Teachers' attitudes toward the uses of the computers in language teaching at Ha Nam teachers' training college = Thái độ của giáo viên đối với việc sử dụng máy

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
  





NGUYỄN THỊ CHUNG




TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD THE USES OF THE
COMPUTERS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING AT HA NAM
TEACHERS’ TRAINING COLLEGE

(Thái độ của giáo viên đối với việc sử dụng máy tính trong giảng
dạy ngoại ngữ tại trường CĐSP Hà Nam)


MINOR M.A THESIS




Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60.14.10

Hanoi, 2012
iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS


Pages
Declaration………………………………………………………………
i
Acknowledgements……………………………………………………….
ii
Abstract…………………………………………………………………
iii
Table of contents………………………………………………………….
iv
List of abbreviations……………………………………………………
vii
List of tables and charts………………………………………………….
viii


PART I – INTRODUCTION…………………………………………….
1
1.
Rationale…………………………………………………………
1
2.
Aims of the study………………………………………………

2
3.
Research questions………………………………………………
2
4.
Scope of the study……………………………………………….
2
5.
Method of the study……………………………………………
3
6.
Significance of the study………………………………………
3
7.
Definition of terms………………………………………………
4
8.
Structure of the study…………………………………………
4
PART II – DEVELOPMENT……………………………………………
5
Chapter 1: Literature review…………………………………………….
5
1.1.
Attitude…………………………………………………………
5
1.1.1.
Definition of attitude…………………………………………….
5
1.1.2.

Dimensions of attitudes………………………………………….
6
1.1.2.1.
Beliefs……………………………………………………………
6
1.1.2.2.
Feelings ………………………………………………………….
6
1.1.2.3.
Behaviors…………………………………………………………
6
v

1.1.3.
The relationship between beliefs and behaviors of teachers……
7
1.1.4.
The relationship between feeling and behaviors of teachers…….
7
1.2.
English Language Teaching……………………………………
8
1.3.
Computers in English Language Teaching………………………
9
1.4.
The roles and effectiveness of computers in English Language
Teaching……………

13

1.5.
Teachers’ attitudes toward computers in teaching ……….…….
13
1.6.
Factors affecting teachers’ uses of computers…………………
14

Summary…………………………………………………………
16
Chapter 2: Methodology………………………………………………….
17
2.1.
Context of the study……………………………………………
17
2.2.
Participants ………………………………………………………
19
2.3.
Instrument for data collection……………………………………
20
2.4.
Procedure of data analysis……………………………………….
22

Summary…………………………………………………………
23
Chapter 3: Data Analysis and Discussions………………………………
24
3.1.
Data Analysis…………………………………………………….

24
3.1.1.
Findings from Questionnaires……………………………………
24
3.1.1.1.
Teachers’ background……………………………………………
24
3.1.1.2.
General attitudes toward the uses of computers…………………
25
3.1.1.3.
Some factors affecting teachers’ uses of computers in ELT…….
31
3.1.2.
Findings from classroom observations…………………………
33
3.2.
Discussions of the findings……………………………
35
3.2.1.
Research Question 1…………………………………………….
35
3.2.2.
Research Question 2……………………………………………
36
3.2.3.
Research Question 3……………………………………………
38

Summary…………………………………………………………

39
PART III – CONCLUSION……………………………………………
40
1.
Concluding Remarks…………………………………………….
40
vi

2.
Implications………………………………………………………
41
3.
Limitations of the study………………………………………….
42
4.
Suggestions for further study…………………………………….
42
References…………………………………………………………………
44
Appendices……………………………………………………………….
I
1.
APPRENDIX A: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ………………
I
2.
APPRENDIX B: CLASSROOM OBSERVATION
CHECKLIST…………………………………………………
VI

vii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CALL
Computer Assisted Language Learning
ESL
English As Second Language
ELT
English Language Teaching
IT
Information technology

ICT
Information and Communication Technologies
OTA
Office of Technology Association
HNTTC
Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College


















viii

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

Pages
Table 1:

