INTRODUCTION
Statement of the problem
Listening has become increasingly recognized as a crucial component in learning foreign languages, particularly English Experts Rubin & Thompson emphasize that the foundational step in this process should focus on developing listening skills.
Listening is arguably the most crucial language skill, as individuals dedicate around 60% of their time to this activity It not only allows you to immerse yourself in the language but also enhances your overall proficiency Without effective listening skills, participating in conversations in a foreign language becomes challenging.
Listening is an essential skill for foreign language students, as highlighted by Rost (1994, p 141), and is a strong predictor of language success Therefore, the importance of listening in foreign language acquisition cannot be overstated.
Listening skills are now integrated into all English syllabuses across various levels of Vietnamese education Historically, English textbooks in Vietnam focused primarily on grammar, translation, and reading, neglecting the teaching of listening skills Consequently, listening has emerged as the most challenging skill for both teaching and learning in this context.
As an English teacher at Hanoi University of Industry for over two years, the author has observed that non-English major students often lack interest in listening lessons, showing reluctance to engage in listening tasks and consistently underperforming in listening assessments This raises the need to identify effective strategies to enhance their listening skills.
The above reasons have encouraged the writer to carry out the study entitled:
"Action research on applying the interactive approach to develop listening skills for second-year non-English major students at Hanoi University of Industry"
Aims of the study
This study is designed with the aim to investigate whether applying the interactive approach helps students improve their listening skills in English
In order to achieve this aim, the following objectives are set out for the study:
- To gain the understanding of the difficulties encountered by second-year non- English major students at Hanoi University of Industry in listening lessons
- To experiment and investigate the effects of using the interactive approach to teaching listening to second-year non-English major students.
Research questions
In order to achieve the objectives above, two research questions are raised:
1 What difficulties do the second-year non-English major students at Hanoi University of Industry encounter in listening lessons?
2 What are the effects of applying the interactive approach to teaching listening for second-year non-English major students at Hanoi University of Industry?
Scope of the study
This study explores the effectiveness of the interactive approach to enhance listening skills among second-year non-English major students at Hanoi University of Industry Over a 12-week period, the approach is implemented in three key stages of a listening lesson: pre-listening, while-listening, and post-listening The research focuses on a sample of 42 students from the E6.1_K9 class, aiming to address their challenges in mastering listening comprehension.
Methodology of the study
In conducting the study, the researcher adheres to Nunan's action research model (1992) and employs a quantitative method to thoroughly explore the topic Data is collected from two primary sources.
- Pre-test and post-test
Pre-test and post-test evaluations are conducted to measure participants' listening performance before and after the research Following these assessments, two questionnaires are administered to validate and enhance the findings from the tests.
Significance of the study
This study highlights the impact of an interactive approach on enhancing students' listening skills and offers valuable pedagogical implications for its implementation The findings serve as a reference for English teachers seeking to adopt more effective teaching methods Additionally, disseminating these results may assist the researcher and her colleagues in refining their teaching practices.
Structure of the study
There are three main parts in this study:
Part A: Introduction, presents the statement of the problem, aims, research questions, scope, methodology, significance and structure of the study
Part B: Development, which is divided into 3 chapters:
Chapter I: “Literature review”, sets up theoretical background that is relevant to the purpose of the study
Chapter II: “ Methodology”, indicates the rationale of using action research, the setting, the selection of participants, the data collection instruments and data analysis procedures
Chapter III: “Findings and discussion”, discusses the findings of application of the interactive approach on teaching and learning listening skills for second-year non- English major student at Hanoi University of Industry
Part C: Conclusion, summarizes the key issues in the study, gives the implications, points out the limitations and provides some suggestions for further study.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Theory on listening
In terms of listening definitions, Anderson and Lynch (1988) have two influential views: traditional view and alternative view
Listening has traditionally been viewed as a receptive skill where learners focus solely on understanding spoken messages, often overlooking important elements like the speaker's attitude and nuances This approach results in teachers assessing students' hearing ability rather than their comprehension of conversations Critics, including Anderson and Lynch (1988), argue that this perspective inadequately addresses the importance of meaning in listening instruction, suggesting that teaching listening should encompass both sound and comprehension.
Learners are viewed as active model builders in the process of comprehension, integrating new information with their existing background knowledge According to Anderson and Lynch (1988), this perspective highlights the importance of active interpretation and integration of incoming information by listeners Supporting this notion, Littlewood (1981) emphasizes that effective listening requires active involvement, urging listeners to engage in a meaningful listening process that utilizes both linguistic cues and non-linguistic knowledge.
Listening is an active process where individuals focus on specific aspects of aural input, construct meaning from what they hear, and connect it to their existing knowledge (Bentley & Bacon, 1996) This process involves both linguistic and non-linguistic knowledge, as comprehension occurs when incoming sounds are matched with the listener's knowledge (Buck, 2001; Faerch & Kasper, 1986).
To achieve success in listening comprehension, it's essential to recognize that this skill cannot be mastered and then neglected; instead, it requires consistent practice with progressively challenging materials (Wilga, 1986, p 157).
Listening can be categorized into various types based on factors such as the listener's purpose, their role, and the nature of the audio content being engaged with.
Many students perceive a significant disparity between classroom listening activities and real-life situations due to the grammar-focused nature of most listening materials, such as textbook dialogues In the classroom, speakers typically use controlled speech with precise grammar, tone, and accent In contrast, real-life conversations expose learners to a diverse range of speakers with varying genders, ages, accents, and speech patterns, which often include improper usage, incomplete sentences, redundancies, contractions, and overlapping dialogue.
There are two ways which people often listen in real-life, they are casual and focus listening a) Casual listening
Many students often engage in casual listening, which involves having the radio or television on in the background while studying or completing other tasks without any specific intention This contrasts with focused listening, where individuals actively concentrate on the content being presented.
Focus listening involves listening with a specific purpose, such as gathering information or studying a language In this process, listeners pay close attention but do not concentrate equally on all details The relationship between a listener's expectations and their purpose significantly influences comprehension When listeners have intentional expectations and needs, they are more likely to accurately perceive and understand relevant information, as opposed to details that are irrelevant or unhelpful.
