Factors affecting first year medical technology students on using ELL software to improve their pronunciation at a medical and pharmaceutical university in vietnam

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THỊ HẢI YẾN

FACTORS AFFECTING FIRST-YEAR MEDICAL
TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS ON USING ELL SOFTWARE
TO IMPROVE THEIR PRONUNCIATION AT A MEDICAL AND
PHARMACEUTICAL UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM
(CÁC YẾU TỐ ẢNH HƯỞNG ĐẾN VIỆC SỬ DỤNG PHẦN MỀM ELL
ĐỂ CẢI THIỆN KHẢ NĂNG PHÁT ÂM CHO SINH VIÊN KỸ THUẬT
Y HỌC NĂM THỨ NHẤT TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC Y DƯỢC
Ở VIỆT NAM)

Master thesis

Major: English Language Teaching
Code: 60140111

HANOI - 2017


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THỊ HẢI YẾN

FACTORS AFFECTING FIRST-YEAR MEDICAL
TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS ON USING ELL SOFTWARE

TO IMPROVE THEIR PRONUNCIATION AT A MEDICAL AND
PHARMACEUTICAL UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM
(CÁC YẾU TỐ ẢNH HƯỞNG ĐẾN VIỆC SỬ DỤNG PHẦN MỀM ELL
ĐỂ CẢI THIỆN KHẢ NĂNG PHÁT ÂM CHO SINH VIÊN KỸ THUẬT
Y HỌC NĂM THỨ NHẤT TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC Y DƯỢC
Ở VIỆT NAM)

Master thesis

Major: English Language Teaching
Code: 60140111
Superviser: PhD. Hoàng Ngọc Tuệ

HANOI - 2017


DECLARATION

I hereby state that I Nguyen Thi Hai Yen, being an MA candidate of
the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Languages and
International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, certify my
authorship of the study entitled ―Factors affecting first-year medical
technology students on using ELL software to improve their pronunciation at
a medical and pharmaceutical university in Vietnam.‖
The thesis is the study of my own research and the substance of the
thesis has not, wholly or in part, been submitted for a degree to any other
universities or institutions.

Supervisor‟s signature

Student‟s signature

PhD. Hoàng Ngọc Tuệ

Nguyễn Thị Hải Yến

i


ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to express my special thanks to my supervisor PhD.
Hoang Ngoc Tue for his constant guidance, suggestions, dedication and
professionalism through my research.
My deep gratitude goes to the lecturers of the Faculty of Postgraduate
Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National
University, Hanoi for their thoughtful and fruitful lectures which have
inspired me to conduct this study.
I am also indebted to the staff and students of the Department of
Foreign Languages at Haiphong University of Medicine and Pharmacy for
their support and participation in my research.
I wish to acknowledge, in particular, my family and my best friends
who have encouraged me while I was accomplishing this study.
Finally, I would like to thank the readers who have patiently read and
given valuable comments on this thesis.

ii


ABSTRACT

It is crucial for a language learner to have a good pronunciation of the
language. CALL accordingly has a great potential to teach and learn
pronunciation. Through much research has been undertaken on CALL, there
exist a gap in investigating factors affecting the use of CALL to improve
English pronunciation in a medical and pharmaceutical university when
language students face many medical terminologies, especially in Vietnamese
context. In order to address such a gap, this study examines the use of a
software program, students‘ motivation to use the program, the effectiveness
of the program. This study seeks to contribute new understandings into using
CALL to improve pronunciation and recommendations to use CALL
effectively. The qualitative data are collected from students‘ learning sheets,
classroom observation and students focus group, and content analysis is
employed for the interpretation of the data. The results showed that the
students agreed on a number of factors affecting the effective use of the
software such as motivation, lack of training and policy climate.
Keywords: CALL, English pronunciation, focus group, learning sheet,
classroom observation, content analysis