Background Information about Questionnaire Respondents
19
Table 2:
Main sections of the questionnaires
21
Table 3:
Teachers’ attendance of computer training course and teachers’
computer ownership
24
Table 4:
Teachers’ frequency of using computers at home and at school
25
Table 5:
Teachers’ feelings towards the uses of computer in an ESL
classroom
26
Table 6:
Teachers’ beliefs towards the uses of computer in an ESL
classroom
28
Table 7:
Teachers’ behaviors towards the uses of computer in an ESL
classroom
30
Chart 1:
Some factors affecting teachers’ computer uses in ELT
31

1

PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
It can not be denied that computer technology has changed the face of
education in many parts of the world as well as in Vietnam in recent years. More
and more uses of its unique features are found every day and it is not surprising that
the field of education is also being strongly affected by this tool. As a result,
English teaching and learning have been much easier and more effective under the
assistance of computers. However, computer-based technology has also brought
with it many new challenges for the teacher who seeks to determine what it has to
offer and how that should be delivered to students.
It is believed that there are many ways to encourage students to learn English
and using computers as English teaching tools is considered one of the most
effective ways. Recent years have witnessed a significant shift concerning the
technology use in teaching and learning environment. Remarkably, the Ministry of
Education and Training (MOET) has planned for a significant increase in ICT in
education to take place in coming years and teachers are being encouraged to
incorporate ICT technology into their lessons. Up to now, a great number of
researches have been carried out to investigate the perceptions or effectiveness of

using computers for language teaching and learning. However, the investigations
into teachers’ attitudes toward the uses of computers in language teaching seem to
be limited in Vietnam.
Additionally, one factor in the successful implementation of computers in the
classroom is users’ acceptance, which in turn might be greatly influenced by users’
attitudes. Consequently, it is said that attitude of teacher can either be a hindering
factor or a facilitator for computer integration in education. Ajzen and Fishbein
(1977) states that by understanding an individual’s attitude towards something, one
can predict with high precision the individual’s overall pattern of behavior to the
object. If teachers have positive attitudes toward computers, they will use them to
2

improve their teaching and vice verse. For that reason, teachers’ attitudes are of
great importance in deciding to use or not to use computers in language teaching.
After five years of teaching English at Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College,
the researcher found that most of the teachers have integrated the computer
technology into their teaching curricula, however, their applications of computers
may vary depending on their attitudes and more importantly, the question whether
teachers’ actual attitudes toward the uses of computers in their classrooms have not
been answered yet. Stimulated by the above reasons, the researcher has decided to
conduct the study on teachers’ attitudes toward the uses of computers in English
language teaching at HNTTC. Hopefully, the findings of this study will contribute
to the pedagogic methodology.
2. Aims of the study
The study is aimed at identifying the teachers’ attitudes toward the computer
uses in English language teaching at HNTTC and exploring some main factors
affecting the teachers’ uses of computers in their teaching. Then teachers’ attitudes
from the questionnaires and their classroom practice are compared to find out
whether there is correlation between them. From the findings of the study, some
suggestions for further study in this very interesting topic can be provided.

3. Research questions
In order to achieve the stated aims, the following research questions are raised:
1) What are the English teachers’ attitudes toward the uses of computers in
language teaching at Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College?
2) What are the factors affecting the teachers’ uses of computers in language
teaching?
3) Do teachers’ attitudes correlate with their classroom practices?
4. Scope of the study
The study focuses itself on the investigation of teachers’ attitudes towards the
uses of computers in English language teaching in order to understand the teachers’
views on teaching with computers as well as some main factors affecting teachers’
3

computer use. The participants are all of teachers of English of Faculty of Foreign
Languages and Informatics at HNTTC.
5. Methods of the study
The study is carried out in form of a survey model. This survey was conducted
at Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College to investigate teachers’ attitudes and some
affecting factors on using computers in language teaching. The survey assessed the
independent variables: age, time, technical support, experience, computer skills/
training, facilities, teachers’ positive attitudes and confidence to find out the main
factors affecting teachers’ computer use in English language teaching (ELT) at
HNTTC. In order to achieve the above objectives, two methods will be employed to
collect the data including questionnaires and observation. Questionnaires are used to
investigate teachers’ attitudes towards the computer use in their classroom and the
data were analyzed quantitatively by percentage of statistics. At the meantime,
observation is to discover teachers’ actual behaviors, and then compare with
teachers’ attitudes collected from the questionnaire.
6. Significance of the study
The study is significant in the following ways:

