1. Trang chủ
  2. » Luận Văn - Báo Cáo

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHING LISTENING COMPREHENSION THROUGH REDUCED FORMS INSTRUCTION: A FOCUS ON CONTRACTIONS WITHIN THE SETTING OF TOEIC TEACHING

92 6 0
Tài liệu được quét OCR, nội dung có thể không chính xác

Đang tải... (xem toàn văn)

Tài liệu hạn chế xem trước, để xem đầy đủ mời bạn chọn Tải xuống

THÔNG TIN TÀI LIỆU

Thông tin cơ bản

Tiêu đề The Effectiveness Of Teaching Listening Comprehension Through Reduced Forms Instruction: A Focus On Contractions Within The Setting Of Toeic Teaching
Tác giả Tran Thi Tham
Người hướng dẫn Dr. Nguyen Thu Huong
Trường học Ho Chi Minh City Open University
Chuyên ngành Master of Arts (TESOL)
Thể loại thesis
Năm xuất bản 2012
Thành phố Ho Chi Minh City
Định dạng
Số trang 92
Dung lượng 16,95 MB

Cấu trúc

  • 4.4 Statistical analysis of delayed TOEIC listening test results (0)
  • 4.5 Correlation results for the experimental group................................--.---ccreeririrrrree 50 (59)
  • 4.6 Analysis of data from questionnaire ..............cecsccsesseseesesseseseeseseessnesensesessensenenensete 51 (60)
    • 4.6.1 Students°evaluation on recognizing contraction forms (60)
    • 4.6.2 Students' attitudes towards learning contractions..............................-------ccccsesrrcev 53 (62)
    • 4.6.3 Students’ evaluation on the effectiveness of learning contractions (0)
    • 4.6.4 Students’ evaluation on the rate of their confidence (65)
    • 4.6.5 Students’ difficulties of contractions after the treatment (67)
    • 4.6.6 Students’ opinion about the contraction instruction..................................-..ccecee 58 (69)
    • 4.6.7 Students’ evaluation on the listening course................................--..-2222sccccerrerrrre 60 £7} ChapterSumm ary senssnsncensecsrnenneranannscsnsnnosieenstneonsaneosccnusnennnesetinunsuwnsennvarbannensenntnsees 62 (69)
  • Chapter 5: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS.................................--ô<-<<c-eseseees L8920580349ss3 63 bi (9)
    • 5.1.2 Meaning comprehension of contraction forms.................... co: 64 (75)
    • 5.2 Research question 2 Š.3 Research question 3 (0)
    • 5.4 Research question 4. „68 (0)
    • 5.5 Chapter summary (80)

Nội dung

Correlation results for the experimental group . -ccreeririrrrree 50

A bivariate correlation analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between contraction listening ability and TOEIC listening comprehension The findings will be discussed in detail to illustrate the nature of this correlation.

Table 4.5 Correlation Results for the Experimental Group

The study revealed a strong positive correlation between contraction listening ability and TOEIC listening comprehension, evidenced by a correlation coefficient of 765 and a significance value of 000 This indicates that students' ability to understand contractions is closely linked to their overall listening comprehension in the TOEIC test, highlighting the importance of contraction listening skills for achieving better results in listening assessments.

Analysis of data from questionnaire cecsccsesseseesesseseseeseseessnesensesessensenenensete 51

Students°evaluation on recognizing contraction forms

Question one (Ql) was related to the students’ evaluation towards the identification of contractions after learning contraction forms in listening lessons

Table 4.6.1 Evaluation on recognizing contraction forms

The analysis of students' evaluations regarding the recognition of contraction forms in the newly implemented instructional approach, as shown in Table 4.6.1, indicates a generally positive response A significant majority of students expressed interest, with QIB achieving the highest agreement percentage at 76.0%, and 20.0% of students strongly agreeing that identifying the contraction 're was easy post-instruction, resulting in a mean score of 4.16 and a standard deviation of 0.473 Additionally, 88.0% of students in QIA evaluated their ability to recognize the contraction 's positively, reflected in a mean score of 4.04 and a standard deviation of 0.539 Similarly, Q1D showed that 76.0% of respondents found contractions easier to listen to, although 12% disagreed Conversely, some contractions, such as ‘ve, ‘d, and n’t, posed challenges for certain students, with QIC recording a mean score of 3.60, accompanied by a relatively high standard deviation.

