How to improve english listening skill by using transcription technique

Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - - GRADUATION THESIS HOW TO IMPROVE ENGLISH LISTENING SKILL BY USING TRANSCRIPTION TECHNIQUE: A CASE STUDY STUDENT’S NAME: TRAN QUYNH NHU STUDENT ID NUMBER: 13035021 CLASS: DHAV9 COURSE: 2013 - 2017 SUPERVISOR: LE THI THIEN PHUOC, M.A HCMC, May 2017 Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 Student Name: …………………………………………… Supervisor’s Name: ……………………………………… “I certify that this work is entirely my own and has not been accepted as part of a submission to another purpose else where.” Signed: …………………………………………………… Word length: words Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 DECLARATION I hereby declare that the graduation thesis is entirely my own work prepared under the guidance and supervision of my supervisor and has not been submitted for assessment any elsewhere I also certify that my thesis does not involve plagiarism or collusion Any sources or materials of other people used or quoted in my thesis are fully acknowledged in accordance with completed references May, 2017 Tran Quynh Nhu Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 Table of Contents ABSTRACT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .2 SUPERVISOR’S COMMENTS OPPONENT’S COMMENTS .4 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statement of the problem: .5 1.2 Research goals 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Significance of the research 1.5 Scope of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .8 2.1 Definitions of key terms 2.1.1 “Transcribe” and “ transcription” .8 2.1.2 Definitions of listening 2.1.3 Difference between listening and hearing 2.2 The importance of listening 2.3 Listening process 10 2.4 Classifications of listening 11 2.5 Some problems relating to listening in English 12 2.6 Teaching listening techniques 13 2.7 Transcription technique 14 2.7.1 2.8 Stages of transcription 14 Related review 14 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 17 3.1 Introduction 17 3.2 Participants 17 3.2.1 The researcher 17 3.2.2 Participants for questionnaire 17 3.2.3 Participants for the interview and test 17 3.3 Data collection instruments 17 3.3.1 The questionnaire 17 3.3.2 The interview 18 3.3.3 The listening test 19 3.4 Data collection procedure 19 Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu 3.5 Student ID number: 13035021 Data analysis procedure 19 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 21 4.1 Listening experience, practice and opinions 21 4.1.1 Years of English learning 21 4.1.2 Students’ average score on listening 22 4.1.3 Students’ opinions toward English listening skill 22 4.1.3 Students’ problems with listening skill 24 4.1.4 Students’ frequency of English listening practice 25 4.2 Students’ listening strategies 25 4.2.1 Students’ methods to overcome their problems in listening 25 4.2.2 The most effective methods used to improve English listening skill 26 4.2.3 Students’ desire to try a new technique 28 4.3 The participants’ experience with transcription technique 28 4.3.1 Students’ self- evaluation about their listening skill before using the technique 28 4.3.2 Prior experience with transcription technique 30 4.4 The interview and the test 37 4.4.1 Transcription technique in Listening tests 37 4.4.2 Transcription technique in Listening class 37 4.4.3 Results from the test 38 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 39 5.1 Conclusions 39 5.2 Recommendations 40 5.2.1 Recommendation for learners 40 5.2.2 Recommendations for teachers 41 5.2.3 Recommendations for further study 42 REFRENCES 43 APPPENDICES 45 THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS 52 APPENDIX 58 Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1: Years of English learning Table 4.2: Students‟ opinions toward English listening skill Table 4.3: The most effective methods used to improve English listening skill Table 4.4 : Students‟ attitude toward the technique‟s effect after applying it Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.1: Students‟ average score on Listening Figure 4.2: Students‟ attitude toward English listening skill Figure 4.3: Students‟ problems with listening skill Figure 4.4: Students‟ frequency of English listening practice Figure 4.5: Students‟ method to overcome their problems in listening Figure 4.6: Student‟s desire to try a new technique Figure 4.7: Students‟ self- valuation about their listening skill before using the technique Figure 4.8: How the students knew about the technique