a study on the use of edtech tools to enhance grade 8 students motivation in learning english at a secondary school in thai nguyen province

PHUNG THI THU HIEN A STUDY ON THE USE OF EDTECH TOOLS TO ENHANCE GRADE 8 STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE M.A THESIS Field: English

PHUNG THI THU HIEN

A STUDY ON THE USE OF EDTECH TOOLS TO ENHANCE GRADE 8 STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL

IN THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE

M.A THESIS Field: English Linguistics

Code: 8220201

THAI NGUYEN-2022

PHUNG THI THU HIEN

A STUDY ON THE USE OF EDTECH TOOLS TO ENHANCE GRADE 8 STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL

IN THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE

PHÙNG THỊ THU HIỀN

NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG CÔNG CỤ EDTECH ĐỂ NÂNG CAO ĐỘNG LỰC HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH

LỚP 8 TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG THCS TỈNH THÁI NGUYÊN

I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the study report titled "A study on the use of EdTech tools to enhance grade 8 students' motivation in learning English at a secondary school in Thai Nguyen Province" has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree at the School of Foreign Languages - Thai Nguyen University I also declare that this thesis is the result of my hard work and effort and that it has not been submitted for any other university's degree Where other sources of information have been used, they have

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Bui Thi Huong Giang, for her invaluable advice, guidance, support, and encouragement throughout the completion of this thesis My heartfelt gratitude also goes to all of the lecturers at the School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University for providing me with invaluable lectures I would like to express my sincere thanks to the administration of Tan Thinh Secondary School for agreeing to allow me to conduct this research at the school I am extremely grateful to the students of class 8A1 at Tan Thinh Secondary School, who actively participated in the research I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my mother and my family for their love and support, which have helped me complete this thesis

1 Rationale of the study 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Research questions 2

4 Scope of the study 3

5 Significance of the study 3

6 Thesis organization 3

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 5

1 Motivation 5

1.1 Types of motivation 7

1.2 The importance of motivation in foreign language learning 9

1.3 Factors affecting motivation in foreign language learning 9

2 Summary 36

CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 37

1 Results collected from Questionnaire 37

1.1 Results collected from Part I 37

1.2 Results collected from Part II 40

LISTS OF TABLES

Table 1 10-week syllabus of action for implementing EdTech tools in English class

Table 2 Attitudes toward EdTech tools

Table 3 Attitudes toward the lessons using EdTech tools

Table 4 Attitudes toward the support of EdTech tools in developing skills

Figure1 Students’ attitudes towards EdTech tools

Figure 2 Students’ attitudes towards the lessons using EdTech tools

Figure 3 Students’ attitudes toward the support of EdTech tools in developing skills

EFL English as a Foreign Language ESL English as a Second Language

ICT Information and Communication Technologies IT Information Technology

ABSTRACT

This research was conducted at Tan Thinh Lower Secondary School in Thai Nguyen City, where most of the students are supported learning devices, including high-tech tools such as smartphones, computers, tablets, and laptops The school year 2021-2022 is the third one in that teachers and students have to face the COVID-19 pandemic, so there have been a lot of online lessons to be done The research, therefore, focuses on the use of EdTech tools to increase grade 8 students’ motivation in learning English at Tan Thinh Lower Secondary School By using a variety of EdTech tools, the researcher sets out to investigate factors that contribute to students’ motivation in the English classroom and what EdTech tools motivate the students effectively The thesis describes a cycle of action research conducted on forty-five students in grade 8 The data will be collected through questionnaires, interviews, and students’ diaries The results of the research showed that the use of EdTech tools increased the students’ motivation in learning English in the classroom at school and in online lessons Some pedagogical implications are also suggested in the hope of assisting Vietnamese teachers in teaching and increasing learners’ interest in learning English

Keywords: EdTech tool, motivation, enhance, increase, learning English

The importance of English can not be denied and ignored since English is the most common language spoken English has increasingly become important in many fields, including medicine, engineering, and education, thanks to technological advancements Vietnam, in particular, as a developing country, needs to use this global language to demonstrate its international power This can be based on the effectiveness of the educational system As a result, English should be practiced in terms of four skills at school, it should be mandatory for school students to do so to keep up with the commanding future

In Vietnam, the Ministry of Education and Training has paid more attention than ever before to teaching and learning foreign languages, particularly English It is strongly stated in the project titled "Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, 2008-2020," also known as the "National Foreign Languages Project 2020." According to this project, by 2020, the majority of Vietnamese youths who graduate from vocational schools, colleges, and universities will be able to communicate, study, and work confidently in a foreign language, particularly English, in an integrated environment (MOET 2008 Decision No 1400/QD – TTg) After that, the Prime Minister approved the adjustment and supplementation of the project of teaching and learning foreign languages in the national education system for the period 2017-2025 by the decision 2080/QD-TTg dated December 22, 2017

Many education practices that used to take place in person have now shifted to the internet as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a subsequent boom in online learning tools What was once taught in a classroom is now debated in a chat room, and e-books have replaced textbooks EdTech, or education technology, combines information technology and software tools with educational practices to improve learning EdTech tools help to create a more engaging and interactive online learning experience for students

In Viet Nam, English is supposed to be compulsory in many schools from grade 3 to grade 12, with four skills to be taught and learned for the communicative goal of using English better in the future The situation of COVID-19 pandemic was taking place very complicatedly Most schools across the country were closed Students had to study online at home They had to sit in front of computers or smartphones every day to absorb lessons The same went for students at Tan Thinh Secondary School, where the researcher was working Sitting online continuously for many hours in front of electronic devices made students tired, and loss of concentration and interest So what could help the students learn English better? The most important aspect of the learning process is motivation “Motivation undoubtedly is the key in any learning” (Frydrychov Klimova & Poulova, 2014) It could be said that learning motivation is the decisive factor for the active participation of students in the teaching process It also helps students improve their behavior problems and create a positive learning environment From the researcher’s experience, using Edtech tools might improve the situation where students have to face online lessons, therefore, it is hoped that within a small

research namely “A study on the use of EdTech tools to enhance grade 8

students' motivation in learning English at a secondary school in Thai Nguyen Province” will enhance the English learning motivation of students at Tan Thinh

