MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYỄN THỊ THUẦN AN INVESTIGATION INTO DIFFICULTIES IN LEARNING ENGLISH LISTENING SKILL AT TANKY HIGH SCHOOL MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION Nghệ An, 2014STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby certify that the thesis entitled AN INVESTIGATION INTO DIFFICULTIES IN LEARNING ENGLISH LISTENING SKILL AT TAN KY HIGH SCHOOL i is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Education at Vinh University I confirm that this thesis has not been submitted for any other degrees Author Nguyễn Thị Thuần ABSTRACT Listening skill is one of the most necessary skills to communicate in the real life In learning a foreign language, it is more and more important to learn this skill Everybody knows that in order to listen to a message is not as simple as hearing it, so the listener has to understand the message and responde in the right manner Realizing the problems from teaching experiences, the author would like to a research titled An investigation into difficulties in learning English listening skill at ii Tan Ky high school The thesis study the subjective and objective difficulties of the students in learning the listening skill Then, it would like to find out the reasons for those problems and the sollutions for both teachers and learners in teaching and learning the listening skill Therefore, the author applied the qualitative method and descriptive method to the research So the collecting data instruments like questionnaires was used to the study The results of the research point out the difficulties that students meet when they learn the listening skill in the Tan Ky high school More importantly, it helps the author find out the causes of those difficulties so that she can work out the right solutions to the problems With the hope of improving students’ listening competence, the author has tried her best to this thesis on her own experiences and knowledge in English teaching methodology ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My MA graduation thesis has been completed with a lot of encouragement and support from my teachers, students, colleagues and family I would like to express my deep great thank to my supervisor, Assoc.Prof Dr Ngo Dinh Phuong, for his indispensable and useful advice, suggestions and support for this thesis And I wish to thank many teachers for having taught me the iii subjects in the MA TESOL course carefully and given me lots of useful advice so that I could get more background knowledge to complete this thesis I also wish to send my sincere thanks to the students of the classes I visited in order to gather information for my survey questionnaire Without their help, this study could not have been successful I am indebted to my friends, my classmates, as well as my colleagues for their invaluable comments and criticism and also for their continued interest and encouragement Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to family members whose support and encouragement greatly contributed to the completion of my study LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English as Foreign Language FL: foreign language GE: General English L1: first language iv L2: second language LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 4.1 Students’ attitudes towards English listening Error: Reference source not found Table 4.2 The difficulties in terms of English vocabulary .Error: Reference source not found Table 4.3 The difficulties in terms of grammar Error: Reference source not found v Table 4.4 The difficulties related to lack of background knowledgeError: Reference source not found Table 4.5 The difficulties due to lack of listening skills Error: Reference source not found Table 4.6 Rank order of difficulties in English listeningError: Reference source not found Table 4.7 Students’ views of sources of difficulties .Error: Reference source not found Table 4.8 The students’ needs for English listening materials and equipment Error: Reference source not found Table 4.9 The students’ needs for teachers’ methodology Error: Reference source not found Figure 4.1 Students’ attitudes towards English listeningError: Reference source not found Figure 4.2 Causes of difficulties from materials Error: Reference source not found Figure 4.3 Causes of difficulties from teachers Error: Reference source not found Figure 4.4 Causes of difficulties from students Error: Reference source not found Figure 4.5 Causes of difficulties from the physical setting .Error: Reference source not found vi vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter viii INTRODUCTION