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ENGLISH SELF-LEARNING WITH PRINT MEDIA AND
ELECTRONIC MEDIA OF RMUTP UNDERGRADUATE
ENGINEERING STUDENTS
BY
MS. TATIYA YUKTIWATTANAMATE
AN INDEPENDENT STUDY SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF ARTS IN ENGLISH FOR CAREERS
LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
ACADEMIC YEAR 2015
COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH SELF-LEARNING WITH PRINT MEDIA AND
ELECTRONIC MEDIA OF RMUTP UNDERGRADUATE
ENGINEERING STUDENTS
BY
MS. TATIYA YUKTIWATTANAMATE
AN INDEPENDENT STUDY SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE
OF MASTER OF ARTS IN ENGLISH FOR CAREERS
LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
ACADEMIC YEAR 2015
COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
(1)
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to survey the needs of RMUTP
undergraduate engineering students for the improvement of English skills, to
investigate the use of print media and electronic media in English self-learning and to
find their preferred media use as English self-learners. The participants were 80
students from the 1th
and 4th
year in Electrical and Mechanical departments, twenty
from each group. The research instrument was a questionnaire consisting of three
sections. The first section is about background information of learners, self-rated
English skills and ranking English skills which the students would like to improve.
The second section is about the frequency of the media use for English self-learning.
The third section is about ranking of the media which learners found useful for
English self- learning. The results indicated that the students rated reading as their
best skill while listening and speaking skills required improvement. English books
were the most popular print media while Facebook and YouTube were the electronic
media most often used for improvement of the four English skills. The top five print
media that students found useful were English books, posters, leaflets, English comics
and pamphlets. The top five electronic media that students found useful are Facebook,
YouTube, electronic cartoons, electronic stories and Twitter. In addition, the use of
electronic media was more popular than that of print media for English self-learning.
Independent Study Title ENGLISH SELF-LEARNING WITH PRINT
MEDIA AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA OF
RMUTP UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING
STUDENTS
Author Ms.TatiyaYuktiwattanamate
Degree Master of Arts
Major Field/Faculty/University English for Careers
Language Institute
Thammasat University
Independent Study Advisor Associate Professor Sripathum Noom-ura
Academic Years 2015
(2)
Keywords: self-learning, print media, electronic media
(3)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would firstly like to express my gratitude to my dear advisor, Associate
Professor Sripathum Noom-ura, for her valuable suggestions and assistance. Her
advice always enlightened and encouraged me to produce good research. This
research would absolutely not have been completed without her support.
Another expert that I would like to express my thanks to is Ajarn Alisa
Ratanapruks, for rechecking the findings and correcting the English sentences and the
references.
I also would like to sincerely thank to Ajarn David Young, who checked
and edited the overall English sentences in the research report.
In addition, I am very grateful to all the respondents studying in the
Engineering Faculty of Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon
(RMUTP) for supporting me to complete my study, leading to my graduation.
Moreover, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to all the lecturers in the
Language Institute of Thammasat University for passing on their knowledge and
experience throughout my two years of study.
Lastly, my deepest appreciation goes to my father, Mr. Sakchai
Yuktiwattanamate; my mother, Mrs. Aungsana Yuktiwattanamate; and my brother,
Mr.Thanayot Yuktiwattanamate and Mr. Piyapong Pankaew, who all supported me in
many ways.
Ms. Tatiya Yuktiwattanamate
Thammasat University
Bangkok, Thailand
(4)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT (1)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (3)
LIST OF TABLES (If any) (7)
LIST OF FIGURES (If any) (8)
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background of the study 1
1.2 Research questions 3
1.3 Research objectives 3
1.4 Definition of terms 3
1.5 Significance of the study 3
CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5
2.1 Self-learning 5
2.1.1 Meaning of Self-learning 5
2.1.2 How to improve skills of English by self-learning 5
2.2 Media for English self-learning 9
(5)
2.2.1 Print media 9
2.2.1.1 Books 9
2.2.1.2 Newspapers 10
2.2.1.3 Magazines 11
2.2.1.4 Publications 11
2.2.2 Electronic media 12
2.2.2.1 E-Books 12
2.2.2.2 Web browsers 12
2.2.2.3 Social networking websites 13
(1) Facebook 13
(2) Twitter 14
(3) Blog 14
(4) Youtube 15
2.3 Advantages and disadvantages of media 15
2.3.1 Advantages and disadvantages of print media 15
2.3.1.1 Advantages of print media 15
2.3.1.2 Disadvantages of print media 16
2.3.2 Advantages and disadvantages of electronic media 16
2.3.2.1 Advantages of electronic media 16
2.3.2.2 Disadvantages of electronic media 16
2.4 Previous related studies 16
CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 19
3.1 Participants 19
3.2 Research instrument 19
3.3 Data collection 20
3.4 Data analysis 20
(6)
3.5 The follow up meeting 21
CHAPTER 4 RESULTS 23
4.1 Demographic data 23
4.2 English skills rated by students & Needs for improvement 24
4.3 The media use for improving English skills 25
4.4 Print and electronic media that students found useful
for English self- learning 30
4.5 Finding from the follow up meeting 32
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 36
5.1 Summary of the study 36
5.1.1 Objectives of the study 36
5.1.2 Participants and research instrument 36
5.2 Summary of the findings 36
5.3 Discussions 37
5.3.1 Best skill and worst skill 37
5.3.2 Preferred print media and electronic media 38
5.4 Conclusion 39
5.5 Recommendations for further research 39
REFERENCES 40
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A 46
BIOGRAPHY
(7)
LIST OF TABLES
Tables Page
4.1 Demographic of RMUTP undergraduate engineering students 23
4.2 English skills rated by students & needs for improvement 24
4.3 Overall rating of self-rated of English skills & needs for improvement 25
4.4 The frequency of the media use for improving reading skills 26
4.5 The frequency of the media use for improving writing skills 27
4.6 The frequency of the media use for improving listening skills 28
4.7 The frequency of the media use for improving speaking skills 29
4.8 The frequency of media use to improve four skills 29
4.9 Print media that students found useful for English self- learning 30
4.10 Electronic media that students found useful for English self- learning 31
(8)
LIST OF FIGURES
Figures Page
4.1 Comparing between self-rated of English skills and needs
for skill improvement 25
4.2 Print media that students found useful for English self-learning 31
4.3 Electronic media that students found useful for English self- learning 32
1
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
The Engineering Faculty of Rajamangala University of Technology Phra
Nakhon (RMUTP) has played a major role in producing qualified engineers by
emphasizing students’ real practice before entering the labor market over the years.
However, most of the students have poor performance in English and lack confidence
in communicating in English. My younger brother is one of the examples of students
who lack English skills. He is studying in the Faculty of Engineering at RMUTP. He
has communication problems in terms of listening, speaking, reading and writing in
English in his internship programs. Whenever he has to read foreign textbooks or
translate some sentences into English in his assignments, he makes significant
mistakes in comprehending the text or finds it very difficult to make himself
understood. There are a few more students, with whom I had informal conversations,
who are not satisfied with their English ability. They do not feel ready for the job
market because of their low English abilities. Therefore, the development of English
skills is very important to prepare for future work for engineering students.
Besides English learning in the classroom, self-learning or learning done by
oneself, without a teacher or instructor, is one form of studying which certainly helps
improve one’s skills. Nowadays, independent learners can use both print media and
electronic media for supporting English self- learning to improve English
performance.
Some important print media instruments that help in learning a language are
books, newspapers, magazines and publications. Azizifar, Koosha, and Lotfi (2010)
showed that textbooks are major resources to help learners for the learning process in
classroom and self-learning. Gulzar (2014) stated that interesting print media in the
form of newspapers and magazines can be employed to enhance reading skills and
enhance positive attitudes towards the use of materials to English self-learning.
Tavakoli (2013) further supported the idea that the use of print media provides many
benefits in developing the reading ability of learners. If leaners well understand the
structure of the text, it will lead them to read with more understanding. Moreover,
2
students can see coherence of reading and writing from situations in print media. In
part of comic strips, Kobayashi (2011) showed that the comic strips enhanced
understanding of reading and retelling in the task of writing. In addition, it decreased
the learners’ awareness in reading and supported the retention of the text in retelling
tasks.
