







































AsiaCALL Online Journal Received: 19/02/2021 

ISSN 1936-9859; https://asiacall.info/acoj Revision: 20/04/2021 

Vol. 12, No. 4, 2021  Accepted: 12/05/2021 

pp. 1-8  Online: 12/05/2021 

1 

The Efficiency of E-teaching Activities in Teaching Speaking Skills for English 

Major Students  

Tran Thi Thuy Oanh 

 

University of Foreign Language Studies – The University of Danang, Vietnam,  

Corresponding author’s email: tttoanh@ufl.udn.vn 

 

Abstract 

In the pandemic context of COVID-19, all universities in Viet Nam have paid great attention 

to implementing E-teaching activities. The study focuses on evaluating the efficiency of E-

teaching activities on speaking skills for second-year students of English major at University 

of Foreign Language Studies - The University of Da Nang (UFLS-UDN). A survey was 

conducted in a group of 15 teachers and 100 students of UFLS-UDN to figure out what the 

reality is. The findings indicated that the information technology infrastructure system of the 

school meets the needs of online teaching. Most teachers mastered E-teaching equipment, 

especially supporting software, applying teaching methods suitable to the online teaching 

model to integrate polarize learners' learning activities. Moreover, most students are self-

consciously participating in the form of E-teaching and doing exercises as well as answering 

questions posed by teachers in the learning process. However, some teachers are still conscious 

of implementing this duty or spending time to draft lessons. The research proposes suitable and 

feasible solutions to improve E-teaching activities at UFLS-UDN, particularly at universities, 

faculties of foreign languages in Viet Nam in general. 

Keywords: efficiency, E-teaching, speaking skill, English major. 

 

1. Introduction 

Online literacy plays a significant contribution and essential role in student learning and teacher 

teaching. With the developments of software that intend to improve education quality and 

access educational information, the learning and teaching opportunities have increased.  In fact, 

teaching and learning on the Internet have changed how teachers communicate with students 

and vice visa. According to Carol (2003), “technology is a force worthy of consideration, 

whether one wishes to focus on the technological potential, to examine pragmatic technology 

use, or to criticize both” (p.9). Van et al. (2021) and Nguyen (2021) found that technology is an 

essential tool in elearning in order to help students improve their English skills. In addition, 

Bhatti (2021) asserts that technology plays an imprtant role in English language teaching. 

Thanks to the developments of technology, how teachers gain access to information in lessons 

and how students widen their knowledge in learning has changed in recent years.  

In recent years, universities in Viet Nam have paid great attention to implementing E-teaching 



ACOJ- ISSN 1936-9859 AsiaCALL Online Journal  Vol. 12; No. 4; 2021 

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activities, especially in the epidemic context of COVID-19. It affected most of aspects in the 

society (Hoang & Le, 2021; Pham & Vo, 2021). University of Foreign Language Studies - The 

University of Da Nang (UFLS-UDN) is one of the educational institutions requiring students 

to study online during the last pandemic. Although teachers seem to master how to use 

technology in teaching, there is still an issue that they cannot acknowledge, understand, or 

'catch' the way the world's technology changes rapidly. They feel difficult to update these 

techniques, especially in teaching and learning the speaking skills of a foreign language. The 

research evaluated the efficiency of E-teaching activities on speaking skills. It proposed suitable 

and feasible solutions to improve the efficiency of E-teaching activities at UFLS-UDN in 

particular, at universities, faculties of foreign languages in Viet Nam in general. 

 

2. Literature review 

The technologies have an impact on learning and teaching foreign languages. In teaching 

speaking, teachers show attentions to constant revision and recycling. Teachers try to mix many 

activities with helping learners' language skills. They often use tasks of dialogues, poems, 

songs, music, games in their lesson schedules. Students have chances to check if their speaking 

abilities improve, their skills of pronunciation get better, and especially their language 

awareness develops. In particular, using techniques in the classroom can aid in the development 

of a learner's speaking ability, and we have held in mind that interaction and dissection are 

important aspects of learning. As a result, we should have more oral focus in our instruction 

and allow students as much speech time as possible (Andrade, 2005:22).  