viii 1.1 Rationale viii 1.2 x The aim of the study x Research questions xi The scope of the study .xi 1.5 The organization of the study .xi Chapter xiii THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND xiii LITERATURE REVIEW .xiii 2.2.1 Listening and listening comprehension xvi 2.2.1.1 Definition of listening .xvi 2.2.1.2 The Importance of Listening Skills xvii Types of listening xviii a Real-life Listening xviii b Classroom Listening xx 2.2.4 Overview of the “Tieng Anh 11” Textbook .xxxiii 2.2.4.1 General Description .xxxiii 2.2.4.2 Objectives and Approaches to the Textbook Development .xxxiv 2.2.4.3 Teaching Approaches of the “Tieng Anh 11” Textbook .xxxiv 4.4.4.1 Suggested Activities for English listening .lxiv c Post-listening Stage lxvii REFERENCES .lxxiii Chapter INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale No one can deny the importance of listening skills in foreign language learning because the key to acquire a language is to receive language input Krashen, Terrell, Ehrman, & Herzog (1984) claim that acquisition takes place only viii when students absorb enough comprehensible input The same claim was supported by Rost (1994) who confirmed that listening is vital in language classrooms because it provides input for learners As an input skill, listening plays a crucial role in students’ languagedevelopment Krashen (1985) argues that people acquire language by understanding the linguistic information they hear Thus language acquisition is achieved mainly through receiving understandable input and listening ability is the critical component in achieving understandable language input Without understanding inputs at the right level, any kind of learning simply cannot occur Thus listening is a fundamental language skill, and as such it merits a critical priority among the four skill areas for language students As an English teacher, with her own knowledge and experience in teaching, the author finds interested in studying the difficulties in learning the listening skill in English She would like to present the thesis “An investigation into difficulties in learning English listening skills at TanKy high school" She chooses this matter due to the following reasons First of all, listening is the most important skill in communication in the real life Listening and speaking are two major parts of communication They are closely interdependent We are only able to talk sensibly when we understand what is said to us If we fail to understand spoken language, we may miss important information and respond in a funny way Moreover, in learning a language, listening is a useful means of providing learners with comprehensible input, which is an essential component of the whole language learning process And teaching listening skill in classroom helps learners make transition from classroom English to real- life English more easily and effectively Therefore, the author would like to this research so as to help teachers and learners pay more attention to this skill Secondly, learning listening skill is the most difficult in learning a foreign language Listening, like reading, is a receptive skill but it is often the most daunting for learners When reading, a reader usually has more opportunities to ix refer back to the text to clarify understanding, which a listener cannot in most listening contexts such as TV programs, meetings, discussions, lectures or conversations As Harmer said: Whereas the written word stays on the page and can be looked at more than once, the spoken word, unless recorded on tape or record cannot be repeated Of course in a conversation it is possible to ask someone to say something again, but the fact remains that while a reader can look back at something as many times as he wants, the listener cannot (Harmer, 1991) What is more, in teaching and learning English listening skill in Vietnam in general and in TanKy in particular, teachers and learners cope with a lot of problems and difficulties because of both objective and subjective reasons Thus, the author chooses this topic to point out the main difficulties which the learners have met and to find the reasons for them The last but not least reason for choosing this thesis title is that many learners are not interested in learning the listening skill They find listening classes boring On the other hand, practicing listening skill is difficult and it takes long time It is necessary for teachers to foster the passion for regular listening and to cater for some learners’ need to listen for relaxation and pleasure That is the reason the author would like to work out some suggestions so as to help