH Trung Quốc. Nhờ đó SV cũng sẽ có khả năng sử dụng tiếng Trung để giới thiệu và truyền bá
VH Việt Nam đến với nước bạn. Ngoài ra, việc so sánh và đối chiếu VH hai quốc gia trong từng bài
học sẽ giúp môi trường học tập trở nên sinh động hơn, hỗ trợ SV nâng cao khả năng giao tiếp và
ứng xử ở môi trường đa VH.
Nhận thấy rõ được tầm quan trọng của việc lồng ghép yếu tố VH vào biên soạn giáo trình
tiếng Trung. Trong tương lai, từ nền tảng nghiên cứu này, chúng tôi sẽ tiếp tục tìm hiểu về xu hướng
bản địa hóa giáo trình, đặc biệt là việc tích hợp yếu tố VH Việt Nam vào quá trình biên soạn giáo
trình tiếng Trung dành cho người Việt.

TÀI LIỆU THAM KHẢO

Trần Truyền Tuấn (2016). 越南本土汉语教材研究 (Doctoral dissertation, 中央民族大学).

Trần Thị Thu Lan (2012). 从越南人的角度看中国的初级汉语综合课教材. (Master's thesis,

Tianjin Normal University).

Lưu Hớn Vũ & Châu Á Phi (2014). Biên soạn giáo trình tiếng Trung Quốc dành cho SV không
chuyên ngữ-thực trạng và kiến nghị. Tạp chí ngôn ngữ và đời sống, Số10 (228)-2014.
Hoàng Thị Băng Tâm (2023). Từ ngữ văn hóa và việc giảng dạy từ ngữ văn hóa (qua ngữ liệu Giáo
trình Hán ngữ). VNU Journal of Foreign Studies, 39(1), 95-105.
Nguyễn Lý Uy Hân, Nguyễn Thị Xuân Mai, & Lưu Văn Thắng (2015). Đánh giá giáo trình ngoại
ngữ không chuyên tiếng Trung sử dụng tại khoa ngoại ngữ Trường Đại học Mở Thành phố Hồ
Chí Minh. TẠP CHÍ KHOA HỌC ĐẠI HỌC MỞ THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH-KHOA
HỌC XÃ HỘI, 10(1), 71-79.

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Lưu Hớn Vũ (2020). Quan niệm học tập ngoại ngữ thứ hai-tiếng Trung Quốc của SV ngành ngôn
ngữ Anh, trường Đại học Ngân hàng TP. Hồ Chí Minh= A study on the learning beliefs of
Chinese as a second foreign language for English majored students of banking university Ho
Chi Minh city.
Nguyễn Quang Hưng (2022). THỰC TRẠNG, NGUYÊN TẮC VÀ XU HƯỚNG BIÊN SOẠN
GIÁO TRÌNH HÁN NGỮ TRONG NHỮNG NĂM TRỞ LẠI ĐÂY. Tạp chí Khoa học
Trường Đại học Mở Hà Nội.
吴应辉 (2010). 国际汉语教学学科建设及汉语国际传播研究探讨. 语言文字应用, 3, 35-42

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ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS’ LISTENING STRATEGY USE

IN AND BEYOND CLASSROOM
Phan Thi Minh Tam, Dao Thi Thu Huong, Duong Phuong Van
University of Economics-Technology for Industries

ABSTRACT
Utilising a mixed-method approach, which combines stimulated recall with follow-up
questionnaires and personal interviews, this research aims to investigate students’ actual listening
strategy use not only inside but also outside the classroom. Fifty-nine English-majored students who
were pursuing pedagogical methodologies at the University of Economics-Technology for
Industries (UNETI) participated in this research. The findings reveal that most participants
employed a greater range of listening strategies in classroom settings, while their application
outside of it, especially the use of cognitive strategies, was rather restricted. Notably, some
strategies employed in academic settings were distinct from those used in real-life situations.
Additionally, some participants reported challenges in effectively applying listening strategies
across various contexts. Inevitably, pedagogical implications were suggested to develop the quality
of teaching listening skills in specific and enhance language learners’ proficiency afterward.
Keywords: listening strategy use, English-majored students, effectiveness, inside and outside
the classroom

1. INTRODUCTION
Listening comprehension in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) never fails to become one
of the critical receptive skills that need honing for targeted communicative purposes. According to
Anderson & Lynch (1988), EFL listening comprehension encompasses two key processes, namely
auditory recognition and analysis. Field (2004) coined different terminologies but similar meaning
for these listening processes which were called bottom-up and top-down approaches. Whereas the
former process requires listeners of much linguistic knowledge to identify the spoken input, the
latter one exacts personal experiences and schematic knowledge to interpret the sound meaning.
With a view to assisting language learners’ listening comprehension, sets of listening strategies are
suggested as intentional and purpose-driven activities. Both Vandergrift (1997) and Siegel (2014)
emphasised that raising students’ awareness of adopting listening strategies could significantly
benefit their language proficiency.
In comparison to other tertiary education organisations that offer comprehensive training for
English-majored graduates, UNETI may be shorter of experience. UNETI third-year students
majoring in English are also confronted with a great number of difficulties in terms of listening
skills. However, teachers at Faculty of Foreign Languages (FFL) are making continuous attempts
into equipping students with essential language skills and hands-on experience in relevant
specialisation. Therefore, an investigation into English-majored students’ behaviours and
characteristics in a newly-established learning environment like UNETI FFL is worth conducting.
Moreover, a limitation of studies on students’ listening strategy use in both classroom and real-
world listening contexts still exists. For this reason, the current research is designed to fill the gap in
preceding studies by examining students’ perspectives and behaviours regarding the application of

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listening strategy in different settings, thereby contributing to the development of effective

instruction on listening skills.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. The Nature of Listening Comprehension
Amongst diverse interpretations made in the field, the most widely-accepted concept for
listening comprehension is formulated on the basis of its activeness. Anderson (1983) was one of
the first linguistics experts to propose listening comprehension as an active three-stage process
comprised of ‘perceptual processing’, ‘parsing’ and ‘utilisation’ respectively. Listeners, at first,
concurrently receive the auditory input and encode the sounds in their echoic memory. In the
sequential stage, syntactic and semantic knowledge retained in long-term memory elicits support for
forming the sounds and constructing their meaning in short-term memory. As a result, the activation
of conceptual frameworks which are also referred as schemata help listeners process and interpret
the information received. In the next two decades, Rost (2002) developed another prototype of
listening comprehension consisting mainly of four stages, namely ‘neurological’, ‘linguistic’,
‘psycholinguistic’ and ‘pragmatic processing’. Despite fundamental similarity to Anderson (1983)’s
model, the last processing in Rost (2002)’s features the inferencing ability to understand the
intentional and non-literal meanings of auditory input. The last model proposed by Field (2004)
simply describes listening comprehension as a two-approach process in which units of sounds are
perceived based on listeners’ linguistic knowledge (bottom-up approach) and sound signification
(top-down approach) is constructed thanks to their background knowledge.
2.2 Taxonomies of Listening Strategies
It could be undeniable that the apprehension of how listeners process the information is vital
to evaluating and selecting which listening strategies should be instructed to adopt in varied
contexts. In general, a large number of linguistics experts suggested different taxonomies of
strategies for pedagocial implications. Vandergrift (1997) and Lynch (2004) could be considered as
two of the most received inventories of listening strategies. To be more specific, Lynch (2004)
outlined six macrostrategies for L2 learners: predicting, monitoring, responding, clarifying,
guessing, and evaluating. These strategies focus on developing listening sub-skills but are
particularly aimed at enhancing lecture listening and note-taking. While they may also support
critical thinking, their practical application needs further investigation, particularly concerning
challenges like learner anxiety. Despite some similarities in terms of cognitive and metacognitive
strategies with Vandergrift (1997)’s, Lynch (2004)’s taxonomy could be only regarded as a
miniature framework. In addition, researchers in this study hope to investigate students’ mindsets
and behaviours in adopting listening strategies. Therefore, Vandergrift’s microstrategies are
suggested as a more suitable foundation for further refinement in this area due to its specification
and provision of a broader perspective on language learning strategies. According to O’Malley and
Chamot (1990), metacognitive, cognitive and social/affective strategies are three main components
that assist learners in acquiring a new language. Whereas the first two categories of strategies
perform the function of administering learners’ thinking activities, the third one facilitates their
emotional stability.
In his inventory, Vandergrift (1997) suggested that pre-listening, while-listening and post-
listening stage could be specifically accompanied by metacognitive, cognitive and social/affective
strategies. If metacognitive strategies for better listening comprehension include planning, selective
attention, directed attention, monitoring and evaluating, several activities regarded as cognitive

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strategies are identifying the main ideas/ imaginery, inferencing, elaborating, translating, note-
taking, deducting/inducting and summarising; social/affective strategies refers to questioning for
clarification, cooperation and emotion management. Figure 1 illustrates a detailed description of
tactics in the three categories of listening strategies.
It is believed that listeners can employ individual tactics together in order to achieve the their
goals (Vandergrift, 2011). In particular, metacognitive strategies helps learners foster their self-
direction and enhance their problem-solving skills in listening. What’s more, cognitive strategies
possibly function as effective instruments for visualising/ analysing the information while
incorporating the input with schematic knowledge, inferencing and reinforcing its meaning, which
greatly aids comprehension in while-listening stage (Oxford, 2011). Besides, social/affective
strategies are claimed to deal with negative feelings that learners may encounter in communicative
or highly-interactive listening contexts.
Activities
Metacognitive • Planning (preparing for the reception of incoming sound by
strategies determining task requirements, activating schemata to predict possible
content)
• Selective attention (identifying the focal points)
• Directed attention (maintaining intensive focus while listening)
• Monitoring (confirming and revising the information while listening)
• Evaluating (assessing or examining the performance after listening)
Cognitive • Identifying the main ideas/ Imagery (recognising the central ideas and
strategies visualising auditory input)
• Inferencing (interpreting the input by making the most of prior
knowledge/ context/ paralanguage and other listening factors)
• Elaborating (making association and expanding auditory input)
• Translating (converting speech from English to listeners’ mother
tongue)
• Note-taking (recording key information for assisting memory and
referencing)
• Deducting/ Inducting (decoding the meaning by following syntactic
and semantic rules)
• Summarising (recaping the information received)
Social/Affective • Questioning for clarification (asking for explanation)
strategies • Cooperation (verifying the answers or receiving correction and
feedback)
• Emotion management (lowering anxiety, self-encouragement)
Figure 1. Detailed listening strategy use proposed by Vandergrift (1997)

2.3 Previous Studies into the Quantity and Quality of Listening Strategy Use
A large number of investigations into what and how learners employ listening strategies have
been carried out. With reference to the occurrence of listening strategy use, 28 Tunisian EFL
learners in Ishler (2010) were reported to implement cognitive strategies more frequently than the

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two remaining categories. Nguyen (2020) and Tran, Nguyen, Tran & Le (2021)’s findings aligned
with Ishler (2010)’s when indicating that cognitive strategies were employed the most regularly by
Vietnamese students. Nevertheless, Ngo (2022) presented that her participants sometimes used
cognitive strategies for listening, which noticeably differed from the previous research results. In
addition, the complexity of listening materials is highly relative to the number and frequency of
strategy use. The more demanding listening tasks are, the more flexible learners could be about
utilising and combining cognitive strategies (Vandergrift & Baker, 2015). Moreover, differences in
the number of listening strategies used inside classroom could be also attributed to learner levels.
Lynch (2009) stated that twice as many metacognitive strategies were adopted by high-skilled
listeners as low-skilled listeners.
Regarding the quality of listening strategy use, high-level students in Vandergrift (1997)’s
research stated to constantly examine and revise the information if necessary while listening, which
demonstrates an effective and complicated use of metacognitive strategies. In contrast, simple
translation strategy from targeted language to first language was witnessed to focusly adopted by
low-level students. Comparable findings were concluded when Canadian participants at higher
proficiency level took full advantage of various listening strategies concurrently to complete tasks
(Vandergrift, 2003). In addition, Taiwanese high-skilled students in Chen (2009)’s study claimed to
not only adopt numerous metacognitive and cognitive strategies but also proactively and properly
integrate them. On the contrary, low-skilled students employed social/affective strategies the most
to address problems in listening comprehension. Likewise, Ngo (2015) indicated that her research
participants at Pre-Intermediate level found to be passive and ignorant of strategy integration when
these students were unable to recognise focal points during listening despite their planning
beforehand.
2.4 Research objectives and questions
Notwithstanding the fact that a large quantity of studies have proved EFL learners’ strategy
use different by disparities in levels, research on what and how learners employ listening strategies
in various contexts is deemed to be limited. Prior studies, generally speaking, mainly attended to
explore learners’ behaviours towards the application of listening strategies inside classroom. For
this reason, there has been still a research gap to explore students’ perspectives towards strategy
implementation into both intensive and extensive listening situations. It goes without saying that
interactional listening in reality is worth as much attention as transactional listening in classroom.
Hence, this ongoing research aims to discover English-majored students’ perspectives towards
strategy implementation not only inside but also outside classroom. The research hopes to provide
the answers to the two following questions.
1. What types of listening strategies are adopted in classroom settings?
2. How differently do students use listening strategies in classroom and in real-world
situations?
3. METHODODOLOGY
3.1. Setting and sampling
The participants completing the questionnaire were 59 English-majored students (54 females
and five males at the age of 21) who are pursuing Teaching English as a Foreign Language at
UNETI. Being unaware of the consecutive events, these students were asked to take part in a 45-
minute lesson of listening. The underlying reason for this sampling of participants was their

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accessibility and convenience that we could have at university. Afterwards, five out of 59 students
were invited to voluntarily attend interviews.
3.2. Data collection & analysis
The combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was adopted in this investigation.
According to Creswell (2008), combining both quantiative and qualitative methodology allows
researchers to obtain profound understanding and compelling evidence for evaluation. As a matter
of fact, two main phases designed for research purpose were stimulated recall followed by
questionnaires at first and interviews later. In the former phase, 59 students were asked to fill out
the questionnaires on Google Forms right after participating in different stages of a typical teaching
procedure (pre-listening, while-listening and post-listening). Undoubtedly, if students had been
allowed to take turns and express their opinions verbally during the lesson, the findings would result
from the complex interplay amongst their thoughts. Therefore, instead of verbally sharing how they
felt and what they thought after each listening stage, our students were asked to complete short
surveys. In the latter, a private 30-minute interview was conducted. Five out of 59 students
volunteered to be interviewed separately online based on their availability.
Descriptive statistics of each listening strategy categories (e.g. the minimum, the maximum,
the mean and the stadard deviation) was scrutinised by Excel. The data analyzed from Excel can
generally what listening strategies if any were employed in academic settings. In addition, the
difference between participants’ listening strategy use inside and outside classroom was manually
decoded from the interview transcription with Microsoft Office Word software.
4. FINDINGS/ RESULTS
In order to answer all the research questions, the findings in this research will be respectively
presented in descriptive statistics and interview data. The use of listening strategy categories on the
basis of Vandergrift (1997)’s taxonomy was discovered not only inside classroom but also outside
classroom.
RQ1: What types of listening strategies are adopted in classroom settings?
Metacognitive Strategies Mean SD Min Max
Planning 5.01 0.62 4 6
Selective Attention 4.79 0.86 3 6
Directed Attention 3.97 1.29 2 6
Comprehension Monitoring 4.43 0.97 2 6
Evaluating 3.40 1.11 2 5
Table 1. Descriptive statistics for the use of metacognitive strategies inside classroom (N=59)
As can be seen, amongst these metacognitive strategies, the majority of participants were
inclined to employ planning, selective attention and comprehension monitoring strategies the most
while adopting evaluation strategy the least. In Table 1, the statistics of planning strategy (M=5.01,
SD=0.62) demonstrates that most participants prepared themselves for the reception of incoming
sound. Likewise, selective attention strategy for specific information (M=4.79, SD=0.86) and
comprehension monitoring for identifying and verifying problems during listening (M=4.43,
SD=0.97) were also confirmed to be used by a large number of these respondents. Conversely,
evaluation strategy whose mean was 3.40 represents that the students tended to neither reassess
their listening performance nor ponder their future actions for better listening comprehension. The

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wide discrepancy in the answers (SD=1.11) could indicate their conflicting opinions on whether to
use this strategy after listening or not.
Cognitive Strategies
Table 2. Descriptive statistics for the use of cognitive strategies inside classroom (N=59)
Cognitive Strategies Mean SD Min Max
Imagery 3.66 1.28 1 6
Inferencing 4.30 1.09 2 6
Elaborating 4.20 1.14 1 6
Translating 3.81 1.49 1 6
Note-taking 4.79 0.93 3 6
Deducting/ Inducting 4.83 0.63 4 6
Summarising 3.84 1.20 1 6
Table 2 illustrates that participants were likely to adopt four out of seven cognitive strategies
in the classroom-based context. Basically, note-taking (M=4.79, SD=0.93) and deduction/induction
strategy (M=4.83, SD=0.63) were recognised to be employed by numerous students, which reveals
their reliance on recording key information for later reference and following syntactic/ semantic
rules to decode the input meaning. In comparison with these two commonly-used cognitive
strategies, a striking difference in the answers to the adoption of imagery was recognised from
M=3.66 and SD=1.28. A broad range of Min=1 and Max=6 in the responses additionally highlights
the contrasting biases on both the ends of the spectrum.
Social/Affective Strategies
Table 3. Descriptive statistics for the use of social/affective strategies inside classroom (N=59)
Social/Affective Strategies Mean SD Min Max
Questioning for Clarification 3.70 1.26 2 6
Cooperation 5.03 0.62 4 6
Emotion Management 4.59 0.97 2 6
Overall, there was a high level of mutual agreement in participants’ responses when two out
of three social/affective strategies were used for assisting listening comprehension. In Table 3, the
widespread use of cooperation strategy was noticeably seen amongst these surveyees. Asking for
help from classmates to verify the answers appeared to be a substantial source of support for the
participants in listening, with M=5.03 and SD=0.62. Moreover, the statistics concerning the
emotion management (M=4.59, SD=0.97) highlights the participants’ tendency in self-encouraging
and lowering anxiety before their actual practice. In contrast, the tactic of requesting teachers’
explanation, feedback or correction (M=3.70, SD=1.26) was not a general consensus reached by
these respondents.
RQ2: How differently do students use listening strategies in classroom and in real-world
situations?
It came as no surprise that selective attention in the category of metacognitive strategies was
used by all the five interviewees no matter which listening situation they were in. Flower said, “In
classroom, when I have to answer the questions, I pay attention to what I need. And in any
conversations with native speakers, I usually focus on important information to continue the talk.”

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However, whereas planning in advance was considered a fundamental tactic before classroom
listening, three out of five participants report not to use this strategy for listening comprehension in
real life. On the one hand, Tree, Bird and Sun supposed that they usually get themselves ready for
listening tasks in examinations. On the other hand, in daily life situations such as watching movies,
only one out of these interviewees tried to prepare for understanding characters’ lines or narratives
by ‘reading reviews’ and ‘watching a trailer’ beforehand. In addition, most respondents were
ignorant of how to use evaluation strategy after listening, especially after having an English
conversation with foreigners. Bird conveyed, “Although I am not good at listening, I usually care
about the speaking mistakes like pronuciation mistakes I make, I do not think about if I have any
misunderstanding in listening.”
Regarding cognitive strategies, three out of five interviewees adapted real-world situations by
employing different strategies compared with classroom practice. In academic settings, even
without teachers’ prior requirements, participants still adopted deduction/induction and note-taking
strategies for every kind of listening tasks but in an unprofessional style. As a matter of fact, they
confessed to addressing every information from the audio in case of further need but several notes
were useless. However, identifying either ‘word positions’ or ‘word forms like nouns/ verbs/
adjectives’ in the sentence could help these participants choose better answers in pre-listening and
while-listening stage. In real-world contexts, all participants were recognised to use inferencing
strategy. When conversing with native speakers, the participants were able to interpret the
information by observing their partners’ paralanguage and kinaesthetic movements. Sun admitted to
base on the speaker’s ‘body gestures’ and ‘tone of voice’; however, she could not associate anything
with familiar words to understand the unknown vocabulary.
In addition, five participants reported to adopt questioning for clarification strategy in
authentic listening contexts but they were not genuinely willing to do the same thing in classroom.
Similar to the others, Sun was ‘afraid of being judged’ if she dared to ask her teacher about the
reasons behind the answers. This scenario was totally different from real-world situations when she
had no other way to maintain the talk without requesting repetition and meaning clarification from
the speaking partner. However, Jimmy could be categorised as a representative for the minority
group when asserting, “I felt free to ask my teacher for rephrasing what was said in the audio
whenever I didn’t get it even though I caught the important words.” This finding demonstrates that
there might be some students use the strategy of questioning for clarification both inside and
beyond the classroom. Additionally, four out of five participants stated that the strategy they
adopted most frequently no matter where they were was cooperation with their friends. These
participants would rather talk to their classmates about the listening problems than approach their
teacher. To be more specific, what they did first was to ‘look at my peer to ask for help’ (Sun) or
‘turn to my friend when I don’t get what the foreigner is saying’ (Tree). Finally, Bird and Tree tried
to keep calm during the listening process because they hope to ‘look for the right answer to task
question’ or ‘carefully listen to talk back’.
5. DISCUSSION
With reference to metacognitive strategies, both the survey and interview findings about the
use of planning and selective attention strategy align with what Vandergrift (2003) and Ngo (2015)
explored. The manner in which low-level participants focused on specific details illustrates their
attempts at bottom-up processing. However, an overemphasis on individual words without grasping
the overall context can lead to significant difficulties in comprehension (Vandergrift, 2011). Our
research findings also demonstrate that selective attention strategy was used outside the classroom.

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This indicates that students were able to apply what they learnt into practice independently,
especially in different situations that students had to encounter. Nevertheless, evaluation strategy
was considered the mainstream in this study, which could be explained by either objective or
subjective influences. To be more specific, the importance of classroom listening practice was
underrated by the majority of responsdents in comparison with listening tests or examinations. In
other words, what and how these participants employ the use of strategies were believed to be
significantly affected by the formality and mandatory quality of the listening situation. Evaluating
strategy was deemed as a tactic for ‘gaining high score in the next time’, not for ‘developing
listening comprehension’. The introduction of evaluation strategy, as a result, should be made
properly and instructed carefully. Additionally, these respondents were irrespectful of directed
attention strategy, which might originate from the appropriateness of listening sources. Students’
interest in listening content could be diminished by the difficulty level or low quality of the audio,
resulting in their mind wandering and demotivation. Thus, it is crucial to explore a balanced
simplification of authentic listening texts to better engage students while still encouraging them to
practise the use of listening strategies.
In terms of cognitive strategies, this study shared the similar results with Ishler (2010),
Nguyen (2020) and Tran, Nguyen, Tran & Le (2021) when proving that these strategies were
adopted the most amongst the three categories. The finding that students mainly applied note-taking
and deduction/induction strategy to process audible input during the while-listening stage broadly
supports Ngo (2015)’s. As a matter of fact, participants’ reliance on fundamental linguistic
knowledge for listening comprehension inside classroom may stem from the heavy emphasis on
grammar instruction that Asian students are typically exposed to. However, in real-life listening
scenarios, techniques such as note-taking and deduction/induction were often overlooked due to the
distinct nature of these listening situations. Individuals might find it awkward and uncomfortable to
record what English speakers say and reply based on those written notes during casual
conversations. Furthermore, although there was a level of uncertainty over the employment of
inferencing strategy in academic settings, participants confirmed to use this tactic in real-world
listening situations. One likely explanation for the inconsistency in participants' responses could
arise from the selection of listening materials. In particular, pre-recorded audio without images or
visual aids in classroom could hinder participants' understanding of other factors like paralanguage
which somehow assists their comprehension. Therefore, creating a learning environment that
provides students with hands-on exposure and authentic listening experiences (e.g. live listening
with native guest speakers or extensive listening with multimedia aids) that fully integrate all the
senses for better listening is highly recommended. Another finding that students were uncertain
about their use of summarising and elaboration strategy concurs with Ngo (2015). The lack of
former strategy use could result from students’ deficiencies in prior contextual knowledge or their
shortage of linguistic knowledge to recall background knowledge. Moreover, participants’
unsureness of using the latter may stem from the fact that they could not distinguish differences
between the main and supporting ideas. Rao (2012) claimed that summarisation strategy related to
students’ ability to capture the key information while listening. Thus, developing the application of
strategies and the practice of sub - skills simultaneously is necessary for students’ listening
enhancement.
Concerning the last category, students adopted cooperation strategy to mentally support the
success of listening while tending to reject questioning for clarification strategy. As a matter of fact,
most respondents favoured seeking assitance from their classmates instead of their instructors. The

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use of questioning for clarification in academic settings was constrained by cultural factors. To be
more specific, hierarchical ranks and different social status in Eastern culture might greatly impact
how students behave in classroom. Firstly, the majority of Asian students were likely reluctant to
ask or challenge their teachers who were considered to hold a higher status (Tran, 2013b).
Moreover, exhibiting the misunderstanding or asking seemingly silly questions in case that their
queries did not align with those of their peers, leading to their loss of face. Truong, Hallinger &
Sanga (2017) claimed that personal identity could be shaped by group-based values in any
collectivist societies. Unlike the classroom listening, students applied more social/affective
strategies in real - world listening. In order to accomplish their communicative purposes, both
cooperation and questioning for clarification were used. However, the difference in students’
behaviours between these two circumstances could be explained for two reasons. Firstly, asking for
repetition or further explanation from the speaking partners could be regarded as a last resort when
seeking assistance from their friends is impossible. Secondly, influenced by Eastern culture,
students typically engage in conversations with peers at a similar status due to its much more
comfort for sharing ideas and asking questions.
3. CONCLUSION
To sum up, this research was conducted to investigate 59 English-majored students’s listening
strategy use inside and outside classroom. Most participants were found to employ a larger quantity
of listening strategies in academic settings but limitedly in authentic listening situations.
Interestingly, some listening strategies employed in classroom differed from what was used in real-
world contexts. Additionally, some participants reported to be incompetent at adopting and
combining different categories of listening strategies effectively in various contexts. However, there
was undeniably a minority that could manipulate sets of strategies for their listening comprehension
no matter which situations they might encounter.
Certainly, any research would be incomplete without pratical pedagocial implications
however many findings are concluded. In the hope of contributing to EFL teaching development,
this research would like to make some recommendations for language teachers who take on the
responsibilities of both material selectors/designers and educators. What is first worth suggesting is
the provision of explicit instruction on how to listen effectively in varied situations other than solely
completing tasks in language examination rooms. Encouraging students to establish a habit of active
listening all the time can avoid the negative side of washback to some extent. In other words,
teachers should not only offer students a fertile and relaxing environment of true learning but also
equip them with the knowledge of listening processes and skills. Moreover, students should be
instructed to properly implement listening strategies as an unified whole rather than separate
components, which means that a combination of metacognitive, cognitive and social/affective
strategies should be trained together. The second recommendation is on material design/selection. It
goes without saying that appropriate listening texts and tasks partially determine the effectiveness
of listening strategy instruction (Lynch, 2009). In fact, to promote students’ listening
comprehension, teachers should pay attention to the authenticity and difficulty level of listening
materials while contemplating on which category of listening strategies to teach. In addition, natural
negotiation of meaning and communicative purposes should be taken into account when listening
texts and tasks are selected, thereby offering students more opportunities to be acquainted with real-
world listening situations.
Undoubtedly, this research needs to overcome a number of limitations. The first obstruction
that should be mentioned is the small sample size of only 59 participants, posing some difficulties

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in the generalisation of target population. The modest sampling could be explained by time
restraints on collecting the findings which were caused by the coincidence with students’ midterm
tests. Henceforth, only a limited number of students were available for approaching and appropriate
for the research methodology. The second problem is that the findings were solely participants’ self-
reported data. This limitation could be minimized by integrating teacher interviews or classroom
observation to more accurately students’ listening strategy use. Moreover, future research could
incorporate the participants’ responses with quasi-experiment of strategy use effectiveness to
provide more insights from both subjective viewpoints and objective results on the influences of
listening.
From the existing limitations of this study, validity and reliability of findings could be
reaffirmed from a larger quantity of participants. In addition, examining the effectiveness of
listening strategy use is crucial for providing more comprehensive pedagogical implications for
teaching listening.
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Chen, A. (2009). Listening strategy instruction: Exploring Taiwanese college students’ strategy
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Creswell, J.W. (2008). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative
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Lynch, T. (2009). Teaching second language listening. Oxford University Press.
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Đại học Hùng Vương. Tạp chí Khoa học và Công nghệ, 27(2).
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Siegel, J. (2014). Problematising L2 listening pedagogy: The potential of process
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Tran, T. A. H., Nguyen, D. N. H., Tran, T., & Le, T. T. T. (2021). English-majored students’ listening
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Truong, T., Hallinger, P., & Sanga, K. (2017). Confucian values and school leadership in Vietnam:
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77-100.
Vandergrift, L. (1997). The comprehension strategies of second language (French) listeners: A
descriptive study. Foreign Language Annals, 30(3), 387-409.
Vandergrift, L. (2003). Orchestrating strategy use: Toward a model of the skilled second language
listener. Language Learning, 53(3), 463-496.
Vandergrift, L. (2011). Second language listening: Presage, process, product, and pedagogy. In E.
Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (2nd ed., pp.
455-471). Routledge.
Vandergrift, L., & Baker, S. (2015). Learner variables in second language listening comprehension:
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AN INVESTIGATION INTO ENGLISH VOCABULARY DIFFICULTIES AND ITS

LEARNING STRATEGIES OF 7TH GRADE STUDENTS AT GIANG BIEN SECONDARY
SCHOOL IN HAI PHONG, VIETNAM.
Quach Thi Phuong Anh, Nguyen Thu Ha
University of Economics - Technology for Industries

ABSTRACT
Vocabulary acquisition plays a pivotal role in teaching and learning English process. This
study investigates the difficulties of 7th-grade students at Giang Bien Secondary School in Hai
Phong, Vietnam, in learning English vocabulary and explores effective learning strategies to address
these challenges. The research employed a mixed-method approach, integrating quantitative data
from questionnaires and qualitative insights from interviews with students and teachers. The
findings reveal that students encounter significant linguistic, psychological, environmental,
instructional, and socioeconomic barriers in vocabulary acquisition. Additionally, the study
identifies the current strategies students employ, such as rote memorization, using context clues, and
seeking help from peers and teachers. Based on these findings, the study suggests several strategies
to improve vocabulary learning. The implications of this research highlight the need for
personalized teaching methods, equitable resource distribution, and further investigation into
innovative educational practices.
Keywords: vocabulary difficulties, vocabulary learning strategies, secondary school,
English education, Hai Phong, Vietnam.
1. INTRODUCTION
Vocabulary acquisition plays a pivotal role in mastering any language, and English is no
exception. For learners of English as a foreign language (EFL), vocabulary is often cited as one of
the most challenging aspects of language learning. A strong vocabulary foundation is essential not
only for effective communication but also for academic success, as it enhances reading
comprehension, writing proficiency, and overall language competence. However, learners often face
difficulties in acquiring, retaining, and using English vocabulary effectively. These difficulties may
arise from various factors, including the complexity of English vocabulary, differences between
learners' native languages and English, individual learning preferences, and the methods employed
for vocabulary instruction.
This research seeks to explore the nature of these challenges and the strategies that learners
employ to overcome them. By examining the specific difficulties encountered by learners and
analyzing the effectiveness of various vocabulary learning strategies, this study aims to contribute
to a better understanding of how vocabulary acquisition can be facilitated in English language
education. Moreover, it aims to offer practical recommendations for educators and learners to
optimize vocabulary learning and address common obstacles more efficiently.
Through the mixed research method, this investigation will provide insights into learners'
experiences, identify the most prevalent challenges, and explore the impact of different learning
strategies on vocabulary retention and usage. The findings of this research will be valuable not only
for language learners but also for educators and curriculum designers as they seek to enhance
vocabulary instruction and support learners in overcoming these critical challenges.

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Vocabulary
Vocabulary refers to the set of words individuals understand and use in a language. It
encompasses both receptive vocabulary, which involves recognizing words while reading or
listening, and productive vocabulary, which refers to words used actively in speaking or writing
(Nation, 2001). Mastering vocabulary is essential for effective communication, as it allows learners
to comprehend and express ideas in diverse contexts (Brown, 2020). Receptive vocabulary helps
individuals interpret messages when encountering words in listening or reading, while productive
vocabulary is key to conveying thoughts through speech and writing (Nation, 2001). A deep
understanding of vocabulary involves knowing word meanings, forms, and usage in different
situations. A solid vocabulary enhances all language skills: reading, listening, speaking, and writing
(Schmitt, 2008).
Vocabulary acquisition is often incidental, occurring naturally through exposure to language
in meaningful contexts, similar to first language learning (Ellis, 1997). However, deliberate
vocabulary learning through structured instruction and practice is also crucial. Both incidental
acquisition and intentional learning complement each other, with one offering natural exposure and
the other providing structured methods to expand vocabulary (Brown, 2020).
Challenges in vocabulary learning include the vast number of words to master, complex
word forms, pronunciation, and retention issues. English, in particular, presents difficulties due to
inconsistencies in spelling and pronunciation (Ellis, 1997; Horwitz, 2001). Several factors
contribute to these challenges, such as linguistic complexity, lack of motivation, limited exposure,
and ineffective teaching methods (Fan, 2003). Socioeconomic factors, such as limited access to
resources, can also restrict learners' vocabulary development (O’Malley, 1990).
A strong vocabulary not only facilitates communication but also empowers learners to infer
new words from context and apply strategies to enhance retention, fostering lifelong language
growth (Nation, 2001).
2.2. Language Learning Strategies
Language learning strategies are intentional actions, behaviors, and techniques that learners
use to improve language acquisition, retention, and use (Gu, 1996). These strategies simplify the
learning process, speed up language skill development, and make learning more enjoyable through
interactive activities, games, or multimedia resources. Additionally, they foster learner autonomy,
allowing individuals to set personal goals and manage their learning journey independently.
The effective application of language learning strategies can greatly enhance language
acquisition. These strategies help learners organize their study routines, optimize vocabulary
learning, and engage with the language in meaningful contexts (Gu, 1996). By utilizing these
methods, learners gain a sense of ownership over their learning process, stay motivated, and
develop practical language skills for real-world use.
Research on language learning strategies has evolved since Rubin's 1975 work, which
identified key techniques used by successful language learners. Later, researchers such as O'Malley,
Chamot, and Oxford categorized strategies into different types. Recent studies by famous
researchers have further examined how cultural, environmental, and technological factors influence
the use of these strategies.
Language learning strategies are generally grouped into four types: Firstly, cognitive
strategies involve directly manipulating learning materials, such as through repetition or
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summarization, to improve comprehension (Oxford, 1990). Secondly, metacognitive strategies

focus on planning and monitoring the learning process, allowing learners to set goals and evaluate
their progress (Anderson, 2002). Thirdly, social strategies involve interacting with others, such as
seeking clarification or collaborating with peers to enhance language learning (Oxford, 1990). Last
but not least, affective strategies help learners manage emotions and motivation, creating a
supportive, low-stress learning environment that fosters success (Krashen, 1989).
Specific vocabulary learning strategies integrate these broader techniques, using methods
like contextual learning, mnemonic devices, word analysis, and repetition to make vocabulary
acquisition more effective and manageable (Nation, 2001). These strategies empower learners to
take control of their learning process, promoting independent learning and practical application
(Oxford, 1990).
2.3. Previous Studies
Nguyen Thi Huong et al. (2021) found that 7th-grade students in Hanoi faced challenges in
vocabulary acquisition due to limited exposure to English and traditional teaching methods.
Similarly, Tran Mai Trang (2020) highlighted those interactive activities like games and discussions
improved vocabulary retention among Ho Chi Minh City students, contrasting with less effective
rote memorization methods.
In the U.S., Smith, John, and Johnson (2023) showed that mnemonic devices significantly
enhanced vocabulary retention. In Canada, Garcia et al. (2022) demonstrated the positive impact of
digital tools like flashcards and games on student motivation and vocabulary learning. Brown and
Smith (2020) found that diverse strategies, such as mnemonic devices and contextual learning,
improved vocabulary acquisition in middle school students.
Domestic studies emphasize the need for interactive and student-centered approaches, while
foreign studies highlight the effectiveness of mnemonic devices, contextual learning, and
technology-based tools. These insights will guide the current Giang Bien Secondary School study,
integrating these strategies to improve vocabulary learning outcomes.
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. Objective
This study aims to investigate the difficulties of 7th-grade students at Giang Bien Secondary
School in Hai Phong, Vietnam, in learning English vocabulary and explores effective learning
strategies to address these challenges.
3.2 Research questions
To guide the investigation, the study will address the following research questions.
What are the main difficulties and their causes that 7th-grade students at Giang Bien
Secondary School face in learning English vocabulary? This question aims to identify and
categorize the specific challenges encountered by students in their vocabulary learning journey.
What strategies do these students use to overcome their vocabulary learning difficulties?
This question aims to uncover the range of strategies employed by students to tackle their
vocabulary challenges.
How effective are these strategies in improving vocabulary learning and retention, and what
recommendations can be made to enhance vocabulary learning among 7th grade students at Giang
Bien Secondary School? This question will assess the impact of different strategies on students'
vocabulary acquisition and retention, providing insights into best practices for vocabulary learning.
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3.3 Setting
The study involved 80 seventh-grade students (40 males and 40 females) from Giang Bien
Secondary School in Hai Phong. The students represented a wide range of English proficiency
levels and socioeconomic backgrounds. Additionally, four English teachers with teaching
experience ranging from 5 to 20 years participated, offering insights into the challenges students
face in vocabulary acquisition and the strategies used in their instruction.
3.4 Research methods, research instruments, and data collection and analysis
A mixed-methods approach was employed with both quantitative methods and qualitative
methods. In the quantitative method, the student questionnaires included multiple-choice questions,
Likert scale items, and open-ended questions designed to explore linguistic, psychological,
environmental, instructional, and socioeconomic factors affecting vocabulary acquisition. In the
qualitative method, teachers were interviewed using semi-structured formats, allowing them to
elaborate on the challenges students face in learning vocabulary and the teaching strategies they
employ.
Students completed the questionnaires during class over one week, and teachers were
interviewed at convenient times, with all interviews audio-recorded for transcription and analysis.
The students’ questionnaire has been adapted from the study of Dong Thi An Sinh: “Challenges in
Teaching English for Specific Purposes at Quang Ninh University of Industry and Some Solutions”
(2021). This questionnaire is designed to capture the experiences of 7th-grade students in learning
English vocabulary. The interview questions are adapted from the study by Hoang Thi Hong Hanh
(2019). These are semi-structured interviews conducted with the 4 English teachers
Quantitative data was analyzed by using SPSS software for descriptive statistics to identify
common patterns and trends in vocabulary learning challenges. Meanwhile, thematic analysis was
conducted for qualitative methods on interview transcripts to uncover recurring themes related to
vocabulary acquisition and teaching strategies.
The study ensured informed consent from all participants, maintained confidentiality by
anonymizing data, and emphasized voluntary participation, allowing individuals to withdraw at any
time.
4. FINDINGS
4.1. The main difficulties and their causes that 7th-grade students at Giang Bien Secondary
School face in learning English vocabulary
The findings from the survey and interviews conducted among 7th-grade students and
teachers at Giang Bien Secondary School reveal several significant difficulties and their causes in
learning English vocabulary.
Table 4.1. Survey Results for Linguistic Factors
Linguistic Factors Mean Std. Deviation
F1. The quantity of vocabulary I need to learn makes me feel
overwhelmed and makes it difficult for me to remember and use 3,41 1,25
them.
F2. Dealing with different forms of vocabulary, such as verb
conjugations and plural nouns, often confuses me, especially 4,23 1,22
when they are significantly different from their basic forms.

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F3. Remembering and retaining new vocabulary over a long

period of time is a common challenge for me, especially when I 4,19 1,16
don't have enough opportunities to practice and reinforce them.
F4. Inconsistent pronunciation and spelling rules, especially in
English, often complicate the learning of new vocabulary and 3,43 1,08
affect my ability to use them accurately.
F2 has the highest mean score (4.23), indicating that verb conjugations and plural nouns pose
the greatest challenge for students. This reflects a significant source of confusion that requires
focused teaching strategies. F3 follows closely (Mean: 4.19), emphasizing that long-term
vocabulary retention is another major challenge. Insufficient practice opportunities contribute to this
issue. The most significant linguistic challenges are dealing with complex word forms and retaining
vocabulary over time. Targeted instructional interventions focusing on these areas, along with more
consistent practice, could improve vocabulary acquisition and retention.
After conducting interviews with 4 English teachers following the initial analysis of the
questionnaire data, the findings reveal several key insights into the challenges and strategies related
to English vocabulary learning among 7th-grade students at Giang Bien Secondary School in Hai
Phong, Vietnam. Three teachers noted that students struggle with verb conjugations and plural
nouns, especially irregular forms. All four teachers emphasized difficulties in retaining new
vocabulary over time, particularly when not used in real-life contexts. Inconsistent pronunciation
and spelling rules further hinder retention and discourage students.
These findings align with Nguyen Thi Huong et al. (2021), highlighting limited English
exposure and traditional teaching methods as challenges. Both this study and research by Brown et
al. (2020) suggest mnemonic devices and contextual learning as potential solutions.
Table 4.2. Survey Results for Psychological Factors
Psychological Factors Mean Std. Deviation
F5. I enjoy learning new English vocabulary. 3,98 1,08
F6. I often feel anxious or stressed when learning new vocabulary in
3,73 1,19
English.
F7. I am confident in my ability to learn and use new English
3,69 1,20
vocabulary effectively.
F8. I find learning English vocabulary to be interesting. 3,89 1,14
F5 has the highest mean score (3.98), indicating that students generally have a positive
attitude towards learning vocabulary, which serves as a motivating factor. F7 is moderate (Mean:
3.69), implying that there is room for further encouragement to boost students' self-assurance.
While students are generally interested in learning vocabulary, anxiety and moderate confidence
levels present psychological challenges that need to be addressed to enhance the learning
experience.
Table 4.3. Survey Results for Environmental Factors
Psychological Factors Mean Std. Deviation
F9. I have enough exposure to the English language outside of
3,45 1,34
the classroom to reinforce my vocabulary learning.
F10. I have sufficient opportunities to practice using English
3,59 1,36
vocabulary in real-life situations.
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F11. The learning environment in my school supports and

3,74 1,31
encourages English vocabulary learning.
F12. There are enough resources and materials available to help
3,46 1,35
me learn English vocabulary effectively.
F11 has the highest mean score (3.74), showing that students feel supported by their school in
learning vocabulary. F9 has the lowest mean (3.45), revealing a gap in real-life opportunities for
students to practice their vocabulary. While students perceive a supportive school environment, the
lack of exposure to English outside the classroom needs attention to improve vocabulary retention
and application.
Table 4.4. Survey Results for Instructional Factors
Instructional Factors Mean Std. Deviation
F13. The teaching methods used by my English teachers
3,50 1,38
effectively facilitate my vocabulary learning.
F14. The use of technology in English vocabulary learning
3,51 1,33
enhances my understanding and retention of new words.
F15. Feedback from my English teachers helps me improve my
3,51 1,36
vocabulary.
F16. My teachers provide personalized support to help me learn
3,50 1,35
vocabulary.
F14 and F15 both share the highest mean score (3.51), indicating that students value these
methods in learning vocabulary. F13 and F16 also receive positive feedback but suggest room for
more consistency across all teaching practices. Technology and teacher feedback are effective tools
in vocabulary learning, but personalized support and consistent teaching methods should be
enhanced to ensure all students benefit equally.
Table 4.5. Survey Results for Socioeconomic Factors
Socioeconomic Factors Mean Std. Deviation
F17. I have easy access to learning resources, such as books,
internet, and language courses, to support my English vocabulary 3,50 1,35
learning.
F18. Financial constraints do not significantly hinder my access to
3,51 1,33
resources and materials for English vocabulary learning.
F19. My parents/guardians actively support and encourage my
3,54 1,38
English vocabulary learning.
F20. The community I live in provides opportunities and resources
3,56 1,34
to enhance my English vocabulary learning.
F20 has the highest mean score (3.56), indicating that students generally feel their community
provides valuable resources for vocabulary learning. F17 ranks lower (Mean: 3.50), suggesting that
some students may still face challenges in accessing the necessary tools for effective learning.
While community and parental support are perceived positively, disparities in access to learning
resources still exist, highlighting the need for equitable resource distribution.

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4.2. The strategies that these students use to overcome their vocabulary learning difficulties
Through comprehensive interviews with four English teachers, the study explores strategies
employed by 7th-grade students at Giang Bien Secondary School to overcome vocabulary learning
difficulties. Most students focus on memorizing the basic meanings and forms of words. Three
teachers highlighted that students primarily concentrate on definitions, often leading to a shallow
understanding. Grammatical functions and collocations are less emphasized, hindering flexible and
accurate language use.
Students have limited opportunities to practice English outside the classroom. Two teachers
mentioned concerns about the minimal exposure students have to English in real-life settings, while
one teacher noted that even those engaging with English media only do so passively. This lack of
practical usage hinders retention and fluency.
All four teachers emphasized using effective strategies such as mnemonic devices, contextual
learning, and visual aids. Mnemonic techniques help students remember difficult words by creating
associations, while contextual learning teaches words in meaningful sentences. Visual aids support
retention, especially for visual learners. Despite these strategies being effective, teachers noted the
need for more real-life practice to fully reinforce vocabulary acquisition.
4.3. The effectiveness of these strategies in improving vocabulary learning and retention
and recommendations to enhance vocabulary learning among 7th-grade students at Giang Bien
Secondary School.
To rigorously assess the effectiveness of the vocabulary learning strategies employed and to
formulate practical recommendations for enhancing vocabulary acquisition among 7th-grade
students at Giang Bien Secondary School, a series of detailed interviews were conducted with four
English teachers at the school.
All teachers observed clear improvements when students used mnemonic devices, contextual
learning, and visual aids. Mnemonic devices, such as acronyms and imagery, helped students
remember challenging words by creating strong mental associations. Contextual learning allows
students to use new vocabulary in practical situations, enhancing understanding and retention.
Visual aids, including flashcards and diagrams, supported learning by creating visual connections
that strengthened memory.
Teachers emphasized that mnemonic devices significantly enhance vocabulary retention by
creating strong mental associations through techniques like acronyms, rhymes, and storytelling.
This approach transformed difficult vocabulary into more accessible and memorable content.
In addition, teachers noted that contextual learning moved students beyond rote
memorization, helping them use vocabulary in meaningful ways. By engaging in role-plays,
discussions, and writing exercises, students learned how to apply new words in appropriate
contexts, improving both retention and language proficiency. This strategy was particularly
effective in helping students gain confidence in their communication skills, which further supported
vocabulary retention.
Visual aids, such as flashcards, mind maps, and diagrams, were particularly helpful for visual
learners. Teachers observed that students who used visual aids regularly showed significant
improvements in both vocabulary retention and understanding. Visual aids not only enhanced
memory but also helped students see relationships between words, making vocabulary more
meaningful and easier to apply in different contexts.

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5. DISCUSSION
The study revealed that 7th-grade students at Giang Bien Secondary School face multifaceted
challenges in learning English vocabulary. The most significant linguistic challenges involve
dealing with complex word forms and retaining vocabulary over time. Psychological challenges,
environmental factors, addressing these challenges through targeted interventions, consistent
practice opportunities, and enhanced support systems will be crucial for improving students'
vocabulary acquisition and retention.
The finding of this research about strategies that these students use to overcome their
vocabulary learning difficulties aligns with Nguyen Thi Huong et al. (2021) and Brown, Mary, and
Smith, Kevin (2020), who also identified similar issues, emphasizing the need for contextual
learning and mnemonic techniques to deepen understanding. It also is consistent with challenges
identified by Tran Mai Trang (2020) and Garcia et al. (2022), where a lack of real-life practice
hampers language application. The insights gained from teacher interviews indicate that while
effective vocabulary learning strategies such as mnemonic devices, contextual learning, and visual
aids are in place, students lack sufficient opportunities to apply what they learn outside the
classroom. Expanding experiential learning activities and increasing real-life practice opportunities
are critical for enhancing vocabulary retention and use. By focusing not only on memorizing word
meanings but also on their practical application, students can develop more comprehensive
language skills and achieve greater fluency.
Recommendations for enhancing vocabulary learning
Teachers provided several recommendations to improve vocabulary acquisition:
Leveraging technology: Using apps and interactive games can offer students flexible practice
opportunities.
Expanding contextual learning: Increasing exposure to English in real-life situations can help
students apply new vocabulary effectively.
Creating a language-rich environment: Incorporating more English into daily school activities
can help internalize vocabulary.
Encouraging peer learning: Group study and peer tutoring can provide additional practice in a
collaborative environment.
The study concludes that mnemonic devices, contextual learning, and visual aids are effective
strategies for vocabulary learning at Giang Bien Secondary School. However, expanding exposure
to English outside the classroom and providing more practical application opportunities will further
enhance students' vocabulary retention and language proficiency.
6. CONCLUSION
The study on English vocabulary learning among 7th-grade students at Giang Bien Secondary
School highlights several challenges and strategies for effective vocabulary acquisition. Students
struggle with complex word forms, inconsistent pronunciation and spelling rules, and limited
exposure to English outside the classroom. Psychological factors such as anxiety also hinder
vocabulary retention. Additionally, unequal access to learning resources further impedes progress.
The study suggests integrating innovative teaching methods, technology, and personalized
feedback to address these challenges. Parental and community support is also crucial for motivation
and additional learning resources. For educators, it recommends contextual learning, interactive
activities like role-plays, and the use of digital tools such as flashcards and language apps.

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Encouraging independent learning through vocabulary journals, goal setting, and self-assessment is
emphasized. For policymakers, the study calls for curriculum reforms that integrate technology and
interactive learning, continuous teacher training, and resource allocation to support vocabulary
instruction. Future research should explore long-term effects of vocabulary strategies and
technological innovations like AI and virtual reality.
Overall, the study advocates a comprehensive approach involving technology, interactive
learning, and collaboration between educators, policymakers, and researchers to improve
vocabulary retention and language proficiency.

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O’Malley, J. M., & Chamot, A. U. (1990). Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition.
Cambridge University Press.
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Oxford, R. L. (1990). Language Learning Strategies: What Every Teacher Should Know. Newbury
House Publishers.
Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. (2010). Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied
Linguistics. Pearson Education.
Rubin, J. (1975). What the “Good Language Learner” Can Teach Us. TESOL Quarterly, 9(1), 41-
51.
Schmitt, N. (2008). Vocabulary Learning Strategies. In N. Schmitt & M. McCarthy (Eds.),
Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy (pp. 199-227). Cambridge University
Press.
Johnson, Lisa. (2022). Enhancing Vocabulary Retention through Mnemonic Devices: A Study of
7th-Grade Students in the United States. Journal of Language Education.
Tran Mai Trang. (2020). The Impact of Classroom Activities on Vocabulary Development among
7th-Grade Students in Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City University of Education Press.
Wilkins, D. A. (1972). Linguistics in Language Teaching. Edward Arnold.

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THE EFFECTS OF SCAFFOLDING TECHNIQUES ON STUDENTS’ WRITING

ACHIEVEMENT: A CASE STUDY AT UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS - TECHNOLOGY
FOR INDUSTRY
Pham Vu Minh Loc
University of Economics – Technology for Industries

ASTTRACT
Scaffolding is the process of breaking down a more extensive writing assignment into smaller
assignments focusing on the skills or types of knowledge that students require to complete writing
tasks successfully. This mixed-method research was conducted at the University of Economics -
Technology for Industry (UNETI) to examine the effects of scaffolding on EFL students’ writing
ability through the writing process. In the study, scaffolding techniques were instructed in the
process-oriented lessons with five stages, namely Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, Editing, and
Publishing to write some kinds of paragraphs. With quantitative and qualitative methods, a
questionnaire was carried out among 40 English-majored sophomores to find out the learner’s
difficulties and problems they encountered in writing paragraphs before and after the course using
scaffolding. The participants’ writing performances (pre-test and post-test) were also collected for
giving feedback and recording their writing achievements. The findings support the idea that
through scaffolding, students learn how to adopt the strategy, so they find it easier to write
paragraphs effectively. Furthermore, the result reveals using scaffolding techniques in writing
lessons improves learners’ autonomy and writing competence.
Keywords: Scaffolding techniques, writing achievement, paragraph writing, UNETI
1. INTRODUCTION
Writing has been regarded as the most demanding skill to master among the four major
English language skills. Writing poses a challenge for students since it involves creating and
organizing ideas and transforming them into coherent, readable text (Gibbons, 2002). To convey
ideas in written form, writers must be aware of several components such as vocabulary, grammar,
spelling, content, structure, and mechanics. They also experience problems generating ideas,
organizing them into paragraphs, and maintaining paragraph unity. Furthermore, the challenges
arise when the students do not have sufficient knowledge of style and writing strategy. In the search
for solutions to help students overcome difficulties in writing, the researcher found an increasing
global interest in examining the concept of scaffolding in the process of students’ learning. This
inspired the researcher to implement scaffolding in EFL writing classes through the writing process
to discover the effects and advancements it brings to students’ writing.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Scaffolding method
The term "scaffolding" initially referred to a temporary framework that was used to provide
support during the building or renovation process and intended to be taken down once construction
is complete. In an educational context, however, it’s associated with Vygotsky’s Sociocultural
Theory, which outlines essential principles of scaffolding for those learning English. This theory
stresses the influence of cultural, social, and historical factors on a child's cognitive development
(Pathan, Memon, Memon, Khoso, & Bux, 2018). The definition of scaffolding Bruner gave in 1978
is “providing temporary support as an instructional strategy”.
The following graphic illustrates the process of using the scaffolding method in teaching
academic writing.

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In terms of teaching how to write paragraphs, this process emphasizes teaching students the
genre of a paragraph and strengthens language mastery through direct instruction and practice. The
scaffolding writing process aligns with the stages of writing, supporting students by clarifying and
simplifying tasks. This approach encourages students to stay motivated and committed to improving
their writing skills. Bruner (1978) recommended several techniques for teachers to use in EFL
classrooms when scaffolding, such as sparking students' interest, breaking tasks into simpler steps,
managing student frustration, highlighting key points, and carefully addressing errors.
Build background: teachers spend time helping students understand the topic, build
background knowledge for the subject, and introduce the features of this type of paragraph.
Model the text: teachers support students by modeling the writing expectations in a sample
writing piece, and find or create a sample text that contains the language teachers would like
students to use. During this phase, teachers use the model text to walk through target language
structures and choose a few language structures to notice together.
Joint Construction: teachers lead students through collaborative writing and learning, and
build bridges from knowing some language to creating a coherent text. Joint construction requires a
teacher’s direction and high student engagement.
Independent Construction: teachers plan time for independent writing and feedback. This
stage includes:
• Self-reflection
Allow time for students to evaluate their own writing
• Peer review
Let students give and receive peer feedback before producing a final writing piece
• Publishing the writing
Provide opportunities for students to publicly share their work with their classmates or others
2.2. The writing process
In traditional teaching methods, the focus was primarily on the final written product.
However, in modern methodologies, learners are guided through the entire writing process,
allowing them to experience writing as writers. Rather than solely analyzing and correcting the final
product (typically done by the teacher), the writing process is broken down into several stages and
activities. As Graves suggests, these stages include prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and
publishing (Laksmi, 2006, pp. 145-146).
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The researcher has applied Graves’ five stages of the writing process to achieve the objectives
of the writing class. These stages are also more accessible in the context of an EFL classroom
(Laksmi, 2006, p. 146). Furthermore, Tompkins (1994) highlights that these stages, like those used
by real writers, are recursive rather than linear, meaning writers can move back and forth between
stages as needed. For example, after editing (Stage 4), learners might decide to return to revising
(Stage 3) to refine their work further, perhaps due to new ideas or additional information. This
ensures they eliminate any errors before publishing. In essence, each stage helps learners engage
with and reflect on their writing process (Laksmi, 2006, p. 146).
Stage 1: Prewriting
• Select a topic
• Collect and arrange ideas
• Create an outline
Stage 2: Drafting
• Compose a preliminary draft
• Focus on content without worrying about mechanics
Stage 3: Revising
• Reread their paragraph
• Present the writing to the teacher
• Take part in feedback discussions with the teacher
• Adjust the text based on feedback, focusing on major changes
Stage 4: Editing
• Review the composition
• Address any grammatical and mechanical issues
Stage 5: Publishing
• Finalize the text
• Publish in appropriate formats
• Present the completed work to the teacher
In the Writing 2 course, English-majored sophomores at UNETI have to acquire the features
of a paragraph and learn how to write 5 types of paragraphs including definition, process,
descriptive, opinion, and narrative paragraphs. The textbook “Great Writing 2” is suitable for
conducting this research as it also introduces the writing process with 7 steps.
Step 1: Choosing a topic
Step 2: Brainstorming
Step 3: Outlining
Step 4: Writing the first draft
Step 5: Getting feedback from a peer
Step 6: Revising the first draft
Step 7: Proofreading the final draft
However, this study adopts Graves’ five-stage writing process, which is more general but still
covers these 7 steps, to implement the writing process approach in the EFL classroom, as illustrated
in Figure 3.