- The first significance of the study is for the author herself to enhance the skills of
conducting the study in educational contexts and for the other ESL teachers at
HNTTC.
- The study is aimed at investigating teachers’ attitudes towards the uses of
computers in ELT, which has not been carried out before in the context of HNTTC.
Consequently, results of the study will display the present situation of using
computers in the teaching and contribute appropriate ways to help teachers use
computers in ELT more effectively.
- This study can also lay grounds for further research on using new technology in
teaching language and renovate the teaching language methods.

4

7. Definition of key terms
 Computer: In the context of this study, computer is used as a general term
referring to any computer that can be used in language teaching.
 Attitude: Attitude is a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings,
and behavioral tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, events
or symbols (Hogg & Vaughan, 2005, p.150)
 Attitude toward Computers: As can be inferred from the definitions above,
attitude toward computer refers to how the respondents feel and think about
the impact of computer use in education and then how they behave toward
computer technologies and specific computer related activities.
8. Structure of the study
The thesis is composed of three main parts: introduction, development and
conclusion.
Part I is the introduction in which the rationale, aims, research questions,
scope and significance of the thesis as well as methods and some definitions of key
terms of study are presented.
Part II is the development. It consists of three chapters: literature review,

methodology, data analysis and discussions. In chapter one, the literature review
provides some grounds of attitudes, dimensions of attitudes, findings from prior
studies around teachers’ attitudes toward the uses of computers, and understandings
of computers in English language teaching as well as roles and effectiveness of
computers in language teaching … It also provides the factors affecting teachers’
computer use in ELT. The second chapter introduces the methodology in terms of
setting, participants, data collection instruments, and data analysis procedure. In
chapter three, results will be analyzed and discussions are presented.
Part III is Conclusion part. In this part, concluding remarks, implications, limitations
of the study and some suggestions for further study are presented.
5

PART II: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
This part presents a review of literature on topics related to the study. The review
focuses on some dimensions of attitudes, overview of ELT, the roles and
effectiveness of computers in ELT, findings from prior studies around teachers’
attitudes toward the uses of computers, and the factors affecting teachers’ uses of
computers.
1.1. Attitude
1.1.1. Definitions of attitude
Attitude is an important concept to understand human behavior. There is no
common definition of attitudes. Hogg & Vaughan (2005, p.150) states that attitude
is “a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings, and behavioral tendencies
towards socially significant objects, groups, events or symbols”. In other words, this
definition identifies beliefs, feelings and behaviors as important aspects of attitude.
In the educational environment, attitudes expressed by teachers play an important
role in the achievement of educational objectives. Specifically with regard to the
uses of computers in the classroom, we can see teachers’ attitudes in their feelings
and belief about the way of acting towards the lessons.

Additionally, International Dictionary of Education (1977, p. 32) defines attitude
as … “predisposition to perceive, feel and behave towards specific objects or certain
people in a particular manner. Attitudes are learned from experience rather than
innate characteristics, which suggest that they can be modified.”
For the Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary (2010), attitude is defined as
the way that you think and feel about somebody or something; the way that you
behave towards somebody or something that shows how you think and feel.”
Apart from above definitions, there are still other definitions of attitude.
However, the researcher adopted definition of attitude of Hogg & Vaughan (2005,
p.150) for the purpose of this study. This definition centers on feelings, beliefs and
6

