MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HUE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
PHẠM ĐẶNG TRÂM ANH
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTS OF
SYNCHRONOUS COMPUTER MEDIATED COMMUNICATION
ON LANGUAGE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT FOR EFL
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN VIETNAM
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY THESIS
THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
HUE, 2019
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HUE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
PHẠM ĐẶNG TRÂM ANH
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTS OF
SYNCHRONOUS COMPUTER MEDIATED COMMUNICATION
ON LANGUAGE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT FOR EFL
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN VIETNAM
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY THESIS
THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
CODE: 9 14 01 11
SUPERVISORS:
Assoc. Professor TRAN VAN PHUOC
Assoc. Professor NGUYEN VAN LONG
HUE, 2019
BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ
PHẠM ĐẶNG TRÂM ANH
NGHIÊN CỨU HIỆU QUẢ CỦA GIAO TIẾP CÙNG
THỜI ĐIỂM QUA TRUNG GIAN MÁY TÍNH ĐỐI
VỚI VIỆC PHÁT TRIỂN KỸ NĂNG NGÔN NGỮ
CHO SINH VIÊN VIỆT NAM
LUẬN ÁN TIẾN SĨ
LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH
HUẾ, 2019
BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ
PHẠM ĐẶNG TRÂM ANH
NGHIÊN CỨU HIỆU QUẢ CỦA GIAO TIẾP CÙNG
THỜI ĐIỂM QUA TRUNG GIAN MÁY TÍNH ĐỐI
VỚI VIỆC PHÁT TRIỂN KỸ NĂNG NGÔN NGỮ
CHO SINH VIÊN VIỆT NAM
LUẬN ÁN TIẾN SĨ
LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH
MÃ SỐ: 9 14 01 11
Người hướng dẫn khoa học:
PGS. TS. TRẦN VĂN PHƯỚC
PGS. TS. NGUYỄN VĂN LONG
HUẾ, 2019
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this doctoral dissertation and that I have
not used any sources other than those listed in the bibliography and identified as
references.
I further declare that I have not submitted this dissertation at any other institution in
order to obtain a degree.
Place:
Hue, Vietnam
Date:
July 5th, 2019
Signature:
i
ABSTRACT
The present study investigated the effects of synchronous computer-mediated
communication on the language development for Vietnamese EFL university
students. The research objectives aimed at examining the differences in oral and
written proficiency levels between the two treatment groups over the course of one
semester as well as exploring the students’ attitudes towards and perceptions of the
use of synchronous computer-mediated communication in language skills classes.
The research employed a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. Thirty
students from Danang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy participated
in the research project. One class of English level 3 of CEFR – Vietnamese standard
(B1) participated in oral role plays and one class engaged in synchronous online
discussions. Data were collected from pre- and post- treatment tests at the beginning
and at the end of the semester. The research participants also filled out the pre- and
post- questionnaires to prevail their attitudes towards and perceptions of the use of
synchronous computer-mediated communication in language skills classes.
Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from the
SCMC chat group to verify the effects that synchronous online discussions might
have on language development for Vietnamese university students.
Results showed no statistically significant differences in oral and written
proficiency between the two treatment groups at the end of the semester. However,
there were statistically significant differences in pre- and post- treatment scores of
oral and written tests.
Other analyses of the oral transcripts and the written papers evolved that the
lexical richness had reasonably clear impacts on the oral and written test scores on
the basis of the described marking criteria. Results of lexical richness analysis
indicated a general increase in language although the difference in lexical richness
based on the two treatments was not detected.
Analysis of the questionnaires and semi-structured interviews exposed that
the one-semester English course enhanced learners’ language development. The
ii
students engaging in online discussions perceived them as beneficial for both their
oral and written language skills.
The fact that students perceived the online discussions as beneficial for their
oral speech, and the fact that there was no significant difference between the posttreatment oral and written proficiency of the two groups, corroborates the notion
that online discussions support the development of the same processes that underlie
oral speech. SCMC discussions are thus shown to be a valuable addition to the
foreign language classrooms.
Based on the findings, pedagogical implications on synchronous computermediated communication were put forward to English language skills classes.