Classroom listening may be divided into two types: intensive listening and extensive listening a) Intensive listening
Intensive listening involves focused attention on a brief audio segment to grasp detailed information and achieve full comprehension An example of this practice is analyzing a recorded dialogue in an English class to study its structures and intonation patterns In contrast, extensive listening encompasses a broader approach, allowing learners to engage with longer audio materials for general understanding and enjoyment.
Extensive listening involves engaging with natural language and general ideas without focusing on specific details or requiring teacher guidance This listening practice can vary in length and typically utilizes language that aligns with students' proficiency levels, making it enjoyable and engaging Unlike other forms of listening, extensive listening does not emphasize reinforcing grammatical structures or specific course-related content.
Numerous linguists, including Anderson and Lynch (1998), Underwood (1989), and Brown (1990), have conducted studies on listening skills, highlighting that the listening process is not merely a straightforward activity but rather a complex interplay of various components This intricate process begins with the physical processing of sound through the outer, middle, and inner ear, followed by the transmission of nerve impulses, ultimately culminating in a series of cognitive sub-processes within the brain.
According to Van Duzer (1997), the listening process consists of nine key activities: (1) identifying the purpose of listening; (2) capturing the raw speech and storing it in short-term memory; (3) organizing the information by recognizing the type of speech event and the message's function; (4) predicting the expected content of the message; (5) recalling relevant background information to aid interpretation; (6) assigning meaning to the message; (7) verifying comprehension of the message; (8) deciding what information to retain in long-term memory; and (9) discarding the original form of the message from short-term memory.
Looking at the issue from other perspectives, other scientists assign listening process to a parallel processing model with bottom-up processing and top-down processing
Nunan (1992) describes the bottom-up processing model as a linear listening process where sounds are decoded sequentially, starting from phonemes and building up to complete texts In this model, phonemic units combine to form words, which then create phrases, leading to utterances and ultimately meaningful texts For effective decoding, students must understand the sound code, including how sounds connect and change in different contexts This process is linear, with meaning being derived only at the final stage, resembling a "listeners as tape recorder" perspective, where messages are absorbed and stored in a step-by-step manner (Anderson & Lynch, 1988).
Bottom-up processes play a crucial role in how a listener's linguistic competence contributes to message comprehension According to Peterson (2001), these processes involve recognizing sounds and words, which are then organized into larger phrases and connected to relevant concepts in long-term memory Consequently, individuals with lower language proficiency may experience significant strain on their conscious attention and working memory due to the reliance on bottom-up processing.
Top-down processing offers an effective approach to teaching listening, contrasting with bottom-up processing As noted by Nunan (1992), this method empowers listeners to actively reconstruct the speaker's intended meaning by interpreting incoming sounds as contextual clues During this reconstruction, listeners draw upon their prior knowledge of the context and situation to enhance their understanding of the audio material.
Teaching listening skills
1.2.1 Stages of a listening lesson 1.2.1.1 Pre-listening
Preparing learners for what they are about to hear enhances their interest and clarifies the listening objectives, similar to how we prepare for real-life situations (Davies & Pearse, 2000).
To maximize students' comprehension during listening activities, it is essential to establish foundational knowledge beforehand This preparatory stage serves key purposes, including enhancing engagement and ensuring that students are equipped to effectively process the information they will encounter.
- To motivate students to pay more attention to the listening text
- To activate or build students' prior topical and linguistic knowledge It is important for students to be able to relate what they already know to the speaker's content
- To help the students match what they hear with their stored knowledge by activating their prior knowledge about the coming topics
- To set purposes for listening: When students set purposes for listening, they become active listeners who listen for something, not to it
To enhance students' listening skills, teachers can introduce the topic, provide background information, and give clear instructions for the while-listening activity Students may also benefit from guidance on the structure of the content, discussing the topic, examining relevant pictures, and reviewing questions beforehand These strategies effectively help students concentrate on the key points of the listening passage by narrowing their expectations and activating prior knowledge.
The while-listening stage consists of activities designed to engage students as they listen to a text, aiming to enhance their ability to extract messages from spoken language According to Rixon (1986), the primary goals of this stage are to challenge and guide students in processing the information and messages conveyed in the listening material Consequently, it is essential that the activities selected for this stage are both engaging and thoughtfully curated to maintain student interest and effectiveness.
Effective while-listening activities must be engaging to motivate students to participate and complete the tasks, while also being accessible to the majority of learners It's important to include challenges for advanced students without discouraging those who may struggle, ensuring that all students can experience some level of success.
When selecting while-listening activities, teachers should consider several key factors, as highlighted by Underwood (1989) These include the ability to adjust the difficulty level as necessary, the ease of implementing activities that require oral responses in the classroom, and whether the tasks can be completed with the teacher present or as self-study, either in a listening center or at home Additionally, teachers should think about the materials and ideas available for post-listening work and the importance of providing immediate feedback to assess students' success in the tasks.
The post-listening stage encompasses activities conducted after listening has concluded, serving as a crucial phase in the listening process These activities can either extend the pre-listening and while-listening efforts or connect loosely to the listening material According to Underwood (1989), the primary objectives of post-listening activities include assessing students' comprehension and completion of the listening task, analyzing reasons for any misunderstandings, expanding on the topic or language presented, and allowing students to reflect on the speaker's manner and attitude.
To achieve these above-mentioned purposes, the followings are possible activities:
- Teachers give the answers orally, or show the answers on the black board
Teachers guide students to focus on key elements of the listening text, emphasizing the forms and functions, vocabulary, stress, and intonation that have posed challenges for them.
- Students work in pairs to check each other's answer or in groups to discuss any problems related to the listening text
1.2.2 Interactive process in teaching listening skills
Listening is an active and intricate process that necessitates the conscious application of strategies by listeners It involves the simultaneous interaction of bottom-up processing, which focuses on linguistic knowledge to distinguish familiar sounds, and top-down processing, which utilizes background knowledge to derive meaning This method, known as parallel processing, enables language listeners to effectively perceive, interpret, and respond to auditory information.