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Stage 1: Prewriting
• Choosing a topic
• Brainstorming
• Outlining
Stage 2: Drafting
• Writing the first draft
Stage 3: Revising
• Getting feedback from a peer and the teacher
Stage 4: Editing
• Revising the first draft
Stage 5: Publishing
• Proofreading the final draft
3. METHODS
3.1. Settings
The four English language skills are equally important and are incorporated into teaching
English language students at UNETI. However, based on the researcher’s experience, students often
demonstrate weaker proficiency in writing. They frequently face challenges in generating ideas,
constructing sentences, and organizing paragraphs. To address this issue, this experimental study
examined the impact of scaffolding techniques combined with the stages of the writing process on
the paragraph-writing skills of English majors at UNETI.
The research utilized a Quasi-Experimental Research design, as the researcher lacked control
over the selection and arrangement of participants, making this approach practical. Two classes
were selected for the study: one class of 20 students served as the experimental group, while 20
students from a larger 45-student class were chosen for a non-randomized control group after
completing a pre-test to ensure homogeneity between the groups. At the end of the course, a post-
test was administered to measure the effectiveness of the scaffolding techniques applied during the
writing process.
The study was conducted during the Writing 2 course. Following an initial lesson on
paragraph structure, both groups took a pre-test. Over the next 12 weeks, the experimental group
received weekly instruction incorporating scaffolding techniques, while the control group continued
with traditional methods. At the end of the 12 weeks, both groups completed a post-test to assess the
impact of the scaffolding approach.
Research instruments included the pre-test and post-test, as well as a scoring rubric used to
evaluate the student’s written paragraphs. The pre-test and post-test were administered during the
second and fourteenth weeks, respectively, to measure progress. The student’s written work was
collected for analysis, and the scoring rubric provided a standardized framework for grading their
writings.
3.2. Data collection and analysis
For qualitative analysis, data were collected through pre-tests and post-tests to better
understand and determine the effects resulting from scaffolding. The pre-test ensured the two
groups were homogeneous and provided a basis for selecting statistical parameters for analyzing the
post-test. The post-test was administered after the scaffolding techniques were implemented to
measure the achievement of the study's objectives. In both before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the
treatment, students were required to write a paragraph selecting from given topics. The time limit

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for each test was 45 minutes, and students were asked to write a 200-250-word paragraph,
consisting of a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence. The word limit
ensured the paragraphs had a uniform length, making grading more consistent. Additionally, the
researcher provided instructions on how the paragraph would be scored.
The two topics were given in the pre-test for students to choose are:
1. Write about a famous living person. What does this person do? Why is he/ she famous?
2. Write about your favorite season. What do you do during this season? How does it make
you feel?
In the post-test, students had to choose one from two given topics:
1. Write about an important lesson that you have learned from a real experience.
2. Write about the most memorable movie you have seen.
Multiple topics were given with the hope that students could choose what interests them most,
which makes them take advantage of their strengths. To analyze the data from the pre-test and post-
test, each member’s score was totaled and then got average division. This formula was used to
analyze the writing tests from both the experimental and control groups. The post-test analysis
assessed the effectiveness of the scaffolding technique.
For quantitative analysis, a questionnaire was also administered to gauge the attitudes of
students in both groups regarding their problems and achievements after the course. This
questionnaire included 10 close-ended questions which were translated into Vietnamese to avoid
misunderstandings.
3.3. Research questions
The study attempted to answer the following research questions:
• How does scaffolding within the writing process influence students’ paragraph writing
skills?
• Is there a notable difference in writing performance between the experimental and control
groups following the intervention?
• How do students in the experimental group perceive the effect of scaffolding on their
paragraph writing skills?
4. FINDINGS
In order to respond to the first research question, the researcher compared the pre-test average
score and the post-test average score of the experimental group. The pre-test average score of both
groups was 5,3, but the post-test scores were 7,6 and 6,5 for experimental and control groups,
respectively. Hence, the experimental group members’ scores increased by 2,3 points. Meanwhile,
this number in the non-randomized control group is 1,2. It can be concluded that using scaffolding
through the writing process enhances students’ paragraph writing performance.
As the data analysis reveals, the experimental group achieved a higher average post-test score
of 7.6 compared to 6.5 for the control group although both groups started from the same baseline.
This suggests a significant distinction in paragraph writing abilities between the participants in the
experimental and control groups as evidenced by the experimental group’s scores surpassing those
of the control group after the intervention.
To answer the third research question, the data collected from the questionnaire was analyzed.

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Table 1. Questionnaire analysis of the experimental group

Number of participants chosen
1 2 3 4 5
No Item Not Not Average Well
Very
very well
well
well
I am capable of brainstorming effectively to
1 0 2 4 8 6
gather ideas before writing.
I can create an outline to structure my thoughts
2 0 1 4 6 9
ahead of writing logically.
I can formulate a strong topic sentence that
3 clearly states a paragraph's topic and controlling 1 3 4 6 6
idea.
I can enrich the paragraph with explanations,
4 examples, reasons, facts, personal experiences, 1 2 3 7 7
and definitions…
I can formulate a well-written concluding
5 0 2 1 10 7
sentence.
I can utilize proper vocabulary to convey my
6 1 2 3 11 3
message clearly to the reader.
7 I can vary my sentence structures in my writing. 1 1 3 7 8
I can review my writing to identify
8 grammatical, spelling, vocabulary, and 0 2 2 12 4
organization mistakes.
I can recognize issues in my writing and take
9 0 3 2 10 5
steps to improve them.
I can edit my writing to improve its clarity and
10 1 1 5 9 4
structure.
Total: 200 5 19 31 86 59
Percentage 2,5 9,5 15,5 43 29,5
The questionnaire results in Table 1 indicate that respondents felt confident in writing
paragraphs and were able to work independently to address challenges during the writing process.
Analysis revealed that 43% of students felt they could write paragraphs well, and 29.5% felt they
could write them very well, compared to only 18% and 4%, respectively, in the control group.
Table 2. Questionnaire analysis of the control group
Number of participants chosen
1 2 3 4 5
No Item
Not very Not Average Well Very
well well well
I am capable of brainstorming effectively to
1
gather ideas before writing. 3 4 12 1 0
I can create an outline to structure my
2
thoughts ahead of writing logically. 2 2 12 3 1

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I can formulate a strong topic sentence that

3 clearly states a paragraph's topic and
controlling idea. 3 3 8 5 1
I can enrich the paragraph with
4 explanations, examples, reasons, facts,
personal experiences, and definitions… 2 4 6 6 2
I can formulate a well-written concluding
5
sentence. 1 7 5 7 0
I can utilize proper vocabulary to convey
6
my message clearly to the reader. 2 4 4 6 4
I can vary my sentence structures in my
7
writing. 5 8 6 1 0
I can review my writing to identify
8 grammatical, spelling, vocabulary, and
organization mistakes. 4 5 9 2 0
I can recognize issues in my writing and
9
take steps to improve them. 5 9 5 1 0
I can edit my writing to improve its clarity
10
and structure. 5 8 3 4 0
Total: 200 32 54 70 36 8
Percentage 16 27 35 18 4
Reflections from participants in both groups suggested that scaffolding in writing helped ease
their difficulties and reduced frustration with making errors, ultimately facilitating improvements in
their paragraph writing skills.
5. DISCUSSION
The results are discussed concerning the research questions that were initially posed. To
address these questions, the findings from various data analyses were combined and summarized.
Regarding the impact of scaffolding on students’ writing performance, the experimental group had
higher post-test scores compared to the control group. The post-test demonstrates that members of
the experimental group made fewer mistakes in word choice, tense, subject-verb agreement, and
sentence structure than the control group. Their writings also have better organization and include
various types of sentences. This can be explained due to the peer feedback and the teacher’s cues
that they receive during the course. These prompts were given in the form of encircled morphemes
or phrases to indicate the need for students to revise. Through consistent practice, students in the
experimental group gradually gain the ability to identify mistakes and self-correct. This idea aligns
with Myles's (2006) hypothesis, which emphasizes that feedback is essential in the writing process,
as improvement is unlikely to happen without individualized guidance and constructive critique of
errors.
The experimental group showed greater improvement in their post-test compared to their pre-
test, which is attributed to the combined use of scaffolding and the writing process, which provided
a more effective foundation for helping students write well in English. In contrast, students who
only received theoretical explanations of the writing process, without scaffolding or practical
application, showed less progress. These students fail to achieve satisfactory results in writing due

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to their limited experience, insufficient knowledge, and lack of confidence (Richard & Renandya,
2002; Ismail, 2010; Kara, 2013; Manphonsri et al., 2013). This assertion is supported by the
findings of Omoniyi & Torru (2018), Ikawati (2020), Lhadon & Wangmo (2022), Narina (2022),
and Tabib (2022), who highlight that scaffolded peer interaction helps students build language
autonomy by connecting conversational language to academic discourse in both spoken and written
forms.
Additionally, the questionnaire analysis, which examined participants’ reflections on their
proficiency, confirmed that this approach led to improvements in students’ paragraph writing
performance and their self-confidence. Students who received scaffolding techniques are more
independent in thinking and planning for their writing. Meanwhile, the percentage of students who
feel unconfident in writing paragraphs in the control group (42%) is much higher than that of the
experimental group (12%).
6. CONCLUSION
Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that implementing scaffolding within the
writing process positively influences English-majored students’ paragraph writing skills. The
study’s results demonstrated that scaffolding combined with the writing process was more effective
than traditional approaches in enhancing students’ abilities to write paragraphs. Consequently,
students were more motivated to continue practicing and improving their writing skills.
Furthermore, there are several important conclusions drawn from these findings as outlined
follow:
1. Scaffolded writing helps students improve their paragraph writing skills, even those
with limited English proficiency.
2. Working through the writing process in combination with scaffolding equips learners,
with the essential skills needed for appropriate and effective paragraph writing.
3. English-majored students who once struggled with writing have developed a greater
understanding of how to collect and apply information in their paragraphs with confidence.
4. The scaffolding technique has also helped students become more independent learners
by identifying their strengths and weaknesses and working to improve them.
5. With the right guidance from teachers during mini-lessons, students learn to organize
their writing and independently correct errors during the reviewing and editing stages before the
final draft.
6. Scaffolding not only enhances students' writing but also supports the development of
other language skills (reading, speaking, listening), as they apply feedback from writing to these
areas.
7. The study demonstrates that scaffolding techniques are more effective in improving
students' writing abilities than traditional methods, where instructors only provide theoretical
knowledge and instructions.
8. Additionally, scaffolding effectively minimizes students' confusion by employing
strategies such as modeling, providing clear explanations, and verifying their understanding. These
techniques were especially helpful in tackling complex writing concepts, as the instructor stressed
that such methods make challenging topics more comprehensible.
9. Finally, scaffolding serves as a strategy to provide students with temporary support,
enabling them to complete tasks and later use their experience to tackle subsequent tasks

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independently. With the ultimate aim of transferring responsibility from teachers to students,
scaffolding can be effectively incorporated into writing instruction through a genre-based approach,
focusing on different types of paragraphs. This method offers a step-by-step guide to help students
become independent writers and is suitable for learners at all proficiency levels, though it is
particularly beneficial for young or beginner learners.

REFERENCES
Bruner, J. (1978). The child’s concept of language (241-255). New York: Springer Verlag.
Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning: Teaching Second Language
Learners in the Mainstream Classroom. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Graves, Donald H. (1983). Teachers and Children at Work. Heinemann Educational Books.
Hammond, J. (2001). Scaffolding: A Focus on Teaching and Learning in Literacy Education.
Australia: PETA.
Hogan, K., & Pressley, M. (1997). Scaffolding Student Learning. Canada: Brookline Books.
Laksmi, E. D. (2006). “Scaffolding” Students’ Writing in EFL Class: Implementing Process
Approach. TEFLIN Journal, Vol 17, No 2.
Tompkins, G. E. (1994) Teaching Writing: Balancing Process and Product. Columbus: Merrill.

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ỨNG DỤNG HOẠT ĐỘNG NHÓM TRONG HỌC PHẦN

THIẾT KẾ GIÁO ÁN VÀ PHÁT TRIỂN TÀI LIỆU DẠY HỌC
Hoàng Thị Thu Hà
Đại học Hồng Đức

TÓM TẮT
Ứng dụng của hoạt động nhóm trong việc giảng dạy ngoại ngữ và tác động của hoạt động
nhóm từ lâu đã có cơ sở vững chắc qua những nghiên cứu khoa học trong và ngoài nước. Viêc tổ
chức hoạt động nhóm trong các giờ học của Khoa Ngoại Ngữ, trường Đại học Hồng Đức luôn được
duy trì thường xuyên để đảm bảo phát huy tính chủ động, sáng tạo và phát triển kỹ năng giao tiếp,
cộng tác để chuẩn bị cho sinh viên làm quen với môi trường làm việc sau tốt nghiệp mà vẫn đảm
bảo được mục tiêu và chuẩn đầu ra của môn học. Theo phân phối chương trình và Đề cương chi tiết
học phần, tác giả đã tổ chức các hoạt động làm nhóm cho sinh viên ở hoạt động thiết kế Task (bài
tập) trong quá trình giảng dạy học phần Thiết kế giáo án và phát triển tài liệu dạy học ở 3 nhóm sinh
viên năm thứ 4 Đại học Sư phạm Tiếng Anh khoa Ngoại Ngữ trường ĐH Hồng Đức. Qua trình tổ
chức hoạt động nhóm bao gồm lập danh sách, lên kế hoạch, phân công hoạt động, báo cáo kết quả
định kỳ và nộp báo cáo tổng kết. Ngoài những kết quả khả quan về chất lượng bài tập của các nội
dung làm theo nhóm, mức độ nhận thức, kỹ năng suy luận, phản biện của sinh viên cũng được cải
thiện đáng kể.
Từ khóa: sinh viên, tài liệu dạy học, thảo luận nhóm, thiết kế giáo án.

1. ĐẶT VẤN ĐỀ
Trong quá trình giảng dạy các học phần Tiếng Anh, tổ chức hoạt động thảo luận nhóm luôn
luôn là cách hiệu quả trong việc tạo không khí hứng thú cho lớp học đồng thời phát huy tính tích
cực của những thành viên trong nhóm. Một trong những kết quả thành công của việc tổ chức hoạt
động nhóm là người học gia tăng tính năng động sáng tạo, tích cực cộng tác với các thành viên khác
trong nhóm. Rèn luyện các kỹ năng hoạt động nhóm, kỹ năng và tư duy phản biện trong việc lên kế
hoạch, nhận biết và giải quyết vấn đề. Để nâng cao hiệu quả của các giờ thảo luận nhóm, giáo viên
phải nắm vững các nguyên tắc của phương pháp tổ chức nhóm và có thể kết hợp, vận dụng các
phương pháp để phát huy tính tự giác, tích cực của người học. Hơn nữa, trong phạm vi môn học
Thiết kế giáo án và phát triển tài liệu dạy học, yêu cầu bài tập thiết kế các hoạt động và soạn giáo án
đòi hỏi tư duy tổng hợp và phản biện, làm việc nhóm sẽ rất hữu ích rất nhiều cho người học khi có
thể đồng thời huy động được sức mạnh tập thể trong quá trình lên ý tưởng, thực hiện hoạt động và
phản biện kết quả trước khi hoàn thành sản phẩm và nộp cho giáo viên.
2. NỘI DUNG
2.1. Cơ sở lý luận
2.1.1. Hoạt động nhóm
Tổ chức hoạt động nhóm trong nhà trường phổ thông hay các cấp cao hơn đối với các môn
học chuyên ngành Tiếng Anh là vô cùng quan trọng để người học có thể phát triển các kỹ năng
mềm như kỹ năng giao tiếp đồng thời rèn luyện khả năng sử dụng ngôn ngữ Tiếng Anh trong các
hoạt động. Bên cạnh việc tạo cơ hội cho người học sử dụng tiếng Anh để giao tiếp, hoạt động thảo

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luận nhóm còn có thể mang lại cho người học nhiều tác động tích cực hơn nữa trong quá trình nâng
cao chất lượng bài tập.
Dưới đây là một số các hiệu quả của hoạt động nhóm có thể đem lại trong các giờ học Tiếng
Anh nói chung
Thời lượng học sinh tham gia hoạt động trong môn học và đóng góp ý kiến sẽ gia tăng. Điều
này đơn giản vì khi thảo luận trong nhóm ít sinh viên, thời gian tham gia xây dựng vào hoạt động
của mỗi thành viên sẽ lớn hơn rất nhiều thời gian học sinh tham gia xây dựng bài trong các hoạt
động chung của cả lớp quy mô đông học viên.
Hơn nữa, hoạt động nhóm trong giờ học tiếng Anh sẽ tạo ra môi trường thoải mái, giảm tải áp
lực khi học sinh không phải trả lời trước lớp đông người hay trước giáo viên. Học sinh sẽ giải tỏa
được tâm lý sợ trả lời không đúng, sợ các bạn đánh giá mà có thể tự tin thể hiện quan điểm riêng.
Các thành viên trong nhóm sẽ có thêm nhiều cơ hội để giúp nhau và chỉ bảo cho nhau những kiến
thức mình biết trong lĩnh vực được phân công.
Cuối cùng, hoạt động nhóm sẽ góp phần vào hình thành môi trường lớp học theo bản chất lấy
người học làm trung tâm, giáo viên không còn giữ vai trò là người truyền đạt kiến thức mà là người
điều hành lớp học, giúp học sinh có thể phát triển khả năng và tự mình tìm kiếm, nắm giữ tri thức.
2.1.2. Tiền đề thuận lợi và khó khăn khi áp dụng thảo luận nhóm với môn học.
2.1.2.1. Tiền đề thuận lợi
Các lớp tham gia trong nghiên cứu thuộc chuyên ngành Sư phạm tiếng Anh, đầu vào điểm cao
và đã học xong rất nhiều học phần chuyên ngành nên sẽ có khả năng lập luận tốt. Các em đã từng
tham gia thuyết trình và làm việc nhóm ở các học phần trước nên hoàn toàn đã quen với việc hoạt
động nhóm và trình bày ý kiến trước nhóm.
Do đã là sinh viên năm cuối, sinh viên đã được trang bị các kỹ năng tự học và khai thác các
nguồn thông tin từ tài liệu tham khảo, từ thư viện cũng như từ các nguồn đáng tin cậy trên Internet.
Dụng cụ và thiết bị hỗ trợ cho làm việc nhóm được cung cấp đầy đủ, các bạn sinh viên đều đã
có laptop cá nhân.
2.1.2.2. Khó khăn, hạn chế khi tổ chức các hoạt động nhóm
Thời lượng tiết học dành cho môn học thường được quy định chặt chẽ trong chương trình.
Nếu tổ chức hoạt động thảo luận nhóm quá thường xuyên, thời lượng dạy học sẽ bị thu hẹp. Điều
này dẫn đến khả năng giáo viên sẽ không thể đào sâu kiến thức mới cũng như củng cố, mở rộng nội
dung chương trình. Nếu nội dung của bài học không được triển khai khoa học, tiết dạy sẽ không có
chất lượng và khó có thể đạt được mục tiêu của giờ học để đảm bảo tiến độ chương trình mặc dù
thảo luận nhóm là một trong những phương pháp dạy học tiếng Anh có thể phát huy tính tích cực
của người học.
Khi tổ chức hoạt động nhóm cho học sinh, nếu giáo viên không có các biện pháp và hình thức
quản lý chặt chẽ sẽ dẫn đến tình huống các thành viên trong nhóm không rõ các nội dung mình cần
phải thực hiện, hoặc các thành viên tích cực làm thay và làm hết các công việc cho các học sinh yếu
kém và ít năng động hơn, một số thành viên có thể lấy việc riêng ra làm, hoặc các bạn thảo luận
những nội dung khác, nói chuyện riêng.
Hoạt động thảo luận nhóm trong giờ học tiếng Anh có đặc thù riêng, có thể gây nên tình trạng
ồn ào, mất tập trung trong lớp, hoặc nếu giáo viên minh họa không rõ ràng và đưa nhận xét không
cụ thể, những giờ thảo luận nhóm tiếp theo có thể không hiệu quả. Học sinh có thể theo đà và bị
hổng kiển thức.

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2.1.3. Học phần Thiết kế giáo án và phát triển tài liệu dạy học
Học phần Thiết kế giáo án và Phát triển tài liệu dạy học được thiết kế là học phần bắt buộc ở
học kỳ thứ 7 gồm 27 tiết lý thuyết và 36 tiết thực hành.
Học phần bao gồm các bài học về các vấn đề cơ bản trong phát triển tư liệu dạy học tiếng
Anh: Khái niệm về tư liệu dạy học và phát triển tư liệu dạy học, vai trò và phạm vi của việc phát
triển tư liệu dạy học trong giảng dạy tiếng Anh, cách thức và các tiêu chí đánh giá sách giáo khoa,
vận dụng sách giáo khoa trong giảng dạy. Những bất lợi và lợi ích trong việc áp dụng sách giáo
khoa, chuẩn bị tài liệu cho một khoá học, bản chất của việc phát triển tư liệu dạy học, phát triển tư
liệu và các cách điều chỉnh quản lý tư liệu dạy học. Cách thức thiết kế các bài tập cho một khoá
học, tiêu chí thiết kế các bài tập, các thành phần của bài tập, và cách lựa chọn các bài tập để sử dụng
trong chương trình dạy học tiếng Anh phổ thông.
2.2. Phương pháp nghiên cứu
2.2.1. Phạm vi và đối tượng nghiên cứu
Đối tượng của nghiên cứu gồm 96 sinh viên chuyên ngành Sư phạm tiếng Anh năm thứ 4 của
Khoa Ngoại Ngữ, trường Đại học Hồng Đức.
2.2.2. Mục tiêu của nghiên cứu
Áp dụng kinh nghiệm tổ chức hoạt động theo nhóm trong việc dạy học Tiếng Anh, đưa ra một
số bài tập phù hợp với hoạt động theo nhóm, nghiên cứu tác động của việc hoạt động nhóm trong
việc phát huy tính tính cực, phát triển các kỹ năng và nâng cao hiệu quả của các bài tập, đồng thời
góp phần đề xuất một số ý kiến để hoàn thiện cách thức tổ chức hoạt động nhóm trong học phần,
phân công nhiệm vụ, quản lý hoạt động nhóm để đạt kết quả tốt nhất.
2.2.3. Thời gian nghiên cứu
10 tuần, từ tháng 15/ 8/ 2024 đến 5/ 11/2024
2.2.4. Phương pháp nghiên cứu
Tác giả dùng hai phương pháp chính gồm cả định tính và định lượng là dùng bảng câu hỏi
khảo sát, nghiên cứu kết quả bài tập nhóm và quan sát lớp học.
2.2.5. Quá trình thực hiện
Khi vào đầu kỳ học, giáo viên giới thiệu chính sách môn học cụ thể, bao gồm hoạt động nhóm
và rubric chấm điểm. Sinh viên khi nhận nhiệm vụ sẽ lên kế hoạch hoạt động, tổ chức hoạt động và
báo cáo kết quả cho giáo viên. Giáo viên là người theo dõi hoạt động nhóm, giám sát các hoạt động
và đưa ra nhận xét cho kết quả của từng nhóm.
Hoạt động nhóm bao gồm chọn nguồn dữ liệu, chỉnh sửa bài tập, thiết kế bài tập và soạn giáo án.
2.3. Kết quả nghiên cứu và thảo luận
2.3.1. Kết quả từ bảng câu hỏi khảo sát
Bảng 1: Các lợi ích của việc tổ chức hoạt động nhóm trong môn học
Tạo môi trường Phát triển Tăng sự tự tin trong Gia tăng hứng
thoải mái trong tư duy các hoạt động thú với môn học
lớp học phản biện

Rất đồng ý 16,7% 16,2% 7,3% 6,3%

Đồng ý 82,3% 93,8% 89,6% 85,4%

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Không ý kiến 1% 0 3,1% 8,3%

Không đồng ý 0 0 0 0
Rất không đồng 0 0 0 0
ý
Theo kết quả khảo sát, đa số sinh viên đồng ý rằng hoạt động thảo luận nhóm sẽ tạo môi
trường thoải mái trong lớp học, phát triển tư duy phản biện, tăng sự tự tin và gia tăng hứng thú đối
với môn học (ứng với 82%, 93,8%, 89,6% và 85,4%). Phần còn lại rất đồng ý rằng hoạt động nhóm
mang lại những lợi ích này. Chỉ có từ 1% đến 8,3% sinh viên không thể hiện rõ thái độ cả mình. Kết
quả khảo sát cũng cho thấy Phát triển tư duy phản biện và Tăng sự tự tin trong các hoạt động là
những lợi ích rõ nhất được phần đông sinh viên lựa chọn nhất.

Kết quả khảo sát về hoạt động phù hợp nhất trong thảo luận nhóm cho thấy chỉnh sửa bài tập
và Thiết kế bài tập là hai hoạt động có phần lớn sinh viên nhận thấy là phù hợp nhất với hoạt động
thảo luận nhóm (44,8% và 31,3%) Chỉ 12,5 % sinh viên lựa chọn hoạt động tìm nguồn tài liệu dạy
học là cần thiết thảo luận và 11,4% sinh viên cần soạn giáo án theo nhóm.

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Với sự phân công chặt chẽ và báo cáo nhiệm vụ cá nhân cụ thể từng tuần, có tới 47,9% sinh
viên tham gia thường xuyên vào hoạt động thảo luận nhóm, không có sinh viên nào cảm thấy mình
không tham gia vào các hoạt động.
2.3.2. Kết quả từ ghi chép, quan sát lớp học và chất lượng các bài tập
Qua quan sát sự tham gia các hoạt động trên lớp của sinh viên, các nhóm rất sôi nổi trong thảo
luận. Kết quả đánh giá bài tập cũng thấy chất lượng bài tập nhóm là cao hơn hẳn so với các bài tập
làm cá nhân, thể hiện ở độ đa dạng, phù hợp của các bài tập và giáo án Thiết kế cho học sinh lớp
10,11, 12.
2.4. Một số bài học kinh nghiệm khi tổ chức hoạt động nhóm
Qua quá trình tiến hành nghiên cứu, tác giả đưa ra các đề xuất sau để tiếp tục phát huy các
thuận lợi và hạn chế các vấn đề có thể gặp phải khi tổ chức các hoạt động nhóm của môn học Thiết
kế giáo án và Phát triển tài liệu dạy học như sau.
2.4.1. Về phía giáo viên
Đối với giáo viên, việc cần làm trước tiên là phải nắm thật vững chương trình môn học, sắp
xếp hợp lý các nội dung chuẩn bị thảo luận. Cần có rubric chấm điểm và phổ biến chính sách làm
việc nhóm rõ ràng trước lớp. Giáo viên cũng cần quy định rõ kế hoạch và cách phân chia công việc
của các thành viên trong nhóm để đảm bảo tính công bằng. Việc phổ biến rubric và nội duy từ đầu
sẽ khiến cho hoạt động nhóm được tổ chức một cách có kế hoạch và hiệu quả hơn. Mỗi nhóm sẽ
cần có nhóm trưởng hoặc thư ký làm nhiệm vụ quản lý và ghi chép nhật ký nhóm. Số lượng thành
viên trong nhóm có thể thay đổi tùy theo hoạt động của các học phần khác nhau, tuy nhiên số lượng
thành viên tối đa không nên quá 5 sinh viên trong 1 nhóm.
Đối với nội dung của hoạt động thảo luận, giáo viên nên xác định những nội dung phát huy tư
duy sáng tạo và phản biện của sinh viên, những hoạt động được thiết kế ở mức độ vừa sức để học
sinh có thể tự thử thách khả năng của mình nhưng phải đảm bảo tính mới mẻ và ứng dụng cao trong
hoạt động giảng dạy sau này.
Chuẩn bị to và bảng tờ phân công công việc, theo dõi qua từng giờ thảo luận để đánh giá sự
tham gia của các sinh viên trong nhóm.
Giáo viên cũng cần khuyến khích sự phản biện giữa các nhóm bằng cách cộng điểm thưởng
cho những sinh viên có góp ý chính xác khi nghe báo cáo của nhóm khác trong lớp.
2.4.2. Về phía sinh viên
Sinh viên cần nghe kỹ chính sách của môn học và chấp hành đúng theo nội quy, quy định của
các môn học. Đồng thời, cần tham gia vào các hoạt động nhóm theo sự phân công của nhóm trưởng
và thư ký, chú ý nghe chữa bài để theo dõi và chính sửa nội dung theo góp ý của giáo viên.
3. KẾT LUẬN
Nâng cao chất lượng môn học và phát huy tính sáng tạo của người học luôn là mục tiêu mà
giáo viên luôn muốn hướng đến. Đặc biệt với các học phần chuyên ngành tiếng Anh, đòi hỏi tư duy
phản biện và tính sáng tạo cao. Tổ chức hoạt động nhóm là một trong những phương pháp có thể
giúp người dạy và người học đạt được mục tiêu này, đồng thời gia tăng tính mới mẻ và thú vị của
tiết học.
Thiết kế giáo án và phát triển tài liệu dạy học là một học phần chuyên ngành tiếng Anh của
sinh viên chuyên ngành Sư phạm tiếng Anh, và thảo luận nhóm đem lại những lợi ích rất rõ ràng
trong việc phát triển tư duy phản biện, tăng sự tự tin cũng như nâng cao chất lượng bài tập. Tuy
nhiên, để đạt được mục tiêu này, giáo viên cần nắm vững nội dung và yêu cầu của môn học, đầu tư

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chuẩn bị kỹ lưỡng về nội dung và bài tập, kết hợp phiếu theo dõi công việc và phân chia nhóm hợp
lý, khuyến khích sinh viên khá, giỏi hỗ trợ sinh viên yếu hơn để chất lượng của bài tập nhóm cũng
như khả năng của sinh viên được phát triển.

TÀI LIỆU THAM KHẢO

Phạm Thùy Chi (2019). Tổ chức hoạt động cặp, nhóm trong dạy học Ngoại Ngữ- Một số vận dụng
trong giảng dạy tiếng Việt. Kỷ yếu Hội thảo Quốc tế Việt Nam học lần thứ tư.
Nunan. D. (1991). Language teaching methodology - a text book for teacher. New York: Prentice
Hall.
Richards. J. (2001). Curriculum Development in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press.

PHỤ LỤC 1: CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT DÀNH CHO SINH VIÊN

Bảng câu hỏi khảo sát này được thiết kế dành cho tham luận “Ứng dụng hoạt động nhóm
trong học phần Thiết kế giáo án và phát triển tài liệu dạy học”. Vui lòng giúp nhóm nghiên cứu
chúng tôi bằng cách hoàn thành lựa chọn cho những câu hỏi sau.
Câu hỏi 1: Anh chị nghĩ sao về môn Thiết kế giáo án và phát triển tài liệu dạy học
A: Rất khó B: Khó C: Bình thường D. Dễ
Câu hỏi 2: Anh chị có muốn có thêm các hoạt động và nội dung sáng tạo trong môn học?
A: Rất thích B: Thích
C: Không thích D: Bình thường E: Ghét
Câu hỏi 3: Khi tham gia môn học, hoạt động nhóm là một phương pháp hiệu quả để tạo ra
mội trường thoải mái trong lớp
A: Hoàn toàn đồng ý
B: Đồng ý
C: Không ý kiến
D: Không đồng ý
E: Hoàn toàn không đồng ý
Câu hỏi 4: Theo anh/chị, hoạt động thích hợp nhất để tổ chức thảo luận nhóm là
A. Tìm nguồn tài liệu
B. Chỉnh sửa bài tập
C. Thiết kế bài tập
D. Soạn giáo án
Câu hỏi 5: Giáo viên có thường xuyên tổ chức các hoạt động nhóm trong môn học không?
A: Rất thường xuyên B: Thường xuyên
C: Thỉnh thoảng D: Hiếm khi E: Không bao giờ
Câu hỏi 6: Anh chị có thường xuyên tham gia vào hoạt động nhóm khi được phân công?
A. Không bao giờ B. Hiếm khi C. Thỉnh thoảng
D. Thường thường E. Luôn luôn

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Câu hỏi 7: Anh chị có nhận thấy hoạt động nhóm hữu ích như thế nào trong môn học Thiết kế
giáo án và phát triển tài liệu dạy học?
A. Không giúp ích gì
B. Có ích một chút
C. Khá có ích
D. Rất có ích
E. Cực kỳ có ích
Câu hỏi 8: Chất lượng của bài tập có cải thiện nhiều khi các anh chị làm việc nhóm hay không?
A. Không cải thiện
B. Cải thiện chút ít
C. Cải thiện
D. Cải thiện đáng kể
E. Cải thiện rất nhiều
Câu hỏi 9: Hoạt động nhóm trong môn học làm gia tăng sự tự tin của người học
A: Hoàn toàn đồng ý
B: Đồng ý
C: Không ý kiến
D: Không đồng ý
E: Hoàn toàn không đồng ý
Câu hỏi 10: Hoạt động nhóm trong môn học làm củng cố tư duy phản biện
A: Hoàn toàn đồng ý
B: Đồng ý
C: Không ý kiến
D: Không đồng ý
E: Hoàn toàn không đồng ý
Câu hỏi 11: Hoạt động nhóm có giúp các anh chị gia tăng hứng thú với môn học không?
A: Hoàn toàn đồng ý
B: Đồng ý
C: Không ý kiến
D: Không đồng ý
E: Hoàn toàn không đồng ý
Câu hỏi 12: Các anh chị có khuyến nghị áp dụng hoạt động nhóm vào các học phần khác
ngoài học phần này không?
A. Tất nhiên không B. Có lẽ không C. Không biết
D. Chắc chắn có E. Có lẽ có
Câu hỏi 13: Các anh chị đánh giá hoạt động nhóm trong môn học này như thế nào nếu chấm
trong thang điểm từ 1 đến 10?
.....................................................................................................................
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Đề xuất của các anh chị cho hoạt động nhóm phù hợp hơn
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................

Cảm ơn vì sự cộng tác của anh chị!

PHỤ LỤC 2
Từ nội dung của tuần thực nghiệm, nhóm nghiên cứu đã chọn lọc và xây dựng chương trình áp
dụng cho từng nội dung hoạt động nhóm của các tuần học như sau:
Tuần Nội dung
1 Đánh giá sách giáo trình Global Tiếng Anh lớp 10

2 Chỉnh sửa bài tập trong sách cho tương thích với trình độ của học
sinh
3 Khảo sát các loại bài tập của kỹ năng Reading + Thiết kế bài tập cho
kỹ năng Reading
4 Khảo sát các loại bài tập của kỹ năng Listening + Thiết kế task cho
kỹ năng Listening
5 Khảo sát các loại bài tập của kỹ năng Nói + Thiết kế task cho kỹ
năng Speaking
6 Khảo sát các loại bài tập của kỹ năng Viết + Thiết kế task cho kỹ
năng Writing
7 Soạn giáo án mẫu lớp 10
8 Soạn giáo án mẫu lớp 11
9 Soạn giáo án mẫu lớp 12

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PHỤ LỤC 3: MỘT SỐ BÀI LÀM CỦA NHÓM SINH VIÊN

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PROBLEMS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING TRANSLATION RELATED TO

CULTURAL AWARENESS AT PHENIKAA UNIVERITY
Le Thi Thanh Mai
Phenikaa University

ABSTRACT
Language is the carrier of culture. The process of translation is to deal with cultural
differences, promoting cultural exchange. To translate two languages involving two different
cultures, translators should cultivate the profound and comprehensive culture knowledge as well as
the full familiarity with the language symbols so as to obtain the deep comprehension of the cultural
differences. This brings great task to translation teaching, which has the responsibility of cultivating
translators. The act of translation inside classroom undertakes a great deal of students’ mistakes
either grammatical or lexical. Many studies have concentrated on studying the reasons behind
committing such mistakes on the level of undergraduates. Cultural factors profoundly influence
language. Considering these elements early on in learning translation will enable students to
produce more accurate and relevant translations, lowering the likelihood of mistranslation and
promoting intercultural understanding. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate
students’ cultural awareness in learning translation and also to investigate students’ culture
acquisition and how it is applied in translation. Participants of the study were a group of 30 second -
year students of Class Translation 2-N01 majoring in English at Phenikaa University. The results of
the study show that students still had a relatively vague awareness of culture in their translation and
confirm that providing students with cultural knowledge in translation positively affected the
quality of their translation products. Some strategies on integrating culture into translation teaching
are also recommended to raise cultural awareness among students in order to improve the teaching
and learning translation at Phenikaa University.
Keywords: learning translation, cultural awareness, cultural factors

1. INTRODUCTION
Culture is recognised as an essential component in the translation process. Translators have to
pay careful attention to the cultural differences between two languages. As language skills are
mastered in certain level, learners are not simply equipped by their language structure, more over
they also need to support their current competences with cultural knowledge. According to Huong
Nguyen (2001), besides language barriers, translators need to overcome all cultural barriers to
ensure that readers of the translated text are provided with accurate information and the intended
message that the author of the original text wanted to deliver. Therefore, this study was carried out
to investigate students’ cultural awareness in learning translation and students’ culture acquisition in
translation. Besides, the researcher also wants to propose some strategies on integrating culture into
translation teaching are also recommended to raise cultural awareness among students in order to
improve the teaching and learning translation.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Translation
Newmark (1988) defines translation as the act of “rendering the meaning of a text into another
language in the way that the author intended the text”. Translation is, in fact, a converting process.

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Theoretically, a good translation should give its reader the same conception as what a native reader
gets from the original. Nida (2001) remarked that how to determine a good translation is the
response of the receptor to the translated message, and this message must then be compared with
the way in which the original receptors presumably reacted to the message when it was given in its
original setting. Catford (1965) explained that in translation there is no meaning equivalence, but
just the signifier equivalence. Because of the differences between the original language and the
target language, there exists the translation equivalence limitedness. This limitedness is not only
manifested in the meaning of words, grammatical features, but also manifested in cultural
differences more seriously
From the above investigation of translation as defined by various scholars, it appears that
adhering to the contextual meaning as intended by the author as well as having cultural knowledge
of the two languages are of vital role in the production of faithful translation.
2.2. Culture
Culture is an ambiguous and intriguing concept. And with the development of human
civilization, the word “culture” has more extended meanings. According to Marvin Harris (1993),
“…culture refers to the learned, socially acquired traditions that appear in rudimentary form among
mammals, especially primates.” (Harris, 1993, p.104) Larry A. Samovar, Porter and Stefani (2000),
in their works Communication Between Cultures (Third Edition), define culture as follows: “We
define culture as the deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, actions, attitudes, meanings,
hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and artifacts
acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.”
(Samovar, Porter & Stefani, 2000, p. 36). Just as Larry A. Samovar (2000) puts it, “Culture can
therefore include everything from rites of passage to concepts of the soul.” (Samovar, Porter &
Stefani, 2000, p.36).
Culture is a complex whole, which includes everything of the human society such as the
traditions, customs, norms, beliefs, values, attitudes, thought-patterns, experience, religion, etc. and
which can be learned and passed down from generation to generation.
2.3. Cultural Awareness in Translation
According to Jeremy Munday (2001), “The term translation itself has several meanings: it can
refer to the general subject field, the product (the translated text) or the process (the act of
translating). The process of translation between two different written languages involves the
translator changing an original written text in the original verbal language into a written text in a
different verbal language.” (Munday, 2001, p.4-5). According to Roman Jakobson, the Czech
structuralist, there are: intralingual translation, or an interpretation of verbal signs by means of other
signs of the same language; interlingual translation, or an interpretation of verbal signs by means of
some other language; and inter-semiotic translation, or an interpretation of verbal signs by means of
signs of non-verbal sign systems.
One of the most striking features in contemporary translation theory and practice is the
orientation towards culture transfer. Nida (1993) holds that translation is a reproduction of the
message of the original work by means of the transformation of the closest natural equivalent.” (Fu,
2004) Liao Qiyi (2000) also says, “cultural concepts, which underlines the variety of language
usage and language habits, come to be the key area of translation studies.” (Liao Qiyi, 2000, p.172)

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Nida (2001) holds the view that translation consists in reproducing in the receptor language
the closest natural equivalent of the source-language massage, first in terms of meaning and
secondly in terms of style.
Culture is an extremely complex concept and an enormous subject. It almost includes
everything in the development process of human society and almost embraces everything in the
world, no matter material or spiritual. Translation takes place between two languages, which are
separately intrinsic parts of a culture, and which are both culturally bound.
Cultural awareness, is, according to Tomalin and Stempleski, “the term we have used to
describe sensitivity to the impact of culturally induced behaviours on language use and
communication” (Tomalin & Stempleski, 1993, p.10). They think cultural awareness encompasses
three qualities: awareness of one’s own culturally induced behaviours; awareness of the culturally
induced behaviours of others; ability to explain one’s own cultural standpoint.
Translator, as a cultural mediator, is destined to be equipped with cultural awareness. So, in
order to attain intercultural awareness, foreign language teachers, especially, those who teach
translation, have to make the students know three qualities of awareness and should provide them
with maximum experience to reach the higher level of intercultural awareness.
2.4. Research Questions
The study will address the following research questions:
1. How much concern do students show for culture knowledge during their translation
learning?
2. How do students learn culture and How much culture is related to errors in their
translation?
3. What strategies and techniques can be used to integrate culture into classroom teaching?
3. METHODS
3.1. Settings
Based on the researcher’s experience, most students at Phenikaa University still performed the
weakness when translating texts in their daily practices. Most students at Phenikaa University when
being asked, said that translational approach only need their languages skills to produce adequate
translation. Most of them only focused on the grammatical structures in the target language without
considering that it is not the only aspect that will support their translation result. They also tended to
translate word by word and cannot avoid their prior knowledge in their first language where it still
hampered their translation into target language. Participants of the study were a group of 30 second
- year students of Class Translation 2-N01 majoring in English at Phenikaa University. Since they
have studied the subject “Culture in English-peaking countries” and “Translation 1” previously, the
researcher assumes that they have already owned cultural knowledge and cultural awareness both in
their language and English.
3.2. Data Collection & Analysis
Data collection was conducted through: Mid-term test and final test of Translation 1;
Survey Questionnaires; Interview.
The results from students’ mid-term test and their final test of Translation 1 indicated that
most of them have uncompleted knowledge about the important elements on how to translate

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correctly, especially those related to culture.

In order to have a clearer picture of the students’ cultural awareness, the author made a survey
among the students at Phenikaa University. The subjects of this study are 30 English majors in Class
N01. The questionnaire and the interview were designed to investigate the students to get some
general ideas of their cultural awareness, culture study and their opinions on the relationship
between culture learning and translation. Totally there were 9 questions. Questions 1, 2,7 are used to
find out whether the students have cultural awareness in learning foreign language. Questions 3,
4,5,6,8,9 are used to discover culture acquisition and its application in translation.
4. FINDINGS & DISCUSSION
4.1. Cultural Awareness
Questions 1-2-7 are used to investigate students’ cultural awareness. The result that the
students are lack of cultural knowledge and cultural awareness is found
From the data in table 1, in Class N01 most of the students didn’t pay much attention to
culture knowledge during their English learning, for 24 students, 80% of the whole class, which
constitutes a large portion of the whole, showed some or a little or even no concern for cultures
during their study.
In response to Q2, among the total of 30 students, 13 (43.4%) said that if the teacher didn’t
remind them, they couldn’t realize any cultural factors or they could if the teacher was introducing
culture knowledge.
For Question 7, 10 students, 66.7% of the total, said that they knew nothing or only a little
about the values in the western. They almost couldn’t point out any single point of difference
between the two cultures. 1 student (6.7%) said Western culture places a greater emphasis on
personal freedom, democracy, and human rights. In contrast, Eastern culture values social harmony,
duty, and respect for authority. 2 students (13.3%) confidently said about what they already knew,
and they mentioned in western countries, people tend to be more direct and assertive. In contrast,
people tend to be more indirect and avoid conflict in Eastern countries. They also mentioned some
other details. The other 2, that is, 13.3%, knew some from their own experience and from what they
learnt before. However, they couldn’t share knowledge properly.
Up to 12 students, 40% of the total, said that they knew nothing or only shared a little about
the western and the Eastern culture values. That means the students didn’t have much knowledge on
Western values, which plays a very important role in translation studying.
Obviously, most students in Class N01 have weak cultural awareness and don’t have some
basic culture-bound knowledge about English-speaking countries. To some extent, this finding
shows obviously the reason why the students couldn’t do a good job in their translation exercises,
especially in their tests in Translation 1. It is the lack of culture knowledge and cultural awareness
that directly causes some mistranslation or wrong translation. This finding again tells us that it is
emergency for the students to learn more about the western cultures and to strengthen their cultural
awareness.

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Table 1. Concern for culture in translation

Concern for culture in translation Percentage (%)
Don’t care 3,3% (1)
A little 33,3% (10)
Some 43,4% (13)
Quite 16,7% (5)
Very much 3,3% (1)
Table 2. Recognition of cultural factors in translation
Recognition of cultural factors in Percentage (%)
translation
Always Can’t 10% (3)
Can’t Unless the Teacher Reminds 33.3 % (10)
Sometimes Can 43.4% (13)
Always Can 10% (3)
Very clearly 3.3% (1)
4.2. Culture Acquisition and Its Application in Translation
Questions 3-4-5-6-8-9 are used to investigate students’ culture acquisition in English learning
and its application in translation. The findings show that the students in Class N01 mostly agreed
that culture knowledge was helpful in translation, the lack of which may cause their translation
errors, but they spent little time on culture learning and seldom carried out self-study in learning
cultural knowledge.
Table 3. the amount of material on Western cultures
Amount of material on Western cultures Percentage (%)
No 3.3% (1)
Few 16.7% (5)
A Few 46.7% (14)
Some 20% (6)
Many 13.3% (4)
When answering Q3, 1 (3.3%) said he had never read any books or watched on western
cultures, while 5 (16.7%) saying they had read few books or watched films in this field, but only 4
said he had read many books or watched films about cultures in English-speaking countries by the
time they did this investigation paper. This shows that the students in Class N01 seldom get exposed
to western cultures.
In response to Question 8, 2 (13.3%) said that sometimes they watched TV, went online or
talked to friends to get ideas about cultures. 1 student (6.7%) indicated that he learned culture by
travelling, and he went travelling quite often. 7 students (46.7%) said that they had no idea about
self-studying of culture, some of them said, they didn’t know what should be done in learning
culture. 5 among 15 students (33.3%) stated that they would not learn the knowledge about culture
but only depended on teacher’s instruction in the class or learnt from the subject of “Culture of
English-speaking countries” in the last semester. The data shows that most of students were too

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lazy, just waiting the teachers to tell them everything and they didn’t do self-study. That is one of
the reasons why they made some simple mistakes in Mid-term test and Final test of Translation 1.
Besides having a poor command of English, they don’t have some very visible, general culture
knowledge.
The results of Q4 shows that 10 (33.3%) of all had not spent any time on
culture learning by the time of the investigation, and 37 (23.4%) others answering the question with
the answers given by themselves. Among these three self-given answers, some were “learning it
whenever I was free” or “learn but not much” or “didn’t have fixed time”. Answers to Q5 are about
students’ opinions on how many hours should be spent on culture learning every week. 17 students
agreed that culture learning should take at least two or three hours each week, while 3 students gave
other answers, among which two said “as much as possible”, one stated “three to four hours”.
The findings in Q4, Q5 and Q8 reveals a fact that although most students think
culture should be emphasized in English language learning, they didn’t spend much time on it in
daily study. This can also reach the findings that they spent little time on culture knowledge study,
which may directly result in their lack of cultural awareness.
Table 4. Time spent on Culture Learning
Time spent on Culture Learning Percentage (%)
No 33.3% (10)
1 hour 30% (9)
2 hours 10% (3)
3 hours 3.3% (1)
Other opinions 23.4% (7)
Table 5. Time to be spent on Culture Learning
Time to be spent on Culture Learning Percentage (%)
No 6.7% (2)
1 hour 26.7% (8)
2 hours 33.3% (10)
3 hours 23.3% (7)
Other opinions 10% (3)
Table 6. Culture learning & Translation Correction
Culture learning & Translation Correction Percentage (%)
No 13.3% (4)
Little 30% (9)
Some 43.4% (13)
Much 3.3% (1)
Very much 10% (3)
Question 6 deals with how much culture learning is helpful to accurate and correct translation.
From table 6, it was agreed that culture learning did function in translation, with 13 (43.4%)
considering some help, 4 (13.3%) stating much help or great help.

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When asked about the main reason of their present mistranslation or wrong translation, 6
students said that they couldn’t find the exact meaning of words in the text or there were too many
meanings of a word. Mainly there were two aspects. One was that they didn’t know the literal
meanings of some words, because these were new words for them. The other was that they didn’t
understand the intensive meanings of some words, that is, they knew the words but couldn’t
understand them, especially those culture-specified ones. 1said he was too lazy to look up every
single word in the dictionary. He just guessed and wrote down. 2 students shared the opinion that
the most difficult thing was technical terms or special terms that they didn’t know. 6 students
revealed that the text was too long, and they didn’t understand the underlying meaning of the text. 1
student took the consideration of his lack of culture knowledge; and the rest gave other reasons.
So, the results and the discussion of the 9 questions both from the questionnaire and the
interview show us some common problems of the students in Class Translation 2 - N01 at Phenikaa
University:
- Most of them show little concern for culture learning during their study and have weak
culture awareness.
- Most of them don’t spend much time in learning culture.
- Most agree that culture knowledge is of some help or great help to translation and learning
of culture is related to some mistranslation or wrong translation in their translation exercises.
5. STRATEGIES ON CULTURE INTEGRATION IN TEACHING TRANSLATION
In order to improve students’ cultural awareness and cultural knowledge, the following
methods can be used in teaching translation.
5.1. Teaching Program
The following are some suggestions that may be practical under present circumstances.
a. Cultural awareness and cultural competence must be made goals in the English Teaching
Syllabus and Translation Teaching Syllabus at Phenikaa University; the syllabuses should include
some cultural items that the students need to learn and grasp.
b. Curriculum designers should keep in mind the cultural content courses. More optional
courses such as “Communication Across Culture”, “Language and Culture”, etc. should be provided
for the students to increase their cultural awareness and improve their translation competence.
c. Curriculum designers or teachers can introduce culture through extracurricular activities,
such as seeing foreign films, watching TV, intercultural communication, campus English festival,
etc., in which students can have the opportunities for direct contact with the host culture. Besides,
experts or foreigners can be invited to give lectures on different cultures in English-speaking
countries.
5.2. Teaching Methods
Teachers can use the following methods in teaching translation.
a. The Digging Method: This refers to digging out those culture-loaded words or expressions.
These words usually have their denotations and their connotations or associations, closely related to
their culture. There are so many culture-loaded words in both languages that are really obstacles to
learner’s understanding and translation.
b. Grammar Noted Method: Translation teachers need to remind students of grammatical
differences in the two languages as well as to impart translation skills and instruct knowledge with
culture specifics, for those grammatical phenomena also have target cultural characteristics.
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c. Example Comparison Method: Teachers can choose some examples of translations both in
English and in Vietnamese with distinct cultural background or characteristics and ask the students
to compare those translation versions to find out the best translated ones.
6. CONCLUSION
Culture teaching is in vital need to develop students’ cultural awareness and cultural
competence in foreign language teaching. However, how to raise culture awareness and how to
improve students’ cultural competence remains a question. The exploration in this study only
touches a very limited number of the issues.
The findings of the study have some implication for learners, teachers and also syllabus
designers. Learning and teaching translation would be more enjoyable and effective for students.
The findings may encourage teachers who still believe in traditional way of teaching translation to
change their viewpoints. Syllabus designers can embody sections related to culture into the
material.
By embracing innovative translation teaching strategies and conducting ongoing research,
teachers at Phenikaa University can better equip themselves with more skills to create an effective
an active studying environment and equip their students with cultural awareness and cultural
competence to enhance the quality of translation learning.

REFERENCES
Bassnett, Susan. (2001). Translation Studies (Third Edition). Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language
Education Press.
Catford, J.C. (1965). A Linguistic Theory of Translation. London: Oxford University Press.
Harris, M. (1993). Culture, People, Nature: An Introduction to General Anthropology. New
York: HarperCollins College Publishers.
Newmark, P. (1988). A Textbook of Translation. London: Prentice Hall.
Nida, E.A. (2001). Language and Culture: Context in Translating. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign
Language Education Press.
Samovar, Larry A., Porter, & Stefani. (2000). Communication Between Cultures (3rd ed.). Beijing:
Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Liao, Q. (2000). Contemporary Translation Studies in UK. Wuhan: Hubei Education Press
Munday, J. (2001). Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications. London: Routledge.
Nguyen, Thi Thanh Huong (2021). Nét Đặc Trưng Của Các Văn Bản Báo Dịch Từ Tiếng Anh Với
Vai Trò Truyền Tải Thông Điệp Văn Hóa Đến Việt Nam Trong Thời Kỳ Toàn Cầu Hóa. Ngôn
Ngữ & Đời Sống, No.11A (318).
Tomalin, B. & Stempleski. (1993). Cultural Awareness. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

APPENDIXES
1. SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES
A. Cultural Awareness
Question 1: Concern for culture in translation

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How much concern do you show for culture knowledge during your English learning? (please
choose one)
Don’t care
A little
Some
Quite
Very much

Question 2: Recognition of cultural factors in translation

When doing the translation exercises in the classroom, how clearly can you realize cultural
factors? (please choose one)
Always Can’t
Can’t Unless the Teacher Reminds
Sometimes Can
Always Can
Very clearly

B. Culture Acquisition and Its Application in Translation

Question 3: Amount of material on Western cultures
Have you watched any films or read any books or other materials on cultures in the western
countries during 8 weeks of Translation 1? (please choose one)
No
Few
A Few
Some
Many

Question 4: Time Spent on Culture Learning

At present, how many hours do you spend on culture learning in your English study outside class
each week?
No
1 hour
2 hours
3 hours
Other opinions ……………………….

Question 5. Time to be Spent on Culture Learning

How many hours do you think should be spent on culture learning in your English study outside
class each week?
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No
1 hour
2 hours
3 hours
Other opinions ……………………….

Question 6: Culture learning & Translation Correction

How much do you think culture learning has some help to correct and accurate translation?
(please choose one)
No
Little
Some
Much
Very much

II. INTERVIEW
A. Cultural Awareness
Question 8: Awareness of Western culture
What are differences between the Western culture and the Eastern culture?

B. Culture Acquisition and Its Application in Translation

Question 9: Culture Learning
How do you learn culture?