Secondary School

2 Aims of the study

This study aims at investigating the use of features of four EdTech tools: Quizizz, Kahoot, Padlet, and Flipgrid in the classroom which contribute to enhancing students' motivation to learn English Then it is to help teachers and students realize the importance of these Edtech tools in teaching and learning English in secondary schools

3 Research questions

Two questions need to be answered:

1 What are the students’ attitudes towards the application of EdTech tools in the English classroom?

2 To what extent does the use of Edtech tools affect grade 8 students' motivation in English learning?

4 Scope of the study

There are many EdTech tools; however, the researcher only focuses on the following tools: Quizizz, Kahoot, Padlet, and Flipgrip to motivate students in English classrooms In addition, due to the limited scope of this study, the participants selected will be 45 students in grade 8 at Tan Thinh Secondary School in Thai Nguyen, a mountainous city in Viet Nam All the students are willing to take part in the learning activities enthusiastically The research was conducted in ten weeks and followed Kurt Lewin’s model of Action Research

5 Significance of the study

The study will help the researcher herself realize her students’ positive changes in learning English when she uses of EdTech tools It is noteworthy that the research was a great attempt to examine a relevant issue in Vietnam Therefore, once finished, it can bring several benefits to involved parties such as students, teachers, educational administrators, and researchers of related fields

The researcher hopes that, with the study to be conducted in a very particular context, the effective impacts of using of EdTech tools in teaching English will make Tan Thinh Secondary School students’ English learning better in the future

6 Thesis organization

The thesis consists of 5 chapters:

Chapter 1: Introduction - In this chapter, the rationale, objectives, research

questions, scope, significance, and organization of the study are clarified

Chapter 2: Literature Review - This chapter supplies the scientific base of

the study, as well as previous researches which help this study have a firm foundation and well-directed approaches

Chapter 3: Research Methodology - This chapter shows the context of the

research and methodologies applied to get data and analyze data to find out results

Chapter 4: Findings and Discussions -Based on methodologies, this study

finds out the answers to the study and then discusses them

Chapter 5: Conclusion - This last chapter summarizes all the advantages and

drawbacks of the study on using EdTech tools to enhance grade 8 students' motivation in learning English at a secondary school in Thai Nguyen Province It also talks about the achievements and limitations of the research, which help further research in the future

References and Appendices are shown on the final pages of the research

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

Any language teaching approaches that teachers apply, how to increase students’ motivation in learning is critical job teachers need to perform in any lessons Since EdTech tools appeared, they have asserted their importance in teaching in general and in language teaching in particular because they help teachers a lot in increasing their students’ learning motivation

This chapter will review the main concepts of motivation, EdTech tools, and action research In each section, the researcher will present the definitions as well as theories and studies conducted on the EdTech tools’ effect on students’ motivation It will also refer to previous studies

1 Motivation

Motivation, according to the PMBOK (A Guide to the Project Management

Body of Knowledge), is "powering people to achieve high levels of performance and

overcoming barriers in order to change." Psychologists have provided various definitions of the motivation phenomenon based on their attitudes, which are briefly mentioned below:

The motivation was inspired by the Latin term "Move," which means "movement" for the first time and is an English word Motivation is a force that causes people to behave in particular ways, and from the perspective of management, the goal of creating motivation in employees is to have behavior that brings the greatest benefits to the organization Although motivation researchers study this issue in terms of how behavior strengthens and leads to specific goals, the study of motivation is essentially a search for the “Event Condition” that gives power and direction to behavior We enter the territory of motivation whenever we consider an event condition for powerful and guided behavior Motivation is the driving force behind human movement Any agent that causes (internal or external) activity in a living creature is thought to be a form of motivation

In general, human conduct is guided, controlled, and persistent by motivation There are three questions: What strengthens a person's behavior? What directs such behaviors or steers them in a specific direction? What contributed to or maintained

the behavior? It's referred to as motivation The perennial questions that humans are forced to confront in the study of motivation are: Why does one begin, continue, and end a treatment? And what factors influence the severity of behavior over time? On the importance of motivation, studies have shown that employees with high job motivation are more committed to their jobs; on the other hand, workers who feel more commitment even when things aren't moving forward according to plan, reduce the impact of this problem

A student who studies hard and strives for high grades may be described as "highly motivated," whereas his/her friend may be described as "finding it difficult to get motivated." Such assertions imply that motivation has a significant impact on our behavior Motivation is a concept that describes the factors within an individual that arouse, sustain, and channel behavior toward a goal Motivation can also be defined as goal-directed behavior (Pédro Marius, 2018, p.41)

For a long time, most English teachers as a Second Language (ESL) or a Foreign Language (EFL) around the world have had a strong interest in motivation One of the most important factors that contribute to students' foreign language acquisition is motivation in the ESL/EFL classroom The majority of students struggle with foreign language learning and have low motivation to learn English Teachers, on the other hand, can motivate them by employing effective teaching and learning strategies during the teaching and learning process

According to Chuan and Dörnyei (2007), motivation is a major factor in determining success or failure in foreign language learning As a result, motivation should be regarded as one of the most important factors to consider when researching second or foreign language motivation Motivation can be defined as the state of cognitive and emotional arousal, the factor that leads to a conscious decision, the factor that causes a period of sustained intellectual and/or physical effort, and the factor that leads to the achievement of a previously set goal/goals