behaviors, that is, how a person believes, feels and then behaves in a certain way
that reflects his / her established belief and feeling.
1.1.2. Dimensions of attitudes
As can be inferred from the comprehensive definition above, three main
dimensions are interrelated: beliefs, feelings, and behaviors. When people question
someone’s attitude, they refer to beliefs and feelings related to a person or event and
the resulting behavior.
1.1.2.1. Beliefs
“Belief” is an opinion about something; something that you think is true (The
Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary, 2010). In educational environment, beliefs
are grounded in teachers’ personal belief system (opinions, values, expectations in a
more or less structured way) and represented psychologically to make decisions
about classroom practices such as the issues of computer use.
1.1.2.2. Feelings
The International Dictionary of Education (1977, p. 14) defines feelings as
“those aspects that emerge from experience and behavior such as the teaching
experience of teachers that will develop emotionally in them”. They can be assessed
from people's verbal expressions of how they feel, or from their physiological

reactions to the attitude object.
1.1.2.3. Behaviors
A definition from The Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary (2010),
behavior is the way a person, an animal, etc. behaves or functions in a particular
situation.
The behavioral dimension of attitude is the teacher’s response or action
tendencies, that is, the tendencies shaping his/her behavior towards the approach
and they be measured by observing how people actually behave towards the
particular object.


7

1.1.3. The relationship between beliefs and behaviors of teachers
The constructs of attitudes, beliefs and behaviors are complex. The studies on
relationship between beliefs and behaviors in teaching have found that how the
teachers behave in the classroom is strongly influenced in what they believe.
Compeau, Higgins, & Huff (1999) share the view that behavior (the use of
computers) is viewed as the result of a set of beliefs about technology and a set of
affective responses to the behavior. In other words, it is the way a person thinks
about somebody or something and the way s/he behaves towards someone. For
teachers, they think that the uses of computers benefit classroom teaching and
learning, and then they will use them and attempt incorporating them into their
teaching. As Simonsson (2004) states that the utilization of technology is related to
teachers’ beliefs about the use of this tool.
Generally speaking, beliefs can control your actions, behavior and potential. If you
learned how to acquire positive beliefs and how to get rid of negative ones then you
will be able to use the tremendous power of beliefs on your side.
However, there is still debate as to whether beliefs influence actions or
actions influence beliefs and a direct relationship between the two has been

questioned. Mansour (2009) reports that practice does not always come after beliefs,
but may sometimes precede them. Therefore, an understanding of these
relationships can assist in determining their professional development needs.
Eugene (2006) investigated how teachers’ beliefs may make an impact on the
integration of technology in their classes. It was found that there was a discrepancy
between teachers’ beliefs and their actual instructional practices of integrating
technology. Teachers’ teaching practices and the use of technology were found not
to match their beliefs.
1.1.4. The relationship between feelings and behaviors of teachers
Feelings play a crucial role in determining human behavior. The behavior
toward other persons is determined by the feelings toward them. Obviously, we
behave differently toward those we like than toward those we dislike. Sometimes,
8

feelings and behaviors are divergent. For example, when we have a positive feeling
toward the object then our overt actions and behaviors toward the object
(person/thing/idea) will be positive, and conversely if we have negative feelings
toward the object. This, however, is not always being the case. Sometimes we
cannot judge how a person feels or what they think about an object simply by
observing their overt behaviors toward that object.
1.2. English Language Teaching (ELT)
Language teaching has been around for many centuries, and over the centuries,
it has changed. Various influences have affected language teaching. Reasons for
learning language have been different in different periods. In some eras, languages
were mainly taught for the purpose of reading. In others, it was taught mainly to
people who needed to use it orally. These differences influenced how language was
taught in various periods. Also, theories about the nature of language and the nature
of learning have changed. The changes are briefly mentioned in two following
periods through history:
The 19th and Early to Mid-20th Century

The grammar-translation method was the dominant foreign language teaching
method in Europe from the 1840s to the 1940s, and a version of it continues to be
widely used in some parts of the world, even today. However, even as early as the
mid-19th, theorists were beginning to question the principles behind the grammar-
translation method. Changes were beginning to take place. There was a greater
demand for ability to speak foreign languages, and various reformers began
reconsidering the nature of language and of learning.
The Mid- to Late-20th Century up to the present
In the years following World War II, great changes took place, some of
which would eventually influence language teaching and learning. Language
diversity greatly increased, so that there were more languages to learn. Expansion of
schooling meant that language learning was no longer the prerogative of the elite
but something that was necessary for a widening range of people. More
9