Another type of learning instruments is electronic media. Presently, the
internet network via computer and smart phone is easily accessible anywhere,
anytime. Therefore, electronic media in the form of web-based instruction, web
applications or social networking websites play a major role in our society. English
learning from these media on the internet is one way to increase effectiveness of
English self-learning for the development of several English skills. Students can
practice language by choosing topics and levels of lessons from a wide variety of
activities based on their interests and skill levels (Gao, 2013; Tsai & Tsai, 2013).
Also, electronic lessons can link to many other learning resources of the related
subjects. For sharing VDO from Youtube, Mathew and Alidmat (2013) indicated that
audio-visual aids can help to improve their English skills, such as conversational or
pronunciation skills by listening to native speakers. This is supported by research
created by Abdolmanafi-Rokni and Qarajeh (2014) who indicated that English
learning via digital storytelling could improve both reading and speaking skills. For
the development of listening skill, video was used as an effective media for
improvement and simulated more positive attitudes (Woottipong, 2014). In addition,
Yi-Chun and Pi-Ching (2009) found that popular English songs could enhance
learners’ motivation for learning English, resulting in a higher listening ability. Both
groups of media can help improve all four skills a learner requires. However,
practicing all four skills may overload one’s cognitive ability; learners therefore
should rank their priority in practicing each skill.
Therefore, the author will survey how RMUTP undergraduate
engineering students rank their needs for English skills improvement and also
investigate their extent in using print media and electronic media for English self-
learning
3
1.2 Research questions
The present research is aimed at answering the following questions:
1. Which English skills do RMUTP students want to improve?
2. To what extent do they use print media and electronic media for English
self-learning?
3. What types of media are preferred by students for English self-learning?
1.3 Research objectives
With regard to the above questions, the objectives of the study are:
1. To survey the needs of RMUTP undergraduate engineering students for the
improvement of English skills
2. To investigate the print media and electronic media that RMUTP
undergraduate engineering students use in English self-learning
3. To find out the preferred media of English self-learners
1.4 Definition of terms
- Students refer to the undergraduate engineering students in RMUTP
- Self-learning refers to learning done by oneself without the assistance of
others
- Print media refers to paper publications circulated in the form of books,
magazines, newspapers and publications.
-Electronic media are media which uses electricity to operate,
function or convey messages such as E-books, web browsers and
social networking websites.
1.5 Significance of the study
1. This study will reveal the needs of students for English skills development
and the information may be used as guidelines for teachers to improve educational
management more efficiently.
2. The results of the study may raise awareness of students to make full use of
all types of media available for their self-learning.
4
3. The results may be useful for material developers in creating media to help
improve skills for learners of English.
5
CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
This chapter consists of four topics: self-learning, media for English self-
learning, advantages and disadvantages of media and previous related studies as
shown below.
2.1 Self-learning
2.1.1 Meaning of Self-learning
Self-learning can be explained as an increasing of knowledge,
accomplishments, skills, or personal development that people select and resulting in
his or her efforts by using a variety of methods throughout their lives (Bharathi,
2014). It occurs when learners realize both the learning objectives and the means of
learning. Learners engage in self-learning by making their own resolutions about what
and how they are going to learn. It focuses on the importance of allowing learners to
seek their own interests in order to get more meaningful learning. Major principles of
self-learning include the following: learners are responsible for their self-learning
process; learners can self-manage and self-monitor their learning; learners team up
with teachers and peers; learners elaborate specific knowledge and the ability to
transfer that knowledge to new surroundings. In addition, motivation and decision-
making are important in initiating and retaining the learner’s efforts.
According to the study of self-learning, It can be concluded that self-learning
is for learners to learn the contents or improve the language skills by themselves. The
learners can learn according to their abilities and assess their capabilities. Therefore,
media have been selected by individual’s preference for self-learning.
2.1.2 How to improve skills of English by self-learning
People can begin their self-study for English learning by finding the way they
are best suited for and utilizing tools that learners are able to enjoy. The following are
some ways to build motivation for English self-learning (Daily Step English, 2015;
English Language and culture Blog, 2015a, 2015b).
6
1. Listening to music and learn English with songs
People naturally like to listen to music. Therefore, to learn English people
should follow English songs. People can use web browsers such as Google Chrome,
Internet Explorer and Firefox to link content on the World Wide Web for listening to
music via radio websites. For instance, the author’s favorite artists are Bee Gees and
Michael Jackson. I listen to them over and over again until the lyrics remain in my
memory. Another example from personal experience, I have learnt English by
listening to music from radio websites. This is very fun and helpful for memorizing
vocabulary.
2. Watching English videos online depend on learners interests
YouTube is another source for watching useful videos. It is good for people to
practice their English in aspects of listening and speaking. In addition, it also helps
people practice conversational English by watching interviews of favorite movie stars.
Personally, I practice my English skills by watching sci-fi movies. These kinds of
movies bring me new and specific vocabulary.
3. Testing learners grammar with online English quizzes
In case of learners trying to learn English themselves, it is often the case that
they make errors. Online English self-study is beneficial for learners. They always
have a chance to cross check the right answer on the quizzes because some quizzes
have descriptive answers. Thus, learners are able to review their mistakes. At present,
English learning websites are widely developed to support and enhance more English
self-learning.
4. Chatting with friends online
Apart from practicing English with teachers or studying in the classroom,
chatting with friends online is one of the best ways for self-study. People can chat via
Facebook Messenger. It is less stressful and more relaxing for English self-learners.
For me, I have some Singaporean friends who always check how some of my
sentence structure can be improved. This is an advantage that I obtain from online
chatting.
7
5. Reading books, articles, newspapers and magazines
When learners read something carefully, they will notice how proper
grammatical structure looks. According to my experience, I always bring English
publications such as academic articles, comics, fictions, newspapers or magazine to
read in order to learn new vocabulary, grammar or idioms from them. The more I read
the more I know.
6. Writing about what learners are thinking about
Writing a diary in English or writing a letter via Twitter or Blog is beneficial
for anyone. For me, this is my favorite tool. When I write letters to my foreign
friends, it enhances my writing skill because I am using a variety of vocabulary.
Moreover, I have to check my spelling, punctuations, and abbreviations by using
grammar checker programs to replace mistakes and errors in my work.
7. Joining language exchange websites online
Live chatting is another way for English self-learners. They can join language
exchange by searching for a free language exchange community. For example,
Lingo Globe is one of free language exchange community where learners can
practice foreign languages with native speakers.
Another one is Verbling. It is language exchange websites online which
connects learners with native speakers around the world by live video. For this
website, learners can learn many languages such as English, Arabic, Russian,
Japanese and Mandarin respectively. For me, I use both links to practice and what I
learn from foreigners are English slang words and phrases.
8. Speaking English as much as possible
People should continue practicing English every day. If they are in an English-
speaking country and going to the supermarket to find some things and they need to
communicate with a shopkeeper in English, they should practice some short sentences
for bargaining.
8
9. Speak out when learners read English subtitles
Another way to improve English pronunciation is listening and repeating
following a movie or music’s subtitles which one can find via YouTube and websites.
The first time learners may speak slowly but may focus on pronunciation for
subsequent times.
10. Reading all the things learners see
When learners travel to different places, they have the opportunity to see
leaflets, pamphlets, brochures and posters. They can read out all things they see. For
me, when I see posters around me, I try to read and speak it in English.
11. Keeping a little notebook for new vocabulary
English Self-learners should keep a little notebook so that to record new
vocabulary or new idioms when they see publications such as leaflets, pamphlets,
brochures and posters. It’s a good thing to do this because they are able to return to it
when they are required to do academic writing or just want to review and increase the
efficiency of their writing.
12. Taking English studying slowly
If people would like to learn English by themselves, they need to take things
slowly by setting the goals and dedicate a set amount of time to learn English every
day because it is said that “Rome wasn’t built in a day” so people who would like to
be a specialist in English needs to take times to practice over and over again.