Gardner's socio-educational model of language learning is one of the most influential school-based models (Gardner, 1985) This model takes into account the learner's cultural beliefs, attitudes toward the learning situation, integration, and

motivation Gardner emphasizes that motivation is the most important factor in the model He defines motivation as a combination of effort and desire to achieve the goal of language learning, as well as favorable attitudes toward language learning

Williams and Burden (1997) developed a second language motivation framework Both internal and external factors can influence a student's motivation to learn a new topic All of these characteristics can be linked to the motivational aspects of incorporating ICT in the EFL classroom

According to Bullock (2001), students have become more enthusiastic about group projects, and the teachers interviewed have noticed an increase in student motivation The main findings of Bullock's (2001) study are that incorporating ICT in the classroom leads to group work, but it also allows students to work more independently, which increases students' enjoyment of the tasks presented

Motivation, in general, is a concept that motivates someone to achieve his or her goal It is related to emotional issues Highly motivated students will succeed in their English learning People who lack motivation, on the other hand, struggle to learn the English language Someone's motivation is influenced by both internal and external factors

1.1 Types of motivation

There are many kinds of motivations for learning a foreign language that researchers studied all over the world

According to Harmer (1991:3), motivation is classified into two types:

- Short-term goal refers to students’ successful wishes in the future For example, students want to pass the exams or get good marks

- Long-term goal means that students desire to get a good job or to be able to communicate with other people in the world if they learn a foreign language well

Integrative and instrumental motivation are two factors that Krashen (1988:22) showed in his study relating the second language ability:

- Integrative motivation:

Saville-Troike (2006: 86) stated that integrative motivation is defined that the learner’s desire can become a part of recognized or important members in the

community or society that speak the second language It depends on learners’ interest in learning the second language because they need to learn the culture associated with that language When someone becomes a resident in a new community that speaks a second language, integrative motivation is a key component to help the learner to enhance his levels of proficiency in the language

- Instrumental motivation:

According to Saville-Troike (2006:86), instrumental motivation consists of the concepts that have practical value in learning a second language to increase the chances in businesses and careers Learners with an instrumental motivation want to learn a language because they will get a salary bonus or get into college even giving them more prestige and power, accessing to technical and scientific information

Arnold divided motivation into two main types as follows:

- Intrinsic motivation refers to learning individually and is related to the individual’s identity and sense of well-being Learners are intrinsically motivated when they learn with a goal in themselves It means the learners have the willingness and voluntariness to learn what they like and think that which one is the worthiest and the most important for them The learners learn with internal desire without external outcomes when they have intrinsic motivation Besides, negative impacts are not in intrinsic motivation In addition, the students who have intrinsic motivation learn without rewards because of their innate need or their own inside will (Arnold, 2000:14)

- Extrinsic motivation comes from outside the individual It refers to the learners’ desire in getting a reward and avoiding punishment It focuses on the external need to encourage the learner to join the activities in the classroom (Arnold, 2000: 14), for example, homework, grade, or doing something to satisfy teachers Moreover, when extrinsic motivation is based on external outcomes such as rewards and punishment, this influences negatively students’ motivation because students do not learn with their strong attention or will They learn because of their interest in the rewards or the punishment Their goal is that learning is to get rewards or learning is to avoid punishment

1.2 The importance of motivation in foreign language learning

Learners’ motivation largely decides achievement or failure in learning a foreign language And most researchers and teachers point out that motivation is one of the key factors which influence the rate and success of learning a foreign language Moreover, according to Spolsky (1990: 157), students who have high motivation are seemed to learn more quickly than students who have low motivation It means that students with high motivation take an active part in and pay attention to the lessons in the classroom In contrast, less motivated students are not interested in learning a foreign language which causes discipline problems In addition, motivation plays a key role in second or foreign language learning Extensive research confirms that motivation becomes one of the determining factors of second or foreign language learning success (Bradford, 2007; Dörnyei, 1998; Engin, 2009) However, motivation in learning a second or foreign language is not as simple as we think since motivation is complex and has a multifaceted nature (Dörnyei, 1998: 118) Furthermore, motivation is dynamic, which means that there are ups and downs during the process of language learning, as Dornyei (2001) conceptualized in the three phases of his process-oriented motivational model

1.3 Factors affecting motivation in foreign language learning

Dörnyei (2001:112,113) analyzed ELF learning motivation within a framework of three levels such as language level (the culture, the community, practical values and benefits, the learner level (individual characteristics like self-confidence, self-efficacy, need for achievements, competencies, and goals) and learning situation level (course-specific motivational components like the syllabus, the teaching method, teaching materials; teacher-specific motivational components like teacher’s personality, behavior and teaching style, and the learner group) Generally speaking, the motivation being understood by Dörnyei is divided into internal and external factors In detail, the learner level is the internal factor that is related to such as self-confidence and self-efficacy, etc; and language level and learning situation level are external factors that are related to such as teaching methods, teaching materials, teachers’ behavior, etc

In the same identification, Williams and Burden (1997) clearly state that motivation has two factors: internal and external Internal factors encompass various components such as the intrinsic interest of activity, perceived value of the activity, perceived value of an activity, sense of agency, mastery, self-concept, attitudes, developmental age, stage and gender, and other affective states (confidence, anxiety, fear) External factors consist of significant others (parents, teachers, and peers); the learning environment, the nature of the interaction, and the broader context