Question 10: Causes of Mistranslation

What is the main cause, do you think, of your mistranslation or wrong translation

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MỘT SỐ VẤN ĐỀ VỀ KIỂM TRA ĐÁNH GIÁ

TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH DU LỊCH
Trần Thị Tuyết Mai
Nguyễn Tất Thắng
Bùi Thị Là
Học viện Nông nghiệp Việt Nam

TÓM TẮT
Hoạt động kiểm tra đánh giá nói chung và đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành nói riêng luôn có
vai trò quan trọng trong việc dạy và học. Việc lựa chọn hình thức kiểm tra đánh giá phù hợp sẽ đáp
ứng được mục tiêu của môn học, giúp người học đạt được những kiến thức, kỹ năng cần thiết đồng
thời giúp giáo viên điều chỉnh hoạt động dạy học. Trong bài viết này, nhóm tác giả trình bày nguyên
tắc kiểm tra đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành dựa trên nguyên tắc chung về kiểm tra đánh giá ngoại
ngữ, đồng thời giới thiệu một số dạng bài tham khảo để kiểm tra đánh giá môn học tiếng Anh
chuyên ngành du lịch tại Khoa Du lịch và ngoại ngữ, Học viện Nông nghiệp Việt Nam.
Từ khóa: kiểm tra đánh giá ngoại ngữ, kiểm tra đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành du lịch,
nguyên tắc kiểm tra đánh giá

1. ĐẶT VẤN ĐỀ
Tiếng Anh cơ bản và tiếng Anh chuyên ngành chính là hai mảng lớn trong dạy và học ngoại
ngữ. Tiếng Anh cơ bản giúp người học có thể giao tiếp được trong những tình huống thường ngày
còn tiếng Anh chuyên ngành lại giúp người học giao tiếp trong những tình huống nghề nghiệp khác
nhau liên quan chặt chẽ đến công việc của họ (Rahman, 2015). Ngay từ đầu thập niên 60, tiếng Anh
chuyên ngành đã nổi lên như là một trong những mảng quan trọng nhất của dạy và học tiếng Anh.
Vì thế, hoạt động kiểm tra đánh giá đối với tiếng Anh chuyên ngành cũng ngày càng được coi trọng
trong những năm qua (Kırkgöz & Dikilitaş, 2018).
Kiểm tra đánh giá, dù theo hình thức truyền thống hay tân tiến, cũng luôn là một phần quan
trọng không thể tách rời trong phương pháp giảng dạy. Hoạt động kiểm tra đánh giá không chỉ giúp
sinh viên đo lường lượng kiến thức mình nắm được mà còn là công cụ giúp giáo viên xây dựng
chiến lược và xác định xem mục đích, mục tiêu của bài học hay khóa học có đạt được hay không.
Kiểm tra đánh giá trong tiếng Anh chuyên ngành đã vượt qua khuôn khổ của việc chỉ tập trung vào
năng lực ngôn ngữ của người học và tiến tới đánh giá năng lực người học thực hiện được các nhiệm
vụ ngôn ngữ cụ thể trong công việc (Grapin, 2017).
Tại khoa Du lịch và ngoại ngữ, Học viện Nông nghiệp Việt Nam, Bộ môn tiếng Anh cơ bản
hiện đang đảm nhiệm 17 học phần tiếng Anh chuyên ngành. Do điều kiện thực tế về cơ sở vật chất
và nguồn nhân lực có hạn, việc kiểm tra đánh giá các học phần này chỉ tập trung vào việc nắm được
các từ vựng chuyên ngành, đọc hiểu văn bản chuyên ngành đồng thời làm các bài tập ngữ pháp mà
chưa chú trọng đến các tình huống thực tế trong ngành nghề đó để có thể thiết kế các dạng bài tập
và bài kiểm tra phù hợp, đáp ứng yêu cầu vừa kiểm tra năng lực ngôn ngữ, vừa kiểm tra kỹ năng sử
dụng ngôn ngữ trong tình huống nghề nghiệp cụ thể.
Trong bối cảnh khoa Du lịch và ngoại ngữ đang xây dựng ngành quản trị du lịch, việc dạy,
học và kiểm tra đánh giá Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành du lịch càng cần được coi trọng. Sinh viên ngành
du lịch sẽ phải thể hiện năng lực ngôn ngữ trong nhiều bối cảnh nghề nghiệp khác nhau nên việc
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phát triển kỹ năng tiếng Anh thực sự cần thiết. Rõ ràng, việc dạy, học và kiểm tra đánh giá không
nên chỉ dừng lại ở việc đọc hiểu văn bản, nắm được từ vựng chuyên ngành mà nhất thiết sinh viên
phải sử dụng được ngôn ngữ trong những tình huống nghề nghiệp cụ thể. Trong bài viết này, tác giả
sẽ giới thiệu các nguyên tắc kiểm tra đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành đồng thời đưa ra gợi ý về
một số dạng bài có thể sử dụng trong kiểm tra đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành du lịch.
2. KIỂM TRA ĐÁNH GIÁ TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH
Kiểm tra đánh giá vốn là hoạt động cần thiết trong bất kì khóa học nào và tiếng Anh chuyên
ngành cũng không phải ngoại lệ. Đây là hoạt động cần thiết nhằm đo lường mức độ nắm được kiến
thức cũng như sự tiến bộ của người học, đồng thời giúp giáo viên điều chỉnh hoạt động giảng dạy
cho phù hợp (DudleyEvans & St John, 1998; trích trong Celik, 2021). Khi nhắc đến kiểm tra đánh
giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành, các học giả đã đưa ra nhiều ý kiến quan tâm đến việc liệu có tồn tại kỹ
năng ngôn ngữ chuyên ngành hay không, các tiêu chuẩn để đánh giá được quyết định như thế nào
và kiến thức ngôn ngữ và kiến thức chuyên ngành có liên quan ra sao đặc biệt là khi người học tiếng
Anh chuyên ngành hiểu rất rõ về ngành nghề của mình và có thể trình bày rất tốt bằng tiếng mẹ đẻ
(Douglas, 2013). Cũng theo Celik tổng hợp, các nghiên cứu gần đây đã chỉ ra rằng giáo viên dạy
tiếng Anh chuyên ngành vẫn thấy căng thẳng do không quen với các nguyên tắc kiểm tra đánh giá
tiếng Anh chuyên ngành, các dạng bài vẫn chủ yếu dựa trên việc dịch bài khóa hoặc đánh giá các kỹ
năng ngôn ngữ đơn giản theo cách truyền thống vốn bị đánh giá là thiếu thực tế, không sát với kỹ
năng nghề nghiệp của người học.
2.1. Nguyên tắc kiểm tra đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành
Về cơ bản, kiểm tra đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành vẫn phải tuân theo các nguyên tắc của
kiểm tra đánh giá ngoại ngữ nói chung về sự phù hợp với điều kiện thực tế, độ xác trị, tính khách
quan, độ tin cậy và bối cảnh thực tiễn. Năm 2017, Cheng & Fox đã phân biệt hai khái niệm đánh giá
việc học và đánh giá để học. Khái niệm đầu tiên nhắc đến hình thức kiểm tra đánh giá truyền thống,
sử dụng các bài kiểm tra trắc nghiệm vào cuối kì để cho điểm người học, trong khi đó khái niệm
đánh giá để học có thể diễn ra trong suốt quá trình dạy và học nhằm giúp người học biết “mình đang
ở đâu và có thể tiếp tục đi như thế nào để đến đích” (Cheng & Fox, 2017, p.6) . Douglas (2013) đã
khẳng định rằng, cơ sở lý thuyết cho việc kiểm tra đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành cần được mở
rông, không chỉ giới hạn ở các đặc điểm của ngôn ngữ mà còn phải sử dụng ngôn ngữ đó trong bối
cảnh công việc cụ thể. Grapin cũng đã nhấn mạnh lại quan điểm này trong bài tổng quan về kiểm
tra đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành năm 2017 rằng, lý thuyết về kiểm tra đánh giá tiếng Anh
chuyên ngành tập trung vào hai mảng chính: bài kiểm tra phải thể hiện ngữ cảnh thực tế và mức độ
tương tác giữa kiến thức ngôn ngữ và kiến thức chuyên ngành.
Với sinh viên chuyên ngành nói chung, khi học ngoại ngữ đều cần có ngữ cảnh cụ thể để giúp
họ có thể củng cố kiến thức, được tham gia nhiều vào các tình huống để dần dần tự tin hơn trong
việc sử dụng ngoại ngữ trong các tình huống công việc cụ thể (Rus, 2019).
2.1.1. Ngữ cảnh thực tế trong kiểm tra đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành
Năm 1991, hai tác giả Hutchinson & Waters đã viết trong cuốn sách về tiếng Anh chuyên
ngành của họ rằng “kiểm tra đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành nhằm mục đích kiểm tra năng lực
của người học thực hiện những nhiệm vụ giao tiếp cụ thể” (p.144), ví dụ như bác sĩ tư vấn cho bệnh
nhân thế nào, nhân viên du lịch chốt đặt phòng cho khách hàng ra sao hay các chuyên gia phân tích
tài chính phải trình bày báo cáo như thế nào. Douglas (2000) cũng tái khẳng định rằng kiểm tra
đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành phải có tính giao tiếp. Tất cả những chi tiết này nhằm khẳng định
kiểm tra đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành khác hoàn toàn so với tiếng Anh cơ bản. Các dạng bài

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kiểm tra đều phải mô phỏng hoặc thậm chí giống y nguyên các tình huống thực tế mà người học sẽ
gặp phải trong công việc sau này. Đặc điểm này có liên quan trực tiếp và chặt chẽ tới bước đầu tiên
trong quá trình xây dựng chương trình học tiếng Anh chuyên ngành: phân tích nhu cầu. Vì vậy, hoạt
động kiểm tra đánh giá và xây dựng chương trình tiếng Anh chuyên ngành phải có sự liên quan mật
thiết, đáp ứng nhu cầu thực tế của người học. Trong suốt hai thập kỉ qua, vấn đề về việc sử dụng
ngữ cảnh thực tế trong bài kiểm tra đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành vẫn thu hút sự quan tâm của
nhiều học giả với các ý kiến và quan điểm khác nhau. Lewkowicz (2000; trích dẫn trong Grapin,
2017) cũng đã đặt ra vấn đề về việc cần phải quan tâm xem ngữ cảnh sử dụng trong bài thi có ảnh
hưởng đến kết quả bài làm của thí sinh hay không và tầm quan trọng của nó đối với các bên liên
quan. Cho đến nay, những câu hỏi này vẫn chưa có câu trả lời thỏa đáng và cần có nhiều nghiên cứu
sâu hơn trong tương lai (Grapin, 2017).
2.1.2. Sự tương tác giữa kiến thức chuyên ngành và kiến thức ngôn ngữ
Kiến thức nền về chuyên ngành và kiến thức ngôn ngữ là hai mảng có liên quan chặt chẽ khi
thiết kế bài kiểm tra tiếng Anh chuyên ngành. Nguyên tắc đầu tiên về việc sử dụng bối cảnh thực tế
trong công việc để thiết kế các bài kiểm tra đã minh chứng rõ điều này. Rõ ràng là bài kiểm tra chỉ
đạt yêu cầu về tính thực tế khi sử dụng bối cảnh thực tế và ngôn ngữ trong bối cảnh đó (Grapin,
2017).
Bài kiểm tra tiếng Anh chuyên ngành bao gồm đầy đủ các dạng bài nhằm kiểm tra kỹ năng
nghe, nói, đọc, viết và từ vựng, ngữ pháp của người học. Tuy nhiên, tùy theo nhu cầu thực tế của
chuyên ngành đó mà giáo viên cần xây dựng chương trình cũng như thiết kế bài kiểm tra cho phù
hợp. Douglas (2000) đã chỉ ra rằng các bài kiểm tra tiếng Anh chuyên ngành thường không đánh giá
theo những tiêu chí về ngôn ngữ cần sử dụng trong thực tế, mà thay vào đó lại chỉ tập trung đánh
giá những kiến thức ngôn ngữ. Điều này hoàn toàn đi ngược lại với nguyên tắc kiểm tra đánh giá
tiếng Anh chuyên ngành. Vì vậy, các giáo viên tiếng Anh chuyên ngành thường xuyên được khuyến
cáo sử dụng các tài liệu có ngữ cảnh thực tế để dạy học nhằm mục đích không chỉ nâng cao năng
lực ngôn ngữ mà còn giúp sinh viên sử dụng được ngôn ngữ đó trong thực tế công việc sau này
(Coombe, 2007)
2.2. Giới thiệu một số dạng bài kiểm tra đánh giá TACN du lịch
Theo tổng hợp của Celik (2021), với ngành du lịch, người học cần thể hiện năng lực ngôn ngữ
trong những tình huống công việc cụ thể như sau: 1/ Miêu tả các dịch vụ; 2/ Giải thích các gói du
lịch cho khách hàng; 3/ Diễn giải các thông tin liên quan đến chuyến du lịch (tài chính, chuyến bay,
chỗ ở…); 4/ Mô tả/ diễn giải các xu hướng trong ngành du lịch; 5/ Trò chuyện với khách hàng đến
tìm hiểu tại hãng và tư vấn về các dịch vụ, sản phẩm; 6/ Miêu tả thông tin về thời gian, phương tiện
đi lại cho khách du lịch tại Quầy thông tin du lịch; 7/ Nghe và trả lời các câu hỏi của khách hàng về
chỗ ở; 8/ Nghe và trả lời điện thoại đặt phòng của khách hàng
2.2.1. Bài kiểm tra đánh giá từ vựng, ngữ pháp
Từ vựng và ngữ pháp không trực tiếp nằm trong nhóm kỹ năng thực hành tiếng nhưng lại
đóng vai trò vô cùng quan trọng vì đây là hai thành tố giúp xây dựng kỹ năng nghe, nói, đọc, viết
của người học ngôn ngữ để phục vụ mục đích giao tiếp (Brown, 2018). Nếu hai thành tố này không
được quan tâm đến trong việc dạy và học tiếng Anh chuyên ngành thì sẽ khiến cho kỹ năng ngôn
ngữ của người học giảm sút đáng kể (Celik, 2021).
Tình huống công việc: Miêu tả các dịch vụ
Task: Some common travel and tourism words from these pages are both verbs and nouns.
Complete the pairs of sentences below with the correct verb/noun pairs in the box.

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boom demand launch market package tour

1 There’s a package waiting for you in reception.
The role of a tour operation is to package transport, accommodation and activities into one
product.
2 The .......... for cruises aimed at the under -40s segment is growing.
In order to………….the destination, we need to identify its unique features and selling points.
3 The programme includes a guided …….around the Kenedy Space Center.
The Japanese group wish to ……….around Europe for two weeks.
4 The ……in eco-tourism has created job opportunities.
The Chinese market will probably continue to ………over the next ten years.
5 I ……..to see the manager now. I will not take ‘no’ for an answer.
Like every industry, tourism is based on supply and ………
6 They have decided to ………a new advertising campaign to boost sales.
Journalists have been invited to the ………of the tour operator’s own TV channel.
(Trích từ Strutt et al., 2012, p.9)
Trong bài tập trên, sinh viên sẽ phải sử dụng kiến thức từ vựng để dùng đúng từ theo ngữ cảnh
được nêu trong câu. Đồng thời, sinh viên cũng phải kết hợp kiến thức ngữ pháp để phân tích các câu
trong bài còn thiếu từ loại gì để có thể điền đúng từ, đúng dạng thức vào chỗ trống. Như vậy bài tập
có thể kết hợp kiểm tra cả từ vựng và ngữ pháp của sinh viên trong tình huống thực tế là những câu
miêu tả về dịch vụ du lịch.
2.2.2. Bài kiểm tra đánh giá kỹ năng nghe, nói và phát âm
Kỹ năng nghe và nói là hai kỹ năng tiếng không thể tách rời. Người học cần phải nghe hiểu
được thông tin, sau đó mới có thể trả lời. Trong câu trả lời yêu cầu phát âm cần chuẩn xác, ý tưởng
rõ ràng, mạch lạc thì mới có thể truyền tải trọn vẹn thông điệp đến người nghe. Trong tiếng Anh
chuyên ngành du lịch thì hai kỹ năng này lại càng cần thiết vì chúng thường xuyên được sử dụng
trong bối cảnh nghề nghiệp thực tế. Các bài kiểm tra nghe tiếng Anh chuyên ngành về cơ bản không
khác gì so với yêu cầu của bài nghe tiếng Anh cơ bản, đều yêu cầu quá trình nhận thức, xử lý dữ
liệu đầu vào và những kỹ năng cốt lõi để tập trung vào thông tin nhằm đạt mục đích nghe hiểu
(Goh, 2012)
Tình huống công việc: Tư vấn khách hàng về dịch vụ, sản phẩm
Task 1: Role-play
Card for Student A:
You are the customer requesting specific information about a place. Write down the missing
information in the empty spaces inside the chart.
Juan Santamaria Airport Flight Information

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Use the information questions below. What, when, what time, how long, which
Card B for Student B:
You are a travel clerk giving information to a customer
Juan Santamaria Airport Flight Information

Greet the customer

Offer him/ her help
Use the chart to give information
Answer his/ her questions
Give additional information
Say goodbye
(Trích từ Mendoza et al., 2016, p.26)
Trong bài kiểm tra trên, sinh viên sẽ thi nói theo cặp đóng vai làm khách hàng và nhân viên
hãng du lịch tư vấn về thông tin các chuyến bay. Như vậy, bài kiểm tra này đã đồng thời kiểm tra cả
kỹ năng phát âm, nghe và nói tiếng Anh của sinh viên trong đúng bối cảnh công việc thực tế.
Tình huống công việc: Giải thích các gói du lịch cho khách hàng
Task 2: Role-play
Student A: You are a tour operator who wants to recruit student B as an agent for the package
you have on offer.
Student B: You are an independent travel consultant. Use the questions below to help you find
out more about each package.
What is the name of the
destination?
How do visitors get there?
What are its geographical features?
Where do visitors stay?
What is the main leisure activity?
What are the other attractions?
What does the package consist of?
How much does it cost?
(trích từ Strutt et al., 2012b, p.11)

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Với bài kiểm tra này, sinh viên sẽ đóng cặp thay nhau hỏi và trả lời về các gói du lịch do công
ty cung cấp. Bài kiểm tra cũng giúp đánh giá kỹ năng nghe, nói và phát âm của sinh viên trong ngữ
cảnh nghề nghiệp cụ thể.
2.2.3. Bài kiểm tra đánh giá kỹ năng đọc và viết
Trước đây, kỹ năng viết trong dạy và học tiếng Anh chuyên ngành vốn chỉ được đánh giá
thông qua các tiêu chí về ngữ pháp, từ vựng hay văn phong. Tuy nhiên, những năm gần đây, kỹ
năng viết cũng đã được đánh giá theo định hướng giao tiếp, tức là phải truyền tải được thông điệp
cho những đối tượng cụ thể trong những ngữ cảnh cụ thể (Hyland, 2012). Năm 2014, Nazarenko &
Schwarz-Peaker đã báo cáo trong hội thảo về giảng dạy ngôn ngữ tại Áo rằng, kỹ năng đọc viết
trong dạy tiếng Anh chuyên ngành chưa được các giáo viên quan tâm nhiều. Hai kỹ năng này
thường được để cho sinh viên tự nghiên cứu, làm bài tập về nhà, tuy nhiên hai tác giả đã chỉ ra kết
quả nghiên cứu rằng sự hướng dẫn trực tiếp từ giáo viên mới đem lại hiệu quả cao nhất giúp sinh
viên cải thiện hai kỹ năng này. Để đánh giá được kỹ năng viết, sự hiểu biết của sinh viên về loại văn
bản và đọc hiểu loại văn bản đó cũng rất quan trọng (Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998; trích trong
Celik, 2021)
Tình huống công việc: Thiết kế chuyến du lịch cho khách hàng
Look at the customer profile and requirements. Put together an Evermore Tours wedding
package for Rafael Martinez and Keitko Takatsu.

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Task 1: Design an itinerary for the whole seven days of the package. Remember to include:
arrival and departure times itinerary for the wedding day services and extras
details of accommodation details of wedding ceremony
description of location and venue
Task 2: Write an email to Rafael and Keitko to confirm their booking. Use the expressions
below
Here is/ are …………..
I would also like to confirm…………
Thank you for booking with ………..
Please see the attached details.
Your booking includes………
(Trích từ Strutt et al., 2012a, p.15)
Như vậy, với thông tin từ hai văn bản về thông tin khách hàng và thông tin các chuyến đi của
công ty du lịch, sinh viên được yêu cầu đọc hiểu ngữ liệu đã cho, từ đó thực hiện nhiệm vụ viết lịch
trình chuyến đi và email cho khách hàng. Mặc dù bài kiểm tra không thiết kế những câu hỏi kiểm
tra kỹ năng đọc hiểu nhưng đã tích hợp được cả hai kỹ năng đọc và viết trong ngữ cảnh công việc
cụ thể.
3. KẾT LUẬN
Trong bài viết này, tác giả đã đề cập đến hai nguyên tắc quan trọng trong việc kiểm tra đánh
giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành. Đó là kiểm tra kỹ năng ngôn ngữ của người học trong ngữ cảnh công
việc cụ thể. Điều này đòi hỏi các giáo viên dạy tiếng Anh chuyên ngành cần phải nắm vững nguyên
tắc về kiểm tra đánh giá ngoại ngữ nói chung và tiếng Anh chuyên ngành nói riêng. Ngoài ra, tầm
quan trọng của việc đánh giá nhu cầu trước khi thiết kế khóa học tiếng Anh chuyên ngành cũng đã
được khẳng định lại trong bài viết. Xác định đúng nhu cầu sẽ giúp xây dựng chương trình và thiết
kế các dạng bài kiểm tra đánh giá phù hợp, hữu ích với thực tế nghề nghiệp của sinh viên trong
tương lai.
Học viện Nông nghiệp Việt Nam là cơ sở đào tạo đa ngành. Với khối ngành kỹ thuật hay xã
hội lại có những yêu cầu riêng về việc sử dụng ngoại ngữ trong công việc, vì vậy sự phối hợp giữa
các giảng viên chuyên ngành và giảng viên ngoại ngữ là rất cần thiết nhằm đạt được hiệu quả tối ưu
cho các khóa học tiếng Anh chuyên ngành. Với chuyên ngành quản trị và phát triển du lịch - một
ngành học mới của Học viện, nhu cầu sử dụng tiếng Anh trong công việc, đặc biệt là trong các tình
huống giao tiếp rất cao. Vì vậy rất cần sự đầu tư, quan tâm của Học viện để nâng cao năng lực giảng
dạy, kiểm tra đánh giá tiếng Anh chuyên ngành nói chung và tiếng Anh du lịch nói riêng cho giảng
viên ngoại ngữ nhằm đạt được mục tiêu môn học và đào tạo ra nguồn nhân lực du lịch có chất
lượng.

TÀI LIỆU THAM KHẢO

Brown, H. D. (2018). Language assessment (Third). Pearson Education.
Celik, H. (2021). Testing and assessment in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). In
LanguageAssessment and Test Preparation in English as A Foreign Language (EFL)
Education (Issue March, pp. 357-385). Vizetek Yayıncılık.
Cheng, L., & Fox, J. (2017). Assessment in the Language Classroom (A. Curtis (ed.); First).

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Macmillan Publsihers Limited.

Coombe, C. (2007). A Practical Guide to Assessing English Language Learners. The University of
Michigan Press.
Douglas, B. (2013). English for Research Publication Purposes. In The Handbook of English or
Specific Purposes. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118339855.ch16
Douglas, D. (2000). Assessing Languages for Specific Purposes (Cambridge Language Assessment)
by Dan Douglas (z-lib.org).pdf (First). Cambridge University Press.
Goh, C. (2012). ESP and Listening. In The Handbook of English for Specific Purposes.
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118339855.ch3
Grapin, S. E. (2017). Language for Specific Purposes Testing: A Historical Review. Teachers
College, Columbia University, Working Papers in Applied Linguistics & TESOL, 17(2), 1-8.
Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1991). English for specific purposes: A learning-centred approach. In
English for Specific Purposes (sixth). Cambridge University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(88)90032-4
Hyland, K. (2012). ESP and Writing. In The Handbook of English for Specific Purposes.
Kırkgöz, Y., & Dikilitaş, K. (2018). Key issues in English for specific purposes in higher education
(Vol. 4, Issue 1).
Mendoza, D. C., Cruz, M. G., Ulate, A. H., Angulo, J., Rodriguez, J., & Obando, D. V. (2016).
Basic English for Tourism : Listening and Speaking Skills (Issue January 2014).
Nazarenko, L., & Schwarz-Peaker, G. (2014). Integrating Reading and Writing for ESP Students.
June. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lisa_Nazarenko/publication/263390155_Integra
ing_Reading_and_Writing_for_ESP_Students/links/0c96053abc013d3fbe000000/Int
grating-Reading-and-Writing-for-ESP
Students.pdf%0Ahttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/26339
Rahman, M. (2015). English for Specific Purposes (ESP): A Holistic Review. Universal Journal of
Educational Research, 3(1), 24-31. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2015.030104
Rus, D. (2019). Assessment Techniques in Teaching English for Specific Purposes to Engineering
Students. Procedia Manufacturing, 32, 368-373.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2019.02.227
Strutt, P., O’Keeffe, M., & Dubicka, I. (2012a). English for International Tourism (Issue July).
Pearson Education.
Strutt, P., O’Keeffe, M., & Dubicka, I. (2012b). English for International Tourism (Issue July, pp. 1
8). Pearson Education.

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PHỤ LỤC 1
MIDTERM TEST SAMPLE

Part 1: Question-Response
1/ What is your full name? Where do you come from? What is your hometown famous for?
Tell about location, nature, beautiful places….of your hometown.
2/ Tell about your travel experience. Which type of holiday do you prefer? Beach holiday or
mountain holiday?

Part 2: Role-play
You are going to role play as a guest and a hotel receptionist. Discuss and complete the word
webs with your own ideas. Make questions and answer.

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PHỤ LỤC 2
FINAL TEST SAMPLE
Part 1: Questions 1-20: Fill in the blanks (4pts)
1/ ……….tourism involves people arriving in a destination from another country.
A. Domestic B. Outbound C. Inbound D. Flow
2/ The beautiful old churches are art of our national………
A. countryside B. destination C. heritage D. festivals
3/ Package holidays include ………common components necessary for a complete vacation.
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4
4/ One of the most effective rules for welcoming guests is ………..when you greet the
customer.
A. smile B. smiled C. smiler D. smiling
5/ Some common built attractions include cathedrals, museums, heritage and ……..
A. castles B. beaches C. deserts D. bars
Part 2: Questions 21-30: Read the following texts and answer the questions (2pts)
Part 3: Writing (4pts)
Write 100 words about your future holiday, including the following points:
- the location, nature characteristics
- the holiday activities you want to do
- famous places that you want to visit

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AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE VIOLATION OF GRICE’S MAXIMS IN “1001 JOKES”-

HUMOUR BOOK BY RICHARD WISEMAN
Nguy Van Thuy, Duong Thi Ha Le, Cao Thi Ha My
Nghe An University of Economics

ABSTRACT
The article is an attempt to investigate the underlying mechanics of humour discovered in
Richard Wiseman's humour book 1001 Jokes via the conceptual framework of Grice's Cooperative
Principle. By analyzing a selection of jokes, the study identifies patterns of maxim violations,
revealing that the maxim of quality is most frequently flouted, while the maxim of relevance is the
least violated. Furthermore, the research delves into the role of implicature, both conventional and
conversational, in generating humor. By examining how these implicatures arise through deliberate
violations of conversational norms, the study sheds light on the cognitive and pragmatic processes
that contribute to the sense of humor embedded in verbal wit. This exploration not only enhances
understanding of humor linguistics but also demonstrates the practical application of Grice's theory
in decoding humor's multifaceted nature.
Key words: Cooperative principles, jokes, conversational maxims…

1. INTRODUCTION
In conversations, meanings are not always explicitly conveyed in what is said. In other words,
words sometimes cannot express all what the speakers want to imply. Meanings of words can be
made basing on what is implicated referring to some assumptions to the particular utterance. What
is implicated is formulated logically and is called implicatures or conversational implicatures in
pragmatics. Meaning is actually realized from the situation of some utterances while implicature is
concerned with the ways in which meaning can be communicated not only by what is said, but also
by how it is said. Grice (1975) developed the Cooperative Principle. The principle was developed
into four conversational maxims:
- The maxim of quantity, where one tries to be as informative as one possibly can, and gives
as much information as it is needed, and no more.
- The maxim of quality, where one tries to be truthful, and does not give information that is
false or that is not supported by evidence.
- The maxim of relation, where one tries to be relevant, and says things that are pertinent to
the discussion.
- The maxim of manner, when one tries to be as clear, as brief, and as orderly as one can in
what one says, and where one avoids obscurity and ambiguity.
According to him, for an effective communication in conversation, the speakers must not
violate the four maxims, act cooperatively and mutually accept one another to be understood in a
particular way. In fact, however, speakers sometimes disobey the maxims for various reasons like
for joking or achieving politeness. Therefore, the occurring of misunderstanding or laughter is
obvious. Take the following joke for instance:
A man walking down the streets sees another man with a very big dog. One man says to the
other, "Does your dog bite", the man replies "No, my dog doesn't" The man pats the dog and has
his hand bitten off, "I thought you said your dog didn't bite" said the injured man.
"That’s not my dog", replied the other.
(https://richardwiseman.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/jokes1.pdf)
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By violating Grice's Cooperative Principle's quality maxim and generating conversational

implicature, this joke is a perfect example of humour. The injured man assumes the first speaker's
statement, "My dog doesn't bite," is truthful and relevant to the context. However, the speaker's
omission of a critical fact - that the dog in question is not his - subverts this expectation. The humor
emerges from the unexpected twist in the second speaker’s response, “That’s not my dog,” which
recontextualizes the earlier dialogue. This revelation forces the listener to reinterpret the first
statement, creating a moment of surprise and incongruity - a key element in joke construction. It
also showcases the interplay of conversational implicature, where the listener's logical but incorrect
inference contributes to the humor. The joke effectively demonstrates how flouting conversational
norms, such as the maxim of relevance and quality, can evoke a comedic response.
2. THEORICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 Definition of a joke
The word “Jokes” is very familiar with people in everyday life. So what does the word
“Jokes” really mean?
Linguist Salvatore Attardo (2003) offers the definition as “A joke is a short humorous piece of
oral literature in which the funniness culminates in the final sentence, called the punch line…”
Joke meaning in Cambridge dictionary is “something, such as a funny story or trick, which is
said or done in order to make people laugh”
Definition of a joke in Oxford Dictionary is that “A joke is a thing that someone says to cause
amusement or laughter, especially a story with a funny punch line.”
It can be seen from the above definitions that a joke is a display of humour in which words are
used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh. It takes the form
of a story, usually with dialogue, and ends in a punch line. It is in the punch line that make people
laugh because at that time, the audience becomes aware that the story contains a second, conflicting
meaning. This can be done using a pun or other words play such as irony, a logical incompatibility,
nonsense or other means.
The concept of humor, especially through jokes, has been examined from various linguistic
perspectives. According to Salvatore Attardo, a joke is a brief, hilarious work of oral literature that
culminates in a punch line, stressing the structure of the story and the crucial significance of the last
twist. Similarly, the Cambridge Dictionary and Oxford Dictionary emphasize the joke's purpose to
elicit laughter, which is generally achieved through a hilarious anecdote or remark that concludes
with an entertaining punch line. When these definitions are compared, it is clear that jokes are built
around an intentional narrative structure, with the punch line revealing a second, sometimes
contradictory, meaning. This revelation, obtained through wordplay, irony, or logical paradoxes,
generates the comedy. Violations of Grice’s Cooperative Principles, such as relevance or quality,
further enhance the comedic effect, as they disrupt conversational norms, forcing the audience to
reinterpret the narrative and derive amusement from the incongruity.
2.2 Grice’s Cooperative Principle
According to Grice, a successful conversation must be based on a shared principle of cooperation.
The principle was generally stated as: “Make your conversational contribution what is required, at the
stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are
engaged.” He developed the principle into a series of maxims with some of the sub-maxims:
Maxims of Quantity:
+ “Make your contribution as informative as required.”
+ “Don’t make your contribution more informative than is required.”

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Maxims of Quality: Be truthful.

+ “Don’t say what you believe to be false.”
+ “Don’t say what you lack adequate evidence for
Maxim of Relation: “Be relevant.”
Maxims of Manner: “Be perspicuous.”
+ “Avoid obscurity of expression.”
+ “Avoid ambiguity.”
+ “Be brief (avoid unnecessary prolixity).”
+ “Be orderly.”
The cooperative principle, then, may be regarded as the highest of all the conventions which
govern language use and within which the conventions of illocutionary force operate. While a
speaker observes the principle by making himself as informative, truthful, relevant, and clear as he
can, his hearer makes a similar effort to look for the speaker's intended meaning, distinguishing, if
necessary, between the literal meaning of the speaker's expression and the underlying
illocutionary force and implicature that represent the speaker's intention.
2.3. Violation of Grice’s Cooperative Principle
The violation of the maxims of cooperative principle occurs when the speaker, consciously or
unconsciously, breaks one or more of the maxims when producing utterances. It can be defined as
occasions when one or several maxims are absent during communication processes (Jia, 2008). This
occurs when something is suggested in an utterance in a way that is neither expressed nor strictly
implied, it “is derived from the verb ‘to imply’” (Mey, 2001).
Why do speakers violate it? It is true that people do not follow or obey the conversational
maxims all the time. And it is this violation that creates the misunderstanding and laughter in
everyday conversations or jokes.
In the joke mentioned above, the first speaker violated the maxim of quality when he used the
word “your”. He didn’t have any information of the dog and the man he saw on the way down
town. So the evidence that the dog was of the other man is not clear. The second man, however,
violated the maxim of the manner. His answer was not relevant to the dog that the first man meant.
3. RESEARCH AIMS AND RESEARCH METHOD
3.1. Research aims
The study was conducted to investigate the violation of Grice maxims of conversation with
the aim of seeing what conversational maxims are being violated the most for joke effect and also in
what situations these violations occur. The reason for searching for violations is that it’s the
violations of the maxims that are used in certain humour utterances to create humour sense in jokes.

3.2. Research subjects

Supporting for my research, I have chosen to analyze jokes from 1001 Jokes by Richard
Wiseman, a comprehensive collection of humor that offers diverse examples of linguistic and
pragmatic elements used to create humor. This book provides a rich dataset for examining how
jokes employ various mechanisms, such as flouting Grice's Cooperative Principles, generating
implicatures, and utilizing wordplay, irony, and incongruity. By focusing on this well-curated
collection, the study ensures a wide range of joke types and styles, enabling a thorough exploration
of the linguistic strategies and cognitive processes involved in humor creation

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3.3. Research methods

During the study, the author used the following methods:
- Statistical classification methods were used in quantitative surveys to compare the incidence
of violation of the maxims
- A descriptive analysis method is used to interpret how and which of the maxims were
violated
- The inductive method was used to conclude the results of the study
4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. Analysis and results
In this section, quantitative result of the study is represented in the chart following with some
of the information of the number of violations and what violation was used most frequently.
Chart 1. The Percentage Scores of the violations of Maxims in “1001 Jokes” Humor Book
by Richard Wiseman.

The data above shows that Richard Wiseman's jokes float the quality maxim the most
frequently in order to make humour sense, with a proportion of 72.0%. The infringement of the
maxim of manner ranks second, with a rate of 17.3%. However, the disparity between the top and
second ranks is significant. The third violates the quantity maxim by reaching 12.3%. Furthermore,
the fourth will be the violation of the relevant maxim by a percentage of 4.1%, as well as the
violation of more than one maxim or several violations of maxims, which will achieve 4.3%. All of
these percentages suggest that to generate a good joke or good sense of humour, such as contained
in the "1001 Jokes", the writer needs to consider the violation the maxim of quality because the total
percentages of the floats of this maxim reach 72%.
4.2 Discussion of results
In this section, I will discuss the different violations of the conversational maxims used to
create humour sense in jokes by Richard.
4.2.1. The violation of the maxim of quality in 1001 jokes
How the maxim of quality was violated in “1001 jokes is demonstrated in some of the data as
follows:
Datum 84:

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A man goes to the doctor and says "Doctor, it hurts when I do this", and raises his arm.
"Well, don't do it then", says the doctor.
The sense of humour in the joke is created by the violating the maxim of quality at the
punch line when the doctor made an utterance that is not true in the situation. The patient knew that
he had a disease and he wanted the doctor to say what disease and how to cure it. However, the
doctor tried to understand in another way.
Datum 94:
A guy goes to the Doctors and he says “Doctor, I'm really worried about my brother; he
thinks he's a Hen”
The Doctor says "well have you taken him to see a psychiatrist?", and the guy says "Don't be
stupid, we need the eggs"
This joke makes people laugh at the punch line. It seems that it’s the man that needs to go to
see the psychiatrist, not his brother. The man violated the maxim of quality when he made an
utterance which is not true. The doctor violated the maxim of quality when he made an utterance
which is lack of the evidence about the man.
Datum 106:
Man walking down the street meets a friend who has a lobster tucked under his arm. "Are you
taking that lobster home to dinner?" he asks. "No," says friend, "he's had his dinner and now I'm
taking him to the pictures".
The violation of the maxim of quality occurs because the man used the preposition “to”
instead of “for”. In this situation, the man’s intention was to ask his friend about the dinner made
from the lobster. Due to, however, using the wrong position, the man helped create the laughter
when his friend answered “to the pictures”. The meaning used in that utterance contains
abnormal meaning and makes it funny because the speaker here creates the conflict between
what is hoped by the reader and what happens in the joke.
4.2.2. The violation of the maxim of manner in 1001 jokes
Here are some of examples of violation of the maxim of manner in “1001 jokes” humour
book and the discussion of the situations when the violations occur
Datum 53:
What’s ET short for?
Because he's got little legs.
In this joke, the speaker violated the maxim of manner when he used the ambiguous
expression “What's ET short for?”. This expression can be understood in two ways: For what reason
is ET short?; and what is ET abbreviated from?

Datum 98:
A man went to a horse breeder and said: “I want that horse”. The breeder said: “that horse
isn’t looking so good”, but the man still wanted to buy it, so he did. The next day he came back with
the horse and said: “you sold me a blind horse”, the breeder replied: “I told you that horse isn’t
looking so good.”
The breeder in the joke violated the maxim of manner when he used ambiguous expression
“that horse isn’t looking so good”. By using the phrase “not so good” instead of the word “blind”,
the horse breeder misled the buyer beautifully.
Datum 100:
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Then when you do criticize them,
you'll be a mile away and have their shoes.
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In the joke, the idiom “walk a mile in their shoes” has a figurative meaning. Later, however,
the idiom is decoded in literal meaning and forms the humour sense.
4.2.3. The violation of the maxim of manner in 1001 jokes
The violation of the maxim of quantity is very clear in the following jokes:
Datum 99:
Two hikers were walking through the woods when they noticed a bear chasing towards them
in the distance. The first hiker removed his trail boots and began to lace up his running shoes. The
second hiker laughed and said, "Why bother changing out of your boots? You can't outrun a bear."
The first hiker replied, "I don't have to outrun the bear, I only have to outrun you."
In this joke, the violation of the maxim of quantity occurs when the second hiker asked and
the first one answered. By adding more information, respectively, about the first hiker’s inability of
outrunning the bear and the effort to outrun the second hiker, they made people laugh successfully.
Datum 20:
Two elderly gentlemen were talking. One says, "Boy, this new hearing aid I got works great! I
can hear everything now." The other one says, "That's wonderful! What kind is it?"- "It's a quarter
past two."
The core of the humour sense is placed in the words “I can hear everything now” and “It’s
quarter past two”. The utterance “I can hear everything now” violates the maxim of quantity
because the utterance is more informative than is required. The purpose of the speaker is to inform
that he is not deaf again. In the fact, the speaker is still deaf proved by his wrong answer “It's a
quarter past two”. The using of violation of the maxim of quantity here is to make conflict
between what is thought by the readers thinking that the speaker can hear everything and what
happens in the joke saying that he is still deaf.
4.2.4. The violation of the maxim of relevance
Datum 285
Can you swim?
Sometimes.
What do you mean by "sometimes"?
Only when I'm in the water.
In the joke, the answer is not relevant to the question. By asking “Can you swim”, the first
speaker wanted to know if the man could swim. And the expected answer was “yes or no”.
However, the answer was “sometimes” which could mean that the man could swim and he
sometimes swam.
4.2.5. Multi-maxims violation
Datum 814
A woman went to a seance and was successful in contacting her husband.
Hi,"he said," it's me. Everything's better... sky is bluer... grass is greener! Nothing to do but
eat and sleep all day." "Oh, thank goodness. You did get to Heaven." "Heaven?. I'm a buffalo in
Montana!"
The maxims of relevance and quality were violated in the joke. The maxim of relevance was
violated when the husband told of a better life “Everything's better... sky is bluer... grass is greener!
Nothing to do but eat and sleep all day." and this made his wife think of the life in the Heaven. He
didn’t mention to things which were familiar to the buffalo except grass. The wife, however, didn’t
know that her husband had a new life as a buffalo. So the utterance “grass is greener” made her
think of a beautiful scenery in the Heaven. “Sky is bluer... grass is greener” were not enough
information and evidence for a life in the Heaven as she thought. That’s why she violated the
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maxim of quality when she made the utterance "Oh, thank goodness. You did get to Heaven." And
it’s the punch line - "Heaven?. I'm a buffalo in Montana!" - that makes readers laugh. What he said
was completely opposite to what readers thought.
The frequent violation of the maxim of quality observed in the analysis can be explained by
the intentional use of falsehoods, exaggerations, or absurdities, which are foundational to creating
humor. This supports the idea that humor often arises from the unexpected disruption of
conversational norms, a phenomenon well-documented in humor studies.
By contrasting the results with Grice's paradigm, the study shows how jokes use conventional
and conversational implicatures to draw in the audience. For example, when a joke violates the
quality maxim, it prompts the listener to seek out an other meaning or reinterpret the context,
resulting in delight through surprise and incongruity. These mechanisms are consistent with
theoretical perspectives on humor, which emphasize the importance of incongruity resolution and
the cognitive shift required to "get" a joke. The results also underscore the importance of linguistic
elements such as ambiguity, wordplay, and irony in facilitating these maxim violations. By situating
the analysis within this theoretical context, the article not only validates Grice’s Cooperative
Principle as a tool for understanding humor but also contributes to a deeper understanding of how
language and pragmatics interact in comedic contexts.
5. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this study has explored the violations of Grice’s conversational maxims in
Richard Wiseman’s *1001 Jokes* humor book. It identifies violations of the maxim of quantity,
quality, relevance, and manner, with the maxim of quality being the most frequently violated. The
gap between the frequency of quality violations and those of the other maxims is significant. By
examining how these violations contribute to humor, the study offers valuable insights for fields
such as linguistics, communication studies, and psychology, demonstrating how humor can be
systematically analyzed. This approach provides a useful framework for various forms of verbal
communication, including media, advertising, and everyday conversation, and can help in
developing effective communication strategies, particularly in cross-cultural settings where humor
plays an important role in engagement.
The study also highlights that multiple maxims can be violated within a single joke,
enhancing the comedic effect. In *1001 Jokes*, the violations of the maxims—particularly those of
quantity, quality, relevance, and manner—serve to create surprise, which is central to humor.
Additionally, the use of incongruity in language, particularly through unexpected or strange word
choices, further contributes to the humor by evoking surprise and laughter from the audience.
Finally, the study suggests that the deliberate violation of conversational maxims can be an
effective strategy for creating humor, and such violations are central to the construction of jokes and
comedy.
REFERENCES
Cambridge Dictionary, Cambridge University Press. https://dictionary.cambridge.org
Grice, H. P. (1975), Logic and Conversation, In Cole, P. and J. Morgan (eds.) Syntax and
Semantics: Speech Acts. New York: Academic Press
Jia, Li. (2008), The Violation of Cooperative Principle and the Four Maxims in Psychological
Consulting. Journal of Pragmatics, Vol. 4.
Mey, Jacob L. (2001), Pragmatics: An introduction. Oxford: Blackwell.
Oxford Dictionary, Oxford University Press, https://www.oed.com
Rechard Wiseman (2002), 1001 Jokes, BBC Books
Salvatore Attardo (2003), The Pragmatics of Humour, Springer, ISBN: 9781402013211.
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DEVELOPING LEARNER AUTONOMY IN LEARNING VOCABULARY FOR SECOND-

YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT HONG DUC UNIVERSITY
Nguyen Thi Ha
Hong Duc University

ABSTRACT
Learner autonomy has become a significant focus in education due to its beneficial effects on
student learning outcomes. This study seeks to enhance vocabulary acquisition among second-year
students at Hong Duc University through an action research approach featuring explicit strategy
training in three main areas: dictionary use, vocabulary recording, and affix study. Over a ten-week
period, 31 students participated in a program structured into three distinct phases. Results indicated
that the main difficulty identified by learners was a lack of knowledge about effective learning
methods. Students showed strong performance across all three strategy sets, with approximately
two-thirds actively participating in the strategies. Notably, the strategies involving dictionary use
and vocabulary recording were more frequently utilized than the affix study strategy. In terms of
perceived utility, students rated dictionary-related strategies as the most helpful and commonly
used, followed by vocabulary recording, while affix study ranked lowest. Overall, the training
program was highly regarded for its effectiveness, contributing valuable insights to the literature on
learner autonomy and vocabulary learning strategies.
Key words: autonomy, vocabulary, majors

1. INTRODUCTION
Learner autonomy, a concept introduced by Holec (1981) and further explored by others
within the framework of European language education, has become a widely discussed topic. In
many regions globally, it has been promoted as an educational objective (Pemberton et al., 1996;
Sinclair et al., 2000; Little et al., 2000; Benson, 2001). However, since learner autonomy originated
in Western cultural contexts, simply applying the concept to Asian settings is insufficient (Benson,
Chik & Lim, 2003; Smith, 2003). Instead, it is necessary to adapt the approach to suit the specific
cultural and educational environments of non-Western countries, allowing for the creation of
contextually appropriate methods for fostering learner autonomy (Smith, 2003). Some argue that
learner autonomy is a universal social phenomenon, but its expression varies depending on the local
context (Holliday, 2003). Given these complexities, examining how autonomy can be promoted at
an institution like Hong Duc University in an Asian context is an intriguing proposition.
Additionally, encouraging learner autonomy is becoming more crucial in higher education, where
university students are expected to conduct significant research and work independently to achieve
successful outcomes.
At Hong Duc University, the concept of promoting learner autonomy is particularly relevant.
Many students report feeling overwhelmed by the large volume of vocabulary they need to learn.
Vocabulary acquisition is often seen as both the most challenging and the most important aspect of
their studies. The limited class time dedicated to vocabulary instruction further exacerbates this
issue. To effectively expand their vocabulary, students need to engage in independent learning
outside of class. Therefore, providing them with effective strategies for autonomous vocabulary
learning during their self-study time has become increasingly necessary. For these reasons, I have
chosen to conduct a study on Developing learner autonomy in vocabulary learning for second-
year English majors at Hong Duc University.

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Definition of autonomy
A review of the literature reveals that defining the concept of "autonomy" is challenging due
to the variety of definitions, each exploring autonomy from different angles and within specific
contexts. As a result, it is important to examine a range of interpretations to fully understand the
concept.
Holec (1981: 3), often referred to as the "father" of learner autonomy, offers a broad
definition, describing it as "the ability to take charge of one’s own learning." This definition, though
general, effectively captures the essence of autonomy. It suggests that an autonomous learner not
only takes responsibility for their own learning but is also aware of this responsibility.
Other scholars provide more detailed definitions. For instance, Nunan (2000) focuses on the
behavioral aspect, describing autonomous learners as individuals who make decisions about their
learning style, actively participate in the learning process, and independently select their learning
materials. In contrast, Little (1991) emphasizes the psychological aspect of autonomy, defining it as
"essentially the matter of the learner’s psychological relation to the process and content of learning -
a capacity for detachment, critical reflection, decision making, and independent action."
Scholars such as Scharle and Szabo (2000) focus on attitudes and align with Holec's views by
exploring the connection between autonomy and responsibility. They define autonomy as "the
freedom and ability to manage one’s own affairs, which entails the right to make decisions," while
responsibility is understood as "being in charge of something, but with the implication that one has
to deal with the consequences of one’s own actions" (Scharle & Szabo, 2000: 4).
In summary, learner autonomy is a complex and multifaceted concept that can be viewed from
various perspectives. It encompasses not only learners' attitudes and behaviors but also serves as
both a process and a goal, relevant not only in language learning and education but also in broader
life contexts.
2.2. Principles of developing autonomy
To foster learner autonomy, it is essential to cultivate a sense of responsibility. Scharle and
Szabo (2000) offer a comprehensive analysis of how to develop learner responsibility, identifying
key factors that contribute to both learner and teacher autonomy. For learners, these factors include
motivation and self-confidence, monitoring and evaluation, learning strategies, and cooperation and
group cohesion. Scharle and Szabo (2000: 7) emphasize that "when we encourage students to focus
on the process of their learning rather than the outcome, we help them consciously examine their
own contribution to their learning," which is a critical step in developing a responsible attitude.
Another important element is teaching learning strategies, which serve as tools for students to
enhance their language competence and take responsibility for their own learning. Learners should
be introduced to a variety of strategies and encouraged to experiment with them to discover which
ones work best in different contexts.
Teachers also need to adopt certain attitudes to support this process. They should be willing to
share both short- and long-term objectives with learners, maintain consistent control by clearly
establishing expectations, and delegate tasks and decision-making to students.
To help reinforce these skills and attitudes in both learners and teachers, Scharle and Szabo
(2000) outline a three-phase process for developing responsibility. The first phase, "raising
awareness," involves highly controlled activities that introduce new experiences to learners and help
them become conscious of the inner processes of their learning. The second phase, "changing
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attitudes," includes less controlled activities that allow students to practice and reinforce their new
roles and habits. Finally, the "transferring roles" phase involves loosely structured activities that
provide students with significant freedom. As learners progress through these phases, they are
gradually encouraged to take on more autonomy and responsibility.
2.3. Frameworks for strategy training
Before discussing how to create an effective framework for strategy training, it is essential to
address some key issues related to learning strategy instruction.
The first issue concerns whether strategy instruction should be delivered as a standalone
program or integrated into existing language or content courses. Proponents of separate strategy
training programs argue that focusing entirely on strategic processing skills will help students learn
more effectively (Jones et al., 1987, cited in O’Malley & Chamot, 1990: 152). However, integrating
strategy instruction into regular courses offers several advantages. Wenden (1987) suggests that
learning within contextualized settings is more effective than learning isolated skills. Scharle and
Szabo (2000) also emphasize that the regular school curriculum provides a meaningful context for
strategy training. Additionally, integrating strategy training with standard courses is more time- and
cost-effective. In the context of Vietnam, where dedicated strategy training courses are rare, it
would be beneficial for teachers to incorporate strategy instruction into their everyday teaching
practices.
The second issue involves the choice between direct and embedded strategy instruction, or
explicit versus implicit instruction. O’Malley and Chamot (1990: 153) define direct instruction as
when students are made aware of the value and purpose of the strategies they are learning, while
embedded instruction involves presenting students with tasks and materials designed to encourage
the use of specific strategies without explaining the reasoning behind these approaches. Direct
instruction is generally considered more beneficial. While Jones (1983, cited in O’Malley &
Chamot, 1990) points out that embedded instruction requires less teacher training, other researchers
criticize it for failing to foster learner autonomy. Wenden (1987) argues that "students who are not
aware of the strategies they are using do not develop independent learning strategies and have little
opportunity to become autonomous learners." On the other hand, explicit strategy training, which
includes a metacognitive component where students are informed about the purpose and importance
of the strategies, helps ensure that strategies are maintained over time and can be transferred to new
tasks (Brown et al., 1986, cited in O’Malley & Chamot, 1990: 153). Additionally, Scharle and
Szabo (2000) suggest that explicit instruction can encourage a collaborative relationship between
teacher and learner. Given these advantages, the strategy training in this study will be explicitly
integrated into the language course.
Regarding frameworks for strategy instruction, most models aim to increase students’
awareness of the purpose and rationale behind strategy use, provide opportunities for practice, and
help learners understand how to apply strategies in new learning contexts. Cohen (1998) outlines
seven key steps for designing effective strategy training:
1. Assessing learners’ needs and the resources available for training
2. Selecting appropriate strategies
3. Considering the benefits of integrated strategy training
4. Addressing motivational factors
5. Preparing relevant materials and activities

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6. Conducting explicit strategy training

7. Evaluating and revising the strategy training program
Cohen (1998) stresses the importance of ongoing evaluation and revision in strategy training.
Evaluation should be based on various factors, such as student performance across different
language tasks and skills, the sustained use of new strategies, the transferability of strategies to
other tasks, and students’ attitudes toward the training program (Wenden, 1987; Oxford, 1990). This
evaluation should be informed by feedback from the learners themselves.
For this research, the strategy training framework will follow the general guidelines provided
by O’Malley & Chamot (1990) and Cohen (1998).
3. METHODS
3.1. Setting
The participants in this research were 27 second-year students from the Faculty of Foreign
Languages at Hong Duc University (HDU), all of whom were majoring in English. These students,
aged between 19 and 21 years old, had a solid academic background in English language studies.
They had completed the Pronunciation and Grammar course during their first year at HDU, which
focused on providing foundational knowledge in English phonetics, pronunciation rules, and basic
grammar structures. However, the university did not offer a separate, dedicated course specifically
for vocabulary acquisition at that time.
Instead, vocabulary instruction at HDU was integrated into other core language modules.
Specifically, vocabulary learning was embedded within the Listening-Speaking and Writing-
Reading modules, with these modules aiming to develop students' proficiency in various language
skills through a combination of receptive and productive activities. Although vocabulary was a
component of these broader language skills courses, there was no explicit focus on vocabulary
development, and students were expected to acquire new words and expressions through context
and usage in speaking, listening, reading, and writing activities.
At the time of the study, the participants were engaged in their second year of studies and
were using the textbooks "Achievers B2" by Martyn Hobbs and Julia Starr Keddle (2016) and
"Active Skills for Reading 3" for reading skills. "Achievers B2" is a coursebook designed for
intermediate learners and is used to enhance students’ understanding of English grammar, listening,
and speaking through practical tasks and activities, while "Active Skills for Reading 3" is primarily
focused on developing reading comprehension, critical thinking, and vocabulary through diverse
reading texts and exercises.
The participants, therefore, had experience in the practical application of vocabulary within
context, but due to the absence of a specific vocabulary course, their learning process lacked a
systematic approach to vocabulary acquisition. This context formed the foundation for the study,
which aimed to explore the development of learner autonomy in vocabulary learning, particularly
how these second-year students could take more responsibility for their vocabulary acquisition
outside the traditional classroom setting.
3.2. Data collection
3.2.1. Procedures
The action research was conducted during the second term of school year 2023-2024. It was
divided into three phases as follows:

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Phase One (Weeks 1-4)

This phase was designed to address the first research question: “What problems do students
encounter in their independent vocabulary learning?”
Week 1:
The students were introduced to the vocabulary-learning strategy training program, ensuring
they understood the expectations for the upcoming semester. It was emphasized that participation in
the project was voluntary and would not impact their official semester assessment. Following the
introduction, pre-treatment questionnaires were distributed to gather baseline data from the
students.
Weeks 2-4:
Over the following three weeks, the students participated in one strategy lesson each week.
These lessons were integrated into the vocabulary sections of the curriculum, allowing students to
simultaneously learn new vocabulary and strategies. By embedding the strategy training within the
vocabulary lessons, the strategies were directly tied to the vocabulary being taught, without
disrupting the overall progress of the syllabus.
Nine vocabulary learning strategies from Schmitt's (1997) taxonomy were selected for
instruction. These strategies were grouped into three sets, based on their similarities and relatedness,
as follows:
Table 1. Strategy Set
Strategy Set Strategy Group Strategy

DET Using a bilingual dictionary

Dictionary- MEM Study the spelling of a word

1. related
strategies MEM Study the sound of a word

MEM Remember part of speech

COG Keep a vocabulary notebook

Recording
2. COG Take notes in class
vocabulary
MEM Group words together to study them

DET Analyze affixes and roots

Studying
3.
affixes
MEM Remember affixes and roots
Phase Two (Weeks 5 - 7)
The aims of this phase were to answer the following research question:
2. How much do the students use the taught strategies in their guided vocabulary practice?
Phase two, which lasted three weeks, provided the students with guided practice of the
strategy sets that had already been taught in Phase One. The students were given a word-learning
record weekly and were supposed to complete it in their self-study time.
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Phase Three (Weeks 8 - 10)

This phase aimed at answering the last two research questions:
3. To what extent do the students maintain the taught strategies in their independent
vocabulary learning?
4. How effective is the strategy training programme in helping the students learn vocabulary,
as perceived by the students?
During Phase Three, the students were asked to keep a free-style vocabulary learning diary.
The purpose of the vocabulary diaries was to discover the students’ practice of independent
vocabulary learning after they had been receiving strategy - training.
By the end of the second semester, a post-treatment questionnaire survey was conducted to
reveal the students’ perception of vocabulary-learning strategy training.
3.2.2. Description of the pre-treatment questionnaire
The pre-treatment questionnaire consists of two questions. Question 1 aims to identify the
students' challenges in vocabulary learning by asking them to rank five common vocabulary
learning problems in order of importance. Question 2 focuses on the strategies students use in their
independent vocabulary learning. Specifically, it includes the three sets of strategies covered in the
vocabulary strategy training program: dictionary-related strategies, recording vocabulary, and
studying affixes. The purpose of this question is to assess the frequency with which students use
these specific strategies when learning vocabulary.
3.2.3. Description of the vocabulary - learning records
The three vocabulary - learning records were used to offer the students guided practice of the
strategy sets that had already been taught in phase one. Each record consists of a short reading text,
followed by two tasks. Task 1 is intended to disclose the students’ actual practice of Strategy Set 1
(Dictionary-related strategies) and Set 2 (Recording vocabulary) whereas Task 2 aims at revealing
their practice of Strategy Set 3 (Studying affixes). The reason why Set 1 and Set 2 are investigated
in the same task is that because of the nature of this specific task, these two sets are quite
interrelated and that learners may use multiple strategies at the same time to complete a task.
Table 2. Criteria for evaluating word-learning records

To evaluate the participation in the use of the strategy

Total items to fill in: 4 x 5 = 20 items.
The participation is ranked based on the percentage of filled-in items out of the total 20.
Participation score 1 2 3 4 5
Percentage (%) 0 - 19 20 - 39 40 - 60 61 - 80 81 - 100
Note Participation: how much the students use the taught strategies

3.2.4. Description of the vocabulary learning diary

The purpose of the free-style vocabulary diaries was to explore how students practiced
independent vocabulary learning after receiving strategy training. Since the diaries were intended to
capture authentic and flexible accounts of vocabulary learning, no rigid format was provided.
Before starting the vocabulary diaries, students were given clear instructions. For each diary entry,
they were asked to describe the context of the vocabulary items they recorded and then document
the items in any style they preferred. The context included details such as the source of the

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vocabulary items, and the time and place of self-study. As diaries are not "predetermined," they are
expected to provide the researcher with genuine, detailed insights into how students approach
vocabulary learning (Rea-Dickins and Germaine, 1992:61). In other words, the vocabulary diaries
served as a tool for assessing the students' continued use of the strategies they had been taught.
To evaluate the students' maintenance of the three strategy sets, a holistic rubric was created
(See Table 3). The rubric primarily focused on how consistently students applied the strategies over
time. Using this rubric, each vocabulary learning diary was assigned three scores, reflecting the
level of maintenance for each of the three strategy sets under study.
Table 3. Holistic rubric for marking the maintenance of the trained strategy sets
A relatively large number of strategy occurrences or strategy entries; an
adequate number of words for each strategy occurrence; includes full, accurate
4
elaborations of each word; (items are well - organized; a variety of vocabulary
organizations)
A sufficient number of strategy occurrences; an adequate number of words for
3 each strategy occurrence; includes satisfactory elaborations of each word;
(clear, easy - to - follow organization)
A limited number of strategy occurrences; just a few words for each strategy
2 occurrence; includes only some sketchy details of each word; (little variety of
vocabulary organization)
Few or no strategy occurrences; just one or two words for each strategy
1
occurrence; few details of each word; (no variety of vocabulary organization)
Note: Strategy occurrence is counted according to the number of diary entries in which the
strategy is used
Those in brackets are ONLY supplemented to mark Set 2 - Recording vocabulary
3.2.5. Description of the post - treatment questionnaire
The purpose of the post-treatment questionnaire is to assess both the students' retention of the
three trained strategy sets and their perceptions of these strategies. The questionnaire is divided into
four parts.
Part I asks students to use a Likert scale (ranging from one to five) to indicate how often they
use each of the three strategy sets after completing the strategy training program.
Part II also uses a five-point Likert scale to gather the students’ evaluation of the usefulness of
the three strategy sets.
Part III asks students to rate the effectiveness of the strategy training program using a similar
Likert scale.
Part IV explores the students’ expectations regarding vocabulary strategy training. It includes
three questions, two of which (questions 5 and 6) are open-ended, allowing students to freely
express their thoughts and opinions on the training and the strategies they learned.
4. FINDINGS
4.1. Phase One: Research question 1 - Students’ problems in vocabulary learning
The data collected from the pre-treatment questionnaires in this phase were used to address
the first research question: “What problems do students encounter in their independent vocabulary
learning?”. To answer this question, students were asked to rank five common vocabulary learning

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problems in order of severity, with "1" representing the most troublesome issue. The problem with
the lowest score would be considered the biggest challenge.
Figure 1 illustrates the ranking of these five problems as perceived by the class. As shown in
the figure, the most significant problem identified by students is not knowing how to learn
vocabulary effectively (mean = 2.0). The second most common issue is insufficient time dedicated
to vocabulary learning (mean = 2.4). The next two problems, which scored similarly, are not feeling
interested in vocabulary self-learning and not knowing which words to study. The least reported
problem was the lack of adequate materials or resources for vocabulary learning, such as
dictionaries, reference books, or computers.

