A study on difficulties and strategies in listening skills of the third year english majored students at industrial university of ho chi minh city graduation thesis faculty of foreign languages

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - - GRADUATION THESIS A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES AND STRATEGIES IN LISTENING SKILLS OF THE THIRD-YEAR ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS AT INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY STUDENT: TRAN THI NGOC TUYEN ID NUMBER: 17018161 CLASS: DHAV13A COURSE: 2017 - 2021 SUPERVISOR: LE MINH HIEN, B.A HCMC, 06/2021 MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - - GRADUATION THESIS A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES AND STRATEGIES IN LISTENING SKILLS OF THE THIRD-YEAR ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS AT INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY STUDENT: TRAN THI NGOC TUYEN ID NUMBER: 17018161 CLASS: DHAV13A COURSE: 2017 - 2021 SUPERVISOR: LE MINH HIEN, B.A HCMC, 06/2021 MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - - Student’s name : Tran Thi Ngoc Tuyen Student’s ID : 17018161 Class : DHAV13A Course : 2017 - 2021 Supervisor : Le Minh Hien, B.A Student’s declaration: I declare that this graduation report is entirely my own work and does not involve in plagiarism or collusion It also has not been accepted as part of a submission to another purpose else where I accept heavy penalty for any cheating or plagiarism Date submitted: 20/06/2021 Signed : ……………………… Word length : 8514 words ABSTRACT Listening is one of the important skills in learning a foreign language However, compared to other skills (Reading, Speaking, Writing), listening is taken much more lightly by teachers and students Listening has long been the neglected skill in foreign language acquisition, research, teaching, and assessment The present study attempts to investigate the listening difficulties faced by English major freshmen of Industrial University Data for this study was gathered through questionnaires Results of the study showed that the length of the text, pronunciation, speech rates, lack of vocabulary, unfamiliar with the accent, colloquial and slang, inferring skills, the need for repetition of the passage and poor quality of listening devices were the major problems that affected students' ability Understanding these difficulties may enable teachers to help students develop effective learning strategies and improve their English listening abilities Some suggestions are provided for teachers and students to improve teaching and learning practices KEYWORDS Difficulties, listening skills, strategies ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This graduate thesis would not be possible without the help of individuals and organizations Thus, I hereby express my deep gratitude for their contributions Firstly, I would like to express thanks to the School Board of Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, and the Faculty of Foreign Languages for creating favorable conditions for me to take my graduation thesis Secondly, I would like to convey my sincere gratitude to my Academic Supervisor who is Le Minh Hien, B.A of the Faculty of Foreign Languages Without her proper guidance, this thesis would not have been a success In every phase of the report, her supervision and helpful advice shaped this thesis to be completed perfectly Then I would like to thank Dr Phan Thi Tuyet Nga and some other teachers, who had provided me with all the necessary information and materials and had organized seminars to assist FFL students as well me before we wrote the thesis Furthermore, I would also like to express my excessive thanks to all members of my group for their excellent support and often shared feelings, and gave me timely advice through the thesis writing process Last but not least, I am grateful to 100 students of class DHAV14 They spent their time answering my questionnaires enthusiastically My thesis maybe not possible without their cooperation It contributed in a part to help me overcome my challenging thesis Once again, thank for everyone who supported me from the start to the finish of my graduation thesis TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Research objectives 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definitions of key term 2.2 Results of previous studies 2.2.1 Process of listening comprehension 2.2.2 Listening comprehension problems 2.2.3 Factors affecting listening comprehension CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH SITE 14 3.1 Research site 14 3.2 Participants 14 3.3 Research methodology and research methods 14 3.4 Procedures 15 3.5 Data analysis 15 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 17 4.1 Results 17 4.2 Discussion 31 4.3 Summary of the chapter 31 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 32 5.1 Conclusion 32 5.2 Recommendations 33 5.2.1 Recommendation for teachers 33 5.2.2 Recommendation for listeners 33 REFERENCES 35 APPENDICES 38 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền ID Number: 17018161 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale It can not be denied that English is considered the common language in the world People can communicate and contact between countries In Vietnam, English becomes more important when many international businesses conduct meetings in this language Universities teach courses in English Every people around this country use English to communicate and wishes to get a good job opportunity and increase the living standard This is the reason why a higher number of