From the several ways of English self-learning mentioned above, the
following media may be used for developing each English skill: books, comics,
fictions, newspapers and magazines. All of these can be chosen to learn new
vocabulary or new idioms. Also, English self-learners can improve their English skills
by reading and writing all things which they see from leaflets, pamphlets, brochures
and posters. In addition, Facebook, Twitter and Blog, a type of electronic media, can
be used to improve reading and writing skills as well via chatting with friends online
and posting their ideas or personal experience, respectively. For the improvement of
9
listening and speaking skills, web browsers such as Internet Explorer Google, Firefox
and Chrome are linked to English learning websites. Moreover, people usually
practice English skills by watching movies or listen to songs via YouTube. It is
hopeful that RMUTP students could help improve their English skills by utilizing a
few ways mentioned above. The following section will explore types of media
available for English self-learning.
2.2 Media for English self-learning
Communicative language has been supported by teaching-learning media
which is a major component in English learning development. In this study print
media and electronic media have been considered as tools for English self-learning.
2.2.1 Print media
For teaching-learning media in a form of the print media, Gulzar (2014) stated
that interesting print media can be employed to enhance reading skills and positive
attitudes towards the use of materials to English self-learning. Print media in this
study are classified as books, newspapers, magazines and publications, as explained
below.
2.2.1.1 Books
Books are essential in modern life in aspects of medicine, business, law,
education, science, and entertainment. In addition, students are able to obtain the prior
knowledge by those writers who came before.
People can find informative data, inspiration and relaxation while reading
books. Books may lack the immediacy if compared with other mass media. However,
they always compose of a great amount of meticulousness and durability.
Moreover, books are treasurable in most of libraries and for personal
collections. Some readers turn to famous books and read them over again and again.
Some readers enjoy a book only a period of time and pass it to others for sharing their
new findings (Tafani, 2009).
There is also vast area that textbooks cover. Furthermore, we read many books
as class assignments such as English novels and prose and poetry. Moreover, books
10
are the most treasurable of the media. Some people collect them for years, and some
libraries collect them for centuries. In the words of Franklin Roosevelt: “People die,
books never die”.
Comic is a type of book consisting of pictures and words. It tells the stories
based on fact or the idea of authors. In the form of comic strip with the text,
Kobayashi (2011) explored that the comic strips improved reading comprehension
and the writing of retelling task. Some research concentrates on the effect of the
picture on development of English skills. Hazamy (2009) indicated that pictures are
better remembered than words on recognition. Kim and Gilman (2008) revealed that
the visual text with graphics is able to increase motivation of students to achieve in
vocabulary learning by themselves. Zhang and Wu (2011) revealed that pictures
helped to maintain and recall for body idioms better. In addition, Boers, Píriz,
Stengers and Eyckmans (2009) suggested that pictorial elucidation enhances learners’
perception and remembering the meaning of second language idioms. In addition,
pictorial elucidation leads to a better memory of linguistic form.
2.2.1.2 Newspapers
Newspapers are easy mass media to bring in English self-learning with a
variety of contents, such as history, literature, geography, politics and language. Some
of them are useful and contain modern information. Clandfield and Foord (2006)
stated that newspapers are usually more up to date if compared with textbooks. They
are good lessons for learners to learn about different types of language (reports,
narratives, letter, stories, advertising, etc.). English newspapers are also economical
and consist of various informative stories and details. They are available for all groups
of people. In fact, the English newspapers contain a wide range of data like feature
stories, business news, sports news, special columns, reviews, notices, advertisements,
editorials, entertainment schedules etc. A learner can pick up the reading material(s)
of his/her interest comfortably. Mehta (2010) revealed that the main elements of the
English newspapers can be broken into sections. News Stories I found on the front
page contain all the breaking or important news. The headlines of the front page are
prepared intensively to catch the attention of the readers. Feature Stories are very
helpful in circulating information on the topics of reader’s interest. Special Features
11
are about a discussion on a specific event, special case or event. Editorial and Letters
to the Editor are editorial columns reflecting the opinions of the editor, the editorial
team, or a writer. These insights help the readers to build up their thoughts and
promote thinking skills. Also, Letters to the Editors present different views of the
readers. Advertisements/Classified are very beneficial for the readers to know more
about an existing or new services and products. Miscellaneous Items are time tables of
trains, flights, schedules of events, television, theatre, and movies. We are able to get
useful information on weather, fashion, share-market, trade and business as well.
Currently, the famous English newspapers in Thailand are the Bangkok Post
and The Nation. These newspapers contain content which learners can choose to read.
In addition, learners will gain new vocabulary, ideas and idioms from them.
2.2.1.3 Magazines
There are many kinds of magazines such as political science, cultural,
entertainment, scientific, fashion, and sport magazines. These materials break the
monotony of the lesson and simulate the interest of students in the development of
English self-learning. Newspaper and magazines are resources comprised of pictures
and passages concerned with particular topics.
Magazines are also sources for language development which provide pictures
to arouse verbal or written narrations. For example, people may use colorful heading
for introductions. Learners can learn English through sentences attached to pictures in
magazines. There are news stories in a magazine that make learning fun.
2.2.1.4 Publications
The papers are intended for use in any business venture, especially one such as
advertising and the dissemination of knowledge produced specifically for use in a job.
Publications in this study can be classified as leaflets, pamphlets, brochures and
posters. A leaflet is a single sheet of paper consisting of only one subject. A pamphlet
is a paper printed on a single sheet of paper with folding it into several pages. It
contains a short guide to news, or reminders. A brochure is a thin document with
colorful and interesting content and more detail. And a poster is a single sheet of
12
paper which has text or illustrations to explain details or draw attention to campaign
issues.
These media attract the attention of learners to English anywhere, any time. In
general, people can see leaflets, pamphlets or brochures on the sky train and
underground. These publications tend to be an advertisement of tuition or
advertisement for traveling. People can read and record new vocabulary or idioms. If
people go to hospitals, they can also learn about new vocabulary or new idioms from
disease or physical therapy shown in these publications. Posters benefit English self-
learning in many aspects. Most posters are colorful and attractive. If these posters are
well-designed and well-organized, they can stimulate interest of learners on each topic
effectively, directly affecting the ability for remembering new vocabulary or idioms.
2.2.2 Electronic media
Electronic media are media that require electricity in order to operate, function
or communicate messages such as E-books, web browsers and social networking
websites.
2.2.2.1 E-Books
An E-book is an electronic version of a traditional print book that can be read
by using a personal computer or by using an eBook reader.
Safaeia and Bulca (2013) reported that after participating in the extensive
reading program, students could read as they like, and had stronger self-confidence to
internalize what they had read. Also, their creativity in second language skills was
highly improved. In addition to the influence on learners' reading attitudes, Lefever-
Davis and Pearman (2005) stated that “ebooks can indeed be a powerful tool and an
asset to the teaching of reading”. It has also been indicated that the e-books can
facilitate students’ learning by reading more actively with simultaneous audio and
visual input.
2.2.2.2 Web browsers
A browser is a software application used to locate, retrieve and display content
on the World Wide Web, including Web pages, images, video and other files. The
13
browser is the client run on a computer that contacts the Web server and requests
information. The Web server sends the information back to the Web browser which
displays the results on the computer or other Internet-enabled device that supports a
browser. The two most popular browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Other major browsers include Google Chrome and Apple Safari. While most are
commonly used to access information on the web, a browser can also be used to
access information hosted on Web servers in private networks.
It is useful tools to search data to be used in English self-learning support and
foster continuous learning and link a global network anytime, anywhere.
2.2.2.3 Social networking websites
(1) Facebook
Facebook is an example of social media that supports the exchange of
messages between people all over the world. It was created in 2004 by Mark
Zuckerberg, whose mission was to bring people together from a variety of
backgrounds and encourage interaction (Facebook, 2015). There are more than 139
billion users in the world with a population of 6.8 billion, which means that about 1
out of 14 people have their own Facebook account. Many people around the globe can
use the Internet to convey and collaborate. According to Mark Zuckerberg, “If
Facebook were a country, it would be the 6th most populated country in the world.”