Listeners' reliance on top-down or bottom-up processing varies based on their language knowledge, topic familiarity, and listening purpose For instance, listening for the main idea typically engages top-down processing, while extracting specific information, such as from a weather report, relies on bottom-up processing to grasp essential details The subsequent sections will elaborate on the instruction of these two processing methods.
According to Brown (2007, p 312), bottom-up processing emphasizes the importance of sounds, words, intonation, grammatical structures, and other elements of spoken language Consequently, for effective bottom-up text processing, learners must possess an extensive vocabulary and a solid understanding of sentence structures.
Exercises that require bottom-up processing develop the learner’s ability to do the following:
- Retain input while it is being processed
- Recognize word and clause divisions
- Recognize key transitions in a discourse
- Recognize grammatical relationships between key elements in sentences
- Use stress and intonation to identify word and sentence functions
Peterson (1991, p 114-121) suggests several techniques for teaching listening comprehension Below are some kinds of bottom-up exercises for beginners
Discriminating between intonation contour in sentences
- Listen to a sequence of sentence patterns with either rising or falling intonation Place a check in column 1 (rising) or column 2 (falling), depending on the pattern you hear
Engage in selective listening by identifying pairs of words that vary in their final consonants For each pair, determine if the words are "same" or "different" based on what you hear, and circle your choice accordingly This exercise focuses on sharpening your auditory discrimination skills related to morphological endings.
- Listen to a series of sentence Circle "yes" if the verb has -ed ending, and circle "no" if it does not
Selecting details from the text (Word recognition)
- Match a word that you hear with its picture
- Listen to a weather report Look at a list of words and circle the words that you hear
- Listen to a sentence that contains clock time Circle the clock time that you hear, among three choices
- Listen to an advertisement, select the price of an item, and write the amount on a price tag
Listen to a sequence of messages from an answering machine and complete a chart with details from each caller, including their name, phone number, the time of the call, and the content of the message Focus on identifying the standard sentence structure in the messages for accurate data collection.
- Listen to a short dialogue and fill in the missing words that have been deleted in partial transcript
Table 1: Some kinds of bottom-up exercises for beginners 1.2.2.2 Teaching top-down processing
Top-down processing involves how listeners utilize their contextual understanding and prior knowledge—such as topic, genre, culture, and other long-term memory schemas—to create a conceptual framework for effective comprehension.
Exercises that require top-down processing develop the learner’s ability to do the following:
- Use key words to construct the schema of a discourse
- Infer the setting for a text
- Infer the role of the participants and their goals
- Infer unstated details of a situation
- Anticipate questions related to the topic or situation Peterson (1991, p 114-121) also suggests some kinds of top-down exercises for beginners
- Listen to statement about a vacation and decide whether or not the speaker enjoys the vacation Get the gist or main idea of a passage
- Listen to a dialogue and decide what type of weather is being described
- Listen to a series of short conversations and for each one mark a picture being described that shows where the picture took place
- Listen to a number of short biographies and for each, write the title that expresses the main idea
When engaging with new acquaintances, it's essential to identify common discussion topics that facilitate conversation Observing interactions can reveal popular subjects that people gravitate towards, especially when they are unfamiliar with one another By actively listening to these conversations, one can discern which themes emerge frequently, providing insight into the interests and preferences of the group.
- Listen to a series of process descriptions and mark the picture that it tells about
Table 2: Some kinds of top-down exercises for beginners
Review of previous works
Al-Qaraghooly & Al-Bermani (2010) conduct a research on the effect of bottom-up and top-down processing on developing EFL students’ listening comprehension
A study conducted at the College of Education, University of Babylon, involved 128 second-year English students divided into two groups: 53 in the bottom-up processing group and 53 in the top-down processing group, with an additional 24 students selected for a pilot sample The findings revealed that both groups demonstrated success in listening comprehension, suggesting that integrating both bottom-up and top-down processing methods simultaneously enhances learners' listening skills more effectively than using either approach in isolation.
Listening comprehension is a complex and interactive process that involves both bottom-up and top-down processing, working together to enhance the understanding of auditory stimuli.
Villegas (2013) conducted a study on the impact of bottom-up and top-down processing in listening comprehension for second-semester English license program students Over the course of a month, six participants engaged in listening tasks designed by the researcher The findings indicate that learning these strategies through guided techniques such as inferring, contextualization, and prediction enables students to connect prior knowledge with new information, enhancing their audio comprehension Additionally, students expressed positive perceptions of these strategies, noting that both bottom-up and top-down approaches improved their listening skills and helped them recognize the importance of utilizing available information to identify specific details.
Dao Thi Hong Yen (2014) conducted a quantitative MA thesis examining the effectiveness of top-down techniques in teaching listening skills to 10th grade English non-major students over a two-month period The study utilized pre-tests, post-tests, and questionnaires to gather data Results indicate that the implementation of top-down techniques significantly improves students' listening comprehension.
Recent studies highlight the importance of integrating bottom-up and top-down processing to enhance students' listening skills While both approaches have distinct positive effects, their combination yields the best teaching and learning outcomes Many learners have begun to recognize the advantages of using both methods to boost their listening comprehension Additionally, research in Vietnam has explored the application of discourse processing in teaching listening, but these studies often focus solely on one processing type Therefore, adopting an interactive approach is strongly recommended for more effective listening instruction.
Concluding remarks
This chapter reviews relevant literature to establish the theoretical and conceptual framework for the study of listening comprehension It outlines key concepts from leading scholars, explores various types of listening, the listening process, and factors influencing it Additionally, the chapter discusses the teaching of listening, detailing the three stages of a listening lesson and their interactive nature, emphasizing that activities in each stage are interconnected and essential for effective task completion Finally, it presents a review of previous studies in the research area, offering readers a comprehensive overview.
METHODOLOGY
Research setting
Hanoi University of Industry, situated in the northeastern suburbs of Hanoi, Vietnam, employs approximately 200 English teachers and serves around 30,000 non-English major students across various faculties.
