Strategies to Foster Engagement among First-Year EFL Students: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study at a Vietnamese University
Authors
Abstract
The study focuses on identifying strategies to promote student engagement and applying them to the current context. The study has applied the explanatory mixed-method approach, combining a quantitative survey with 202 responses from the questionnaire, followed by semi-structured interviews with 4 students. Based on the reactions of the two collection processes and after analyzing the data, the results show that receiving feedback and the form of feedback given in different forms have positive impacts on promoting student engagement. In addition, the strategies not only help students actively participate in learning but also help them improve their language skills. However, psychological factors such as anxiety and lack of confidence are also challenges especially for first-year students. Based on the feedback recorded, the study suggests that creating a stress-free learning environment can significantly motivate learners and, at the same time, reduce anxiety and lack of confidence in the learning process.
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