people want to learn and use English and wish to become a master in English recently This is explained why English has been a part of general education in Vietnam Thus English is regarded as a compulsory subject in the curriculum of almost all colleges and universities in Vietnam Unfortunately, the results of teaching and studying English in universities are evaluated in grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension Therefore, the education system has not really invested effectively to teach this language as focusing on important skills such as listening, speaking, and writing Meanwhile, we all know that to learn a foreign language successfully, students should be confident in using fluently the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing These four skills are closely interrelated to one another and they all necessary However, listening and speaking skills are not important parts of many course books or curricula in Vietnam According to the research result of Coakley & Wolvin, 1997, listening is central to the lives of students throughout all levels of educational development Listening is the most frequently used language skill in the classroom (Ferris, 1998; Murphy, 1991; Vogely, 1998) In the fact that teachers teaching English seem only to give the students taking the test, so they not invest much in these skills while designing their lessons Most teachers take it for granted and believe that it will develop naturally within the process of language learning Even, in the university entrance test, listening is not used as a factor to decide students’ abilities Besides, listening has not drawn much attention of both teachers and learners, they are generally less aware of its importance Also, class sizes in Vietnam are large (often over 30 students per Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A Page Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền ID Number: 17018161 class), and there is no assistive technology, so it is difficult to teach listening skills effectively Passive students mainly earn points for passing English subjects, not to practice listening comprehension skills Thus, teachers not have the motivation to improve their qualifications and teaching methods In contrast, some students want to be good at practicing this skill but due to the exam pressure, they have to study for the exam That leads to EFL learners have serious problems in English listening comprehension As a result, it remains the most neglected and the least understood aspect of language teaching In fact, listening is a complex mental process that involves perception, attention, cognition, and memory Also, comprehending speech in a foreign language is a quite difficult task for language learners When listening to a foreign language, many language learners still cope with difficulties During four years studied in IUH, the writer saw that despite many courses and periods study about listening skills is still the most difficult skill for most students even for English-majored students To help third years, students improve their listening ability, students have to understand listening difficulties in comprehending spoken texts, and find effective listening solutions and strategies Hence, teachers need to give students the chance and find out possible methods to help them overcome their challenges and make them feel more comfortable and confident when practicing listen to English to improve their listening skills as well For all these reasons, this research is conducted with the title “A study on difficulties and strategies in listening skills of the third-year English-majored students at Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City” in the hope of improving listening skills for third years English students at IUH 1.2 Research objectives The main purse study was carried out to survey the real state of teaching and learning English listening skills of English-majored third-year students in the FFL of IUH so that to find out what was the most common difficulties that students encounter Also, another objective was to provide reasons and explanations for their problems in this skill Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A Page Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền ID Number: 17018161 - Continue or not? => Continue 30/04/2021 - Analyzing data 19/05/2021 - Discussing how to write chapter 10 20/05/2021 - Writing chapter 11 28/05/2021 - Discussing chapter 29/05/2021 - Writing chapter - Writing Abstract and References 13 10/06/2021 - Submitting the full text -Receiving comments for the thesis - Rewriting imperfect entries - Submitting the full text of the thesis 18/06/2021 - Finishing the thesis The supervisor’s approval of the students’ submission (Yes/ No): Yes Date: 20/06/2021 Supervisor (Signature & Full name) Lê Minh Hiền, B.A Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A Page 45 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền ID Number: 17018161 INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES SUPERVISOR’S EVALUATION FORM Student’s name: TRẦN THỊ NGỌC TUYỀN Student ID No.: 17018161 Supervisor’s name: LÊ MINH HIỀN, B.A CRITERIA SCORE Format (3) Format And Language Use Introduction Coherence and Organization (4) Grammar mistakes (3) Research topic and objectives of research (5) Research questions (5) Written Literature Graduation Review Definitions of key terms/concepts (5) Review of previous studies (5) Thesis Referencing (5) (70) Methodology Research Methodology (10) Research Collecting and analyzing data (5) Findings Relevance between research findings and objectives (5) Evaluating and discussing the findings (5) Conclusions Oral Conclusions & recommendation (10) Content (3) Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A Page 46 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền Presentation Performance (3) (10) Time management (10 minutes) (2) ID Number: 17018161 Questions response (2) Supervisor’s Communication skill (2) Appraisal Punctuality (2) (10) Supervisor’s Continuous improvement (6) Group Decision &Planning Appraisal on Roles & Distribution teamwork Establish Goals (05) Meeting Minutes Peer Contribution to the team project evaluation on teamwork Taking responsibility (05) Working with others Other comments ………./100 TOTAL SCORES Date: …………………………… Signature ……………………………… Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A Page 47 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền ID Number: 17018161 INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES EXAMINER’S EVALUATION FORM Student’s name: TRẦN THỊ NGỌC TUYỀN Student ID No.: 17018161 Examiner’s name: …………………………………………………………………………… CRITERIA Format And Language Use SCORE Format (3) Coherence and Organization (4) Grammar mistakes(3) Introduction Rationale and objectives of research (5) Research questions (5) Written Graduation Thesis Literature Review Definitions of key terms/concepts (5) Review of previous studies (10) Referencing (5) (80) Methodology Research Methodology & Methods (10) Research Collecting and analyzing data (5) Findings Relevance between research findings and objectives (5) Evaluating and discussing the findings (10) Conclusions Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A Conclusions & Recommendation (10) Page 48 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền Oral Content (6) Presentation Performance (6) (20) Time management (10 minutes) (4) ID Number: 17018161 Questions responses (4) Other comments TOTAL SCORES ……… /100 Date: ………………………… Signature ……………………………… Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A Page 49 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền ID Number: 17018161 Rubrics for Written Graduation Thesis (70%) Item/ Weight Unsatisfactory Format (3) Coherence and Organization (4) 10 Grammar mistakes (3) Developing Exemplary 10 There are consistent mistakes in the required format There are several mistakes in the required format There are minor mistakes in the required format There are hardly any mistakes in the required format The development of paper is vague; no apparent logical order of presentation The paper is presented with connected concept and ideas, clear transitions The paper is presented in logical sequence and well organized The paper is clearly stated, well-developed and well organized There are consistent spelling and grammar mistakes in the paper There are several spelling and grammar mistakes in the paper There are minor spelling and grammar mistakes in the paper There are hardly any spelling and grammar mistakes in the paper The rationale of the research topic is adequately defined The significance and objectives of the paper is well justified The rationale of the research topic is introduced in a coherent and interesting manner The significance and objectives of the paper is well justified Research questions are coherently and clearly defined Research questions are scientifically meaningful and Rationale and objectives of research (5) The rationale of the research topic area is unclearly described Little evidence shows the significance and objectives of the research topic The rationale of the research topic is presented and the significance and objectives of the paper is justified Research questions (5) Research questions are not successfully defined Research questions are defined Introdu ction Satisfactory 10 Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A Page 50 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền ID Number: 17018161 challenging 15 Definitions of key terms/concepts (5) Definition of key concepts is insufficient Key concepts are recognized The key concepts related to the research topic are defined The key concepts related to the research topic are also clearly defined Review of previous studies The previous studies are inadequately relevant with the research topic and inappropriatel y summarized The previous studies are relevant with the research topic and summarized The previous studies are quite relevant with the research topic and appropriately summarized The previous studies are adequately relevant with the research topic and appropriately summarized (5) Referencing (5) 10 Research Methodology and Methods (10) References are of poor quality The format and layout are inconsistent and not in line with APA style The referencing is in a proper manner but the layout of the bibliography is consistent with APA style There are, however, a number of inconsistencies The referencing is in a proper manner and the layout of the bibliography is largely in line with APA style The referencing is in a proper and extensive manner The format and layout of the bibliography are correct and in line with APA style The author displays such a low level of research methodology and methods that it can be regarded as unacceptable The author correctly presents the research methods and shows good organization and application of research methodology The author justifies his/her The author justifies his/ her choice of research methods systematically and demonstrates a deep understanding in the application of relevant research Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A choice of analysis methods and demonstrates effective application of relevant research