Students from various provinces, primarily from farming families, have faced challenges in learning English due to inadequate resources and isolated environments, having studied the language for four years in secondary school and three years in high school They perceive English merely as a mandatory subject, which hampers their speaking and listening skills Despite a year of experience with modern equipment at the university, the improvement has been minimal Classroom observations reveal that many students find listening lessons unengaging and feel they gain little from them Thus, it is essential to implement appropriate teaching methods to enhance students' listening skills effectively.
Non-English major students in their second year have utilized the KET course book, which is designed with theme-based and task-based methodologies The book comprises 20 concise units, along with 10 exam folders and 5 writing folders, structured to be completed over 180 periods across two terms Each week includes 6 periods dedicated to English instruction.
Selection of participants
The study involves 42 second-year non-English major students from class E 6.1_K9 at Hanoi University of Industry As participants in this research, these students are part of an intact class taught by the researcher While they struggle with English, particularly in listening skills, they demonstrate a strong desire to improve and achieve fluency in communication and effective speech delivery.
Data collection instruments
In order to collect sufficient data for the study, a number of instruments are employed: questionnaires, pre-test and post-test
2.4.1 Pre-test and post-test
To evaluate the listening performance of participants before and after the research, the researcher developed a pre-test and a post-test focused on English listening skills These tests are designed to mirror popular listening assessment formats that students are accustomed to, ensuring familiarity with the testing structure.
The pre-test and post-test for English listening share similarities in format, instructions, length, difficulty level, and time allocation Each assessment consists of four tasks with a total of 20 questions: Task 1 features 5 picture questions, Task 2 includes 5 matching questions, Task 3 presents 5 multiple-choice questions, and Task 4 contains 5 gap-filling questions Following the evaluation of both tests, the researcher analyzes the results to identify any improvements in student performance resulting from the experimental teaching.
Two questionnaires are used to get student's opinions before and after the application of the interactive approach to teaching listening
Following the pre-test, a questionnaire consisting of six questions was administered to assess students' attitudes toward listening skills, self-assessment of their listening performance, use of listening strategies, difficulties encountered, and expectations from their teacher The insights gained from this questionnaire, in conjunction with pre-test results, will enable the researcher to identify potential challenges affecting students' listening skills.
After the post-test, a questionnaire consisting of eight questions was administered to 42 students to evaluate the effectiveness of the interactive approach in listening lessons This questionnaire, designed based on a three-stage listening lesson theory, aims to assess both the improvement in students' listening skills and their engagement with the interactive lessons To ensure clarity and comprehension, the questions were translated into Vietnamese prior to distribution.
Data analysis procedures
The action process was conducted over a period of 12 weeks of the school year 2015-
2016 in applying Nunan’s action research cycle (1992, p 19) with four steps as follows:
After two weeks of teaching the E6.1_K9 class and drawing from two years of experience at the university, the researcher identified a noticeable weakness in her students' listening skills.
In week 3, the researcher-teacher conducted a pre-test and survey questionnaire to identify the challenges students faced in developing listening skills The analysis of the collected data revealed a lack of interest among students in learning listening, highlighting the need for a new instructional approach to enhance their listening abilities.
From week 4 to week 11, the interactive aprroach was introduced and applied to teach listening to the students The procedures of teaching lessons were as follows (see
In the pre-listening stage, participants engaged in activities that activated prior knowledge, facilitated predictions, and reviewed essential vocabulary, as outlined in the textbook These activities were either provided in the textbook or specifically designed by the researcher to align with the subjects and the topic at hand.
The while-listening stage emphasized comprehension through various exercises, including selective listening, gist listening, and sequencing Participants had the opportunity to re-listen to challenging sections of the recording, enhancing their ability to identify features of spoken discourse such as blends, reduced words, and ellipsis.
Finally, the subjects were asked to respond to comprehension or give opinions about the topic
To evaluate the impact of the interactive approach, a post-test and questionnaire were administered at week 12, and the collected data were quantitatively analyzed using a descriptive method to address the research questions.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Preliminary investigation
A study was conducted to explore the challenges faced by second-year non-English major students at Hanoi University of Industry in their listening skills A questionnaire was distributed to gather insights from the participants, and the responses were meticulously analyzed In addition to the students' self-assessments, a pre-test was administered by the teacher to evaluate their listening performance prior to implementing a new teaching approach.
3.1.1 Analysis of students’ preliminary questionnaire 3.1.1.1 Students’ attitudes on listening skills
Students’ answers to question 1 and question 2 help the researcher understand their attitudes towards listening skills
Very Rather Little Not at all
Chart 1: Students’ attitude on the importance of listening skills
According to Chart 1, a significant majority of students exhibit a positive attitude towards developing listening skills, with 79% recognizing its importance—43% deeming it important and 36% considering it rather important In contrast, only 5% of students feel that learning listening skills is unimportant, while a mere 16% regard it as slightly important.
Rather Little Not at all
Chart 2: Students’ interest in learning listening skills
The survey results reveal that a significant majority of students do not favor learning listening skills, with 45% expressing only a slight interest Additionally, 33% of respondents indicated that they do not enjoy it at all, while only 22% showed a moderate level of interest in developing their listening skills, as illustrated in Chart 2.
While 79% of students recognize the importance of developing listening skills, a significant number express a lack of enthusiasm for the subject, with only a few showing genuine interest in improving their listening abilities.
3.1.1.2 Students’ self- assessment of their listening competence
Very good Good Neutral Bad Very bad
Chart 3: Students’ self-assessment of their listening competence
The data in Chart 3 shows that the listening performance of students is not good
The survey results reveal that none of the respondents rate their listening skills as very good, with only 5% of students considering their performance to be good In contrast, 21% self-evaluate their listening abilities as very bad, while 45% rate them as bad Additionally, 29% of students are uncertain about their listening performance This self-assessment indicates a generally low level of listening skills among the students in this class Interestingly, students' perceptions of the importance of listening skills do not appear to be influenced by their actual listening performance.
3.1.1.3 Students' use of strategies in listening
Chart 4: Students' use of strategies in listening
A survey revealed that 38.1% of respondents utilize listening strategies, while 61.9% do not This indicates a correlation between the use of listening strategies and improved listening comprehension, as evidenced by test results and active participation in classroom activities.