A survey revealed that 72.0% of students found 've easy to recognize, with 20.0% expressing disagreement and 8.0% uncertain Additionally, the data indicated that 72.0% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed on its recognizability.

In a recent assessment, 80% of students successfully identified the sound 'd', while 20% faced challenges, and only 4% were uncertain The mean score for this identification task was 3.56, with a standard deviation (SD) of 0.870 Additionally, a survey on course effectiveness revealed that 56% of students agreed and 12% strongly agreed that the course enhanced their ability to identify 'n’t', resulting in the same mean score of 3.56 but with a higher SD of 1.00 This indicates that while both questions had identical mean scores, the identification task demonstrated greater consistency in responses compared to the course effectiveness feedback.

In conclusion, the Q1 statistical summary indicates a notable improvement among participants in their ability to listen to and recognize contraction forms, despite some lingering challenges with 've, 'd, and n’t This demonstrates the effectiveness of the instruction, as evidenced by students’ evaluations.

Students’ evaluation on the effectiveness of learning contractions

Proficiency in English has become essential for non-native speakers globally, yet listening remains one of the most challenging skills for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners Despite its importance, listening is often overlooked in many EFL programs, as noted by Osada (2004), and is frequently considered the least prioritized skill in language teaching (Brown, 1987) Nauman (2002) highlights that listeners receive the least practice, with English teachers traditionally focusing more on written examinations rather than developing students' listening abilities Additionally, many educators report that large class sizes and time constraints hinder their ability to emphasize listening instruction.

Despite the recent inclusion of listening sections in national entrance examinations, the teaching of listening skills remains a weak link in college English education Initially, first-year students may not notice their listening deficiencies, as the focus is primarily on vocabulary and grammar However, by the second year, as listening content and text variety increase—especially in preparation for TOEIC listening sections—many students struggle to comprehend the material effectively.

In recent years, English teachers have increasingly prioritized the top-down process in listening instruction, with research highlighting its significance over the bottom-up approach (Vandergrift, 2004) However, Brown (2006) cautions that some language educators may be too eager to embrace this top-down method without fully considering its implications.

Many teachers perceive listening as the simplest skill to teach, while students often view it as the most challenging to master (Yagang, 1993) This discrepancy highlights the need for further exploration into teaching listening, especially in the context of TOEIC preparation To enhance TOEIC students' listening abilities and help them achieve higher scores, it is essential to incorporate both top-down and bottom-up processing strategies (Vandergrift, 1997; Brown, 2006; Fang, 2008; Carreira, 2008).

The TOEIC test serves as a global standard for measuring English proficiency, yet many teachers face challenges when preparing students for it, particularly in listening comprehension (Trew, 2007, p.3) Foreign students often struggle to understand native speakers due to distorted or lost sounds, leading to frustration with TOEIC listening tasks Observations and interviews reveal that "reduced forms" in spoken English significantly hinder comprehension, a factor often overlooked by language instructors Despite their prevalence in everyday conversation, reduced forms pose a considerable challenge for EFL learners, contributing to their listening difficulties.

Researchers widely agree that reduced forms significantly hinder understanding spoken English, particularly in EFL environments where instructors emphasize clear pronunciation Weinstein (1985) highlights that reduced forms are often overlooked in listening comprehension studies Shockey (2003) identifies reduced forms as a key factor affecting L2 learners’ listening skills Additionally, Brown (1990) notes that students accustomed to slow speech may struggle when exposed to the rapid conversations of native speakers.

Understanding spoken English can be challenging for students, especially when it includes reduced forms, which are prevalent in both formal and informal contexts This difficulty is particularly pronounced for learners with limited exposure to these linguistic nuances (Rosa, 2002).