Internal factors

The attitude and interest of English learners play an important role in increasing or decreasing their motivation of acquiring a foreign language Normally, learners who have a positive attitude and be interested in learning a foreign language will have high motivation to learn the second language Vice converse, learners who do not find any interesting thing and have a negative attitude toward learning a foreign language will not have the motivation to explore anything about the new language Hamidah, Azizah, Shah, Faizah, Wan, and Mohd (2017) pointed out that students with a good attitude toward learning English are intrinsically motivated to learn It is easy to understand that when someone has an attitude toward a task and shows his or her interest in doing the task, he or she will try his/or her best to do it well in any way

Gardner tried to give a clear picture of the fact that attitudes are more highly related to achievement than others when he adds “the concepts of attitudes towards learning a second language are itself complex so perhaps it is reasonable to expect that some aspect of attitudes is more highly related to achievement than others" (2009:12) Parents, teachers, and other students impact learners’ attitudes and interests and motivate them to learn English well Parents and teachers are persons who have a role in helping learners to recognize the importance of foreign language acquisition

From that, they will promote learners to have a positive attitude and interest in learning a second language Lasekan (2016) states that highly educated parents will have a positive influence on learners’ English learning performance In other words,

learners have a good attitude towards foreign language acquisition when they have their parents as role models However, the internal interest of the students is more important than external motivation like parents' or teachers’ encouragement for the success of learning According to Ellin (1991), relating to the success of learning English, the important elements in language interactions are the learner’s personal factor (her attitude to the teacher and course materials and his learning motivation) and some general factors (E.g the learner’s age, sex, attitude and personal cognitive)

External factors

The teacher’s method

Not all teachers teach the same Every teacher has a different way of transferring knowledge to learners That is the teaching method of each teacher Teachers and their teaching methods also affect students’ motivation This may help the learners be interested in learning a foreign language or not Thus, the teacher’s method influences directly students’ learning motivation, and the learners are keen on his/her teaching techniques with supporting appropriate guidance and advice

Tanaka (2005) asserted that teachers (being an external factor) have a greater impact on students’ motivation Technology has always been an important part of the teaching and learning environment It is an essential part of the teachers’ profession through they can use it to facilitate learners’ learning When we talk about technology in teaching and learning, the word “integration” is used With technology being part of our everyday lives, it is time to rethink the idea of integrating technology into the curriculum and aim to embed technology into teaching to support the learning process That is to say, technology becomes an integral part of the learning experience and a significant issue for teachers, from the beginning of preparing learning experiences through to the teaching and learning process (Eady& Lockyer, 2013)

With the development of ICT, most English teachers use technological tools to improve or motivate students’ learning in English classrooms If the teachers only teach English with the traditional method, this makes students feel bored Therefore, the use of EdTechtools in the classroom is becoming more and more convenient and popular

Motivation in the English classroom through the teacher’s behavior

Motivation is often influenced by experiences in the classroom (Sampson, 2016) Dörnyei (2001) discusses the classroom atmosphere and names four main areas, which are seen as significant The first area is the teacher’s rapport or empathy and capability with the students Another area affecting the classroom atmosphere is the students’ relationship with each other The group of students needs to have a positive and willing attitude to learn A cohesive learner group with appropriate group norms affects the entire classroom The teacher in this aspect has a role to ensure that learning happens in a positive environment The physical

environment of the classroom may have also a role in motivation Often when the

students’ work “takes over” the walls, it gives the students a sense of ownership in the classroom and reinforces positive motivation

Teachers should encourage students to believe that they can produce academic success They should not control the student, but help him/her to be able to do the educational tasks (Pressley et al., 2003) Students are expected to learn if their teachers expect them to learn, but achieving the right balance is not always easy (OECD, 2000) In a classroom setting, motivation is essentially controlled by the teacher through various techniques and strategies Supportive and informative interaction between participants is an important element in motivating the L2 classroom It brings on a form of support and cooperation along with shared information about similar experiences (Sampson, 2016) Teachers play a central role in learning by giving students an opportunity for success in their learning and encouraging them to make mistakes and experiment (Cowie & Sakui, 2011)

Teachers' behavior and example are widely discussed in Murray et al (2011); Hadfield & Dörnyei (2013) and Dörnyei (2001) There are numerous motivational factors listed for teachers to use in their classroom settings A teacher sets personal examples through his/her behavior This personal example means having appropriate teacher behavior and developing a good relationship with the students

The teacher’s behavior needs to be pleasant and supportive, keep a lively pace, and energize the students The atmosphere in the classroom should be pleasant and supportive as this increases students’ linguistic self-confidence along with

presenting tasks properly and making lessons interesting and challenging Pressley et al (2003) use the term “teacher caring” to describe how the teacher affects motivation in the learning environment As discussed, the dynamics of motivation and L2 self-development within the teacher and learner suggest that teachers accept a great deal of responsibility for the motivation of learners (Dörnyei, MacIntyre, & Henry, 2015)

The task of the teacher is to generate initial motivation To generate initial motivation is to enhance the learners’ L2-related values and attitudes, increase the learners’ expectancy of success and increase the learners’ goal-orientedness The teacher’s task is to maintain and protect motivation in making the learning stimulating and enjoyable, present tasks in a motivating way, set specific learner goals, protect the learners’ self-esteem, and increase their self-confidence This allows learners to maintain a positive social image and promotes self-motivating strategies, along with cooperation among the students This is the basis to promote and encourage motivational feedback and increase learner satisfaction through grades in a motivating manner (Dörnyei, 2001; Pressley et al., 2003; Wiseman & Hunt, 2008)