methodology Page 51 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền ID Number: 17018161 methodology Collecting and analyzing data (5) The author describes the data collecting and analyzing stages but the description does not form a coherent and logical whole The analysis methods are mainly chosen to answer the research questions, but the author has an insufficient command of the methods The author correctly presents the data collecting and analyzing stages and also outlines the analysis The analysis demonstrates a good command and reliable use of the method Relevance between research findings and objectives The author demonstrates a poor level of understanding in the analysis of the research findings The research findings are inadequate in meeting objectives of study The author demonstrates Researc h findings 15 (5) Evaluating and discussing the findings The thesis does not succeed in making contribution to Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A a satisfactory understanding in the analysis of the research findings The research findings may be adequate but not as described The research findings make a minor contribution to the knowledge The author presents the data collecting and analyzing stages clearly The author makes good use of the data in the analysis The author chooses the methods sensibly to summarize the information provided by the data The author presents the data collecting and analyzing stages correctly and clearly The author makes great use of the data in the analysis The author chooses the relevant methods to best summarize the information provided by the data The author demonstrates adequate levels of understanding in the analysis of the research findings The author demonstrates advanced levels of understanding in the analysis of the research findings The research findings are relevant to the objectives of the study The research findings are adequate relevant to the objectives of the study The research findings make a good contribution to the knowledge The research findings make a significant contribution to Page 52 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền 10 (5) the knowledge base of the discipline and field of study Conclusion & Reconmmendati on (10) No logical conclusions are reached Answers to research questions studied and discussion about them is almost entirely missing or it is unconnected from the perspective of the research The final summary in no way communicates the purpose and findings of the study The author demonstrates inadequate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his/her own research Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A ID Number: 17018161 base of the discipline and field of study The conclusions are partially logical The link between the conclusions and research questions is left somewhat unclear The final summary only partially communicates the purpose and findings of the study The author demonstrates quite adequate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his/her own research base of the discipline and field of study The conclusions are presented logically and answers to research questions are explained in a good manner The final summary communicates the purpose and findings of the study The author demonstrates adequate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his/her own research the knowledge base of the discipline and field of study The conclusions are presented logically and answers to research questions are explained in a coherent manner The final summary is relevant and communicates the objectives and findings of the study The author demonstrates good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his/her own research Page 53 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền ID Number: 17018161 Rubrics for Oral Presentation (10%) Unsatisfactory Developing Satisfactory Exemplary Organizational structure present but unclear with underdeveloped introduction, body and conclusion Transitions are awkward Organizational structure present clearly with introduction, body and conclusion A few transitions Appropriate organizational pattern used and easy to follow with developed introduction, understandable body part and satisfying conclusion Main points are smoothly connected with transitions Performance (3) Very little gestures or eye contact Monotone voice or insufficient volume Reading of notes only Speech is often unintelligible Adequate use of gestures, eye contact, language, and voice Limited oral fillers and nonverbal distractions Uses a wide range of pronunciation features Time management (10minutes) (2) No regard for time constraints six or seven minutes above or below the allotted time Little gestures or eye contact Monotone voice or insufficient volume Little poise Heavy reliance on notes Abundant oral fillers and nonverbal distractions Mispronunciatio ns are frequent and cause some difficulty for the listener Presentation given within four or five minutes above or below the allotted time 10 Organizational pattern is compelling and moves audience through speech with ease Introduction draws in the audience and conclusion is satisfying Main points are clearly made and smoothly connected with transitions Effective use of gestures, eye contact, vivid language, and voice to add interest to speech Poised with use of notes for reference only No oral fillers and nonverbal distractions Clear pronunciation Item/ Weight Content (3) Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A Presentation given within two or three minutes above or below the allotted time Presentation given within time constraints (from 9-11 