1 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐÀO THỊ KIM NHUNG STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LISTENING ANXIETY: CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS (Lo lắng của sinh viên trong giờ học nghe: nguyên nhân và giải pháp) Course: Cohort 12 Supervisor: Prof. Silvia Spence Hanoi, 2013 2 ABSTRACT Why do most students experience an overwhelming amount of anxiety when listening to English? How can teachers address such affective feeling in order to improve students‘ listening comprehension and English proficiency? The researcher conducted a study on a sample of 30 English major students in their first year at Tay Bac University, Son La. The instruments of the study were a questionnaire and an informal interview. Data was collected quantitatively and analyzed qualitatively. The study confirmed that the students are highly anxious in listening classes. The study identified factors viewed as leading to listening anxiety such as listening material, speaker, listener and listening environment factors. The study also revealed that the students perceive native speaker pronunciation and fast speed of delivery posed the most difficulties for them while they are engaged in EFL listening activities. After the investigation, some solutions are proposed to help the students alleviate their anxiety and discomfort in their listening classes, and promote students‘ English listening comprehension. 3 Abstract Table of contents PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Research Justification 2. Purpose of the Study. 3. Research Questions 4. Significance of the Study. 5. Scope of the Study. 6. Structure of the Thesis PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Overview of Anxiety 1.1. Definition and Types of Anxiety 1.2. Foreign Language Anxiety 1.3 Components of Foreign Language Anxiety 1.3.1. Communication Apprehension: 1.3.2 Test Anxiety 1.3.3. Fear of Negative Evaluation 2. Overview of Listening Comprehension 2.1. Definition of Listening Comprehension 2.2. Significance of Listening Comprehension 2.3. The Listening Comprehension Process: 2.3.1. Two Levels View: Bottom-up and Top-down Processing 2.3.2. A Sequential Process of Listening 3. Listening Anxiety 3.1. Related Studies of Language Anxiety in Listening Skill 2 3 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 9 9 9 9 10 11 12 12 12 13 13 14 15 15 16 17 17 4 3.2. Causes of Listening Anxiety 3.2.1. Listening Anxiety associated with Listening Text Factors a) Complexity and Difficulty of the Lexis and Syntax. b) Uninterested or Unfamiliar Topic c) Visual Support 3.2.2. Listening Anxiety associated with Speakers factors a) Fast Speech Rate b) Phonological Modifications c) Unfamiliar Accents d) Hesitation and Pause Phenomena (usually grouped together) 3.2.3. Listening Anxiety associated with Listener Factors a) Limited Vocabulary b) Memory c) Background knowledge d) Application of Strategies 3.2.4. Listening Anxiety associated with Listening Environment 3.3. Instructional Approaches for Listening Anxiety Reduction. CHAPTER II: THE STUDY 1. Participants 2. Data Gathering Instruments 3. Procedures 4. Techniques of Data Analysis 5. Data Analysis and Findings 5.1. Students‘ Attitudes toward Listening Skills 18 19 19 19 20 20 20 21 21 22 22 22 23 23 23 24 25 26 26 26 27 27 27 27 5 5.2. Students‘ General Listening Anxiety a) Students‘ feelings about their listening skills b) Reasons for their feelings about listening skills 5.3 Listening anxiety associated with each listening factors PART C: CONCLUSION 1. Summary of the findings 2. Suggestions for classroom practice 2.1. Solutions related to Listening Text 2.2. Solutions related to Speakers 2.3. Solutions related to Listeners 2.4. Solutions related to Listening Environment 3. Limitations and suggestions for further research REFERENCES Appendix 1: Questionnaire Appendix 2: Informal Interview 29 29 29 31 34 34 36 37 38 39 40 42 43 45 49 6 PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Research Justification Teachers and researchers of foreign language are too familiar with statements like the ones above, which indicate a common problem that the majority of foreign language students are faced with. It is well recognised that foreign language anxiety is a rather pervasive phenomenon (Aida, 1994). Although language anxiety could be considered as facilitating anxiety that motivates learners, many language teachers and researchers have been concerned about the possibility that anxiety may function as an affective filter (Krashen, 1982), preventing a learner from achieving a high level of proficiency in a foreign language (Scovel 1991). Anxiety should be reduced because anxious students are not able to develop their potential foreign language skills. Reducing anxiety is a key to success in foreign or second language learning. It ―directly influences how often students use second language learning strategies, how much students interact with native speakers, how much input they receive in the language being learned (the target language), how well they do on curriculum-related achievement tests, how high their general proficiency level becomes, and how long they preserve and maintain second language skills after language study is over ‖ (Oxford and Shearin, 1996, p.121-122). 