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my very great appreciation to all who have helped and
accompanied me along this arduous but worthwhile journey. All professors,
lecturers and supporters I have met during my coursework studies and the process
of writing this dissertation earn you my eternal gratitude.
I would like to express my deep gratitude to Assoc. Professor Dr. Tran Van
Phuoc, my research supervisor, for his patient guidance, enthusiastic encouragement
and useful critiques of this research work. He has always been by my side to share
his experience, professional development and challenges emerging from this long
journey.
I am particularly grateful for the assistance and professional guidance given by
Assoc. Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Long, my co-supervisor, during my process of
writing this dissertation. He has contributed significantly to my completion of the
PhD degree.
My special thanks are extended to Assoc. Professor Dr. Pham Thi Hong
Nhung, my lecturer and administrative supervisor, for her strong support from the
very beginning to the end of my PhD course. Her bright personality and integrity
impressed me profoundly.
Constructive comments and recommendations given by the panel members of
Hue University of Foreign Languages have been of great help to me in diving
deeper into the issues of computer-assisted English teaching and learning and
shaping the person I am today. My grateful thanks are also extended to Dr. Ton Nu
Nhu Huong, Dr. Tran Quang Ngoc Thuy and Assoc. Professor Dr. Le Pham Hoai
Huong for their advice and assistance in revising the research title, scope of the
study and research questions.
My gratitude also goes to the lecturers of Hue University of Foreign
Languages: Dr. Bao Kham, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Truong Vien, and Dr. Pham Hoa Hiep
who have given me interesting lectures in TESOL and guided me through the
fulfillment of this thesis.
iv
I wish to acknowledge the help provided by Assoc. Professor Dr. Nguyen
Khac Minh, Rector, for his granting me study leave and implementation of my
research project at the Danang University of Technology and Pharmacy. I would
also like to thank the librarians of my University for assisting me in teaching at the
computer labs and collecting the research data as well as my colleagues for taking
up my workload while I was doing my PhD degree.
My big thanks go to Ms. Dang Thi Le Thu who never stopped believing that I
could do this and who gave me her unwavering emotional and technical support.
Ms. Tran Thi Hoai Vi was a great help with technical questions regarding SPSS
software.
Finally, I wish to thank my family for their support and encouragement
throughout my study.
Without them, I would not be able to reach the finishing line of this
meaningful journey.
v
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ANOVA
Analysis of variance
ASCMC
Asynchronous computer-mediated communication
CALL
Computer assisted language learning
CEFR
Common European Framework of Reference
CMC
Computer-mediated communication
DUMTP
Danang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy
EFL
English as a foreign language
ESL
English as a second language
ESP
English for Specific Purposes
FTF
Face to face
ICT
Information and communication technology
L1
First language
L2
Second language
MOET
Ministry of Education and Training
PET
Preliminary English Test
SCMC
Synchronous computer-mediated communication
SCT
Socio-cultural theory
SLA
Second language acquisition
VSTEP
Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency
ZPD
Zone of Proximal Development
vi
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1.1. Subjects of semester one ............................................................................ 3
Table 3.1. Selected background information ............................................................ 46
Table 3.2. Perceived English language proficiency between the two groups .......... 47
Table 3.3. Self-rating of computer experience: Descriptive statistics ...................... 49
Table 3.4. Students’ attitude towards computers ...................................................... 50
Table 3.5. Perceived benefits of internet-connected computers ............................... 51
Table 3.6. Mean scores of pre-treatment oral and written proficiency tests ............ 52
Table 3.7. Schedule for the fieldwork study (15 weeks) .......................................... 58
Table 3.8. Overview of the research procedures ...................................................... 61
Table 3.9. Data types and collection methods .......................................................... 66
Table 4.1. Mean and Standard deviation for oral and written proficiency tests ....... 74
Table 4.2. Mean and Standard deviation for pre- and post- oral and written tests ... 76
Table 4.3. ANOVA: T-test: Paired samples test....................................................... 77
Table 4.4. Quantity of language: Oral test ................................................................ 79
Table 4.5. Quantity of language: Written test........................................................... 82
Table 4.6. Lexical diversity: Oral test ...................................................................... 85
Table 4.7. Lexical diversity: Written test ................................................................. 88
Table 4.8. Lexical density: Oral test ......................................................................... 90
Table 4.9. Lexical density: Written test .................................................................... 92
Table 4.10. Mean and Standard deviation for post-treatment lexical features ......... 95
Table 4.11. Perceived effects of non-SCMC role play and SCMC chat on language
development .............................................................................................................. 96
Table 4.12. Perceived effects of non-SCMC role play and SCMC chat on the four