In the recent context of education, most teachers pay attention to design activities in teaching 

speaking skills to students. They try to make more requirements on tasks aiming to achieve the 

criteria of the oral skills that are fluency and accuracy in the assessment. 

In communication, speaking competently considers being the most basic session for a 

communicator who does it fluently. During speaking, language users should focus on grammar, 

vocabulary, and pronunciation, which are appropriated. Depending on the situation, they also 

should apply exact cultural as well as social characteristics. Therefore, teaching this skill aims 

to make learners ensure communicating effectively.  According to Chandra (2004), the ability 

of technology to meet learners at any moment and in any location has the power to bring about 

radical improvements in the educational paradigm. 

In any educational setting, e-teaching is a necessary prerequisite for e-learning, particularly for 

inexperienced students. Teachers' responsibilities in an online world vary significantly from 

those in a conventional classroom setting. The majority of today's teachers and academics lack 

adequate digital literacy (Alexander et al., 2017; Wineburg et al., 2016). 

2.1 Research Questions  

The study aims to answer the following research questions:  

a) What are E-teaching activities in teaching speaking skills for major English students of the 

University of Foreign Language Studies - The University of Da Nang?  

https://naerjournal.ua.es/article/view/v7n2-3
https://naerjournal.ua.es/article/view/v7n2-3


ACOJ- ISSN 1936-9859 AsiaCALL Online Journal  Vol. 12; No. 4; 2021 

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b) What is the efficiency of E-teaching activities in teaching speaking skills for major English 

students of the University of Foreign Language Studies - The University of Da Nang? 

 

3. Methods 

3.1 Pedagogical Setting & Participants 

University of Foreign Language Studies - the University of Da Nang was established in 

accordance with the Decision No. 709 / QD-TTg dated 26 August 2002 by the Vietnamese 

Government, with the mission to improve students' knowledge of language and culture to 

contribute to national construction, development, and international integration. The University 

is selected by the Ministry of Education and Training and the Management Board of National 

Foreign Language 2020 project to be one of the five regional centers for foreign languages 

undertaking the task of training, fostering, and assessing foreign language. Skills, as well as 

developing pedagogical skills and applying information technology in teaching and learning 

foreign languages.  

The University offers a self-study system based on textbooks, face-to-face tutorials, and a web-

based instructional environment. Especially in the COVID-19 pandemic, the University 

performed the lessons online absolutely through MS-Teams and Zoom Meetings.   

Microsoft Teams is a workspace for real-time teamwork and networking, workshops, file and 

software sharing, and even the odd emoji—it's the best chat app for the company. All are in one 

spot, out in the open, where everybody can see it. The University chose the method for E-

teaching and learning for the following reasons: Text, audio, video, and file sharing are all 

included in this rich chat. Having a private conversation to create an idea before sharing it with 

the whole company; All of the users' notes, docs, and other documents are kept in one location. 

Zoom Meetings is a simple-to-use platform that combines cloud video conferencing, remote 

meetings, community chat, and a software-defined conference room solution. 

In a usual context, E-teaching and learning are optional or non-mandatory. Course sites really 

do not replace textbooks or face-to-face tutorials. However, in the context of COVID-19 

pandemic, these activities are necessary to preserve the learning process among students. 

Through these systems, course sites simplify organizational procedures and enrich students’ 

learning opportunities and experiences.  

 

Participants 

Participants were 15 lecturers and 100 students of UFLS – UDN. Lecturers had at least 5 years 

of teaching experience and have experienced in the ways of distance education and been trained 

for using these systems for E-teaching in this period. Students are in the second year of English 

major in the University and have enrolled in the English speaking skill courses. 