Figure 1. Students' problems in independent vocabulary learning

4.0
4.0
3.3
3.5 3.2
3.0
2.4
2.5 2.0
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
Not enough Not enough Not feel Not know Not know
time materials interested how to learn what to learn

4.2. Phase Two

The aims of this phase were to answer the next research question:
Research question 2: How much do the students use the taught strategies in their guided
vocabulary practice?
4.2.1. Students’ participation in the use of Dictionary-related strategies and Vocabulary -
recording strategies
The students' participation in using Strategy Set 1 (dictionary-related strategies) and Strategy
Set 2 (vocabulary-recording strategies) during their guided vocabulary practice is summarized in
Table 4. The results show that approximately two-thirds of the participants (96%, 63%, and 78%)
received scores in the standard range (marks 3 to 5), indicating that most students used these two
strategy sets to a satisfactory extent. However, this level of participation is still relatively low.
The remaining one-third of students, who scored marks 1 or 2, applied the dictionary-related
and vocabulary-recording strategies only minimally during the guided practice. Among the students
who did engage fully with the strategies, between a quarter and nearly half (48%, 26%, and 33%)
achieved a mark of 5 for the three vocabulary records, demonstrating that some students made
extensive use of the strategies.
Additionally, the significant variation in the percentages across the five mark groups suggests
that participation in using these strategies was uneven among the students, with fluctuations in how
consistently students engaged with the strategies across the three vocabulary records.

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Table 4. Students’ participation in the use of Dictionary-related strategies and Vocabulary

- recording strategies
Word record 1 Word record 2 Word record 3
Students % Students % Students %
Mark 1 1 4% 8 30% 2 7%
Mark 2 0 0% 2 7% 4 15%
Mark 3 7 26% 7 26% 5 19%
Mark 4 6 22% 3 11% 7 26%
Mark 5 13 48% 7 26% 9 33%
Mark from 3 to 5 26 96% 17 63% 21 78%
4.2.2. Students’ participation in the use of Strategy Set 3
Table 5 shows the students' participation in using Strategy Set 3 (affix-studying strategies).
Similar to the participation scores for Strategy Set 1 (dictionary-related strategies) and Strategy Set
2 (vocabulary-recording strategies), more than two-thirds of the students (70.5%, 66%, and 89%)
scored between marks 3 and 5, indicating that the majority of students used the affix-studying
strategies to the expected extent during their guided vocabulary practice.
However, as with the other strategy sets, the use of the affix-studying strategy was uneven
across the three-word records. This is reflected in the fluctuating proportions of students in the
different mark groups throughout the three-word records. For example, the percentage of students
who achieved a mark of 5 was notably lower in some records (48%, 22%, and 26%), indicating a
drop in the extent to which students fully engaged with this strategy set at certain points.
Table 5. Students’ participation in the use of Affix - studying strategies
Word record 1 Word record 2 Word record 3
Students % Students % Students %
Mark 1 3 11% 7 26% 2 7%
Mark 2 5 18.5% 5 19% 1 4%
Mark 3 5 18.5% 6 22% 14 52%
Mark 4 1 4% 3 11% 3 11%
Mark 5 13 48% 6 22% 7 26%
Mark from
19 70.5% 15 66% 24 89%
3 to 5
4.3. Phase Three
Phase Three aims at answering the last two research questions:
Research question 3: To what extent do the students maintain the taught strategies in their
independent vocabulary learning?
Research question 3 is answered by calculating the maintenance scores from the students'
free-style vocabulary learning diaries. These diaries, based on independent study, reveal how well
students continue to use the taught strategies outside of guided practice.
Research question 4: How effective is the strategy training programme in helping the
students learn vocabulary, as perceived by the students?

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Research question 4 is answered through the post-treatment questionnaire, which gathers

students' feedback on the strategies and their overall experience with the training program.
4.3.1. Research question 3: Students’ maintenance of the taught strategies in independent
vocabulary learning
Based on the holistic rubric, each vocabulary-learning diary was given three marks to reflect
the maintenance levels of the three strategy sets. Figure 2 shows the students' maintenance of the
strategies, using percentages and a four-point scale.
Approximately half of the students received mark 3 for maintaining dictionary-related
strategies (55.6%) and vocabulary-recording strategies (44%), indicating that half of the class
continued to use these strategies to a significant extent in their self-study. In contrast, nearly two-
thirds of the students had low maintenance of affix-studying strategies, with 63% scoring mark 1.
This suggests that most students used affix-studying strategies only minimally in their independent
vocabulary learning.
Figure 2. Students' maintenance of the taught strategies in independent
vocabulary learning

Dictionary-related strategies

Vocabulary-recording

Affix-studying
%

80.0
63
55.6
60.0 44
40.0 30 26
15 18.5 18.5
20.0 7.4 11 11
0
0.0
1 2 3 4 Mark

4.3.2. Research question 4: Students’ perception of the effectiveness of the strategy training
programme
The pre-treatment and post-treatment questionnaires were used to assess the students'
perceptions of the vocabulary-learning strategy training program. A comparison of their reported
frequency of using the three strategy sets before and after the program, along with their evaluation
of the usefulness of the strategies and the training itself, revealed insights into how the students
viewed the effectiveness of the training.
4.3.2.1. Students’ frequency of using the taught strategies before and after the training
programme
A means of judging the effectiveness of the vocabulary-learning strategy training programme
was to compare the mean of frequency of using the three trained strategy sets before and after the
training took place. Figure 3 presents the students’ frequency of vocabulary strategy use before and
after the training.

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Figure 3. Frequency of vocabulary strategy use before and after training

Mean of frequency

4.3
4
4.5
4 3.3
2.9
3.5
2.4 Before training
3 2.2 After training
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Dictionary-related Vocabulary-recording Affix-studying
strategies

Obviously, the frequency means of each strategy set after the training was higher than that
before the training. It implies that the students used all the three taught strategy sets more frequently
after they had participated in the strategy training programme. Another worth-mentioning point is
that the frequency order of the three strategy sets remained the same both before and after the
training. Dictionary-related strategies were the most-frequently used, and then came vocabulary-
recording strategies and lastly, affix-studying strategies were the least-frequently used among the
three strategy sets.
4.3.2.2. Usefulness of the taught strategies
Figure 4 shows how the students perceived the usefulness of the taught strategy sets. Nearly all
students rated dictionary-related strategies and vocabulary-recording strategies as quite useful, with
marks ranging from 3 to 5. About half (51.9%) rated dictionary-related strategies with mark 4,
indicating that these strategies were considered highly useful by this group. Nearly one-fifth (18.5%)
rated both dictionary-related and vocabulary-recording strategies as extremely useful (mark 5).
For affix-studying strategies, two-thirds of the students gave marks between 3 and 5,
indicating that they considered this strategy set fairly useful. However, about one-third of the
students rated affix-studying strategies with marks 1 or 2, suggesting that they found this strategy
set only moderately useful, with 7% giving it mark 1 and 26% giving it mark 2.
Figure 4. Usefulness of the taught strategies
% Dictionary-related strategies
60 Vocabulary-recording
51.9 51.9
Affix-studying
50
41
40
29.6
30 25.9
26
22
20 18.5 18.5

10 7
3.7 4
0 0 0
0
Mark 1 Mark 2 Mark 3 Mark 4 Mark 5

4.3.2.3. Students’ evaluation of the strategy training programme

The effectiveness of the vocabulary-learning strategy training programme was illustrated by
Figure 5. As can be seen, the majority of the students assessed the training programme as highly
effective (67% and 11% of the students gave mark 4 and mark 5 respectively to rate the
effectiveness of the programme). Only 7 % gave mark 2, which means only two out of 27 students
evaluated the programme as having a very limited effectiveness.

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Figure 5. Effectiveness of the strategy training programme

11% 7%
15% Mark 2
Mark 3
Mark 4
67%
Mark 5

The students' positive feedback about the strategy training program is further supported by
responses from the post-treatment questionnaires. For questions 4 and 5, all 27 students expressed
interest in receiving further vocabulary-learning strategy training, citing several reasons. These
reasons can be grouped into five categories:
1. Effective vocabulary learning: 12 students mentioned that the strategy training helped them
understand how to learn vocabulary more effectively. One student noted, "Vocabulary-learning
strategy training made me more self-aware of learning vocabulary, helping me learn better, faster,
and more effectively."
2. Usefulness of the strategies: 10 students highlighted the practical benefits of the training,
such as investing more time in vocabulary study, learning more words and their meanings, and
expanding their vocabulary. Some also reported improved word retention, with one student saying,
"Because of the vocabulary learning strategies, I am now more active in learning vocabulary—not
just from lessons, but also from songs and newspapers. The strategy of recording vocabulary makes
lessons easier and helps me remember words more easily."
3. Increased motivation: 6 students noted that the training made them more motivated or
interested in learning. One student shared, "I felt more interested in English, so I learned more
effectively. I was also motivated to learn vocabulary in a self-aware manner and could memorize
more words."
4. Development of other skills: 4 students mentioned that the training helped improve other
language skills, such as speaking, listening, reading, and writing. One student explained, "The
training program helped me use words in writing and speaking."
5. CONCLUSION
This study explored students' vocabulary learning, focusing on their use of three strategy sets:
using a dictionary, recording vocabulary, and studying affixes. It assessed their participation, and
maintenance of these strategies, as well as the difficulties they faced in independent vocabulary
learning and their perceptions of the strategy training program.
In terms of participation, only two-thirds of the students used the strategies as expected during
guided vocabulary practice, while the remaining third used them to a much lesser degree.
When the students progressed to Phase Three of independent vocabulary learning, they
demonstrated better maintenance of dictionary-related and vocabulary-recording strategies than
affix-studying strategies. Specifically, they continued to use dictionaries and record vocabulary
much more frequently than they applied affix-studying strategies in their self-study.
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Regarding the students' perceptions of the strategy training, they rated dictionary-related
strategies as the most useful and frequently used, followed by vocabulary-recording strategies, with
affix-studying strategies being the least favored. The training program was seen as highly effective,
a view supported by data from the pre-treatment questionnaire, which identified "not knowing how
to learn vocabulary" as the students' biggest challenge in independent learning.
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A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES FACED BY 9TH GRADE STUDENTS

IN LEARNING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS
AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HANOI
Dang Thi Huyen Trang
Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy
Nguyen Tat Thang
Vietnam National University of Agricuture

ABSTRACT
Speaking is one of the most important skills language learners must have to succeed in their
academic and professional activities. However, there are still many students who have difficulty
speaking English. This paper aims to examine the difficulties faced by 9th-grade students in
learning English Speaking skills at Thuy Lam Secondary School. Participants in this study were 160
students from 3 classes of 9th grade, Thuy Lam school. Both quantitative (through surveys) and
qualitative (through semi-structured interviews) methods were used in this study. Research results
show that students encounter many difficulties such as pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, mother
tongue, and psychology when learning to speak English, in which pronunciation ranks the most
difficult issue. The study also provides with some useful suggestions for helping students learn how
to speak English. The results presented here may facilitate improvements in the students' general
English-speaking competency and also their academic and social success as well.
Keywords: Difficulties, 9th Graders, Speaking English, Secondary School

1. INTRODUCTION
English is considered as one of the languages most people learn and speak. The need for
global integration is growing nowadays, as Vietnam finds the “open door” policy to be appropriate.
That's why, in our country, learning English has become important for industrialization and
modernization. Especially in international interaction, English is a primary language for
communication in negotiations. Vietnamese education has recognized the language's value and
added English as a curriculum.
English is considered the key to success and Speaking skills are considered very important for
daily activities such as work and communication. It is important to focus and improve English
Speaking ability, especially in countries like Vietnam where this language is considered as a foreign
language.
Therefore, the theme “A Study on Difficulties in Learning English Speaking Skills Faced by
9th Grade Students at a Secondary School in Hanoi” is executed to identify the difficulties that
students encounter and propose solutions to solve problems and improve students' ability to speak
English in the long run. This study is likely to be more accessible and interesting to accreditors,
audiences, and learners of English.
The study intends to give answers to the following questions:
1. What are difficulties that the 9th grade students of Thuy Lam Secondary School encounter
in English speaking skills?
2. What suggested solutions are offered to overcome difficulties in learning English speaking
skills?

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW
The most important aspect of acquiring another language is speaking. Besides those who have
good command of speaking skills, many Vietnamese students are learning English, but are in a state
of not knowing how to speak or speaking incorrectly. Some researchers such as Bygate (1987),
Nguyen Thi Nhung & Nguyen Thi Duong (2019), Tran Thi Hong Le (2020), Nguyen Huy Du et al.
(2021), Rabiula & Ana (2022), and Agustia (2022) have studied issues related to English-speaking
skills. The results of their studies lead to the conclusion that students learning speaking encounter
many problems such as difficulties in pronunciation, psychology, lack of motivation, impact of their
mother tongue, the lack of an environment to practice and use English Speaking skills (Tran Thi
Hong Le, 2020; Nguyen Huy Du et al. 2021).
2.1. Definition of Speaking
Speaking skills is the capacity to interact with others by utilizing words and sounds to convey
ideas, engage in conversation, and express opinions on a variety of topics to improve
communication. Both the speaker and the listener can express and trade ideas through dialogue.
Chaney (1998, p. 35) states “The process of creating and conveying meaning through spoken and
nonverbal cues is called talking”. Speaking skills give us the ability to communicate effectively,
speaking at any time and in any situation. Speaking is the ability to employ linguistic expertise in
everyday conversation to transmit needs, thoughts, and feelings. It is the ability to put concepts into
words so that others may understand what is being said.
2.2. The importance of Speaking Skills
English plays an important role in many fields. Today, English is taught and acquired as a
second tongue. Language is a tool for communication, expressing our ideas, and understanding
clearly. Therefore, the ability to speak is important for language learners at all levels. Mastering any
language in the world allows anyone to develop and improve the quality of overall vivacity now and
in the destined. Speaking English well will help us take advantage of chances when to arise and
elevate ourselves both in business and in our personal lives.
Byrne’s point of view (1976, p. 36) is that "Speech in a foreign language is without a doubt
the most highly valued skill, and it is exactly that". Speaking a foreign language fluently indicates
that one can comprehend it and learn how to read it in appropriate situations. This, of course, will
also create an environment that is conducive to learning how to write in that language.
Speaking is one of the core and essential skills for learning a language. To acquire this skill,
students must actively investigate, create, and practice regularly. They cannot simply absorb
information. Speaking abilities are integrated with and closely related to fundamental language
abilities; they are not distinct from other language abilities. The foundation for improving our
communication skills is speaking.
2.3. Methods of Teaching and Learning Speaking Skills
The work of Rao (2018) claims that many techniques can be presented in different activities
to teach Speaking skills in English classes. Speaking abilities can be improved through participation
in activities like JAM instances, discussion, extempore, role plays, gap analysis exercises, chatting
circles, debates, mock interviews, and presentations by English language learners.
Classroom learning can become monotonous and uninteresting when too much theory without
practice, leading to students feeling bored. Teachers should focus on English knowledge, social
knowledge, and practice to improve speaking reflexes. To enhance learning, teachers should create

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learning inspiration, communicate with foreigners, and organize interactive activities. Lack of
clarity in instructions can cause confusion and difficulty in English Speaking tasks.
Creating interactive activities is also an important factor to stimulate students' attention and
understanding. Teachers can implement exercises such as group discussions, debate questions, or
language games to encourage students to actively participate and practice their speaking skills.
Teachers can use resources such as many applications and online tools to support creating lively
lessons, combining interactive activities to create a flexible and attractive learning environment, and
encouraging students to participate and develop speaking skills comprehensively.
2.4. Difficulties in learning English Speaking Skills
Some researchers such as Gardner (1980), Cummins (1981), Beebe (1985), Horwitz and Cope
(1986), Harmer (1991), Tsui (1995), Horwitz (2001), Harmer (2004), Thornbury (2005), and
Truong Tran Minh Nhat (2018) concluded that several aspects influence why students have
difficulties learning to Speak English. They are Pronunciation, Vocabulary source, Grammatical
range and accuracy, mother tongue, and psychological problems.
a. Pronunciation
This criterion refers to the ability to speak enough to pass a test assessing a student's speaking
skills. Thornbury (2005) affirms that learners must also pay attention to their pronunciation when
speaking. Learners must grasp both the pronunciation of specific words and the phonological norms
of English to speak correctly.
b. Vocabulary source
This criterion concerns students' vocabulary and the precision with which they can
communicate thoughts and attitudes. Lack of vocabulary makes it difficult for students to
communicate verbally in English. They are not fluent because the vocabulary they have is still
minimal. Students believe that English has different ways of expressing words and must be
selective choose words to build a speech that is meaningful and can be understood by the
interlocutor.
c. Grammatical range and accuracy
Given the concept of grammar, it is easy to see why it is significant and helpful. One cannot
be said to have learned a language if they are not familiar with its grammar. Thornbury (2005)
believes that to use grammatical structures correctly in spoken language, learners must be aware of
the length and complexity of the entire sentence.
d. Mother tongue
For a variety of reasons, students frequently use their mother tongue when practicing speaking
English. When addressing topics they don't know much about, students could try to speak in their
native tongue since it seems more natural and they might get used to it if teachers use it regularly in
class.
e. Psychological problems
Students' lack of confidence in their English speaking abilities, coupled with fear of making
mistakes and peer ridicule, makes it challenging to improve their skills. Tsui (1995) explains that
pupils' speaking abilities are impacted by their fear of making mistakes and drawing ridicule from
their peers. Psychological issues significantly influence students' performance and outcomes when
learning a second language.
3. METHODOLOGY

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The study was conducted with the participation of 160 9th grade students at Thuy Lam
secondary school, Hanoi in the second semester of 2023-2024 school year by using two research
instruments such as the survey questionnaire and the semi-structured interview.
3.1. Questionnaire
The most useful tool is the questionnaire, which may quickly and efficiently gather a lot of
data from students. The primary goal of the survey is to get information about the challenges
students encounter when speaking in English. It also aims to assess students’ attitude toward
learning the language and gather the best solutions for issues with students. The survey
questionnaire consists of 33 closed-ended questions and 1 open-ended question. The sections of the
questionnaire are presented in Table 1 below.
Table 1. The survey questionnaire

Statements Statement’s content

Statements 1 to 5 Students’ background
Statements 6 to 15 Students’ difficulties in pronunciation and intonation
Statements 16 to 20 Students’ difficulties related to word stress and vocabulary
Statements 21 to 25 Students’ difficulties related to grammar tense
Statements 26 to 29 The influence of the mother tongue on speaking English
Statements 30 to 33 Students' difficulties related to psychological problems
In your opinion, what are suggested solutions to overcome these
Statements 34
difficulties?
Students’ responses were kept confidential. Scoring and priority ranking method using a
5-level Likert scale: 1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = neutral; 4 = agree; 5 = strongly agree.
The formula for calculating the average score and ranking is as follows:

Where:
xi represents the rating level based on the associated points (1, 2, 3, 4,5);
ui is the total number of individuals that have xi as their rating level.
The following formula is used to get the distance value: (highest-lowest)/n = (5-1)/5 = 0.8. Thus,

( ) into the following levels: 1.00 - 1.80 is strongly disagree; 1.81 - 2.60 is disagree; 2.61-3.40 is
neutral; 3.41 - 4.20 is agree; 4.21 - 5.00 is strongly agree.
3.2. Interviews
According to Harmed (2022), conducting interviews with study participants is a highly
beneficial method for gathering survey data. For this reason, the method used in this is a
semi-structured interview. Three background questions about the primary findings of the study were
asked during in-person interviews; additional questions were added based on the respondents'

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responses. Through interviews, the challenges students face in learning to speak English were
discovered to gather further data for assessment and potential solutions. Three topics for the
interview were: 1. Difficulties in learning to speak English; 2. Elements influencing speech
development; and 3. Strategies for improving English speaking ability. Students can answer in both
English and Vietnamese when asked. If the students were confused or felt uneasy to speak in
English, or if their ability in the language was insufficient to comprehend the interview questions
and provide responses, the interview was done in Vietnamese to ensure that the answers were
accurate.
4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. Findings from the questionnaire
The questionnaire's results are categorized into two major parts, embracing students’
background and students’ difficulties in the process of speaking English skills.
4.1.1. Students’ background
Question 1: How long have you learned English?

Figure 1. The amount of time students studied English

The English learning time of 160 9th-grade students is displayed in the above chart.
Observing the table, 90% of students have studied English for seven years, making up the largest
percentage of students. The remaining 10% of students have studied English for five years. From
the data, every one of our pupils has studied English for a significant length of time; most kids
begin their English language education in the third grade of primary school.
Question 2: How important are speaking English skills?

Figure 2. Students’ opinion on the importance of speaking

It is evident from the data in question number 2 that the majority of students understand the
value of English in both learning and daily life. Consequently, the majority of students concur that

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speaking is a crucial ability. When asked how important it is to speak English, a large number of
110/160 (68.75%) students chose the answer "Very important", where as 42 students (26.25%)
selected "Important". Furthermore, no student selects the options "Not important" or "Not important
at all," and 5% of students believe that speaking is only a "Normal" talent. In summary, a large
number of Thuy Lam Secondary School ninth graders genuinely understand the importance of
speaking abilities.
Question 3: How are your speaking English skills?

Figure 3. The students’ self-evaluation on their speaking skills

The thoughts of participants regarding their speaking abilities during their research are
displayed in Figure 3.3 columns. Just 11.25% of the 160 pupils reported having "Very good"
speaking ability. Furthermore, 28/160 (17.5%) students think they have "Good" speaking abilities;
they can captivate an audience by speaking confidently and smoothly in front of huge gatherings.
The "Average" level describes 72 students' (45%) opinion that their speaking skills are in the middle
as neither too good nor too poor. Lastly, 34 students accounting for 21.25% of the participants,
reported having "Bad" speaking skills, while 8 students, or 5% of the participants, claimed to have
"Very bad" English.
Question 4: How many hours a week do you dedicate to speaking practice?
Table 2. Students’ speaking frequency practice per week
Students’ speaking frequency practice per week Percentage
30 minutes 37.5%
1 hour 16.25%
3 hours 7.5%
More than 4 hours 1.25%
Table 2 indicates that 37.5% of participants always practice speaking 30 minutes per week.
While 16.25% of students said they practice speaking skills for 1 hour per week. 7.5% of students
practiced speaking skills for 3 hours. 1.25% of participants practiced speaking for more than 4
hours a week. Overall, it can be said that the majority of students show a not-yet positive attitude
toward self-speaking skills. The amount of time students spend self-studying Speaking skills is still
limited.

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Question 5: What kind of errors do you typically make when speaking English?

Figure 4. Types of errors made by students

This study aims to identify difficulties that students commonly encounter when speaking
English. Figure 4 shows that grade 9 students’ learning speaking at Thuy Lam Secondary School
were affected by four factors such as vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and psychology. It can be
seen from that figure that students consider "pronunciation" barrier as the highest difficulty in
learning to speak English, with 76% of students. Vocabulary difficulties ranked second with 8.75%.
Many students often have difficulty when learning and practicing new words. They claim that they
often say the wrong thing because of vocabulary limitation. Many students write very well and use
good grammar, but when speaking, they only use simple sentences. 8% of students lack confidence,
are bashful, and fear making mistakes, which means they are affected by "psychological" factors.
The factor that causes the least difficulty for students is grammar, with 7.25%.
In short, every student encounters certain difficulties when learning to speak English, but
most difficulties come from their subjective factors.
4.1.2. Students’ difficulties in learning English speaking skills
In general, table 3 provides difficulties in learning to speak English that 9 grade students in a
junior high school encounter. First, with an average score of 3.84, pronunciation is the most difficult
barrier for 9th-grade students in Thuy Lam secondary school. Secondly, with an average score of
3.82, Vietnamese native language is also considered as a challenge for students when learning
English speaking skills. The third difficulty assessed by students is word stress and vocabulary with
an average score of 3.48. Ranked after that number is psychological difficulties with an average
score of 3.45. Finally, the least difficult aspect for students with an average score of 3.00 is
Grammar and Tenses in English. In short, Pronunciation is the biggest challenge for 9th-grade
students at Thuy Lam school.
Table 3. Mean scores of 5 clusters
Number = 160 Mean
Students’ difficulties in pronunciation and intonation 3.84
Students’ difficulties related to word stress and vocabulary 3.48
Students’ difficulties related to grammar tense 3.00
The influence of the mother tongue on speaking English 3.82
Students' difficulties related to psychological problems 3.45

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Tables 4 - 8 below present grade 9th students’ difficulties related to vocabulary, grammar,
pronunciation, psychology, and mother tongue in details.
Table 4. Students’ difficulties in pronunciation and intonation
Statements Mean
6. When speaking English, it's crucial to end with a sound. 3.81
7. I may mispronounce final sounds, which can lead to people misinterpreting what
you are trying to say. 4.16
8. I frequently mispronounce the consonants such as /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/. 4.0
9. There are variances in pronunciation between the /s/ and /z/ sounds. 3.89
10. I believe that the lack of ending sounds in Vietnamese is the reason for your error. 3.19
11. It is the consonant clusters that make a sound. 3.96
12. Consonant clusters are absent in Vietnamese. 3.78
13. I find it extremely difficult to articulate consonant clusters. 3.99
14. I believe that the mother tongue is to blame for intonation errors. 4.03
15. Adding tone to my speech is something I cannot get used to. 3.98
The results from Table 4 indicate that students have many difficulties in pronouncing final
sounds, consonant clusters, and intonation. Students have to deal with the mispronunciation of final
sounds when learning to speak English. The important thing when speaking English is to end with a
final sound, with an average score of 3.81. Mispronunciation of the final sound can easily cause
people to misunderstand what is being said. The average score is up to 4.16, clearly showing that
this is the most influential factor in pronunciation errors. Vietnamese language does not have sounds
like /θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/, which causes many mispronunciations for students, with an average
score at 4.0. Variances in pronunciation between the /s/ and /z/ sounds, with an average score of
3.89 also cause problems for students. The popping sound associated with an explosion of air does
not always appear in the same way in other languages, leading to confusion and errors. The average
score is 3.19, and students believe that the lack of final sounds in Vietnamese is the cause of
mispronunciation. Second, pronouncing English consonant clusters also poses a notable challenge.
The opinion with the high average score of 3.99 is that there must be consonant clusters to create
sounds. The judgment is that there must be consonant clusters to create sounds, with an average
score of 3.96. And ranking the average score lower means that consonant clusters in Vietnamese do
not exist (with an average of 3.78). This may be due to the presence of sounds in English that are
not present in the student's native language, such as the sound (/θ/, /ð/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/). Students
also make errors in intonation, which is another significant difficulty. They attributed intonation
errors to their mother tongue, with the second highest average score being 4.03. Their unfamiliarity
with adding tone to their speech resulted in a lower mean score of 3.98. This problem is even more
complicated for students whose native language does not have similar differences.
Overall, the table analysis shows major pronunciation difficulties for Grade 9 students, with
challenges with final sounds, sounds not present in students’ mother tongue, consonant clusters, and
intonation. These scores show that many students struggle with these aspects of pronunciation,
which are important for clear and accurate speech. The consistent challenges highlighted by these
scores underscore the importance of targeted exercises to improve students' English-speaking skills.

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Table 5. Students’ difficulties related to word stress and vocabulary

Statements Mean
16. Misunderstanding the meaning of a word might result from incorrect word stress. 4.03
17. I am well-versed in the conventions of English word stress. 2.61
18. Typically, I emphasize the incorrect syllable in words. 3.66
19. Poor vocabulary makes it difficult for me to convey my ideas. 3.39
20. I frequently use words that are inappropriate for the situation. 3.31
Table 5 shows students' difficulties with word stress and vocabulary when learning to speak
English. Misunderstanding the meaning of a word can be pressing on the important incorrect word,
which is said to be the most basic error with an average score of 4.03. Students are aware that
vocabulary also faces significant difficulties. Students having difficulty in conveying their ideas
have an average score of 3.39 and that students often use the wrong words that are not appropriate
for the situation, has an average score of 3.31.
In summary, it can be seen that word stress and vocabulary in English are also a kind of difficulty
that causes discomfort and hinders students' learning to speak English.
Table 6 . Students’ difficulties related to grammar
Statements Mean
21. The use of tenses is essential when speaking English. 3.55
22. Because tenses are absent from Vietnamese, I frequently forget them when
conversing in English. 2.5
23. When discussing things from the past, I frequently forget to utilize the past
simple tense. 2.39
24. It is difficult to distinguish between the present perfect and past simple tenses. 3.4
25. Sometimes it's impossible to decide which tenses to employ. 3.12
In Table 6, the use of tenses is essential when speaking English, which most students agree
with an average score of 3.55. With an average difficulty level of 3.4, students struggle to discern
between the present perfect tense and simple past tense, ranking second in grammar complexity. An
average score of 3.12 indicates that students occasionally find themselves in situations where they
are unable to determine which tense to utilize. Grammar is still thought to be the least amount of
challenge for students. However, 9th grade students at Thuy Lam secondary school have a variety of
difficulties, including frequently forgetting to use tenses when speaking in English and failing to use
the simple past tense when talking about previous events. Overall, the grammatical aspect is the
least difficult for students at Thuy Lam school.
Table 7. The influence of the mother tongue on speaking English
Statements Mean
26. I have mistakes in word arrangement while speaking English. 3.94
27. It is common for me to mentally translate Vietnamese into English before speaking. 4.36
28. I use a few Vietnamese words here and there when speaking English in class. 3.61
29. I may occasionally misunderstand what people who speak fluently mean. 3.38

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Table 7 indicates that 9th-grade students’ learning to speak English at Thuy Lam School is
greatly influenced by their mother tongue. A problem that students often have is mentally
translating Vietnamese into English before speaking, with the highest average score being 4.36.
Students’ making mistakes in word arrangement while speaking English with an average score of
3.94, ranks the second. Ranking the 3rd with an average score of 3.61 is using a few Vietnamese
words here and there when speaking English in class. And finally, students sometimes
misunderstand what fluent speakers mean, with an average score of 3.38. All this shows that the
issue of mother tongue is very important and has a lot of influence on English speaking.

Table 8. Students' difficulties related to psychological problems

Statements Mean
30. I am nervous about looking foolish and insecure in front of my peers. 3.32
31. Since I rarely speak English in crowded settings, it can be challenging to
respond quickly when speaking in class. 3.64
32. I am worried that friends will make fun of or criticize me because my English
is not perfect. 3.62
33. I blame myself when I say anything incorrect because I am a perfectionist. 3.21
Table 8 presents the average scores of psychological problems that cause difficulties for
students when speaking English. Students are often not proactive, rarely speak English in crowded
places, so they have many difficulties in responding quickly in class (with 3.64 scores). It can be
seen that this is the most difficult factor in students' psychology. Difficulty ranking the second with
an average score of 3.62, is that students are worried that their friends will make fun of them or
criticize them for not speaking English well. Students’ feeling worried that they would look stupid
and insecure in front of their friends with an average score of 3.32 ranks the third. And finally,
students are perfectionists, they always blame themselves when they say something incorrect with
the lowest average difficulty score of 3.21. In short, psychology is also a significant difficulty for
9th grade students at Thuy Lam secondary school.
Statement 34. In your opinion, what are suggested solutions to overcome the difficulties you
have when learning speaking skills?
This is an open-ended question for students. The majority of the answers provided by Thuy
Lam School's 9th graders involve practicing pronunciation especially the sounds which do not exist
in Vietnamese language, listening to English every day, learning vocabulary and grammar through
the use of flashcards, taking notes on vocabulary, using applications for learning the language,
locating trustworthy sources of materials, taking community courses, etc. About 134 out of 160
students, or 83.75%, answered this question. This demonstrates that Thuy Lam Secondary School
9th-grade students are still having a lot of problems, and need improvements in learning speaking
English.
4.2. Findings from the interviews
The researcher conducted interviews with 9th-grade students at Thuy Lam Secondary School to
ascertain their perspectives on the challenges associated with acquiring English language skills. The
study was conducted qualitatively, through semi-structured interviews. Bilingual interviews in both
Vietnamese and English were used to gather data from 15 students chosen by the researchers based on
the results of their average scores in the first semester: five students with high scores (students 05, 08,

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09, 11, and 18), seven with average scores (students 03, 12, 16, 19, 21, 22, and 25), and three with low
scores (students 06, 15, and 23). Below is the analysis and summary of the interview.
Question 1: What is your opinion on learning to speak English?
According to the results obtained from the interview, 12 students (80%) acknowledged that
they find it extremely challenging to learn to speak. Furthermore, 5 students (33.33%) believe
pronunciation is normal, whereas 10 students (66.67%) believe pronunciation is challenging, 3
students (20%) indicated they had no problems. As a result, most students still struggle with
learning to speak English fluently.
Question 2: What difficulty do you have when learning to speak English?
There are 9 students (60%) who think that their vocabulary is limited, and lack ideas, along
with the influence of psychological factors. These are considered as major difficulties when
students learn to speak English. They also have difficulty with exercises to find synonyms,
antonyms, and difficulty communicating with native speakers. The remaining 6 students (40%) are
confident with their core vocabulary. They can easily think and practice speaking using their
vocabulary repertoire. In short, the data shows that most grade 9 students at Thuy Lam Secondary
School are not very good at speaking skills.
Question 3: What solutions do you propose to overcome the difficulties in learning
speaking?
When asked about the suggested solutions to overcome difficulties in learning speaking
English, most 9th grade students responded that they need reasonable support from teachers,
balancing time to help students practice speaking and communicating more instead of doing
homework practice. They need a lot of pronunciation practice because their mother tongue makes
them slow to react and not speak fluently. Furthermore, students suggested that the teacher should
be more patient to accept students’ making errors with delayed corrections instead of denying the
student's answers so that the teacher can motivate them to continue speaking and be self-aware and
confident. It is also suggested that if students practice day by day and have a positive attitude
towards making mistakes, i.e. making mistakes is a learning step, they will not be afraid of making
mistakes when participating in speaking activities. Accordingly, they will improve themselves
gradually. The remaining students have the same solutions such as memorizing and using
vocabulary in different contexts, learning to use grammatical structures appropriately, and spending
time practicing speaking a lot and pronouncing coherently.
4.3. Discussion
By using survey questionnaire and semi-structured interview with the participation of 9th
grade students at Thuy Lam secondary school, the research results show that students encounter
many difficulties such as pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, mother tongue, and psychology
when learning to speak English, in which pronunciation ranks the most difficult. The study’s
findings are in alignment with Tran Thi Hong Le's report (2020) and Rabiula’s study (2021).
The study examines students' attitudes towards speaking skills at Thuy Lam School, revealing
that despite extensive English study, many students still struggle with pronunciation, grammar,
vocabulary, mother tongue, and psychology. Mispronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary issues are
common issues, leading to inaccurate meanings and monotonous speech. Students struggle to
express themselves due to low self-esteem, anxiety about mistakes, and humiliation in front of
peers. To improve their speaking abilities, students must overcome psychological issues such as low
self-esteem, anxiety, and quick response abilities. Overall, improving speaking skills is crucial for
future success.

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5. CONCLUSION
This study sheds light on the challenges faced by Grade 9 students at Thuy Lam Secondary
School in developing their English speaking skills. The results show that factors such as
pronunciation, grammar, mother tongue, vocabulary, and psychological issues contribute
significantly to the difficulties faced by these students. Despite these challenges, students believe
that English proficiency is essential for their studies and daily life.
Being aware of these challenges is an important step towards implementing effective
solutions. Improving students’ English speaking skills requires a multi-dimensional approach.
Teachers’ teaching methods, students’ psychology, and interactive learning platforms can play an
important role in addressing these challenges. These tools can provide a personalized learning
experience, allowing students to progress at their own pace and gain confidence in speaking
English.
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ỨNG DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP NGHE - NÓI VÀO GIẢNG DẠY KỸ NĂNG NÓI TIẾNG
HÀN CHO SINH VIÊN TẠI HPU
Trần Thị Hồng Nhung
Trường Đại học Quản lý và Công nghệ Hải Phòng

TÓM TẮT
Trong dạy và học tiếng Hàn, kĩ năng nói tiếng Hàn là một trong những kĩ năng ngôn ngữ đóng
vai trò quan trọng để giúp sinh viên thể hiện được khả năng sử dụng ngoại ngữ của mình. Mục đích
của giảng dạy ngoại ngữ là phát triển và hoàn thiện năng lực và kỹ năng giao tiếp với người bản
ngữ cho người học. Tuy nhiên, kĩ năng nói tiếng Hàn của sinh viên nói chung và của sinh viên
chuyên ngành Ngôn ngữ Anh - Hàn tại trường Đại học Quản lý và Công nghệ Hải Phòng (HPU) nói
riêng vẫn còn rất nhiều hạn chế. Để góp phần khắc phục những hạn chế này, bài viết này trình bày
một số đặc điểm, ưu nhược điểm của phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method) và đề xuất
các bước ứng dụng phương pháp này trong các tiết học kĩ năng nói tiếng Hàn để nâng cao năng lực
giao tiếp tiếng Hàn cho sinh viên tại trường Đại học Quản lý và Công nghệ Hải Phòng.
Từ khóa: Giảng dạy tiếng Hàn, Kỹ năng nói tiếng Hàn, Phương pháp dạy học, Phương pháp
Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method).
1. ĐẶT VẤN ĐỀ
Mục đích của giảng dạy ngoại ngữ nói chung và tiếng Hàn Quốc nói riêng là phát triển và
hoàn thiện năng lực và kỹ năng giao tiếp với người bản xứ cho người học. Để người học ngoại ngữ
có thể giao tiếp với người bản xứ tự nhiên nhất không chỉ đòi hỏi người học có khả năng ngữ pháp
và từ vựng, mà còn người học phải có khả năng giao tiếp linh hoạt, tự tin và tự nhiên trong các tình
huống thực tế. Để đạt được điều này, việc áp dụng các phương pháp giảng dạy hiệu quả đóng vai trò
rất quan trọng.
Lịch sử dạy học ngoại ngữ đã trải qua nhiều phương pháp khác nhau như: phương pháp Ngữ
pháp - Dịch (Grammar-Translation Method), phương pháp Nghe - Nhìn (Audiovisual Method),
phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method), phương pháp Giao tiếp (Communicative
Method),… Trong đó, phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method) là một phương pháp đang
được áp dụng để phát triển kĩ năng nói tiếng Hàn. Khác với phương pháp Ngữ pháp - Dịch, phương
pháp này đáp ứng đúng mục tiêu cần đạt được của người học là hình thành và phát triển cả bốn kỹ
năng, tuy nhiên ưu tiên phát triển nói, nghe trước đọc và viết. Bài viết này, tôi sẽ trình bày một số
đặc điểm, ưu nhược điểm của phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method) và đề xuất các
bước ứng dụng phương pháp này trong các tiết học kĩ năng nói tiếng Hàn để nâng cao năng lực giao
tiếp tiếng Hàn cho sinh viên trường Đại học Quản lý và Công nghệ Hải Phòng (HPU).
2. NỘI DUNG NGHIÊN CỨU
2.1. Cơ sở lý luận
2.1.1. Phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method)
Phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method) là một phương pháp dạy ngoại ngữ được
ra đời ở Mỹ vào những năm 50 và 60 của thề kỉ XX. Charles Fries (1945) của Đại học Michigan đã
đi đầu trong việc áp dụng những đặc điểm của ngôn ngữ học cấu trúc và tâm lí học hành vi để phát
triển phương pháp này. Theo Diane Larsen-Freeman trong nghiên cứu "Techniques and Principles
in Language Teaching" (2000), phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method) không tập trung
vào việc phải hiểu nghĩa của từ mà yêu cầu người học cần lắng nghe và học thuộc các mẫu câu, cụm

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từ và ngữ pháp thông qua việc lặp lại và tái diễn các mẫu câu đó. Nhờ vậy, người học có thể hình
thành thói quen sử dụng những mẫu quen thuộc của ngôn ngữ đích thay vì tiếng mẹ đẻ.
2.1.2. Đặc điểm của phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method)
Phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method) chịu ảnh hưởng của ngôn ngữ học cấu trúc
và tâm lí học hành vi. Đặc điểm của phương pháp này là tập trung vào kĩ năng nghe và nói, sinh
viên sẽ được nghe các mẫu câu và cấu trúc ngữ pháp thông qua âm thanh trước khi thực hành nói.
Giáo viên yêu cầu lặp lại các mẫu câu và đoạn hội thoại để củng cố khả năng phát âm và ghi nhớ
những mẫu câu này. Để hình thành thói quen sử dụng ngôn ngữ đích thì ngoài những cụm từ, mẫu
câu đơn lẻ, người học còn học các câu hỏi đáp trong các cuộc hội thoại khuôn mẫu thường ngày, ghi
nhớ cách hỏi và trả lời phù hợp với từng tình huống. Giáo viên sẽ sửa lỗi ngay lập tức để tránh sử
dụng ngôn ngữ không chính xác.
2.1.3. Ưu nhược điểm của phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method)
Với phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method) bài học bắt đầu bằng một hội thoại và
chú trọng vào nghe nói - theo đúng tên gọi của nó. Phương pháp này nhấn mạnh tới phát âm tiếng
Hàn chuẩn. Người học có thể phát âm và học theo, sử dụng ngữ điệu của ngôn ngữ đích như người
bản ngữ. Bằng cách lắng nghe và lặp lại các từ, cụm từ và mẫu câu, người học có cơ hội tiếp thu và
nhắc lại âm thanh chính xác của ngôn ngữ mục tiêu, nắm bắt được nhịp điệu và cách sử dụng ngữ
điệu phù hợp với từng mẫu câu. Điều này giúp cải thiện khả năng phát âm, khả năng nghe và giúp
người học trở nên lưu loát hơn, nói tự nhiên hơn.
Hơn nữa, việc dạy từ vựng trực tiếp không qua tiếng mẹ đẻ và tập trung vào các tình huống
giao tiếp cụ thể là cơ sở giúp người học mở rộng nhanh vốn từ. Các tình huống giao tiếp có chủ đề
gần gũi, thường gặp trong cuộc sống hàng ngày. Vì vậy, việc lặp đi lặp lại các mẫu câu trong các
tính huống cũng giúp người học ghi nhớ các từ vựng thường gặp.
Ngoài ra, sử dụng phương pháp này còn tạo ra môi trường giao tiếp tiếng Hàn cho người học.
Bên ngoài lớp học sinh viên rất khó có môi trường giao tiếp ngoại ngữ, vì vậy thông qua các hoạt
động sinh viên sẽ được thực hành và tự tin hơn trong việc sử dụng tiếng Hàn.
Tuy nhiên, phương pháp này cũng tồn tại một số hạn chế. Phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-
Lingual Method) tập trung chủ yếu vào việc rèn luyện kỹ năng nghe và phản xạ ngôn ngữ, vì vậy sẽ
thiếu sự tập trung vào việc hiểu và sử dụng ngữ nghĩa. Sinh viên có khả năng nghe hiểu, nhớ và bắt
chước ngay lập tức, song nếu không sử dụng thường xuyên sinh viên dễ quên và khó áp dụng khi
gặp tình huống tương tự trong giao tiếp. Hơn nữa, việc lặp lại các mẫu câu nhưng không hiểu rõ
nghĩa của từ dẫn đến hạn chế khả năng sử dụng từ trong những ngữ cảnh khác với điều đã được
học, nhiều sinh viên sẽ không diễn đạt được chính xác ý muốn nói.
2.1.4. Bối cảnh dạy và học tiếng Hàn tại trường Đại học Quản lý và Công nghệ Hải Phòng
(HPU)
Chương trình giảng dạy tiếng Hàn tại HPU hiện nay bao gồm các môn học thực hành tiếng
Hàn và các môn học chuyên ngành, nâng cao để cung cấp đủ kiến thức và kĩ năng giúp sinh viên đạt
chuẩn đầu ra tốt nghiệp Bậc 3 theo Khung năng lực ngoại ngữ 6. Với các môn thực hành tiếng Hàn,
giáo trình được sử dụng là giáo trình Tiếng Hàn tổng hợp với các chủ đề tiếng Hàn thường gặp
trong cuộc sống, mỗi bài học có từ vựng, ngữ pháp cùng bài tập luyện tập 4 kỹ năng nghe, nói, đọc,
viết.
Đội ngũ giảng dạy tiếng Hàn tại HPU bao gồm cả giảng viên Việt Nam và giảng viên người Hàn
Quốc. Nhiều phương pháp dạy học khác nhau đang được nghiên cứu để giúp sinh viên học nói tiếng
Hàn hiệu quả hơn. Tuy nhiên, kĩ năng nói của sinh viên chuyên ngành Ngôn ngữ Anh - Hàn trường
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HPU vẫn còn rất nhiều hạn chế. Đa phần sinh viên vẫn thấy khó khăn trong việc giao tiếp tiếng Hàn khi
được đặt vào những tình huống giao tiếp với người bản xứ.
2.2. Phương pháp nghiên cứu
Để đạt được mục đích nghiên cứu, bài viết sử dụng phương pháp nghiên cứu tài liệu để thu
thập các thông tin liên quan, kết quả nghiên cứu liên quan đến đề tài đã được công bố để tìm ra đặc
điểm và ưu nhược điểm khi áp dụng phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method) vào giảng
dạy kĩ năng nói tiếng Hàn.
Bên cạnh đó, tác giả cũng sử dụng phương pháp quan sát các buổi học thực tế có sử dụng
phương pháp Nghe - Nói tại trường đại học Quản lý và Công nghệ Hải Phòng (HPU) để ghi nhận
cách thức giảng dạy, tương tác giữa giảng viên và sinh viên, cũng như cách thức sinh viên tham gia
vào các hoạt động nghe và nói.
Tác giả sử dụng phương pháp điều tra bằng bảng hỏi bằng cách tiến hành khảo sát trực tuyến
bằng phần mềm Google Form. Kết quả thu được 21 mẫu từ kết quả trả lời của sinh viên lớp môn
học Nói tiếng Hàn tại HPU. Thông qua các phương pháp này, tác giả đề xuất các bước ứng dụng
phương pháp này trong các tiết học kĩ năng nói tiếng Hàn để nâng cao năng lực giao tiếp tiếng Hàn
cho sinh viên trường Đại học Quản lý và Công nghệ Hải Phòng.
2.3. Kết quả nghiên cứu
2.3.1. Đánh giá phản hồi của người học sau môn học Nói tiếng Hàn tại HPU
Sau khi kết thúc môn học Nói tiếng Hàn cùng giáo viên bản ngữ, tác giả đã tiến hành khảo sát
cuối môn học bằng bảng hỏi với đối tượng khảo sát là lớp sinh viên K25-26, thu được 21 phản hồi,
kết quả cụ thể như sau.
Bảng 1. Các phản hồi với câu hỏi
STT Câu hỏi Điểm phản hồi trung bình
(Tối đa 5 điểm)
1 Giảng viên có chuyên môn cao, thái độ tích cực, thân 4.75
thiện
2 Giảng viên có phương pháp giảng dạy hay, hiệu quả 4.5
3 Môn học giúp cải thiện phát âm, nâng cao khả năng 4.5
giao tiếp
4 Sau môn học, sinh viên tự tin hơn khi giao tiếp với 4.25
người bản ngữ
Ngoài ra, tác giả đã thiết kế một bảng hỏi để hiểu chi tiết hơn về phản hồi của sinh viên sau
môn học. Phản hồi của sinh viên sau môn học cũng cho thấy, áp dụng phương pháp Nghe - Nói
(Audio-Lingual Method) vào giảng dạy kĩ năng nói tiếng Hàn đã phát huy hiệu quả và có ý nghĩa
thiết thực.
Với câu hỏi “Giảng viên có giải thích và chỉnh sửa lỗi phát âm hoặc ngữ pháp kịp thời để bạn
cải thiện không?” (Xem hình 1) tác giả cho 5 lựa chọn: Rất thường xuyên, Khá thường xuyên,
Thình thoảng, Hiếm khi, Không bao giờ. Kết quả phản hồi 47,6% sinh viên lựa chọn Rất thường
xuyên, 42,9% sinh viên lựa chọn Khá thường xuyên.

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Hình 1. Kết quả câu hỏi “Giảng viên có giải thích và chỉnh sửa lỗi phát âm hoặc ngữ pháp kịp thời
để bạn cải thiện không?”
Với câu hỏi “Phương pháp giảng dạy trong môn học có giúp bạn phát âm tiếng Hàn chính xác
hơn không?” (Xem hình 2) tác giả cho 5 lựa chọn: Rất phù hợp, Khá phù hợp, Bình thường, Ít phù
hợp, Không phù hợp. Kết quả phản hồi 42,9% sinh viên lựa chọn Khá phù hợp, 28,6% sinh viên lựa
chọn Bình thường.

Hình 2. Kết quả câu hỏi “Phương pháp giảng dạy trong môn học có giúp bạn phát âm tiếng Hàn
chính xác hơn không?”
Với câu hỏi “Bạn có cảm thấy các bài học cung cấp đủ từ vựng và cấu trúc để giao tiếp trong
các tình huống cụ thể không?” (Xem hình 3), tác giả cho 4 lựa chọn: Đầy đủ, Bình thường, hạn chế,
rất hạn chế. Kết quả phản hồi 40% sinh viên lựa chọn Đầy đủ, 50% sinh viên lựa chọn Bình thường.

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Hình 3. Kết quả câu hỏi “Bạn có cảm thấy các bài học cung cấp đủ từ vựng và cấu trúc để giao
tiếp trong các tình huống cụ thể không?”
Với câu hỏi “Bạn nghĩ gì về sự liên kết giữa nội dung bài học và văn hóa Hàn Quốc được
lồng ghép trong các tình huống giao tiếp?” (Xem hình 4), tác giả cho 4 lựa chọn: Rất thú vị, Bình
thường, Ít thú vị và hữu ích, Không thú vị và không hữu ích. Kết quả phản hồi 57,1% sinh viên lựa
chọn Rất thú vị và hữu ích, 33,3% sinh viên lựa chọn Bình thường.

Hình 4. Kết quả câu hỏi “Bạn nghĩ gì về sự liên kết giữa nội dung bài học và văn hóa Hàn Quốc
được lồng ghép trong các tình huống giao tiếp?”
Với câu hỏi “Phương pháp giảng dạy của giảng viên người Hàn có phù hợp với năng lực tiếp
thu và trình độ của bạn không?” (Xem hình 5), tác giả cho 5 lựa chọn: Rất phù hợp, Khá phù hợp,
Bình thường, Ít phù hợp, Không phù hợp. Kết quả phản hồi 42,9% sinh viên lựa chọn khá phù hợp,
28,6% sinh viên lựa chọn Bình thường.

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Hình 5. Kết quả câu hỏi “Phương pháp giảng dạy của giảng viên người Hàn có phù hợp với năng
lực tiếp thu và trình độ của bạn không?”
Trong phiếu khảo sát, chúng tôi còn đưa các câu hỏi để người học tự trả lời. Dưới đây là các
câu trả lời tiêu biểu cho câu hỏi “Bạn gặp khó khăn gì khi học cùng giảng viên người Hàn trong
môn học này?”
- Giáo viên nói tiếng Hàn khá nhanh, điều này khiến mình gặp khó khăn trong việc theo kịp
bài giảng, đặc biệt là trong các buổi học đầu tiên.
- Em không hiểu được hết nội dung giảng viên truyền tải.
- Vì là giáo viên bản ngữ giảng dạy, nên em không hiểu rõ được ngữ pháp, nghĩa của từ vựng.
- Việc lặp lại các mẫu câu khiến tiết học khá chán.
- Vì giảng viên là người bản ngữ, đôi lúc mình cảm thấy không tự tin khi nói, sợ phát âm sai
hoặc sử dụng câu từ không chính xác.
Khảo sát cho thấy rằng khi học cùng giảng viên bản ngữ người Hàn với phương pháp Nghe -
Nói (Audio-Lingual Method), giảng viên trực tiếp chỉnh sửa phát âm, giúp cải thiện phát âm của
sinh viên. Giáo viên người Hàn có phát âm chuẩn, ngữ điệu tự nhiên và cách sử dụng ngôn ngữ
đúng với thực tế, vì vậy sinh viên có thể tiếp cận tiếng Hàn một cách chính xác nhất. Trong trong
các tiết học kĩ năng nói tiếng Hàn tại HPU, khi áp dụng phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual
Method) sẽ yêu cầu sinh viên lắng nghe và bắt chước cách phát âm và ngữ điệu của giảng viên bản
ngữ. Từ đó, hạn chế được việc sinh viên phát âm sai. Ngoài ra, giảng viên người Hàn không chỉ dạy
ngôn ngữ mà còn cung cấp cho sinh viên những thông tin về văn hóa và cách giao tiếp của người
Hàn Quốc. Điều này giúp sinh viên hiểu rõ hơn ngữ cảnh sử dụng từ vựng và mẫu câu, tạo hứng thú
và động lực học tập.
Hơn nữa, giảng viên người Hàn có thể sử dụng ngôn ngữ đích là tiếng Hàn xuyên suốt buổi
học, tạo ra môi trường giao tiếp tự nhiên như khi sống tại Hàn Quốc. Điều này giúp sinh viên quen
thuộc với cách nghe và phản hồi tiếng Hàn trong thời gian ngắn. Nhờ việc luyện nghe trực tiếp từ
người bản ngữ, sinh viên có thể nhận biết rõ hơn các âm thanh đặc trưng của tiếng Hàn và cải thiện
khả năng nghe hiểu trong giao tiếp tiếng Hàn.
Tuy nhiên, khi áp dụng phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method) trong các tiết học
Nói tiếng Hàn cùng giảng viên người Hàn thì nhiều sinh viên không hiểu hết nội dung bài giảng vì
giảng viên nói hoàn toàn bằng tiếng Hàn hoặc không giải thích rõ ràng, tường tận các khái niệm về

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ngữ pháp và từ vựng. Điều này làm giảm hiệu quả tiếp thu kiến thức, đặc biệt đối với những sinh viên
có trình độ tiếng Hàn còn hạn chế. Một số sinh viên cảm thấy việc lặp lại các mẫu câu quá nhiều làm
giảm hứng thú học tập và khiến tiết học trở nên đơn điệu.
2.3.2. Đề xuất các bước ứng dụng Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method) trong các tiết học nói
tiếng Hàn với giảng viên người Hàn Quốc
Phương pháp Nghe - Nói khuyến khích sinh viên sử dụng tiếng Hàn giao tiếp ở mức tối đa và
hạn chế dùng tiếng mẹ đẻ trong quá trình dạy và học. Vì vậy, đây là phương pháp đang được áp
dụng tại nhiều trường đại học để sinh viên học cùng giáo viên bản ngữ. Giảng viên đưa ra những
đoạn hội thoại mẫu và yêu cầu sinh viên bắt chước mẫu, ví dụ như các đoạn hội thoại mẫu có chứa
ngữ pháp, từ vựng theo chủ đề. Sinh viên luyện tập theo mẫu đó, mục đích là hình thành thói quen
sử dụng tiếng Hàn. Sau khi sinh viên đã tương đối thành thạo các mẫu câu hỏi và trả lời trong đoạn
hội thoại mẫu thì giảng viên giao thêm một số bài tập để sinh viên có thể ôn lại và áp dụng với các
tình huống tương tự. Cụ thể, tác giả đề xuất các bước ứng dụng phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-
Lingual Method) trong các tiết học kĩ năng nói tiếng Hàn với giảng viên Hàn Quốc để nâng cao
năng lực giao tiếp tiếng Hàn cho sinh viên HPU như sau:
Bước 1: Giảng viên thông báo trước chủ đề và nội dung bài học. Sinh viên sau khi biết chủ
đề, nội dung bài học thì chuẩn bị bài, tìm hiểu trước những nội dung liên quan. Bước này rất quan
trọng vì đặc điểm khi học với tiếng Hàn với giảng viên người Hàn Quốc tại HPU là sinh viên phải
học hoàn toàn bằng tiếng Hàn. Vì vậy, nếu tìm hiểu trước nội dung bài học sẽ giúp sinh viên tiếp
thu bài giảng dễ dàng hơn.
Bước 2: Giảng viên giới thiệu về chủ đề, giới thiệu diễn giải về các từ mới để sinh viên có thể
hiểu được ý nghĩa của từ mới, sau đó cho học sinh lặp lại từ mới đó. Giảng viên sẽ chỉnh sửa phát
âm cho sinh viên. Khi giới thiệu từ mới nên có kèm hình ảnh minh họa để sinh viên có thể hiểu
được ý nghĩa của các từ mới. Tiếp theo, giảng viên đưa ra đoạn hội thoại mẫu, giới thiệu và lặp lại
mẫu câu và đoạn hội thoại mẫu 2 - 3 lần. Sinh viên sẽ lặp lại theo giáo viên từng câu trong đoạn hội
thoại nhiều lần cho đến khi thông thạo. Giảng viên sẽ chỉnh sửa các lỗi sai về phát âm, cách sử dụng
từ vựng cũng như ngữ pháp.
Bước 3: Trong những tiết học nói tiếng Hàn, cần tập trung vào phát triển và nâng cao kĩ năng
nói cho sinh viên bằng nhiều hoạt động ngôn ngữ khác nhau. Nếu sử dụng phương pháp nghe nói
(Audio-Lingual Method) mà chỉ lặp đi lặp lại các mẫu câu mà không hiểu đối phương đang nói gì
thì sẽ rất vô nghĩa. Vì vậy, giảng viên phải tạo ra các hoạt động học tập yêu cầu học sinh lắng nghe,
hiểu và phản hồi. Khi học với giảng viên người Hàn nên sinh viên rất khó để hiểu được tường tận
nội dung ngữ pháp và từ vựng. Vì vậy, giảng viên có thể tổ chức dạy học với Sơ đồ tư duy (còn
được gọi là bản đồ tư duy, lược đồ tư duy) để sinh viên hiểu từ vựng rõ hơn. Ngoài ra, để việc lặp
lại các mẫu câu không bị nhàm chán thì giảng viên có thể tổ chức hướng dẫn hoạt động nhóm với
các dạng bài tập đa dạng để cho sinh viên luyện tập phản xạ. Với đối tượng là sinh viên trường
HPU, giảng viên có thể lựa chọn những dạng bài tập như sau:
• Single- slot substitution drill (Bài tập thay thế một ô): Giảng viên sẽ đưa ra mẫu câu hội
thoại mẫu, sau đó sẽ đưa ra những từ khóa hoặc chủ đề thay đổi trong câu để sinh viên thực hành
đặt câu hoặc tạo ra đoạn hội thoại mới với từ khóa hay chủ đề này.
• Question-and-answer drill (Luyện tập hỏi đáp): Giảng viên đưa ra câu hỏi, sinh viên phải
phản xạ trả lời câu hỏi nhanh chóng do giáo viên đặt ra. Sau đó, giảng viên có thể khuyến khích học
sinh tự đặt câu hỏi để đặt câu đúng.