opportunities for international travel and business and international social and
cultural exchanges increased the need for language learning. As a result, renewed
attempts were made in the 1950s and 1960s namely use new technology (e.g., tape
recorders, radios, TV, and computers) effectively in language teaching, explore new
educational patterns (e.g., bilingual education, individualized instruction, and
immersion programs) and establish methodological innovations (e.g., the audio-
lingual method). However, the hoped-for increase in the effectiveness of language
education did not materialize, and some of the theoretical underpinnings of the
developments were called into question. Beginning in the mid-1960s, there has been
a variety of theoretical challenges to the audio-lingual method.
Developments in various directions have taken place since the early 1970s.
There has been developments such as a great emphasis on individualized
instruction, more humanistic approaches to language learning, a greater focus on the
learner, and greater emphasis on development of communicate, as opposed to
merely linguistic, competence. Some "new methods," including the Silent Way,

Suggestopedia, and Community Language Learning, have gained followings, and
these reflect some of the above trends. In addition, there has been disillusionment
with the whole methods debate, partly due to inconclusiveness of research on
methods, and calls for a deeper understanding of the process of language learning
itself. Finally, there has been a greater stress on authenticity in language learning,
meaning that the activities involved in language learning reflect real-world uses of
the language.
1.3. Computers in English Language Teaching (ELT)
Technology integration in education in general and language teaching in
particular could be considered as the latest educational change movement and great
amount of importance since the 1980s. From first appearances, the computer has
been becoming more widespread and from this time onwards, the development in
education has been rapid. Warschauer has categorized the development process of
computer (the uses of computers for language teaching and learning) - CALL is the
10

acronym for Computer – Assisted Language Learning (CALL) into three “phases”:
behavioristic CALL, communicative CALL and integrative CALL (Warschauer, M,
1996; Warschauer, M & Healy, 1998)
Behavioristic CALL
The first phase of CALL conceived in the 1950s and implemented in the
1960s and 1970s.
This phase was based on the behaviorist learning theory and focus on repetitive
language drills (drill and practice) in language learning. In this phase, computer is
viewed as a mechanical tutor that allows independent learning.
Communicative CALL
The second phase of CALL was based on the communicative approach to
teaching, which became prominent in the 1970s and 80s. This phase emerged when
educators felt that the drilling approach did not allow for enough authentic
communication. It focuses more on using forms rather than on the forms themselves

and emphasizes learning as a creative process of discovery, expression and
development.
Integrative CALL
This phase focuses on a social or socio – cognitive view of language learning
and emphasizes the use of language in a more authentic context that encourage the
students to construct meaning using computers.
Those, three phases of CALL suggest that the computer can be used for a variety of
purposes in language teaching. The earlier phases are integrated into the new
development of the next new phase. It can be a tutor for language drills or skill
practice, a stimulus for discussion and interaction; or a tool for teaching and a
medium of “global communication and a source of limitless authentic materials”
(Warschauer, M: 1996)
When computers are used in education they are more than just another medium
of teaching, such as a chalkboard. Fifteen years ago, it was rare for people to have
computers in their homes, however, today, if you do not have a computer, you are at
11

somewhat of a disadvantage. Using the computer, a teacher can provide students
with different kind of learning. In order that teachers have always looked to
improve the effectiveness of their teaching with the tools offered to them. The
Office of Technology Association’s (OTA) Report (1995, p. 6) summarizes these
attempts with these sentences:
… “Throughout history, teachers have taken up the tools at hand to help them
teach - whether marking on clay with a stylus, or writing on a blackboard with
chalk. As new technologies have emerged-photography, filmstrips, radio,
televisions-teachers have used them to extend the range of what they could teach,
illustrate ideas in different ways, bring new materials to students, and motivate
learners”.
The following sections provide an overview of changes of computers that are
currently having on English language teaching (ELT):