Facebook enriches social lives by overcoming the factor of distance. Social media
brings people together from different backgrounds and encourages interpersonal
communication.
Facebook is presently considered a popular traditional media among university
students. Roblyer, McDaniel, Webb, Herman and Witty (2010) found that university
students used Facebook and similar technologies to support classroom work.
Similarly, Haverback (2009) observed that her students used Facebook to discuss
assignments, ask and answer questions, post information, and support one another.
She found that her students were motivated to be involved in discussions in Facebook
and they better understood the theoretical principles in effective reading. Her students
also developed better ideas as a group as compared to when they read individually. In
terms of writing, Facebook has been a platform for students to write, however this
14
writing is different from the writing done in school for academic purposes. Yancey
(2009) stated that the students could not understand the connection between the two
forms of writing (inside and outside school) and, the students are unable to consider
writing as a way to perform in academic situations. He stated that Facebook can be
used for students to see writing and make use of this tool to become better writers.
(2) Twitter
Twitter is a microblogging service that allows its users to publish short text
messages launched in July 2006 (Wikipedia, 2015b). Twitter has been successful with
the site as one of the ten most popular on the internet (Alexa, 2012). Educause (2007)
identified some point of the potential benefits of using Twitter in an educational
setting.
Presently, we can say that Twitter is a tool to enhance English skill of learners.
They are able to follow up with updated events or interesting situations all over the
world. Also they can use it to share their ideas or personal experience. However, there
is a limitation of Twitter as messages can not contain over 140 words per post. For
this reason, people are required to text and post concisely in order to completely
convey the message. Rankin (2009a & 2009b); Mollett, Moran and Dunleavy (2011)
revealed that students can write more clear sentences between a group of students
when they were trained writing skill via twitter.
(3) Blog
Blog is web-friendly and cross-linked to create larger groups of online
communities. Language learners are able to use a personal blog as an electronic
portfolio (Wikipedia, 2015a). Furthermore, the student has the opportunity of writing
for readers beyond their classmates. Readers can comment on what they have read. In
the classroom, one might expect blogs to offer reading and writing encouragement for
English learning because blogging focuses on content, speedy feedback, the option of
working with both words and images, and the ability to link one post to another.
Presently, Blog is widely used to share ideas or personal experiences via
writing messages. Therefore, people can develop better writing by learning ideas of
other messages and more reading.
15
(4) YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website created in 2005 that allows people to
connect with the global community by viewing and sharing other users’ video content
(Georgetown University, 2010). There are many videos shared by people all over the
world. People have the opportunity to post their ideas on videos and can join in
discussions and conferences. Many people have used YouTube, and this innovation
“became stimulation for change around the world”.Video tools can be a very valuable
tool for language learning. The first major advantage of using video is that it can
provide samples of real-life situations.
Mathew and Alidmat (2013) agreed that teacher’s use of audio-visual aids
helps students to understand lessons more and improves their English language skills.
Mirvan (2013) revealed that using video materials in a classroom can enhance
students’motivation to learn since it can expose them to a wide variety of situations
that can help them comprehend similar situations in real life.
Therefore, students can engage in self-learning by watching the movie or
listening the song via You Tube in order to improve listening and speaking skills.
2.3 Advantages and disadvantages of media
Print media and electronic media have been considered as tools for English
self-learning. However these kinds of media still have some limitations. Therefore,
advantages and disadvantages of print media and electronic media were proposed as
shown below.
2.3.1 Advantages and disadvantages of print media
2.3.1.1 Advantages of print media
Print media are credible media due to having been checked by an editor. There
are many categories of content so people are able to choose the ones that interest
them. Also, print media are portable.
16
2.3.1.2 Disadvantages of print media
Print media cannot approach some illiteracy problems among young children
or those with poor eyesight. Some print media is less colorful, therefore, they may not
be attractive.
2.3.2 Advantages and disadvantages of electronic media
2.3.2.1 Advantages of electronic media
People can gain access to the web anywhere with a computer. It is accessible
media for anyone, especially the target group. These media can support more English
self-learning because they can show a motion picture which use light and sound to
attract learners. Online data for electronic media provide information promptly. It is
two-way communication. Moreover, some materials also are free for download.
2.3.2.2 Disadvantages of electronic media
Sometimes, electronic media are approachable by only specific groups. At
some places, internet speed network system may be limited. Moreover, some stories
may be full of inaccuracies or mistakes because of the speed that people have to put
them on the web.
2.4 Previous related studies
Gulzar (2014) investigated the effectiveness of reading materials of print
media. Participants were fifteen students from Preparatory Year Programme (PYP) of
English Language Centre of Taif University (TUELC). The quasi-experimental design
and a questionnaire were selected to investigate the impact of print media, such as
locally published English newspapers and magazines. The results revealed that the
print media can be employed to enhance reading skills in the Saudi PYP EFL
classrooms and enhance positive attitudes towards the use of materials for English
self-learning.
Kobayashi (2011) investigated the effects of comic strips with the text on
reading comprehension and a written retelling for beginning Japanese Junior High
school EFL students. The participants were 120 persons divided into four groups: two
high and low proficiency groups each given a reading task with or without the comic
17
strips. Testing was used in this research. The results revealed that the comic strips
enhanced the low-level students’ reading comprehension and the written retelling
task. In addition it reduced the learners’ cognitive load in reading and promoted the
retention of the text in retelling task.
Saffarian, Gorjian, and Bavizadeh (2013) investigated the effect of visual
images on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ retention of body idiomatic
expressions. The participants were 40 males and 40 females at Zabansara (Oxford)
Language Institute. The results showed that using pictures can improve EFL learners’
retention of body idiomatic expressions to a significant extent because it could bring a
great change in the (both male and female) experimental groups’ retention of body
idioms and led them to go through significant comprehension and retention.
Kabilan, Ahmad and Abidin (2010) investigated if university students consider
Facebook as a useful and meaningful learning environment that could support,
enhance and/or strengthen their learning of the English language. A survey was
carried out with 300 undergraduate students at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM),
Penang. It was found that the students believed Facebook could be utilized as an
online environment to facilitate the learning of English. Nevertheless, teachers or
language instructors have to integrate Facebook as an educational medium with
predetermined learning objectives and outcomes for the learning experience to be
meaningful. It is suggested that future research should focus on the meaningfulness of
Facebook to students' language learning experiences.
Chen, Chen, Chen and Wey (2013) investigated the effects of extensive
reading of e-books on tertiary level EFL students’ English reading attitude, reading
comprehension and vocabulary. Eighty-nine participants were assigned in two groups,
with 46 students in the experimental group and 43 students in the control group. In
addition to a traditional curriculum for both groups, a ten-week e-book extensive
reading program was conducted for the experimental group in which students were
encouraged to read the materials freely from three e-book library collections
categorized on the basis of level of difficulty. In contrast, the control group did not
engage in any extensive reading program. Stokmans’s Reading Attitude questionnaire
and TOEFL reading comprehension and vocabulary test were employed to collect the
data. The findings of the study showed that the experimental group exhibited
18
significantly better reading attitude, reading comprehension and vocabulary than the
control group. Therefore, integrating e-books extensive reading program into EFL
teaching program helps improve tertiary level EFL students’ reading attitude, reading
comprehension and vocabulary learning. From the previous studies, we can see that magazines, newspapers, comic
strips, visual images are good for classroom activities and it can be recommended that
they are used for self-leaning as well.
19
CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter consists of four topics; participants, research instrument, data collection,
and data analysis as shown below.
3.1 Participants
There were 1,225 undergraduate engineering students of RMUTP. For this
study, the participants were 80 persons. Purposive sampling and simple random
sampling were used as sampling technique. For the first step, the author used a
purposive sampling by choosing the 1th
year students and 4th
year students in both
Electrical and Mechanical departments respectively. Two departments were selected
for this study because they are both interested in the labor market and students attend
more to study. For the second step, students in 1th
year and 4th
year of each
department were selected by simple random sampling. For my simple random
sampling method, I selected samples by drawing lots. My lots consisted of numbers
one to twenty and the rest are blank lots. For example, 1st year electrical students had
totally 67 persons. Therefore, there were 20 lots by listing of 1 to 20 and the
remaining 47 lots were blank. The total samples were 80 persons which came from
four groups of 20 persons each.