iii


TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION .............................................................................................. i
ACKNOWLEDGMENT................................................................................. ii
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENT ................................................................................. iv
LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................... vi
LIST OF APPENDICES................................................................................ vi
LIST OF ABBREVIATION ......................................................................... vii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ........................................................... 1
1.1. Statement of the problem ..................................................................... 1
1.2. Objectives of the study.......................................................................... 2
1.3. Methods of the study ............................................................................. 3
1.4. The significance of the study ................................................................ 3
1.5. Thesis outline ......................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................. 5
2.1. Role of pronunciation in language teaching and learning ................ 5
2.2. Challenges of teaching pronunciation ................................................. 7
2.3. Benefits of using CALL software in EFL teaching and learning
pronunciation. .............................................................................................. 8
2.4. Challenges of using CALL software in EFL teaching and learning
pronunciation. ............................................................................................ 12
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY................................................... 17
3.1. Context of the study ............................................................................ 17
3.2. Description of the software program ................................................ 18
3.3. Research questions .............................................................................. 18
3.4. Research design ................................................................................... 19
3.5. Data collection ..................................................................................... 21

iv


3.5.1. Classroom observation .................................................................... 22
3.5.2. Learning sheet ................................................................................. 22
3.5.3. Focus group interview .................................................................... 23
CHAPTER 4. DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ............................ 24
4.1. Data analysis ........................................................................................ 25
4.2. Results .................................................................................................. 26
4.2.1. Benefits of ELL .............................................................................. 26

4.2.2. The challenges of ELL .................................................................... 28
4.2.3. Motivation ....................................................................................... 29
4.2.4. Necessary improvements ................................................................ 30
4.3. Discussions and recommendations .................................................... 32
4.3.1. Teacher and student training ........................................................... 32
4.3.2. Motivation for Student Self-Discipline .......................................... 33
4.3.3. Policy Climate................................................................................. 35
CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION ..................................................................... 38
5.1. Summary .............................................................................................. 38
5.2. Limitations of the Study ..................................................................... 39
5.3. Suggestions for Further Research ..................................................... 39
REFERENCES .............................................................................................. 40
APPENDICES ..................................................................................................I
Appendix 1: The congruence of research questions, literature reviews,
conceptual framework, data collection methods, data sources, and data
analysis ...........................................................................................................I
Appendix 2: Student Focus Group Interview .........................................IV
Appendix 3: Student’s Learning Sheet ..................................................... V
Appendix 4: Classroom observation .......................................................VI

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Benefits and challenges of CALL ................................................... 16
Figure 2: Crotty‘s (1998) model of research design ....................................... 19
Figure 3: Data Collection Model .................................................................... 22

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix 1: The congruence of research questions, literature reviews,
conceptual framework, data collection methods, data sources, and data
analysis ............................................................................................................... I
Appendix 2: Student Focus Group Interview ................................................. IV
Appendix 3: Student‘s Learning Sheet ............................................................ V
Appendix 4: Classroom observation .............................................................. VI

vi


LIST OF ABBREVIATION
CALL: Computer Assisted Language Learning
CAPT: Computer Assisted Pronunciation-Teaching
CAP: Computer Assisted Pronunciation
EFL: Learning English as a Foreign
ESP: English for Specific Purposes

vii


CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
This first chapter consists of five sections. It begins with the statement
of the research problem (section 1.1). Section 1.2 provides the objectives of
the study and research questions. The section 1.3 and 1.4 present the methods
of the study and the significance of the study. The last section in this first
chapter (section 1.5) presents the thesis outline.
1.1. Statement of the problem
In recent decades, due to the impacts of globalization, English is
increasingly used as an international language (Jenkins, 1998). Pronunciation

is becoming more and more important for successful communication
(Stephens, Silbert, & Hasson, 2010). The use of spoken language to establish
successful communication also becomes the general goals of language
teaching (Kelly, 2006). This reality has realized a new level-headed
discussion about models, objectives and especially, the techniques used for
teaching speaking and pronunciation.
Much research has dealt with teaching English pronunciation and
problems learners confront in English pronunciation and the research
proposed that the teaching and learning of English pronunciation take time
(Levis & Grant, 2003; Sifakis & Sougari, 2005). As a matter of fact,
communication may break down when individuals pronounce erroneously.
Besides, students with great pronunciation are usually more capable speakers
and more fruitful language students than those with poor pronunciation
(Kelly, 2006).
Understanding

the

roles

of

learning

and

teaching

English

pronunciation, the researcher has had great effort to help students pronounce
English better, however, the job meets with many difficulties. Meanwhile,