Pedagogical change
Using computers in classrooms presents some changes: the changing of
traditional view of teaching and learning, the changing of relationships among
teachers and learners. For these changes, the new teaching methods and approaches
have been given to meet the objectives of the lessons. Every type of ELT method
has its own tool to support it. For example, the best tool for the grammar-
translation method is the blackboard which allows teachers to transmit
information one-way while the tape recorder is the best medium for the audio-
lingual method. The social development and more advanced technologies have
decided teaching methods to keep their pace. Subsequently, the latest change in this
area is the integration of technology in teaching English by using the
communicative language approach method. Technology in teaching refers to
technological tools and services which consist of computers, laptops, videos,
overhead projectors, digital video disks (DVDs), smart boards and the whole
range of modern devices that have been developed by technical companies to be
used in teaching (Saaid, 2010). For Percival (1984), the use of technology in the
12

EFL classrooms is seen as highly beneficial for language. Moreover, the birth and
rise of the Internet and the World Wide Web since its inception in the 1980s has
allowed both language teachers and students to explore various methods of learning.
From teacher–centered to student–centered approaches
By incorporating technology into the teaching of English, the role of the EFL
teachers in the language classroom has shifted from that of a traditional
teacher who uses textbooks to one who uses a variety of methods which includes
technology. Significantly, there is a shift in the learning environment from teacher–
centered towards student–centered approach with the presence of computers in the
classroom. That is moving from students as passive learners to students who are
active in the search for fulfillment their own learning need. Hadley and Sheingold
(1993) indicate that with technology, classrooms have been changed from a teacher-

centered educational environment to a student-centered environment.
In the same way, Warschauer & Healey (1998) states that teachers in the
computer- based environment are no longer the only active content provider but are
also facilitators guiding students towards their learning need and preparing students
with knowledge needed
Obviously, computer systems can be integrated into classrooms to make
students motivated to learn and help them build the skills. For example, students can
use the Internet as a library source, investigate everything from a lot of materials;
they can use computers to write research reports, conduct experiments and create
electronic portfolios for job applications. Similarly, computer tools and resources
can be used in many different ways to support teaching and learning, such as using
the features of word-processing programs to help students develop their skills in
drafting and editing written work; using e-mail to engage students in collaborative
learning activities with their friends and teachers within and outside their
institutions; working with the Internet in searching, gathering and organizing
information…

13

1.4. The roles and effectiveness of computers in English language teaching
The role of computers has dramatically changed since the 1980s saw the
introduction of computers to the educational classrooms. Computers and technology
are integrated into lesson plans, objectives and daily classroom routines. Computer-
based learning has taken hold in schools. Roblyer and Edwards (2000) suggested
five important reasons for teachers to use technology in education: (1) motivation,
(2) distinctive instructional abilities, (3) higher productivity of teachers, (4)
essential skills for the Information Age, and (5) support for new teaching techniques
(cited in, Samak, 2006).
Using IT and especially computers in teaching is gaining immense popularity
today. With the help of computer software and the Internet, teachers can give their

learners opportunities to study languages anywhere and anytime in classrooms, labs,
at home or even on the go. Computers also help instructors to update and create
their teaching materials more easily. They can also exchange their products,
thoughts, and ideas with their colleagues using e-mail, mailing lists, web sites and
other tools through the Internet.
Computers are the most popular among teachers and students either because
they are associated with fun and games as student motivation is therefore increased,
especially whenever a variety of activities are offered, which make students feel
more independent. With the uses of projectors in the language classrooms, language
teachers can use slide presentation to make their performance more interesting.
Students have reported to be highly interested in the lesson and therefore they
participated increasingly into the activities given by the language teachers. It means
that students are extremely motivated to interact during the class time, and as a
result, the language teaching becomes more effective. In this target, teachers’ uses
of IT are one of the most effective ways.
1.5. Teachers’ attitudes toward computers in teaching
Attitudes toward computer technology use play an important role, they often
account for a large part of the teachers’ willingness or reluctance to participate in
14

the use of computer technology as a teaching tool in their teaching practices in the
classrooms. Correspondingly, a number of studies were carried out to determine
teachers’ attitudes toward computer use.
According to Albirini (2006), teachers’ attitudes were considered as a major
predictor of the uses of new technologies in the educational settings. In other words,
their attitudes toward computers could play an important role in the acceptance and
actual uses of computers.