 

 



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3.2 Design of the Study 

The aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of E-teaching in teaching students to talk by 

using a set of well-structured questionnaires to provide a study context. To agree on the results 

of this practice, this analysis uses a descriptive test design. The researchers were able to collect 

data from a wide variety of respondents on the effects of speaking ability E-teaching and 

learning thanks to this study design. This aided in the analysis of the responses received in terms 

of how they impact educational content.  

 

3.3 Data collection & analysis 

Data collection through questionnaires: Questionnaires are the most common method for 

gathering primary data in the realistic analysis since the researcher may choose the sample size 

and types of questions to ask. Initially, the questionnaire architecture was coded and mixed up 

based on uniform constructs from individual topics. As a result, the questionnaire yielded useful 

information that was needed to meet the dissertation's objectives. A five-item Likert scale was 

used to construct the questionnaires. Each argument was rated on a five-point Likert scale, with 

one equaling "strongly support" and five equaling "strongly disagree." The responses were 

totaled to generate a ranking on each of the tests. 

Participants' consent was approved at the class after they came back to school through the 

questionnaires, which were given to them directly. This 5-minute survey was conducted by the 

participants and sent to the researcher. The thesis was carried out in such a way that the 

participants' privacy was covered. To answer the questions raised, the analysis gathered 

quantitative data.  

 

4. Findings and discussion 

4.1 Activities of E-Teaching for Speaking Skills  

- Lecturers prepared lesson planning for teaching speaking skills online. This is an important 

step for teaching speaking online. They consider the learning, their requirements, and the goal 

of students' learning and have some grading criteria to assess the progress of the students.   

- Lecturers focus on making and dividing activities to prepare daily and weekly to achieve 

lessons' goals.  

- Lecturers organize all the lessons and activities for students in a chronology.  

- Students follow the instructions of lecturers to prepare the content.  

- Students practice within the chatroom.  

- Lecturers give some quizzes or exams which can be conducted to help students memorize and 

recite dialogues, looking at pictures and describing them, role-playing, conducting group 

discussions in the chatroom.  

These activities help students get the chance to complete the tasks and practice what is in the 



ACOJ- ISSN 1936-9859 AsiaCALL Online Journal  Vol. 12; No. 4; 2021 

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textbook. The student's success in interacting in the chatroom can be used as an assessment tool 

to assess the student's learning. They also help teachers make amendments, assist students in 

struggling areas, and plan how to perform better. 

4.2 The efficiency of E-teaching for speaking skills for major students at UFLS-UDN 

Table 1.  

The comments of students on E-teaching for speaking skills 

Questions / Statements Stron

gly 

agree 

(%) 

Agree 

(%) 

Neutral 

(%) 

Disag

ree 

(%) 

Strongly 

disagree 

(%) 

Learning speaking online is interesting 11 87 0 2 0 

Learning speaking online is comfortable 

because of being seated at home 

93 2 1 2 2 

Students could study more effectively 

and productively  

67 14 9 5 5 

The website use of the school in learning 

speaking is stable and in good condition 

75 12 7 3 3 

Student has the right to get in contact in 

case of any problems 

87 7 2 4 0 

Students of the system could easily 

access the content of lessons  

64 34 1 1 0 

The knowledge which is provided within 

e-learning appropriate to the student’s 

needs 

45 47 6 1 1 

Students could get education together in 

a virtual classroom 

54 40 4 2 0 

 

As can be seen from Table 1, the students of UFLS - UDN highly rated the effects of E-teaching 

on speaking skills. With the question “Learning speaking online is interesting” and a five-point 

Likert-type scale, for which 1 = “strongly agree” to 5 = “strongly disagree”, we have been 

found that all the students are interested in learning online. However, the result of the survey 

dropped at the scale 2 "agree" (87%). With the question “Learning speaking online is 

comfortable because of being seated at home”, we have been found that the students gave the 

answer “strongly agree” (93%). During Covid-19, the students of UFLS – UDN were in the 

home and attended classes actively with big support from the school. In fact, home is always a 

very comfortable place, especially for introverted students. 