1


students, from a medical and pharmaceutical university, have to deal with a
large number of terminologies every lesson. Moreover, teaching English
pronunciation is not included in the curriculum. In order to solve these
problems, the researcher attempt investigate students‘ use of ELL software
program to improve English pronunciation. To validate the problem of this
study, the researcher did a pilot study of the previous semester class. The
findings showed that besides it was a great software program and students had
great motivation to study at first, they did not see significant improvements in
their pronunciation.
Learning about applying software to improve pronunciation, the
researcher found that the successful software application depends on many
factors such as the pedagogical requirements (Murray & Barnes, 1998;
Pennington, 1999; Price, 1998; Warschauer & Healey, 1998; Watts,
1997), the age, motivation for learning second or foreign language as well as
the amount of feedback and the smooth-run of the systems or of technical
failures (Piske, MacKay, & Flege, 2001) and so on.
At this point, this research attempts to find out the specific factors that
affect the first- year medical technology students on using ELL software and
make suggestions for the effective use of the software. The literature review
showed that there exists a gap in Vietnamese context to identify benefits and
challenges of using CALL to teach and learn English pronunciation. In this
sense, the researcher would like to conduct the study ―Factors affecting firstyear medical technology students on using ELL software to improve their
pronunciation at a medical and pharmaceutical university in Vietnam‖.
1.2. Objectives of the study

Research objectives are the results found by the researcher at the end of
the research process, i.e. what the researcher will be able to achieve at the end

2


of the research study. In other words, the objectives of a research project
summarize what is to be achieved by the study (Clement, 2010). Objectives
should be closely related to the statement of the problem. In this study, the
objectives are to:
- Identify the factors that influence students when they use ELL
software to improve their pronunciation.
- Give recommendations in using software to improve students‘
pronunciation more effectively.
To achieve these objectives, the researcher observed the class and took
notes of the teaching and learning procedures, asked students to write a
learning sheet in every lesson, and at the end of the research project, students
were divided into four focus group interviews. The research project lasted in
15 weeks in the first semester when the students – participants just entered the
university. The participants were 28 first – year medical technology students.
1.3. Methods of the study
This study is conducted as a qualitative approach. The reasons for the
adoption was that qualitative design allows the researcher to obtain the way
students use ELL software (Merriam, 2002) and the factors influence the
students in using ELL software and give the commendations in order to
improve their English pronunciation. Qualitative data were collected via a
combination of different instruments namely classroom observation, learning
sheet and group focus interview. Besides, the collected data from the research
instruments were analyzed in the light of content analysis (O‘Dwyer, 2004).
1.4. The significance of the study

There has been much research in teaching and learning pronunciation
and teaching and learning pronunciation using technology. However, there
exists a gap in which this study provides an overview about the factors that

3


influence medical and pharmaceutical students into the application of
software to improve pronunciation to fulfil. The results of the study are
beneficial for both institutions and teachers who are wondering whether to use
the software to support their teaching more effectively and students who are
in use of the software to improve their pronunciation.
1.5. Thesis outline
This thesis is presented in five chapters. This introductory chapter
describes the statement of the problem which explains why the researcher
proposed this thesis. It introduces research objectives, the method of the study
and the significance of the study.
Chapter two reviews the literature focusing on role of pronunciation
and teaching pronunciation, challenges of teaching pronunciation, benefits
and challenges of using CALL to improve English pronunciation.
Chapter three presents a detailed description of the research
methodology. This chapter starts with a description of the context of the
study, the research design. Then, the data collection methods and procedure
are outlined.
Chapter four reports the data analysis and discussions from the findings
Chapter five summarizes all the main ideas expressed throughout the
research, contributions and limitations of the study as well as suggests further
research.

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
In order to answer the research questions and identify necessary
research issues, this chapter reviews the literature on the following areas.
Section 2.1 presents the role of pronunciation in language teaching and
learning. Challenges of teaching pronunciation are given in section 2.2.
Section 2.3 identifies the benefits of CALL in EFL teaching and learning
pronunciation. Sections 2.4 discusses the challenges of using CALL in EFL
teaching and learning pronunciation.
2.1. Role of pronunciation in language teaching and learning
There are some elements that help people be good at a language.
Pronunciation is one of essential factors. It plays an important role in both
teaching and learning language (Çakır & Baytar, 2014; Fraser & Perth, 1999;
Levis & Grant, 2003; Sifakis & Sougari, 2005)
In learning pronunciation, Sifakis and Sougari (2005) show two reasons
of importance of pronunciation in language learning. First, pronunciation
contributes to the establishment of their socio-cultural identity. Second, it
helps make conversation in a certain setting among non-native speakers or
between non-native speakers and native speakers possible. This will be
performed by speakers' use of sounds which are easy to understand and
prosodic features together with other aspects about language such as
grammar, discourse, and so on. Besides, most language teachers agree that
―intelligible pronunciation is vital to successful communication‖ and most
students see ―pronunciation as an important part of learning to speak...‖
(Levis & Grant, 2003).
Kelly (2006) adds that it is crucial for a language learner to have a good
pronunciation of that language. It has an important role in learners‘ speaking
ability. Learners are good at grammar and vocabulary, but they still fail in