Awareness of sound changes in natural English speech is crucial for students preparing for the TOEIC listening tests, as many struggle to understand spoken language in conversation despite performing well in classroom settings This discrepancy arises from the significant differences between words spoken in isolation and those in natural dialogue To enhance listening comprehension for both the TOEIC test and real-life interactions, it is essential to help students recognize how sounds are combined, dropped, and altered in everyday speech Educators should regularly emphasize natural spoken forms in class to develop students' listening skills effectively.

Reduced forms are a notable feature of spoken English and a common listening challenge for EFL students, particularly among Vietnamese learners This study aims to determine if instruction on reduced forms can enhance listening comprehension in TOEIC classes It advocates for increasing students' awareness of these forms and providing ample practice in recognizing them.

This study aims to explore how teaching reduced forms, particularly contractions, impacts EFL students' listening comprehension in the context of TOEIC preparation.

To achieve the above purpose, the present research seeks answers to the following questions:

1 Does the experimental group, as a result of the treatment, significantly outperform the control one in the identification of contraction forms and meaning comprehension as measured by:

(b) And listening comprehension in English listening ability test?

2; Does the experimental group outperform the comparison group in the ability of listening comprehension as measured by the TOEIC listening test after the treatment?

3 Is there a relationship between contraction listening ability and TOEIC listening comprehension?

4 What are students’ views on the contractions instruction?

(a) To what extent do they have positive views towards the effects of the contraction instruction?

(b) To what extent do they have negative views on the effects of the contraction instruction?

(c) What are the aspects of the lesson that they think still present difficulties for them?

Based on the main research questions, the hypotheses of the present study are as follows:

The experimental group, which received specific contraction instruction, is expected to demonstrate superior performance compared to the control group in identifying contraction forms and comprehending their meanings following the treatment Additionally, it is anticipated that the experimental group will excel over the comparison group in listening comprehension, as measured by the TOEIC listening test, after the intervention.

As regards the third question, it is hypothesized that the improvement of the experimental group’s contraction listening ability influences their TOEIC listening comprehension scores

Teaching contractions may significantly aid students in the experimental group in recognizing and comprehending various contraction forms more easily, regardless of the type of contraction encountered.

This M.A thesis presents a study on the impact of contraction instruction on enhancing students' TOEIC listening comprehension The findings aim to provide valuable insights and recommendations for instructors teaching TOEIC listening lessons, ultimately benefiting both educators and students in their pursuit of improved listening skills.

The thesis is structured into six chapters, beginning with Chapter One, which outlines the listening-teaching issue through its background, research aims and questions, hypotheses, significance, and overall structure Chapter Two reviews relevant literature, while Chapter Three details the research methodology, including subjects, instruments, research questions, design, and data collection methods Chapter Four presents an analysis and interpretation of the collected data, followed by Chapter Five, which discusses the findings Finally, Chapter Six concludes the thesis with pedagogical implications, recommendations for future research, and acknowledges the study's limitations.

To achieve the aim of the current research, chapter two will provide a theoretical framework that serves as a basis for establishing conceptual framework for the study

This chapter provides an overview of listening instruction and introduces the listening comprehension process It reviews literature on reduced forms, focusing specifically on contractions Additionally, it discusses prior research related to the instruction of reduced forms The chapter concludes with a concise summary to enhance readers' understanding of the content presented in Chapter 2.

Students’ evaluation on the rate of their confidence

To assess students' confidence in listening and performing listening tests, Question 4 required them to provide a yes/no response regarding their self-assessment The descriptive statistics from this question revealed that the majority of students exhibited a high level of confidence.

Participants rated their confidence in listening to contraction sounds at 80%, achieving the highest mean score of 1.92 with a standard deviation of 0.227 Conversely, all students expressed disagreement regarding their 40% confidence in understanding these sounds Detailed interpretations of each statement are provided below.

Table 4.6.4 Evaluation on the Rate of Confidence

Q4 | Your evaluation on the rate of confidence N% M sD in listening contraction sounds :

In Q4A of table 4.6.4, only 12% of students reported feeling extremely confident in recognizing contraction sounds, while 22 students indicated they had not yet achieved this level of confidence However, the mean score of 1.12 suggests that the listening course significantly boosted their confidence According to Q4B, 92% of students acknowledged that learning contractions during listening lessons greatly enhanced their confidence, with 80% feeling more capable of understanding contraction sounds Only 8% disagreed with this sentiment The responses yielded a high mean score of 1.92 and a standard deviation of 0.227, reinforcing the conclusion that the majority of students experienced a notable improvement in their listening comprehension skills.