language skills........................................................................................................... 98
Table 4.13. Perceived effects of non-SCMC role play and SCMC chat on language
areas ........................................................................................................................ 102
Table 4.14. Perceived effects of non-SCMC role play and SCMC chat on future
impact...................................................................................................................... 104
Table 4.15. Students’ experience with oral role play and written chat .................. 106
vii
Table 4.16. Perceptions of anxiety during non-SCMC role play and SCMC chat . 109
Table 4.17. Monitoring mistakes of non-SCMC role play and SCMC chat .......... 111
Table 4.18. Requirements of oral role play and written chat ................................. 112
Table 4.19. Perceptions of online discussions by SCMC chat group ..................... 114
viii
LIST OF PICTURES AND FIGURES
Picture 3.1. Non-SCMC role play group in the computer lab .................................. 57
Picture 3.2. Instructor’s desktop during the chat discussion .................................... 58
Graph 4.1. Lexical diversity and transcript length in post-treatment: Oral test ....... 87
Graph 4.2. Lexical diversity and text length in pre-treatment: Written test ............. 89
Figure 4.1. Suggested model of language skills development using SCMC .......... 116
ix
APPENDICES
Appendix 1 Consent form .................................................................................... 151
Appendix 2 Pre-treatment questionnaire ............................................................. 152
Appendix 3 Cronbach’s alpha – Pre-treatment questionnaire ............................. 157
Appendix 4 Post-treatment questionnaire – Non-SCMC Role play group.......... 159
Appendix 5 Cronbach alpha – Post- questionnaire – Non-SCMC Role play group162
Appendix 6 Post-treatment questionnaire – SCMC chat group........................... 163
Appendix 7 Cronbach’s alpha – Post- questionnaire – SCMC chat group.......... 166
Appendix 8 Post-treatment interview – SCMC chat group ................................. 168
Appendix 9 Post-treatment interview transcript sample – SCMC chat group..... 169
Appendix 10 Pre- and Post-treatment oral test questions .................................... 171
Appendix 11 Transcript sample of a pre-oral proficiency test ............................. 174
Appendix 12 Transcript sample of a post-oral proficiency test ............................ 176
Appendix 13 Rating scale for the written test (Level 3-5 VSTEP) ..................... 178
Appendix 14 Pre- written proficiency test prompt .............................................. 183
Appendix 15 Sample of a pre- written proficiency test ......................................... 184
Appendix 16 Post- written proficiency test prompt ............................................... 185
Appendix 17
Sample of a post - written proficiency test .................................... 186
Appendix 18 Rating scale for the written test (Level 3-5 VSTEP) ...................... 187
Appendix 19 Pre- and post-treatment proficiency test result ............................... 190
Appendix 20 Pre- and post-treatment proficiency test result ................................ 191
Appendix 21 Lab tasks .......................................................................................... 192
Appendix 22 A chat sample downloaded from Hangout program of Gmail ........ 194
Appendix 23 Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and score difference between the two
groups
.......................................................................................................... 198
Appendix 24 Paired samples test ........................................................................... 200
Appendix 25 Lexical diversity: Oral test ............................................................... 205
Appendix 26 Lexical density: Oral test ................................................................. 207
Appendix 27 Lexical diversity: Written test .......................................................... 209
Appendix 28 Lexical density: Written test ............................................................ 211
x
Appendix 29 Descriptive statistics: Self-rating of English language proficiency . 213
Appendix 30 Descriptive statistics: Attitude towards computer ........................... 218
Appendix 31 Descriptive statistics: Self-rating of computer experience .............. 220
Appendix 32 Descriptive statistics: Perceptions of internet-connected computers222
Appendix 33 Mean and Standard deviation: Post-treatment questionnaire .......... 224
Appendix 34 Lexical features: Descriptive statistics ........................................... 229
Appendix 35 Approval to conduct research at DUMTP ...................................... 231
Appendix 36 Syllabus for English intensive program .......................................... 232
Appendix 37 Syllabus for English for specific purposes ..................................... 239
xi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Statement of authorship ............................................................................................... i
Abstract ....................................................................................................................... ii
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... iv
List of abbreviations .................................................................................................. vi
List of tables.............................................................................................................. vii
List of pictures and figures ........................................................................................ ix
Table of contents ....................................................................................................... xii