ACOJ- ISSN 1936-9859 AsiaCALL Online Journal  Vol. 12; No. 4; 2021 

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Table 2.  

The comments of the lecturers on E-teaching for speaking skills 

Questions / Statements Stron

gly 

agree 

(%) 

Agree 

(%) 

Neutral 

(%) 

Disag

ree 

(%) 

Strongly 

disagree 

(%) 

The website use of the school in learning 

speaking is stable and in good condition 

86 7 7 0 0 

Students could easily access the content 

of lessons  

86 14 0 0 0 

The knowledge which is provided within 

e-learning appropriate to the student’s 

needs 

100 0 0 0 0 

Students could get education together in 

a virtual classroom 

100 0 0 0 0 

Teachers are trained in information 

technologies and Internet in order to 

gather with the students in virtual 

classrooms  

100 0 0 0 0 

 

Besides, we have received the result with high rates for the last questions in the level of 

“strongly agree” from the lecturers surveyed. According to the educators interviewed, the 

majority clearly agree with the following statements: "the knowledge given by e-learning is 

suitable for the student's needs," "Students should receive education in a virtual classroom," 

and "Teachers are educated in information technology and the Internet in order to gather with 

students in virtual classrooms" (100 percent ). 

In fact, the efficiency in E-Teaching for speaking skills offers teachers and students of UFLS-

UDN many advantages: 

For the English major students of UFLS-UDN:  

- getting interesting, comfortable feelings; 

- studying more effectively and productively; 

- having the right to get in contact in case of any problems; 

- accessing the content of lessons easily; 

- being provided the appropriate knowledge within e-learning; 

- getting education together in a virtual classroom; 



ACOJ- ISSN 1936-9859 AsiaCALL Online Journal  Vol. 12; No. 4; 2021 

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For the lecturers of UFLS-UDN: 

- shaping the online classes to best suit their students;  

- leaving them with knowledge and course satisfaction;  

- being trained in information technologies and the Internet in order to gather with the students 

in virtual classrooms. 

In general, using technical methods in E-teaching allows the learner to be trained. Students 

(from various locations) could learn together in a virtual classroom. The lecturers could pose 

questions to the students in the classroom, and the students could answer through their computer 

screens. It allows for the quality and appropriateness of instructional resources to be reviewed 

and renewed. Technology not only makes education more appealing by rich audio-visual 

presentations, but it also improves learning levels. E-learning allows students to gain skills 

without having to attend classes. As a result, they will save money on lodging and 

transportation.  

However, with open the suggestion “Please give the ways to improve the efficiency of E-

teaching activities at UFLS-UDN” in the questionnaires, we propose suitable and feasible 

solutions as follows: 

- The school should establish virtual labs which provide the chance to follow the developments 

in education.  

- Since many e-learning programs need shared engagement through technical resources and 

gathering with their students in virtual classrooms, teachers of e-learning programs must have 

extensive in-service preparation. 

 

5. Conclusion 

The findings indicated that the information technology infrastructure system of the school meets 

the needs of online teaching. Most of the teachers mastered E-teaching equipment, especially 

supporting software, applying teaching methods suitable to the online teaching model to 

integrate polarize learners' learning activities. Moreover, most of the students are self-

consciously participating in the form of E-teaching and doing exercises as well as answering 

questions posed by teachers in the learning process. The study also supposes some suitable and 

feasible solutions to improve the efficiency of E-teaching activities at UFLS-UDN in particular, 

at universities, faculties of foreign languages in Viet Nam in general for second-year students 

of English major. 

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Biodata  

Tran Thi Thuy Oanh is a senior lecturer at University of Foreign Language Studies – The 

University of Danang, Vietnam. She had a Ph.D’s degree in English Linguistics and spent a 

researching course at University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, French Republic. Her current 

research fields are English linguistics, pedagogy and education. 

http://purl.stanford.edu/fv751yt5934
https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210226.001