A Speaking speed of the speakers 92.8%
E Lack of background knowledge about the topic 19%
Table 3: Students’ difficulties in learning listening
The survey data indicates that a significant majority of students, specifically 95.2%, identify a lack of vocabulary as the primary challenge hindering their listening comprehension skills Additionally, 92.8% of respondents struggle to maintain pace with the speech rate, further complicating their understanding Another notable issue is the speakers' stress and intonation, which 71.4% of students find difficult to adapt to, as it differs from their native language.
In a recent study, the structures of spoken language emerged as the fourth most significant challenge for students' listening comprehension, affecting 66.6% of participants Additionally, unfamiliar accents posed a challenge for 59.5% of students, while 19% attributed their listening difficulties to a lack of background knowledge on the topics discussed Furthermore, a smaller group of students (11.9%) reported that inadequate listening equipment hindered their learning experience.
A Provide certain amount of new words needed for listening activities 92.8%
B Equip necessary strategies needed for each kind of listening task 92.8%
C Design suitable listening tasks to students' listening levels and interests 45.2%
D Recommend other supplementary materials beside classroom activities 30.9%
Table 4: Students' expectation towards teachers
According to Table 4, 92.8% of students express a desire to acquire new vocabulary and essential listening strategies Additionally, 45.2% prefer listening tasks that align with their interests and proficiency levels, while 30.9% seek supplementary materials for self-study Students also request teachers to explain components of spoken language, including clustering, redundancy, reduced forms, and colloquial language, as indicated in their questionnaires.
- "Teacher should stop at the phrase or sentences that students may not recognize the words, then explain whether it is in short form, colloquial pattern and so on."
Teachers should provide students with the tape script after completing listening tasks, allowing them to follow along as the tape is replayed This approach helps students identify specific words and phrases they are hearing, enhancing their comprehension and listening skills.
- "Teacher can sometimes play an English song or a short video with activities for us to learn and relax."
These information suggests that teachers should be flexible in teaching techniques so that they can help students overcome difficulties in language learning, especially in listening comprehension
3.1.2 Results of students’ pre-test
Score Number of testees Percentage
Table 5: The overall results of students’ pre-test
The data reveals that students' listening performance is significantly lacking, with no student achieving a score above 8 Only 9.5% of students scored above 7, while a concerning 52.4% received marks of 5 or 6 Alarmingly, 38.1% of the students, totaling 16 individuals, scored below 5, highlighting a critical need for improvement in listening skills.
From the result, it can be seen clearly that the majority of the students have
In conclusion, the preliminary investigation reveals that while most students acknowledge the significance of listening skills, they often dislike learning them and exhibit poor listening performance This lack of motivation stems from various challenges they face in listening Therefore, it is recommended that effective strategies be implemented to enhance students' listening abilities.
Evaluation
Following the intervention, a post-test was administered to evaluate the effectiveness of the interactive approach in teaching listening skills to second-year non-English major students at Hanoi University of Industry This assessment aimed to answer the second research question regarding the impact of the interactive teaching method by comparing the results with those from the pre-test.
3.2.1 Comparison of results from students' pre-test and post-test
The students' post-test listening scores are presented in the following table:
Score Number of testees Percentage
Table 6: The overall results of students’ post-test
The effectiveness of the interactive approach on students' listening performance can be evaluated by comparing the results of pre-tests and post-tests, as illustrated in Chart 5 below.
Chart 5: Comparison of the results from pre-test and post-test
Chart 5 shows the results of students’ listening scores in pre-test and post-test Obviously, students’ listening scores have increased Specifically, there is a student getting mark 2 in pre-test, but none gets that mark in post-test On the contrary, there is no one getting a really good mark in pre-test, but one student gets mark 9 in post-test There is a considerable increase in the number of students getting marks 4,
5, or 6, whereas the number of students getting marks 7 or 8 increases From these figures, it can be seen that the interactive approach really helps students to improve their listening skills
3.2.2 Analysis of the students' post questionnaire
To be more detailed in evaluation of students’ improvements in learning the new approach, the questionnaire was given to 42 participants to collect data after the post-test
3.2.2.1 Activities motivating students in pre-listening stage
Options Percentage a Learning new words 73.8% b Introducing new grammar structures 57.1% c Giving back ground information 47.6% d Brainstorming, discussing the topic in pairs or groups 30.9% e Answering the relevant questions 11.9%
Table 7: Activities motivating students in pre-listening stage
The data indicates that the most effective pre-listening activities for motivating students include learning new vocabulary (73.8%), followed by introducing new grammar structures (57.1%) and providing background information (47.6%) These findings highlight students' strong interest in acquiring vocabulary, grammar, and contextual knowledge before engaging with listening materials Additionally, a notable portion of students enjoys starting lessons with brainstorming discussions (30.9%) and answering relevant questions (11.9%), suggesting a desire to establish a general understanding prior to listening.
3.2.2.2 Activities attracting students in while-listening stage
Being asked: “In the while-listening stage, which activities attracted you?” students reported as follows
In a recent analysis of comprehension strategies, various options were evaluated based on their effectiveness Recognizing word and clause divisions emerged as the most utilized strategy, with 64.3% of participants employing it, while recognizing key words followed closely at 69% Additionally, the ability to identify key transitions in discourse was noted by 61.9% of respondents Other significant strategies included using stress and intonation for word and sentence functions (54.8%) and understanding grammatical relationships among key elements (47.6%) However, less common strategies included anticipating questions (14.3%) and inferring unstated details (9.5%) Overall, these insights highlight the varying levels of comprehension skills among individuals.
Table 8: Activities attracting students in while-listening stage
In a listening lesson utilizing an interactive approach, various activities are essential, and gathering student opinions on these activities is crucial The majority of students expressed a preference for activities focused on key words (69%), word and clause divisions (64.3%), and key transitions (61.9%) This preference likely stems from the fact that grasping key words, understanding clause divisions, and identifying key transitions significantly enhance their comprehension of spoken texts.