3.2 Research instrument
The needs of RMUTP undergraduate engineering students for English skills
improvement were surveyed and the extent in using print media and electronic media
for English self-learning was also investigated. Therefore, the method of inquiry used
in this study was a questionnaire. There are three sections as shown in appendix A.
The first section concerns the background information of learners, self-rated
English skill and ranking the English skills which students would like to improve. The
second section is about the frequency of media use for English self-learning. The third
section is about ranking the media which learners found useful for English self-
learning.
20
3.3 Data collection
The period of data collection was a week during March 21-25, 2016. The
researcher visited the students of each group in their Physics’ class. The samples were
selected from each group by drawing lots. After that, they were informed how to
complete the questionnaire. Thai language was also included for easier understanding.
They were allowed to complete the questionnaire in 15 minutes before they were
collected by the researcher. Finally, all information obtained from the questionnaires
was analyzed.
3.4 Data analysis
Descriptive statistics were used for summary of the questionnaire; in general,
the statistical data was used as percentage, frequency and mean. The data from the
Likert’s scale was calculated for the arithmetic mean.
The value of mean scores for level of opinion, English skill and sequence was
interpreted according to the following criteria (Şahan & Tarhan, 2015).
For level of self-rated English skill:
Score from 1.00 – 1.75: Poor
Score from 1.76 – 2.50: Fair
Score from 2.51 – 3.25: Good
Score from 3.26 – 4.00: Excellent
For level of frequency media used:
Score from 1.00 – 1.80: never
Score from 1.81 – 2.60: rarely
Score from 2.61 – 3.40: sometimes
Score from 3.41 – 4.20: often
Score from 4.21 – 5.00: always
21
For score of media sequence:
Score of sequence 1 = 10
Score of sequence 2 = 9
Score of sequence 3 = 8
Score of sequence 4 = 7
Score of sequence 5 = 6
Score of sequence 6 = 5
Score of sequence 7 = 4
Score of sequence 8 = 3
Score of sequence 9 = 2
Score of sequence 10=1
3.5 The follow up meeting
After having finished data analysis and collected the rated scores from the
questionnaires, the researcher found that some results were dubious, especially
regarding how engineering students could use Facebook and YouTube for their
English language skill improvement in terms of writing and speaking. For this reason,
the researcher needed to set another research instrument called “The follow-up
meeting” in order to obtain more information from 10 students.
The researcher could find only 10 participants to join the focus group
interview on 4 May 2016, because only some students were present.
From the follow-up meeting, the researcher compiled some of insightful
answers from 10 respondents as follows;
Topic A: How could engineering students use Facebook for their English
language skill improvement in terms of writing?
Topic B: How could engineering students use Facebook for their English
language skill improvement in terms of speaking?
Topic C: How could engineering students use YouTube for their English
language skill improvement in terms of writing?
Topic D: How could engineering students use YouTube for their English
language skill improvement in terms of speaking?
22
Topic E: What kind of media do students prefer using for English self-
learning?
23
CHAPTER 4
RESULTS
This chapter reports the results of the information obtained from the survey. The
results include a demographic of RMUTP undergraduate engineering students, the
frequency of the media use for improving English skills, the ranking of the media
which students found useful for English self-learning, and the answers from the
follow-up meeting
4.1 Demographic data
Demographic of the samples obtained from RMUTP undergraduate
engineering students was shown in Table 4.1. There were 66 male and 14 female
students, which were equal to 82.5 % and 17.5 % respectively. There were more 4th
year male Electrical students than those from other groups. The majority of the
students (61.25%) graduated with a vocational certificate. The most average grade of
47.5 % was in the range of 2.00-2.49.
Table 4.1
Demographic of RMUTP Undergraduate Engineering Students
Year level & Department
Gender Type of educational
background Average grade
Male Female Senior high
school
Vocational
certificate
2.00-
2.49
2.50-
2.99
3.00-
3.49
3.50-
4.00
1st Mechanical Engineering 15 5 11 9 8 5 5 2
4th Mechanical Engineering 15 5 10 10 8 4 4 4
1st Electrical Engineering 17 3 7 13 16 4 0 0
4th Electrical Engineering 19 1 3 17 6 13 1 0
24
4.2 English skills rated by students & Needs for improvement
Students were asked to rate their own English skills and rank the level of their
need to improve each skill. The results are shown in Table 4.2, Table 4.3 and Figure
4.1. From self-rating, it was found that the students rated their reading skill as the
highest, while they rated their speaking skill as the lowest. From need for
improvement, it was found that the students needed to improve their listening skill as
the highest, while they needed to improve their reading skill as the lowest.
Table 4.2
English Skills Rated by Students & Needs for Improvement
Year level &
Department
Self-rated of English skills Needs for
improvement
Highest skill to Lowest skill Highest need skill to
Lowest need skill 4 3 2 1
1st Mechanical
Engineering
Reading
/good
( 2. 5)
Listening
/good
( =2.70)
Speaking
/fair
( =2.45)
Writing
/fair
( =2.35)
1) Speaking ( =3.15)
2) Listening ( =2.90)
3) Writing ( =2.20)
4) Reading ( =1.65)
4th
Mechanical
Engineering
Reading
/good
( =2.55)
Writing
/ fair
( =2.35)
Listening
/fair
( =2.25)
Speaking
/fair
( 2.10)
1) Listening ( =3.05)
2) Speaking ( =2.85)
3) Writing ( =2.25)
4) Reading ( =1.85)
1st Electrical
Engineering
Reading
/fair
( =2.30)
Writing
/fair
( 2.20)
Listening
/fair
( =2.05)
Speaking
/poor
( =1.65)
1) Speaking ( .25)
2) Listening ( . )
3) Reading ( .25)
4) Writing ( . )
4th
Electrical
Engineering
Reading
/good
( =3.15)
Writing
/good
( =2.95)
Listening
/good
( =2.80)
Speaking
/fair
( =2.35)
1) Listening ( =3.55)
2) Writing ( 2.35)
3) Reading ( =2.15)
4) Speaking ( =2.05)
25
Table 4.3
Overall Rating of Self-Rated of English Skills & Needs for Improvement
Self-rated of English skills Needs for
improvement
Highest skill to Lowest skill Highest need skill to
Lowest need skill 4 3 2 1
Reading/
good
( 2. 1)
Writing/
fair
( 2.46)
Listening/
fair
( 2. 5)
Speaking/
fair
( 2.1 )
1) Listening ( 3.10)
2) Speaking ( 2.83)
3) Writing ( 2.13)
4) Reading ( 1.98)
Figure 4.1. Comparing between self-rated of English skills and needs for skill
improvement
4.3 The media use for improving English skills
The frequency of media use for improving reading skills is shown in Table
4.4. The top five media use for improving reading skills were YouTube, Facebook,
Posters, English books and Blog. The Nation newspaper was the least used.
In addition, the researcher could not find using of the websites for improving
reading skills from any students because they reported that they sought any reading
English issues they would like to learn via YouTube.
26
Particularly, they recommended that YouTube was the main channel used to
find hundreds of free webpages on learning reading English by themselves.
Table 4.4
The Frequency of the Media Use for Improving Reading Skills
Media Mean
(N=80)
Meaning & Evaluate level
5.00-4.21 4.20-3.41 3.40-2.61 2.60-1.81 1.80-1.00
1. English books 2.92 Sometimes
2. English comics 2.82 Sometimes
3. English fictions 2.37 Rarely
4. Bangkok Post newspaper 2.31 Rarely
5. The Nation newspaper 2.17 Rarely
6. Magazines 2.65 Sometimes
7. Leaflets 2.73 Sometimes
8. Pamphlets 2.76 Sometimes
9. Brochures 2.51 Rarely
10. Posters 3.21 Sometimes
11. Electronic cartoons 2.81 Sometimes
12. Electronic stories 2.34 Rarely
13. Facebook 4.01 Often
14. Twitter 2.53 Rarely
15. YouTube 4.22 Always
16. Blog 2.85 Sometimes
17. Websites for improving
reading skills
0 - - - -
The frequency of the media use for improving writing skill is shown in Table
4.5. The top five media use for improving writing skills was YouTube, Facebook,
English books, Posters, Twitter. While, the Nation newspaper and Bangkok Post
newspaper were the least used.