In the evaluation of student confidence levels, 44% of participants rated their confidence above the average level of 60%, while 56% disagreed with this assessment The overall mean score was 1.44 with a standard deviation of 0.507 Additionally, data from Q4D indicated that 100% of subjects disagreed with the notion presented, highlighting that none of the participants supported it.

‘lower average (40%) of confidence in listening and understanding contractions The

The analysis revealed a mean score of 1.00 with a standard deviation of 000, indicating that this method significantly enhanced students' listening skills As a result, students reported increased confidence in their listening abilities and performance on listening assessments.

In conclusion, the detailed analysis of each item reveals that the instructional method was effective, as students exhibited positive attitudes and significantly improved their confidence in listening comprehension Notably, a large majority reported confidence levels between 80% and 100% Therefore, it can be asserted that the contraction instruction played a crucial role in enhancing students' confidence during listening activities, particularly in TOEIC listening tests.

Students’ difficulties of contractions after the treatment

Question 5 aimed to find out which problems that students still had after the treatment Each category of this question was interpreted in details presented below

5 | problems when listening to contractions:

Table 4.6.5 Students’ Difficulties of Contractions after the Treatment

As observed in table 4.6.5, there were three categories (’ve, ’d, n’t ) which had

A significant 59% of students reported difficulties in understanding contractions after the course, particularly with "n't," which had the highest difficulty rate of 24.0% and a mean score of 3.56 Similarly, the contraction "'d" posed challenges for 20.0% of students, also with a mean score of 3.56 but a lower standard deviation of 870, indicating persistent issues in recognizing it in spoken language Additionally, 20.0% of students struggled with the contraction "'ve," yielding a mean score of 3.60 and a standard deviation of 913 Conversely, many students disagreed with the notion that they faced difficulties in recognizing these contractions post-instruction Notably, 96.0% of participants felt that the contractions "'s" and "'re" did not hinder their listening comprehension, both achieving a mean score of 4.12 and a standard deviation of 440 These findings suggest that teaching contractions in listening lessons positively impacted students' listening skills.

In the QS5D survey, a significant majority of students (76.0%) disagreed that "J" was a challenging type of contraction after ten periods of instruction Meanwhile, 16.0% of the students were uncertain about their stance, and 8.0% still found it difficult to listen to and identify "J" when conversing with native speakers This overall disagreement contributed to a high mean score of 3.68.

SD of 627 Thus, it is strongly recommended that the instruction gave students positive effects on their recognizing and understanding the meanings of these contraction forms, especially “Ul form

The study's findings indicate that participants generally viewed the newly implemented approach positively, despite encountering some challenges with specific aspects of spoken language (ve, ’d, n’t) This aligns with the earlier results from the posttest.

Students’ opinion about the contraction instruction - ccecee 58

This question asked students to give their suggestions to the instruction in order to make it more effective

Table 4.6.6 Students’ Opinion about the Contraction Instruction

Q | In your opinion, to be N% M |SD

| % % % should be scattered as many language centers have been | applying |

B|Conracion instruction | 14/56 | 11 | 44 ] 1.44 | 507 should be concentrated like the newly implemented % | N approach

Table 4.6.6 shows that students positively evaluated the implemented instructional approach, with a significant interest reflected in their responses Specifically, Q6B received the highest agreement rate, with 56.0% of students strongly agreeing that focusing on various contractions enhances listening comprehension The average score for this statement was 1.44, with a standard deviation of 0.507 In contrast, none of the participants supported the idea presented in Q6A, which suggested that contraction instruction should be dispersed, a common practice among many teachers These findings indicate that the new approach is more effective and beneficial compared to traditional methods used in language centers.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS . ô<-<<c-eseseees L8920580349ss3 63 bi

Meaning comprehension of contraction forms co: 64

The English listening ability test evaluated students' comprehension of contraction forms, revealing a significant difference in mean scores between two groups Group 1 achieved a mean score of 0.522, notably higher than Group 2's mean score of 0.427, indicating superior understanding of contraction sounds These findings allow the researcher to conclude that the experimental group outperformed the control group, likely due to the newly implemented instructional approach.