Figure 4.9: The reasons why transcription technique was chosen Figure 5.0: Students‟ self- valuation about their listening skill after using the technique Figure 5.1: How long they have applied the technique Figure 5.2: Students‟ frequency of applying the technique in practicing Figure 5.3: Students‟ evaluation toward transcription procedure Figure 5.4: Students‟ attitude toward the technique‟s effect after applying it Figure 5.5: Students‟ satisfaction with the results transcription technique brought about Figure 5.6: How likely the participants would recommend the method to another friends Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS FFL: Faculty of Foreign Languages IUH: Industrial University of Industry L2: Second language Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Student ID number: 13035021 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 ABSTRACT English has been considered an international language for a long time It brings people from every corner of the world in contact This results in the dramatic increase in the need of communication in Vietnam recent years although learning English is really challenge, especially English listening skill Therefore, finding a way to master the skill is still a matter that needs addressing Among of methods applied, transcription technique gets attention by a large number of students these days However, the number of students can make sure the outcome the technique brings about are still a question For that reason, the researcher had a long desire to carry out a survey on the difficulties students often face and how transcription can help The survey was conducted with the help from 150 English majored students, who are at their first year and second year at university in random of FFL at IUH The intention of the study is to mainly examine the effects of transcription technique in English listening practice The thesis focuses on the reasons why English majored students of FFL at IUH knew about the technique and how they applied it Beside that, the results of the study suggest that students should use more reliable resources and spend more time practicing themselves Furthermore, English teachers can use it as a reference for teaching listening Limitation and suggestions are also presented to help those who ever applied the transcription technique and faced failure to turn it into progress Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This thesis would have never become reality without the valuable help from many individuals My heartfelt to the people who directly and indirectly gave me invaluable guidance and priceless ideas, generously told me what they really thought, suggested me what I should improve, and offered me continuous encouragement that strengthened my selfesteem I am especially indebted to those who sent me steady stream of love and believed me no matter how isolated I became over the last three months Firstly, I am highly indebted to Ms Le Thi Thien Phuoc, my supervisor, for giving me useful guidance and advice that helped me finish my thesis successfully She was always there for me when I needed help the most and listened to me, answered my endless questions and patiently kept me on schedule My life would not be the same since the day I had the chance to be supervised by her Secondly, I would like to express my special thanks to Ms Nguyen Thuy Truc Linh, Ms Phan Thi Bich Ngoc, Ms Le Thi Thien Phuoc and Mr Tran Duy Tuan from FFL for allowing me to enter their classes and give their students questionnaires Besides, I sincerely thank for the English majored students from DHAV11 and DHAV12 who sacrificed their time for me when I needed them to complete my questionnaire and join the interview after that as well Not forgetting, the great support from my parents made me brave during unbearably tough times of internship and work balance They always made sure I could head home whenever I felt tired and depressed I am so blessed to be their daughter and owe them an apology for not having tried as much as possible Lastly, I am really grateful to everyone who has ever taken time to read and shed light on my internship report and helped bring it into the world Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 Rost, M (1991) Listening in Action: Activities for Developing Listening in Language Teaching, New York, Prentice Hall Fischer, R., & Farris, M (1995) The instructional basis of Libra The IALL Journal of Language Learning Technologies, 28, 15-46 Allen, R V (1976) Language experiences in communication Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Mary