Chapter 1. Introduction ........................................................................................... 1
1.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1
1.2. Research setting ................................................................................................ 2
1.2.1. Institution ................................................................................................... 2
1.2.2. Students ...................................................................................................... 2
1.2.3. Use of technology ...................................................................................... 6
1.3. Research questions ........................................................................................... 7
1.4. Rationale of the study ....................................................................................... 8
1.5. Structure of the dissertation ............................................................................ 11
1.6. Chapter summary ........................................................................................... 12
Chapter 2. Literature Review ................................................................................ 13
2.1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 13
2.2. Definitions of key terms ................................................................................. 13
2.3. Theoretical framework of the study ............................................................... 15
2.3.1. Constructivism in socio-cultural theory ................................................... 15
2.3.2. Computer-mediated communication and socio-cultural theory............... 18
2.3.3. Computer-mediated communication and language development ............ 20
2.3.4. Computer-mediated communication and second language acquisition
theories ............................................................................................................... 21
2.4. Research on computer-mediated communication .......................................... 25
2.4.1. Synchronous computer-mediated communication ................................... 25
2.4.2. Transfer from synchronous online discussions to oral abilities ............... 29
2.4.3. Quantity and complexity of language ...................................................... 32
2.5. English language education in Vietnam ......................................................... 34
2.5.1. Vietnamese EFL learners’ current language proficiency ........................ 34
2.5.2. Why can CMC help Vietnamese EFL learners? ...................................... 36
xii
2.6. Research gap ................................................................................................... 40
2.7. Chapter summary ........................................................................................... 41
Chapter 3. Methodology ......................................................................................... 42
3.1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 42
3.2. Research design .............................................................................................. 42
3.3. Research participants ...................................................................................... 45
3.4. Ethical considerations..................................................................................... 52
3.5. Research Procedures....................................................................................... 53
3.6. Data collection methods ................................................................................. 62
3.6.1. Oral proficiency tests ............................................................................... 62
3.6.2. Written proficiency tests.......................................................................... 63
3.6.3. Pre-treatment questionnaire ..................................................................... 63
3.6.4. Post-treatment questionnaire ................................................................... 64
3.6.5. Post-treatment interview .......................................................................... 65
3.7. Data analysis ................................................................................................... 67
3.7.1. Comparison of scores ............................................................................... 67
3.7.2. Analysis of lexical features ...................................................................... 67
3.7.3. Students’ perceptions of the treatment ..................................................... 70
3.8. Research reliability and validity ..................................................................... 70
3.8. Chapter summary ........................................................................................... 71
Chapter 4. Findings and discussion ...................................................................... 73
4.1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 73
4.2. Findings of the study ...................................................................................... 73
4.2.1. Comparison of pre- and post- treatment scores ....................................... 73
4.2.2. Analysis of lexical features ...................................................................... 78
4.2.2.1. Quantity of language ......................................................................... 78
4.2.2.2. Lexical richness ................................................................................. 84
4.2.2.3. Comparison of lexical features between the two treatment groups... 94
4.2.3. Students’ perceptions of and attitude towards the treatment ................... 95
4.2.3.1. Perceived effects of non-SCMC role play and SCMC chat .............. 96
4.2.3.2. Students’ evaluation of non-SCMC role play and SCMC chat ....... 106