5


communicating effectively because of their poor pronunciation. Kelly also
maintains that mispronunciation and misrepresentation of prosodic features
make it difficult for listeners to understand and convey the speaker‘s
meanings. Moreover, Gilakjani (2012) confirms that great pronunciation
abilities do not only bring confidence to the speaker but also enhances their
listening and understanding. A speaker with good pronunciation is also a
good listener. That is the premise of a successful communication even though
their grammar and sentence structures are not really appropriate.
In teaching pronunciation, the objectives of pronunciation teaching
ought not to be procuring native–like pronunciation but should be
―developing functional intelligibility, communicability, increased selfconfidence, the development of speech monitoring abilities and speech
modification strategies for use beyond the classroom‖ (Otlowski, 1998).In
this sense, Harmer (2003) additionally notices that students who produce
"perfect" pronunciation appear to depend particularly on their attitude to how
they talk and how well they listen. He goes on that various mental issues may
influence how "foreign" a person sounds when they talk, thus teachers and
students need to consider understandability as the prime objective of
pronunciation teaching and learning.
In order to make the objectives of teaching pronunciation clear, CelceMurcia, Briton and Goodwin (1996) justified the communicative approach to
teaching. He proposed that teaching of pronunciation is dire and imperative in
light of the fact that the non-native speakers need a certain level of
pronunciation and ―If they fall below this threshold level, they will have oral
communication problems no matter how excellent and extensive their control
of English grammar and vocabulary might be‖. Besides, Murphy (1991)
found that the vast majority of courses accentuate general oral communication
over pronunciation, teachers must look for inventive routes to coordinate

6


pronunciation under talking - turned classes. He also said that pronunciation
direction needs to be combined with extensive level of communication
activities in which the speakers and listeners participate in a meaningful
communication.
In conclusion, pronunciation plays a vital role in teaching and learning a
foreign language because the proper pronunciation contributes to create
successful communication. If a speaker uses the right words, the right
structures but he mispronounces or pronounces difficultly to hear, he causes
misunderstanding, communication interruption or communication breakdown
(Kelly, 2006).
2.2. Challenges of teaching pronunciation
Teaching pronunciation has never been an easy task (Ross, 1992). In
fact, it faces many challenges (Foote, Holtby, & Derwing, 2012 2012; Miller,
2000). ―Pronunciation can be one of the most difficult parts for a language
learner to master, one of the least favorite topics for teacher to address in the
classroom‖ (Gilakjani, 2012). The challenges of teaching pronunciation come
from several factors: the timetable of teaching pronunciation, the student and
the teacher.
First, there is normally little or no time distributed to properly teach
pronunciation and the greater part of lesson arrangement is dedicated to
vocabulary and linguistic use (Baker, 1996).

Actually, in any case, the

obligation of the instructive framework for English spoken skill advancement
is as much critical as its duty regarding concentrating on the written form of
the dialect (Anderson & Pearson, 1984). As Kelly (2006) claims, when

arranging a timetable of English lessons, teachers normally disregard to
incorporate pronunciation issues and they put most concentration on the
organization of grammatical structures and lexical syllabus. Educators do not
have enough time in their lessons, which would be committed to