27
In addition, the researcher could not find use of the websites for improving
writing skills from any students because they reported that they often sought any
writing English issues that they would like to learn via YouTube.
Particularly, they recommended that YouTube as the main channel used to
find hundreds of free webpages on learning writing English by themselves.
Table 4.5
The Frequency of the Media Use for Improving Writing Skills
Media Mean
(N=80)
Meaning & Evaluate level
5.00-4.21 4.20-3.41 3.40-2.61 2.60-1.81 1.80-1.00
1. English books 2.93 Sometimes
2. English comics 2.66 Sometimes
3. English fictions 2.26 Rarely
4. Bangkok Post newspaper 2.21 Rarely
5. The Nation newspaper 2.21 Rarely
6. Magazines 2.35 Rarely
7. Leaflets 2.54 Rarely
8. Pamphlets 2.50 Rarely
9. Brochures 2.59 Rarely
10. Posters 2.89 Sometimes
11. Electronic cartoons 2.72 Sometimes
12. Electronic stories 2.42 Rarely
13. Facebook 3.72 Often
14. Twitter 2.80 Sometimes
15. YouTube 3.85 Often
16. Blog 2.59 Rarely
17. Websites for improving
writing skills?
0 - - - -
28
The frequency of the media use for improving listening and speaking skills is
shown in Table 4.6 and 4.7, respectively. YouTube was always used to improve both
English skills. BBC.co.uk, TED.com and VOA.com were rarely used to improve
them. There was no use of other websites in improving English skills.
In addition, the researcher could not find use of the websites for improving
listening and speaking skills from any students because they reported that they
sought any listening and speaking English issues that they would like to learn via
YouTube.
Particularly, they recommended that YouTube as main channel used to find
hundreds of free webpages on learning listening and speaking English by themselves.
Table 4.6
The Frequency of the Media Use for Improving Listening Skills
Media Mean
(N=80)
Meaning & Evaluate level
5.00-4.21 4.20-3.41 3.40-2.61 2.60-1.81 1.80-1.00
1. YouTube 4.24 Always
2. BBC.co.uk 2.48 Rarely
3. TED.com 2.27 Rarely
4. VOA.com 2.01 Rarely
5. Websites for improving
listening skills?
0 -
29
Table 4.7
The Frequency of the Media Use for Improving Speaking Skills
Media Mean
(N=80)
Meaning & Evaluate level
5.00-4.21 4.20-3.41 3.40-2.61 2.60-1.81 1.80-1.00
1. YouTube 3.85 Often
2. BBC.co.uk 2.44 Rarely
3. TED.com 2.12 Rarely
4. VOA.com 2.07 Rarely
5. Websites for improving
speaking skills?
0 -
The frequency of media use to improve four skills is concluded in Table 4.8.
To consider Tables 4.3-4.7, they revealed that YouTube was always used to improve
reading and listening skills and often used to improve writing and speaking skills.
Facebook was often used to improve reading and writing skills. Media which was
sometimes used to improve reading skill was posters, English books and English
comics, posters, Twitter and electronic cartoons were media which was sometimes
used to improve writing skills.
Table 4.8
The Frequency of Media Use to Improve Four Skills
Frequency of
media use Reading Writing Listening Speaking
Always YouTube
YouTube
Often Facebook YouTube
YouTube
Sometimes Posters
English books
Blog
Posters
Electronic cartoon
30
4.4 Print and electronic media that students found useful for English self-
learning
When separated the media use into two groups-print media and electronic
media, the results are as the following.
For Table 4.9 and Figure 4.2, the top five print media that students found
useful are English books, posters, leaflets, English comics and pamphlets. While, the
Nation newspaper was the least used.
Table 4.9
Print Media that Students Found Useful for English Self- Learning
Media for English self-learning Mean score Sequence
1. English books 7.09 1
2. Posters 6.46 2
3. Leaflets 6.29 3
4. English comics 6.09 4
5. Pamphlets 5.89 5
6. Magazines 5.66 6
7. Brochures 5.10 7
8. English fictions 4.75 8
9. Bangkok Post newspaper 4.24 9
10. The Nation newspaper 2.24 10
31
Englis
h books
Post
ers
Leafle
ts
English c
omics
Pamphle
ts
Magazin
es
Broch
ures
Englis
h fict
ions
Bangkok
Post n
ewspaper
The Natio
n newsp
aper
0
3
6
Me
an
Sco
re
1
2 34
5 6
78
9
10
Figure 4.2. Print media that students found useful for English self-learning
For Table 4.10 and Figure 4.3, the top five electronic media that students
found useful are Facebook, YouTube, electronic cartoons, electronic stories and
Twitter, while websites for improving listening skills were used the least.
Table 4.10
Electronic Media that Students Found Useful for English Self- Learning
Media for English self-learning Mean score Sequence
1. Facebook 8.28 1
2. YouTube 7.75 2
3. Electronic cartoons 6.80 3
4. Electronic stories 6.33 4
5. Twitter 5.40 5
6. Blog 4.90 6
7. Websites for improving reading skills 4.74 7
8. Websites for improving writing skills 4.43 8
9. Websites for improving speaking skills 3.90 9
10. Websites for improving listening skills 3.01 10
32
YouTube
Electronic carto
ons
Electronic stories
Blog
Websites for im
proving reading skills
Websites for im
proving writing skills
Websites for im
proving speaking skills
Websites for im
proving listening skills
0
3
6
Me
an
Sco
re
12
34
56
78
9
10
Figure 4.3. Electronic media that students found useful for English self- learning
4.5 Finding from the follow up meeting
As mentioned in Chapter 3, feeling doubtful after finding that the students
used Facebook and YouTube for self-learning for writing and speaking skills, the
researcher set up a follow-up meeting. The main purpose was to find more details
regarding how they used Facebook and YouTube to practice those skills. The
researcher went to RMUTP on 4 May 2016 in order to have the follow up meeting
with 10 engineering students. The conclusions from the meeting can be summarized
as follows:
Topic A: How could engineering students use Facebook for their English language
skill improvement in terms of writing?
The students said they learned from good articles shared on webpages to
enhance their writing technique such as
- Ajarn Adam Bradshaw (www.AjarnAdam.TV) releases online
English writing and academic contents both in English and Thai for
a better comprehension to Thai learners.
- Students go to “Technical Writing Center”
(https://m.facebook.com/TechnicalWritingCenter/) which is
33
webpage allow learners to learn the primary skills students need to
be an effective technical.
- https://m.facebook.com/TechnicalWritingCenter/ which is
webpage to share your knowledge and to learn new stuff to be an
effective technical writer.
- Other webpages such as
https://m.facebook.com/technicalwritingworld/,
https://m.facebook.com/HowToWriteAGoodEssay/
https://m.facebook.com/WriteSmarter/
Moreover, there are some online webpage owners who allow members to join
the activities which are open for a grammatical discussion. As a result, all students
could have a valuable space to share things. Finally, there are some foreigners who
join and suggest writing tips by making comments in each topic in which they are
interested.
Topic B: How could engineering students use Facebook for their English language
skill improvement in terms of speaking?
The students said they learnt from English instructors and tutors who use
Facebook as a marketing channel to communicate to their targeted customers online
such as
- English Speaking Club
(https://m.facebook.com/EnglishSpeakingClubs/ ) is a free
membership club whose aim is to help members improve their
English through various inspiring lessons.by giving you daily
lessons on various topics of public interest
- https://m.facebook.com/SpeakingEnglishFaster/ was used to learn
English speaking faster by their specially designed "Daily Routine
English Speaking Program"
- learn English to speak fluently without studying grammar via
https://m.facebook.com/mindenglishclub/
34
The sample teaching videos or short clips about the daily life conversation are
uploaded to persuade customers for free. Secondly, as students often see the famous
tutors post the short clips to demonstrate how English class can be fun and easy to
understand, they could see the interactive activities and they can practice along with
them at home or anywhere they would like. Thirdly, they learned from English videos
which are regularly uploaded into webpages to keep the followers updated.