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• Expansion drill (Luyện tập mở rộng): Giảng viên viên sẽ cung cấp một câu hoặc một
đoạn ngôn ngữ cho sinh viên. Sau đó, học sinh sẽ mở rộng câu hoặc đoạn ngôn ngữ đó bằng cách
thêm vào các chi tiết, thông tin bổ sung để làm cho câu và đoạn hội thoại trở nên phong phú hơn.
• Complete the dialogue (Hoàn thành đoạn hội thoại): Giảng viên sẽ cung cấp một đoạn hội
thoại hoặc một loạt câu hỏi và học sinh phải hoàn thiện nó bằng cách điền từ hoặc cụm từ thích hợp
vào các chỗ trống. Mục tiêu là khuyến khích học sinh sử dụng ngôn ngữ mục tiêu và áp dụng các
kiến thức ngôn ngữ đã học để hoàn thành đoạn hội thoại một cách chính xác và tự nhiên.
3. KẾT LUẬN
Việc phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method) trong các tiết học kĩ năng nói tiếng
Hàn với giảng viên Hàn Quốc có thể giúp sinh viên phát huy được kỹ năng nói của mình, cải thiện
được phát âm, sự tự tin và có thể giao tiếp trôi chảy và lưu loát hơn. Hơn nữa, khi được luyện tập
giao tiếp với giảng viên Hàn Quốc cũng giúp cho năng lực giao tiếp tiếng Hàn của sinh viên được
cải thiện đáng kể. Sinh viên có cơ hội sử dụng tiếng Hàn dựa theo ngữ cảnh, tình huống một cách tự
nhiên. Mặc dù có nhiều ưu điểm nhưng phương pháp Nghe - Nói (Audio-Lingual Method) có
nhược điểm là tập trung chủ yếu vào việc rèn luyện kỹ năng nghe và phản xạ ngôn ngữ, nhưng thiếu
sự tập trung vào việc hiểu và sử dụng ngữ nghĩa. Để cải thiện điều này thì tại HPU, chương trình
học sẽ được ra các kĩ năng khác nhau, với môn học Ngữ pháp thì sinh viên sẽ học cùng với giáo
viên Việt Nam để có thể hiểu cặn kẽ ngữ pháp hơn. Việc kết hợp học tập với giảng viên người Hàn
Quốc và giảng viên Việt Nam giúp sinh viên vừa có thể cải thiện phát âm, có phản xạ ngôn ngữ tự
nhiên vừa hiểu được rõ ngữ pháp, từ đó cải thiện khả năng giao tiếp nói tiếng Hàn.

TÀI LIỆU THAM KHẢO

Phan Thị Phượng & Đào Thị Ngân Huyền (2022). Một số phương pháp dạy học nhằm nâng cao
hiệu quả học từ vựng tiếng Anh của sinh viên trường Đại học Sư phạm Thể dục Thể thao Hà
Nội, Tạp chí Khoa học Giáo dục thể chất và thể thao trường học, số 03/2022, 6-10
Nguyễn Ngọc Thảo. (2024). Ứng dụng phương pháp Audio-lingual method vào việc học Tiếng Anh.
Truy cập ngày 15/9/2024 tại: https://zim.vn/ung-dung-phuong-phap-audio-lingual-method-
vao-viec-hoc-tieng-anh
Bygate, M. (1987). Speaking. Oxford University Press
Chaney, A. (1998). Teaching Speaking Activities to Promote Speaking in Second Language
Pedagogy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents
Harmer, J. (2007). The practice of English language teaching. Harlow: Longman
Moon Bong Su. (2005). Nghiên cứu các kĩ thuật dạy học kết hợp giữa phương pháp Audio-Lingual
Method và Communicative Language Teaching (Luận văn thạc sĩ (tiếng Hàn), Trường Đại
học Dankook, Viện sau đại học Giáo dục)

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A STUDY ON METAPHORS, HYPERBOLE, AND IRONY USED

IN PRIDE AND PREJUDICE BY JANE AUSTEN
Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy
Vietnam National University of Agriculture
Hoang Huyen Anh
Vinschool Ocean Park 2

ABSTRACT
This study aims to examine metaphors, hyperbole, and irony used by Jane Austen in the first
forty chapters of Pride and Prejudice. The first forty chapters were selected to serve as the study's
foundational content because of its importance in accomplishing the study’s objectives. The study's
findings are supported by Claridge’s (2011), and Lakoff & Johnson’s theory (1980). The results show
that 19 Conceptual Metaphors and 19 Irony cases showing distinctive qualities of things are the most
semantic structures with the highest frequency of use in the first 40 chapters of the novel. Metaphors'
semantic features are classified into three categories: Structural conceptual metaphor with 13 cases
ranks the first while Orientational conceptual metaphor with 4 cases ranks the second, and
Ontological conceptual metaphor with 2 cases accounts for the least. Simultaneously, 19 irony
sentences are categorized into three categories: Verbal Irony cases ranking the first, Dramatic Irony
the second and, Situational Irony the last. In addition, the study also discovered 14 hyperbole
expressions, which are categorized into five categories: Numerical hyperbole, Hyperbolic Superlative,
Clausal hyperbole, Phrasal hyperbole, Single-Word Hyperbole. This study can help readers recognize
and comprehend metaphors, hyperbole, irony found in the Pride and Prejudice. The study's
conclusions further advance the theory of figure of speech, which is utilized in classroom instruction
to help students and teachers understand literary works on a deeper level.
Key words: hyperbole, irony, Jane Austen, metaphor, Pride and Prejudice

1. INTRODUCTION
In the process of learning English today, it is not difficult to access figures of speech that are
used every day in communication but are not noticed. Especially they often appear in works of art.
In fact, rhetorical measures play a large role as effective literary means and the enhanced value of
communication. Therefore, many authors have used them as a way to convey their messages,
thoughts, and feelings through works of art. There is no denying that rhetorical measures play an
important role in the great value of language, so readers can learn and analyze these interesting
methods to better understand the culture and linguistic identity that the author wants to convey.
According to Knickerbocker and Reninger (1974), figurative language is sometimes called
metaphorical language or simply metaphor, which works to carry meaning beyond its literal
meaning. Larson (1984) claims that the figurative senses cannot regularly be translated with a literal
form of the word.
For the same reason, Jane Austen, author of the novel "Pride and Prejudice," masterfully
applied rhetorical methods in her work, becoming a timeless classic after her death. In particular,
three figures of speech, such as metaphors, hyperbole, and irony, are used throughout the work as a
mirror reflecting society. Her purpose in using figures of speech is to criticize and express her
feelings about society with many prejudices imposed on people. Thereby, these also play an
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important role in clearly and realistically portraying the love of the characters placed in the social
context of that time.
In an innovative and adaptable manner, she has employed figurative language, particularly
metaphors, hyperbole, and irony, to explain all of the situations and characters. The researcher
chose these three rhetorical devices because they appear frequently in the work with the highest
density in figures of speech, mostly in the first forty chapters of the work. Especially in the
characters' conversations, the above measures are full of meanings and implications that the author
wants to convey to the reader. Because the novel is quite long, with 61 chapters, to facilitate
research in the easiest and most detailed way, the researcher only focused on exploiting and
researching three figures of speech: metaphors, hyperbole, and irony in the first-forty chapters of
Pride and Prejudice.
However, the researchers' study of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice stops at other
aspects of the work, such as art criticism, analysis of the author's point of view, and satire in 18th-
century society. Therefore, the researcher decided to choose the topic "A study on metaphors,
hyperbole, and irony used in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen" with the aim of learning more
about the rhetoric expressions in the work. In addition, this study can serve as research material for
others interested in studying similar issues. Therefore, the study seeks to answer the following
questions:
1. How are metaphors employed in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen?
2. How is hyperbole utilized in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen?
3. How is irony applied in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen?
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Metaphor
McArthur (1992) defined a metaphor as a comparison between two things that implies one is
the other. A metaphor compares two things immediately and without the need for words. For
metaphor, the connections drawn between the focal point and the frame can be straightforward, but
they can also be highly nuanced and potent in influencing the audience's attitudes. Metaphors offer
a perspective on a subject and, in doing so, establish a framework for addressing it when they
organize our understanding of it.
According to Lakoff & Johnson (1980), metaphors is a typical cognitive process, and
metaphors are frequently used in speech that we hear every day. According to these authors,
metaphor is first conceptual and then linguistic, gestural, and visual (Lakoff, 2014). This study,
based on Lakoff & Johnson (1980), covers three prevalent categories of conceptual metaphors:
structural, orientational, and ontological metaphors. The researcher pays attention to three types of
metaphors: Structural Conceptual metaphor, Orientational metaphor, and Ontological conceptual
metaphor, which appear in the first forty chapters of Pride and Prejudice.
Lakoff & Johnson (1980) state that conceptual metaphor is a system of metaphor that lies
behind much of everyday language and forms everyday conceptual system, including most abstract
concepts (Yu, 2013). Metaphor, in essence, is “understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in
terms of another” (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). Conceptual metaphors can be assumed that certain
conceptual metaphors will be shared across languages (universal metaphors) while other metaphors
will remain culture-specific.
Structural Conceptual metaphor
Lakoff & Johnson (1980) consider structural conceptual metaphors the most common of the

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three types of conceptual metaphors. They involve presenting a complex concept, usually abstract,
in terms of another concept, which is usually more concrete.
Structural metaphors help us organize and structure abstract concepts by relating them to
more concrete and familiar domains. By mapping the structure of a source domain onto an abstract
target domain, we can better grasp the organization and relationships within the target domain.
A structural metaphor happens when an idea is understood and expressed via the prism of
another well-defined and structured idea. This structural metaphor is based on the source domain
and the target domain. The target domain explains the application of metaphorical expression
meaning, while the source domain explains the production of metaphorical expressions.
E.g: "You take delight in vexing me" (Ch.1).
This statement implies a structural metaphor in which "taking delight" is associated with
causing vexation. It suggests that one person's enjoyment is built upon another's discomfort,
reflecting a relational structure within the family dynamic.
Orientational Conceptual Metaphor
In orientational conceptual metaphors, a system of ideas is arranged in connection to and
interaction with space, such as up-down, inside-out, front-behind, shallow-deep, center-periphery,
etc. Because these metaphors are associated with orientation in space, Lakoff and Johnson (1980)
dubbed this category the orientational metaphor.
In the case “Her heart was divided between concern for her sister and resentment against all
others” (Ch.24), Elizabeth Bennet's emotional turmoil is expressed through the metaphor of her heart
being divided, suggesting that emotions are conceptualized as tangible entities or forces within her.
Ontological conceptual metaphor
Ontological conceptual metaphors involve conceptualizing abstract concepts in terms of
concrete entities or qualities. This conceptualization helps individuals understand and reason about
abstract concepts by mapping them onto familiar, concrete experiences. Theoretical background in
this area draws heavily from cognitive linguistics and conceptual metaphor theory, notably
developed by Lakoff and Johnson (1980).
According to Lakoff and Johnson, conceptual metaphors are not just linguistic devices but
fundamental cognitive mechanisms that structure human thought. Ontological metaphors play a
crucial role in shaping our understanding of abstract concepts by grounding them in concrete
experiences.
E.g: "Lady Catherine will not think the worse of you for being simply dressed." (Ch. 29)
Conceptual metaphors like "not think the worse of you" allow us to conceptualize social
status and appearance as concrete markers of worth. Lakoff and Johnson claim that people
frequently use this type of conceptual metaphor in their thinking because it is so common. The
statement "not think the worse of you for being simply dressed" reveals that thinking can be seen as
affected by her attire and appearance. The author uses ontological metaphors to make abstract
concepts more tangible and relatable to readers. This not only enriches the narrative but also
deepens our understanding of the characters' thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
2.2. Hyperbole
A broad definition of hyperbole, also known as an overstatement, is an exaggerated statement
that is purposefully utilized to produce dramatic effects (Barnwell, 1980). Similarly, it is a
somewhat overstated statement intended to convey a certain impression, apply pressure, and have a

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bigger, more meaningful impact. Hyperbole is an expression that exceeds the literal expression and
contains more semantic attributes of expression something.
McArthur (1992) defines hyperbole as saying something through exaggeration. The collected
data were then categorized into seven forms of hyperbole proposed by Claridge (2011), namely
single-word hyperbole, phrasal hyperbole, causal hyperbole, numerical hyperbole, the role of
superlative, comparison, and repetition. This study reveals that five forms of hyperbole were used:
numerical hyperbole, hyperbolic superlative, clausal hyperbole, phrasal hyperbole, and single-word
hyperbole.
Numerical hyperbole
A type of hyperbole known as numerical hyperbole is one in which the writer or speaker
regularly and/or uses numbers as a sign. Numerical hyperbole can be recognized by certain
keywords. There are billions, millions, thousands, and so on.
E.g: “I've told you a million times" is an example of numerical hyperbole. In this sentence, the
speaker hasn't literally repeated the statement a million times. The hyperbole emphasizes the
frustration or exasperation felt by the speaker, implying that the point has been made numerous
times to no avail. It is commonly used in everyday conversation, especially between parents and
children or among friends.
Hyperbolic Superlative
Hyperbolic superlative refers to the use of superlative forms (e.g., best, worst, most, least) in
an exaggerated manner to emphasize an extreme degree of a particular quality or characteristic. A
more general observation was that the superlative can jump any adjective to the outer limits of its
scale. This rhetorical device is used to intensify expressions beyond their literal meanings, often for
dramatic, persuasive, or humorous effect. Hyperbolic superlatives are powerful linguistic tools that
exaggerate qualities to their extreme limits, enhancing the emotional and rhetorical impact of
statements.
E.g: He has the worst luck in the world.
This statement uses a hyperbolic superlative to stress the perceived extremity of the person's
misfortune. It is unlikely that he literally has the worst luck in the entire world, but the hyperbole
conveys a strong sense of sympathy or frustration with her situation.
Clausal hyperbole
Clausal hyperbole is a rhetorical device that contains two or more clausal constituents. This
can be dispersed over a sentence's multiple clauses. The hyperbolic markers combine to make a
subject-verb clause. Specifically, the combined effect of elements in two or more clausal
components is the minimum required requirement.
E.g: If I don't get a coffee soon, I'll die.
The clausal hyperbole is “I’ll die”. The speaker will not die without coffee. In fact, he was
expressing his strong need for caffeine. This hyperbole humorously communicates the speaker’s
intense craving and dependence on coffee to feel functional. His exaggerated statement underscores
the depth of his reliance on this beverage.
Phrasal hyperbole
Phrasal hyperbole consists mainly of noun phrases that carry hyperbolic meaning, a certain
combination of words and senses. Noun phrases are the most common, followed by Verb phrases,
and adjective phrases are somewhat uncommon.

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E.g: "It's raining cats and dogs." is phrase doesn't mean animals are falling from the sky but is
a hyperbolic way to describe very heavy rain. The exaggeration creates a vivid, memorable image
that effectively conveys the intensity of the weather.
Single-Word Hyperbole
Single-word hyperbole involves the use of a single, often exaggerated, word to amplify the
meaning of a statement. The most prevalent form of exaggeration is when the overstated meaning of
a speech is contained entirely in one word, and the overstatement would vanish entirely if that one
word or phrase were replaced with one that is more "contextually appropriate."
In the example "This party is legendary", the word "legendary" is used hyperbolically to
describe the party. It suggests that the event is extraordinarily memorable or remarkable, far beyond
what one might typically expect from a party. The single word enhances the sense of excitement and
importance.
2.3. Irony
“Saying what is contradicted to what is meant" is the definition of irony, which indicates that
an ironic set of words is one in which a speaker conveys a meaning that differs from the literal one
(Simpson, 2011). Irony refers to using a term to communicate a meaning that defines its literal
interpretation by being employed in opposition to what is being considered. Three main types of
irony are verbal, dramatic, and situational.
Verbal Irony
Verbal irony is a rhetorical device where the speaker's intended meaning is opposite to the
literal meaning of the words used. This discrepancy between intention and expression is often
employed to create humor, emphasize a point, or convey criticism or sarcasm. Verbal irony is
defined as a statement in which the meaning that a speaker employs is sharply different from the
meaning that is ostensibly expressed.
E.g.: Mr. Bennet in "Pride and Prejudice": "You have delighted us long enough. Let the other
young ladies have time to exhibit."
Mr. Bennet suggests that his daughter Mary has entertained them sufficiently and should
allow others to perform. The irony lies in Mr. Bennet's use of "delighted," which contrasts with his
actual feeling of boredom and annoyance. He is not genuinely delighted and is, in fact, urging her to
stop. The verbal irony underscores Mr. Bennet’s witty and sarcastic character while also
highlighting Mary’s lack of self-awareness.
Dramatic Irony
In the words of Cuddon (1991), dramatic irony occurs when the reader surmises what the
characters are trying to say or the consequence of a scenario in the story but is unaware of it.
Dramatic irony is a literary device where the audience or readers have knowledge of events or
circumstances that the characters in the narrative do not.
In the example “Miss Bennet, do you know who I am? I have not been accustomed to such a
language as this. I am almost the nearest relation he has in the world and am entitled to know all his
dearest concerns”, Lady Catherine de Bourgh confronts Elizabeth to dissuade her from marrying
Mr. Darcy, believing that Elizabeth will be intimidated and comply.
Situational Irony
Situational irony occurs when the outcome of a situation is different from what is expected or
intended, often in a way that is contrary to what would be appropriate or logical. It involves a

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discrepancy between what is anticipated and what occurs, leading to surprise, amusement, or
sometimes even tragedy. Situational irony can arise from misunderstandings, coincidences, or
unexpected twists of fate.
The outcome of “Mr. Darcy proposes marriage to Elizabeth Bennet, believing that his
declaration of love will be well-received” is that Elizabeth rejects Mr. Darcy's proposal, citing his
arrogant and condescending behavior towards her and her family. The situational irony arises from
Mr. Darcy's expectation of acceptance and the unexpected rejection he faces. It highlights the
importance of mutual respect and emotional compatibility in relationships, regardless of social
status.
3. METHODOLOGY
The study combines qualitative and quantitative methods to collect and analyze data to answer
research questions about using three types of figures of speech such as metaphors, hyperbole and
irony in Pride and Prejudice. The qualitative approach categorizes the semantic features of figures
of speech, analyzes the source and target domains, and explains what they mean. In addition, the
quantitative approach is used to determine how many figures of speech are in the work and which
figures of speech are used the most. The quantitative method is also utilized to find the number of
types of metaphors, hyperbole, and irony in the first-forty chapters, the total number of instances,
and the percentage of them presented in the novel. The qualitative method is used to clearly point
out the characteristics of metaphors, hyperbole and irony.
Data collection
The study collected and analyzed in the first forty chapters of Pride and Prejudice. The main
data source is the English original version with 61 chapters in 480 pages. It was published by
Macmillan Collector's Library on July 19, 2016. Concurrently, the researchers examined the novel
using the Vietnamese translation, which was reissued by Nha Nam Publishing House in 2023 and
translated by Lam Quynh Anh and Thien Nga.
The data collection process is completely manual, with no other software or tools supported.
The researchers carefully read, underlined, and highlighted each line and sentence on each page to
determine the number of metaphors, hyperbole, and irony.
4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
4.1. Metaphors in the first forty chapters of Pride and Prejudice
Table 1. Metaphors types in the first-forty chapters of Pride and Prejudice
Types of metaphors Total Percentage
Structural metaphor 13 68.4%
Orientational metaphor 4 21.05%
Ontological metaphor 2 10.5%
Total 19 100%
There are 19 sentences using metaphors in the first-forty chapters of the novel Pride and
Prejudice, divided into three categories: Structural metaphors, Orientational metaphors and
Ontological metaphors. It can be seen from Table 1 that Structural metaphors with 68.4% are the
most popular, followed by Orientational metaphors with 21.05%. Finally, Ontological metaphors,
with 10.5% used, are the fewest metaphors in the work. The author mainly uses structural metaphor
to express the nature and orientation of things instead of just describing things using other
vocabulary and concepts. However, there is one case Jane Austen used Structural metaphor &
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Ontological metaphor, and one case with Structural metaphor and orientational metaphor. The
semantics of these examples is examined in various contexts throughout the work and classified in
the table below.
Table 2. Examples of metaphor found in Pride and Prejudice
No The Data Ch Types of
metaphors
1 You take delight in vexing me. 1 Structural
2 I could easily forgive his pride if he had not mortified 5 conceptual
mine. metaphor
3 He is the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world. 6
4 If she should die, it would be a comfort to know that it 7
was all in pursuit of Mr. Bingley.
5 You know, Miss Eliza, you are not handsome enough to 10
tempt Mr. Darcy.
6 You must be surprised, very much surprised - so lately as 10
Mr. Collins was wishing to marry you.
7 Had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner. 20
8 You pierce my soul 23
9 Mr. Collins's proposal to Elizabeth: "he violence of my 27
affection.
10 Lady Catherine will not think the worse of you for being 29
simply dressed.
11 Your humility, Mr. Bingley, will always make you grateful 35
for the condescension.
12 Pride and Prejudice (title) Title Orientational
13 It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man 1 conceptual
in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a metaphor
wife.
14 Her heart was divided between concern for her sister and 24
resentment against all others.
15 I am half agony, half hope. 23 Ontological
conceptual
metaphor
16 Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings 23 Structural
are gone forever… metaphor &
Ontological
metaphor
17 a single man of large fortune. 1 Structural
metaphor and
orientational
metaphor

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Case [16] "Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever"
illustrates the Structural metaphor together with Ontological metaphor. The phrase "too late"
metaphorically suggests a missed opportunity or irreversible loss, while "such precious feelings"
refer to the character's deeply held emotions. Together, these metaphors convey the character's
desperation and fear of losing the chance for happiness and fulfillment. Through the use of
structural and ontological metaphors, Austen vividly portrays the character's inner turmoil and
vulnerability, inviting readers to empathize with their emotional journey and experiences.
Case [17] Mrs. Bennet's statement about Mr. Bingley: "a single man of a large fortune."
(Ch. 1) indicate the example of Structural metaphor going with orientational metaphor.
"A single man of large fortune" is a structural metaphor in the case that it conceptualizes Mr.
Bingley's wealth as a defining characteristic or quality. The term "fortune" typically refers to wealth
or riches, and by describing Mr. Bingley as a "single man of large fortune," Mrs. Bennet emphasizes
the importance of his wealth in the context of marriage and social status. The word "single man"
here refers to Mr. Bingley's marital status, but it also contributes to the structural metaphor by
highlighting his eligibility as a potential husband. By emphasizing that he is "single," Mrs. Bennet
underscores the significance of his availability to the young ladies in the community.
This sentence contains both a structural and an orientational metaphor. The structural
metaphor characterizes Mr. Bingley's wealth as a defining trait, while the orientational metaphor
emphasizes the significance of his marital status within the social hierarchy. Through this sentence,
Austen sets the stage for the novel's exploration of themes related to marriage, social status, and
wealth in Regency-era England.
4.2. Hyperbole in the first-forty chapters of Pride and Prejudice
Table 3. Hyperbole types in the first forty chapters of Pride and Prejudice
Types of hyperbole Total Percentage
Numerical hyperbole 3 214%
Hyperbolic Superlative 3 21.4%
Clausal hyperbole 4 28.5%
Phrasal hyperbole 2 14.2%
Single-Word Hyperbole 2 14.2%
Total 14 100%
Table 3 shows that there are 5 types of hyperbole in the first-forty chapters of Pride and
Prejudice: Numerical hyperbole, Hyperbolic Superlative, Clausal hyperbole, Phrasal hyperbole and
Single-Word Hyperbole. Clausal hyperbole accounts for the largest proportion (28,5%), followed by
Numerical hyperbole and Hyperbolic Superlative with 21,4%%. The least used in the work is
Phrasal hyperbole and Single-Word Hyperbole with 14,2%. The semantics of these examples is
uncovered in various contexts throughout the work and classified in the table below.
Table 4. Examples of hyperbole found in Pride and Prejudice
No The Data Ch Types of metaphors
1 You have no compassion for my poor nerves. 1 Numerical Hyperbole
2 I do not cough for my own amusement. 2

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3 Her manners were pronounced to be very bad indeed, 8

a mixture of pride and impertinence; she had no
conversation, no style, no beauty.
4 He is the proudest, most disagreeable man in the 3 Hyperbolic Superlative
world.
5 She is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! 4
6 There is nothing in the world so bad as parting with 40
one’s friends.
7 If she should die, it would be a comfort to know that 7 Clausal Hyperbole
it was all in pursuit of Mr. Bingley.
8 You know, Miss Eliza, you are not handsome enough 10
to tempt Mr. Darcy.
9 I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not 18
mortified mine.
10 Had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner. 20
11 she is very ill indeed and suffers a vast deal, though 9 Phrasal hyperbole
with the greatest patience in the world.
12 Her heart was divided between concern for her 24
sister and resentment against all others.
13 You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire 34 Single-Word Hyperbole
and love you.
14 I am excessively attentive to all those things. 37
Case [3] “Her manners were pronounced to be very bad indeed, a mixture of pride and
impertinence; she had no conversation, no style, no beauty.” (Ch. 8) illustrates Numerical
Hyperbole. The enumeration of negative traits "no conversation, no style, no beauty" exaggerates
the extent of the person's perceived shortcomings. By listing multiple deficiencies, the speaker
emphasizes the thoroughness of their critique. The repetition of "no" emphasizes the absence of
positive attributes, such as conversation, style, and beauty, suggesting a complete lack of these
qualities. This hyperbolic portrayal amplifies the negativity of the speaker's assessment. The
juxtaposition of "very bad indeed" with the enumeration of deficiencies underscores the severity of
the judgment. This hyperbolic expression intensifies the impression of the person's inadequacies,
creating a stark contrast between their perceived flaws and acceptable standards. It uses
enumeration to exaggerate the person's deficiencies, emphasizing the absence of positive qualities
and amplifying the negativity of the speaker's assessment.
4.3. Irony in the first-forty chapters of Pride and Prejudice
Table 5. Irony types in the first forty chapters of Pride and Prejudice
Types of irony Total Percentage
Verbal Irony 8 42.1%
Dramatic Irony 6 31.5%
Situational Irony 5 26.3%
Total 19 100%

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Table 5 illustrates Jane Austen using three types of irony: Verbal, Dramatic and Situational.
Even though they are all ironic structures, verbal irony is used in the most distinct ways, with a ratio
of 42.1%. Of these, Dramatic Irony is used up to 31.5%, while Situational Irony is used the least
(26.3%), appearing in 5 sentences.
Table 6. Examples of irony found in Pride and Prejudice
No The Data Ch Types of irony
1 You have no compassion for my poor nerves. 1 Verbal Irony
2 I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How 8
much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I
have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an
excellent library.
3 You must be surprised, very much surprised - so lately as Mr. 10
Collins was wishing to marry you.
4 Mr. Bennet: "I have not the pleasure of understanding you. Of 17
what are you talking?
5 I understand that Mr. Collins has made you an offer of 20
marriage. Is it true?
6 Let her go, then. Colonel Forster is a sensible man, and will 21
keep her out of any real mischief; and she is luckily too poor
to be an object of prey to anybody.
7 You can be at no loss, Miss Bingley, to understand the reason 27
of this preference. How can Mr. Darcy, and a young woman
who was tempted by him to such an advantage, be the object
of anything but indifference?
8 But people themselves alter so much, that there is something 40
new to be observed in them forever.
9 Mr. Collins's proposal to Elizabeth 15 Dramatic Irony
10 An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this 18
day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your
mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr.
Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.
11 Mr. Darcy's attempts to dissuade Mr. Bingley from pursuing a 20
relationship with Jane.
12 Mr. Collins's insistence on proposing to Elizabeth despite her 28
clear disinterest.
13 Mr. Darcy's declaration of love for Elizabeth. 34
14 From the very beginning- from the first moment, I may 34
almost say- of my acquaintance with you, your manners,
impressing me, … I had not known you a month before I felt
that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be
prevailed on to marry.

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15 Mr. Bingley's arrival in the neighborhood being eagerly 1 Situational Irony

anticipated as an opportunity for the Bennet daughters to find
wealthy suitors.
16 Mr. Darcy's disdainful behavior towards the Bennet family at 4
the Meryton assembly.
17 Charlotte Lucas: "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter 6
of chance."
18 Mr. Darcy's involvement in separating Mr. Bingley and Jane. 24
19 Miss Bennet, there seems to be a prettyish kind of little 29
wilderness on one side of your lawn. I should be glad to take
a turn in it, if you will favor me with your company.
In Case [2] Caroline Bingley: "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How
much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be
miserable if I have not an excellent library." (Ch. 8), the verbal irony lies in the fact that Caroline
Bingley’s actions do not support her claim. Readers who are familiar with her character know that
she is more interested in social standing and appearances than in genuine intellectual pursuits. Her
insincere praise of reading contrasts with her true lack of interest in books, which underscores her
manipulative and superficial nature.
4.4. Discussion
Of the three overarching research questions that guide this comprehensive study, the
exploration of metaphors and irony emerges as the most substantial theme across the initial forty
chapters of the work. Throughout these chapters, metaphors and irony are meticulously examined,
with each category comprising an average of 19 instances. Structural metaphors and verbal irony
are particularly prominent, constituting a significant proportion within their respective types. Least
of all is the hyperbole with 14 cases statistically used in the work. Jane Austen masterfully employs
metaphors to intricately delineate the characters' personas, illuminating their social context within
English society of the era. These metaphors serve as vivid lenses through which readers can
perceive the characters' traits and their interactions. Moreover, hyperbole serves as another potent
tool in Austen's arsenal, magnifying key aspects of characters and plot situations for dramatic effect.
For instance, Mr. Darcy's exaggerated praise of Elizabeth Bennet's beauty underscores the intensity
of his admiration. Furthermore, Austen deftly utilizes irony as a narrative device to underscore
profound themes such as the transformative power of love and the societal constraints prevalent
during her time. Irony becomes a vehicle through which Austen critiques societal norms and
prejudices, often with a sharp wit that challenges the reader's perceptions. This rhetorical strategy
not only enhances the narrative depth but also reflects Austen's astute observations of human nature
and societal dynamics.
In essence, Austen's strategic use of metaphors, hyperbole, and irony transcends mere literary
ornamentation, offering profound insights into the characters' inner lives and the societal milieu in
which they navigate. Her narrative craftsmanship, coupled with a keen understanding of human
behavior, continues to captivate readers and scholars alike, making her works timeless reflections
on the complexities of human relationships and societal conventions.
The results of this study are in alignment with those of Prihatin (2010) and Arbain (2016) in
that we discovered some figures of speech such as metaphors, hyperbole, and irony in the novel.

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However, the difference between my research and the previous studies is that Prihatin (2010)
researched with a more diverse number of figures of speech such as personification and sarcasm. In
addition, his research only stopped at listing the sentences in the work that used those figures of
speech without going into the analysis and statistics of the density of sentences appearing in the
work, as well as not exploiting them for their intended use. Therefore, this study clarified this topic
by listing and grouping each figure of speech by type, thereby analyzing more closely the writer's
purpose, usage, as well as the meaning of them in the novel. Arbain (2016) focuses more on
reporting the plot used in a novel discussing the conflict of plot details, and analyzing the plot in
terms of complications, exposition, and denouement. Although metaphors and some figures of
speech are widely researched, there has not been any specific research on figures of speech in Pride
and Prejudice.
5. CONCLUSION
The main focus of this study was to investigate metaphors, hyperbole, and irony that Jane
Austen used in the first forty chapters of Pride and Prejudice. We examined a number of typical
instances of metaphors, hyperbole and irony, and then categorized and determined their semantics.
The study’s results contain 19 metaphors divided into three types such as structural metaphors,
orientational metaphors, and ontological metaphors. In this novel, Jane Austen uses metaphors more
often to show the emotions behind the character's words. Irony appears in the same number as
metaphor, with 19 sentences divided into three categories: verbal irony, dramatic irony and
situational irony. Jane uses metaphor and irony relatively evenly throughout the first-forty chapters
of this novel. Moreover, the study found 14 hyperboles categorized into 5 groups: Numerical
hyperbole, Hyperbolic Superlative, Clausal hyperbole, Phrasal hyperbole, and Single-Word
Hyperbole, which is fewer than metaphors.
The purpose of the use of metaphors, hyperbole, and irony in the novel's Pride and Prejudice
helps readers understand the plot, the characters, the themes, and also the conflict. In the case, "If
she should die, it would be a comfort to know that it was all in pursuit of Mr. Bingley”, Austen
draws attention to the ridiculousness and consequences of a passionate romantic obsession and the
expectations society places on marriage. The author's deft use of metaphors, irony, and hyperbole,
along with her skillful structure of phrases, gave Pride and Prejudice its dramatic language. As a
result, by accomplishing this, the author has taken readers to the 19th century and provided them the
opportunity to fully feel its distinctive social and ideological traits. The proof is that to this day, the
book is still a famous classic literary work throughout the centuries.

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THE STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF FLIPPED CLASSROOM ON THE SECOND- YEAR

ENGLISH MAJORS’ SPEAKING SKILL AT HPU
Pham Thi Thuy
Hai Phong Management and Technology University (HPU)

ABSTRACT
This research aims to assess the effectiveness of the flipped classroom on students’ speaking
performance. The purpose is to analyse the impact of the flipped classroom model on students’
English speaking learning achievement and explore its potential benefits in enhancing students’
speaking learning outcomes. This experimental research was conducted, utilizing both qualitative
and quantitative, observation is also included in the research method and the findings of this study
indicate that the flipped classroom strategy has a positive impact on students’ speaking
performance. The approach fosters active and self-directed learning, encourages collaboration, and
deepens students' understanding of the subject matter. Furthermore, students in flipped classrooms
shows better academic performance, strengthened engagement, stronger critical thinking abilities,
and improved retention of course content. Applying the flipped classroom model can lead to
pedagogical innovation, providing students with a more engaging, personalized, and effective
learning experience.
Key words: flipped classroom, active learning, students’ speaking performance, engagement,
critical thinking

1. INTRODUCTION
In today’s globalization world, proficiency in speaking English is essential for effective
communication and professional success. For 2nd-year English majors at Hai Phong University of
Management and Technology (HPU), mastering speaking skills is not only a core component of
their academic journey, but also a gateway to broader career opportunities. However, despite its
importance, speaking remains one of the most challenging language skills to develop. Students
often face difficulties such as lack of confidence, limited practice opportunities, and inadequate
real-world exposure.
Traditional teaching methods that focus on lectures and teacher-centred approaches may not
provide students with enough active speaking practice. These methods tend to emphasize passive
learning, which limits student engagement and hampers the development of spontaneous and fluent
communication. As a result, students may feel hesitant to speak in both classroom and real-life
settings, affecting their language fluency. To address these challenges, the flipped classroom
strategy has emerged as a promising solution. This pedagogical approach reverses the conventional
teaching model by allowing students to study theoretical content outside of the classroom and use
class time for interactive activities, discussions, and speaking practice. In a flipped classroom,
students come to class prepared with background knowledge, which enables them to participate
actively in communicative tasks that enhance their speaking proficiency. The flipped classroom
approach encourages greater autonomy in learning, empowering students to take responsibility for
their progress. It fosters a learner- centred environment where students have more opportunities to
engage in collaborative and authentic communication. By dedicating class time to meaningful
speaking activities, students can develop their fluency, pronunciation, and conversational skills in a
supportive and interactive context.
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For second-year English majors at HPU, the application of the flipped classroom strategy has
become increasingly essential. The flipped classroom model with its numerous advantages which
inspired the researcher to conduct this study: “The study on the impact of flipped classroom on the
second-year English majors' speaking skill at HPU”.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Definition of flipped classroom
The flipped classroom is a pedagogical model where the traditional structure of instruction is
reversed. In this approach, students are introduced to new content at home, typically through video
lectures, readings, or other pre-class activities, while class time is dedicated to exercises, projects,
or discussions that promote deeper understanding (Bergmann & Sams, 2012). This shift allows
teachers to focus on active learning strategies that encourage students to apply concepts during class
(Abeysekera & Dawson, 2015). The flipped model supports differentiated learning, where students
can engage with the material at their own pace, leading to increased autonomy in their learning
process (Bishop & Verleger, 2013).
2.2 Advantages of flipped classrooms
One of the primary advantages of the flipped classroom model is its ability to foster active
learning, where students engage more deeply with the material through collaborative exercises
during class time (Bergmann & Sams, 2012). This shift allows students to take control of their
learning, giving them the flexibility to review instructional materials at their own pace outside of
class (Bishop & Verleger, 2013). As a result, learners can pause, rewind, or revisit complex topics,
which enhances comprehension and retention (Chen, Wang, & Chen, 2014). Instructors benefit as
well, as the flipped model provides more opportunities for individualized support and feedback
during class, allowing teachers to address specific student needs (Bergmann & Sams, 2012). This
approach also helps instructors identify learning gaps more quickly and adapt their teaching
strategies accordingly (Chen et al., 2014).
Additionally, flipped classrooms can better accommodate different learning styles, as students
have access to various instructional formats, such as videos, readings, or interactive on-line content
(Abeysekera & Dawson, 2015). This diversity in instructional methods allows students to engage
with the material in a way that best suits their preferences, leading to more effective learning
outcomes (Lo & Hew, 2017).
In sum, the flipped classroom model provides a range of benefits, from improved student
engagement and collaboration to more personalized instruction and better learning outcomes. It
continues to grow in popularity as an innovative approach to modern education (Hamdan et al., 2013).
2.3 Disadvantages of flipped classrooms
The flipped classroom approach, while beneficial in many ways, presents several challenges
that can hinder its effectiveness in improving students' speaking skills. Bergmann and Sams showed
several disadvantages of the flipped classroom model that educators must consider. One major
drawback is the significant time and effort required from teachers to create high-quality video
content and prepare engaging in-class activities. Furthermore, this model relies heavily on students’
self-discipline and motivation to engage with pre-class materials independently, which can be
problematic. According to Abeysekera and Dawson (2015), students who lack motivation or
struggle with time management may not complete the preparatory work effectively, impacting their
ability to participate actively in speaking exercises during class. Additionally, technological barriers
can impede progress, especially for students who may not have reliable internet access or

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appropriate devices at home (Bishop & Verleger, 2013). Without access to these resources, students
may feel disadvantaged or unprepared, leading to lower participation and less speaking practice.
Furthermore, students who prefer traditional teaching methods may feel overwhelmed or resistant to
the self-directed nature of the flipped model, which could reduce engagement in speaking tasks
(Kim et al., 2014). These disadvantages can limit the potential of the flipped classroom model to
improve students' speaking skills.
2.4 Previous studies
Nguyen and Tran (2017) examined the impact of the flipped model on improving speaking
skills among students at Can Tho University. Their findings revealed significant improvements in
speaking performance for students in the flipped classroom compared to those in traditional
settings, alongside positive attitudes toward the approach.
Similarly, Güvenç (2018) explored students’ perceptions of the flipped classroom model in
writing lessons, where the roles of in-class and out-of-class activities were reversed. The study
showed high levels of satisfaction, with students finding the flipped approach more engaging and
enjoyable than conventional teaching methods. Expanding this perspective, Suranakkharin (2017)
implemented the flipped model to enhance Thai learners’ knowledge of English collocations,
demonstrating significant gains in collocation acquisition and learners’ positive attitudes.
More recently, Birova et al. (2023) applied the flipped classroom approach to teaching
English to pre-service teachers, focusing on listening skills and grammar. While the study found a
notable improvement in listening skills among students in the flipped classroom, the gains in
grammar proficiency were comparable to those achieved through traditional methods. These studies
collectively highlight the adaptability and effectiveness of the flipped classroom model across
various linguistic skills and contexts, emphasizing its potential to foster both academic success and
learner engagement.
3. CONTEXT OF THE STUDY
This research was conducted at Hai Phong Management and Technology University (HPU)
with 90 second-year English-major students, divided equally into an experimental group (45
students) and a control group (45 students).
The experimental group was taught using the flipped classroom model, where students
prepared through video lectures and materials before class and engaged in practice-based activities
during class. The control group followed traditional teaching methods, with in-class lectures and limited
pre-class preparation. All participants were from the same academic year to ensure similar levels of
English proficiency and learning backgrounds. The curriculum and materials used were consistent
across both groups, differing only in teaching approach. The study lasted 12 weeks, focusing on
improving speaking skills through various topics aligned with students' academic and communicative
needs. Pre-tests and post-tests were used to assess speaking skill development, while questionnaire and
student feedback provided more information.
Hai Phong Management and Technology University offers a supportive environment with
modern facilities and access to digital resources, enabling the effective implementation of
innovative teaching strategies like the flipped classroom. This context ensured a suitable setting for
examining the impact of this approach on enhancing students' speaking skills.
4. METHODOLOGY
4.1 Research question
The research question for this study is as follow: “To what extent does flipped classroom have

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positive impacts on students’ speaking skill?”.

4.2 Data collection instruments
This study will use an experimental research design to find out the impact of the flipped
classroom on second-year students' speaking skills. Ninety students will be divided into two groups,
with 45 in the experimental group and 45 in the control group. The experimental group will be
taught using the flipped classroom method, while the control group will follow the traditional
teaching method. Both groups will take a pre-test and post-test to measure improvements in their
speaking skills, and a questionnaire with six questions will gather student feedback on their learning
experience.
Additionally, observation will be included as part of the research method to provide qualitative
insights into students’ learning behaviours and interactions during the teaching process. The
researcher will observe classroom sessions to evaluate aspects such as students’ participation in
discussions, confidence in speaking, collaboration with peers, and engagement with the flipped
classroom activities. These observations will help identify practical differences in how students
respond to the flipped classroom versus traditional teaching methods.
The results, combined with data from tests, questionnaires, and observations, will determine
whether the flipped classroom has a positive effect on speaking skills compared to traditional
methods. The inclusion of observation will enrich the findings, offering a deeper understanding of
how the flipped classroom model influences students' speaking performance and overall learning
experiences.
4.2.1. Tests
a. Pre-Test
The pre-test was conducted at the first before doing experimental research. The pre-test was
applied to measure and evaluate the students’ basic ability in speaking skill. This speaking pretest
for 2nd-year students consists of three parts: self-introduction, main topic, and follow-up questions.
In Part 1, students introduce themselves briefly, covering basic personal information to ease into the
test. Part 2 is the main topic, where students discuss a specific subject in depth, such as describing
an event or sharing their thoughts on a social issue. This part evaluates their vocabulary,
pronunciation, fluency, coherence, accuracy and ability to organize ideas. Part 3 includes follow-up
questions, encouraging students to elaborate on or defend their opinions and the test duration for
each student is about 5-7 minutes.
b. Post-Test
The post-test was applied at the end of the semester. The post-test was conducted in order to
know and measure the progressing of students’ speaking skill after the flipped class was carried out.
4.2.2 Questionnaire
In this study, questionnaire is selected as one of the important data collection instruments to
acquire some information related to students’ problems and motivation in learning speaking. The
questionnaire includes 6 questions. The first question aims to assess the impact of the flipped
classroom on students' confidence in speaking. The second question evaluates the level of student
engagement in speaking activities within the flipped classroom setting. The 3rd question measures
students' perceptions of the effectiveness of homework review in enhancing their speaking abilities.
It assesses how students view the impact of pre-class preparation on their performance in speaking
tasks. The 4th question focuses on evaluating the role of peer feedback in the learning process.

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By assessing students' perceptions of the usefulness of feedback received from classmates, the
survey aims to highlight the importance of collaborative learning in developing speaking skills. The
5th question encourages students to reflect on the comparative advantages of the flipped classroom
in terms of speaking practice opportunities. And the 6th question assesses students’ satisfaction
regarding their progress in speaking skills and the effectiveness of the flipped classroom model.
4.2.3 Observation
This research incorporates observation as a key qualitative method to complement tests and
questionnaires in evaluating the flipped classroom's effectiveness. While tests measure speaking
skill improvement and questionnaires gather student feedback, observation focuses on real-time
behaviours, engagement, and interactions during classroom activities. Researchers record how
students prepare for lessons, participate in discussions, and demonstrate speaking skills in flipped
and traditional settings. This approach provides detailed insights into how the flipped classroom
fosters active learning, collaboration, and confidence. Observation enriches the analysis by
capturing dynamics that quantitative methods cannot fully address.
4.3 Procedure for Applying Flipped Classroom in English Speaking Classes
The flipped classroom approach is applied through the following structured steps to prepare
students for the speaking lessons:
Pre-Class Preparation Activities:
Before each class, students are assigned specific tasks, such as watching a relevant video,
reading assigned materials, or completing guided on-line exercises related to the speaking test topic.
These activities are designed to provide students with foundational knowledge and context for the
in-class discussion.
In-Class Active Learning Activities:
During the class, students engage in interactive speaking tasks, including role-playing, group
discussions, and individual presentations. These activities focus on practising vocabulary, fluency,
and coherence, allowing students to apply their pre-class learning in real-time communication.
Feedback and Peer Review Strategies:
After each speaking task, the teacher provides immediate, constructive feedback on each
student's performance, focusing on vocabulary use, pronunciation, fluency, accuracy, and idea
organization. Additionally, students participate in peer review, offering feedback to each other to
foster collaborative learning and critical thinking.
Reflection and Assessment Strategies:
Following the speaking activities, students reflect on their own performance and identify areas
for improvement based on the feedback provided. This step helps them set personal learning goals
and apply strategies to enhance their speaking skills for future practice.
This structured flipped classroom model promotes active learning, collaboration, and skill-
building, ensuring students are well-prepared for the speaking lessons and can effectively meet the
subject requirements.
5. RESULTS
5.1 Results of the speaking tests
The pre-test was conducted during the first week of the course, which lasted about 12 weeks.
At the end of the 12th week, the students were given post-test to assess their final scores.

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5.1.1 Pre- Test Result

The pretest scores for the control group and the experimental group show a similar
distribution across all score ranges, indicating that both groups had comparable levels of
performance before the study began.
Table 1. Pre- Test Result
Score Range Control group Experimental group
0-4 15/45 (33.33%) 17/45 (37.77%)
4.5-6 14/45 (31.11%) 13/45 (28.88%)
6.5-8 11/45 (24.44%) 10/45 (22.22%)
8.5-10 5/45 (11.11%) 5/45 (11.11%)
Total 45 (100%) 45 (100%)
The pretest results for both the control and experimental groups show a similar distribution of
scores, suggesting that there is no significant difference between the two groups at the start of the
study. In both groups, 33.33% of students in the control group and 37.77% in the experimental
group scored between 0-4 points, indicating a similar level of initial understanding. The proportions
of students in the 4.5-6 and 6.5-8 score ranges are also close, with 31.11% in the control group and
28.88% in the experimental group in the former, and 24.44% in the control group and 22.22% in the
experimental group in the latter. Notably, both groups had the same percentage (11.11%) of students
scoring between 8.5-10. Given that students were randomly assigned to each group, these results
reflect a balanced starting point for both groups.
5.1.2 Post- Test Result
The post-test scores for the control group and experimental group reveal some notable
differences in performance on score ranges.
Table 2. Post- Test Result
Score Range Control group Experimental group
0-4 10/45 (22.22%) 1/45 (2.22%)
19/45 (42.22%)
4.5-6 15/45 (33.33%)

6.5-8 11/45 (24.44%) 19/45 (42.22%)

8.5-10 5/45 (11.11%) 10/45 (22.22%)

Total 45 (100%) 45 (100%)
The post-test results highlight significant differences between the control and experimental
groups, emphasizing the remarkable progress made by the experimental group after implementing
the flipped classroom approach. In the lowest score range (0-4), only 2.22% of the experimental
group scored in this category, compared to 22.22% in the control group, reflecting a substantial
reduction in low-performing students. In the mid-range scores (4.5-6), the experimental group had
33.33%, slightly lower than the control group's 42.22%, indicating a shift towards higher
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achievement levels. Notably, 42.22% of the experimental group scored between 6.5-8, significantly
outperforming the control group’s 24.44%. Moreover, the percentage of top scorers (8.5-10) in the
experimental group doubled that of the control group, at 22.22% versus 11.11%. These results
demonstrate the effectiveness of the flipped classroom strategy in enhancing student speaking
performance.
5.2 Results of the questionnaire
Table 3. Survey Results on the Impact of the Flipped Classroom Approach on Speaking Skills
Strongly Strongly Total Positive
Survey Question Disagree Neutral Agree
Disagree Agree Responses
1. Do you feel
confident when
speaking in class 18 19
1 (2.2%) 3 (6.7%) 4 (8.9%) 37/45 (82.2%)
after participating in (40%) (42.2%)
flipped classroom
activities?
2. Do you actively
participate in
speaking activities 15
20
during flipped 2 (4.4%) 4 (8.9%) 4 (8.9%) (33.3 35/45 (77.8%)
(44.4%)
classroom sessions %)
compared to
traditional classes?
3. To what extent do
you agree that
16
reviewing materials 5 19
2 (4.4%) 3 (6.7%) (35.6 35/45 (77.8%)
at home has (11.1%) (42.2%)
%)
improved your
speaking skills?
4. To what extent do
you agree that peer
feedback help you 16
20
improve your 1 (2.2%) 5 (11.1%) 3 (6.7%) (35.6 36/45 (80%)
(44.4%)
speaking skills %)
during flipped
classroom sessions?
5. Do you think
that the flipped
classroom approach
14
provides you with 5 21
2 (4.4%) 3 (6.7%) (31.1 35/45 (77.8%)
more opportunities (11.1%) (46.7%)
%)
to practice speaking
than traditional
classroom methods?

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6. Are you satisfied

with the overall
improvement in 13
26
your speaking skills 1 (2.2%) 2 (4.4%) 3 (6.7%) (28.9 39/45 (86.7%)
(57.8%)
since implementing %)
the flipped
classroom model?
Table 3: Survey Results on the Impact of the Flipped Classroom Approach on Speaking Skills
The data analysis from the six survey questions clearly illustrates the positive impact of the
flipped classroom model on students' speaking skills. A majority of students (82.2%) reported
increased confidence in speaking after participating in flipped classroom activities, with 40%
agreeing and 42.2% strongly agreeing. Additionally, 77.8% of students felt they were more active in
speaking activities during flipped classroom sessions compared to traditional classes, emphasizing
the approach' s ability to encourage greater student engagement. Furthermore, 77.8% of students
believed that reviewing materials at home improved their speaking skills, highlighting the
effectiveness of self-directed learning. In terms of peer feedback, 80% of students found it helpful
in enhancing their speaking abilities, which shows the value of collaborative learning. Finally,
77.8% of students agreed that the flipped classroom provided more opportunities to practice
speaking, while 86.7% were satisfied with their overall improvement in speaking skills,
demonstrating the overall effectiveness of the flipped classroom model in enhancing speaking
proficiency.
5.3 Results of observation
The observation results provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the flipped
classroom model on students’ speaking performance. During classroom activities, students in the
flipped classroom demonstrated higher levels of engagement, actively participating in discussions
and collaborative tasks. Researcher observed that these students showed greater confidence when
speaking and were more willing to take risks in expressing their ideas. Additionally, the flipped
classroom environment encouraged peer-to-peer interaction, fostering teamwork and the sharing of
diverse perspectives. Many students exhibited improved preparation habits, as they came to class
better equipped with knowledge and ready to apply it in speaking tasks. In comparison, the control
group following traditional teaching methods showed lower levels of participation and confidence.
Observation revealed that flipped classroom participants retained course content more effectively
and showed improved critical thinking skills during speaking activities. The findings confirm that
active learning strategies in flipped classrooms enhance both motivation and speaking performance.
Moreover, these observations highlight the importance of collaboration and self-directed learning in
creating a supportive learning environment. The data collected through observation provide
evidence that aligns with the positive impacts found in quantitative analyses. Ultimately, these
findings support the flipped classroom as an innovative and effective teaching strategy for
improving students' speaking outcomes.
6. CONCLUSION
6.1 Conclusion
In conclusion, the findings from the survey and the post-test provide strong evidence of the
effectiveness of the flipped classroom model in enhancing students' speaking skill. Students
reported increased confidence, engagement, and satisfaction with their progress in speaking, thanks

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to the flipped approach. Furthermore, this model enables better preparation, more active
participation, and valuable peer feedback, all of which contribute to meaningful improvements in
language proficiency. In addition, the flipped classroom has proven to be a successful strategy for
supporting and accelerating students' development in speaking skill by allowing students to review
materials outside of class and dedicating class time to interactive speaking activities, the flipped
classroom fosters active learning, collaboration, and critical thinking. The questionnaire responses
further confirm that the majority of students felt more prepared, engaged, and satisfied with their
speaking progress under the flipped classroom model.
6.2 Limitations and suggestions
The limitation of this research is the relatively small sample size of only 45 students per
group, which may not fully represent the broader student population. Additionally, the study was
conducted over a limited duration of 12 weeks, which might not capture long-term effects of the
flipped classroom model on speaking performance. Finally, variations in students' backgrounds,
learning styles, and prior experience with flipped classrooms were not fully controlled, which may
influence the generalizability of the results. Future studies could expand the sample size and extend
the duration beyond 12 weeks to gain a clearer understanding of the long-term effects of the flipped
classroom on speaking skill. In addition, research could also explore the flipped classroom's impact
on other language skills and other foreign languages to better understand its comprehensive benefits
in the language learning.