4.2.3.3. SCMC chat group’s perceptions of the treatment ........................... 113
4.2.4. Suggested model of language skills development using SCMC ........... 114
4.3. Discussion of the key findings ..................................................................... 116
xiii
4.3.1. Comparison of pre- and post- treatment scores ..................................... 117
4.3.2. Lexical features ..................................................................................... 119
4.3.3. SCMC chat group’s perceptions of the treatment ................................. 122
4.4. Chapter summary ......................................................................................... 127
Chapter 5. Conclusion and Implications ............................................................ 128
5.1. Introduction .................................................................................................. 128
5.2. Summary of key findings ............................................................................. 128
5.3. Implications .................................................................................................. 132
5.3.1. Theoretical implications ......................................................................... 132
5.3.2. Methodological implications ................................................................. 132
5.3.3. Pedagogical implications ....................................................................... 133
5.4. Limitations of this study and Future research .............................................. 136
5.5. Conclusion .................................................................................................... 138
AUTHOR’S PUBLICATIONS ............................................................................ 139
REFERENCES...................................................................................................... 140
APPENDICES ....................................................................................................... 151
xiv
Chapter 1
Introduction
1.1. Introduction
Research on computer mediated communication (CMC) has shown an
outstanding development on foreign/second language teaching and learning
methodology using technology of which countless benefits have been proved
through numerous world-wide research studies (Abdorreza, Jaleh, & Azadeh, 2015;
Abrams, 2003; Bui, 2006; Chou, 2004; Dang, 2011). Gonzalez-Lloret (2011)
assumed that CMC was one of the fastest growing communicative media in the
world and produced large quantities of authentic materials for instructors and
learners around the world.
Generally, CMC which refers to discussions via computer as a medium of
communication has two modes. The first, asynchronous computer-mediated
communication (ASCMC), takes place in time and place independence. Typically,
the instructor and students discuss, give and get information or deliver materials
through course web pages, posting of forum messages or email messages. In
contrast, synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) represents realtime interactions. Usually, this means that the instructor and students meet in a chat
room, simultaneously, at a particular location in cyberspace or from any location
that has Internet access and interact through typed statements or questions (Lavooy
& Newlin, 2003).
The advantages of using SCMC have been so far touched on a variety of
research publications, the aim of this study is to explore experimental insights into
applicability of SCMC mode for Vietnamese EFL students’ language skills
development. The present study investigates the effects of SCMC on the
development of oral and written proficiency of EFL university students of Vietnam
over the course of a fifteen-week semester. The research also explores students’
perceptions of and attitudes towards SCMC mode as well as their progress on
language skills through SCMC activities.
1
1.2. Research setting
This section describes an overview of the institution, the students, the use of
technology in language teaching and learning of the present study.
1.2.1. Institution
The research was implemented at the Danang University of Medical
Technology and Pharmacy (DUMTP) under Vietnam Ministry of Health. The first
campus is located at 99 Hung Vuong street in Hai Chau district and the second one
at Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street in Ngu Hanh Son district of Danang city. The total
area is 62,093 m2. The total number of students at the time of the research being
done in the academic year 2017-2018 was 4,402 students. DUMTP is a public
school belonging to the Vietnamese educational system. Its mission is to train health
staff at undergraduate and post graduate levels in order to meet the requirements of
health human resources and people’s health care and protection.
Major training programs of DUMTP in the academic year of 2017-2018 were
6-year-curriculum General Practitioner, 5-year-curriculum Pharmacist and 4-yearcurriculum Bachelors of Public Health, Medical Imaging, Medical Laboratory,
Rehabilitation, General Nursing, Dental Nursing and Anesthesia Resuscitation
Nursing.
While General Practitioner program was lately introduced in DUMTP in
2015, the other ones have been offered over a long history of establishment since
1963. They shared many common subjects, except for some specialized ones
particular to the individual discipline. The participants involved in this research
were General Practitioner students. The investigation was conducted in their first
semester of the first academic year out of twelve semesters within six years they
studied at DUMTP.
1.2.2. Students
Enrolment in the academic year 2017-2018 of DUMTP where the research
was done was about 750 new students from all over Vietnam. Based on the
enrolment regulations by Ministry of Education and Training for the academic year
2017-2018, the candidates submitted their application forms online or directly at the
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