Sometimes they joined the live class for speaking practice.
Topic C: How could engineering students use YouTube for their English language
skill improvement in terms of writing?
The students said they learnt from English instructors and tutors who used
YouTube to share easy and quick tips or release academic material that would
improve writing in formal and academic settings. The students said that YouTube not
only shared easy grammar writing techniques but also shared higher levels of essay
writing or business letter writing. Some English instructors shared videos via
YouTube such as:
- Zontulfilmsltd shared his video (https://youtu.be/liyFKUFCQno)
about how to write an essay- brief essays and use the principles to
expand to longer essays
- Him-eesh Madaan shared his video
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7hupVJ9CvI) which will
give some interesting tips and techniques which will help us to
build a better English Vocabulary.
- Emma shared her video (https://youtu.be/GgkRoYPLhts) about
five easy and quick tips that will improve writing in formal and
academic settings.
Topic D: How could engineering students use YouTube for their English language
skill improvement in terms of speaking?
The students said they learnt from English instructors and tutors who used
YouTube to share videos clips or academic materials that would improve speaking
skill. Some English instructors shared videos via YouTube such as:
35
- IT Careers shared video
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKzl_82PbU4) about guiding
the essential 4 things to be followed to improve your
communication skills
- WabsTalk shared video
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Kld7UhGX4Y) about
effective tips to improve your communication skills
Topic E: What kind of media do students prefer using for English self-learning?
With respect to this question, there were 9 out of 10 students that preferred to
use electronic media for English self-learning and there was only 1 student who
preferred to improve English self-learning by using of print media (English books). In
addition, they mentioned that studying English via the internet was more convenient
and easier than studying via English books. Moreover, most of them often used
mobile phones as a searching tool.
36
CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter consists of four topics; summary of the study, summary of the findings,
discussion, conclusion and recommendation for further research as shown below.
5.1 Summary of the study
The objectives, participants, research instrument of this study are summarized
as follows:
5.1.1 Objectives of the study
The study was conducted to survey the needs of RMUTP undergraduate
engineering students for the improvement of English skills, to investigate the use of
print media and electronic media in English self-learning and to find their preferred
media use as English self-learners.
5.1.2 Participants and research instrument
There were 66 male and 14 female students participating in this study. They
were 1th
and 4th
year students in Electrical and Mechanical departments, twenty from
each group. A questionnaire was used to obtain the data. In addition, after obtaining
the data, the follow-up meeting was set up to clarify some answers gained from the
questionnaire. Ten students participated in the interview.
5.2 Summary of the findings
The results of the study can be summarized as follows:
1. The needs for English improvement of RMUTP undergraduate
engineering students were ranked from the highest to the lowest needs as: listening,
speaking, writing and reading.
2. YouTube was always used to improve reading and listening skills and
often used to improve writing and speaking skills. Facebook was often used to
improve reading and writing skills. Media which was sometimes used to improve
reading skill was posters, English books and Blog. Posters, Twitter and electronic
cartoons were media which were sometimes used to improve writing skill.
37
3. The top five print media that students found useful were English books,
posters, leaflets, English comics and pamphlets. The top five electronic media that
students found useful are Facebook, YouTube, electronic cartoons, electronic stories
and Twitter.
5.3 Discussions
From the research findings, there are a few issues to discuss.
5.3.1 Best skill and Worst skill
From self-rating as shown in Table 4.3, the students rated their reading skill as
the highest, while they rated their speaking skills as the lowest. This is similar to the
finding from Tiew et al. (2004), which revealed that the learners from Tertiary level in
Southern Thailand were most capable in reading skill and least capable in speaking
skill. She hypothesized that the main obstacle for the development of speaking and
listening skills is the use of time to teach other necessary skills such as reading.
Therefore, listening and speaking skills of Thai students were not as good as reading
skills. Moreover, Fahmongkolchai (2011) and Sursattayawong (2006) indicated that
vocabulary learning of Thai students was not enough. Therefore, students cannot
select accurate and appropriate words to communicate in several situations.
Students were obviously aware of their strengths and weaknesses. It can be
seen that they rated the most needed skill to improve is listening, while reading skill
was the least needed. It follows the natural sequence of language acquisition.
Ongwattanakul (1997) stated that people acquire a language by picking up from what
they hear. Therefore, learning English is required to practice by listening first and
then followed by other skills such as speaking, reading and writing respectively. The
finding of the current study supports Chiewchorhor (2008) who studied ability of
English listening skill of Prathomsuksa 3 students at Assumption Convent Silom
School and found that students mostly needed to improve listening skill because the
minimum 50 percent range of students was poor at listening. Saengchai (1990) stated
that if students would like to advance in speaking, they are required to practice for
listening skill as well because both skills have significant consistency. From the study
of IMD World Competitive Yearbook 2013 which is consistent with ranking of
“English Proficiency Inde (EFI)” reported that Thailand is the country that English
38
skill is very low. For learning English in Thailand, English learning system in
Thailand has mostly focused on English reading skill for a university admission and
for knowledge pursuit (Chubua, 2011). Therefore, listening and speaking skills of
students were poor and needed to improve. If students can speak and listen to English
well, they may get more benefits that would be offered than the ones who can not.
Moreover, it is possible for us to receive news and to contact with foreign friends as
well via internet and computer technology. Therefore, both listening and speaking
skills should be supported in order to be more efficient people at work. In addition, if
people have abilities in all modes of communication in English including the ability to
convey information effectively and efficiently. It will lead to an advanced career path,
success in business world, and numerous opportunities with more options in their life.
5.3.2 Preferred print media and electronic media
For the media use to improve English skills as shown in Tables 4.4-4.8,
YouTube and Facebook were most often used to improve English skills. Information
and Communication Technology (2015) surveyed internet using behavior of Thai
people and found that social networks such as Facebook and YouTube were the social
media which were most often used to share experiences via photos, videos and writing
stories in English. The follow up meeting revealed that Facebook can be used to
improve reading and writing skills via chatting with friends online and posting their
ideas or personal experience, respectively. Some foreigners came to join and suggest
writing tips by making comments in each topic they interest. Moreover, videos or
short clips with daily life conversation are uploaded via Facebook and the live class
may arrange to meet the members at a particular time. So students can see interactive
activities performed and they may practice to improve their speaking skill. By using
YouTube to improve English skills, students can easily self-learn English by watching
movies or listening to songs via YouTube in order to improve speaking and listening
skills. Then students could memorize to practice writing skill. Tiew et al. (2004)
revealed that 66.92 % of the learners from Tertiary level in Southern Thailand
improved English skills by watching movies and listening to songs. Therefore,
Facebook and YouTube could be used for improvement of four English skills.
39
The use of electronic media was more popular than that of print media for
English self-learning. Internet World states (2015) surveyed the data use of
information technology and communication and found that there were about three
thousand million internet users around the world. Therefore, it will become the largest
source to find data in various fields and it is a useful tool to be used for English self-
learning support, foster continuous learning and link a global network anytime,
anywhere.
5.4 Conclusion
In this study the author surveyed the need for English skill improvement of
RMUTP undergraduate engineering students and also investigated their extent in
using print media and electronic media for English self-learning.
The results indicated that the students rated reading as their best skill while
listening and speaking skills required improvement. English books were the most
popular print media while Facebook and YouTube were the electronic media most
often used to improve English skills.
5.5 Recommendations for further research
Based on the findings and conclusions of this study, the following
recommendations are made for future research.
5.5.1 The current work investigated only RMUTP undergraduate engineering
students; therefore, generalization within the findings is limited. Future studies should
focus on students in various faculties and universities.
5.5.2 Future work may create, design or compare and investigate the effects of
the print media and electronic media on English skill development and motivation for
English self-learning.
40
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45
APPENDICES
46
APPENDIX A
Needs and Use of Print Media and Electronic Media
for English Self-Learning
Explanation: This questionnaire is a part of a research paper as partial fulfillment of
the requirement for Master of Arts in English for Careers, Language Institute,
Thammasat University.
