The purpose of this paper is to find how multiple intelligences, learning styles, motivation and language learning strategies might differentiate successful and unsuccessful learners. The findings of this case study show that the successful learner has high verbal/linguistic, intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences, which is a good condition for her in acquiring the foreign language. Active, global learning styles and balanced between sensing and intuitive; visual and reflective learning styles contribute to the success of Van in acquiring English. The unsuccessful one, Huyen, however, owns naturalistic intelligence, which means she is interested in nurturing, exploring the environment and learning about other species. About learning styles, Huyen is quite passive and usually does follow plans and feels hard when meeting surprises, she just learns better when teacher uses visual aids. Teachers who usually use written and spoken explanations is a big challenge for her in learning.
Another difference between the successful and unsuccessful students observed in this study concerns motivation. The successful learner has been learning English for loving English, from inside her. She is intrinsically motivated. Meanwhile, the unsuccessful one has been studying English for passing the exams, for scores. She is extrinsically motivated.
There is also a big gap in employing learning strategies between the successful and the unsuccessful learner. The successful learner highly uses metacognitive strategies, compensation strategies, cognitive strategies, memory strategies and social strategies while the unsuccessful one rarely uses the strategies. Greatly employing these strategies helps Van, the successful learner, to become efficient EFL learner in planning, organizing, monitoring, evaluating and orchestrating different strategies for different language tasks; to be clear about what strategies to use; and to have good command of knowledge to make intelligent guesses in facilitating her comprehension of the language.
Although the results of the present study are not claimed to be exhaustive, the study highlights the significance of multiple intelligences, learning styles, motivation and learning strategies in learning process. Identifying multiple intelligences of students and understanding their learning styles by asking them for doing multiple intelligences and learning styles test help teachers to design suitable activities to engage their students in participating in lessons. For example, if almost students have visual styles, teachers should use visual aids in teaching to help them learn better. In addition, teachers can help students by clearly teaching and modeling learning strategies matched with the learning tasks in the language classroom. For example, teachers instruct students to learn words in context or sentences, try to guess the meaning of new words or use gestures in conversation and so forth. Teachers try to help students gain or maintain intrinsic motivation.
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Tóm tắt
Nghiên cứu này tập trung vào tìm ra sự khác biệt trong đa trí tuệ, phong cách học tập, động cơ và chiến lược học ngôn ngữ được sử dụng bởi một người học ngoại ngữ thành công và một người không thành công. Nghiên cứu chỉ ra ra rằng người học ngôn ngữ thành công có trí thông minh bằng lời nói / ngôn ngữ, nội tâm và giữa các cá nhân trong khi người không thành công sở hữu trí thông minh tự nhiên. Nghiên cứu cũng chỉ ra rằng người học ngôn ngữ giỏi có động cơ học thực chất còn người học kém hơn lại học ngoại ngữ để vượt qua kỳ thi. Ta cũng dễ dàng nhận thấy rằng người học ngoại ngữ tốt thường xuyên sử dụng đa dạng chiến lược học ngôn ngữ hơn người học kém hơn. Họ chủ yếu sử dụng các chiến lược siêu nhận thức, chiến lược nhận thức, chiến lược ghi nhớ và chiến lược xã hội trong khi người học kém hơn hiếm khi sử dụng các chiến lược học ngôn ngữ.
Từ khóa: người học ngoại ngữ thành công, người học ngoại ngữ không thành công, đa trí tuệ, phong cách học, chiến lược học ngôn ngữ
STIMULATING EFL STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT WITH DIGITAL TECHNIQUES: A CASE STUDY IN VIETNAM
KÍCH THÍCH TƯƠNG TÁC CỦA SINH VIÊN VỚI ỨNG DỤNG KỸ THUẬT SỐ TRONG GIỜ HỌC TIẾNG ANH: TÌNH HUỐNG TẠI VIỆT NAM
Tran Hai Yen1, MA, Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha1, MA Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Economics – Technology for Industries
Abstract
The case study aims to examine the impacts of employing digital technology on student collaboration in an EFL class at a Vietnamese institution. The data was gathered via semi-structured interviews with teacher and students, observations, and questionnaires. The findings analyzed from quantitative and qualitative data indicated that both teacher and students were using various digital technologies. Participants responded that they use digital technology to provide content, arrange class activities, upload and download materials, interact with peers, and participate in collaborative learning. The study reveals that students felt motivated and stimulated as a consequence of the classroom innovative use of technology, raising their confidence in interacting with collaborative learning networks and accessing online activities through digital technologies. Additionally, it is proven that cooperative teaching approaches have an effect on institutional practices in professional development and learning aid programs.
Keywords: digital techniques, motivation, student engagement, technology.
1. Introduction
A significant number of educational academics have focused on the importance of student involvement throughout the last decade. Deciphering the relevance of students' behaviors in relation to the teaching and learning process was the major emphasis of Coates (2005). Every aspect of our lives, including education, has been affected by the proliferation of digital technology. There has also been a drive by educators and governments to use technology in education. There is a major shift in how students approach their education nowadays. These people have access to a vast amount of knowledge since they are always surrounded by technology. Despite the widespread use of digital technology in education, several studies show that its utilization is limited and unevenly distributed (Corner, 2010; Flanagan et al., 2013; Coates, 2010, Chuang et al.
2015; Ho Thi Thu Huong, 2019; Nguyen Thi Thang, 2020; Manca & Ranieri, 2016;
Henderson et al., 2015). Numerous research indicate that technology should be employed for administrative purposes rather than instructional purposes (Ho Thi Thu Huong, 2019;
Nguyen Thi Thang, 2020; Pham Thu Tra, 2019). Digital technology in education has its challenges, but the importance of embracing and utilizing it in classrooms cannot be emphasized enough. Moreover, few academics think that the breakout of COVID-19 was a major influence in introducing digital technology into classrooms (Teo, 2010; Thomas et al. 2013; Ho Thi Thu Huong, 2019; Nguyen Thi Thang; 2020; Pham Thu Tra, 2019; Van Kieu Lam et al., 2021; Hoang Ngoc Tue & Le Duc Hanh, 2021). However, in order to meet student expectations, teachers and school officials must adapt their teaching methods and modify the learning environment. According to Wyatt et al. (2010), school leaders and
authorities have made it a requirement of instructors to use digital technology into classroom education.
It is doubtful how Vietnamese professors make use of technology in the classroom.
Instructors in colleges and universities are expected to have the knowledge and abilities necessary to teach students using digital technologies (Nguyen Thi Thang, 2020). Despite this, teachers are still reluctant to use technology in their classrooms, even if they are aware of its potential benefits. This raises the issue of educational institutions' ability to effectively employ digital technology to enhance the teaching and learning environment.
Furthermore, instructors' and students' attitudes toward technology-enhanced classroom activities provide a substantial challenge. Using a public university in Hanoi as a case study, the researcher looked at how professors and students utilize digital technology to improve teaching and learning, as well as their attitudes towards the usage of digital technologies in general. Hence, two research questions were addressed:
What and how are digital techniques used in EFL classes?
What are teachers' and students' perspectives towards the implementation of digital techniques in EFL classes?