In order to motivate students, the learning situations should be stimulating and enjoyable The task and commitment of the teacher are to make the tasks more interesting, increase the involvement of the students, have high expectations, give individual help and advice, make students feel they are accepted for who they are, and listen and respond to student opinions and values (Dörnyei, 2001, Hadfield & Dörnyei, 2013) For teachers to maximize students learning, they need to minimize student misbehavior Teachers who are well-prepared and make their lessons motivating have fewer problems in the classroom than those who are not (Wiseman & Hunt, 2008) Wiseman and Hunt (2008) discuss, how it may sound awkward to coincidentally consider classroom management, behavior, and topics related to each other The reason for this is that an “effective teacher is a motivator with a plan to motivate and a manager with a plan to manage” (Wiseman & Hunt, 2008) Effective teachers also are capable of dealing with misbehavior and following through with it because they have the tools to implement their plans

In other words, motivation is also a form of belonging in a language-learning classroom and establishing relationships between the teacher and the language learners (Murray et al., 2011; Lasagabaster et al., 2014) The impact of these relationships in a language-learning classroom confirms the importance of understanding the nature of motivation in L2 learning (Lasagabaster et al., 2014)

Motivation in the English classroom through EdTech tools

Pintrich (2003) attempts to answer the question 'What motivates students in the classroom?' in his paper He created a list of student motivations, as well as a set of design principles that encourage such motivations Many EdTech tools have been designed in line with these principles to encourage exploratory learning using content-specific simulations that can lead to high levels of intrinsic motivation, while extrinsic motivation may require necessary to drive engagement in content that is more suitable for the mandatory testing regime

The EdTech tools should be considered when using them in schools It is important to note that these tools must be chosen and tailored to specific contexts (such as the educational environment, learner characteristics, and the subject being studied) and that they interact with one another to enhance students' learning motivation

2 EdTech Tools

EdTech (a combination of "education" and "technology") refers to hardware and software designed to enhance teacher-led learning in classrooms and improve students' education outcomes (Jake Frankenfield, 2020)

According to Mae Rice (2021), “Edtech is the practice of introducing IT tools into the classroom to create a more engaging, inclusive, and individualized learning experience.”

Currently, there are 8 popular EdTech models, namely: Learning Management Systems, Language Learning, School Administration, Enterprise Learning, Broad Online Learning Platforms, Next-Gen Study Tools, Tech Learning, and Early Childhood Education

Mae Rice also aimed EdTech tools to make it easier for teachers to create individualized lesson plans and learning experiences that foster a sense of inclusivity and boost the learning capabilities of all students, no matter their age or learning abilities And it looks like technology in the classroom is here to stay -

92% of teachers believe tech is going to have a major impact on the way they educate shortly For that reason, it’s vital to understand the benefits EdTech brings in the form of increased communication, collaboration, and overall quality of education

There are thousands of EdTech tools available to improve the experiences of students, teachers, and administrators Edtech tools can range from VR headsets that help students learn about a subject holistically to data science-based platforms that assist teachers in identifying learning habits and creating personalized lesson plans for each student

Quizizz

Quizizz is a gamified student engagement platform that offers multiple features to make a classroom fun, interactive and engaging The software is used in class, group assignments, pre-test reviews, formative assessments, and pop quizzes

Kahoot

Kahoot is an online game-based learning platform It allows teachers, organizations, and parents to set up fun web-based learning for others Kahoot can be used as a fun trivia activity to do with members of your organization or coaches to use with their players about the sport or just a series of fun questions

The difference between Quizizz and Kahoot is that teachers can use Kahoot to create multiple-choice quizzes, as well as discussions, surveys, and jumbles (students must place answers in the correct order) Teachers are limited to a multiple-choice quiz format with Quizizz; this lack of question types limits learning to facts and recall

Padlet

Padlet is a place where you can create single or multiple walls that are able to house all the posts you want to share From videos and images to documents and audio, it is a blank slate It's collaborative, too, allowing you to involve students, other teachers, and even parents and guardians

Flipgrid

Flipgrid is a website and app that allows teachers to facilitate video discussions Students are organized into groups and then given access to discussion topics

Edmodo

Edmodo is an EdTech tool that integrates a social network and connects professors and students Among other things, teachers can use this one to develop online collaborative groups, administrate and supply instructional materials, assess student performance, and interact with parents Edmodo has over 34 million users who connect to build a more enriched, personalized, and aligned learning process that takes advantage of the opportunities provided by technology and the digital environment

Socrative

Socrative is a system that allows teachers to build exercises or educational games that students may complete using mobile devices such as smartphones, laptops, or tablets It was created by a group of entrepreneurs and engineers that are passionate about education Teachers can view the outcomes of the exercises and, based on this information, adapt the following sessions to make them more personalized

Thinglink

Educators can use Thinglink to create interactive graphics using music, sounds, words, and photographs These can be shared on other websites as well as social media sites like Twitter and Facebook Teachers can use Thinglink to construct learning techniques that arouse students' curiosity by providing interactive content that expands their knowledge

TED-Ed

TED-Ed is an educational platform that allows teachers, students, animators, and other people who wish to share information and good ideas to collaborate on educational lessons This website allows teachers and students to have equal access to information People can take an active role in other people's learning processes here

These above EdTech tools belong to Next-Gen Study Tools Quizizz, Kahoot, Padlet, Edmodo, Thinglink, TED-Ed, Socrative are used for creating games to increase educational interaction Flipgrid is a group video discussion platform that allows students to discuss and answer topics with video clips at home or in the classroom

Within the limitation of the study, only four EdTech tools (Quizizz, Kahoot, Padlet, and Flipgrip) were chosen They are more popular in Viet Nam They are easy to set up and install, and easy to use with devices such as computers, laptops, and smartphones that students already had These tools were also suitable and met the teaching and learning activities of teachers and students

3 Action Research

Action research is a research philosophy and methodology that is commonly used in the social sciences It seeks transformative change through the concurrent processes of action and research, which are linked by critical reflection In 1944, Kurt Lewin, then a professor at MIT, coined the term "action research." He defined action research as "a comparative research on the conditions and effects of various forms of social action and research leading to social action" that employs "a spiral of steps, each of which is composed of a circle of planning, action, and fact-finding about the result of the action" in his 1946 paper "Action Research and Minority Problems."