This questionnaire consists of three sections. Please give the truthful
information to the accurate survey results. Thank you for kind cooperation.
Part I: General Information of Learner (ขอมลทวไปของผ เรยน) Explanation: Please tick √ in a blank which applies to you most (ขดเครองหมาย √ ในชองวางททานเหนดวยมากทสด) 1. Gender (เพศ) Male (เพศชาย) Female (เพศหญง) 2. Year Level: (ชนป)
1 4 3. Department: (สาขา)
Electrical Department (สาขาไฟฟา)
Mechanical Department (สาขาเครองกล)
4. Cumulative Grade Average: (เกรดเฉลยสะสม)
2.00 - 2.49 3.00 - 3.49
2.50 - 2.99 3.50 - 4.00
5. Type of educational background: (ขอมลเกยวกบประวตการศกษา)
Senior High School (จบระดบมธยมศกษา)
Vocational Certificate (จบระดบประกาศนยบตรวชาชพ)
47
6. How would you rate your English skills? (ระดบทกษะภาษาองกฤษของทานเปนอยางไร)
Skill (ทกษะ) Level (ระดบ)
Excellent (ยอดเยยม)
Good (ด)
Fair (ปลานกลาง)
Poor (ต า)
Listening (ฟง) Speaking (พด) Reading (อาน) Writing (เขยน)
7. Rank English skills you want to improve (1-the least, 4- the most) (จงเรยงล าดบทกษะภาษาองกฤษททานตองการปรบปรงจาก 1 ถง 4)
Listening (ฟง) Reading (อาน)
Speaking (พด) Writing (เขยน)
48
Part II: How often do you use the following media for English self-learning?
Explanation: Please tick √ in a blank which applies to you most (ขดเครองหมาย √ ในชองวางททานเหนดวยมากทสด) A. To improve reading skills, how often do you use these media? (ในการปรบปรงทกษะการอาน ทานใชสอเหลานบอยแคไหน)
Media (สอ)
Level (ระดบ) Always (เสมอ)
Often (บอยครง)
Sometimes (บางครง)
Rarely (คอนขางนอย)
Never (ไมเคย)
1. English books (หนงสอภาษาองกฤษ) 2. English comics (การตนภาษาองกฤษ) 3. English fictions (นยายภาษาองกฤษ) 4. Bangkok Post newspaper (หนงสอพมพบางกอกโพส)
5. The Nation newspaper (หนงสอพมพเดอะเนชน) 6. Magazines (นตยสาร) 7. Leaflets (ใบปลว) 8. Pamphlets (แผนพบ) 9. Brochures (เอกสารเยบเลม) 10. Posters (โปสเตอร) 11. Electronic cartoon (การตนอเลกทรอนกส) 12. Electronic stories (นยายอเลกทรอนกส) 13. Facebook (เฟซบก) 14. Twitter (ทวตเตอร) 15. YouTube (ยทบ) 16. Blog (บลอก) 17. Websites for improving reading skills (เวบไซตทชวยเพมพนทกษะการอาน): (Please specify (โปรดระบ)) 1.…………………..….… 2.…………………..….… 3.…………………..….…
49
B. To improve writing skills, how often do you use these media? (ในการปรบปรงทกษะการเขยน ทานใชสอเหลานบอยแคไหน)
Media (สอ)
Level (ระดบ) Always (เสมอ)
Often (บอยครง)
Sometimes (บางครง)
Rarely (คอนขางนอย)
Never (ไมเคย)
1. English books (หนงสอภาษาองกฤษ) 2. English comics (การตนภาษาองกฤษ) 3. English fictions (นยายภาษาองกฤษ) 4. Bangkok Post newspaper (หนงสอพมพบางกอกโพส)
5. The Nation newspaper (หนงสอพมพเดอะเนชน)
6. Magazines (นตยสาร) 7. Leaflets (ใบปลว) 8. Pamphlets (แผนพบ) 9. Brochures (เอกสารเยบเลม) 10. Posters (โปสเตอร) 11. Electronic cartoons (การตนอเลกทรอนกส) 12. Electronic stories (นยายอเลกทรอนกส) 13. Facebook (เฟซบก) 14. Twitter (ทวตเตอร) 15. YouTube (ยทบ) 16. Blog (บลอก) 17. Websites for improving writing skills (เวบไซตทชวยเพมพนทกษะการเขยน): (Please specify (โปรดระบ)) 1.…………………..….… 2.…………………..….… 3.…………………..….…
50
C. To improve listening skills, how often do you use these media? (ในการปรบปรงทกษะการฟง ทานใชสอเหลานบอยแคไหน)
Media (สอ)
Level (ระดบ) Always (เสมอ)
Often (บอยครง)
Sometimes (บางครง)
Rarely (คอนขางนอย)
Never (ไมเคย)
1. YouTube (ยทบ) 2. BBC.co.uk 3. TED.com 4. VOA.com 5. Websites for improving listening skills (เวบไซตทชวยเพมพนทกษะการฟง): (Please specify (โปรดระบ)) 1.…………………..….… 2.…………………..….… 3.…………………..….…
D. To improve speaking skills, how often do you use these media? (ในการปรบปรงทกษะการพด ทานใชสอเหลานบอยแคไหน)
Media (สอ)
Level (ระดบ) Always (เสมอ)
Often (บอยครง)
Sometimes (บางครง)
Rarely (คอนขางนอย)
Never (ไมเคย)
1. YouTube (ยทบ) 2. BBC.co.uk 3. TED.com 4. VOA.com 5. Websites for improving speaking skills (เวบไซตทชวยเพมพนทกษะการพด): (Please specify (โปรดระบ)) 1.…………………..….… 2.…………………..….…
51
Part III Rank the media that you found useful for English self-learning? Explanation: Please rank by putting 1-10 into below boxes. (จงเรยงล าดบสอทใชบอยทสดจาก 1 ถง 10) A. Print media (สอสงพมพ)
Media for English self-learning (สอการเรยนรภาษาองกฤษดวยตวเอง)
Ranking (ล าดบ)
1. English books (หนงสอภาษาองกฤษ) 2. English comics (การตนภาษาองกฤษ) 3. English fictions (นยายภาษาองกฤษ) 4. Bangkok Post newspaper (หนงสอพมพบางกอกโพส)
5. The Nation newspaper (หนงสอพมพเดอะเนชน)
6. Magazines (นตยสาร)
7. Leaflets (ใบปลว) 8. Pamphlets (แผนพบ) 9. Brochures (เอกสารเยบเลม) 10. Posters (โปสเตอร)
52
B. Electronic media (สออเลกทรอนกส) Please rank by putting 1-10 into below boxes. (จงเรยงล าดบสอทใชบอยทสดจาก 1 ถง 10)
Media for English self-learning (สอการเรยนรภาษาองกฤษดวยตวเอง)
Ranking (ล าดบ)
1. Electronic cartoons (การตนอเลกทรอนกส) 2. Electronic stories (นยายอเลกทรอนกส) 3. Facebook (เฟซบก) 4. Twitter (ทวตเตอร) 5. YouTube (ยทบ) 6. Blog (บลอก)
7. Websites for improving reading skills (เวบไซตทชวยเพมพนทกษะการอาน)
8. Websites for improving writing skills (เวบไซตทชวยเพมพนทกษะการเขยน)
9. Websites for improving speaking skills (เวบไซตทชวยเพมพนทกษะการพด)
10. Websites for improving listening skills (เวบไซตทชวยเพมพนทกษะการฟง)
53
BIOGRAPHY
Name Ms.TatiyaYuktiwattanamate
Date of Birth September2, 1984
Educational Attainment
2015: Graduate Degree
Work Position Import Supervisor
Mediterranean Shipping Company
Scholarship -
Publications -
Work Experiences Import Supervisor (2014-present)
(Mediterranean Shipping Company)
Import Analyst Officer (2010-2013)
(Ceva Freight Thailand)
Sales Coordinator (2008-2012)
(United Parcel Service Ltd.)