2. Purpose of the Study. The major purpose of the research is to find out why the first year English major students at Hong Duc University feel anxious or embarrassed while listening to English. In other words, this study seeks to identify the factors or causes that make students stressful and nervous while listening to English in the language classroom setting. This includes considering the 7 factors that originate from listening text, listeners, speakers, and listening environment. The second most important aim of this study is to find out and suggest some solutions in order to alleviate English listening anxiety in the students. 3. Research Questions The research is carried out with an attempt to address the following research questions: - What are the possible causes that make the first-year English major students at Tay Bac University anxious and nervous while listening to English? - What are possible solutions that may reduce listening anxiety of the students? 4. Significance of the Study. Foreign language anxiety is a universal phenomenon that has a significant factor adversely affecting the language learning process. This study could be of considerable interest to teachers and students at Tay Bac University: (1) to improve the teachers‘ theoretical understanding of foreign language anxiety, especially causes of listening anxiety; (2) to enhance the students‘ awareness of causes of listening anxiety they encounter in foreign language, and from this they can manage their anxiety level in other language skills. This study is also significant with respect to the understanding of the students‘ anxiety and the causes of that anxiety, thereby solutions can be suggested to help learners reduce their listening anxiety. Hopefully, all given solutions will be more motivating for the students to learn and make progress in listening. 5. Scope of the Study. 8 A study of the students‘ listening anxiety is such a broad issue investigated by many authors. However, in my study, I will focus on the students‘ listening anxiety – its causes and solutions: A study of the first year English majors in the Department of Foreign Language, Tay Bac University, Son La 6. Structure of the Thesis The thesis is divided into three parts: Part 1 is the introduction, which presents the research justification, the purpose, the research questions, scope and the structure of the thesis. Part 2 is the development which includes two chapters. Chapter one review the literature in terms of foreign language anxiety in general and listening anxiety in particular. Chapter two presents the study. Part 3 is the conclusion which presents a summary of the study and concluding comments derived from the findings of the study. It also discusses the limitation of the study and suggestions for further research. Finally, some solutions to reduce listening anxiety are suggested. 9 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW The main aim of this chapter is to review the literature on second language anxiety in general and listening anxiety in particular. The chapter starts with a literature review on anxiety. This is followed by an overview of listening comprehension. The end of the chapter is a discussion of listening comprehension anxiety 1. Overview of Anxiety 1.1. Definition and Types of Anxiety ―Anxiety is a psychological construct, commonly described by psychologists as a state of apprehension, a vague fear that is only indirectly associated with an object‖ (Hilgard, Atkinson, & Atkinson, 1971 cited in Scovel, 1991: 18). In another definition, Scovel (1978: 134) suggests that anxiety is associated with feelings of uneasiness, frustration, self-doubt, apprehension, or worry. Spielberger (1983), as cited in Horwitz, E.K., Horwitz, M.B, and Cope, J. (1986: 125), defines anxiety as ―the subjective feeling of tension, apprehension, nervousness, and worry associated with an arousal of the autonomic nervous system‖ According to many psychologists, anxiety can be experienced at three perspectives. The first one is trait anxiety, which is defined as an individual‘s likelihood of becoming anxious in any situation (Spielberger,1983 cited in MacIntyre et al 1991, p.87). Some people are generally anxious about many things in a number of different situations. Therefore, state anxiety is viewed as ―a steady personality feature‖ (Brown, 2007). Its negative effects are thought to ―impair cognitive 10 functioning, to disrupt memory, to lead to avoidance behaviors, and to have several other effects‖ (Eysenck,1979, in MacIntyre et al 1991: 87). The second perspective is state anxiety which is ―interested in the here- and-now experience of anxiety as an emotional state‖ (MacIntyre et al 1991, p.87). State anxiety is an apprehension experienced at a particular moment in time, for example, prior to taking examinations (Spielberger, 1983, cited in MacIntyre et al 1991, p.90). Finally, situation-specific anxiety is related to apprehension unique to specific situations and events such as public speaking, examinations, or class participation (Ellis, 1994:480). The last one seems likely to be more closely related to attempts to learn a foreign language and communicate in it. 1.2 Foreign Language Anxiety Research on the affective factors in second language acquisition has been mounting steadily for a number of decades because students are ―physical and cognitive, but primarily emotional, being‖ (Rogers, cited in Brown, 2007: 97). ―Among the affective factors influencing language learning, anxiety ranks high‖ (Arnold, 1999: 59). The construct of anxiety has been recognized as one of the most important predictors of foreign language performance. Foreign language anxiety is a universal phenomenon that has a significant factor adversely affecting the language learning process. Gardner & MacIntyre (1993, cited in Arnold 1999:59) refer to language anxiety as ―fear or apprehension occurring when a learner is expected to perform in the second or foreign language." Horwitz, E.K., Horwitz, M.B, and Cope, J. (1986) conceptualize foreign language anxiety as ‗a distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning processes‖ (p.128). [...]