Carr and Kemmis (1986: 162) claimed that “Action research is simply a form of self-reflective inquiry undertaken by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own practices, their understanding of these practices, and the situations in which the practices are carried out.”

According to J Spencer Clark, Suzanne Porath, Julie Thiele, and Morgan Jobe (2020, p.8), “Action research is an approach to educational research that is commonly used by educational practitioners and professionals to examine, and ultimately improve, their pedagogy and practice In this way, action research represents an extension of the reflection and critical self-reflection that an educator employs daily in their classroom When students are actively engaged in learning, the classroom can be dynamic and uncertain, demanding the constant attention of the educator Considering these demands, educators are often only able to engage in fleeting reflection, and for accommodation, modification, or formative assessment Action research offers one path to more deliberate, substantial, and critical reflection that can be documented and analyzed to improve an educator’s practice.”

According to Creswell (2012), there are two types of action research: practical action research and participatory action research

Practical action research: Teachers seek to research in their classrooms to

improve student learning and their professional performance Groups consisting of teachers, students, counselors, and administrators participate in a systematic study of a local problem Practical action research consists of a small-scale research project narrowly focused on a specific issue or problem and carried out by teachers or groups of individuals within a school

Participatory action research: Instead of focusing on individual teachers

solving immediate problems in the classroom or schools, or solving internal problems, participatory action research has a social orientation and community and an emphasis on research that contributes to emancipation or change in our society Participatory action research aims to improve the quality of people's organizations and home lives Applied in education with a focus on improving and empowering individuals in schools, education systems, and school communities As such, it differs from actual action research in that it incorporates the purported purpose of improving and empowering individuals and organizations within educational institutions

Models of Action Research

Action research typically involves four broad phases in a research process that forms a continuous cycle or spiral of research and action:

1 Planning: a problem or issue is identified and a plan of action is developed in order to bring about improvements in specific areas of the research context;

2 Action: the plan is put into action over an agreed period of time;

3 Observation: the effects of the action are observed and data are collected; 4 Reflection: the effects of the action are evaluated and become the basis for further cycles of research (Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988, cited in Burns & Rochsantiningsih, 2006: 22)

There are some models of Action Research:

Kurt Lewin’s standard model of Action Research

Cyclical action research model (Burns, 2010, p 9)

Kemmis's Model of Action Research

In his writing in 2016, Ian O’Byrne also pointed out four basic steps needed to conduct action research They are: selecting a focus, collecting data, analyzing and

interpreting data, and taking action The first step in conducting action research is to identify and define your investigation's focus You’ll want to develop some questions about the area of your focus Finally, you'll need to devise a strategy for studying and answering the questions you've generated The second step in conducting action research is to collect data that will be used to answer your research questions Again, in step one, you'll identify questions you'd like to answer and believe you can effectively "answer" In the second step, you'll need to collect information to answer these questions This information could include teacher-created surveys and standardized test results Surveys and interviews may be used to collect data Student portfolios, observations, and other sources of information may also be included in the collected data In the next step, you'll need to analyze and interpret your findings In this section, you should clearly describe or summarize the data You'll also look for recurring patterns or themes in the data Finally, you should use the data to answer your research questions and/or test your hypotheses After you've identified your focus and gathered data, you'll need to analyze and interpret your findings in the last step - step four You should clearly describe or summarize the data in this section You'll also look for consistent patterns or themes in the data Finally, you'll want to use the data to answer your research questions and/or prove your hypotheses

With the above-mentioned models, the researcher decided to use practical action research to study her students’ motivation in ten weeks with four steps that were modified by the researcher based on Kurt Lewin’s model

While she carried out the research, she could realize the changes in students’ attitudes toward English learning If the research is suitable for her own students, she will apply the approach to other students in her schools

4 Previous studies

Many studies in the field of language have been conducted in recent years They focus on the application of techniques, methods, and strategies to improve foreign language learning EdTech tools are one of the most popular tools among teachers and students for increasing students' motivation to learn a second language

According to the findings of studies, there are benefits of EdTech tools in motivating learners to learn a foreign language

The effects of technology on student motivation and engagement in classroom-based learning were investigated by James Francis (2017) Data analysis was used to complete research at an urban charter school on a population of 348 at the time of technology intervention Student perception and motivation were assessed using surveys, individualized education plans were reviewed, and classroom observations were conducted The findings revealed that students are motivated by the specific use of technology in the classroom, whether for pedagogical purposes or accommodations required by an Individual Education Plan (IEP) Further research can help to update teaching techniques to better support

inclusionary education while also increasing student motivation

Abdulrahman and Basalama (2019) created a study to increase students' motivation to learn English vocabulary through a collaborative video project The primary goal of this study was to motivate EFL students to learn English vocabulary through the use of a collaborative video project This study used a case study methodology to describe how a video project experience can engage students in learning English and allow them to participate in tasks while also expanding their vocabulary This study included twenty-five EFL students from the Vocabulary Building Course (VBC) For evaluations, this study used three phases: pre-production, pre-production, and post-production Classroom observations, the video Project process, and document analyses were used to collect data This paper presents a summary of the findings related to the video theme as well as a narrative analysis of student videos Data analysis revealed that students responded differently to their video project assignments and produced a variety of results