Previous studies primarily utilized dictation tasks to assess students' understanding of reduced forms While dictation tests can effectively gauge recognition of these forms, they may not accurately reflect listening comprehension skills (Ito, 2006a) Ito argues that dictation lacks validity in measuring listening comprehension since meaning plays a minimal role in this method Therefore, explicit instruction is crucial in teaching reduced forms, especially contractions, to enhance students' overall understanding.

In this study, the teacher addressed the lack of contextualization in teaching contractions by incorporating a variety of activities, including dictation tasks and cloze exercises such as songs, dialogues, news broadcasts, and interviews Notably, the use of multiple-choice tasks modeled after the TOEIC listening test format was emphasized, as this approach can enhance learners' awareness of contractions and potentially improve their listening performance.

Applying interactive processing, which includes both bottom-up and top-down approaches, to teaching the TOEIC listening sections can significantly improve students' listening comprehension This strategy likely contributed to the notable success of the study.

‘he listening test In other words, complex and simultaneous processing of background mowledge information, contextual information and linguistic information make somprehension become easy (Fang, 2008, p.23)

Teaching contraction sounds is essential for enhancing listening comprehension among learners By raising awareness of contraction forms, educators can significantly improve students' understanding In the treatment group, an explicit teaching method was employed to help students recognize and practice contractions in meaningful contexts This approach enables learners to grasp how contractions function in English, ultimately facilitating easier listening comprehension.

The trial program focused on explicit contraction teaching for TOEIC learners demonstrated positive outcomes, enhancing both the identification of contraction forms and the ability to comprehend their meanings This success may be attributed to the effectiveness of the newly implemented teaching approach.

| 52 Question 2: Does the experimental group outperform the comparison group in the ability of listening comprehension as measured by the TOEIC listening test after the treatment?

The experimental group demonstrated superior TOEIC listening comprehension skills compared to the control group following the treatment, indicating that emphasizing contractions significantly enhances students' listening abilities in TOEIC sections Notably, the retention of the knowledge acquired by students was assessed four weeks post-treatment, underscoring the long-term effectiveness of this teaching approach.

Listening strategies are essential techniques that enhance comprehension and retention of auditory information By increasing students' awareness of contraction forms and explicitly teaching effective listening strategies, instructors can empower students to build both the skills and confidence needed to navigate TOEIC listening sections successfully (Trew, 2007).

Second, based on some transcripts of TOEIC listening tests, there are a large number of contraction forms which appear in all types of speech Bowen (1975b)

In informal speech, contractions are used almost universally, particularly in TOEIC listening tests where they appear most frequently in question-response segments and conversations Analysis of five transcripts reveals that the proportion of contractions in the question-response section ranges from 10.0% to 78.0% The mean scores in part two of the test indicate that mastering contractions (MG1= 707; MG2 = 656) significantly boosts students' confidence when listening to or taking tests filled with contractions.

‘sounds This idea coincides with what the researcher got from the students’ answers from the questionnaire This may enhance students’ listening comprehension ability

Effective listening hinges on confidence, as noted by Hedge (2005) Additionally, providing students with ample practice in diverse contexts and familiar tasks aligned with the TOEIC listening format can substantially enhance their performance This is supported by Koster (1987, p.143 as cited in Rosa, 2002), who emphasizes that practice outweighs theory in its importance.

After the experiment, the teacher continued to observe the students to assess their attention to contractions and their ability to identify these forms She encouraged them to use contractions in their conversations, despite not teaching them further The delayed test results showed a significant difference between the two groups, indicating that the effects of explicit contraction instruction were long-lasting over a four-week period.