... background In short, the chapter reviews the literature on many issues related to anxiety and listening anxiety These include a definition of foreign language anxiety and its components, definition of listening comprehension and its process, factors related to listening comprehension and empirical evidence of listening comprehension anxiety that has been reported by other researchers This knowledge, therefore,... highly anxiety among the students may be attributed to several reasons such as listening text factors, speakers factors, listeners factors and listening environment factors (1) The first cause of listening anxiety is associated with listening text factors The complexity and difficulty of lexis and syntax make students nervous and embarrassed while listening to spoken message Meeting new words while listening. .. recognizing cohesive devices, e.g., such as and which, including link words, pronouns, references, etc - understanding different intonation patterns and uses of stress, etc., which give clues to meaning and social setting - understanding inferred information, e.g., speakers‘ attitude or intentions 3 Listening Anxiety 3.1 Related Studies of Language Anxiety in Listening Skill Listening in a FL is a less thoroughly... were interested in learning listening skill They realized the importance and necessary of learning listening skill in EFL acquisition process All of them had good attitudes to listening skill 28 5.2 Students’ General Listening Anxiety a) Students’ feelings about their listening skills True (1) I feel nervous when I listen False (2) Student Students‘ Students‘ Students‘ to English if … s‘ No % No % 0... and parallel processing, listening strategies, and negotiation of comprehensible input 3.2.1 Listening Anxiety associated with Listening Text Factors a) Complexity and Difficulty of the Lexis and Syntax One of the most obvious sources of difficulty for learners of English is the complexity and difficulty of the lexis and syntax Meeting unknown sounds, lexis and syntax, FL learners ―seem to work much harder... organized and analyzed While the data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively, the data obtained from the interview were analyzed qualitatively And the results of the instruments identified the listening factors viewed as causing anxiety that affected the first-year English majors at Tay Bac University 5 Data Analysis and Findings 5.1 Students’ Attitudes toward Listening. .. that listening comprehension is not only an essential skill but a prerequisite for oral proficiency as well Most learners of English as a foreign language experience considerable difficulties in listening comprehension, and these difficulties appear to be main causes of anxiety which should be taken into consideration In order to help students facilitate their listening comprehension skills as well English. .. to ―understand what the teacher is saying in the foreign language‖ (item 4), and over a quarter (27%) said they were nervous when they did not ―understand every word‖ uttered by the teacher (item 29) (Horwitz et al., 1986, pp 129-130) 17 They suggested that instructors help students cope with anxiety- producing situations and make the learning context less stressful 3.2 Causes of Listening Anxiety There... effective, and more transferable to new situations‖ (Oxford, 1990: 8) Goh (1998) investigated the cognitive and metacognitive strategies and tactics used by Chinese ESL learners in a university in Singapore and she compared the use of these strategies and tactics by high- and low- ability listeners The result revealed that high-ability listeners used more strategies and tactics than low ability ones 3.2.4 Listening. .. generalize that fast rate of speech and unfamiliar pronunciation of the speaker; the restriction of vocabulary, inability to concentrate and having no knowledge about the topic spoken out as well as effective listening strategies (know how to listen effectively) of the students impede listening comprehension, make them stressful while listening to English 5.3 Listening Anxiety associated with Speakers . understanding of foreign language anxiety, especially causes of listening anxiety; (2) to enhance the students‘ awareness of causes of listening anxiety they encounter in foreign language, and. 16 17 17 4 3.2. Causes of Listening Anxiety 3.2.1. Listening Anxiety associated with Listening Text Factors a) Complexity and Difficulty of the Lexis and Syntax. b) Uninterested. possible causes that make the first-year English major students at Tay Bac University anxious and nervous while listening to English? - What are possible solutions that may reduce listening anxiety