7


pronunciation, and if there is time consideration is typically given to drills
which prompt disheartened both teachers and learners (Gilbert, 2008).
Second, students do not pay attention on pronunciation as much as
grammar. Pronunciation, in correlation with the grammar rules, cannot be just
instilled in a student's mind (Laroy, 1995). Besides, psychological factors
play a significant part in learning pronunciation since students are not as
beyond any doubt about their pronunciation as they are about their insight
into sentence structures and lexis. The most basic elements of speaking are
deeply personal and our sense of community is bound up in the speech
rhythms of our first language. These psychological challenges are usually
insensible but they prevent speakers from improving the intelligibility
(Gilbert, 2008).Third, many English language teachers show a tendency to
avoid teaching pronunciation because they lack of skills, knowledge and
confidence (Brown, 1992; Claire, 1993; Fraser, 2000; Yates, 2001).
Furthermore, teachers themselves may feel more unverifiable about
pronunciation than about grammar and lexis. Jim (2005) stressed that teachers
do not have enough specialized information to help students properly so some
teachers still do not pay enough attention to pronunciation.
In conclusion, there are three primary reasons (the timetable of teaching
pronunciation, the student and the teacher) why pronunciation is ignored in
classes. They are also the challenges in teaching English pronunciation
2.3. Benefits of using CALL software in EFL teaching and learning

pronunciation.
There are two main roles of CALL software: as a learning aid and
resource for reference (Barr, 2004). First, CALL software is as a learning aid.
Barr (2004) states that a computer can be used to improve the learning
abilities of students in numerous contexts of study, including language
learning. Computer software is as a tutor, "adopting the role of the teacher"

8


and as a tool to produce course materials. In addition, the role of innovation in
CALL can be thought of in terms of ―the metaphors of tutor, tool, and
medium‖. In the ―tutor‖ role, computers can give correction feedback, and
tests in grammar, vocabulary, writing, pronunciation and different forms of
assessments of language and culture learning. In the ―tool‖ part, computers
provide prepared access to written, sound, and visual materials pertinent to
the language and culture being studied. They additionally give reference
tools, for example, online dictionaries, language structures and style checkers,
and concordances for corpus examination. The Internet and databases can fill
in as devices for improving pronunciation. In the ―medium‖ role, technology
gives sites for interpersonal communication, sight and sound distribution,
community participation, and identity formation (Kern, 2006).
Second, CALL software can be a resource for reference in EFL
teaching and learning. CALL software programs are accessible over the web
which can likewise be directly downloaded. This gives teachers the chance to
get prepared lessons using the appropriate projects with aims and targets of
their lessons in some clicks. Besides, students are allowed to peruse the web
for material or use CALL software to improve their pronunciation.
In the era of globalization, applying technology in teaching language
has never been more of interest (Bunnell, Yarrington, & Polikoff, 2000 2000;

Chou, 2005; Eskenazi & Pelton, 2002; Giuliani, Mich, & Nardon, 2003 2003;
Kawai & Tabain, 2000; Sfakianaki et al., 2001; Warnick, 2001) regardless of
the significance of its application in teaching pronunciation. Computerassisted pronunciation (CAP) is based on the combinations of innovation for
teaching and learning and the segmental and suprasegmental highlights of
sound system. Rostron and Kinsell (1995) describe it as the use of digitized
discourse for improving dialect articulations. CAP has been utilized as a part
of teaching pronunciation to accomplish two purposes: diagnosing the

9


learner's deviation in articulation and helping him/her in correcting any such
deviations (Kawai & Hirose, 1997; Machovikov, Stolyarov, Chernov,
Sinclair, & Machovikova, 2002 Sinclair, &Machovikova, 2002; Najmi &
Bernstein, 1996).
Consequently, it cannot be denied that CALL software in particular and
information technology in general plays a positive role in pronunciation
learning. As such, software is a virtual instructor, a teacher's partner, a guide,
an instrument, a teacher and a learning device which can promote learning in
general and learning pronunciation in particular (Beatty, 2013).
There are many studies about the benefits of using CALL and CAPT
software. Neri, Cucchiarini and Strik (2002) confirmed that CAPT systems
seem to meet the requirements of pronunciation training and offer a number
of advantages:
“First, they make it possible to address individual problems. Second,
they allow students to train as long as they wish and in their own
tempo. Third, by giving students a chance to train individually, these
systems may lead to a reduction of foreign language classroom anxiety
and thus indirectly favor learning. Finally, they offer the possibility to
store student profiles in log-files, so that both the teacher and the

student can monitor problems and improvements” (p. 3).
Second, CAPT makes the invisible sound become visible and solid
graphics show up in front of the foreign language students. The students learn how
to articulate the sound by listening, mimicking and repeating, as well as through
accepting feedback. Therefore, students may get feedback without anguish shame
in front of other students (Bill, as cited in Boyd and Murphy, 2002).
Third, when using CAP software, students can experience an
environment of English. Boyd and Murphy (2002) has argued that ―one of the