Underwood (1989) Teaching Listening Longman Scarcella, R & Oxford, R (1992): The Tapestry of Language Learning: The Individual in the Communicative Classroom Boston: Heinle & Heinle Yao, C.K (1995) Needs analysis of freshman English listening curriculum Papers from the twelfth conference on English teaching and learning in the Republic of China (pp 8096) Taipei, Taiwan: The Crane Publishers Anderson, A., & Lynch, T (1988) Listening Oxford: Oxford University Press Zaytoun, A (1988) Different techniques for teaching listening comprehension English Teaching Forum, 24(1), 46-49 Candlin, C.N (1987) Towards task-based learning In C.N Candlin and D Murphy (Eds.) op.cit Rivers, W M., & Temperley, M S (1978) A practical guide to the teaching of English as a second or foreign language New York: Oxford University Press Mahesh Kumar (2016), How You Can Improve Your Listening Skills by Transcribing, (Retrieved May 25, 2017 from http://blog.transcriptioncertificationinstitute.org/canimprove-listening-skills-transcribing/ ) Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page 44 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 APPPENDICES APPENDIX THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS ( Vietnamese version) BẢNG CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT Xin chào bạn, tên Trần Quỳnh Như, sinh viên lớp ĐHAV9, khoa Ngoại Ngữ, trường Đại Học Công Nghiệp TPHCM Hiện thực đề tài nghiên cứu khó khăn kỹ nghe tiếng Anh cách khắc phục Mong bạn dành thời gian giúp điền vào bảng khảo sát bên Bạn học tiếng Anh rồi? Bạn cảm thấy kĩ nghe tiếng Anh nào? ( Đánh dấu  vào ô với bạn ) Rất dễ Dễ Khá dễ Khơng dễ Hơi khó khơng khó Khó Cực kỳ khó Các vấn đề bạn thường gặp lúc nghe tiếng Anh gì? ( Bạn chọn nhiều đáp án.) Khơng nhớ nội dung Mất tập trung Không hứng thú Nhiều từ Ngữ pháp lạ Hiện tượng nối âm nuốt âm tiếng Anh Ý kiến khác ( vui lòng ghi rõ) Bạn có thường xuyên luyện nghe tiếng Anh không? ( Đánh dấu  vào ô với bạn nhất.) Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page 45 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Mỗi ngày Student ID number: 13035021 Thường thường Thỉnh thoảng Hiếm Chưa Bạn dùng phương pháp để cải thiện kĩ Nghe tiếng Anh? ( Bạn chọn nhiều phương pháp ) Dành thời gian nghe Radio ngày Nghe hát tiếng Anh Nghe hát tiếng Anh chép lời hát Luyện nghe theo giáo trình Nghe tiếng Anh Xem phim có/ khơng có phụ đề tiếng Anh Nghe mẩu hội thoại tin tiếng Anh chép lại nghe Cách riêng bạn: Trong phương pháp kể trên, bạn thấy phương pháp phù hợp với bạn? Điểm trung bình mơn Nghe bạn là? Dưới 5.0 Từ 5.1 đến 6.9 Từ 7.0 đến 7.9 Trên 8.0 Nếu gợi ý cho bạn phương pháp để giúp cải thiện mơn Nghe, bạn có muốn thử khơng?  Có  Khơng Trong q trình nghiên cứu, tiếp tục cần đến hỗ trợ bạn xin bạn vui lịng cung cấp cho kênh thơng tin để liên lạc với bạn cần Xin cảm ơn bạn nhiều Tên bạn : Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page 46 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 Email: SĐT: Zalo: Facebook: ( Tất thông tin nhằm phục vụ mục đích nghiên cứu ) Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page 47 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 (Các bạn chọn phương án câu số vui lòng trả lời câu hỏi sau đây) Bạn nghe phương pháp chép chỉnh tả chưa? Rồi Chưa Nhờ đâu bạn biết phương pháp chép tả? ( Khoanh trịn câu trả lời, bạn chọn nhiều đáp án.) Tôi biết qua bạn bè Thầy cô/ người hướng dẫn giới thiệu Tôi đọc Internet Tôi tự nghĩ Ý kiến khác ( vui lòng ghi rõ): Tại bạn chọn phương pháp chép tả (Khoanh trịn câu trả lời, bạn chọn nhiều đáp án.) Bởi hiệu với nhiều người Bởi tơi thử nhiều phương pháp luyện tập kĩ Nghe tơi khơng tiến Bởi tơi muốn thử cách để luyện kĩ Nghe Bởi tơi có thói quen ghi chép nghe Ý kiến khác ( Vui lòng ghi rõ) Trước áp dụng phương pháp chép tả, kĩ nghe bạn nào? (Vui lòng khoanh tròn câu trả lời.) “Khi tơi nghe đoạn băng tiếng Anh, thì,…” Tơi khơng hiểu Tơi hiểu vài từ vài phần câu đơn giản Tơi hiểu 50% Tơi hiểu tới 70% đoạn băng phải tùy thuộc vào nội dung băng đĩa Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page 48 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 Tơi hiểu từ 70% tới 80% tơi gặp khó khăn việc chọn thơng tin Tơi hiểu 80% đến 90%, nhiên mắc lỗi thi Tơi hiểu tồn nội dung kĩ nghe tốt Sau áp dụng phương pháp chép tả, kĩ nghe bạn nào? (Vui lòng khoanh tròn câu trả lời.) “Khi nghe đoạn băng tiếng Anh, thì,…” Tơi khơng hiểu Tơi hiểu vài từ vài phần câu đơn giản Tơi hiểu 50% Tơi hiểu tới 70% đoạn băng phải tùy thuộc vào nội dung băng đĩa Tơi hiểu từ 70% tới 80% tơi gặp khó khăn