Besides, Kersaint, Horton, Stohl, and Garofalo (2003) found that teachers who
had positive attitudes toward technology felt more comfortable with using it and

usually incorporated it into their teaching. In the same way, Albirini (2004)
conducted a study to investigate the attitudes of EFL teachers in Syrian high schools
toward technology in education, both quantitative and qualitative methods were
employed to collect data. He found that the results from both quantitative and
qualitative data indicated that teachers had positive attitudes toward technology use
in education.
Regarding the acceptance of IT in education, Albirini (2004, p.36) stated that
positive attitudes often encouraged less technologically capable teachers to learn the
skills necessary for the implementation of technology-based activities in the
classroom.
1.6. Factors affecting the uses of computers
There are many factors that affect teachers’ uses of computer technology in
teaching were analyzed by many research studies. In a study conducted by Ertmer
(2002), some barriers to technology integration within teaching were: lack of
computers, lack of quality software, lack of time, technical problems, teachers’
attitudes towards computers, poor funding, lack of teacher confidence, resistance to
change, poor administrative support, lack of computer skill, poor fit with the
curriculum, lack of incentives, scheduling difficulties, poor training opportunities,
and lack of vision as to how to integrate technology.
15

In a report on the barriers that existed in schools that prevent teachers from
making full use of ICT in teaching, Jones (2004, p. 3) has summarized some of the
key findings as follows:
 A very significant determinant of teachers’ levels of engagement in ICT is
their level of confidence in using the technology.
 There is a close relationship between levels of confidence and many other
issues which themselves can be considered as barriers to ICT.
 Levels of access to ICT are significant in determining levels of use of ICT by
teachers.

 Inappropriate training styles result in low levels of ICT use by teachers.
 Teachers are sometimes unable to make full use of technology because they
lack the time needed to fully prepare and research materials for lessons.
 Technical faults with ICT equipment are likely to lead to lower levels of ICT
use by teachers.
 Resistance to change is a factor which prevents the full integration of ICT in
the classroom.
 Teachers who do not realize the advantages of using technology in their
teaching are less likely to make use of ICT.
 There are close relationships between many of the identified barriers to ICT
use; any factors influencing one barrier are likely also to influence several
other barriers.
In addition, Kong Siew (1997) listed three factors that inhibited teachers’ uses of
computers in the classroom are:
 Limited time for the teachers to incorporate computers in the teaching and
learning.
 Limited number of computers in schools.
 Teachers’ limited computer knowledge or skills to integrate the computer in
their lesson.
(Kong Siew ,1997, cited in Rahman 2000, p. 536)
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Some other studies have reported findings on the demographic variables that
moderately affect the proper integration of computers in education such as gender,
age, professional rank, academic background, and subject taught (Payette, 1987;
Inch, 1987; Vakalis, 1990).
As mentioned before, it would appear that there are many factors that may or
indeed may not affect teacher’s uses of computers in the teaching environment and
in most researches; many of these factors interact with each other. However, for the
purpose of this study the researcher will examine the factors affecting teachers’ uses

of computers by exploiting some of factors that have been reported through
researches carried out above: age, lack of time for preparation, lack of technical
support, lack of computer experience, lack of computer training, lack of computers,
lack of teachers’ positive attitudes and lack of confidence.
Summary
In this chapter, a number of issues related to the research questions have been
presented. The review focuses on themes such as some grounds of attitudes,
findings from prior studies around integration of computers in language teaching
and teachers’ attitudes toward computers in language teaching and factors affecting
teachers’ computer use. This literature review serves as the theoretical framework
for the researcher to build up questionnaires, then to analyze the data collected as
well as to suggest some implications for teachers’ uses of computers in ELT at
HNTTC. The next chapter will provide the readers with the information about the
context and methodology of the study.