Hasan, Younus, Ibrahim, Islam, and Md Islam (2020) studied the effects of new media on English language learning motivation at the tertiary level In Bangladesh, various new media tools such as Facebook, blogs, wikis, Google Docs, and YouTube are perceived to have an impact on English language (L2) learner motivation at the tertiary level However, the context does not yet define the effects

of new media use on L2 learner motivation This study aims to look into the effects of new media use on L2 learner motivation at the tertiary level Throughout the study, a qualitative research design is used to collect and analyze data Six Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were held with 30 tertiary-level English language learners from eight universities in Bangladesh to collect data The study's findings indicate that new media usage in English language learning is increasing

Muhammad and Schneider (2021) investigated the positive role of EdTech on student learning and investigated how technology can be used to increase learner motivation There have been useful recommendations made that will assist future researchers and EdTech developers in developing tools and applications that will play important roles in increasing learners' motivation Furthermore, it examined how increased motivation has had a positive impact on learners' academic and professional success in the future They also claimed that in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, technology would play a greater role in increasing students' motivation so that they could excel in their lives

Nguyen (2011) researched the use of language games to motivate students in English classes The study included 126 students from Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School in Ha Noi City The survey instruments consisted of questionnaires and observations The author employed both qualitative and quantitative methods in his research The findings investigated how language games were used to motivate students in speaking classes and whether they could be used as a motivator in speaking lessons In conclusion, the studies mentioned above, both in Vietnam and elsewhere, demonstrated the positive effects of using technological tools in motivating students in English The researcher wishes to apply what she has learned in her teaching context based on these findings Such positive findings of the ICT application led me to the idea of conducting this action research, which will be presented below

Ho’s (2018) research focused on the use of ICT to increase grade 10 students’ motivation to learn English at the Hai Duong Continuing Education Centre She set out to investigate factors that contribute to students’ motivation in the English

classroom and what ICT activities effectively motivate students through an intervention based on the use of ICT The thesis described a cycle of action research that was carried out on 43 10th-grade students Students’ journals, the teacher’s diaries from class observations, and questionnaires were used to collect data The research's findings revealed that using ICT increased students' motivation to learn English

The above studies mentioned the use of EdTech and ICT tools in foreign language teaching to find ways to increase student motivation However, the studies did not mention the use of the EdTech tools Quizizz, Padlet, Kahoot, and Flipgrip The studies also did not mention the application of EdTech tools to enhance students’ learning motivation in online lectures The studies in Vietnam (Nguyen Van Thanh and Ho Thi Thanh Thuy's studies) did not research the application of EdTech tools in teaching English in secondary schools And this is an opportunity for the author to do her study

5 Summary

In conclusion, motivation is mentioned as one of the aspects of the human mind It is an indispensable factor that inspires individuals to give their best performance and assists in achieving their goals (Vincent & Kumar, 2019) For students, motivation is a persuasive feeling that always offers positivism to them to accomplish an activity or a task to the end and become successful no matter how tough and hard it is (Gopalan et al., 2017) Dörney (2001) expresses that most teachers and researchers would agree that motivation plays an important role in determining success or failure in any learning situation

EdTech tools are very popular now, but some teachers do not use them because they believe they are too difficult for them However, researchers' studies describe several positive outcomes of incorporating EdTech tools into the classroom These findings suggest that EdTech tools promote individualization of schoolwork, curiosity, motivation, and an interest in learning more about the current topic

The previous studies on EdTech tools and motivation show that EdTech tools have several positive effects on motivation, and the conclusion is that students are enthusiastic about working with EdTech tools activities The goal of using EdTech tools as motivational tools in foreign language learning is using certain EdTech tools like Quizizz, Kahoot, Padlet, and Flipgrid to draw students in secondary schools into the lessons and increase their interest in learning in order to reinforce as well as widen the previous studies

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1 Research design

The research design deals with the following components: the research approach the participants, the research procedures, and the collecting data instruments

1.1 Research approach

The researcher used the action research approach in this study because the researcher can combine the study with her day-to-day teaching work, finding the most suitable EdTech tools to excite her students and improve teaching effectiveness in her school In the process of research and teaching, when discovering unreasonable points, the researcher immediately changed to find the best solution

This is a study on the use of EdTech tools to enhance grade 8 students' motivation in English learning at a secondary school in Thai Nguyen Province so it was designed as practical action research (based on Creswell's classification)

Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this study The first tool was the quantitative method from a questionnaire and the rest tools were the qualitative method from students’ diaries and interviews

1.2 Participants

Tan Thinh Secondary School is located in Thai Nguyen City, a rapidly developing city in a mountainous area The socio-economic conditions of the city are quite good and the people there have a high standard of living Parents are very interested in their children’s studies and create the best conditions for their children to study

The author conducted the study with 45 students in class 8A1 at Tan Thinh Secondary School, Thai Nguyen City, including 23 boys and 22 girls They all come from the city They have all been studying English for 5 years All of these students have had access to information technology and some of them use information technology very well They can quickly grasp how to join a game or an online learning activity But not all of them have the motivation in learning English

It can be observed that they do not feel engaged in English lessons with the traditional methods

In Tan Thinh Secondary School, there are four teachers of English They were well-trained at universities They love their teaching and love children The school administration cares and creates all the best conditions for teaching and learning English

1.3 Research Procedures

The action research was implemented during 10 weeks of the school year 2021-2022 with four phrases below:

Phase 1: Problem identification

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the third year the education sector has had to use online teaching and learning Each teacher at Tan Thinh Lower Secondary School has to teach online at least 20% of the total number of lessons in this school year But having to study online for many hours in front of a computer screen or smartphone makes students tired and lose interest in learning

On September 15, 2020, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Circular 32/2020/TT-BGDĐT on the charter of secondary schools, high schools, and high schools with many levels of education, which came into effect on November 1, 2020, allows students to use cell phones during school hours Besides, the wifi network and Internet LAN network were installed in all Tan Thinh Secondary School classrooms Therefore, during English lessons at school, teachers and students can apply their EdTech tools to lessons With online lessons, teachers and students interact with each other via computers and smartphones connected to the Internet, so the use of EdTech tools is even more convenient