việc chọn thơng tin Tơi hiểu 80% đến 90%, nhiên mắc lỗi thi Tôi hiểu tồn nội dung kĩ nghe tơi tốt Bạn áp dụng phương pháp chép tả rồi? ( Đánh dấu  vào đáp án ) Gần Dưới năm Từ đến năm Hơn năm Bạn có thường luyện Nghe với kĩ chép tả khơng? ( Dánh dấu  vào đáp án ) Mỗi ngày Vài lần tuần Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A tuần lần tháng Hiếm lần Page 49 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 Bạn thường dùng nguồn tài liệu để luyện Nghe với phương pháp chép chỉnh tả? ( Vui lòng ghi rõ) 10 Bạn cảm thấy việc áp dụng phương pháp chép tả có khó không? (Đánh dấu  vào câu trả lời.) Extremely Quite A bit Neither A bit Quite Extremely easy easy easy easy nor difficult difficult difficult difficult 11 Hiệu sau áp dụng phương pháp chép tả bạn ? (Đánh dấu  vào câu trả lời.) Rất Khơng Bình phản đối đồng ý thường Đồng ý Rất đồng ý Tôi ghi nhớ thông tin lâu Tôi tránh lỗi đánh vần Vốn từ vựng tơi tăng lên Tơi nhận biết mẹo q trình nghe ( ví dụ: “although”, “but”, “however”, “in spite of”, “nor”, “yet”…) Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page 50 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 Tơi củng cố cách sử dụng tiếng Anh Tơi tạo thói quen ghi q trình nghe Tơi khơng biết xác tơi cải thiện sau áp dụng phương pháp chép tả, tơi thấy đượ tiến Phương pháp khơng hiệu với tơi 12 Bạn có hài lòng với kết phương pháp mang lại cho khơng? (Đánh dấu vào câu trả lời.) Cực kỳ hài Khá lịng lịng hài Tương đối Bình Tương hài thường Khá Cực kỳ đối không không hài không hài lòng hài lòng lòng lòng 13 Mức độ bạn giới thiệu cho người quen phương pháp chép tả ( Khoanh tròn vào đáp án bạn.) 10 Cảm ơn bạn nhiều! Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page 51 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS ( English version) THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS ( English version) How long have you been studying English? How you feel about English listening skill? ( Put a  on your best answer ) Very easy Easy A bit difficult Difficult Very difficult What kinds of problems you have with English listening skill? ( Please circle your answer, you can choose more than one answer.) Easily forgetting main ideas Being distracted Lacking of interest Many new words New grammatical structures Liaison and elision phenomenon Others ( Please specify) How often you practice English listening skill? ( Put a  on your best answer ) Everyday Usually Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Sometimes Seldom Never Page 52 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 What methods have you ever used to improve English listening skill? ( You can choose more than one answer.) Spending time listening to Radio everyday Listening to English songs Listening to English songs and writing down the lyrics Listening to CDs or tapes of English textbooks and doing the exercises Watching English movies with/ without English subtitles Listening to English conversations or news and recording what you hear by writing it down Your own methods ( Please specify): What is the most effective method to you among these ones above? What is your average score on listening? Under 5.0 From 5.1 to 6.9 From 7.0 to 7.9 Above 8.0 If someone recommends an easy way to improve listening skill, will you apply it?  Yes  No I may need your help during my study, so please inform me of the way I can get in touch with you as below Thank you so much for your assistance Name: Email: Tel: Zalo: Facebook: Viber: ( All of the information above is for the study only ) Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page 53 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 ( FOR THOSE WHO CHOSE ANWSER AND IN QUESTION NUMBER 5) Have you ever heard of the term “ transcription technique”? Yes No Why did you know about the transcription technique? ( Please circle your answer, you can choose more than one.) My friends told me about the method My supervisor/ tutor recommended me I read it on the Internet I created it by myself 10 Others ( Please specify) Why was the transcription technique chosen among many other techniques? ( Please circle your answer, you can choose more than one.) 14 Because it is effective to many people 15 Because my listening skill has stayed at the same level despite the fact that I tried many other methods before 16 Because I wanted to try a new way to practise English listening skill 17 Because I get accustomed to writing something down whenever listening 18 Others ( Please specify) How was your English listening skill before applying the technique? (Please circle your answer, you