A significant 54.8% of students prefer using stress and intonation to identify word and sentence functions, while 50% and 47.6% express a desire to utilize key words for constructing schemas and recognizing grammatical relationships in sentences Additionally, 40.5% and 35.7% of students acknowledge that inferring the setting, participants' roles, and their goals enhances their task completion However, only 21.4% wish to retain input during processing, indicating some challenges, as 14.3% and 9.5% of students struggle with anticipating questions and inferring causes and effects related to the topic.
The data presented in the table indicates that the teacher has effectively integrated interactive activities into her listening lessons, as evidenced by the positive recognition and responses from students.
3.2.2.3 Useful and effective activities for students after listening
Options Percentage a Retelling the main ideas 38% b Discussing in groups or in pairs 19% c Plays roles based on listening content 47.6% d Summarize the text 33.3% e Other ideas 7.1%
Table 9: Useful activities for students after listening
According to the data presented in Table 9, the most favored post-listening activity among students is role-playing, with 47.6% expressing its effectiveness in enhancing speaking skills and pronunciation Retelling main ideas and summarizing texts follow closely, accounting for 38% and 33.3%, respectively Additionally, 19% of students prefer group and pair discussions as a means to verify their understanding of the listening material Students also suggest that teachers should replay audio, pausing to clarify difficult sentences or words, and engage in discussions about colloquialisms, word combinations, and spoken language components This highlights a strong student desire for improved communication skills and a deeper understanding of spoken language, indicating that teachers should consider these preferences to better support their students' learning.
3.2.2.4 Students’ opinions about the listening tasks
Options Percentage a Interesting 31% b Effective 43% c Difficult 14.3% d Boring 2.4% e Stressful 4.8% f Other ideas 0%
Table 10: Students’ opinions on the listening tasks
The data indicates that students generally have a positive attitude towards the listening tasks assigned by their teacher, with 43% believing these tasks enhance their learning effectiveness Furthermore, 31% find the tasks interesting However, a minority of students (21.5%) express concerns about the tasks, citing difficulties (14.3%), boredom (2.4%), and stress (4.8%) as negative aspects.
The teacher has made significant efforts to design engaging and beneficial listening tasks for students, resulting in a majority finding them interesting However, some students still perceive these tasks as challenging, tedious, or stressful, highlighting that not all needs are met To enhance learning outcomes, it is essential to diversify tasks to cater to the varying interests and learning requirements of all students.
3.2.2.5 Students’ opinions about the teaching methods
Teachers' methods are most effectively demonstrated through their organization of learning activities for students When asked about their opinions on teaching methods, students expressed a variety of views regarding their teachers' classroom performance, as illustrated in the chart below.
Options Percentage a Motivating 38.1% b Interesting 52.4% c Tense/ stressful 2.4% d Demotivating 7.1% e Boring 7.1% f Other ideas 0%
Table 11: Students’ opinions on the teaching methods
The data indicates that students generally have a positive perception of the teacher's organization of listening activities, with 52.4% finding the teaching styles interesting and 38.1% feeling motivated by the methods used These teaching strategies effectively capture students' attention, foster curiosity, and enhance listening comprehension However, 16.6% of students expressed dissatisfaction, noting that some teaching techniques have led to feelings of boredom and demotivation during listening lessons.
The data indicates that the teacher's methods and performances significantly impact the listening comprehension of second-year non-English major students Therefore, it is essential to diversify and adapt teaching styles to accommodate the varied learning preferences and interests of students.
3.2.2.6 Students’ opinions about learning listening with the interactive approach
Students’ responses to the question of whether they like learning listening with the interactive approach or not are presented in the following chart
Chart 6: Students’ opinions on learning listening with the interactive approach
The chart indicates that a significant majority of students (88.1%) prefer listening lessons that utilize an interactive approach, as it helps them engage step-by-step in grasping the overall meaning rather than just focusing on specific words or sounds This method provides valuable knowledge and tips for improving their listening skills that they were previously unaware of Conversely, 11.9% of students express a dislike for the interactive approach, citing the complexity of the process due to its multiple steps in a listening lesson, while others find certain tasks to be quite challenging.
3.2.2.7 Students’ opinions about their listening skills after the course
Concluding remarks
This chapter summarizes the study's findings, highlighting students' attitudes towards listening skills, their self-assessment, strategies used, expectations from teachers, and challenges faced in learning listening The comparison of pre-test and post-test results indicates a positive impact of the interactive teaching approach on listening skills Additionally, the subsequent questionnaire identifies activities that engage students during listening lessons and gathers their feedback on listening tasks, teaching methods, and their perceived improvement in listening skills after the course.
Recapitulation
A researcher conducted an action research study on implementing an interactive approach to enhance listening skills among second-year non-English major students at Hanoi University of Industry The study aimed to achieve specific educational objectives related to improving students' listening abilities.
This study aims to explore the challenges faced by students in developing listening skills and to assess the effectiveness of an interactive approach on their listening performance Through the analysis of data collected from 42 participants using pre-tests, post-tests, and two questionnaires, the researcher has successfully addressed the research questions.
1.1 Difficulties the students encounter when studying listening skills
The pre-test results and preliminary questionnaire indicate that while most students recognize the importance of mastering listening skills, they express a dislike for learning it and demonstrate poor listening performance This struggle stems from various challenges they face during the listening process, including a lack of vocabulary, unfamiliar spoken language structures, difficulties with speech rate, exposure to diverse and unfamiliar accents, issues with stress and intonation, and insufficient background knowledge on the topics presented.
1.2 The effects of applying the interactive approach to teach listening skills
This research investigates the impact of the interactive approach on enhancing students' listening skills The analysis of pre-test and post-test results indicates a significant improvement in students' listening scores Furthermore, a subsequent questionnaire highlights that the majority of students express a keen interest in learning listening through this interactive method Ultimately, the findings suggest that the interactive approach positively influences the teaching of listening for second-year non-English major students at Hanoi University of Industry.
Implications
2.1 The necessity of applying the interactive approach
Brown (1990) emphasizes that while bottom-up processing is essential, it is not sufficient for complete comprehension To fully grasp a speaker's intent, top-down processing plays a vital role The study's findings suggest that an interactive approach, combining both bottom-up and top-down strategies, should be implemented in teaching listening skills to second-year students at Hanoi University of Industry.