English is difficult but it is a compulsory and important subject in high schools in Vietnam Since it is difficult, most students in the researcher’s school have no interest or low interest in this subject, even good students although they all know it will be very necessary for them in the future So finding the right teaching methods and tools to raise the students' motivation in learning English is very essential

Phase 2: Plan of act

Because action research has been widely used in education and has provided educators with new opportunities to reflect on and assess their teaching, the teacher decided to use it to improve her situation

According to Glanz (1991), there were three benefits when researchers use action research Firstly, action research is feasible because the study is conducted by the teacher (practitioner) in his or her practical situation and context It provides positive outcomes and assesses the effectiveness of new approaches Secondly, action research has a direct impact on a teacher's practice, allowing her to renew her teaching in the classrooms and improve students' learning Finally, all stages of action research are carried out in a specific order to assist educators in determining appropriate approaches in the process of teaching and learning in the classroom

Following the identification of the issues, the researcher used EdTech tools such as Quizizz, Kahoot, Padlet, and Flipgrid to motivate students to be interested in learning vocabulary, grammar structures, and skills in the English classroom They were carried out for ten weeks in English lessons in class 8A1 at Tan Thinh Secondary School, shown in the following syllabus:

1 (27/12/ 2021 ->02/01/2022)

- Students used Flipgrid to

make a short video about one of the festivals in Viet Nam (Project of Unit 5)

- The teacher-guided her

students to write diaries -Students wrote their diaries

- Flipgrid was used to motivate students in doing their projects It was used to help students to promote their motivation in learning English speaking through the presentation in the project

- Students’ diaries were used to get students’ experiences and feeling about the EdTech tool Flipgrid that was used during the

week

2 (03/01/2021

- The teacher gave students Padlet and Quizizz activities to review the vocabulary

- Padlet was used to motivate students to learn vocabulary in

Getting Started and A closer

->08/01/2022) studied in the lesson (English 8 - Unit 6: A closer look 1 &2) Students made padlets of words related to characters and adjectives describing characters in folk tales With Quizizz, students took part in multiple-choice activities to review the vocabulary, grammar, and

- Quizizz was used to enhance students’ motivation in learning vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation

- Students’ diaries were used to get students’ experiences and feelings about the EdTech tools used during the week

3 (10/01/2022 ->15/01/2022)

- Students used Flipgrid to make a short video to tell about a folk tale (English 8 - Unit 6: Looking back)

- Students wrote their diaries

- Flipgrid was used to motivate students in doing their projects It was used to help students promote their motivation to learn English by telling a folk tale - Students’ diaries were used to get students’ experiences and feeling about the EdTech tool (Flipgrid) that was used during the week

4

- The teacher used Padlet to elicit words about the types

- Padlet was used to motivate

students to learn vocabulary in A

(17/01/2022 ->22/01/2022)

of pollution from students and Quizizz to check and consolidate students’ knowledge in the lesson (English 8 – Unit 7: A closer look 1) by doing multiple choice questions in Quizizz

- Students wrote their reviewing the knowledge studied in the lesson (English 8 – Unit 7: A closer look 1)

- Students’ diaries were used to get students’ experiences and feelings about the EdTech tools Padlet and Quizizz used during the week

5

(24/01/2022 ->29/01/2022)

- Students used Flipgrid to

make a short video on environmental protection (English 8 – Unit 7: Project)

- Students wrote their diaries

- Flipgrid was used to motivate students in doing their projects It was used to help students promote their motivation in learning English by making a short video on environmental protection

- Students’ diaries were used to get students’ experiences and feeling about the EdTech tool Flipgrid that was used during the week

6 (07/02/2022 ->12/02/2022)

- The teacher used Kahoot to help students review the grammar studied in the lesson (English 8 – Unit 8: A

Kahoot was used to enhance students’ motivation in learning grammar (Conditional sentences type 1&2)

closer look 2) by doing a grammar exercise in Kahoot

- Students wrote their

diaries - Students’ diaries were used to get students’ experiences and feeling about Kahoot

7

(14/02/2022

->19/02/2022)

- The teacher used Padlet to help students review the words related to natural disasters and Flipgrid (English 8 – Unit 8: Looking back, Unit 9: A closer look 1) by asking students to make padlets including the words related to natural disasters that they had known

- Students wrote their diaries

- Padlet was used to motivate students in learning vocabulary - Flipgid was used to motivate students to do their projects Each student made a poster with pictures of a capital city and talked about it The class voted for the best presentation

- Students’ diaries were used to get students’ experiences and feelings about the EdTech tools (Padlet and Flipgrid) used during the week

8 (21/02/2022 ->26/02/2022)

- The teacher used Padlet and Kahoot (English 8 – Unit 9: A closer look 2 & Skills 1) In Padlet, students made their own passive sentences and present perfect sentences that they learned

in A closer look 2 In

- Padlet was used to motivate students to learn grammar

- Kahoot was used to enhance students’ motivation in practicing the reading skill

Kahoot, students did

- Students’ diaries were used to get students’ experiences and feelings about the EdTech tools used during the week

9 (28/02/2022 ->05/03/2022)

- The teacher used Padlet and Quizizz (English 8 – Unit 10: A closer look 1) Students made padlets of

- Padlet was used to motivate students to learn vocabulary

- Students’ diaries were used to get students’ experiences and feelings about the EdTech tools Quizizz and Kahoot used during the week

- The teacher gave students Kahoot activities to review the grammar studied in the lesson (English 8 - Unit 10: A closer look 2) Students

- Kahoot was used to motivate

students to learn grammar better