These are the findings of the present study However, it is necessary to answer the question whether or not they are consistent with those discovered in the previous studies

The current study's findings align with previous research by Brown & Hilferty (1986), Matsuzawa (2007), Carreira (2008), and Romanko (2008), indicating an enhancement in listening comprehension following the experiment However, these results partially contradict Carreira (2008), which reported no significant differences in TOEIC listening section scores before and after the intervention.

The study suggests that solely teaching reduced forms may not enhance learners' listening comprehension skills Instead, incorporating interactive processes in TOEIC listening instruction is likely to significantly improve students' performance Furthermore, these findings partially challenge Matsuzawa's conclusions presented in section 5.1.1.

5.3 Question 3: Is there a relationship between contraction listening ability and TOEIC listening comprehension?

Chapter 4 findings indicate a strong positive correlation between contraction listening ability and TOEIC listening comprehension, with a significant p-value of 000 and a meaningful correlation coefficient of 765 This suggests that students' listening skills are influenced by their ability to decode contractions, which are prevalent in spoken language and frequently appear in TOEIC listening sections By increasing students' awareness of contractions and providing ample practice, their ability to recognize and understand these forms improved significantly, leading to enhanced TOEIC listening comprehension Consequently, students gained confidence in their listening skills and performed better on TOEIC tests, as confidence is a key factor in effective listening (Hedge, 2005).

5.4 Question 4: What are students’ views on the contraction instruction?

(a) To what extent do they have positive views towards the effects of the contraction instruction?

(b)To what extent do they have negative views on the effects of the contraction instruction?

(c) What are the aspects of the lesson that they think still present difficulties for them?

The treatment not only enhances student performance but also fosters positive perceptions among them As indicated in Chapter 4, the majority of students expressed favorable views on the contraction instruction, despite a few encountering difficulties in listening and recognizing forms like 've, 'd, and n't.

Chapter summary

The newly implemented teaching approach for listening in the TOEIC context has significantly enhanced students' ability to identify and comprehend contractions, leading to improved TOEIC listening performance and retention of previously acquired knowledge Additionally, there is a meaningful correlation between contraction listening ability and overall TOEIC listening comprehension This method has also fostered positive student perceptions towards contraction instruction and the newly designed materials, while allowing the teacher to demonstrate her pivotal role in the learning process.

This chapter begins by discussing the experiment's results in relation to the research questions outlined in Chapter 1 It then presents conclusions regarding the experiment's findings and explores their pedagogical implications Finally, the chapter addresses the limitations of the current experiment and offers suggestions for future research.

The trialed teaching of listening comprehension was implemented to focus on the investigation of the following research questions:

1 Does the experimental group, as a result of the treatment, significantly outperform the control one in the identification of contraction forms and meaning comprehension as measured by:

(b) And listening comprehension in English listening ability test? _

2 Does the experimental group outperform the comparison group in the ability of listening comprehension as measured by the TOEIC listening test after the treatment?

3 Is there a relationship between contraction listening ability and TOEIC listening comprehension?

4 What are students’ views on the contractions instruction?

(a) To what extent do they have positive views towards the effects of the contraction instruction?

(b) To what extent do they have negative views on the effects of the contraction instruction?

(c) What are the aspects of the lesson that they think stil] present difficulties for them?

The analysis of contraction identification data reveals that both the experimental group (Group 1) and the control group (Group 2) experienced knowledge gains from the treatment, positively influencing their recognition of English contractions in a listening test Notably, Group 1 demonstrated significantly greater improvement in the identification task compared to Group 2, outperforming them by the end of the course The posttest results support Hypothesis 1, indicating a statistical difference in contraction recognition between the two groups, with the treatment group benefiting from explicit instruction and achieving superior performance in the identification task.

The study revealed that both learner groups improved their listening comprehension skills; however, the experimental group outperformed the control group significantly These findings indicate that contraction teaching can greatly enhance learners' listening comprehension abilities in the TOEIC listening context The posttest results further support Hypothesis 1, which posited that students in Group 1 would show significant improvement and exceed the performance of those in Group 2.

The results indicate that the experimental group demonstrated a significantly higher mean score on the TOEIC listening comprehension test compared to the comparison group after the treatment This suggests that emphasizing contraction teaching effectively enhanced students' listening comprehension skills, particularly in part two of the TOEIC test.