17

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
2.1. Context of the study
The survey is conducted at Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College which is located
in Phu Ly city, a small city in the south of Hanoi capital, Ha Nam province, this
college is a training unit in the national education system. Students are trained to
become teachers, administrators, and professional staff of secondary schools,
primary schools, and kindergartens with great passion for education career, good
political ethics, wide knowledge and skills in their major. Besides, students are also
trained to have the capacity to access knowledge and advance teaching methods to
meet the development requirements of education in the whole province.
Furthermore, the college provides office workers specializing in English for joint-

venture companies in the industrial zones in the city, trains interpreters and
translators to work in the Middle-East countries in Asia within the city’s project.
With the aims to build the school to become the center of cultural, scientific of
the local towards upgrading into Ha Nam University in 2015, HNTTC has gradually
enhanced the quality of teachers and students as well as the foundation of the
school.
At Faculty of Foreign Languages and Informatics, there are 15 teachers of
English, and five teachers of Informatics. All teachers of English take
responsibilities of teaching English for the major groups and all other groups (non-
major) where English is a compulsory course.
Of 15 teachers of English aged between 25 and 54 at the Faculty, there are 6
M.A degree holders, four of them are studying for an M.A degree and the rest hold
a B.A degree in English language teaching. All of them are very friendly and
enthusiasm.
At HNTTC, English is considered an extremely important subject to all students
regardless the majors they are learning. From 2006 Ha Nam Teachers’ Training
College opened the classes for students majoring in English. Up to now, there have
been six classes majored in English. Now there existed three English major classes
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and about thirty other majored classes such as Physical Education, Maths, Biology,
Accounting…. Almost all students come from rural areas of Ha Nam such as Kim
Bang, Ly Nhan, Thanh Liem, Binh Luc, and they still have very limited access to
Internet to find resources for studying.
Computers facilities
HNTTC is fully networked, giving wireless Internet connections in every
classroom. Students, however, have to bring their own computer to the classroom if
they want to surf the webs. There are over seventy classrooms:
 Two fixed classrooms for teaching English majored students are fully
equipped with a computer, a projector, a loudspeaker and a DVD player for

each; however, keeping these computers in good quality is not very frequent.
 Fifteen classrooms are equipped with projectors to facilitate the use of visual
teaching methods in some subjects for other students if necessary
 Four computer rooms are for students to practice informatics.
 The rest is not IT’s equipment.
In fact, most of the English teachers have their own laptops except two teachers
(one over 40 and other over 50 years old) and they often take laptops with them
anytime they go to work (both inside and outside classrooms). Consequently, they
are very easy to access computers anywhere for their personal purposes.
There are four faculties, each is provided with two printers connected to
computers: one for dean and one for room staff. In addition, the school has licensed
software for Microsoft Office on all computers. This college is in a unique position
where there has been a significant investment in ICT.
More importantly, the college leaders always make ends meet for teaching
equipment to facilitate the teaching. In 2008, a computer-training course was
organized for all teachers and staffs within six weeks. In general, most of people
took part in except some due to their personal problems.


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2.2. Participants
Fifteen teachers of English participated in this study, and all of them are female
teachers. They are from different parts of Ha Nam Province, mainly in Phu Ly city.
Most of them are married and have children; only three teachers are still single.
Among these teachers, only one teacher is more than 50 years old; two teachers are
more than 40; two are above 30 and the rest of them are all from 25 to 30 years old.
Teachers who are more than 40 years old extensively used traditional methods of
teaching (blackboard and chalk) rather than with computer technology. Among
these, there are two teachers majored in Russian and one majored in French so that

to join teaching English officially, they had to study English to get English
certificate because French and Russian were omitted in the curriculum.
From the application of the new methods, they are very enthusiastic and flexible
to update Information Technology and integrate them in their teaching. Most of
them used different technologies to some extent in different situations either inside
or outside the classroom. They also used computers as a means of communications
such as emails and a tool for preparing lessons, designing tests, reports…. However,
these teachers do not have their own Websites; they often post the requirements for
students by delivery of papers but rarely on the website of the school.
Table 1: Background Information about Questionnaire Respondents
Age
25 - 30
31 - 35
36 - 40
41 - 45
45 above
Total
Numbers of
Teachers
10
2
0
2
1
15
Years of
teaching
experience
1 -5
5 - 10

11 - 15
16 - 20
20 above
Numbers of
Teachers
5
6
1
2
1