can choose more than one.) “When I listen to an English audio file,…” I hardly can understand anything I only understand some simple words or sentence segments Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page 54 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 10 I can understand less than 50% of the source 11 I can understand up to 70% of the source and it depends on the content of the source 12 I can understand from 70% to 80% of the source but I still have difficulties selecting main information 13 I can understand from 80% to 90% of the source but I sometimes make mistakes in listening tests 14 I almost understand all of the source because English listening skill is my strength How was your English listening skill after applying the technique? ( Please circle your answer.) “When I listen to an English audio file,…” I hardly can understand anything I only understand some simple words or sentence segments I can understand less than 50% of the source I can understand up to 70% of the source and it depends on the content of the source I can understand more than 70% of the source but I still have difficulties selecting main information I can understand from 70% to 90% of the source but I sometimes make mistakes in listening tests I almost understand all of the source because English listening skill is my strength How long have you been applying the technique? ( Please put a  on your answer ) Recently – years Less than 12 months More than years How often you practice the technique? Everyday A few times Once a Once a a week week month Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Seldom Page 55 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 What kind of source you often use to transcribe? ( Please specify) How easy or difficult did you find it to apply the technique into practicing listening skill? (Please put a  on your answer.) Extremely Quite A bit Neither A bit Quite Extremely easy easy easy easy nor difficult difficult difficult difficult 10 What is your attitude after applying the transcription method into practicing English listening skill? (Please put a  on your answer.) Strongly disagree I can memorize Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree the information faster and/ or longer I can avoid spelling mistakes I can expand my range of vocabulary I can be aware of some traps when listening ( such as: although, but, however, in spite of, nor, yet…) Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page 56 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 I can review/ learn more grammar points I can make a habit of taking notes while listening I am not sure what aspects the technique did help me improve but I can see a bit of progress in the listening skill after all The technique does not work to me 11 How satisfied are you with the results the transcription technique brought about? (Please put a  on your answer.) Extreme- Moderately Slightly Neither Slightly ly satisfied satisfied dissatisfied dissatisfied satisfied satisfied Moderately Extreme no -ly dissatis- dissatisfied fied 12 How likely is it that you would recommend the method to another friend? ( Please circle you answer.) 10 THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP! Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page 57 Student‟s name: Tran Quynh Nhu Student ID number: 13035021 APPENDIX INTERVIEW ( For 1st and 2nd English majored students at IUH) Name: Course: Have you ever applied transcription technique as a strategy in Listening test? Has your Listening teacher ever applied transcription technique in teaching Listening? If yes, how did he/ she do? Do you think transcription technique should be used in the Listening class? Why? Why not? In your opinion, is transcription technique a hard way to practice? Why? Why not? Do you have any suggestions to make transcription technique easier? Thank you for your attendance! Supervisor: Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A Page 58 ... of English learning Table 4.2: Students‟ opinions toward English listening skill Table 4.3: The most effective methods used to improve English listening skill Table 4.4 : Students‟ attitude toward... current situation of listening skill and how transcription technique can help Firstly, English listening skill is not an easy thing to tackle to most of students no matter how many years they... impact of transcription technique on listening skill improvement of English majored sophomores Therefore, 61 students who did apply the technique into listening practice got invited to the student