The key to effective language teaching and learning lies in vocabulary acquisition, as insufficient word knowledge significantly impairs listening comprehension Therefore, educators must focus on helping students grasp the meanings and pronunciations of new words, enabling them to understand spoken texts and become accustomed to the accurate pronunciation used by native speakers Additionally, teachers should highlight the importance of stress and intonation, which are crucial aspects of spoken English that set it apart from students' native languages By addressing these elements, students can significantly improve their listening skills.
Connected speech includes features such as weak forms, contractions, elision, assimilation, and catenation, which can pose significant challenges for beginner learners Therefore, it is essential for teachers to educate their students about these characteristics of spoken language at appropriate times, helping them to feel more comfortable and less surprised when engaging with authentic listening materials Specifically, educators should provide examples of common instances of elision, weak forms, contractions, and assimilation to enhance students' familiarity with these concepts In other words, teaching students to focus on these elements is crucial for developing their listening skills and making them proficient listeners.
To enhance students' listening skills, it is crucial to address challenges such as diverse accents, varying speech rates, and redundancy Exposure to a wide range of spoken English significantly improves comprehension To alleviate anxiety during listening lessons, teachers should encourage students to not only understand the speaker's emotions but also infer their opinions Additionally, educators must clarify that hesitations and background noise are natural in spontaneous speech, helping students to remain attentive and confident when encountering these elements in listening activities.
Background knowledge plays a crucial role in enhancing listening skills, as it enables students to comprehend new concepts and experiences more effectively Educators should equip students with relevant background information on a subject, allowing them to link new insights with their existing knowledge.
2.2 The necessity of arousing students’ motivation and interest
The study reveals that a comfortable environment significantly enhances students' motivation and interest in learning listening skills High levels of motivation are directly linked to increased chances of success, particularly in second language acquisition Researchers indicate a reciprocal relationship between motivation and success; as students' motivation grows, they invest more effort into achieving their learning goals, especially in listening comprehension Active participation in listening lessons occurs when students are eager and engaged, which can be fostered by encouraging them to think critically and discuss the lesson's topic beforehand When students have prior knowledge about the content they are about to listen to, they are more likely to focus and engage attentively.
2.3 Changes in conducting three stages of a listening lesson 2.3.1 Pre-listening
Pre-listening is a crucial preparation stage that enhances the listening experience by providing context and motivation Teachers play a key role in guiding students to focus their attention on relevant aspects of the upcoming audio input, thereby reducing the cognitive load during listening Effective pre-listening activities include brainstorming, discussing the topic, predicting content, and pre-teaching essential vocabulary This stage should be brief, ideally limited to a few minutes, to avoid revealing too much of the listening passage When pre-teaching vocabulary, it's important to highlight only two or three key words that are critical for comprehension, reflecting real-life scenarios where learners often encounter unknown words without prior explanation.
Pre-listening plays a crucial role in enhancing learners' engagement by activating their background knowledge Instead of being passive recipients, learners actively construct meaning, drawing inferences and making predictions based on their internal resources (Anderson & Lynch, 1988) Teachers can foster this engagement by organizing group discussions where learners predict content based on provided clues This approach not only motivates students but also increases their likelihood of becoming active and successful listeners in the classroom.
While-listening activities should involve carefully designed tasks that enhance the enjoyment of learning and promote success Task-based exercises, such as labeling, selecting, form-filling, or completing grids, require learners to extract information from texts and engage actively with the material Unlike traditional multiple-choice questions, these activities foster the use of diverse listening skills and strategies, reflecting real-life listening experiences By encouraging students to express agreement or disagreement, take notes, or create diagrams, task-based activities provide a more accurate assessment of comprehension, compelling learners to actively process and utilize the information they hear.
To enhance listening comprehension, teachers should offer essential contextual clues, including information about the speakers and their relationships, to assist learners in overcoming challenges they encounter during the listening process.
While-listening serves as a crucial phase for both learners and teachers; it encourages students to express their understanding and clarify any difficulties with the teacher This stage also allows educators to impart essential listening skills and strategies, ultimately enhancing learners' success in listening tasks.
Post-listening activities are often overlooked by teachers, yet they are essential for reinforcing recently learned material Engaging students in problem-solving, summarizing, group discussions, and writing as follow-up activities enhances comprehension and retention Rather than focusing solely on grammar, teachers can replay the listening text, encouraging students to compare their understanding in pairs or groups, fostering disagreement and motivation for a second listening After this, students can revise their perspectives, supported by evidence rather than being told who is correct This approach transforms listening into an interactive experience, allowing students to practice speaking and writing through discussions and presentations, which can serve as a pre-writing exercise before they create written responses related to the passage.
At the conclusion of the learning stage, it is essential for teachers to provide and ensure that learners receive constructive feedback on their performance Addressing learners' challenges involves summarizing and reviewing difficult concepts, while newly acquired skills and strategies should be reinforced by motivating students to implement them in their listening practice outside the classroom.
Limitations of the study
Due to the limitation of length and time constraints, this work remains some certain limitations
Due to time constraints, the study was limited to a single cycle; however, conducting an additional cycle could enhance students' listening skills by utilizing feedback from the collected data.
The interactive process was tested in a single group for just one term, limiting the investigator's ability to draw comprehensive conclusions Further studies are needed to explore the effectiveness of this process in enhancing listening skills among various student groups at Hanoi University of Industry.
The study involves 42 students from group E6.1_K9, which may not fully represent all second-year non-English major students at Hanoi University of Industry To enhance the validity of the findings, it is recommended to conduct the research with a larger and more diverse sample of students.
Suggestions for further studies
The study highlights limitations and opportunities for future research in teaching listening, particularly among second-year non-English major students with low English proficiency It suggests that the interactive approach could also benefit English major students Additionally, the reliability of the findings could be enhanced by using two comparable groups, with only one group receiving the interactive approach, allowing for a clearer assessment of its effectiveness Furthermore, there is a call for future studies to explore the interactive approach in relation to reading, speaking, and writing skills to improve English teaching and learning at Hanoi University of Industry.