minutes) Page 54 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền Questions response (2) Unable to respond many questions Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A ID Number: 17018161 Most questions are responded competently Nearly all questions are responded knowledgably and respectively All questions are responded knowledgably and respectively Page 55 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền ID Number: 17018161 Rubrics for Supervisor’s Appraisal (10%) Unsatisfactory Item/ Developing Satisfactory Exemplary Weight 10 Communic Students show a weak Students show an Students show Students show a ation skill communication skill in adequate a good very good meetings with the communication skill communication communication supervisor and group in meetings with the skill in members supervisor and group meetings with with the members the supervisor supervisor and and group group members (2) skill in meetings members Punctuality (2) Students are always late Students are Students are Students are in meetings with the sometimes late in usually always punctual supervisor meetings with the punctual in in meetings with supervisor meetings with the supervisor the supervisor Continuous Students show an Students show a Students show Students show a improveme unwilling attitude positive attitude a positive willing attitude nt towards assigned work, towards assigned attitude towards assigned complete work late often work, complete towards work, complete and make no reference work late sometimes assigned work, work on time or from the supervisor and can make a complete work make alternative relevant reference on time or arrangement and from the supervisor make make a good alternative reference from arrangement the supervisor (6) and make a Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A Page 56 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền ID Number: 17018161 good reference from the supervisor Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A Page 57 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền ID Number: 17018161 Rubrics for Teamwork (10%) Rubrics for Supervisor’s Appraisal (5%) Rubrics for Peer Evaluation (5%) Rubrics for Supervisor’s Appraisal (5%) Student’s name: TRẦN THỊ NGỌC TUYỀN Student code: 17018161 Item/ Weight Unsatisfactory Group Planning & Decision There is no planning& decision making process, decisions are made by individuals Satisfactory A procedure for planning& making decisions is established by the group, but it is not clear and/or it focuses on individuals The group establishes informal roles for each member The workload could be distributed more equally Scheduled meetings minutes Scheduled meetings are often recorded minutes are rarely and the recorded and the contribution of efforts are each team scattered members are NOT identified The group does not establish roles for each member Roles & and/or the Distribution workload is unequally distributed Meeting Minutes Developing Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A A clear procedure for planning & making decisions in research work is informally established by all members of the group Exemplary 10 A clear procedure for planning & making decisions in research work is formally established by all members of the group The group establishes clear and formal roles for each member and distributes the workload equally The group establishes and documents clear and formal roles for each member and distributes the workload equally Scheduled meetings minutes are usually recorded and the contribution of each team members are identified Scheduled meetings minutes are always recorded and the contribution of each team members are identified Page 58 Student: Trần Thị Ngọc Tuyền ID Number: 17018161 Rubrics for Teamwork (10%) Rubrics for Peer Evaluation (5%) Name of member: TRẦN THỊ NGỌC TUYỀN Item/ Weight Unsatisfactory Does not collect any relevant Contribution information; no to the team useful suggestions project to address team's needs; Does not perform assigned tasks; often misses meetings and, when present, Taking does not have responsibility anything constructive to say; relies on others to the work; Rarely listens to, shares with, and the Working with supports efforts of others; others often uses inappropriate language; often is not a good team member Final score: 30 Developing Satisfactory Collects information when prodded; tries to offer some ideas, but not well developed, and not clearly expressed, to meet team's needs; Performs assigned tasks but needs many reminders; attends meetings regularly but generally does not say anything constructive; sometimes expects others to his/her work; Usually listens to others but sometimes does not pay much attention when others talk, and assumes their ideas will not work; Collects basic, useful information related to the research, occasionally offers useful ideas to meet the team's needs; Exemplary 10 Collects and presents to the team a great deal of relevant information; offers well-developed and clearly expressed ideas directly related to the group's topic Performs all assigned tasks; attends meetings regularly and usually participates effectively; Performs all tasks very effectively; attends all meetings and participates enthusiastically; Generally listens to others' points of view; always uses appropriate and respectful language; tries to make a definite effort to understand others' ideas; Almost always listens to others and their ideas; helps them develop their ideas while giving them full credit Evaluator's name: Đỗ Ngọc Trinh Date of evaluation: 20/06/2021 Supervisor: Lê Minh Hiền, B.A Page 59