teachers motivate their learners to study listening skill more excited and better 1.2 The aim of the study The study is done with the following aims: Firstly, most students find it difficult to learn listening skill so the author of the study would like to find the common difficulties that the learners face when they learn English listening skill at Tan Ky high school x Question 4: Difficulties with vocabulary VD D E VE □ □ □ □ 4b I find it difficult to memorize the key words □ □ □ □ 4c I find it difficult to listen to the speakers' □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ 4a I find it difficult to understand the words in the contexts pronunciation 4d I have troubles in using the synonyms( such as: "kid" for "child" ) 4e I have troubles in using the homophones( such as: right and write, meet and meat ) 4f Others (Please indicate here) ………………………………….……………… Question 5: Difficulties with Grammar 5a I don’t remember all grammatical structures that I have learnt and this makes it difficult to understand the content of the text 5b If the sentence is a new grammatical structure in the text I not understand its meaning 5c Long sentences are difficult for me to understand lxxviii their meanings 5d Others (Please indicate here) ………………………………….……………… Question 6: Difficulties related to Lack of Background Knowledge VD 6a I find it difficult to understand the content of D E VE □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ unfamiliar professional topics 6b I find I don’t have enough professional knowledge related to the topics 6c I find it difficult to understand authentic materials 6d Others (Please indicate here) ………………………………….……………… lxxix Question 7: Difficulties due to Lack of Reading Skills VD D E VE 7a.I find it difficult to find out the key words of the text □ □ □ □ 7b.I find it difficult to find out the main ideas of the □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ 7e I find it difficult to concentrate on the listening text □ □ □ □ 7f I have difficulties in catching up with the speed and □ □ □ □ text 7c I find it difficult to summarize the mains ideas of a listening text 7d I don’t know how to answer comprehension questions of a listening text the accent of the native speakers 7g Others (Please indicate here) ………………………………… lxxx Section C Question 8: Please indicate what possible sources of your problems in English listening YES NO 8a.The texts are very too long and many unfamiliar words □ □ 8b The texts are full of new and complex grammar □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ 8f The teacher is too strict and demanding □ □ 8g I lack confidence and motivation □ □ 8h I lack vocabulary □ □ 8i I lack knowledge about the topics I am listening □ □ 8k The equipment such as CD players is in bad condition □ □ 8l It is difficult for me to concentrate with noises around □ □ structures 8c Some texts are unfamiliar topics, which makes us difficult to understand 8d The teacher doesn’t teach us sufficient listening strategies 8e The teacher doesn’t give us sufficient practice of grammar and vocabulary lxxxi 8m Others ( Please indicate here) …………………………… Question 9: To make your listening easier, what you think must be adjusted in the listening materials and the equipment ( choose as many as possible) 9a Listening texts should be more related to my life □ 9b Listening texts should be shorter and more motivating □ 9c Listening texts should have a limited number of new words □ 9d Using more modern technology or facilities: computers, CDs, □ cassettes, ect 9e Using more supplementary references to improve listening skill 9f Others ( Please indicate here) ………………………………………………………… lxxxii □ Question 10: To help you listen better, what in your opinion you expect from the teachers? (Choose as many as possible) 10a I expect the teacher to design more interesting and suitable □ listening tasks to students’ levels 10b I expect the teacher to give and carefully explain vocabulary □ 10c I expect the teacher to explain carefully grammatical structures □ in the texts 10d I expect the teacher to provide us more background knowledge □ related to the topics we are working on 10e I want the teacher to guide and instructing students how to listen and the task, emphasize the purposes or key words( equip you with necessary strategies in listening) 10g Others ( Please indicate here) ………………………………………………………… Thank you for taking time to complete this questionnaire lxxxiii □ APPENDIX B PHIÕU §IỊU TRA NGHI£N CøU Bảng câu hỏi nhằm phục vụ nghiên cứu tìm hiểu khó khăn việc học nghe tiếng Anh học sinh lớp 11 trường trung học phổ thơng Tân Kì ngun nhân gây khó khăn Các câu trả lời mà