10


most powerful uses of multimedia is to immerse the user in a learning
environment‖. Besides, in the environment of CALL, Liou (2000) designated
"Nowadays, technology has new potentials in multimedia or hypermedia-type
courseware where students have considerable freedom to navigate in the
environment ". Therefore, students can have improved contact with English
pronunciation.
Fourth, youthful and adult language students are difficult in taking
another language. They need ―exceptional effort or motivation to progress‖
(Celce-Murcia et al., 1996). Besides, Pennington (1999) brought up that most
adult learners will hardly be able to improve their productive and receptive
competence of a new sound system without explicit instruction. Computer –
aided or helped pronunciation with phonological systems can encourage adult
and grown-up dialect students' beneficial and open ability in pronunciation of a
target dialect. Moreover, CAPT ―provide stimuli to auditory, visual, and
kinesthetic learners. It is known that animation can increase learner interest and
motivation, provide metacognitive scaffolding and mental models, and promote
visual stimuli to establish connections between the abstract and the concrete‖
(Dooley, Stuessy & Magill, as cited in Boyd & Murphy, 2002, p.37).

Fifth, in comparison with the real teacher, Hardison (2004) adds four
more effects of CAPT. Fist, CAPT is enthusiastic. Instructors basically
cannot, at the same time, provide training and input required for a lot of
students. Second, CAPT is steady. It is always dependable in its introduction
of motivation material and in the sort of feedback given. Teachers regularly
are not. Third, CAPT gives variety, both in the quantities of voices utilized as
models and in opportunities for visual feedback, particularly in areas like
pitch development. At last, CAPT offers the opportunity to meet fluctuated

11


singular needs more effectively than any educator can. It advances student
independence in practice pronunciation, a basic factor in success.
In summary, there are a lot of benefits of CALL and CAPT in teaching
and learning pronunciation. They overcome the limitations of the real teacher
and improve the effectiveness of learning pronunciation (Hardison, 2004).
2.4. Challenges of using CALL software in EFL teaching and learning
pronunciation.
Besides the benefits that CALL software brings to language learning
and teaching, there are many challenges of using software in EFL teaching
and learning pronunciation. They relate to students, teachers, institutions.
Although a variety of research has been conducted into the
development of computer-assisted foreign language learning systems, little
attention has been paid to pronunciation learning and teaching. Witt & Young
(2014) pointed out the challenges of CAPT:
“it is not possible to process and evaluate any oral response of a
student using the standard means of interaction such as keyboard and
mouse. Additionally, unlike with grammar or vocabulary exercises
where there exist clearly defined wrong or right answers, in

pronunciation exercises, there exists no clearly right or wrong answer.
A large number of different factors contribute to the overall
pronunciation quality and these are also difficult to measure. Hence,
the transition from poor to good pronunciation is a gradual one, and
any assessment must also be presented on a graduated scale” (p. 26).
Davies (2012) points out another challenge of using CALL software is
that students do not recognize the mistakes they make, the assistance tools
that much CALL software provides are restricted by the data that the software
has nourished into the assistance segment database. The use the proper
software for the students' level is very important. If it is not right for their

12


level, the activities cannot be kept from turning into the mayhem of
improvement (Higgins, 1988). Moreover, ―it appears that CALL systems have
insufficient technological capability to recognize and respond to the human
voice‖ (Ehsani & Knodt, 1998, as cited in Barr, 2004). Students cannot yet
make the conversation or give questions to a computer. Besides, computers do
not give some essential features of real communicative situations and the
sense of collaboration. However, that can be found in class with a teacher.
CALL is not very good at teaching themselves and the software does not run
the lesson for the teacher. The teacher can adapt and give students advice but
the software cannot do that (Higgins, 1988).
However simple a software is, students need to learn how to use it.
(Higgins, 1988).
Further, the students who use CALL package may complain about
- Inadequate user interfaces and the general lack of user friendliness
- The lack of adaptivity
- The restricted menu of exercises

- The lack of adequate language processing methods (Kumaresan,
Balamurugan, & Thirunavukkarasu, 2012)
Nowadays, the application of information technology in teaching and
learning is the trend. However, the use of software to support teaching and
learning also causes some difficulties for the institution. A few institutions
have not coordinated CALL into the classroom in view of saw issues with
innovation, teaching philosophy, classroom conditions, cost and teacher
training (Beatty, 2013; Lee, 2001). Among these the primary concern is cost:
"The cost of technology can be a barrier both to getting involved in CALL
and maintaining the latest technology.… other problems center around
developing new CALL programs, including a lack of funds, expertise and
authoring programs‖ (Beatty, 2013).

