FPT University students’ and lecturers’ perception of using ICT in learning and teaching English

Abstract

Information and communication technology (ICT) is of paramount importance in our daily life and can be used effectively in education. Thus, ICT has been considered as a supportive tool for both teachers and students in teaching and learning English. There have been many published studies about the use of ICTs in English learning and teaching for the last few decades. However, limited research has been done at university level in Vietnam to investigate this issue either from students’ or teachers’ views. The study aimed to investigate FPT university students’ and lecturers’ perception of ICT use in studying and teaching English. In order to achieve the goal, the research has four main foci including (a) ICT devices ownership and device-usage patterns in learning and teaching English; (b) perceived effectiveness of using ICT; (c) factors affecting ICT integration; and (d) students’ and teachers’ expectations in ICT-integrated English teaching and learning. A mixed-method paradigm was applied in this research using an online survey of 257 students and semi-structured interviews with 5 students and 4 English lecturers. The analysis of the study revealed that students and lecturers owned a variety of different ICT devices, particularly laptops and used them frequently to support their learning and teaching. Both students and teachers generally have positive evaluation on the efficiency of ICT. More specifically, students claimed that the integration of ICT in their learning not only improved their English proficiency but also their learning motivation and interaction with other students and teachers. The adoption of ICT in teaching was also found to help lectures enhance the quality of teaching. Regarding factors affecting ICT use, the findings indicated influences of both technical (including Internet connections and the cost of ICT devices) and non-technical factors (including entertainment applications, teachers’ competence in ICT and methods of ICT application, students’ competence of ICT and student English proficiency). Finally, with regards to expectations, students expected that ICT would be employed in learning and teaching more frequently while lecturers emphasized the need of ICT training and the enhancement in ICT facilities and Internet connection. These valuable findings of this study were hoped to inform the application of ICT in both within-class activities and beyond-class activities in teaching and studying English more effectively in the future.