bạn cung cấp quan trọng cơng trình nghiên cứu Dữ liệu điều tra sử dụng cho việc nghiên cứu, khơng mục đích khác (Chỉ có người nghiên cứu biết câu trả lời bạn mong bạn trả lời theo suy nghĩ mình.) Cảm ơn hợp tác bạn Xin bạn vui lòng cho biết: * Bạn học tiếng Anh rồi? * Điểm trung bình mơn tiếng Anh lớp 10 bạn bao nhiêu? Phần A: Bạn có đồng ý với ý kiến sau không ? Câu hỏi 1: Tôi thấy học tiếng Anh quan trọng □ Hoàn toàn đồng ý □ Đồng ý □ Khơng đồng ý □ Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý Câu hỏi 2: Tơi thấy khó để hiểu nghe □ Hoàn toàn đồng ý □ Đồng ý □ Khơng đồng ý □ Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý Câu hỏi 3: Tơi thích học nghe □ Hồn tồn đồng ý □ Đồng ý □ Khơng đồng ý □ Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý Phần B: Dưới làm số khó khăn bạn thường gặp q trình học nghe mơn tiếng Anh Bạn cho biết khó khăn mà bạn gặp theo mức độ: Rất khó (RK) Khó (K) Dễ (D) lxxxiv Rất dễ (RD) Câu hỏi 4: Khó khăn từ vựng RK K D RD 4a Tôi thấy khó để hiểu từ ngữ cảnh □ □ □ □ 4b Tơi thấy khó khăn nghi nhớ từ khóa □ □ □ □ 4c Tơi thấy khó nghe phát âm người □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ nói 4d Tơi gặp khó khăn sử dụng từ đồng âm( như: kid child ) 4e Tôi thấy khó nghe từ đồng âm( right write, meet meat ) 4f Các ý kiến khác: ……………………………… Câu hỏi 5: Khó khăn ngữ pháp RK 5a Tôi không nhớ hết tất cấu trúc ngữ K D RD □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ pháp học điều gây khó khăn cho tơi việc hiểu nội dung nghe 5b Tôi không hiểu nghĩa câu cấu trúc ngữ pháp nghe 5c Tơi thấy khó hiểu nghĩa câu văn dài lxxxv 5d Các ý kiến khác: ……………………………… Câu hỏi 6: Khó khăn liên quan đến kiến thức chung RK 6a Tôi thấy khó khăn để hiểu nội dung K D RD □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ chủ đề không quen 6b Tơi thấy thân khơng đủ kiến thức liên quan đến vấn đề mà học 6c Tơi thấy khó để hiểu tài liệu ngun 6d Các ý kiến khác ………………………………… ……………… lxxxvi Câu hỏi 7: Khó khăn thiếu kỹ nghe hiểu RK 7a.Tơi thấy khó để tìm từ khóa K D RD □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ nghe hiểu 7b Tơi thấy khó để tìm ý nghe hiểu 7c Tơi thấy khó để tóm tắt ý nghe hiểu 7d Tôi cách trả lời câu hỏi nghe hiểu 7e.Tơi thất khó tập trung vào nghe 7f Tôi thấy khó để bắt kịp với tốc độ nghe giọng người ngữ 7g Các ý kiến khác: ……………………………… lxxxvii Phần C Câu hỏi 8: Bạn cho biết nguyên nhân gây khó khăn việc nghe hiểu tiếng Anh ĐÚNG SAI 8a Các đọc dài có nhiều từ không quen thuộc □ □ 8b Các nghe nhiều cấu trúc ngữ pháp phức tạp □ □ 8c Một số nghe có chủ đề không thân thuộc điều làm □ □ □ □ □ □ 8f Giáo viên khắt khe yêu cầu cao □ □ 8g Tơi khơng có đủ tự tin động để học tiếng Anh □ □ 8h Tôi thiếu vốn từ vựng □ □ 8i Tôi thiếu kiến thức chủ đề học □ □ 8k Các thiết bị đài, đĩa không tốt □ □ 8l Những tiếng ồn xung quanh làm tập trung □ □ cho tơi thấy khó nghe 8d Giáo viên không dạy đầy đủ kỹ nghe hiểu 8e Giáo viên không tổ chức hoạt động cho luyện tập ngữ pháp từ vựng 8m Các ý kiến khác: lxxxviii ……………………………… Câu hỏi Để giúp bạn nghe hiểu tiếng Anh dễ dàng hơn, theo bạn sách giáo khoa tiếng Anh, trang thiết bị dạy học nên điều chỉnh bổ sung nào? (Bạn đánh dấu vào ô sau tuỳ ý) 9a Các nghe hiểu nên gắn liền với sống □ 9b Các nghe hiểu nên ngắn tạo hứng thú □ 9c Nên sử dụng công nghệ trang thiết bị đại: máy tính, đài, □ đĩa v v 9d Sử dụng tài liệu tham khảo để cải thiện kĩ nghe □ 9f Các ý kiến khác: □ ………………………………………………………… lxxxix Câu hỏi 10 Để giúp bạn học nghe tiếng Anh tốt bạn mong điều giáo viên việc dạy nghe hiểu (Bạn đánh dấu vào ô sau tuỳ ý) 10a Tôi hi vọng giáo viên thiết kế nhiều tập thú vị phù hợp □ với trình độ học sinh 10b Tơi muốn giáo viên cung cấp giải thích kĩ từ vựng □ 10c Tôi muốn giáo viên giải thích cách cẩn thận cấu trúc ngữ □ pháp 10d Tôi muốn giáo viên cung cấp cho biết thêm kiến thức □ liên quan đến chủ đề mà học 10e Tôi muốn giáo viên hướng dẫn cho cách nghe để làm tập, mong giáo viên nhấn mạnh đến từ khóa( trang bị cho cách nghe hiểu) 10h Các ý kiến khác ……………………………………………………… Cám ơn hợp tác bạn! xc □ ... knowledge and experience in teaching, the author finds interested in studying the difficulties in learning the listening skill in English She would like to present the thesis ? ?An investigation into difficulties. .. the participants (97% including 69%SA and 28%A) considered listening an important skill considered reading an important skill in learning English Only 3% did not find listening important None of... difficulties in learning English listening skills at TanKy high school" She chooses this matter due to the following reasons First of all, listening is the most important skill in communication in the