REFERENCES
Abeysekera, L., & Dawson, P. (2015). Examining motivation and cognitive load in flipped
classrooms: Definitions, justifications, and a research agenda. Higher Education Research &
Development, 34(1), 1-14.
Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2012). Transforming your classroom: Engaging every student every day
with flipped learning. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.
Birova, L., Ruiz-Cecilia, R., & Guijarro-Ojeda, J. R. (2023). Implementing flipped classrooms in
EFL teaching: A case study with pre-service educators. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1269981.
Bishop, J. L., & Verleger, M. A. (2013). Research on flipped classrooms: A comprehensive survey.
ASEE National Conference Proceedings, Atlanta, GA, 45(9), 1-18.
Chen, Y., Wang, Y., & Chen, N. S. (2014). Evaluating the FLIP and FLIPPED models in education.
Computers & Education, 79, 16-27.
Guvenc, H. (2018). Integrating flipped learning into language instruction. Cambridge University
Press.
Hamdan, N., McKnight, P., McKnight, K., & Arfstrom, K. M. (2013). An overview of flipped
learning practices. Flipped Learning Network.
Kim, M. K., Kim, S. M., Khera, O., & Getman, J. (2014). Insights from three flipped classrooms at
an urban university: Design principles explored. The Internet and Higher Education, 22, 37-
50.
Lo, C. K., & Hew, K. F. (2017). Challenges of flipped classrooms in K-12 education:
Solutions and research recommendations. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced

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Learning, 12(4), 1-22.

Nguyen, V. L., & Tran, T. T. Q. (2017). Enhancing students’ English speaking skills using the
flipped model. Can Tho University Journal of Science, 90-97.
Suranakkharin, T. (2017). Leveraging the flipped model to enhance Thai learners’ knowledge of
second-language collocations. 3L: Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies,
23(4).

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ADDRESSING FACE-SAVING BEHAVIORS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: A

CASE STUDY
Phan Thi Mai Huong
Vinschool Imperia, Hai Phong

ABSTRACT
This case study explores face-saving behaviors among 202 Stage 7 students at a secondary
school following the Cambridge International Program for ESL. These students are taught English
in 10 weekly periods, divided equally between a Vietnamese teacher and an English-speaking
teacher, fostering an immersive bilingual environment. Rather than being grouped by age or grade
level, students are placed according to their English proficiency. However, despite this tailored
approach, many students demonstrate significant reluctance to participate actively in spoken
English activities. This hesitation is often linked to face-saving behaviors, which are deeply rooted
in cultural and social norms that emphasize avoiding public mistakes or embarrassment. The study
aims to examine these behaviors, investigating both external and internal factors influencing
students’ willingness to speak English. Data were gathered through a combination of classroom
observations, student surveys, and interviews with teachers and students, providing a multi-
dimensional understanding of the challenges students face. Key findings highlight how anxiety
about losing face—particularly in front of peers—hinders their ability to engage in classroom
discussions and language practice. These behaviors can slow down language acquisition and
negatively affect the development of confidence in speaking English. Based on the findings, the
study offers practical recommendations for reducing face-saving behaviors and promoting greater
student involvement. Strategies include fostering a classroom environment that encourages mistakes
as part of the learning process, implementing small-group activities to reduce social pressure, and
using positive reinforcement to build students' self-confidence. Creating a supportive learning
atmosphere can significantly lower students' fear of judgment, facilitating more active participation
in English lessons and contributing to long-term language proficiency.
Key words: Face-saving behaviors, ESL students, Classroom participation, Language
learning anxiety

1. INTRODUCTION
The interplay between classroom language use and language learning efficacy has garnered
considerable attention in education research. A key challenge is the phenomenon of face-saving
behaviors, particularly in Confucian-influenced cultures like Vietnam, where students often hesitate
to participate in class discussions for fear of losing face. This reluctance, driven by cultural norms
emphasizing politeness and social harmony, is detrimental to language acquisition as active
participation is critical for developing communication skills.
Despite significant investments in English education in Vietnam, students frequently face
obstacles in oral proficiency due to anxiety about making mistakes. Educators often lack the
necessary training to address these issues, compounding the challenge. This study aims to explore
English teachers' perceptions of face-saving behaviors among students at Vinschool Imperia in Hai
Phong and their impact on classroom participation. By understanding these dynamics, the research

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seeks to offer practical strategies to foster supportive learning environments, thereby enhancing
student engagement and language outcomes.
This case study was conducted at Vinschool Imperia in Hai Phong, Vietnam. In the context of
Vietnamese education, private bilingual institutions like Vinschool play a crucial role in preparing
students for international academic standards while fostering English proficiency from an early age.
Vinschool offers a Cambridge International Program alongside the national curriculum, thereby
supporting both academic excellence and language development.
The English program at Vinschool encompasses a range of courses and assessments designed
for students at varying proficiency levels. Teachers are required to engage in continuous
professional development to meet the demands of bilingual education. As an educator at Vinschool
Imperia, the researcher identified this setting as ideal for the investigation due to its accessibility
and relevance. Consequently, the study focuses on a group of English Language Teaching (ELT)
educators at Vinschool Imperia, where the dual emphasis on international education and local
context provides meaningful insights.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Background of the Study
The concept of 'face,' as introduced by Goffman (1967), refers to the social value individuals
claim for themselves in interactions. This theory has been expanded by Brown and Levinson
(1987), who described 'face' in two dimensions: positive face (the desire for approval) and negative
face (the need for autonomy). These dimensions underpin politeness theory, which is integral in
maintaining harmonious relationships and is particularly relevant in educational contexts (Yule,
2010; Grundy, 2000).
In language classrooms, 'face' plays a pivotal role in shaping interactions between teachers
and students. Research highlights the challenges of managing face-saving behaviors, especially in
cultures where maintaining face is deeply ingrained, such as those influenced by Confucian values
(C. H. Chen, 2019). These behaviors can impact participation, communication, and ultimately,
learning outcomes.
2.2 Theories Related to the Study
Politeness theory (Brown & Levinson, 1987) serves as a foundation for understanding face-
saving in the classroom. This theory emphasizes the balance between positive face (seeking social
approval) and negative face (avoiding imposition). Additionally, theories of cultural communication
(Nguyen et al., 2005) shed light on how Confucian Heritage Cultures prioritize harmony and respect
in interactions, often resulting in reticence and shyness among students. Language anxiety theories
(Dong, 2009) further explain the role of fear in hindering student participation, particularly in
contexts where mistakes may lead to embarrassment or loss of face.
By grounding the study in these theoretical frameworks, this research seeks to provide
actionable insights for addressing face-saving behaviors and enhancing language learning outcomes
in culturally diverse classrooms.
3. METHODS
3.1 Aim
The primary aim of this study is to investigate the face-saving behaviors exhibited by Stage 7
students in an ESL classroom setting. Specifically, the study seeks to explore both external and
internal factors contributing to students' reluctance to engage in spoken English activities.

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Additionally, it aims to identify the impact of these behaviors on language acquisition and to
propose strategies that encourage greater student participation in speaking tasks.
3.2 Participants
The study involves 202 Stage 7 students from a secondary school following the Cambridge
International Program for ESL. These students are grouped based on their English proficiency
rather than their age or grade level, allowing for a more tailored approach to language instruction.
Each week, students receive 10 periods of English instruction, divided equally between a
Vietnamese teacher and an English-speaking teacher, fostering a bilingual learning environment.
This diverse teaching arrangement aims to enhance students' English proficiency while respecting
their cultural context. Despite these efforts, many students display face-saving behaviors, which
manifest as reluctance to speak during English lessons.
3.3 Research Instruments
To comprehensively examine face-saving behaviors, the study employed a multi-method
approach using three primary instruments. Classroom observations were systematically conducted
to identify participation patterns and non-verbal behaviors, offering real-time insights into students'
reluctance to speak and the teacher-student interactions that might influence face-saving tendencies.
A structured student survey was designed to capture their perspectives, incorporating both closed
and open-ended questions to explore feelings about speaking English, anxiety levels, and
participation challenges. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were carried out with teachers and
students to gain deeper insights from multiple perspectives. Teachers shared observations on student
participation, challenges faced, and strategies used to encourage engagement, while students
discussed their emotions, fears, and motivations behind their reluctance to speak English in class.
This comprehensive approach provided a well-rounded understanding of the issue.
3.4 Data Collection Procedure
The data collection process took place over two months during regular English classes to
avoid disrupting students' schedules. It involved three key steps. First, classroom observations were
conducted during selected English periods with both Vietnamese and English-speaking teachers,
recording student behaviors during oral activities, teacher interactions, and any signs of reluctance
to speak. Second, anonymous student surveys were administered to ensure honest feedback, with
both online links and printed copies provided to accommodate all students. Responses were
gathered within one week. Finally, after surveys and observations, semi-structured interviews were
conducted with 10 randomly selected students across different proficiency levels and 4 teachers (2
Vietnamese and 2 English-speaking). These interviews, lasting 15-20 minutes each and held during
break times, provided qualitative insights that complemented the quantitative data, offering a
comprehensive understanding of the participants' experiences and perspectives.
4. DATA ANALYSIS
4.1 Methods
The study adopted a mixed-methods approach, combining surveys, interviews, and classroom
observations to investigate the factors contributing to students' reluctance to engage in spoken
English activities and to evaluate strategies for improving participation. Quantitative data were
collected through surveys administered to 202 students, which examined participation in speaking
activities, reasons for reluctance, and preferred classroom settings. Classroom observations further
complemented the data by analyzing participation patterns across different activities, particularly
comparing whole-class discussions to small-group tasks. Qualitative data were gathered through

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interviews with both students and teachers, offering deeper insights into the personal, social, and
cultural factors influencing participation. This comprehensive methodology provided a holistic
understanding of the issue and informed recommendations for fostering greater engagement.
4.2 Results
Student Participation in Speaking Activities
The survey results revealed that hesitation during speaking activities is a common issue
among students, with only 10% reporting consistent confidence. Specifically, 10% of students
indicated they are always hesitant, 25% often hesitant, and 40% sometimes hesitant, while 15% said
they are rarely hesitant, and just 10% claimed they are never hesitant. This data underscores a
significant challenge in fostering active participation, particularly during whole-class activities,
where the fear of speaking publicly tends to be heightened.
Factors Contributing to Reluctance
Several barriers to student participation were identified in the study. Fear of making mistakes
emerged as the most significant factor, reported by 75% of students. Other notable factors included
peer judgment (60%), lack of confidence (50%), language anxiety (42%), and social and cultural
norms (35%). Students often expressed discomfort with public error correction and a fear of
negative reactions from their classmates. Teachers highlighted the cultural emphasis on avoiding
mistakes and maintaining group harmony, which they believed exacerbated students’ reluctance to
engage in speaking tasks.
Preferred Classroom Settings
The findings also showed a clear preference for small-group activities, with 70% of students
favoring these less intimidating environments. In contrast, only 31% of students reported feeling
comfortable participating in whole-class discussions. Small groups provide a supportive space
where students can speak more freely, rely on peer encouragement, and build their confidence
without the pressure of addressing the entire class. This preference for smaller settings indicates the
importance of designing classroom activities that cater to students' comfort levels while gradually
preparing them for larger-group interactions.
Themes from Interviews
Interviews with both students and teachers revealed recurring themes that align with the survey
findings. Students consistently cited fear of mistakes and peer judgment as significant deterrents to
speaking, expressing concern about public embarrassment. Teachers observed that these fears often led
to silence during class activities. Cultural influences were another prominent theme. Both students and
teachers acknowledged the impact of Confucian heritage values, which emphasize respect, harmony,
and avoiding confrontation, often discouraging outspoken behavior. Gender dynamics also played a
role, with teachers noting that female students tended to be more reserved, reflecting cultural norms that
encourage modesty among girls.
Patterns from Classroom Observations
Classroom observations supported the data gathered from surveys and interviews. Students
demonstrated significantly more active participation during small-group activities, where they felt
comfortable supporting and correcting one another. In these settings, students appeared more
willing to take risks and share their ideas. Conversely, whole-class discussions were marked by
widespread reluctance, with only a few students volunteering responses despite encouragement
from teachers. These patterns highlight the need for carefully structured activities that create a safe
and supportive environment for all students.

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5. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This section presents the key findings derived from surveys, interviews, and classroom
observations. It explores the implications of these findings, linking them to the research questions
and existing literature.
5.1 Teacher Educators’ Understanding of Face-Saving Behavior
Teachers are highly aware of face-saving behaviors, particularly during whole-class activities,
where students often hesitate to answer questions or engage in discussions due to fear of mistakes,
peer judgment, and cultural expectations. Rooted in Brown and Levinson's (1987) theory of face-
saving strategies, these behaviors aim to avoid embarrassment and social scrutiny in language-
learning contexts. Personal factors, such as fear of grammatical or pronunciation errors (reported by
75% of students), low self-confidence, and performance anxiety, significantly hinder participation.
Social and cultural factors, including Vietnamese cultural norms that prioritize modesty and group
harmony, sensitivity to peer judgment, and a preference for maintaining group cohesion, further
exacerbate this reluctance. The impact of face-saving behaviors is substantial, limiting students’
speaking practice, slowing oral fluency development, and impeding classroom dynamics. While
teachers empathize with students’ anxieties, they also recognize the need to encourage risk-taking and
active participation to foster language growth. A balance must be struck between respecting cultural
norms and challenging these behaviors, as making mistakes is an integral part of learning, as one
teacher highlighted.
5.2 Teachers’ Strategies to Address Face-Saving Behavior
Creating a supportive classroom environment is essential for addressing face-saving
behaviors, as teachers use strategies like positive reinforcement, focusing on effort over correctness
to build confidence, and fostering a non-judgmental atmosphere where students feel safe expressing
themselves. Building strong rapport with students also helps them feel valued and respected,
encouraging participation. Additionally, pedagogical strategies such as small-group activities—
preferred by 70% of students—provide a less intimidating platform for speaking. Gentle error
correction techniques, like rephrasing or private feedback, reduce the fear of mistakes, while
interactive activities like role-playing make speaking tasks engaging and less stressful. Teachers
also balance activities by transitioning students from small-group to whole-class discussions to
gradually build confidence. These findings emphasize the importance of balancing cultural
sensitivity with the need for language development, encouraging risk-taking while respecting
comfort levels. Professional development programs should train educators to recognize and address
face-saving behaviors, create supportive environments, and promote a growth mindset that views
mistakes as learning opportunities. A multi-faceted approach integrating emotional support,
effective classroom management, and culturally sensitive practices is crucial for fostering student
participation and enhancing ESL learning outcomes.
6. CONCLUSION
This research has provided valuable insights into the role of face-saving behaviors in the
context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching, particularly within the Vietnamese
educational setting. By examining the experiences and perceptions of teacher educators at
Vinschool Imperia School, we have identified the multifaceted nature of face-saving in language
learning environments.
The findings indicate that face-saving behaviors significantly influence students' willingness
to participate in classroom activities. Factors such as fear of making mistakes, cultural norms, and
social pressures contribute to students’ reluctance to engage in speaking opportunities. Moreover,

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teacher educators recognize the importance of fostering an environment that mitigates these
anxieties. Their awareness of the phenomenon of face-saving, combined with positive attitudes and
adaptive pedagogical strategies, can effectively encourage student participation and enhance the
learning experience.
In addition, this study highlights the need for teacher training programs to address the
implications of face-saving behaviors. By equipping future educators with the knowledge and
strategies to support students in overcoming their fears, we can promote a more inclusive and
effective learning environment.
Future research could further explore the impact of specific teaching strategies on face-saving
behaviors and student participation. Additionally, expanding the study to include diverse
educational settings may provide a broader understanding of this phenomenon across different
cultural contexts.
In conclusion, recognizing and addressing face-saving behaviors is essential for improving
EFL learning outcomes. By creating supportive classroom environments and employing effective
pedagogical practices, educators can empower students to communicate more confidently and
engage more fully in their language learning journey.

REFERENCES
Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage. Cambridge
University Press.
Goffman, E. (1967). Interaction Ritual: Essays on Face-to-Face Behavior. Pantheon Books.
Grundy, P. (2000). Doing Pragmatics (2nd ed.). Hodder Education.
Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Pergamon Press.
Yule, G. (2010). The Study of Language (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Articles and Journals:
Chen, C. H. (2019). The influence of Confucian values on student participation in language
classrooms: Implications for ESL education. Asian Education and Development Studies, 8(4),
325-340.
Chen, C. H. (2019). The role of face-saving behaviors in East Asian classrooms. Journal of
Educational Research and Development, 42(3), 45-60.
Dong, Y. (2009). Language anxiety and its impact on students' participation in foreign language
learning. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 28(1), 75-91.
Dong, Y. (2009). Language anxiety and its impact on student performance in EFL
classrooms. Journal of Second Language Learning, 5(2), 25-38.
Nguyen, D., Dang, H., & Tran, M. (2005). Language and cultural communication in Confucian
Heritage Cultures. Journal of Pragmatics, 37(12), 1911-1934.
Nguyen, T., Pham, L., & Tran, C. (2005). Communication styles in Confucian Heritage Cultures.
Asian Perspectives on Intercultural Communication, 29(1), 23-39.
Nguyen, T. M. H. (2007). Cultural influences on Vietnamese students’ learning styles. In Education
in Vietnam (pp. 163-176).
Nguyen, C. D., & Le, T. N. (2011). The role of teacher feedback in second language acquisition.
Journal of English Language Teaching, 4(2), 15-28.
Tran, T. T. (2013). Is the Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) a problem for students’ learning? Asia
Pacific Journal of Education, 33(1), 37-50.
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APPENDIXES
Questionnaire: Investigating Face-Saving Behaviors in ESL Classrooms
Section 1: Demographic Information
1. Gender:
o Male
o Female
o Other
2. Age: ___________
3. How long have you been studying English?
o Less than 1 year
o 1-3 years
o 4-6 years
o More than 6 years

Section 2: Experiences in English Class

4. How confident do you feel when speaking English in front of others?
o Very confident
o Confident
o Neutral
o Not very confident
o Not confident at all
5. Do you often hesitate to answer questions or participate in speaking activities in class?
o Always
o Often
o Sometimes
o Rarely
o Never
6. What are the main reasons for your hesitation in speaking English during class? (Select all
that apply)
o Fear of making mistakes
o Fear of being laughed at by classmates
o Lack of confidence in my English skills
o Anxiety or nervousness
o Not enough time to think of a response
o Cultural values (e.g., fear of challenging teachers or peers)
o Other: __________________________
7. Which classroom setting makes you feel most comfortable speaking?
o Whole class discussions
o Small group activities
o Pair work
o One-on-one with the teacher

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8. How do you feel when a teacher corrects your mistakes in front of the class?
o Encouraged to try again
o Embarrassed or discouraged
o Neutral
9. Do you think your fear of being judged or embarrassed affects your participation in English
activities?
o Strongly agree
o Agree
o Neutral
o Disagree
o Strongly disagree

Section 3: Suggestions for Improvement

10. What do you think teachers can do to make you feel more comfortable speaking English?
• Use more small-group activities
• Give more time to think of answers
• Encourage participation without focusing on mistakes
• Provide more positive feedback
• Other: __________________________
11. In your opinion, what motivates you to speak more confidently in class? (Select all that
apply)
• Friendly and supportive classmates
• Teachers who are patient and understanding
• Interesting or relatable discussion topics
• Small group or pair work opportunities
• Other: __________________________

Semi-Structured Interview Questions for Teachers and Students

For Teachers:
1. How often do you observe face-saving behaviors among your students (e.g., avoiding
participation, staying silent)?
2. In your opinion, what are the main reasons students avoid speaking English during class?
3. Do you notice any differences in participation between small groups and whole-class
discussions? If yes, what are they?
4. How do you usually respond when students make mistakes while speaking in class?
5. What strategies have you used to encourage students to participate more actively in
English-speaking activities?
6. Have you noticed any cultural or social factors that affect students' willingness to speak?
7. In your view, how does face-saving behavior impact students' language learning outcomes?
8. What are your recommendations for reducing students' reluctance to speak English?

For Students:
1. How do you feel about speaking English in class? What makes you feel comfortable or
uncomfortable?

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2. Can you describe a time when you avoided speaking in class? Why did you feel that way?
3. How do you feel when your teacher corrects your mistakes during class? Does it motivate
or discourage you?
4. Do you find it easier to participate in small group activities or in whole-class discussions?
Why?
5. What do you think teachers can do to make you feel more comfortable speaking English?
6. How do your classmates’ reactions influence your willingness to participate in speaking
activities?
7. Do you feel cultural or social pressures that make you reluctant to speak in front of others?
If so, how?
8. What motivates you to speak English more confidently in class?

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COMPILING A FRIENDLY-USED IPA

FOR THE ENGLISH MAJOR FRESHMEN AT HPU
Dang Thi Hoang An
Haiphong University of Management and Technology

ABSTRACT
Pronunciation is one of the linguistic aspects of learning any languages. In particular, studying
English as a second language by pronouncing the words correctly has been necessary for EFL
learners and played an important role in communication effectiveness. At many schools and
universities, teachers and students have realized the importance of pronunciation in learning English
and considered it as a part of each lesson. To help them to have better their pronunciation, IPA
(International Phonetic Alphabet) has already been known as a tool for learners to show how to
describe the sounds of English words. Using IPA assists learners to pronounce the sound separately
first then get the whole words right the first time, therefore, there might be rarely a
misunderstanding between the listeners and the speakers. At Haiphong University of Management
and Technology, students are required to master IPA to study phonetics and phonology as a
specialized subject. However, not all of them cannot be good at using it due to its special symbols.
This study aims to create a friendly-used IPA for all students, especially for the English major
freshmen, so that they can improve their listening as well as speaking skill in communication.
Key words: EFL, pronunciation, IPA, English major freshmen
1. INTRODUCTION
English stands with four skills, they are speaking and writing as the productive skills and
listening and reading as the receptive skill. Those skills are important to be mastered in learning
English language, and pronunciation has a big role with those four skills. As the proof, students can
listen to the native speakers and understand the message conveyed because of pronunciation, and
they also will have lack of error in writing and reading when they know the pronunciation of each
word, phrase or even sentence. Even, students will speak well in their communication because they
produce understandable pronunciation from what they say. However, it is often neglected and
reluctant to be drill, particularly in the context of education. Many teachers ignore the remedy of
pronunciation and still got fossilized with some wrong sound of words. In previous years and until
today, they usually apply drilling ‘repeat after me’ method to teach pronunciation. They read aloud
the materials and followed by students after. Sometimes, they instruct students to pronounce the
word one by one in which it consumes so much times of learning. This method does not provide
strong evidence to what the teacher pronounce is right, unless it is supported by the use of audio or
video related to the right pronunciation. Consequently, the chance for mispronunciation can still
occur among EFL students.
Therefore, to put the recent study into the context, the focus of this study is to comply a
friendly-used IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) by grouping the sounds into pairs according to
their similar features. It aims to avoid any mispronunciation of EFL students, particularly for the
Freshmen majoring in English at HPU.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Research questions
To fulfill the purpose of the study, the survey was conducted to answer the following research
questions:

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1. How was the experience of English-majored students when they use IPA to check
pronunciation?
2. What are the challenges do the English-majored freshmen while using traditional IPA?
3. What features of a traditional IPA should be upgraded to compile a simplified one?
2.2 Theoretical review
2.2.1. Learning materials
Learning materials or instructional materials are animate or inanimate resources that students
may use in learning to help and meet educational objectives. By using them, students can enhance
the learning experience, can be set up learning opportunities and can be facilitated more
independent, activity-based learning. Studies have shown that the combination of motivated
teachers and well-planned learning which makes good use of available Teaching/Learning
Materials is the key to unlocking good progress.
The use of Teaching/Learning Materials enables a teacher to enhance the learning experience
for their pupils. It is a move away from the ‘chalk and talk’ style of teaching, where the teacher
essentially lectures the pupils.
By using Teaching/Learning Materials, a teacher can set up learning opportunities for the
children. So rather than solely imparting knowledge to their children, the teacher facilitates more
independent, activity-based learning.
* Classification
Leaning materials are either teacher-made, student-made or commercial-made. They can be
classified into different groups
+ Printed resources: textbooks, class reading books, printed dictionaries, worksheets, etc.
+ Audio: cassettes, CDs, podcasts, microphones, etc.
+ Visual: Charts, pictures, real objects, transparencies, e-books
+ Audiovisual: Slides, tapes, video, television, multimedia, DVDs
+ Electronic interactive: Computers, graphing calculators, tablets, smartphones
2.2.2. Needs analysis
2.2.2.1 Definition of need analysis
Needs analysis plays an important role in designing and carrying out any languages.
According to Iwai et al. (1999), need analysis generally refers to the activities that are involved in
collecting information for the basis of developing a curriculum that will meet the needs of a
particular group of students.
2.2.2.2 Goals, objectives and tasks
* Goals:
The goal of a needs analysis is to identify the gap between the knowledge, skills and abilities
of people in an organization and the knowledge, skills and abilities required to meet organizational
goals. It is a tool for defining problems and opportunities related to learning needs.
* Objectives:
The needs analysis aims to identify the training, resources and support people need to improve
individual and organizational performance. It provides direction for developing effective training
programs, learning objectives and instructional strategies that are met to specific needs.

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* Tasks
- Planning and preparation
- Gathering information
- Analysing data
- Reporting
2.2.2.3 Materials development
Materials development is a field of study about the principles and procedures of designing,
implementing and evaluating language teaching materials. It involves the production, evaluation
and adaption of these materials, either by teachers for their own classrooms or by materials writers
for sale or distribution.
The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, pp 66-71
2.3. Pronunciation
Having good pronunciation does not mean students have to speak like a native, at least the
students achieve the minimum requirement of good pronunciation. So, it is important to know that
pronunciation includes supra - segmental feature, they are sound, stress, rhythm and intonation.
Every language has their own great number of sounds. For instance, English has 44 (forty-four)
language sounds and only have 26 (twenty-six) alphabets. Pronunciation is the act or result of
producing the sounds of speech, including articulation, stress, and intonation, often concerning
some standard of correctness or acceptability. A sound is the smallest unit of speech that can be
separated in terms of articulation and hearing, is homogeneous in a certain time, and usually
corresponds to a phoneme”. There are 44 sounds in IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), which
includes 20 vowels and 24 consonants.
* Vowel
Vowel is the sound in the productions of which is produced without the obstruction of the air
stream.
Diphthongs: - A sound consisting of a movement orr a glide from one vowel to another. In
terms of length, diphthong is considered as long vowels, and the first part in a diphthong is longer
than the second. There are two groups of diphthongs

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The eight English diphthongs

Triphthongs: the combination of diphthongs and monothong

Phonetic Examples
/eɪ.ə/ layer
/eɪ.ə/ royal
/aʊə/ tower
/əʊ.ə/ lower
/aɪ.ə/ liar

A consonant is the sound in the production of which one articulator moves towards another
or two articulators come together obstructing the air-stream can`t get out freely.

Classification of NAE consonant phonemes

Manner of Place of articulation
articulation Bilabial Labiodental Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
plosive
voiceless p t k
voiced b d g

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fricative
voiceless f θ s ʃ h
voiced v ð z ʒ
affricative
voiceless
voiced
nasal m n ŋ
voiced
liquid l r
voiced
glide w j
voiced
2.4. Transcription
Transcription is the representation of speech sound by utilizing symbols. It is divided into
two groups: phonemic transcription and phonetic transcription. Phonemic transcription is a way of
transcribing words using symbols. Each symbol represents a phoneme and is called the phonemic
symbol. Phonetic transcription shows more phonetic details, either just by using more specific
symbols or by indicating some allophonic differences by using diacritics.
2.5. Foundation of IPA
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is an alphabet showing the pronunciation of sound
speech by providing unique symbols for each sound, which distinguish one word from another.
The IPA can be used as a way to show pronunciation in a dictionary, to record a language in
linguistic fieldwork, to form the basis of a writing system for a language, or to annotate acoustic
and other displays in the analysis of speech. For all these tasks it is necessary to have a set of
symbols for designating sounds unambiguously.
IPA is well-known as an excellent learning tool for pronunciation. It standardizes the sound of
words by giving them special letters or symbols to avoid the misunderstandings related to
pronouncing mistakes. However, due to its typical symbols, it can be hard for EFL learners to get
approach with them, especially for young learners or even for low-level adult learners.
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. Research and procedure
3.1.1 The objectives of study
The primary objective of this study is to compile a simplified International Phonetic Alphabet
(IPA) tailored specifically for English-majored freshmen, aiming to enhance their understanding of
English pronunciation. By focusing on the most essential phonemes and reducing the complexity of
traditional IPA symbols, the study seeks to make phonetic transcription more accessible and manageable
for beginners. Another key objective is to improve students' listening and speaking skills by providing a
clearer and more intuitive representation of English sounds, which will facilitate their ability to
accurately produce and recognize words. Additionally, the study aims to serve as an effective
educational tool, incorporating practical examples, exercises, and explanations to help students grasp the
phonetic system more easily and apply it confidently in both academic and real-life contexts. Ultimately,
this simplified IPA system aims to support the development of strong foundational skills in English
phonetics for first-year students, promoting their overall language proficiency.

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3.1.2 The aim of study

The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate a user-friendly Interactive Phonetic
Application (IPA) designed specifically for English-majored freshmen. The application will serve as
a practical tool to help students improve their understanding of phonetic symbols, pronunciation,
and listening skills. By integrating engaging, interactive features, the study seeks to assess the
effectiveness of the IPA in enhancing students' phonetic awareness, pronunciation accuracy, and
overall language proficiency, providing a supportive learning experience tailored to their academic
needs.
3.1.3 Type of study
This research will be conducted by questionnaire and interview of English - majored students
at Haiphong University of Management and Technology. It aims to help EFL students master the
phonetic symbols of IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) by utilizing a friendly-used IPA material
and to avoid them from mispronunciation in the form of words and sentences. The Cambridge
dictionry will be used a tool to transcribe these symbols in order to produce the same pronunciation
styles.
3.1.4 Research Setting and Participants
This study was conducted with the participation of 50 students at Haiphong University of
Management and Technology. They were all English majors. Their English proficiency varied.
Some students were very inefficient with English because they didn’t pay attention to learning hard.
Whereas, some students were good at grammatical aspect but not good at pronunciation. In mixed
method design, firstly, IPA material is given students to let them read and do the following
exercises. Then the researcher uses interview, and experimental research design by giving pre-test
and post-test to obtain data from EFL students. The researcher will give EFL students pre-test and
post-test dealing with the use of phonetic transcription to pronounce the sounds and the words
correctly.
3.1.5 Research Procedure
In doing the research, the researcher needs five meetings to gain the data. In first meeting, the
researcher will observe the class condition prior giving student pre-test. While in the second
meeting, the researcher gives students IPA learning material about common phonetic symbols and
some exercises in the form of reading words and a short English text loudly. The third meeting is
the chance for researcher to do drill teaching practice on phonetic transcription by using a friendly-
used IPA and a Cambridge dictionary. In the fourth meeting, students will repeat the pre-test words
and short text. In the final meeting, students will be given a post-test by reading a short phonetic
text and converting it into English text with letters.
3.1.6 Criteria for Developing a friendly-used IPA
* Simplicity and Intuitive Navigation
The criteria of simplicity and intuitive navigation can ensure accessibility and ease of use. A
clear interface is essential, featuring a clean, uncluttered layout with straightforward icons and
concise text that guide the students effortlessly through the system. The design should minimize the
number of steps required to perform actions such as listening to phonetic symbols or practicing
pronunciation, ensuring that learners can quickly access the tools they need without unnecessary
complexity. Furthermore, guided navigation is crucial; the system should offer clear instructions
and simple menus to assist students in understanding how to navigate the app or tool without
confusion. By adhering to these principles, the system becomes not only functional but also
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accessible to beginners, empowering them to engage with phonetic learning more effectively and
with greater confidence.
* Clear Phonetic Representation
A fundamental criterion for developing a user-friendly IPA system is clear phonetic
representation, which ensures that learners can accurately understand and produce sounds. Firstly,
the application should provide high-quality audio recordings of native speakers, offering precise
and authentic pronunciations that serve as reliable models for users. In conjunction with accurate
audio, visual phonetic symbols (IPA) must be displayed clearly and legibly, accompanied by simple,
intuitive explanations of the sounds each symbol represents. This visual clarity helps learners
associate the written symbols with their corresponding sounds more effectively. Additionally,
contextual examples are essential, as they provide words that incorporate the specific phonetic
symbols, allowing students to connect theoretical knowledge with practical application. By
integrating these elements, the IPA system supports a comprehensive learning experience, bridging
the gap between sound production and phonetic theory.
* Engagement with Learning Styles
Engagement with diverse learning styles is a crucial consideration in the development of a
user-friendly IPA system, ensuring that the system caters to a broad range of learners. To support
both auditory and visual learners, the system should integrate a combination of audio, video, and
textual content, allowing students to engage with the material in different ways. Repetition and
review are also key elements, as the system should enable users to revisit and practice challenging
phonetic sounds and symbols at their own pace, reinforcing their understanding and mastery of the
material. Additionally, contextual learning should be emphasized by incorporating practical
scenarios and real-life conversations where learners can directly apply their knowledge of phonetic
symbols. This approach not only enhances comprehension but also promotes the transfer of
phonetic skills from theory to everyday use, making the learning experience both dynamic and
relevant.
3.1.7. Design draft
A. Define Objectives and Audience
1. Objectives
The objective of designing a draft for a simplified IPA system is to facilitate the teaching of
phonetic transcription by making the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) more accessible and
manageable for students. The purpose is to simplify the IPA, focusing on the most essential
phonemes, and to present a series of targeted exercises that help students practice transcription. The
expected learning outcomes for students include the ability to understand and recognize phonetic
symbols and accurately transcribe sounds, enhancing their phonetic awareness and transcription
skills. The target audience for this system is linguistics students at HPU, specifically first-year
English majors who are beginning their studies in phonetics. By focusing on this group, the draft
aims to provide an effective learning tool that supports foundational phonetic knowledge and
prepares students for more advanced linguistic studies.
2. Plan the Structure
* Outline
- Table of Contents:
+ Introduction to Sound

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+ Overview of IPA Symbols

+ Vowels (monophthong, diphthong), Consonants
+ Phonetic Transcription Practice
+ Applications in Listening and Speaking exercises
+ Summary
- Scope and Sequence: Organize content logically, starting from foundational concepts and
moving to more complex topics.
* Components
The components of the IPA learning resource are designed to provide a comprehensive and
structured approach to phonetic transcription. The Introduction section will offer an overview of
the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), explaining its significance in phonetics as a universal
tool for representing speech sounds. It will highlight the role of IPA in improving pronunciation,
understanding sound patterns, and its relevance in linguistic studies. The content will be divided
into Chapters/Units, with each chapter focusing on a specific sound or group of sounds in the IPA.
These sounds will be categorized into pairs or small groups based on their similar articulatory
features, such as place of articulation or manner of articulation, to facilitate easier learning and
comparison. Lastly, Exercises and Activities will be integrated throughout the resource, providing
students with practical opportunities to practice transcription and symbol recognition. These
exercises will help reinforce the material, allowing learners to test their understanding and build
proficiency in applying IPA symbols to real-world linguistic scenarios. By organizing the content in
this way, the resource aims to make learning IPA more systematic and engaging for students.
3. Develop Content
* Content Creation
Content creation for the IPA learning resource will prioritize clarity and accessibility, ensuring
that students can easily understand and apply phonetic principles. IPA Symbols will be clearly
presented, with each symbol accompanied by its pronunciation and examples of words or sounds
that demonstrate its use in context. This will allow learners to associate each symbol with its
corresponding sound more effectively. In addition, Phonetic Transcription will be thoroughly
explained, with step-by-step guidance on how to transcribe different sounds and words using IPA.
Detailed examples will help students grasp the nuances of transcription, addressing common
challenges and variations in speech. To further enhance understanding, Illustrations and Charts
will be incorporated, including diagrams of the vocal tract that show how different sounds are
produced and charts of IPA symbols that group them by articulatory features. These visual aids will
provide an essential reference for students, helping them connect theoretical knowledge with
practical application. Through these content components, the resource will offer a comprehensive
and engaging learning experience that fosters both understanding and mastery of IPA.
* Pedagogical Elements
The pedagogical elements of the IPA learning resource are designed to support active learning
and ensure students can apply their knowledge effectively. Practice Exercises will be included
throughout the resource, providing opportunities for students to practice transcription, identify IPA
symbols, and analyze phonetic data in real-world contexts. These exercises will be carefully
structured to progressively challenge students, reinforcing their understanding of phonetic
principles. To aid in self-assessment, Answer Keys will be provided for each exercise, offering

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solutions to transcription tasks and symbol identification, along with detailed explanations to clarify
common mistakes and deepen comprehension. Additionally, Audio Resources will play a critical
role in supporting pronunciation practice, with carefully curated audio files that model the correct
pronunciation of sounds and words, allowing students to listen and compare their own production.
By integrating these pedagogical elements, the resource will foster a comprehensive, interactive
learning environment that promotes mastery of IPA and * Usability
- Navigation: Clear headings, subheadings, and an index.
- Consistency: Maintain a consistent style for formatting, terminology, and symbols
throughout the book.
4. Incorporate Supplementary Materials
- Glossary: Include a glossary of phonetic terms and IPA symbols.
- Additional Resources: Provide links or references to online resources, audio recordings, or
additional reading.
Video: IPA - Rachel´s English
Links: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9BkrMCNEjRvaPNCY5w5LeEZto7FD0Xn4
- Appendixes: Ann Baker. (2006). 2nd Edition. Tree or Three?
Ann Baker. (2006).3rd Edition. Ship or Sheep?
3.2. Data collection
3.2.1 Surveys and questionaires
A mixed research approach was adopted to help carry out this study. The quantitative method
supported the researcher to collect quantitative data and justify the problem via the research
findings from the data collected. The research instrument which was used to serve this purpose was
a survey questionnaire which helped the researcher realize the process of the students’ language
learning. There were 12 statements in the questionnaire. Statements 1-10 were to ask for the
participants’ responses about how they think about IPA for learning pronunciation. Statements 11-15
were used to seek the participants’ opinions about which difficulty of using IPA and how essential
of IPA for learners. Responses obtained from the participants were coded in Yes or No. The
qualitative research method enabled researchers to obtain insights into the difficulties the students
might have while using traditional IPA and what they need for a simlified IPA. To collect qualitative
data, the researcher made use of a semi-structured interview which consists of 2 open-ended
questions. The first question is to find out if the students could improve their cognitive and
linguistic ability and how (if they could). The second question is to find out what were the biggest
challenges and why. The last question is about how the students handled the problems they
encountered.
Questions Yes No
1/ Before using IPA for pronunciation practice, were you familiar 20 30
with IPA?
2/ Do you feel comfortable using IPA to transcribe English sounds? 15 35
3/ Do you find helpful while using IPA in improving your 17 33
pronunciation of English words?
4/ Do you think using IPA helps you better understand the 27 23
differences between similar sounds in English?

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5/ Do you find IPA symbols easy to remember and associate with 11 39

sounds?
6/ Do you find engaging while using IPA exercises (e.g., 35 15
transcription, listening, etc.) for learning pronunciation?
7/ Do you often use IPA to check your pronunciation outside of 30 20
class or assignments?
8/ Do you think the use of audio or visual aids would help you 42 8
better understand IPA symbols and sounds?
9/ Do you feel that practicing IPA transcription helps improve your 40 10
listening skills in English?
10/ Are you satisfied with using traditional IPA as a tool for 15 35
improving your pronunciation?
Follow-up questions:
1/ Which difficulties do you have while using IPA to check the pronunciation?
Many students encounter significant challenges when using the International Phonetic
Alphabet (IPA) for pronunciation practice. A notable 70% of students find the complexity of the IPA
symbols overwhelming, which can create barriers to effective learning. Additionally, an impressive
88% struggle to recognize the sounds associated with these symbols, making it difficult to apply
their understanding in practice. The lack of illustrative examples is also a concern for 85% of
students, as it leaves them uncertain about how to use IPA effectively. Furthermore, 75% of learners
point out that the absence of intonation guidance in the IPA can hinder their ability to achieve
natural-sounding speech.
2/ What features or changes would you suggest to make using IPA easier or more effective for
learning pronunciation?
These students need more integrating interactive visuals that show the articulation of sounds,
such as animations of mouth movements or tongue positioning, could help students better
understand how to produce each sound. In addition, high-quality, contextually varied audio
recordings of native speakers demonstrating each phonetic symbol should be provided to allow
them to hear correct pronunciation in different accents or settings. Due to the complexity of IPA
symbols, it is necessary to reduce the number of symbols to focus on the most essential and
commonly used sounds in English might make the learning process less overwhelming for
beginners or group similar symbols together or color-coding them based on articulation (e.g.,
vowels vs. consonants) could help them grasp concepts more easily. All the participants are
approved with extra exercises attached to each theoretical unit to practice more. A simplified IPA
material should be given not just individual words but also sentences that incorporate challenging
sounds would help them understand how these sounds function in natural speech.
4. FINDINGS
These above difficulties underscore the need for supplementary resources and clearer
explanations to support students in utilizing IPA more effectively for pronunciation improvement.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide a friendly-used IPA for English-major students at HPU, so that
it enables for them to learn and check the sounds easily.
Here is an example of a simplified IPA:

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Unit 2: /ɪ/ or /i:/?

1/ Target sound

/i:/ - ee
A l-o-n-g vowel
Open your mouth just a little for the sound /i:/
Spread your lips into a smile
Push your toung forward in your mouth.

/ɪ/ - ih
A short vowel
Open your mouth a little more for /ɪ/
Do not spread your lips into a smile
Pull your tounge down a little.
2/ Word pairs
/i:/ /ɪ/
sheep ship
bean bin
peel pill
meal mill
heel hill
3/ When I use the sounds?
/i:/

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/ɪ/

4/ Practice
Ex 1: Listen and read the following words.
she dish split rubbish believe police symbol
bit tea leaf trick manage building key

Ex 2: Listen and read the sentences aloud.

a. Look out for that sheep.
Look out for that ship.
b. Stop it leaking!
Stop it licking!
c. What lovely cheeks.
What lovely chicks.
d. This peel’s got vitamin C in it.
This pill`s got vitamin C in it.
e. Throw out that bean.
Throw out that bin.
f. He´s going to leave.
He`s going to live.

Ex3: Look at the pairs of sentences. Listen and tick the sentences you hear.

Ex4: /ɪ/ or /i:/?

a. since g. she
b. clean h. having
c. feet i. police
d. this j.women
e. sit k. become
f. these l. east

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Ex5:

Ex6: Guess the following words

a. /splɪt/ f. /ɪnˈdid/
b. /dɪʃ/ g. /miːn/
c. /hɪm/ h. /bɪˈliːv/
d. /ˈsɪli/ i. /ˈkriː.pi/
e. /pliz/ j. /kiː/
Ex 7: Guess the following sentences
a. /hi: si:mz tu: mi: tu: bi: mi:n/
b. /ɪt wɑːz ə ˈsɪli saɪt
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5. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, a simplified International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) serves as a crucial tool for
enhancing communication and understanding across diverse languages. By distilling the
complexities of phonetic transcription into a more accessible format, it allows learners, educators,
and linguists to effectively convey pronunciation nuances without overwhelming detail. This
simplification fosters greater engagement with language study, promotes inclusivity in language
learning, and ultimately supports clearer communication in multilingual contexts. As global
interaction continues to rise, the importance of a user-friendly IPA cannot be overstated; it
empowers individuals to bridge linguistic gaps and appreciate the rich tapestry of human speech.

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THE IMPACT OF CLASSROOM-BASED NON-LESSON ENGLISH INTERACTIONS ON

STUDENTS’ LANGUAGE SKILLS
Nguyen Thi Hoa
Haiphong University of Management and Technology

ABSTRACT
Fluency in English is crucial for learners to communicate effectively in real-life situations.
However, students at HPU often experience anxiety and hesitation when speaking English both
inside and outside the classroom. This frequently leads to poor performance in speaking
assessments and difficulties in real-world interactions. In response to this challenge, this study seeks
to help HPU students enhance their informal English interactions in daily situations. The primary
aim of this research is to explore methods for creating communicative opportunities within the
classroom and to assess their influence on students' language skills. To address this, the study
compares students’ communicative abilities at the beginning and the end of the semester. The
research employs a mixed-methods approach, including classroom observations, teacher interviews,
and student surveys, with 100 first-year ICT students, all of whom are beginner or false-beginner
English learners. The findings reveal several effective situations where teachers and students can
engage in English during class, from greetings to casual conversations, even using break times for
informal social exchanges. As a result, students' interactive abilities improved significantly. Their
reluctance, shyness, and fear of speaking English decreased, while their confidence and fluency
notably increased by the end of the course. This study focuses on a limited set of communicative
strategies designed to simulate an authentic learning environment. Further research is needed to
explore additional techniques that can motivate students to improve their communication skills.
Key words: CLT, Non-Class Interaction; Teaching English through English (TETE);

1. INTRODUCTION
Teaching English through English (TETE) is not a new pedagogical approach, having been
employed for many years in language instruction. However, not all educators fully utilize or are
aware of the underlying principles of this method. Beyond structured, well-planned lessons, the
creation of social and informal communicative situations is believed to yield significant benefits in
language development. These situations enhance students' motivation and foster a closer
relationship between teachers and learners. While beginners may initially find this approach
challenging, consistent exposure and daily practice ensure that students gradually comprehend and
begin to actively use the target language.
Creating an immersive environment where English is spoken informally throughout the day
allows students to experience a more authentic language-learning atmosphere, akin to learning from
a native speaker. For instance, beginning lessons with greetings such as “Good morning” or “How
are you?”, followed by simple administrative tasks like checking attendance with questions such as
“Who is absent today?” or “Do you know why Long is absent?” contributes to building a positive
learning environment. This approach encourages further communication, serving as a foundational
step for the next stages of instruction.
These simple interactions help bridge the gap between teacher and student, reducing anxiety
and fostering a sense of comfort. As students gradually realize that English enables them to express

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their personal experiences, they become more willing to engage in classroom discussions. Once
students can articulate their thoughts and experiences in English, they become increasingly
motivated to improve their language skills.
For non-major students, whose English proficiency tends to be lower, creating a supportive
and communicative environment from the outset is crucial. Such an environment enhances listening
and speaking skills while simultaneously strengthening the teacher-student relationship. When
students feel comfortable and engaged, they are more likely to make noticeable progress in their
language learning journey.
At Haiphong University of Management and Technology (HPU), the non-English majored
students have low English competence and they are not confident enough to participate in class
activities especially the highly interactive ones. The teachers, therefore, are required to find an
appropriate method to help them actively involved in learning and we have tried numerous
techniques including project based learning, scaffolding, collaborative learning, video recording,
etc. Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses; however, the matter is the
implementation of these activities is mainly in class. This means its effect can be influenced by time
constraints and difficulty in incorporating them in the existing syllabus. Considering this aspect
more seriously, we decided to conduct this study to exploit various ways for teachers to
communicate with their students outside the class hours, then measure how much students’
communications improve at.
This scientific study is expected to contribute to the improvement of English for the non-
major freshmen at HPU. This technique is believed to motivate the students to learn and love
learning English. The study results will be a good reference for all teachers of English with the view
to bettering their teaching.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. Research questions
To fulfil the aims of this study, two research questions need answering.
(1) How teachers create situations to communicate with students (Ss) in English
(2) How these communications improve students’ language skills?
Because of the time limit and the scope of the study, I merely place an emphasis on some
situations regularly happening in the classroom. Further activities outside the classroom need to be
conducted in another research.
1.2. Overview of Non-Class Interactions in Language Learning
Non-lesson interaction is very important in communicative language teaching (CLT). This
term can be understood as informal, natural or casual exchange of information. Also, its impact on
learners of English is highly rewarding. In order to have a complete perception of this term, we
have to explore theories related to communicative language teaching, sociocultural theories of
language learning, and the role of informal learning environments.
1.2.1. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) emerged in the 1960s as a transformative approach
to language education, spurred by significant shifts in linguistic studies and foreign language
teaching methodologies in America, Britain, and Europe. Prior to this, Britain predominantly relied
on Situational Language Teaching (SLT), a traditional approach that had been the cornerstone of
language instruction for many years. However, in the mid-1960s, American linguists, influenced by

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Chomsky’s theories on the language acquisition device and linguistic competence, began to
scrutinize SLT. CLT is characterized as a teaching approach for second or foreign languages that
prioritizes interaction, either as the central method or the ultimate goal of language learning.
Interaction, in this context, involves reciprocal communication between two or more individuals.
This approach focused on developing learners' communicative competence across many countries
(Kaisheng, 2007). According to Canale and Swain (1980), CLT encourages meaningful interaction
that simulates real-life communication rather than concentrating solely on grammar and structural
lessons. Authentic interactions beyond formal classroom settings enhance fluency and
communicative competence by providing learners with opportunities to practice language use in
realistic contexts.
1.2.2. Sociocultural Theory
Vygotsky’s theory highlights the importance of social interaction in learning. In second
language acquisition, informal or non-lesson interactions are seen as valuable because they provide
opportunities for learners to be scaffolded by more knowledgeable others, such as teachers or peers.
Vygotsky, L. (1978).
From these viewpoints, we can refer that these ways of teaching provide golden opportunities
in a less structured setting. It is a key to language acquisition non-lesson interactions, such as
greetings, attendance check or casual conversations, can promote negotiation of meaning and
provide valuable feedback that helps learners process language in real time. David Nunan (1999)
called this is learner-centered language teaching that happens outside of formal lessons. This
method plays an important role in language learning. Also, Etienne Wenger compared non-lesson
activities to community practice where students can engage in meaningful communication outside
of formal lessons as they participate in a community in which language happens through shared
practices and experiences. Thus, we can regard these interactions as social-specific based uses of
English, which are often neglected in formal lessons.
These theories provide a foundation for understanding the value of non-lesson interactions in
language acquisition. Depending on your specific focus, you can delve deeper into how each of
these perspectives informs the role of informal communication in language learning.
1.2.3. Informal Communication in Education
Informal communication refers to the exchange of information that arises naturally from
informal group interactions within an organization, without being formally structured by the
organization itself (Karcıoğlu, Timuroğlu, & Çınar, 2009). It involves casual, spontaneous
exchanges between coworkers, complementing formal communication. This type of interaction
fosters stronger work relationships, encourages open dialogue, facilitates the sharing of insights,
and builds strong interpersonal connections across the organization.
Several common patterns of informal communication have been identified:
1. Single Strand: Information is passed linearly from one individual to another, resembling
a chain. This straightforward approach ensures consistent information relay but is limited to one-on-
one interactions.
2. Probability Chain: Information is shared based on the likelihood of a recipient’s interest.
This pattern optimizes the relevance of information while allowing flexibility in communication.
3. Gossip Chain: Information is transmitted non-linearly, often through rumors or gossip.
While it can lead to the rapid spread of information, it risks distorting the original message.

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4. Cluster Chain: Information circulates within a closely-knit group, such as a team or

department. This fosters effective information-sharing and relationship-building but may lead to
limited perspectives or groupthink (https://www.empuls.io/glossary/informal-communication).
In an educational context, Covitch and Sandra C. S. define informal communication as both
tangible and intangible sources of information. Tangible sources include privately held printed
materials like books, journals, and reprints, which are not governed by institutional policies.
Intangible sources, on the other hand, refer to interactions with individuals through written or verbal
communication (Sandra et al., 1974).
Informal communication is especially valued in schools due to its numerous benefits. It
enhances academic success, promotes the free exchange of ideas, fosters a sense of security and
foresight, strengthens the school culture, and enriches the shared social life of the community
(Himmetoğlu, Ayduğ, & Bayrak, 2020).
In the context of this study, informal communication, whether inside or outside the classroom,
has a significant impact on language learners. It creates more opportunities for speaking,
accelerating the journey toward language proficiency. Casual conversations transform non-native
classrooms into environments that emulate native-like settings, encouraging full immersion in
English.
1.2.4. Impacts of Non-class English on learners
Non-classroom learning can be described using various terms, such as informal education,
non-lesson interactions, or out-of-class activities. In this context, it refers to any language learning
activities conducted outside the classroom, whether for academic purposes or personal enjoyment.
Specifically, out-of-class language learning (OCLL) encompasses activities aimed at acquiring
language skills beyond formal classroom instruction.
Cortina-Pérez and Solano-Tenorio (2013) explored "The Effect of Using Out-of-Class
Contexts on EFL Learners" and observed that OCLL significantly enhanced the communicative
competence of native Spanish-speaking students from Colombia. Similarly, Fuad et al. (2018)
examined "Active Learning for Out-of-Class Activities Using Interactive Mobile Apps." Their
findings revealed that using mobile devices for out-of-class interaction helped students maintain a
stronger focus on course material, facilitated better engagement beyond the classroom, and
ultimately improved learning retention and outcomes.
Chan (2016) investigated the role of "Popular Culture, English Out-of-Class Activities, and
Learner Autonomy Among Highly Proficient Secondary Students in Hong Kong." This study
highlighted how interest-driven, self-initiated OCLL activities enabled students to enhance their
school performance, internalize English learning for personal purposes, and foster learner
autonomy. Chan suggested that these activities not only improved academic achievement but also
nurtured reciprocal growth between out-of-class learning and classroom-based education. Teachers
are encouraged to integrate popular culture and interest-driven out-of-class activities into their
teaching strategies to strengthen the connection between in-class and out-of-class learning
experiences.
Regardless of the terminology, the benefits of this learning approach are well-documented.
Firstly, OCLL encourages collaborative learning by providing opportunities for learners to practice
language skills in real-life contexts with proper guidance. Secondly, it helps learners integrate into
English-speaking social groups, thereby enhancing their fluency and pragmatic competence through
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everyday interactions. Thirdly, these activities expose learners to authentic language use, improving
their communicative skills and fluency. Additionally, engaging in non-lesson interactions
strengthens sociolinguistic and pragmatic competence, allowing learners to apply their language
knowledge across diverse social settings. Finally, these practices serve as meaningful, real-world
communicative tasks, fostering fluency and automaticity in language use.
3. RESEARCH METHODS
3.1. The setting
The study was implemented at a university in the north of Vietnam. It was carried out in 15
weeks or a semester. It targeted a group of 100 first-year students, both male and female, aged 18 to
19. They are ICT students so their English proficiency is not quite good. 75% identified themselves
as false beginners, despite having studied English for over five years in school. Pre-study questions
reveal some information about student English proficiency. There is up to 80% of the students are
false beginners. Although they have learnt English at school but they still fail to communicate in
English, therefore, they need to study again from beginning. There is 20% value themselves at pre-
intermediate level. In terms of frequency to communicate outside of the formal lesson with teachers,
The majority (90%) respond “sometimes” but only in greetings and checking attendance. In
contrast, they “rarely” communicate with other classmates outside the lesson. They usually with to
Vietnamese without the teacher’s supervision.
The English program for ICT students in this university consists of 15 credits, delivered equally
in 3 semesters. Each week, they have about 5-7 periods, or two lessons. The expected output of these
students are B1 (CERF) or level 3 (6-level foreign language competency framework for Vietnam). As
a teacher teaching English for ICT students for more than 10 years, I realized that students could not
achieve the targeted output with the assigned time.
For the teacher interviews, 10 experienced English teachers, each with over 10 years of
teaching experience, were selected as participants.
3.2. Data collection and analysis
The study adopted a mixed-method approach, integrating both qualitative and quantitative
methods. The qualitative component aimed to provide an in-depth understanding of students'
perceptions regarding the use of extracurricular activities to enhance their English proficiency. It
also explored the reasons behind students' positive or negative views of these activities. On the
other hand, the quantitative aspect focused on identifying, measuring, and analyzing various
features through statistical models to explain the observed phenomena.
To gather data, the researcher utilized three key instruments: surveys, interviews, and
classroom observations.
The survey, comprising 15 questions and statements, collected general information about the
students and their perspectives on the impact of extracurricular activities. This tool offered valuable
insights into students' opinions, preferences, and attitudes, allowing the researcher to formulate
recommendations for improvement. A Likert scale was employed to gauge responses, ranging from
"strongly agree" (5) to "strongly disagree" (1). To ensure impartiality, the survey was distributed
during the 10th week of the study by the class monitor. Before full implementation, a pilot test was
conducted with a small group of students to refine the instrument.

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General information
Q1 Types of non-class interactions in English do you engage in.
Q2 Do you believe non-class interactions help improve your
speaking skills?
Q3 Do you believe non-class interactions help improve your
confidence?
Q4 Which skills do you feel are most improved through non-class
interactions?
Specific information
Attitude
Q5 I find non-class activities interesting
Q6 I find non-class activities useful
Q7 I often ignore non-class activities

Motivation
Q8 I cannot spend time joining non-class activities
Q9 I feel more motivated to join in non-class activities
Q10 I have better preparation for official class after non-class
activities
Academic Performance
Q11 I can speak more confidently thanks to non-class activities
Q12 My English vocabulary gets better thanks to non-class activities
Q13 I have more ideas to communicate with peers and teachers
Q14 I can complete homework more effectively
Q15 My test scores increase after the application of non-class
activities

Secondly, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 English teachers at HPU to gain
deeper insights. Four open-ended questions were asked, including:
1. How often do you use non-class activities?
2. What types of non-class activities do you think the most effective?
3. What are the benefits of using non-class activities?
4. What are the challenges of using non-class activities?
5. What are your recommendations to improve non-class activities?
Finally, classroom observations were carried out twice a week during the second semester to
gather real-time data on teaching and learning practices.
The quantitative data was analyzed using Excel formula to evaluate the frequency, the
percentage, and the means of data. The qualitative data was thematically analyzed.