The correlation between contraction listening ability and TOEIC listening comprehension reveals a strong relationship, indicating that students who focused on contractions performed better A delayed test conducted one month after the treatment showed that the experimental group retained knowledge more effectively than the control group Both groups demonstrated retention and improvement after four weeks, but the experimental group achieved significantly higher mean scores across all four parts of the TOEIC listening test This suggests that the new approach of emphasizing contraction teaching in listening classes offers greater benefits for TOEIC students compared to traditional methods that rely solely on background knowledge.

The current study reinforces the findings of Matsuzawa and Carreira, indicating that teaching contraction sounds positively impacts students' ability to identify and comprehend these forms in spoken English Matsuzawa's research revealed that despite spending 10-15 minutes on teaching reduced forms, students struggled with recognizing and understanding sentences containing contractions In contrast, Carreira observed significant improvements in listening comprehension among students after similar brief lessons, although this did not translate to higher TOEIC listening scores Consequently, focusing on teaching contractions through diverse contexts and employing listening strategies—such as integrating linguistic and background knowledge—can enhance students' listening performance in TOEIC preparation.

The findings from question four indicate that students generally hold positive views towards contraction instruction Despite some challenges in identifying and understanding contractions such as 've, 'd, and n’t, students achieved high mean scores on tests, demonstrating significant improvement after learning these contractions Furthermore, a large majority of students reported increased confidence in listening skills and performance on listening tests, particularly TOEIC Notably, all students suggested that contraction instruction should be focused and cohesive, rather than scattered, to enhance effectiveness, contrasting with the approaches taken by many language teachers.

In summary, the findings from the four research questions demonstrate that the experimental contraction teaching method has proven to be an effective approach within the context of an EFL vocational training college.

75 students have to take a TOEIC test as a final exam Thus, it attained the ultimate aim and proposed objectives set out at the initial stage of this study

Based on the findings in the previous chapter in this study, some implications given the context of TOEIC instruction can be drawn as follows:

Teachers must recognize the significance of contractions due to their prevalence in spoken language, as understanding these forms aids learners in grasping the intended message Unfortunately, many educators overlook reduced forms, especially contractions, in their teaching Research indicates that in seven hours of unscripted recordings by educated native English speakers, 305 reduced forms were identified, averaging at least one per minute Additionally, it is estimated that up to 35% of words can be reduced in everyday conversation.

The findings of this study indicate that language teachers should focus on explicit teaching of reduced forms to enhance their students' listening performance, particularly in the TOEIC context Various researchers, including Fotos (1993) and Ellis (1997, 2003, 2008), have emphasized the significance of explicit instruction in language learning, underscoring the critical roles of attention and awareness in effective language teaching.

Teachers need to focus on helping students recognize the sounds associated with "not" contractions, such as in shouldn't, can't, didn't, wouldn't, and haven't These sounds often pose challenges for learners Through personal observation, the teacher noted that syllabic sounds, like syllabic 'n', contribute to these difficulties.

Syllabic sounds often receive insufficient attention from language teachers, leading to challenges for students in identifying these sounds Many educators overlook these syllabic elements in their teaching, which can hinder learners' comprehension of spoken discourse This lack of focus may explain the difficulties students face, highlighting the importance of recognizing syllabic sounds for improved understanding in language learning.

To enhance listening skills for the TOEIC exam, teachers should prioritize teaching contraction sounds, as they are the most prevalent in spoken language Analysis of TOEIC listening test transcripts reveals that contractions such as "I'll," "it's," and "isn't" are the most commonly used By helping students recognize and understand these contractions, their listening comprehension in the TOEIC can significantly improve.

Teachers should prioritize dedicating more time to teaching contractions such as "I'll," "I've," "I'd," and "n't," as these are often challenging for students to grasp and frequently used in spoken English By understanding which contraction forms pose difficulties for learners, educators can enhance their teaching strategies, leading to more effective learning and comprehension of these essential elements of English.

Ngày đăng: 22/10/2022, 14:59

TÀI LIỆU CÙNG NGƯỜI DÙNG

TÀI LIỆU LIÊN QUAN