It is because language is used as a means of communication, students should be encouraged to develop all four skills which are closely related to one another
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APPENDIX 1 Pre-test (Time allowed: 25 minutes) Task 1: You will hear five short conversation You will hear each conversation twice Put a tick under the right answer
1 What is the man buying for his lunch?
3 Which postcard does the woman choose?
4 How much does the woman pay for the DVD?
5 What did the girl leave at Ben's flat?
Task 2: Listen Dan and Jess talking about evening classes at the community centre What club is on each day? There is one answer for each question
Task 3: Listen to Sam phoning Kate Richards about a Saturday job at her music shop Circle the correct answers
1 The hours for the Saturday job are
2 The job will be mainly
3 How much can Sam earn?
4 Where is the music shop?
B In the centre of town
C Across the river from Sam’s home
5 Which day will Sam visit the shop?
Task 4: You will hear a woman asking for information about a festival Listen and complete the question
Type of Festival: Food and
APPENDIX 2 Post-test (Time allowed: 25 minutes) Task 1: You will hear five short conversation You will hear each conversation twice Put a tick under the right answer
1 What time will the train arrive?
2 What does the man want to buy?
3 Where is the post office?
5 How long will the man stay at the hotel in total?
Task 2: Listen to Sam talking about his holiday What did he do for each day? There is one answer for each question
Task 3: Listen to Vanessa telling Paul about a visit to see a special James Bond exhibition at the Science Museum in London Circle the correct answers
1 Vanessa went to the museum
2 Vanessa really liked James Bond's
4 For lunch Vanessa decided to
5 The exhibition will finish on
Task 4: You will hear a woman asking for information about a city bus tour Listen and complete the question
Bus Tours depart… Every minutes
Last tour departs at Ticket prices: Adults: £10; Children: £ Tour Bus Office Address: Street
Buses leave from The Hall
APPENDIX 3 Questionnaire after the Pre-test
This survey questionnaire is designed to gather your opinion for my thesis
"Action research on applying the interactive approach to develop listening skills for second-year non-English major students at Hanoi University of Industry"
Thank you for completing this questionnaire; your participation is invaluable to our research The data collected will solely be used for this study and will remain strictly confidential We kindly ask you to provide honest answers to ensure the success of our investigation by selecting the appropriate responses to the questions We greatly appreciate your cooperation!
1 How are listening skills important to you?
2 How do you like listening lessons?
3 To what extent do you evaluate your listening skills?
4 Do you use any strategies in listening?
5 Which factors cause difficulties to you in learning listening?
H Speaking speed of the speakers
M Lack of background knowledge about the topic
6 What do you expect your teachers to do to help you overcome the difficulties in listening?
A Provide you with certain amount of new words needed for listening activities
B Equip you with necessary strategies in listening comprehension
C Design more suitable listening tasks to students' listening levels and interests
D Recommend other supplementary materials beside classroom activities
APPENDIX 4 Questionnaire after the Post-test
This survey questionnaire is designed to gather your opinion for my thesis
"Action research on applying the interactive approach to develop listening skills for second-year non-English major students at Hanoi University of Industry"
We greatly appreciate your participation in this questionnaire, as the information gathered will solely be utilized for research purposes Rest assured, your personal details will remain strictly confidential To ensure the success of this investigation, please answer truthfully by circling the appropriate responses to the questions provided Thank you for your cooperation!
1 Which activities did teacher do before listening to the tape recording? a Learning new words b Introducing new grammar structures c Giving back ground information d Brainstorming, discussing the topic in pairs or in groups e Answering relevant questions
2 Which activities that teacher asked you to do in while-listening stage? a Retain input while it is being processed b Recognize word and clause divisions c Recognize key words d Recognize key transitions in a discourse e Recognize grammatical relationships between key elements in sentences f Use stress and intonation to identify word and sentence functions g Use the key words to construct the schema of a discourse h Anticipate questions related to the topic or situation i Infer the setting for a text j Infer causes or effects k Infer the role of the participants and their goals l Infer unstated details of a situation
3 After you listen, which activities is the most useful and effective to you? a Retelling the main ideas b Discussing in groups or pairs c Playing roles based on listening content d Summarize the text e Other idea (Please specify)
4 How do you think of the listening tasks that teacher has designed in class? a Interesting b Effective c Difficult d Boring e Stressful f Other idea (Please specify)
5 How do you think of the ways that teacher has organized listening activities in class? a Motivating students b Interesting c Tense/ stressful d Demotivating students e Boring f Other idea (please specify)
6 Do you like learning listening with interactive process?
7 What do you think of your listening skills after a term with interactive listening process? a A lot of improvement b Better c Worse d No improvement e Other idea (Please specify)
1 Target learners: Second-year students at Hanoi University of Industry
- Introduce Ss vocabulary relating to animals
- Listen for main ideas and specific information
- Guide students write a postcard about a visit to a zoo
3 Anticipated problems: Students may get confused with new words and sentences' intonation
5 Materials and aids: KET Student’s book (page 33), laptop, speaker, board, chalk, power point lesson plan
Time Teacher’s activities Students’ activities
- Ask: ''Have you ever been to the zoo?''
"What animals did you see?"
- Teach Ss some new words + bear (n)
+ horse (n) + monkey (n) + elephant (n) + dolphin (n) + lion (n) + cow (n)
- Ask Ss to read after the teacher, and then read loudly in the class
- Before asking Ss to listen to the recording, demonstrate the pronunciation
- Ask Ss to give their sentences
*Task 1: (using top-down technique mainly)
- Ask Ss to read the requirement
- Play the tape twice, asks Ss to order the words in the textbook
- Ask Ss to compare their answers with the partner
- Ask Ss to give their answers
- Ask Ss to predict the gist of the talk based on the words in a group of 3 or 4
- Call some groups to give their answers
- Play the tape again, ask Ss to listen and check the answers
*Task 2: (using bottom-up technique mainly)
- Ask Ss to read through 5 questions to understand the meaning
- Call Ss to give their answers
- Listen to the teacher’s comments
- Listen to the tape and order the words
- Compare their answers with the partner
- Predict the gist of the talk based on the words in groups
- Listen again and check their answers
*I like horses, cows, dogs and cats
* I like monkeys, elephants and bears.