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4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.1. Findings from the survey
The survey first looks into the general opinion of the students about the incorporation of non-
class activities, some key findings were reported.
First, from the bar chart which tells about the types of activities students are often engaged in,
casual greetings and attendance are the most common, with both reaching approximately 100%.
Asking or answering questions about lessons follows closely behind at around 90%. Small talk
occurs slightly less frequently, while interactions through social media are the least common, at
about 60%.
Overall, informal and direct face-to-face interactions, such as greetings and questions about
lessons, dominate the communication landscape. In contrast, digital interactions like social media
are comparatively less utilized. The chart highlights a clear preference for in-person interactions
over virtual ones in non-class settings.

Chart 1. Types of non-class interactions

Turning to the question if non-class interactions help improve students’ speaking skills, the
pie chart illustrates participants' opinions about improving speaking skills. A majority, 72%,
strongly agree that their speaking skills improved, while the remaining 28% agree. This indicates
that all respondents found the program beneficial for enhancing their speaking ability, with most
expressing strong satisfaction.

Chart 2. Non-class and speaking skills

When being requested to provide opinions about their perceptions of how their confidence has
improved. The majority, 70%, agree that their confidence has increased. A further 25% strongly

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agree, indicating a positive overall response. Meanwhile, only 5% remain neutral, suggesting
minimal uncertainty or lack of noticeable change.
This data reveals that the majority of respondents experienced enhanced confidence, with
strong agreement from a significant portion, while neutral opinions are minimal. The chart
highlights the program's effectiveness in boosting confidence for most participants.

Chart 3. Non-class and student confidence

From figure 4, more than 80% of the students agreed that non class activities improved their
speaking and fluency. They also admitted that their listening and vocabulary were better thanks to
these activities. Pronunciation received the smallest percentage of about 50%.

Chart 4: Non-class and English skills

Turning to the second part of the survey which tried to seek for the participants’ perceptions
about the effects of non-class activities on student attitude, motivation and academic performance,
the major findings were as followed:
The survey analyzed responses from 100 participants to 11 questions (Q5 to Q15), each rated
on a scale with a minimum score ranging from 1 to 4 and a maximum score of 5. The mean scores
highlight participants’ attitudes, with values mostly above 3.5, indicating generally positive
responses.
The highest mean score was observed for Q15 (4.15) which is about student perception about
their test score improvement, closely followed by Q13 (4.12) and Q9 (4.11), which were about
whether they could complete their homework effectively and if they had more ideas to
communicate respectively. These results suggest strong agreement among participants and a high

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level of satisfaction regarding these areas. In contrast, Q7 which asked if the participants’ ignored
non-class activities, had the lowest mean score (2.15), indicating a neutral or less favorable stance,
with limited variability (standard deviation of 0.386).
Questions Q5, Q6, Q8, and Q14 received slightly lower mean scores (ranging from 3.75 to
3.80), showing moderate positivity with some variability. The standard deviations for these
questions (ranging from 0.502 to 0.657) suggest a wider spread in opinions compared to the higher-
scoring questions. These statistical results indicate that the participants quite agreed that these types
of activities are useful and interesting.
Overall, the responses show a general trend of positivity, with minimal variability in higher-
scoring questions (e.g., Q9, Q13, and Q15). The lower score for Q7 highlights an area for potential
improvement, while the high scores for Q9 and Q15 reflect consensus and strong engagement.
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std.
Deviation
Q5 100 2 5 4.03 .502
Q6 100 2 5 3.75 .657
Q7 100 2 4 2.15 .386
Q8 100 1 4 3.80 .569
Q9 100 4 5 4.11 .314
Q10 100 3 5 3.94 .343
Q11 100 2 5 4.02 .550
Q12 100 2 5 4.00 .550
Q13 100 3 5 4.12 .356
Q14 100 2 5 3.79 .591
Q15 100 4 5 4.15 .359
Valid N
100
(listwise)
Chart 5. Non-class activities and student specific needs

4.2. Teacher interviews

There are five questions designed to interview ten teachers of English at HPU. The interviews
show that almost all the teachers often use non-class activities (9 teachers) and the most common
and effective ones are casual meetings and using social media. These findings were coincided with
the survey statistical results. The surveyed participants said that they often organized some meeting
times outside class to meet and talk with students, increasing the mutual understanding, bettering
the student-teacher relationship, and improving their confidence.
When being questioned about the benefits of using non-class activities, almost all of the
teachers said they find these activities useful. Teacher 1 and 5 said the activities helped to clear the
obstacles caused by lack of confidence and the cold relationship between students and their peers
and between teachers and students. Teacher 3, 4, and 8 agreed that these activities did improve their
student confidence, making them talk more and talk further in class. 8 teachers stated that the
student performance enhanced after a semester promoting non-class activities. In terms of
developing language competence and confidence from informal exchange and social talk, all
teachers highly appreciate these benefits in enhancing speaking, listening, vocabulary and

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pronunciation for students. The teachers acknowledged the positive effects on non-class activities
in promoting their student confidence and interest (10 teachers).
However, these participants also agreed that there were some challenges of using non-class
activities in an EFL class. The most obvious one is the way to organize these activities and to
control them. Teacher 2 said he did not have time to talk much with students outside class so these
activities were almost unmanageable. Teacher 10 agreed with this opinion, adding that their
pedagogical duties were so hard that she could not spare time. When being asked about challenges,
the teachers said students found it hard to communicate dues to their grammar and vocabulary and
thus they could make themselves understood. Furthermore, the fear and low motivation of some
students also hindered the interactions of the whole class.
One more hindrance of this incorporation is the attitude of the students. Some were not quite
willing (teacher 2), showed ignorance (teacher 6), did not show much interest (teacher 8), and often
missed these events (teacher 10).
Talking about recommendations to improve non-class activities, teachers suggested to
encourage Informal Group Discussions (teacher 2, 3, and 6) and they advised to organize casual
English-speaking clubs or discussion groups where students could engage in informal conversations
as this would help build confidence and fluency by creating a stress-free environment for practicing
the language. Teacher 1 and 2 supported to Promote Use of English in Daily Communication
because it can help to motivate students to use English in everyday interactions with peers, teachers,
and even family members. This practice reinforces learning and helps students internalize the
language. Another point is the integration of Digital Tools. For example, teachers should encourage
students to create and share videos, podcasts, or blogs in English about topics they enjoy. These
activities combine creativity with language practice, enhancing fluency and vocabulary. Another
choice is to have Cultural Immersion Activities by arranging cultural exchange programs,
international pen pal initiatives, or events like English movie nights and role-play sessions (teacher
1, 3, 4, 6). These activities could expose students to real-life contexts of language use, boosting
comprehension and interest. Peer-to-Peer Learning should be supported because pair students would
be more confident speakers and this could promote peer learning and builds relationships while
enhancing language skills (teacher 8 and 7). Finally, all teachers admitted to have Field Trips and
Practical Tasks. They said field trips motivated students to use English to navigate, ask questions, or
complete tasks (e.g., visiting museums, markets, or cultural centers). This hands-on practice could
make learning engaging and practical.
4.3. Classroom observation
The classroom observation was conducted twice a week throughout the 15-week semester to
track students' progress. A comparison was then made between their performance at the beginning
and the end of the semester to assess the extent of their development.
Before the intervention After the intervention
Only good students understand Almost all students can understand
Students respond slowly Students respond quickly
A lot of students feel shy to speak informal Almost every student feel confident and
English relaxed to speak informal English
The teacher asks, the students answer The students can make questions
The teacher has to use body language The teacher just uses oral speech

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Sometimes the teacher has to repeat the The teacher speaks only once
sentence
Some students misunderstand All students understand properly
The teacher sometimes has to switch to The teacher speak 100% of English
mother tongue
Only a few students enjoy the teacher’s All students have a habit of listening and
speaking English speaking English
The teacher get on well with all the students
The relationship between the students and the
teacher is not close.
The students ’fluency and vocabulary are The students’ fluency and vocabulary
poor. notably improve.
Chart 6: Student performance before and after the semester
The intervention brought about significant positive changes in students' performance and
attitudes in the classroom.
Understanding and Response: Before the intervention, only high-performing students were
able to understand the teacher, and students were generally slow to respond. After the intervention,
nearly all students demonstrated comprehension, responding quickly and confidently during
lessons.
Speaking Skills: Initially, many students felt shy about speaking informal English, but
following the intervention, they became confident and relaxed in using informal language. While
previously, the teacher had to ask questions and students merely answered, the intervention enabled
students to independently pose questions, reflecting increased engagement and initiative.
Teacher Communication: Before the intervention, the teacher often relied on body language
and had to repeat sentences to ensure understanding. Post-intervention, oral speech alone sufficed,
with students comprehending instructions accurately on the first attempt. The teacher also no longer
needed to switch to the mother tongue, as English became the sole medium of instruction, and all
students developed a habit of listening to and speaking in English.
Fluency, Vocabulary, and Relationships: Students’ fluency and vocabulary, initially poor,
showed notable improvement. Furthermore, the relationship between the teacher and students
transformed from distant to close, fostering a supportive and collaborative classroom environment.
Overall, the intervention significantly enhanced both the academic and interpersonal aspects
of the learning experience.
The observations show some findings about the difference between students who frequently
engage in non-class interactions and those who don’t.
Students who frequently engage in non-class Students who don’t frequently engage
interactions in non-class interactions
Attend class regularly Miss some lessons during the term
Are more interested in English learning Less interested in lessons
Try to express in English Often speak in Vietnamese
Confident, speak with loud voice Unconfident, speak quietly

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Respond quickly Respond slowly, keep silent

Become fluent in English Speak slowly with difficulty
Get higher score at the test Get Lower score at the test
Chart 7: Indicators of Students frequently/non-frequently engaged in non-class interactions
Class Attendance: Students who regularly participate in non-class interactions demonstrate
consistent class attendance, whereas those who do not tend to miss lessons during the term.
Interest in English Learning: Frequent participants show a heightened interest in learning
English, often actively trying to express themselves in the language. In contrast, students who do
not engage as much exhibit less interest in lessons and often resort to speaking in Vietnamese.
Confidence and Communication Style: Students involved in non-class interactions display
greater confidence, speaking in loud and clear voices, while less engaged students are often
unconfident, speaking quietly or hesitantly. The latter group also tends to remain silent during
discussions.
Responsiveness and Fluency: Those who engage frequently respond quickly to questions
and discussions, gradually becoming fluent in English. On the other hand, students with minimal
interaction respond slowly, struggle with speaking, and find it difficult to express themselves
fluently.
Test Scores: Students who actively participate in non-class interactions achieve higher test
scores, reflecting their improved language skills, while those who do not engage as much tend to
score lower.
Overall, frequent engagement in non-class interactions fosters better academic performance,
language fluency, and confidence in English learning.
5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
The study was conducted to examine the effects of using non-class activities on ICT students
in a university in Vietnam. It looked into how student performance got improvement and what their
attitudes were about the incorporation of these activities. The findings showed that students
performed better after the intervention. Their outcomes were enhanced and their confidence was
improved. In other words, non-class interactions have significant contributions to enhance students'
language competence and confidence. There are considerable differences between classes where
this technique is applied with those mother tongue is mostly used and lesson-based classes.
Therefore, teachers of English had better to take every opportunity to create situations so that
students can listen and speak English informally and naturally both inside and outside the class
hours. This work requires a number of steps from planning lesson plans to organizing teaching
hours into different stages to combine official teaching with informal teaching namely social
exchanges, casual small talks, games, and story-telling. Because of time limitations, this study
cannot go deeper into cultural and sociolinguistic aspect that result from non-class interactions. This
is believed to be further investigated in other upcoming research.
Following are recommendations for the better use of non-class interaction activities based on
the findings:
 Establish English Conversation Clubs
Create informal, student-led conversation groups where participants can discuss various topics
in English. Regular sessions can include themes like current events, hobbies, or cultural traditions,
allowing students to practice speaking in a relaxed, supportive setting while building fluency and
confidence.
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 Introduce Project-Based Learning Tasks

Assign collaborative projects such as creating short films, conducting surveys, or planning
events in English. These projects encourage teamwork and communication while fostering
creativity and practical language use outside the classroom.
 Encourage Peer Tutoring Programs
Pair more proficient students with those needing improvement to work together on speaking
and listening activities. This approach promotes mutual learning, builds relationships, and provides
personalized support in non-class environments.
 Organize Real-World Interaction Opportunities
Arrange activities that require students to use English in authentic contexts, such as
conducting interviews with native speakers, visiting tourist spots, or role-playing scenarios like
shopping or dining. These immersive experiences help students connect language skills to real-life
applications.
 Leverage Digital Platforms
Use apps, online forums, or social media platforms where students can communicate in
English, join global communities, or participate in virtual language exchange programs. Digital
tools offer flexibility and a wide audience, making non-class interactions more accessible and
engaging.
REFERENCES
Canale, M. (1980). Theoretical Bases of Communicative Approaches to Second Language Teaching
and Testing. Applied Linguistics, 1 (1980) p.1
Fuad, M., Akbar, M., &Zubov, L., (2018). Active Learning for Out-of-class Activities by Using
Interactive Mobile Apps. arXiv preprint arXiv:1805.00439.
Himmetoğlu, B., Ayduğ, D., & Bayrak, C. (2020). School administrators' opinions on rumor and
gossip network as an informal communication type in schools. Cukurova University Faculty
of Education Journal, 49(1), 45-72.
Hymes, D.H. (1972). On Communicative Competence. Penguin Krashen, S.D.(1982). Principles
and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Heinemann
Long, M. H. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. C.
Ritchie, & T. K. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 413-468). New
York: Academic Press.
Nunan, D. (1999). Second Language Teaching & Learning.
Sandra, et.al, (1974). Informal Communication in an Academic Community. Paper presented at the
Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science (Atlanta, Georgia, October
1974). Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED097914.pdf.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes.
Cambridge
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity.
Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education 6(2):185-194. DOI:10.1023/A:1023947624004

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ENHANCING VOCABULARY ACQUISITION FOR ENGLISH MAJORS AT HPU

THROUGH CONTEXTUALIZED LEARNING
Nguyen Thi Phuong Thu
Haiphong University of Management and Technology

ABSTRACT
The report examines the impact of contextualized learning on vocabulary acquisition among
English majors at Haiphong University of Management and Technology (HPU), with the
participation of 50 English majors. Recognizing the limitations of traditional vocabulary instruction,
the study investigates how integrating vocabulary within meaningful contexts—such as literary
quotes, real-world situations, and subject-specific materials—affects students' ability to retain and
use vocabulary effectively. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the research combines quantitative
analysis of vocabulary retention rates and qualitative feedback from participants. The targeted
vocabulary will be put in various contextual exercises, enabling students to encounter and utilize
new words in practical settings. The study is intended to find out whether this approach enhances
both the retention and practical application of vocabulary compared to conventional learning
methods. Two research instruments namely survey questionnaire and tests were used. The collected
results indicate that students exposed to contextualized learning exercises acquire vocabulary better,
demonstrating increased retention and more effective usage of English terms in both written and
oral communication. Additionally, feedback from participants highlights their greater engagement
and motivation, emphasizing the effectiveness of contextualized approaches in learning a foreign
language. The report concludes that contextualized learning significantly improves vocabulary
acquisition for English majors at HPU. At the end of the report, practical exercises and strategies for
implementing contextualized vocabulary practice are provided as references for the students so that
they can improve their language proficiency and academic performance.
Key words: Vocabulary acquisition, vocabulary retention, contextualized learning,

1. INTRODUCTION
Contextualized learning is a highly effective approach to promoting vocabulary acquisition
for EFL learners as it enables students to associate new words with meaningful contexts, fostering
deeper understanding and retention. Unlike rote memorization, contextualized learning situates
vocabulary within real-life scenarios or thematic frameworks, making it relevant and practical for
learners. According to Nation (2001), vocabulary knowledge is more effectively built when learners
encounter words in diverse and meaningful contexts, which aids comprehension and reinforces
usage. For instance, incorporating new vocabulary into stories, dialogues, or real-world tasks allows
learners to see how words function in communication, enhancing their ability to use them correctly.
Additionally, contextualized learning aligns with the principles of constructivism, where students
actively construct knowledge based on their experiences (Vygotsky, 1978). This approach also
addresses the need for multiple exposures to vocabulary in varied contexts, as recommended by
Schmitt (2008), which strengthens recall and application. Furthermore, contextualized learning
fosters learner engagement by making lessons more dynamic and relatable, reducing the monotony
often associated with vocabulary drills. By integrating words into practical tasks such as role-plays,
projects, or discussions, learners not only acquire vocabulary but also develop confidence and

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communicative competence. Thus, contextualized learning proves to be an indispensable strategy in

vocabulary instruction for EFL learners.
At Haiphong University of Management and Technology where I have been teaching for more
than 15 years, students agreed that they faced several challenges in learning English vocabulary. A
primary difficulty was the lack of sufficient exposure to English outside the classroom. Many of
them have limited opportunities to practice due to a predominantly non-English-speaking
environment, hindering retention and usage. Additionally, rote memorization, a common approach
in traditional education systems, often results in shallow learning, where students struggle to recall
or apply vocabulary in real-life contexts. Another challenge they admitted was the complexity of
English vocabulary, including polysemy (words with multiple meanings), collocations, and
idiomatic expressions, which were difficult for learners to grasp without contextual practice.
Moreover, students said they lacked motivation or find vocabulary learning tedious, particularly
when materials were not engaging or relevant to their interests and goals. These difficulties
underscored the need for innovative teaching strategies to support vocabulary acquisition
effectively.
Based on the preliminary findings, I decided to conduct this study to examine how
contextualized learning could help the students to improve their vocabulary learning.
By situating vocabulary within authentic, relatable contexts, we hypothesized that students
would experience improved retention, engagement, and application of new words.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Research Questions
The study will address the following research questions:
What contextualized vocabulary learning activities do English majors at HPU currently
prefer?
What are the benefits and challenges do students encounter when contextualized learning is
applied?
How do students perceive the effectiveness of contextualized learning activities?
2.2. Vocabulary and Vocabulary Retention in EFL classes
2.2.1. Definitions of vocabulary
Definitions of vocabulary in EFL classes may vary depending on the perspectives that
scholars view it. According to Nation (2001), "Vocabulary refers to the set of words within a
language that a learner needs to know to effectively communicate, including their meanings, forms,
and appropriate uses in various contexts. Retention occurs when learners can recall and use these
words independently over time" (ibid, p. 24). He highlighted the role of contextual understanding
and repetition in ensuring vocabulary retention. Thornbury (2002) shared this viewpoint, defining
vocabulary as “all the words a person knows or learns in a language, and retention depends on the
frequency of exposure, depth of processing, and the learner’s ability to actively retrieve these words
in meaningful contexts" (ibid, p. 32). Emphasizing the effects of active integration into daily
language, Laufer (1997) proposes that "vocabulary is the knowledge of words and their meanings,
forms, and usage. Long-term retention of vocabulary is facilitated by deep processing, regular
review, and the integration of new words into the learner’s active lexicon" (ibid, p. 22).
Different as it is, the definition of vocabulary in this study is based on Baddeley’s cognitive
approach which refers vocabulary to the “lexical items stored in long-term memory, whose retention

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is influenced by the frequency of exposure, rehearsal, and the connections formed between words
and their semantic networks" (Baddeley, 1990, p. 109).
2.2.2. Vocabulary Retention in EFL classes
According to Schmitt (2010), vocabulary retention in EFL contexts refers to the ability of
learners to store and recall acquired vocabulary over a sustained period, ensuring its integration into
long-term memory for practical use in communication and comprehension tasks. Sharing this
opinion, Nation (2013) defines vocabulary retention as the process through which EFL learners
maintain learned lexical items through repeated exposure, contextualized practice, and active
retrieval, enabling consistent and meaningful usage in various linguistic situations.
Gass and Selinker (1994) emphasized the importance of input processing in vocabulary
retention. Their research concluded that learners who engage deeply with contextual clues during
reading or listening activities retain words more effectively. A study by Teng (2022) highlights the
role of contextualized learning, suggesting that repeated exposure to vocabulary within meaningful
contexts enhances retention. Observing learner engagement with captions during video-based
lessons demonstrated improved retention rates.
These studies collectively underscore the value of embedding vocabulary instruction within
interactive and meaningful contexts through contextualized learning approaches. They highlight the
importance of repeated exposure, active engagement, and learner-centered strategies for fostering
long-term retention in EFL contexts.
In this paper, vocabulary retention is known as the ability to keep the vocabulary in long term
memory and to use them effectively.
2.3. Contextualized learning in EFL settings
2.3.1. Definition of contextualized learning
Ausubel (1986) defines contextualized learning as the process of presenting new information
in a way that connects to the learner's existing knowledge, enabling meaningful learning through
authentic, real-world contexts (ibid, p. 41). His perspective emphasizes the critical role of prior
knowledge in fostering effective learning experiences.
According to Piaget (1970) highlights that learning is built through interaction with the
environment, allowing learners to develop understanding by engaging in tasks situated within real-
life scenarios and therefore he defines contextualized learning as "Learning is constructed through
interaction with the environment, where learners develop understanding by engaging with tasks
embedded in real-world scenarios" (ibid, p. 67). This constructivist view underscores the
importance of active engagement and situational relevance in the learning process.
Lev Vygotsky asserts that learning occurs within specific social and cultural contexts, with
collaboration and contextual relevance playing a crucial role in cognitive development (Vygotsky,
1978, p. 86). His theory emphasizes the social nature of learning and its reliance on real-world
experiences.
Gagne and Merrill thought of contextualized instruction as a method of presenting learners
with practical, real-world problems and scenarios that require them to apply knowledge
meaningfully and as for them “"Contextualized instruction involves presenting learners with real-
world problems and scenarios that require the application of knowledge in meaningful ways,
bridging the gap between theory and practice" (Gagne & Merrill, 1990, p. 24). This approach
highlights the value of problem-solving in realistic settings.

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According to Brown, Collins, and Duguid, knowledge is best understood and retained when
acquired within the context in which it will be used. They emphasize embedding learning in
authentic activities and environments to enhance practical application and understanding (Brown,
Collins, & Duguid, 1989, p. 34).
Together, these definitions emphasize the importance of connecting learning to authentic
contexts, fostering greater engagement, deeper understanding, and practical application of
knowledge. Within this research, contextualized learning is the learning process which involves the
real life experiences.
2.3.2. Contextualized learning in EFL settings
Contextualized learning has emerged as a prominent approach in English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) instruction, garnering significant attention for its effectiveness in enhancing
language acquisition. By embedding language learning within meaningful, real-world contexts, this
approach fosters better comprehension, retention, and practical application of linguistic knowledge.
However, the extent of its popularity and the factors influencing its adoption in EFL settings have
been subjects of considerable debate.
Many researchers advocate for contextualized learning as an effective instructional strategy,
emphasizing its ability to align language education with learners' real-life experiences and needs.
Nation (2001) argues that vocabulary acquisition is optimized when words are learned in context, as
this enables learners to understand meaning, usage, and collocations simultaneously. Similarly,
Richards and Renandya (2002) highlight that contextualized instruction enhances learner
engagement by making lessons more relatable, dynamic, and enjoyable. These authors contend that
such a learner-centered approach not only strengthens language competence but also nurtures
learner autonomy, a key factor in successful language acquisition.
In contrast, critics of contextualized learning point out practical challenges that limit its
universal applicability. Garton and Graves (2014) note that contextualized teaching requires
significant preparation time, as educators must design materials tailored to the learners’
backgrounds and interests. Moreover, this approach may not suit all educational environments,
particularly those with rigid curricula or limited resources. In these contexts, traditional methods
such as rote memorization or textbook-driven instruction remain prevalent, as they are perceived to
be more efficient in achieving short-term educational goals.
Empirical evidence underscores the effectiveness of contextualized learning in EFL settings.
A study by Brown (1998) revealed that students exposed to vocabulary in real-life contexts
demonstrated higher retention and practical usage compared to those taught using decontextualized
methods. These findings align with the constructivist theory, which emphasizes learning through
interaction and experience (Vygotsky, 1978). However, the study also highlighted variability in
outcomes based on individual learner differences, such as motivation, cognitive abilities, and prior
knowledge.
Interestingly, regional studies provide insights into the popularity of contextualized learning
in specific EFL contexts. For instance, Nguyen and Hoang (2015) report that Vietnamese university
students respond positively to contextualized instruction, particularly when lessons incorporate
cultural and situational relevance. They argue that this approach not only enhances language skills
but also bridges cultural gaps, which is crucial in a globalized world. Conversely, a study in Japan
by Sato (2017) suggests that while contextualized learning is well-received, its implementation
often faces resistance due to traditional expectations of language education, which prioritize
grammar and translation exercises.

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In summary, contextualized learning enjoys widespread recognition for its potential to

transform EFL instruction into a more engaging and effective process. Supporters emphasize its
alignment with real-world communication and constructivist principles, while critics highlight its
practical challenges and variability in implementation. Despite differing opinions, the growing body
of research and positive learner outcomes suggest that contextualized learning is an increasingly
popular and valuable approach in EFL education. However, further studies are needed to address its
limitations and explore ways to adapt it to diverse educational contexts effectively.
2.3.3. Contextualized learning and vocabulary retention
The positive effects of contextualized learning on education and English language teaching
and learning are undeniable; however, in this section, we would like to review some positive and
negative impacts on contextualized learning on English vocabulary retention.
On the one hand, contextualized learning enhances vocabulary retention by embedding new
words in meaningful scenarios. For example, learners who used extended-context activities, such as
stories rather than single-sentence contexts, demonstrated better long-term retention and usage of
idioms and vocabulary (Valizadeh & Ahangari, 2016) The second benefit of contextualized learning
is its ability to promote active engagement and learning motivation. As this approach can make use
of multimedia integration such as using videos and films, it could engage the students more than the
traditional method and increase motivation and comprehension (Syarifudin & Wahyu, 2013).
Another strength is the authenticity of the vocabulary learnt. As contextualized learning is closely
associated with the real life situations, students can learn a lot from the vocabulary provided in
specific contexts, and thereby better their performance.
However, this approach also discloses some downsides. First, contextualized learning tends to
demand greater mental effort, which can be taxing for some learners, especially if they lack
sufficient prior knowledge. Studies suggest that high cognitive demands might hinder learners'
attentional engagement in certain contexts. Secondly, though learning materials attained via this
technique are authentic, students need to be aware of the limited effectiveness in specific contexts
because if contextual clues are minimal or poorly designed, their benefits diminish and learners may
struggle to fully understand and apply the vocabulary in practical situations (Folse, 2006).
Moreover, some students may focus on rote memorization of native language equivalents rather
than utilizing contextualized strategies for deeper understanding, and accordingly this behavior may
hinder their ability to use vocabulary in real-life contexts (Baleghizadeh & Ashoori, 2010)
To make a better use of contextualized learning in teaching vocabulary, the researcher would
like to focus on some specific activities as follows:
Story-based Learning:
Learners read or listen to stories where target vocabulary is embedded in meaningful contexts.
Students are required to provide feedback and reflections on the stories they read in class. This
helps with retention and comprehension by associating words with narratives. Valizadeh and
Ahangari (2016) found that learners exposed to idioms through extended stories retained them
better compared to single-sentence contexts.
Role-playing and Simulations:
Students act out real-life situations such as shopping, asking for directions where target
vocabulary is naturally required. Each week, students are divided into groups, and receive the
assigned roles from teachers. They video-record their simulations in real life or in an fabricated
situation. This activity encourages practical language use, boosting fluency and confidence. Role-

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playing also offers learners opportunities to negotiate meanings, a key strategy for vocabulary
acquisition (Folse, 2006).
Games and Problem-solving Activities:
Context-based language games, such as crosswords, scavenger hunts, or escape rooms,
encourage learners to deduce meanings and apply vocabulary in context. These activities are
completed out of class and teachers would take control of students’ completion online. These
activities are particularly effective for vocabulary retention due to their interactive and motivational
nature (Ciftci & Uster, 2009).
Listening to Songs or Dialogues:
Students engage with dialogues or songs containing target words in real-life contexts. They
are requested to prepare some songs in advance, listen to them, and report them to the whole class
in vocabulary learning lessons. Music and conversational materials provide natural exposure to
language structures and idiomatic expressions, fostering incidental vocabulary learning (Ansarin &
Bayazidi, 2016).
3. RESEARCH METHODS
3.1. Settings
The study will involve a sampled population of 50 English majors from Haiphong University
of Management and Technology. They are second year students so their English proficiency is
assessed to be at pre-intermediate level. Each semester, they have from 12-14 credits of English.
The students come from 2 different classes so their English teachers are not the same. For English
majored students, vocabulary is not taught separately but integrated in the four English skills. In this
study, the teacher, or the researcher, is in charge of reading lessons; she, therefore, can integrate
vocabulary learning in the reading lessons more easily.
As each class has a different teacher who teaches reading, the implementation of this research
had been approved by the Faculty and received the agreement and the involvement of both targeted
teachers.
The book for reading lessons is Reading Explorers 2, which consists of 12 different units.
However, in this semester, only 10 units were selected for learning and were covered in a 15-week
semester. The incorporation of contextualized learning into the existing syllabus is as follows:
Week Unit Contextualized activity
1 On the menu Role Playing and Simulations
2 Animals and language Games and Problem-Solving
3 History detectives Story-based Learning
4 Great destinations Games and Problem-Solving
5 Storms Story-based Learning
6 Reef Encounters Story-based Learning
7 Sweet scents Songs
8 Great Explorers Songs
9 Traditions and Rituals Role Playing and Simulations
10 Global warmings Games and Problem-Solving

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This is a mixed-method study which employed both the quantitative and qualitative
approaches. The quantitative supports the researcher to gain a better understanding of the effects of
using contextualized learning on student vocabulary retention. It enables the researchers to justify
their research problems via the analysis of quantitative data. The qualitative sheds light on student
perceptions of using contextualized learning in their vocabulary classes, strengthening the research
findings garnered from the quantitative research methods.
This research will be designed by applying the principles of Classroom Action Research
which can be done to collect information about the teaching and learning process and to collect data
concerning the effectiveness of a pedagogical application on students. According to Borg, through
action research, new practices are introduced and evaluated (ibid, p.394). Similarly, Wallace (2001)
considered action research the process of systematic collection and analysis of data in order to make
changes and improvement or solve problems.
Nunan (1992a), Cohen & Manion (1994), and Kemmis and McTaggart cited in Burns (2010)
all proposed that action research is a dynamic process which teachers could use to solve a specific
problem occurring in their classrooms.
3.2. Data collection and analysis
A descriptive analysis involves the use of tests, a survey, and a semi-structured interview,
which supported the researchers to work out how contextualized learning may affect student
vocabulary retention in EFL classes. The first instruments, tests, are used to examine how the scores
of student vocabulary use changed over the study. Two tests will be administered with the first
called pre-test being delivered in week 1 of the study, expecting to get an evaluation on student
vocabulary knowledge prior to the intervention. The second post-test is taken by the students in
week 10 after the intervention. Both of these two tests are designed with two main sections. The
first is to examine students’ ability to remember the words and the second section is to evaluate
students’ use of vocabulary in communication. To secure the validity and reliability of the tests, the
items selected for the tests will be based on the test banks provided for teachers who used Tieng
Anh 10 published by the Education Publishing House, Vietnam.
The second research instrument is a survey questionnaire which enabled the researchers to tap
into student perceptions of the application of contextualized learning in their EFL classes.
According to Nunan (1989), “by the use of questionnaires, every part of the teaching and learning
process can be examined. Through the study of these questionnaires, teachers also find an
opportunity to learn about the instructional techniques they use in their classroom.” In this study,
the questionnaire is used to collect quantitative data to help the researchers examine students’
attitudes towards the use of contextualized learning in boosting student vocabulary retention. The
survey consists of 13 items. The first two questions were used to ask for student opinions of the
preferred contextualised activities and the general effectiveness of this approach. The remaining 11
statements were used to evaluate student perception of the effects of contextualized activities in use.
The items were rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly
agree) with values 1-5 assigned to them respectively.
Part 1
Question 1 What are your preferred CL activities? Number Percentage
Question 2 How effective are CL activities used in class?
A-Very effective
B-Effective
C-Not effective

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Part 2 1 2 3 4 5
Question 3 Contextualized learning gets me more engaged in
learning
Question 4 Contextualized learning improves my confidence in
communication
Question 5 Contextualized learning helps me to interact more
with my peers
Question 6 Contextualized learning increases the time I spent on
learning English
Question 7 Contextualized learning makes me aware of the
importance of learning vocabulary
Question 8 Contextualized learning allows me to practice more.
Question 9 Contextualized learning enriches my vocabulary use
Question Contextualized learning improves my test
10 performance
Question Contextualized learning is time consuming
11
Question Contextualized learning is difficult to fulfil
12
Question Teachers require too much about Contextualized
13 learning
4. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
4.1. Findings from tests
The analysis of pre-test and post-test shows the following results: The mean difference of -
1.3800 indicates that post-test scores were, on average, 1.38 points lower than pre-test scores. The
confidence interval does not include zero, providing evidence of a statistically significant
difference. The t-value of -11.263 and the highly significant p-value (p < 0.001) further confirm that
this difference is unlikely to have occurred by chance.
The results suggest that the intervention led to a significant reduction in scores from pre-test
to post-test. This supports the hypothesis that the intervention had a measurable impact on the
outcome. The tight confidence interval and the low standard error indicate the reliability of these
findings.
The paired sample t-test demonstrated a statistically significant difference between pre-test
and post-test scores. These findings suggest that the intervention was effective in influencing the
outcome. Further analysis could explore the practical implications of this change and its potential
for application in similar contexts.
Paired Samples Statistics
Mean N Std. Deviation Std. Error
Mean
Pre-test 5.660 50 1.7567 .2484
Pair 1
Post test 7.040 50 1.6439 .2325

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Paired Samples Correlations

N Correlation Sig.
Pre-test & Post
Pair 1 50 .872 .000
test

Paired Samples Test

Paired Differences t df Sig. (2-
tailed)
Mean Std. Std. 95% Confidence
Deviatio Error Interval of the
n Mean Difference
Lower Upper
Pre-test -
Pair 1 -1.3800 .8664 .1225 -1.6262 -1.1338 -11.263 49 .000
Post test
Looking more closely at the test results, we also realise some notable points. Students with
lower proficiency got higher achievements. They increased from 1 to 2 points after the intervention.
The higher their proficiency was, the smaller the advancement. Another surprising finding is
students with lowest level of proficiency got almost no change in their test scores after the
intervention.
Table 1. Pre-test and post-test results
Pre-test Post test
Student 1 6 6
Student 2 6 7
Student 3 6 8
Student 4 5 7
Student 5 8 8.5
Student 6 9 9
Student 7 4 6
Student 8 6 7
Student 9 8 8.5
Student 10 9 9.5
Student 11 4 7
Student 12 4 5
Student 13 5 7
Student 14 5.5 6.5
Student 15 8 8.5
Student 16 7 8

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Student 17 6 7
Student 18 5 8
Student 19 7 9
Student 20 5 6
Student 21 3 4
Student 22 4 4
Student 23 3 5
Student 24 6 7
Student 25 4 7
Student 26 3 4
Student 27 3 3
Student 28 5 7
Student 29 5.5 7
Student 30 5.5 7
Student 31 8 9
Student 32 9 9
Student 33 8 10
Student 34 8 9
Student 35 7 9
Student 36 6 7
Student 37 7 8
Student 38 6 8
Student 39 5 7
Student 40 6 8
Student 41 4 6
Student 42 4 5
Student 43 4 4
Student 44 5 7
Student 45 4.5 6
Student 46 5 7
Student 47 3 5
Student 48 4 7
Student 49 5 8
Student 50 9 9.5

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4.2. Findings from the survey

Survey Question 1: Student Preferences for Vocabulary Learning Methods
Table 2. Preferences for Vocabulary Learning Methods

Activity Number Percentage

Songs 45 90
Story-based Learning 30 60
Games and Problem-Solving 48 96
Role Playing and Simulations 39 78
Table 1 reveals that Games and Problem-Solving stand out as the most favored activity, with
48 students (96%) expressing a strong preference. The popularity of these activities can be
attributed to their interactive nature, which promotes collaboration and enhances real-world
problem-solving skills. Following closely, Songs were chosen by 45 students (90%), demonstrating
their effectiveness in fostering an enjoyable and memorable learning experience. Songs are
particularly beneficial for improving pronunciation, rhythm, and contextual vocabulary usage. Role
Playing and Simulations were favored by 39 students (78%), suggesting that students value
opportunities to practice language in authentic, conversational scenarios. These activities help build
confidence and practical communication skills. Meanwhile, Story-Based Learning was selected by
30 students (60%). Although still widely appreciated, this method ranks lower, likely because it
requires more effort in creative thinking and narrative construction.
Overall, the data emphasizes a clear preference among students for activities that blend
engagement with practical application, such as games, songs, and role-playing. These findings
underscore the need to integrate a variety of contextualized learning approaches to address diverse
learner preferences effectively.
Survey Question 2: Effectiveness of Contextualized Learning
Table 3. Effectiveness Rating of Contextualized Learning

Effectiveness Number Percentage

Very effective 28 14
Effective 20 10
Not effective at all 2 1
The data reveals significant support for the use of contextualized learning in enhancing
vocabulary retention among students. Out of the total responses, 28 students (14%) reported finding
the method very effective, highlighting substantial improvements in their ability to recall and use
vocabulary. Additionally, 20 students (10%) deemed it effective, further confirming the positive
influence of this approach on their learning outcomes. Only 2 students (1%) considered it not
effective at all, indicating a minimal rate of dissatisfaction or ineffectiveness.
These results suggest that contextualized learning effectively facilitates vocabulary retention
by engaging learners in meaningful, real-world scenarios that promote deeper cognitive
connections. The overwhelmingly positive responses, with 24% finding it effective or very
effective, validate the integration of this method in EFL teaching practices. The data underscores the

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need to focus on creating authentic and interactive contexts to bolster long-term vocabulary
retention.
Survey question 3-13: Student perception of contextualized learning activities
Contextualized Learning N Minimum Maximum Mean Std.
Deviation
Q3: gets me more engaged in
50 3 5 4.22 .545
learning
Q4: improves my confidence in
50 2 5 3.72 .784
communication
Q5: helps me to interact more with
50 2 5 3.92 .634
my peers
Q6: increases the time I spent on
50 2 4 3.74 .600
learning English
Q7: makes me aware of the
50 4 5 4.20 .404
importance of learning vocabulary
Q8: allows me to practice more. 50 3 5 3.98 .428
Q9: enriches my vocabulary use 50 3 5 4.20 .535
Q10: improves my test performance 50 2 5 4.04 .699
Q11: is time consuming 50 2 4 2.32 .513
Q12: is difficult to fulfil 50 4 5 4.14 .351
Q13: Teachers require too much
50 2 4 2.32 .513
about
Valid N (listwise) 50

This survey indicates that students were engaged in contextualized learning (CL) (M=4.22;
SD= 0.545). A high mean score indicates strong student agreement that contextualized learning
enhances engagement. The consistency of responses (low standard deviation) suggests this is a
widely shared experience. This finding highlights the potential of contextualized methods to
maintain student interest in learning activities
Turning to student Confidence in Communication (Q4), the mean was 3.72 and Std. Deviation was
0.784. The mean score reflects moderate improvement in confidence, but the relatively high
standard deviation shows varied student experiences. This suggests that while contextualized
learning benefits many students, individualized support may be needed to ensure confidence-
building is universal.
Also from the survey, students admitted that CL increased peer interactions (M=3.92;
SD=0.634). The results indicate that contextualized learning moderately facilitates peer interaction.
Given the relatively consistent responses, it appears that group-based or collaborative learning
activities are effective but could be further refined to maximize interaction opportunities. They also
agreed that they spent more time on learning (M=3.74; SD=0.600). However, the variation in
responses indicates differing levels of commitment, possibly due to external factors such as time
constraints or individual motivation. As regards students’ awareness of vocabulary importance (Q7)
and Vocabulary Enrichment (Q9), they strongly agreed that contextualized learning heightened their

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awareness of vocabulary's importance. This high mean, coupled with a very low standard deviation,
underscores the efficacy of contextualized methods in emphasizing vocabulary relevance. In
addition, the high mean score (4.20) reflects substantial perceived improvement in vocabulary use.
This finding highlights the method's success in fostering vocabulary growth through meaningful,
contextual activities. In terms of the opportunities to practice (Q8), Nearly all students
acknowledged the value of contextualized learning in providing ample practice opportunities, with
responses tightly clustered around the mean (M=3.98). This suggests that integrating practical
application into lessons is a key strength of this approach. The most important point is about test
performance improvement (Q10), the majority of students felt that contextualized learning
improved their test performance (M=4.04). However, the larger variation in responses suggests that
some students may not see immediate benefits, possibly due to differences in learning pace or
assessment types (SD=0.699).
However, when it comes to the difficulties of implementing this approach, students had
different opinions. About time consumption (Q11), low scores for this item indicate students did not
perceive contextualized learning as overly time-consuming (M=2.32). This finding supports its
feasibility as an effective teaching strategy within standard class durations. Another concern is
about the obstacle of incorporating these activities in the normal class, students largely disagreed
that contextualized learning was difficult to fulfil (M=4.14). The consistency of responses
reinforces the practicality of implementing these methods in diverse classroom settings (SD=0.351).
Another point to consider is about the requirement of teacher, the participants students did not feel
overwhelmed by teacher expectations in a contextualized learning environment, supporting its
sustainable integration into curricula (M= 2.32).
Overall, the analysis demonstrates that contextualized learning is highly effective in engaging
students, raising vocabulary awareness, and enriching vocabulary use. While most students
responded positively, areas such as confidence-building and peer interaction could benefit from
targeted improvements.
5. CONCLUSION
The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of contextualized learning in enhancing
vocabulary acquisition among EFL students. It sought to address three key research questions: the
types of contextualized vocabulary learning activities preferred by English majors at HPU, the
benefits and challenges associated with these activities, and students’ perceptions of contextualized
learning. To assess the impact, a pre-test and post-test were administered to measure student
performance before and after the intervention.
The findings revealed that contextualized learning significantly improved students’
vocabulary acquisition by fostering greater engagement and motivation. However, the impact varied
among proficiency levels. Students with average proficiency (scoring between 4 and 6) showed the
most improvement, while those with higher proficiency (scoring 8 or 9) and false beginners
(scoring 2 or 3) experienced comparatively less benefit. In terms of activity preference, students
favoured games and interactive activities, whereas storytelling was less appealing.
Regarding student perceptions, participants recognized the value of contextualized learning
activities, reporting improvements in both learning awareness and academic performance. Contrary
to the researcher’s initial assumptions, students did not find these activities overly time-consuming
or excessively challenging to implement.

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To sum up, these activities were useful and effective for vocabulary learning lessons.
However, they were more appropriate for certain groups of students so the teachers should be well
aware of the ability of their learners.

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FOREIGN LANGUAGE READING ANXIETY OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IELTS

PREPARATION CLASSROOMS
Dang Quoc Dung
Haiphong University of Management and Technology

ABSTRACT
This study investigates levels and sources of foreign reading anxiety among Vietnamese high
school students in IELTS preparation classrooms. The study included 97 students from a private
IELTS training institution. The study utilized a survey research design with the Foreign Language
Reading Anxiety Scale to identify 3 levels of foreign language reading anxiety (high, medium and
low) and the questionnaire developed by Saito et al. (1999) to identify sources of foreign reading
anxiety (personal factors and text features). Findings from the first questionnaire indicated that the
medium level of reading anxiety was perceived by most participants. Findings from the second
questionnaire indicated that regarding text features, unfamiliar vocabulary ranked first among the
sources of anxiety, followed unfamiliar topic, and unfamiliar culture. For personal factors, worry
about reading came in second, while most participants had fear of making errors.
Keywords: anxiety in FL, FL reading anxiety, sources of FL reading anxiety

1. INTRODUCTION
Students’ psychology in foreign language (FL) classrooms and affective factors have been
widely studied. FL anxiety is described as “a distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings,
and behaviors related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language
learning process” (Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope, 1991). Reading is regarded as a potential source of
FL anxiety with a number of studies conducted (Saito et al., 1999; Shi & Liu, 2006). Students can
suffer from FL reading anxiety by any texts, particularly from high-stake examinations, including
the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The high number of test takers
demonstrates the necessity in conducting studies about IELTS test anxiety. The study explores the
sources of students’ FL reading anxiety and anxiety levels in IELTS classrooms. Previous studies
focused on university or English-majored students and their results are not generalized for other
nationalities, including Vietnam. The study attempts to fill this gap.
The study contributes empirical data to the understanding of FL anxiety in relation to reading,
which has not been studied closely (Sellers, 2000; Saito et al., 1999;). The study focuses on high
school students at an intermediate level of English that are mostly ignored, as studies mostly focus
on university undergraduates at high level of English proficiency (etc. Barzegar & Hadidi, 2016; Al-
Shboul, Ahmad, Nordin & Rahman, 2013; Rajab, Zakaria, Rahman, Hosni, Hassani, 2012). Despite
receiving international interest, it has not been widely researched in Vietnam (Nguyen, 2023)
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Anxiety
Anxiety is sensations of stress, anxiety, trepidation, and concern over possible bad outcomes
that could happen (Spielberger, 1983, as cited in Seinfeld et al, 2016). According to Horwitz et al.
(1986), anxiety is the learner's subjective sense of trepidation, fear, or even dread that causes them
to lose concentration, become forgetful, perspire, or have palpitations. The study takes the first
definition as the main focus.
There are two types of FL anxiety, including learner and situational elements. Leaner
elements consist of motivation, age, race, gender, self-confidence, and attitudes (Anwar &
Balcioglu, 2016). Situational elements constitute social relationships, course activities, course

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materials, conduct of educators, and course level (Salehi & Marfet, 2014). These elements reflect
sources of anxiety in this study.
2.2. Foreign language reading anxiety
Reading anxiety is defined as a distinct kind of worry different from the more widespread
forms of FL anxiety connected to oral performance (Horwitz et. al., 1986).
A number of studies have investigated FL reading anxiety among high school students. Aisyah
(2017) studies 33 students from Bandung and discovers that absence of unfamiliar vocabulary range
is the major source of anxiety, followed unfamiliar topic and culture. In a study of 32 Indonesian
students, Muhlis (2017) adds that fear of making errors is the most prominent factor. Ismail (2015)
researches 11 graders from United Arab Emirates and discovers that the main causes are connected
to language issues and techniques, such as a lack of prior knowledge in grammar and vocabulary.
2.3. Sources of foreign language reading anxiety
Ahmad et al. (2013) identifies two major sources of reading anxiety and each source is
divided into specific sub-factor. They are text features (unfamiliar culture, topic and vocabulary)
and personal factors (worry about reading effect and fear of making errors).
2.3.1 Foreign language reading anxiety caused by text features
2.3.1.1. Unfamiliar culture
Comprehension of FL texts requires adequate background knowledge of the target language’s
culture. This is because texts require readers engaging with the author's ideas and with readers’
common understanding of the cultural past contained in the written materials (In Tomasello, 1999;
as cited in confirmed Miyamoto, & Della-Chiesa, 2008). Without familiarity of other languages’
cultures, learners can face difficulty comprehending reading texts, which leads to anxiety (Gonen,
2007; Rajab et al., 2012).
2.3.1.2. Unfamiliar topic
Wallace (2001, as cited in Gonen, 2007) asserts that it is hard for students to read for
enjoyment and to become proficient readers if the subject matter is uninteresting to them. Zhao
(2009) discovers that 44% of respondents strongly agree that they face anxiety when the topic is
unfamiliar. Kuru-Gonen (2009) uses interviews and diaries from learners and identifies 33% of
participants faced anxiety from unfamiliar topic.
2.3.1.3. Unknown vocabulary
Unfamiliar vocabulary can hinder understanding and create challenges, which might result in
anxiety (Rajab et al., 2012). According to William and Dallas (1984, cited in Shariati and Bordbar,
2009), readers find it challenging to understand texts with complex terminology, particularly with
the meanings of colloquial idioms. Kuru-Gonen (2009) discovers that 20% of respondents
suggested unfamiliar vocabulary as anxiety source.
2.3.2. Foreign language reading anxiety caused by personal factors
2.3.2.1. Worry of reading effect
Reading aloud triggers an unconditioned, anxious response (Jalongo & Hirsch, 2010, as
quoted in Ahmat et al., 2013). If students focus on performance when they read a text in front of
classmates, comprehension can be at risk. Using questionnaires from Foreign Language Reading
Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) by Saito et al. (1999), Zhao (2009) asks 125 students two items: (1) "I get
upset when I'm not sure I understand what I am reading in Chinese", and (2) "when reading
Chinese, I often understand the words but still can't quite understand what author is saying". The
respondent rates were 42.8% and 33%.
2.3.2.2. Fear of making errors
Self-confidence is majorly related to language anxiety (Brown, 2007; Gardner, Tremblay, &
Masgoret, 1997). Ahmad et al. (2013) note that anxiety of making a mistake is often caused by a
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lack of self-confidence. Much research studies this aspect (Merc, 2011; Toth, 2011; Celebi, 2009;
William & Andrade, 2008; Yan & Horwitz, 2008).
2.2. Research questions
This study aims to study the following questions:
Q1. What are the levels of FL reading anxiety among FL Vietnamese high school students
when taking the IELTS reading test?
Q2. What are the potential causes of FL reading anxiety among these students?
4. METHODOLOGY
4.1. Participants
Participants were 97 students at an English center in Haiphong city, Vietnam. They range
from pre-intermediate to intermediate level of English proficiency and age from 15 to 18 years old.
Although there are different proficiency levels, they all receive guidance on FL reading by the
researcher. Therefore, the study utilizes the non-probability sampling procedure, particularly the
convenience sampling method.
4.2. Design and Instrumentation
The study was guided by a survey research design and adapted the FLRAS (Foreign
Language Reading Anxiety Scale) developed by Saito et al. (1999) to measure the level of students’
FL reading anxiety. Meanwhile, factors related to foreign reading anxiety are identified using a
translated version of questionnaires developed by Ahmad et al (2013). The FLRAS and the
questionnaire developed by Saito et al. (1999) are a Likert scale type instruments, constituting 20
and 26 question items of a five point Likert scale (ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly
Disagree). Each answer is assigned to a fixed point.
4.3. Procedure
Two questionnaires were distributed through Google Form, since it is user-friendly, and
provides certain degrees of details in data analysis (Callegaro et al., 2015). Then, the results were
analyzed by the descriptive statistic method, which is the process of summarizing the data and
providing the findings in terms of frequencies, percentages, means, and measures of variability like
standard deviation (Johnson, 1992).
5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
5.1. Students’ reading anxiety level
The first questionnaire with 19 items from the FLRAS analyzed participants’ levels of FL
reading anxiety. Levels of anxiety were presented by the score from the items. “Strongly disagree”
represented the score of 1 and “Strongly agree” had the score of 5.

Table 1. Descriptive Statistics for Reading Anxiety for the Total Sample
The score range were from 43 to 87. The participants were divided into three groups of
reading anxiety, including “low level”, “medium level” and “high level”, based on Kuru-Gonen’s
(2009) criteria. The score for “high level” was higher than the mean plus SD, according to Table 1,
which is 67. The score for “low level” is lower than the mean minus SD, which is 54. The “medium
level” was between the range from 54 to 67.

Table 2. Levels of Reading Anxiety

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71.2% participants faced “medium level”, 15.4% participants faced “high level” and 13.4%
participants faced “low level”. Therefore, anxiety was encountered by the majority of participants
and it was consistent with the research by Saito et al. (1999), Sellers (2000). The rate of “medium
level” was significantly higher than the research by Sellers (2000) and Aisyah (2017), which
respectively indicated that 65% and 51,5% of participants fell into this category and was almost
equal to the rate of 69.2% by Wu (2011). The figures for “high level” and “low level” were almost
equal. These comparison shows that the difference in anxiety levels of IELTS learners is similar to
results in other types of reading texts and medium level of anxiety is the most prominent rate of
anxiety. According Wu (2011), regardless of levels of anxiety, teachers should give learners whole
attention to develop comprehension skills.
5.2. Potential factors of students’ reading anxiety
Table 3. The Percentage of the Factors of Foreign Language Reading Anxiety

58% of participants chose unknown vocabulary as the most likely cause, followed by
unfamiliar topic (44.5%) and unfamiliar culture (40.6%). Regarding personal factors, worry about
reading effect (52%) is more likely to cause anxiety than fear of making errors (49.3%).
5.2.1 Unknown Vocabulary
Table 4. The Percentage of Question Items for Unknown Vocabulary

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71.5% of participants agreed and strongly agreed to item 3. This is followed by item 1
(62.2%) and 6 (61.2%). This shows that anxiety mostly stems from encountering one or a number
of surrounding unfamiliar words. Saito et al. (1999) also discovers that writing systems, including
vocabulary, mostly contribute to students’ level of FL reading anxiety. The reason is that high
school students did not have a chance to read academic passages at school (Dung, 2020). Each
IELTS reading test contains 3 academic passages with considerable lengths of around 9 pages with
a great amount of difficult vocabulary. Furthermore, an intensive range of unfamiliar vocabulary
can cause an inability to comprehend passages, which also increases anxiety (Rajab et al., 2012).
Item 4 has the lowest percentage (41.9%). Participants’ main strategy for comprehension is
translation, they can infer the meaning of the whole text through the translations (Lien, 2011).
5.2.2 Unfamiliar topic
Table 5 describes the frequency distribution for 4 items of unfamiliar topic. Question item 10
had the highest percentage of “agree” and “strongly agree” (74.4% in total). For reading topic,
IELTS passages mostly contain academic content, while high school students are more exposed to
less complicated topics.
Table 5. The Percentage of Question Items for Unfamiliar Topic

Therefore, there is a significant negative relation between topic familiarity and students’ text
comprehension. Once the topics become incomprehensible, the context of vocabulary can also
become incomprehensible as well.
Question item 7 ranked second with 64.2%. Kuru-Gonen (2009) asserts that students who
attempt to avoid reading texts have internalized anxiety that hinders their ability to read
comfortably. He also stated that it is hard for students to read for enjoyment if the topic is
uninteresting. If participants understand a proportion of the text, they will not lose curiosity and do
not face anxiety (Faruq, 2019).
5.2.3 Unfamiliar culture
Table 6. The Percentage of Question Items for Unfamilar Culture

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Question item 11 had the highest percentage of “agree” and “strongly agree” (49% in total),
followed by item 12 at 41.9%. According to Rajab et al. (2012), that lack of familiarity with the
culture in the text may cause difficulties with reading comprehension and cause anxiety.
Participants are more familiar with their own native culture rather than the FL culture. Without
knowledge of the FL culture, students are unable to interact with the author’s purpose and the stated
culture of the text (Tomasello, 1999; as cited in Ahmad et al., 2013).
For item 13, 28.5% translated word by word upon reading texts. Students with high level of
anxiety did not skim the text, but instead, paid more attention to individual words and acquire their
specific meanings if the text content and culture became unfamiliar.
5.2.4 Fear of making errors
Table 7. The Percentage of Question Items for Fear of Making Errors

65.4% agreed and strongly agreed to question item 20. 55.1% prepared for phonetic transcript
prior to the class and this is the second highest percentage. The results shows that anxiety from
pronunciation errors exists among participants, even if they have prepared the phonetic transcript
beforehand. According to Horwitz et al. (1986), students with anxiety place unreasonable
expectations on themselves and view any mistakes as a failure, since they are unable to accept
anything less than a flawless performance.
5.2.5 Worry about reading effect
Table 8 describes the frequency distribution for 6 items of worry about reading effect.
Question item 23 and 25 had the highest percentage of “agree” and “strongly agree”, at
65.3%. Meanwhile, 27.2% agreed or strongly agreed to question item 22. Silent reading can support
text comprehension, while reading aloud does not affect comprehension. This is opposite of the
findings by Jalongo and Hirsh (2010), which states that reading aloud negatively affects
comprehension. This difference shows that students may see silent and aloud reading as the same
type of reading. Question item 21 (56.1%) and 24 (51.1%) show that students’ ability to correctly
pronounce words also contribute to their comprehension, hence affect anxiety level. 39.8% agreed
and strongly agreed to question item 26, showing that students with anxiety can forget reading
details. Due to the extensive length of academic IELTS passages, students can have difficulty
memorizing a great proportion of text information. This aligns with research of Zhao (2009), Huang
(2001), and Kuru-Gonen (2005, 2009).

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Table 8. The Percentage of Question Items for Worry about Reading Effect

6. CONCLUSION
For anxiety level, the majority of students faced anxiety at medium level. The results were
consistent with studies indicating that the medium level of anxiety was the most prominent.
Regarding potential factors of FL reading anxiety, there are two main factors divided into
specific sub-types. They include text features and personal factors. For text features, unknown
vocabulary ranked first. For personal factors, worry about reading effect was more prominent than
fear of making errors. This shows that IELTS reading tests mostly cause anxiety due to a wide range
of difficult academic vocabulary and the coverage of difficult cultures and topics for FL learners.