13


In spite of the fact that the business software is interesting, teachers or
students need to choose legitimate and appropriate software. How to pick
reasonable software for students is an imperative issue for teachers and
universities. Lee (2001) stated that: ―With a wide range of commercial
software programs available to language teachers, selecting those that best
suit the needs of the students has become a challenging task‖.
There are some studies on the factors affect the students or teachers in
using ICT in general and CALL software in EFL teaching and learning in
particular all of which take a different approach.
Bingimlas (2009) discussed the barriers that affect the integration of
ICT into education in two levels. The first level is teacher barriers. It consists
of the teacher confidence, teacher competence, resistance to change and
negative attitudes. The second is school barriers that include of time, effective
training, accessibility and technical support.

Fung & Yuen (2012) pointed out the factors that affect the students‘
ICT use include internal factors and external factors. The internal factors
consist of self-efficacy, learning styles, learning strategies, learning attitude,
demographic attributes, life characteristics, need for interaction, past
experience, motivation and attitude towards web-based instruction. The
external factors are access to technical resources, need for Internet
connectivity, societal factors (e.g. student‘s interactions, student‘s role),
learning climate and attributes of the technology. These studies were all
concerned with the factors that affect the use ICT in EFL teaching and
learning in general but there is no study in the factors that affect students in
using CALL software to improve their pronunciation.
In Vietnam, there is a study about using CALL software to improve
students‘ pronunciation but the study investigated in English majors at a
university in Vietnam (Trinh, 2015). Besides, Graceffo (2010) pointed out

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two factors which adversely affect the Vietnamese learner in learning
pronunciation. First, students don‘t want to make any mistakes because they
could lose face. Second, no one wants to stand out or innovate. These are just
a few examples of the research that have been completed in this area. The
literature review motivates the researcher to carry out this study to study
factors affecting students on using a software to improve their pronunciation.
This study seeks to contribute new understandings into Vietnamese context of
using CALL to improve pronunciation in general and using CALL to improve
pronunciation at vocational institutions in particular.
Attitudes

Factors

Kawai & Hirose, 1997; Machovikov,
Stolyarov, Chernov, Sinclair, &
Machovikova, 2002 Sinclair,
&Machovikova, 2002; Najmi &
Bernstein, 1996

 Diagnose pronunciation mistakes

(Beatty, 2013)

 Promote pronunciation learning

Bill, as cited in Boyd and Murphy,
2002

 Avoid embarrassment

Boyd and Murphy, (2002)

 provide a learning environment

Celce-Murcia et al., 1996

 Promote motivation

Dooley, Stuessy & Magill, as cited in
Boyd & Murphy, 2002, p.37

 Increase learner interest and

motivation

 Correct pronunciation mistakes

 Provide metacognitive scaffolding
and mental models
 Provide visuals to learn
Hardison, 2004

 Overcome teacher‘s drawback

Witt & Young (2014)

 Provide unclear mistake diagnosis

Higgins, 1988

 Need to choose proper software
 Need to consider learner‘s

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language proficiency
 Need to interact and interfere with
the software
 Need to learn how to use the
software
Kumaresan, Balamurugan, &
Thirunavukkarasu, 2012

 Need to interfere with the software
 Need Vietnamese adaptivity
 Need a richer menu of exercises
 Need adequate language
processing methods

(Beatty, 2013; Lee, 2001)

 Exist issues with innovation,
teaching philosophy, classroom
conditions, cost and teacher
training including a lack of funds,
expertise and authoring programs
 Need to pick reasonable software
for students

Lee, 2001

 Need to choose good software

Bingimlas, 2009

 Exist teacher barriers

Fung & Yuen, 2012

 Exist a need for self-efficacy,
learning styles, learning strategies,
learning attitude, demographic

attributes, life characteristics
 Exist a need for interaction, past
experience, motivation and
attitude
 Need to consider technical
resources, societal factors

Figure 1: Benefits and challenges of CALL

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