REFERENCES
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(2013). The Potential Sources of Foreign Language Reading Anxiety in a Jordanian EFL
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Aisyah, J. (2017). Students’ Reading Anxiety In English Foreign Language Classroom. Journal of
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Dung, L. Q. (2020). The Interplay Of Reading Anxiety, Reading Strategy Use And Academic
Achievement Of Non-English Majored Students At a University In The North Of Vietnam.
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Faruq, A. Z. A. (2019). Reading Anxiety In English As a Foreign Language For Undergraduate
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Kuru-Gonen, I. (2009). The sources of FL reading anxiety of students in a Turkish EFL context.
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Nguyen, L. B. N., Nguyen, H. P. M., & Tran, T. H. (2023). An Investigation of Reading Anxiety
among Vietnamese English Major Students. ICTE Conference Proceedings, 3, 1-14.
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Sellers, V. D. (2000). Anxiety and reading comprehension in Spanish as a foreign language. Foreign
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Shariati, M., & Bordbar, A. (2009). Interrelation among Foreign Language Reading Anxiety,
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A STUDY ON THE APPLICATION OF VIDEO RECORDINGS IN SPEAKING LESSONS

FOR THE SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT HPU
Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, Nguyen Thi Thu Huong
Haiphong University of Management and Technology

ABSTRACT
Speaking is regarded as a fundamental ability in the curriculum for educating EFL students,
but it is also one of the most difficult jobs for language learners. Speaking is a productive skill that
calls for a variety of intricate components, such as fluency, pronunciation, grammar knowledge,
vocabulary range, and participatory communication. It can demonstrate student speaking
proficiency during the learning process and in subsequent assignments. In actuality, EFL students
struggle in some way to communicate effectively by expressing their ideas clearly in English. This
study investigates how well second-year students at Haiphong University of Management and
Technology (HPU) perform and how much their speaking abilities are improved by employing
video recording. Additionally, it aims to investigate how students view the video recordings they
use to complete speaking assignments. Twenty HPU second-year students were divided into
experimental and control groups at random for the study. The pretest, posttest, and questionnaire
were used to gather the data for analysis. The experimental groups had greater accomplishments,
and as a result of using video recording, according to the difference between the pretest and posttest
scores. The poll participants also expressed favorable opinions about using video recording to
improve their speech communication skills. It is anticipated that the study's findings will offer
recommendations and ideas for speaking instruction at HPU.
Key words: video recordings; speaking lessons; English majors
1. INTRODUCTION
In today’s era of global integration, mastering English for international communication has
become increasingly essential. However, it is never a simple job to achieve fluency in speaking and
improve speaking competence. Among the four language skills, speaking remains particularly
challenging for many Vietnamese students. The problem may not be caused by lack of competence
in communication (Dincer & Yesilyurt, 2017) but by other factors such as lack of vocabulary, poor
or unusual pronunciation, and poor grammar, inappropriate teaching and learning methods,
background knowledge, or psychological obstacles.
At Hai Phong University of Management and Technology (HPU), many English majors face
difficulties actively participating in speaking activities during class. A lack of confidence often
prevents them from sharing their ideas, which can stem from several factors, including limited
background knowledge, weak grammar and vocabulary, or fear of speaking in front of others. To
deal with these challenges, researchers explored various teaching and learning methods by
consulting materials from diverse sources, such as academic articles, journals, and online resources.
Different teaching techniques have also been tried such as role-play, collaborative learning, video
recordings, small group discussion, storytelling and songs, etc. The results showed that
incorporating video recordings into lessons could enhance students’ speaking skills in many
educational settings.
Based on the initial findings, the researchers decided to have an in-depth investigation into the
effects of applying video recording activities in speaking. We expect that the study will be able to

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provide a better insight into the effectiveness of this technique in improving the speaking abilities of
second-year English majors at HPU and therefore can provide some recommendations for the
university administrators, teachers and students about the improvement of pedagogy.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Speaking skills
Linguists and researchers have defined speaking skills in different ways. According to Nunan
(1995), speaking is regarded as “the act of uttering words orally to communicate, make a request, or
give a speech,” while Brown (1994) focused on the interaction between participants to create
meaningful conversations and it consists of three distinctive stages namely production, reception,
and information processing. Sharing this similar viewpoint, Florez (1999) looked at speaking as an
interactive process of constructing meaning that entails the sequential steps of producing, receiving,
and processing information.
Although stressing the function of speaking to generate meaningful utterances, Nunan (2003)
stated that speaking is composed of verbal systematic utterances to express meaning, and Chaney
and Burk (1998) considered it as the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of
verbal and non-verbal symbols.
However different speaking definition may be, it is admitted to be a productive skill, which
comprises some integral properties including grammar, strategy, sociolinguistics, and discourse
(Chastain, 1998), or grammar, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, pronunciation, and tasks
(Brown, 1994).
Aspects of good English speaking skills
There are some properties denoting the good speaking competence of an EFL learner. Brown
(1994) proposes that they are accuracy, intelligibility, fluency, and relevance of content. Ur (1996)
recommended that the characteristics of a successful speaking activity can be students speaking a
lot, regular participation, good motivation, and language at a suitable level.
In this research, we consider ELF students with good English-speaking skills as those who
have:
(1) Good pronunciation: this feature helps to secure clear and intelligible communication
(Derwing & Munro, 2016)
(2) A good command of vocabulary: vocabulary proficiency enables the speakers to express
themselves accurately and effectively. Nation (2001) said a good command of vocabulary allows
learners to convey their ideas and thoughts effectively.
(3) A range of grammar: this property along with vocabulary ensures accurate expressions
of meaning in oral communication (Thompson, 2014).
(4) Coherence and Cohesion: these aspects show how well and relevant ideas are
communicated and related. Bygate (1987) said a good speaker can communicate in a way that
closely relates to the topic, and doing this enhances the overall understanding and effectiveness of
the message he expects to deliver.
(5) Fluency: effective communication sometimes is not only what is accurately said via
vocabulary and grammar. It is also the message that the speaker conveys, therefore fluency is a key
indicator.
(6) Conversational skills include topic development, initiative, and conversation
maintenance. Owning these skills, the speakers are able to keep their conversation going smoothly.

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(7) Socio-linguistic skills refer to the ability to master the knowledge of register, style, and
cultural references. This means the speakers know how to communicate effectively and accurately
in a specific context and cultural background.
2.2. Video Recording
Advancements in technology have made learning to speak English more accessible and
efficient. Alongside the widespread use of English learning apps, video recording has gained
significant attention from linguists as a tool for language acquisition.
Numerous studies have explored the impact of video recording on English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) students, particularly regarding their speaking skills. For instance, a 2023 study by
Sunardi et al., involving 30 Management program students in Indonesia, demonstrated that video
recording positively influenced students' speaking abilities. The participants showed improvements
in fluency, vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar, alongside a positive perception of the
approach. Similarly, a 2022 study by Oya and Haryanto in Japan investigated the effectiveness of
video-recorded speaking tasks. Participants created videos on assigned topics, leading to enhanced
speaking performance and greater focus during lessons.
Although conducted in different contexts, these studies consistently highlight the benefits of
video recording for language learners. Drawing from this research, we implemented this approach
with the aim of improving our students’ speaking abilities. Kondal and Durga Prasad (2020)
emphasized the importance of teacher-guided video creation, where students receive constructive
feedback from peers or instructors to refine their speaking skills. Harmer (2001) also recognized
video recording as a pivotal feature in the future of language teaching.
In conclusion, video recording has proven to positively impact students’ speaking proficiency.
With the increasing availability of technological tools in Vietnam, this method is both accessible
and practical for learners. It is anticipated that this approach will lead to substantial improvements
in students’ speaking abilities.
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. Methods of the study
The research was done using the quantitative method with an experimental design and a
survey with a 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire.
a. Research questions
In order to achieve the research objectives, this study focuses on two research questions as
follows:
(i) What is the effectiveness of applying video recording on EFL speaking skills of HPU
students?
(ii) What are the HPU student’s perceptions of the use of video recording in completing
speaking assignments and its effectiveness in improving their speaking skills?
b. Participants
The participants consist of 20 English majors, evenly divided into a control group and an
experimental group, with 10 students in each. Among them, 90% are female, while 10% are male,
and their ages range from 19 to 20 years old. All participants possess an A2 proficiency level in
English and share a similar educational background, having studied English as a foreign language
for approximately 10 years. None of the students have had the opportunity to study abroad in an
English-speaking country.

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3.2. Instruments
3.2.1. Pretest and posttest
The pre-test and post-test are structured around 10 speaking topics. The pre-test is
administered during the first week of the third semester, while the post-test, following the same
format, is conducted 15 weeks later. The test content corresponds closely to the material covered in
the course book used during the Speaking Module.
To evaluate the impact of digital video recording on EFL learners' speaking performance, the
10 speaking test cards are adapted into a pre-test and post-test format over the 15-week period. Each
speaking exam is divided into three sections: an introduction, a topic presentation, and a question-
and-answer discussion. In the introduction, students provide personal details. In the second section,
they deliver a presentation on the assigned topic from the test card. The final section requires them
to answer questions that are thematically connected to the topic.
As for the rating scale used for the assessment of learners’ oral performances, the study is to
investigate the impact of the digital video recordings on learners’ speaking including grammar,
vocabulary, fluency, pronunciation, and interactive communication.
3.2.2. Questionnaire
A questionnaire was developed to explore students’ perceptions of integrating video recording
activities into speaking lessons and their effectiveness in enhancing speaking skills.
The questionnaire uses a Likert scale with five response options: strongly agree, agree,
neutral, disagree, and strongly disagree. It consists of two sections, designed to gather students'
personal information as well as their attitudes, opinions, and perspectives on the impact of video
recording activities. To ensure clarity and ease of understanding, the questionnaire was translated
into Vietnamese. Additionally, it was distributed using Google Forms to provide convenience for
both the researchers and the participants.
3.3. Procedure
The Speaking Module uses the course book Key Note 3 written by Paul Dummett and other
authors, published by National Geographic Learning in 2016. The course book has 12 units about
familiar topics in life, such as technology, health, transportation, feelings. Each unit consists of
vocabulary, language focus, listening, watching TED talk, speaking, and presentation skill.
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. Comparison of the scores in the pre-test and post-test
The results of the research were obtained through pre-test and post-test as follows
Table 1. The results of pre-test and post-test of control group
No. Name Pre-test Post-test
1 Student 1 5.0 6.5
2 Student 2 4.5 6.0
3 Student 3 7.0 8.0
4 Student 4 5.5 6.5
5 Student 5 6.0 6.5
6 Student 6 6.0 7.0

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7 Student 7 5.0 6.5

8 Student 8 4.5 6.0
9 Student 9 6.0 7.5
10 Student 10 5.0 6.5
Mean 5.5 6.7
As can be seen from the Table 1, which presents the pre-test and post-test scores of 10
students in the control group, as well as the mean scores for both tests. The results reveal an
improvement in the students' performance after the intervention. We can easily realize that Pre-test
scores range from 4.5 to 7.0, with a mean score of 5.5 while Post-test scores were higher, ranging
from 6.0 to 8.0, with a mean score of 6.7. The largest improvement is observed in Student 2 and
Student 8, both increasing their scores by 1.5 points (from 4.5 to 6.0). The smallest improvement is
seen in Student 3, with an increase of 1.0 point (from 7.0 to 8.0). Overall, the mean score increased
by 1.2 points, indicating a positive impact on the students' speaking performance. These results
suggest that the students in the control group made moderate progress over the 15-week period.
Table 2. The results of pre-test and post-test of experimental group
No. Name Pre-test Post-test
1 Student 1 5.0 7.5
2 Student 2 5.5 7.5
3 Student 3 5.0 7.0
4 Student 4 4.0 6.5
5 Student 5 6.0 8.0
6 Student 6 5.5 6.5
7 Student 7 6.5 8.5
8 Student 8 6.0 7.5
9 Student 9 6.5 8.0
10 Student 10 5.5 7.5
Mean 5.6 7.5
Looking at table 2, it is clear that there is a marked difference between the score of pre-test
and post - test in the experimental group. A comparison of the data in two tables highlights
noticeable differences in the performance improvements of the two groups over a 15-week period.
First, the pre-test scores of the two groups were similar (5.5 and 5.6 respectively); however, the post
test scores were much different. In Experimental Group, the pre-test scores range from 4.0 to 6.5,
while the post-test scores range from 6.5 to 8.5. The highest improvement is 2.5 points (e.g.,
Student 1 and Student 2), and the lowest improvement is 1.0 point.
From the statistical findings, we can realize that the experimental group demonstrated a
greater mean improvement (1.9 points) compared to the control group (1.2 points). Students in the
experimental group consistently achieved higher post-test scores, with the highest being 8.5,
compared to 8.0 in the control group. The incorporation of digital video recording appears to have
had a more significant impact on the speaking skills of the experimental group, as indicated by their

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greater progress in scores. Overall, the experimental group outperformed the control group,
suggesting that the intervention of digital video recording was an effective method for enhancing
speaking performance.
Table 3. The gained score of the two groups

Group Variable N Mean

Pre-test 10 5.5
Control group
Post-test 10 6.7
Experimental Pre-test 10 5.6
group Post-test 10 7.5
As shown in Table 3, it is evident that differences between the two groups are significant. The
mean scores of the control group in the pretest and the posttest are 5.5 and 6.7 respectively; the
mean difference is -1.2. For the remaining group, the mean score in the pretest is 5.6 and in the
posttest is 7.5, and -1.9 is the mean difference. Thus, the mean score of the experimental group in
the posttest is a better improved than that of the control group. The result indicates that students can
use video recording well and the treatment have a positive influence on the students’ speaking
performance.
4.2. Students’ perceptions of the application of video recording

I feel confident and relaxed to record my 85

English speaking videos
I am willing to record my English speaking 75
videos
It is motivated and necessary to practice 90
speaking English

It is an exciting learning experience 95

Totally agree Agree Neutral

0 Disagree
20 Totally disagree
40 60 80 100

Figure 4. Student’s perceptions of the utilization of video recording

Students' opinions about using video recording to complete speaking projects are depicted in
Figure 4. According to the research, every student agrees that the treatment is essential to giving
them additional chances to practice speaking English. As a result, following the application, their
speaking proficiency and score considerably increased. 95% of the students concur that they find
the new approach fascinating and enjoyable, and they particularly enjoy making videos of their
English-speaking practice exercises. Five percent of respondents think making films is thrilling and
intriguing, and they enjoy doing it to finish speaking assignments. Since the approach appears
novel, they find it somewhat inspiring and alluring. Since this is a new learning experience, 90% of
the questionnaire participants fully acknowledged that they felt inspired and necessary to create

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videos of themselves speaking English. The data indicates that students have positive attitudes
regarding the use of video recording for speaking tasks, which is a positive indicator. In the
meantime, a sizable portion of the students—85% and 75%, respectively— feel comfortable and
eager to establish an independent learning environment, which makes speaking classes enjoyable,
engaging, and productive. The questionnaire's participants fully acknowledged that they felt
inspired and motivated to create videos of themselves speaking English.
4.3. Students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of video recording
Totally Totally
Agree Neutral Disagree
agree disagree

1. Improve your vocabulary 65% 30% 5% 0% 0%

2. Improve your grammar 70% 30% 0% 0% 0%

3. Improve your pronunciation 75% 15% 10% 0% 0%

4.Improve your fluency 75% 15% 10% 0% 0%

5. Be more active and

90% 10% 0% 0% 0%
autonomous

6. Improve public speaking

75% 15% 5% 0% 0%
skill and presentation skill

7. Develop pair work and team

75% 15% 10% 0% 0%
work skills
Figure 5. Students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of video recording
According to the research, nearly all students concur that participating in video recording
activities improves their speaking abilities. More than 65% of students in perception groups 1, 2, 3,
and 4 completely agree, and the remaining students concur that using video recording exercises
enhanced their language skills in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and fluency, which in turn
increased their motivation to speak English. 75% of the students in groups 5 and 6 fully
acknowledged that video recording exercises significantly increased their confidence in speaking
English. They also concurred that making self-speaking films can help them improve their
presentation and public speaking abilities. Consequently, their acquisition of speaking skills can
stay active and independent for any speaking duties, and they appear to find it easier to master
speaking skills.
Regarding item 7, every student said that the application of video recordings enhanced the
excitement and enjoyment of speaking courses. Since students could work in groups or pairs, 80%
felt more at ease in a learning environment that differed from the other skills. When they watched
and left comments on their colleagues' videos, they felt excited. They affirmed to educators that the
assessment provided them with excellent opportunities to hone their teamwork and pair work
abilities, which will be crucial for their future employment.
In conclusion, using video recording in speaking lessons has the potential to be very
successful and have a positive impact on students' speaking abilities. It did enhance the students'
accuracy as well as their general oral fluency. Additionally, videotaping students' speeches

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supported the students to develop their soft skills, including teamwork, public speaking, and
presentation abilities.
5. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
The study has examined the application of video recordings in speaking lessons for the
second-year English majors at Hai Phong University of Management and Technology. The research
was carried out for 15 weeks, the results of the study are as follows:
The experimental group had a bigger difference between the scores of the two tests in all the
speaking elements such as grammar, vocabulary, fluency, pronunciation, and interactive
communication.
The student’s speaking skills can be improved much by the application of video recordings in
learning speaking English.
The students have positive attitudes of the utilization of video recordings in speaking lessons,
and they admitted that the treatment effectively enhanced their speaking performances.
The list below gives some recommendations to teach more effectively:
Teachers are suggested to divide students into pairs or groups in speaking activities, which
help maintain students’ interest in learning.
It is advisable for teachers to instruct their learners to record speaking videos carefully. They
should be model speakers for students.
It is important that lecturers set the requirements for each specific week. They should provide
the list of speaking topics for students’ presentations in the first week and their requirements
consisting of the number of the group members, time, content, and layout.

REFERENCES
Brown, H. D. (1994). Teaching by Principles-An Interactive Approach to Language
Pedagogy. Prentice-Hall Regents.
Chaney, A. L., & Burk, T. L. (1998). Teaching Oral Communication in Grades K-8.
Allyn & Bacon.
Dang, T. N. A., Nguyen, V. T., & Nga, P. T. (2022). Utilizing Video Recording to Develop EFL
Student’s Speaking Skills. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and
Translation, 5(5), 63-71.
Derwing, M. T. & Munro, J.M. (2015) Pronunciation Fundamentals: Evidence-based Perspectives
for L2 Teaching and Research. John Benjamins. DOI:10.1075/lllt.42
Dincer, A., & Yesilyurt, S. (2017). Motivation to speak english: A self-determination theory
perspective, 53, 1-25. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1153672.pdf
Florez, M. (1999) Improving Adult English Language Learners’ Speaking Skills. National Center
for ESL Literacy Education, 1-4.
Harmer, J. (2001). The practice of English language teaching. Pearson Education Limited.
Heriansyah, H. (2012). Speaking problems faced by the English Department students of
Syiah Kuala University. Lingua Didaktika, 6(1), 37-44.
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Kondal, B. & Durga Prasad, V. (2020). Effectiveness of Video Recording towards Developing

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Speaking Skills. Waffen-und Kostumkunde Journal, XI(IX), 42-47.

Nunan, D. (1995). Language Teaching Methodology: A Textbook for Teachers. Phoenix Ltd.
Ur, P. (1996). A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and Theory. Cambridge University Press.
Weir, C. J. (2008). Understanding and Developing Language Test. Prentice-Hall.
Sunardi, I.A. et.al (2023) Using video recording task to improve English speaking skills of students
at management program. Teaching & learning English in multicultural contexts. 7(1), 1-12.
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Thompson, G. (2014) Introducing Functional Grammar. Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203431474

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APPLYING HOWARD GARDNER'S THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES TO

TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES TO STUDENTS
Do Ngoc Bich, Tran Thi Thanh Tam,
Le Thi Kim Thu, Tran Thi Hai, Duong Thi Hoa
Vietnam National University of Agriculture

ABSTRACT
The article aims to review the theory created by Howard Gardner and its application in
teaching foreign languages to students. Through theoretical research methods, the article has
analyzed the theoretical contents of Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory, the
significance of applying Multiple Intelligences theory in learning and teaching, some characteristics
of students in learning, and from there, proposed several foreign language teaching strategies based
on Multiple Intelligences theory for foreign language instruction for students, including 1) Teaching
strategies based on linguistic intelligence; 2) Teaching strategies based on logic/math intelligence;
3) Teaching strategies based on spatial intelligence; 4) Teaching strategies based on inner wisdom;
5) Teaching strategies based on musical intelligence; 6) Teaching strategies based on natural
intelligence; 7) Teaching strategies based on kinesthetic intelligence; 8) Teaching strategies based
on interpersonal intelligence.
Keywords: Multiple Intelligences, teaching, foreign language, student

1. PROBLEM STATEMENT
Currently, Vietnam is opening its doors to international friends. In addition, the remarkable
development of science and technology has created strong changes in the requirements of human
resources in society. Current occupations require workers not only to have hard professional
knowledge, and perfect soft skills but also to be able to use foreign languages fluently. Hence, the
role of schools in training human resources to meet the needs of society is extremely important.
Therefore, improving the quality of education and strengthening foreign language teaching for
learners in the current period is extremely necessary.
Resolution of the 8th Central Conference, Session XI on fundamental and comprehensive
innovation of education and training affirmed: To overcome the one-way imposition of teaching and
memorization. Teachers need to be proactive, creative, and strongly innovate teaching and learning
methods in a modern direction; promote the positivity, initiative, creativity, and application of
knowledge and skills of learners. Teachers need to encourage the spirit of self-study, proactive
learning, and knowledge discovery, thereby helping learners have the skills to update and renew
knowledge, self-improvement, and develop capacity. Combine classroom learning and many
diverse forms of learning such as participating in social activities, extracurricular activities, and
scientific research. Promote the application of information and communication technology in
teaching and learning.

Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory is one of the prominent research directions
of positive education, which is receiving much attention and application in teaching today. This
theory suggests that each individual possesses 8 types of intelligence: spatial intelligence, logical-
mathematical intelligence, linguistic intelligence, bodily intelligence, musical intelligence,

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communication intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and natural intelligence. However, the

current reality of foreign language teaching mainly focuses on developing linguistic intelligence and
logical-mathematical intelligence, ignoring many other potentials of learners. This limits many
inherent abilities of learners. Therefore, in order to exploit and develop the inherent abilities of
learners to the fullest, teachers need to apply a variety of teaching methods, and exploiting different
types of intelligence to the fullest is extremely necessary. The Multiple Intelligences Theory
provides teachers with solutions to develop many human potentials to not only help learners
develop themselves but also create a learning ecosystem that stimulates interest and creativity.
Therefore, applying the Multiple Intelligences Theory to teaching foreign languages to students is a
breakthrough direction, helping to improve the quality of teaching in general and foreign language
teaching in particular.
2. RESEARCH PURPOSE AND METHOD
2.1. Research purpose
The article focuses on learning about Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences to
propose some foreign language teaching strategies for students.
2.2 . Research method
The article uses theoretical research methods through analyzing the theoretical content of
Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences to propose some foreign language teaching
strategies for students.
3. OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH DOCUMENTS
3.1. General introduction to the Theory of Multiple Intelligences
In 1983, psychologist Howard Gardner of Harvard University announced a breakthrough
discovery after many years of research on human intelligence. That discovery is the theory of
multiple intelligences (MI), affirming that each person's intelligence is not limited to a single model
but is diverse and rich. Accordingly, Gardner identified eight main types of intelligence: spatial,
logical-mathematical, linguistic, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic.
Each of these intelligences involves different brain regions.

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Figure 1. Location of intelligence types on the brain

Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory is a new theory of human intelligence, which
holds that each of us is gifted in all 8 types of intelligence. Each person is different and will have
different types of intelligence that are superiorly developed. (Armstrong, 2011)
Howard Gardner (2012) believes that: Traditional views on intelligence often evaluate people
based on a common pattern through mathematical (logical) ability and language ability. According
to the Multiple Intelligences Theory, Gardner has determined: "Intelligence is the ability to solve
problems or create new products that are valuable in one or more different cultures". In his first
study, Howard Gardner classified human intelligence into 7 types: Spatial intelligence,
mathematical intelligence, linguistic intelligence, musical intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic
intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and social communication intelligence. He added two more
elements to his theory of intelligence in subsequent studies: naturalist intelligence - people who
have the ability to recognize and classify objects in nature, enjoy outdoor activities, and activities in
harmony with nature; and existential intelligence (or existential intelligence) - people who have the
ability to think about social life, human existence.... In the book "Multiple Intelligences in the
Classroom" by Armstrong (2011): Understanding the abilities of learners according to the theory of
Multiple Intelligences of each individual is the basis for educators to innovate and build appropriate
teaching techniques, strategies, and methods to develop the inherent potential of learners.
3.2. Summary of 8 types of intelligence
Armstrong (2011), according to the theory of Multiple Intelligences, each learner has 8 types
of intelligence, but each type of intelligence manifests itself in each individual at different levels.
Therefore, it creates diversity and uniqueness for each learner. The types of intelligence are
generally expressed as follows:
(1) Linguistic intelligence: Ability to effectively use words, either verbally or in writing. For
example: Likes reading, likes wordplay, has a rich vocabulary; Standard pronunciation, rich
vocabulary, ability to tell engaging stories, can persuade others with words, etc.

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(2) Logical - mathematical intelligence: Has the ability to think logically, likes to work with
numbers, has the ability to calculate quickly, is passionate about difficult problems, has analytical
thinking, likes to explore the rules of new problems in natural science, etc.
(3) Spatial intelligence: Is the ability to accurately approach the spatial world through vision:
Has a talent for painting, likes to draw and has the ability to perceive colors and lines; Easily
recognizes and distinguishes image details; Reads maps, charts, diagrams and pictures more easily
than words; ...
(4) Bodily - kinetic intelligence: Is the ability to move flexibly and skillfully in using the body
to express ideas, emotions and certain activities: Loves physical activities, has the ability to
coordinate body parts smoothly, has a talent for handicrafts; Having an active personality, having
difficulty sitting still and always wanting to be active, liking to disassemble and reassemble objects;
...
(5) Musical intelligence: Is the ability to be sensitive, distinguish, transform and express
musical forms: Sensitive to the sound, rhythm, timbre, frequency of a piece of music; Remembering
the melody of songs; Having a passion for music, liking to play musical instruments; having the
habit of listening to music, liking to sing and play musical instruments for relaxation and
entertainment; ...
(6) Communication intelligence: Is the ability to feel and distinguish between emotions,
needs, motives and desires of people in relationships; Sociable, approachable, able to connect and
maintain quality relationships; ...
(7) Intrapersonal intelligence: Is the ability to self-perceive and evaluate oneself, understand
one's strengths, weaknesses and what one wants; able to control behavior and emotions based on
self-awareness. On that basis, self-orient and adjust behavior appropriately to the situation...
(8) Naturalistic intelligence: Is the ability to subtly observe natural phenomena and classify
living species; like outdoor activities, love animals; Curious, like to learn about the laws of nature;
Always interested in preserving and protecting the environment and participating in projects about
nature;….
Each individual possesses a unique brain with many potential abilities and education needs to
create conditions for each person to fully develop their intelligence to the highest possible level.
Intelligences do not exist independently but always interact and complement each other. Therefore,
educational institutions need to create an environment that meets the conditions to stimulate the
development of intelligences and respect, nurture and develop intelligences for learners.
3.3. The role of applying the Theory of Multiple Intelligences in learning and teaching
The birth of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences has created new things for the education
sector in applying flexibly and scientifically to many aspects and activities in schools, from building
strategies and implementing educational goals and programs; Building school ecosystems,
classrooms, classroom management; Testing and evaluating output results, to the perception and
actions of each teacher (Armstrong, 2011).
In addition, one of the indispensable roles of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences is the
impact on improving teaching methods. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences provides teachers
with a new perspective on the intellectual abilities of learners. On that basis, it guides teachers to be
creative, innovative, and create many active, novel, and effective teaching methods. In fact, in the
past, many teachers have applied a variety of active teaching methods to teaching. However, the
new methods were only spontaneous and emotional, and did not fully understand their nature, so
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they could not be applied flexibly and effectively. However, the emergence of the theory of multiple
intelligences has provided teachers with a deeper understanding of the diversity of intelligence,
thereby improving the quality of teaching and better meeting the learning needs of each learner,
creating a positive and effective learning environment.
The importance of traditional teaching methods cannot be completely denied. These methods
also contribute to the development of certain types of intelligence in learners (such as linguistic
intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence). However, the abuse of one-way teaching methods
for a long time has made the learning process passive, limited interaction and failed to fully develop
the intellectual abilities of learners. Traditional teaching methods are mostly one-way lectures. Most
of the time in class, students simply passively absorb knowledge through activities such as listening
to lectures, reading books, writing exercises and memorizing mechanically, answering and
responding to questions and exercises that are already imposed in textbooks or reference materials.
When teachers understand the nature of Multiple Intelligences theory, they will be proactive
in seeking and creating new teaching methods that are suitable for each type of intelligence of the
learner. This not only helps to maximize the potential of each individual but also contributes to
"awakening" the hidden abilities that they have not discovered. Each type of intelligence requires
different teaching methods to be exploited most effectively. For example: Teaching methods
suitable for linguistic intelligence include writing essays, storytelling, writing, poetry, etc., or for
spatial intelligence, there are methods such as mind maps, drawing pictures, drawing graphs, tables,
etc.; Methods that contribute to promoting communication intelligence such as group work, pair
work, presentations, etc. Based on the different types of intelligence, it also helps teachers improve
assessment methods and have a way to perceive and detect diverse learning abilities and tendencies
of learners, avoiding one-way imposition, monotonous teaching methods, and difficulty in
optimizing learners' abilities.
In reality, there is no universal method that can be applied mechanically to all learners,
because each learner has different abilities, qualities, strengths and weaknesses according to the 8
types of intelligence. Therefore, teachers need to choose many different teaching methods, apply
flexible and creative methods to best suit the learners, only then can they "awaken" and maximize
the types of intelligence in learners.
Improving active teaching methods based on the application of Multiple Intelligences theory
can be applied to all educational environments and all levels of education. To promote the
effectiveness of all these methods, in addition to regularly updating and innovating active teaching
methods based on the scientific basis of Multiple Intelligences theory, teachers also need to clearly
understand the characteristics of their learners to maximize the teaching methods.
3.4. Some characteristics of students in studying
The concept of "student" originates from the Latin word "student" which means a person who
works, studies enthusiastically, a person who seeks and exploits knowledge. The age of students is
usually from 18 to 25 years old, this stage marks a stable maturity after the strong changes of
puberty. Students are an important transitional stage, preparing for a future career and starting to
enter the scope of labor activities. (Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, 2010)
Students are individuals who are in the stage of studying, cultivating the knowledge, skills
and qualities necessary to become competent workers in the future. They are being trained and
educated to keep up with the constantly changing trends of the labor market. The core activities in
the formation and development process of university students are learning and creative activities.

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However, compared to lower levels of education, students' learning activities require more in-depth
expertise, students need to practice their scientific research capacity. The ultimate goal is to become
experts with high knowledge, attitude, and capacity, satisfying the country's demand for high-
quality human resources.
Unlike lower levels of education, university students are equipped with professional
knowledge and specialized professional skills to meet the increasingly high demands of the labor
market. The learning process is not only limited to acquiring theoretical knowledge but also
applying knowledge to practice, developing creativity and practicing the necessary qualities for
future careers.
University students' learning activities require a high level of initiative and self-awareness.
Unlike high school, university students must plan, search for documents, and solve learning
problems on their own. This independence is clearly demonstrated in determining learning goals,
choosing appropriate learning methods and self-assessing learning outcomes.
Students' learning activities are also creative. In addition to acquiring knowledge, students'
learning activities combine learning and scientific research to help students develop independent
thinking, problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to the constant changes of society. Students'
creativity is not only a requirement of the times but also a driving force for self-development and
contribution to the community.
Student learning activities are also practical. University students' learning activities are not
only limited to theoretical learning but also require students to apply knowledge into practice.
Students are encouraged to participate in research projects, practical experiences, and internships at
businesses and organizations to develop professional skills and gain practical experience. Thereby,
students not only understand specialized knowledge but also have the ability to solve practical
problems effectively, meeting the needs of the labor market. (Truong Thi Khanh Ha, 2013)
Thus, student learning activities are truly complex intellectual activities, requiring students to
constantly strive, be creative and adapt. Students not only passively receive knowledge but also
have to explore, discover and build new knowledge on their own. Learning activities are extremely
diverse, ranging from theory to practice, helping students fully equip themselves with the necessary
provisions to enter their career path.

Students' motivation to learn is influenced by many factors. In particular, the way the curriculum
is organized and effective teaching methods are key factors to motivate students. In addition, if lecturers
have effective teaching methods, they can create excitement and arouse students' passion for learning.
Applying the theory of multiple intelligences to teaching to innovate active teaching methods will help
nurture and develop the ability to think independently, creatively and apply practically in the
characteristics of learning activities of students.
4. SOME STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES FOR
STUDENTS
According to Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences, each person has their own
strengths and learning preferences. Applying a single teaching method will limit students'
development. Therefore, we have designed a flexible curriculum, combining many different
methods, to create conditions for students to maximize their abilities. Below are some teaching
strategies according to some types of intelligence for students as follows:

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4.1. Teaching strategies based on linguistic intelligence

Teachers can implement methods such as presentations, organizing word guessing games,
using writing sheets, practicing writing, or guiding students to conduct conversations according to
sentence patterns, and effectively integrate them into lesson objectives. Specific examples:
Activity: Group discussion and storytelling
❖ Topic: Teachers/lecturers choose a familiar and interesting topic, such as "Your favorite
trip".
❖ Objective: Develop students' ability to use vocabulary, grammar and expression skills.
❖ Procedure: Teachers/lecturers divide the class into small groups of 3-4 students. Each
student will take turns telling about their favorite trip for about 2-3 minutes. After each storytelling
round, other students in the group will ask questions or share their opinions. At the end of the
discussion, each group will summarize the main ideas and share with the whole class.
❖ Benefits: This activity provides students with the opportunity to practice English in natural
communication situations, while improving their ability to memorize vocabulary and grammar
structures. Through listening, asking questions and answering, students develop their language
skills and increase their confidence in communicating in English. This method not only supports the
development of language skills but also arouses interest and encourages students to actively
participate in the lesson.
4.2. Logical/mathematical teaching strategies
Teachers can apply logic games such as: Word puzzle games for students to find answers, or
puzzles to find hidden letters or words. Teachers can guide students to grasp new knowledge
content through logical questions. Teachers not only detect and correct errors in students' thinking
but also guide them on how to approach new knowledge. Specific examples:
Activity: Analyze and solve problems in English
❖ Topic: Teachers/lecturers can choose a simple problem or real-life situation such as "Plan a
classroom event".
❖ Objective: Develop logical thinking, reasoning ability and analytical skills in using
English.
❖ Procedure: Teachers ask students to plan an event, such as a picnic or a class reunion.
Students will need to calculate costs, the amount of supplies needed, make a schedule, and find
solutions to problems that may arise. Students work in small groups, discuss and record their
options, reasons for their choices, and predict outcomes. Groups present their plans in English and
explain the reasons for each group decision.
❖ Benefits: This activity encourages students to think analytically and solve problems, helps
them expand their vocabulary, and master language structures in a systematic and logical way.
Students practice English in real-life situations, improving their ability to argue and present their
opinions clearly. At the same time, this activity promotes confidence and trains critical thinking as
they present and defend their plans. Through this strategy, students not only improve their English
ability but also develop logical thinking and problem-solving skills in a practical context.

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4.3. Teaching strategies based on spatial intelligence

Before introducing vocabulary or simple sentence structures, teachers can present the lesson
with visual images or diagrams, using a variety of colors to highlight the content and attract
students' attention. At the same time, guide students on how to build images or logical diagrams
related to the lesson, helping them to easily associate and remember knowledge more effectively.
Specific examples:
Activity: Using mind maps and images to learn vocabulary
❖ Topic: Teachers/lecturers choose a specific vocabulary topic, such as "Animals" or "Home
furniture".
❖ Objective: Help students remember and understand vocabulary in a visual way, develop
language skills and the ability to organize information.
❖ Procedure: The teacher prepares a mind map or asks students to draw their own mind map
to organize vocabulary related to the topic. The teacher shows pictures of each vocabulary word (for
example, pictures of animals or furniture) and asks students to match the word with the
corresponding picture. Students can divide into groups and discuss the meaning and usage of each
word in simple sentences. In addition, students can use videos related to the topic, such as clips of
animal habitats, to enhance vocabulary memorization through visual experiences.
❖ Benefits: This activity helps students learn vocabulary through pictures and diagrams,
helping to memorize words more effectively by stimulating imagination. Students can easily
organize and connect vocabulary within a topic, helping to enhance long-term memory skills. This
way of learning encourages creativity and motivates students to actively participate in the lesson.
4.4. Teaching strategies based on intrapersonal intelligence
Students who possess intrapersonal intelligence often have good self-learning and self-
research abilities. Based on this ability, teachers can encourage students to learn the lesson at home,
assign homework, or set aside a specific amount of time for students to think and find answers on
their own. These activities not only help students develop intrapersonal intelligence but also
improve their self-learning skills. Specific examples:
Activity: Writing a diary or reflective essay
❖ Topic: Teachers/lecturers can ask students to write about a personal topic, such as "My
goals in learning English" or "My most memorable experience".
❖ Objective: Help students reflect on personal experiences, develop English writing skills,
and express their thoughts and feelings through language.
❖ Procedure:
o The teacher assigns a diary or essay writing assignment, encouraging students to write about
their feelings, thoughts, and personal goals related to learning English or life.
o Students may be asked to describe their feelings about the learning process, the difficulties
they encountered, and how they faced those challenges.
o After completing the writing, students can choose to share a portion of their writing with the
teacher or the whole class (if they wish), or keep it for themselves to track their progress.
❖ Benefits: Reflective writing activities help students gain a deeper understanding of
themselves and motivate them to learn, helping them to be more engaged in the language learning

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process. Enhance language skills by expressing thoughts, feelings, and personal goals in English.
Encourage the development of critical thinking and self-assessment skills, helping students know
how to build a learning plan that suits their personal needs and desires.
4.5. Teaching Strategies for Musical Intelligence
Students with musical intelligence often learn more effectively through rhythm and sound.
Teachers can transform lesson content into songs or melodies to help students grasp knowledge
more easily and interestingly. Specific examples:
Activity: Learning vocabulary and grammar through songs
❖ Topic: Teachers/lecturers choose an English song that is appropriate for the students' level,
such as a song about the weather, emotions, or verbs describing actions.
❖ Objective: Help students develop vocabulary, improve pronunciation, and practice listening
comprehension skills through music.
❖ Procedure: The teacher/lecturer plays the song for students to listen to once or twice to
familiarize them with the melody and lyrics. Provide the lyrics and explain important vocabulary or
phrases. The teacher can encourage students to sing along, taking notes of prominent words or
grammar structures. Then, students practice pronunciation and understanding the meaning of each
word through the lyrics. The teacher can organize a gap-fill activity in the lyrics to help students
practice vocabulary. Finally, students can discuss the content of the song, express their feelings or
compose additional sentences using the vocabulary learned.
❖ Benefits: Learning through music helps students memorize vocabulary and grammar
structures more easily and permanently because the rhythm and melody support the memorization
process. Enhance listening and pronunciation skills, while creating interest in the lesson for
students. Helps students relax and creates a fun learning environment, suitable for those with
musical intelligence tendencies.
4.6. Teaching strategies based on natural intelligence
For students with a naturalistic orientation, learning will be more effective when the learning
environment is integrated with activities related to nature. Teachers should combine indoor and
outdoor learning to take advantage of the benefits of the natural environment, helping students
explore, ask questions, or carry out projects such as filming outdoor presentations. In addition,
teachers can organize practical activities to help students see the practical application of foreign
languages, thereby creating more interest in learning. For example, teachers can assign students to
collect leaves or flowers, then describe or name them in related lessons. Specific examples:
Activity: Learning vocabulary through observing nature
❖ Topic: Teachers choose vocabulary topics related to nature, such as animals, plants, or
natural phenomena.
❖ Objective: To help students expand their vocabulary related to nature and develop their
observation and description skills in English.
❖ Procedure: The teacher organizes an outdoor lesson, such as in a park or garden, where
students can observe trees, animals, and other natural elements. Students are given a list of
vocabulary related to nature and asked to find and write down the names of the objects they see
(e.g., "tree," "flower," "bird," "insect"). The teacher may ask students to write down additional
detailed descriptions of those natural objects in English, such as their color, shape, size, or special

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features. At the end of the lesson, students can share what they observed and use the vocabulary
they learned to describe nature.
❖ Benefits: Students are exposed to the natural world while learning English, helping them to
memorize vocabulary naturally and in context. Develop observation skills and the ability to describe
in English, helping students expand their vocabulary and practice language in real-life
environments. Create learning excitement for students with natural intellectual inclinations, helping
them connect language with personal interests and nature.
4.7. Teaching strategies based on kinesthetic intelligence
For students with developed kinesthetic intelligence, teachers should integrate learning
activities with movement games, requiring students to use body language to interpret the meaning
of vocabulary or express their thoughts. In addition, teachers can organize role-playing activities in
conversations, helping students develop their language skills while taking advantage of their
movement strengths. Specific examples:
Activity: "Simon Says" game to learn action verb vocabulary
❖ Topic: Teachers choose a vocabulary topic related to action verbs such as jump, run, clap,
sit, stand, etc.
❖ Objective: Help students memorize vocabulary through real-life actions, improve their
understanding and use of action verbs.
❖ Procedure: The teacher stands in front of the class and asks students to perform actions
according to the command "Simon says" (for example: "Simon says jump" - students will jump). If
the teacher says an action without "Simon says" (for example: "Run"), students are not allowed to
perform that action. Anyone who does it wrong will be eliminated from the game. The teacher can
gradually increase the speed and add new verbs to challenge students.
❖ Benefits: Students can memorize vocabulary better through real-life actions and active
participation. Enhance listening comprehension and quick reflexes with English. Create a fun and
exciting learning atmosphere, suitable for students with a tendency towards kinesthetic intelligence.
4.8. Teaching strategies based on communicative intelligence
Teachers should organize group activities for students by applying active teaching methods
such as the puzzle technique or pair/group work. These methods not only encourage cooperation but
also create conditions for students to develop their individual strengths, thereby improving learning
efficiency. Specific examples:
Activity: "Role Play" game
❖ Topic: The teacher chooses real-life communication situations, such as shopping, booking a
hotel room, or ordering food in a restaurant.
❖ Objective: To help students practice English vocabulary, grammar, and communication
skills in real-life contexts.
❖ Procedure: The teacher divides the class into small groups and assigns each group a
specific situation. Each student will play a character in the situation, for example, one student is a
customer, one student is a salesperson. The groups prepare dialogues and act out the situations in
front of the class. After the role-play, the teacher and classmates will comment and discuss how to
use the language in that situation, helping students improve their communication skills.

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❖ Benefits: Students have the opportunity to practice English in real-life contexts, promoting
language reflexes and confidence in communication. Develop listening, speaking skills and the
ability to improvise in communication. Collaborative activities help students interact with each
other, practicing social skills and team work.
5. CONCLUSION
Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences shows that each person has many different
types of intelligence and recognizes that each of us will have our own abilities. In fact, we see that
the Theory of Multiple Intelligences has an important meaning in teaching in general and in foreign
language teaching in particular. Human intelligence is not a constant passed down from generation
to generation, but it can be developed through education. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences has
suggested many active teaching methods, creating a basis and orientation for teachers to improve
teaching methods in many different ways. When teachers clearly understand the nature of the
Theory of Multiple Intelligences, they will be proactive and proactive in innovating teaching
methods in the direction of exploiting the potential of learners, contributing to "awakening" the
hidden intelligence of learners. Each type of intelligence will have appropriate and characteristic
teaching methods. Students' learning activities are intellectual activities with high intensity and
clear selection. Therefore, changes in content and methods are necessary conditions at the university
level. Based on the Multiple Intelligences Theory, we can have many different strategies to apply in
teaching foreign languages to students, which will stimulate interest, arouse potential, promote
positivity and increase the effectiveness of the educational process. Applying the Multiple
Intelligences Theory in teaching foreign languages to students, although bringing many positive
effects, has not been fully exploited and needs to be studied more extensively. The Multiple
Intelligences Theory not only contributes to the innovation of teaching methods for students but can
also be flexibly applied to other aspects of the teaching and learning process, from designing the
learning environment to evaluating students' learning outcomes... If the Multiple Intelligences
Theory is comprehensively applied in teaching foreign languages to students, it will contribute
usefully to promoting the effectiveness of learning, releasing the potential energy in each student to
help them maximize their abilities and strengths in learning, updating new knowledge to serve work
and life.

REFERENCES
Communist Party of Vietnam (2013), Documents of the 8th Central Committee Conference,
11th term, Central Party Office, Hanoi.
Truong Thi Khanh Ha (2013), Developmental Psychology Textbook, Hanoi National University
Publishing House .
Pham Minh Hung, Thai Van Thanh, Nguyen Thi Huong (2016), Pedagogy Textbook, Vinh
University Publishing House.
Nguyen Thi Mai Lan (2010), Applying Howard Gradner's multifactor intelligence theory to
studying intelligence types of primary school students, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.
Trang My (2018), The most effective way to learn English with the modern Mindmap mind
mapping method, accessed at https://edu2review.com/reviews/cach-hoc-anh-van-hieuquanhat-
voiphuong-phap-ve-so-do-tu-duy-mindmap-hien-dai-7740.ht
Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy (2010), Learning interest of first-year students at Van Hien University, Ho
Chi Minh City, Master's thesis.

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Armstrong, (2011), Multiple intelligences in the classroom (translated by Le Quang Long), Vietnam
Education Publishing House.
Howard Gardner (2012), Theory of multiple intelligences, translator: Pham Toan, edited by Pham
Anh Tuan, Tri Thuc Tre Publishing House.
Naomi Simmons (2015), Family and Friends 3 Special edition, Vietnam Education
Publishing House.
Howard Garner (2011), Frames of mind, published by Basic Books, A member of the
Perseus books Group, ISBN: 987-0-465-02433-9.

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BUILDING AN ENGLISH CODING SYSTEM

TO SUPPORT ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS IN INTERPRETING
Nguyen Thi Quyet - Hong Duc University
Hoang Kim Ngan - University of Languages and International Studies

ABSTRACT
In the practice of interpreting skills, the application of a personal code system helps those who
do this work to take notes quickly and support the interpretation effectively. Therefore, in this study,
we focused on developing English codes for the Interpretation course, applied to students majoring
in English at Hong Duc University, with the aim of practicing their interpretation skills. The
research results showed that screening and building codes to support quick note-taking in the
interpretation course brought higher efficiency in reproducing the original text. Using 150 codes for
each topic helped students take notes quickly and restore the original text more effectively than
without this support. The research results showed that guiding students to use codes during the
learning process is an essential part of teaching the interpretation course, helping them develop
quick note-taking skills, a necessary skill for interpreting practice.
Keywords: English majored students, interpreting, coding system

1. INTRODUCTION
Interpreting is a challenging but essential area in modern society. When communication
activities take place globally every day, every hour, interpreting is an indispensable tool for
transmitting information in many industries and fields. From negotiations in the fields of
economics, politics, to the promotion of art and sports. The requirement for accuracy in
communication content requires individuals and organizations communicating using international
languages to rely on a team of quality interpreters. Training and honing the interpreting skills of
those working in this field requires comprehensive skills, meeting the increasing demands of the
socio-economic and global integration. Among the skills that interpreters need to practice such as
note taking, quick thinking, analytical skills etc., building a coding system for themselves will help
them take notes faster, thereby effectively supporting the interpreting work. This is the foundation
for us to conduct the research on building an English coding system for the Interpreting course,
applied to students majoring in English Language, at Hong Duc university, when they take
interpreting course.
2. THE ROLE OF CODING SYSTEMS IN INTERPRETING SKILLS
According to International Standard 13611 (2014, p. 3), in the guidebook: Interpreting:
Guidelines for Community Interpreting, the definition of interpreting is given as “Rendering a
spoken or signed message into another spoken or signed language, preserving the register and
meaning of the source language content.” There are many problems that can occur while doing
interpreting work. Among which, the biggest problem that interpreters face is the time pressure
while interpreting. Obviously, interpreting is one of the most challenging jobs. Within a very short
time, the interpreter, especially those who are dealing with consecutive interpreting has to jot down
the information they hear to support their memory in translation. That is the reason why the coding
systems are necessary for him/her because they help to shorten the time of noting down
information.

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To optimize the content of their quick notes, interpreters need to choose how to present the
codes. According to Nguyen Quoc Hung (2007, pp. 100 - 105), there are two ways to present this
special type of text: (1) using diagrams and (2) writing vertically. According to Rozan (2002, pp. 20
- 22), there are two ways to take notes quickly: (1) Verticality, and (2) Shift. Language coding in
interpreting is the use of symbols to record speech, without having to write the words in full forms.
The purpose of this coding is to save time in recording, helping the interpreter to keep up with the
speaker's meaning. The coding systems forinterpreting, as mentioned above, may be simple
drawing, special characters, abbreviations, acronyms etc., so as to help the interpreter to speed up
the noting process, and at the same time support their short-term memory. Because they are
symbols, abbreviations, the codes can be used conveniently and are relatively easy to be recognized,
and can be shared or personalized. Herbert (1952, p.40) believes that the interpreter needs a system
of symbols and abbreviations that he has built himself. This system even can be built while they are
still studying at university. Another scholar, Rozan (1956) proposed the method of note-taking in
consecutive interpreting, and also outlined general principles of note-taking, including the use of
codes. The Headsgame Network (2013) provided a list of over 200 disease abbreviations for words,
which is very useful for those involved in medical translation. Kohn & Albl-Mikasa (2002) paid
attention to the fact that “notation systems show clear evidence of source or target language
influences - without detrimental effects on the interpreter’s performance” (pp. 258). They also
considered the codes in note-taking as a special form of language and evaluated aspects of them at
the levels of word meaning, word formation, semantic relationships between these elements, and
pragmatic aspects of these symbols. Andrews Gillies (2017) emphasizes the importance of using
codes created by individuals, and also highlights their importance in practicing note-taking to hone
skills in interpreting.
Using symbols will help interpreters save time in taking notes, and at the same time help them
to write down an idea, because the purpose of taking notes in interpreting is to write down the idea.
After the interpreter has heard and fully understood an idea, then he will note down the content of
the entire idea. Thus, of course, the most important word here is the keyword of the complete idea.
In that case, if the key words are presented by symbols, abbreviations, it will save time. Besides, the
supporting elements around the keyword, the symbols that represent semantic relationships will
help the interpreter convey the idea more easily while translating. Practice shows that quick note-
taking is an indispensable operation for interpreters, and the foundation of this note-taking activities
is the abbreviations and symbols familiar to the interpreter. This fact requires the interpreter to
learn, build, and become familiar with a system of symbols and abbreviations representing words
used in different fields in which the interpreter works.
Thus, it can be seen that building codes for interpreters is a very necessary task, providing
effective support for the translator.
3. SELECTING WORDS FOR CODE BUILDING
With the 3 topics of the Interpreting course: Social issues, Sports, and Business, we first
collected speeches, speeches, conversations, and articles related to these topics. To be more specific,
we select about 30 articles, speeches etc. for each topic. With the topic Social issues, we got a total
of 37,620 words, with the topic Sports: 39,465 words, and the topic Business is involved with
32,444 words. After the texts were collected, we used AntConc software to filter the words and
measure the frequency of the words. The interface of the word filtering software is shown below:

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Figure 1. AntConc interface filters words from the text

Based on the words that were filtered in the software, we selected words with corresponding
topics, each topic consists of 150 words. These are words that belong to the selected topic and have
the highest frequency among the words that the software filters. The reason for this number is
determined: with 450 words in a subject converted into codes, students can remember them. At the
same time, these 150 words are the basis for students to have a foundation to build their own other
codes to serve their translation work. As presented above, 150 codes corresponding to 150 words in
each topic will be memorized by learners before practicing listening and translating texts of each
topic.
4. BUILDING A CODING SYSTEM
After the words were selected, we asked students to work in groups and build codes for these
words. The specific criteria and methods are presented in the following section.
4.1. Criteria for constructing a code
We set out the criteria for students to be able to construct a code:
The code must be shorter than the original word
The code must be simpler than the original word.
The code must be easy to understand.
The code must not be controversial (in conveying meaning).
Words with the same semantic field can share a code.
4.2. How to construct a coding system
With the criteria clearly given, students will rely on them to construct a code system for the
words selected in pairs. An example of a code part that students have constructed:

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Figure 2. An example of student-generated code

After the students had completed their code in pairs, we asked 2 pairs to compare the codes.
After 4 students had the best set of codes, the instructor would review and evaluate these codes. The
instructor would select the best ones based on the votes of whole class and provide the final set of
codes for students to use when listening and interpreting.
5. THE BUILT-UP CODING SYSTEM IN THE INTERPRETING COURSE
After we had compiled the codes from the students, we selected the best and most convincing
codes to build a code system that would be used for the entire class. In the situation some codes
generated by student were not convincing enough, we would look for other sources and choose

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what were easy to understand and use. Among the 3 topics in the Interpreting course: business,
sports, and social issues, each topic had 150 words to build codes. Due to the limited length of the
article, for each topic, we show 5 words with the highest frequency of occurrence, and 5 words with
the lowest frequency of occurrence for illustration.
5.1. Words and codes of business topic
Frequency
in the
N0 Words of business topic Vietnamese meaning Codes
selected
texts
1 202 job(s) (các) công việc Jb/jbs/j
2 138 business(es) (các) doanh nghiệp) busns
3 117 company (ies) (các) công ty Coms
người lao động ee/s
4 77 employee(s)
chuyên gia pro /proa
5 72 professional(s) l

trung tâm
146 10 center
147 10 content Nội dung connt
148 10 critical phê bình Crial
149 10 data dữ liệu da.
150 10 demand(s) yêu cầu) de
5.2. Words and codes of sport topic
N0 Frequency Codes
in the
Vietnamese meaning
selected
texts Words of sport topic
1 173 sports các môn thể thao spo

2 146 people mọi người

3 121 get/ing/got đạt được

chơi p
4 92 play/ed/ing
cầu thủ pl
5 89 player/s
146 9 ranked xếp hạng #
147 18 risk/s rủi ro rsk
148 9 sense nhạy, cảm nhận s

149 9 star ngôi sao

150 9 super đẳng cấp sper

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5.3. Words and codes of social issue topic

Frequency
in the
N0 Words of Social issue topic Vietnamese meaning Codes
selected
texts
1 12 adapted thích nghi adpt
2 18 adults người lớn a
3 20 against chống lại

16 air hàng không

4
5 24 ask/ed yêu cầu ?
146 10 problems vấn đề Prob
147 10 situations tình huống Situ.
148 10 system hệ thống sys
quan ngại c
149 9 concerned
150 9 death tử vong d×
6. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
For the Interpreting course, with a class of 45 students, we carried out the following steps:
Step 1: Before students built the code system, we gave them a test in which students listened
to a 5-minute English text at the slow speed for dictation, the text is about 200 words. Then, we
gave students about 15 minutes to restore the content they had just heard. The results were
evaluated by the percentage of the original content they restored.
Step 2: After students became familiar with the consensus coding system in the class, they
listened to and quickly took notes of a passage with the same the topic as the pre-test. The
procedure of conducting the post-test was the same as the pre-test above. The only difference was
that we asked students to use the codes they had just built.
Step 3: The results of the two tests were then compared, to examine the level of difference in
the accuracy of the reconstruction of the text based on the application of the prepared codes.
The results are as follows:
The rate of Before application After application
original text
reconstruction Number of students Rate (%) Số lượng Tỉ lệ (%)
(%)
10% 2 4.4 0 0
20% 12 26.7 0 0
30% 12 26.7 2 4.4
40% 9 20.0 6 13.3
50% 8 17.8 7 15.6
60% 2 4.4 10 22.2
70% 0 0 9 20
80% 0 0 11 24.4
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90% 0 0 0 0
100% 0 0 0 0
Tổng 45 100 45 100
Original Text Reconstruction Rate Before and After the Experiment
As can be seen from the data, before the experiment, more than 20% of the students had an
original text recovery rate of 20% or less. After the experiment, no students were at this level. Along
with that, the rate of students with an original text recovery rate of less than 50% decreased
significantly from more than 70% to 17%, compared between the pre-test and the post-test. In
particular, up to 40% of the students in the post-test achieved an original text recovery rate of 70%
and 80%, while before the application, no students reached this level. The above results show the
difference and effectiveness of applying coding system in note-taking for students when taking the
interpreting course.
From the analysis of data, we can see that the application of codes to support students in note-
taking in studying the interpreting course has greatly improved note-taking skills, with the specific
result being that students can take notes and reproduce the content of the text they listened to. It is
clear that if they can reconstruct the content better, then they would interpret better. This is a
positive result for researchers and lecturers teaching the interpreting course, as well as students
studying these courses.
7. CONCLUSION
The study on the construction of a coding system to support learners in note-taking in the
interpreting course has shown that: Screening and constructing codes help learners in note-taking
and therefore propel efficiency in restoring the original text. 150 codes for each topic have partly
helped learners to take notes more effectively, restoring the original text at a higher level than taking
notes themselves without using prepared codes. The research results show that orientation and
helping learners of the interpreting course have codes to serve note-taking process is a necessary
part of teaching the interpreting course, helping learners practice note-taking skills and improve
their interpreting skills as well.
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Chương trình đào tạo Ngành ngôn ngữ Anh. (2017). Thanh Hóa: Trường Đại học Hồng Đức
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of an individualised language. Linguistics and Translation Studies. (tr.257-262). Truy xuất từ:
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