Trang 1 HUE UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES ---NGUYEN HO BAO TRAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICE OF SCAFFOLDING IN TEACHING
HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES NGUYEN HO BAO TRAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICE OF SCAFFOLDING IN TEACHING EFL STUDENTS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION AT HIGH SCHOOLS IN THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Hue University THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES NGUYEN HO BAO TRAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICE OF SCAFFOLDING IN TEACHING EFL STUDENTS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION AT HIGH SCHOOLS IN THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 8140111 SUPERVISOR: DR NGUYEN HO HOANG THUY THUA THIEN HUE, 2023 ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ NGUYỄN HỒ BẢO TRÂN NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ NHẬN THỨC VÀ THỰC TRẠNG SỬ DỤNG HOẠT ĐỘNG HỖ TRỢ HỌC TẬP CỦA GIÁO VIÊN KHI GIẢNG DẠY KỸ NĂNG NGHE HIỂU TIẾNG ANH TẠI CÁC TRƯỜNG THPT Ở TỈNH THỪA THIÊN HUẾ LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 8140111 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: TS NGUYỄN HỒ HOÀNG THUỶ THỪA THIÊN HUẾ, 2023 STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree in any university I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, my thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself Signed: Date: … / … / 2023 i ABSTRACT This research investigated how EFL teachers at high schools in Thua Thien Hue province perceived scaffolding for improving listening comprehension and how they applied these scaffolding strategies in actual classrooms The study adopted a mixed-methods approach to explore the views and practices of EFL teachers in Thua Thien Hue high schools The study's methodology included three primary data collection methods: questionnaires, classroom observations, and interviews The research involved 48 EFL teachers from eight high schools in Thua Thien Hue province, selected through random sampling Additionally, six of these teachers allowed classroom observations and follow-up interviews The findings highlighted that EFL teachers highly valued scaffolding as it simplified the listening process, enhanced engagement, and boosted listening skills Scaffolding was seen as an effective way to reduce students' anxiety during listening activities by breaking tasks into manageable parts In terms of practical implementation, teachers frequently used various scaffolding strategies, such as explaining new terms, task repetition, and efficient use of wait time However, differences between self-reported practices and classroom observations suggested areas for improvement and emphasized the need for additional training to enhance the effective use of scaffolding strategies This research has important implications for EFL educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers It offers insights into effective teaching practices for improving listening skills and underscores the importance of scaffolding, especially in mixedability classrooms It also highlights the necessity of teacher training to address implementation challenges Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of scaffolding strategies in teaching listening comprehension in EFL contexts, potentially leading to improved teaching methods and learning materials in the context of high schools in Vietnam ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my deep gratitude to the individuals who have been pivotal in guiding and encouraging me throughout the process of completing this MA thesis Their support and contributions have been invaluable, and I extend my heartfelt appreciation to each of them First and foremost, I am profoundly grateful to my thesis advisor, Dr Nguyen Ho Hoang Thuy Her scholarly expertise, wise guidance, and unwavering assistance have been the cornerstones of this research journey The discussions with her and her constructive feedback have not only deepened my insights into the research but have also significantly improved my research skills Without her steadfast support, this research would not have come to fruition I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to the teachers who generously participated in this study Their enthusiastic involvement and the insights they shared about scaffolding in teaching EFL students’ listening comprehension at high schools were invaluable in completing this research Lastly, I am wholeheartedly grateful to my family members for their boundless love and unyielding support My students have also been a tremendous source of encouragement and strength throughout this challenging MA journey Their unwavering support, both emotionally and spiritually, has been an essential driving force during the challenging milestones of my academic pursuit iii LISTS OF TABLES Table 3.1 Summary of questionnaire participants’ background 28 Table 4.1 Teachers’ perceptions of scaffolding strategies and its importance on enhancing students’ listening comprehension 35 Table 4.2 Teachers’ perceptions of the benefits of implementing scaffolding strategies in listening lessons 40 Table 4.3 Teachers’ perceptions of the challenges of implementing scaffolding strategies in listening lessons 46 Table 4.4 Teachers’ responses to their frequency of applying scaffolding strategies at pre-listening stage 49 Table 4.5 Teachers’ responses to their frequency of applying scaffolding strategies at the while-listening stage based on teachers’ responses 54 Table 4.6 Teachers’ responses to their frequency of applying scaffolding strategies at the post-listening stage 60 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.1 Teachers’ perception of scaffolding as the assistance by the teacher to facilitate student learning of listening through teacher-student interaction 37 Figure 4.2 Teachers’ perceptions on the benefits when implementing scaffolding strategies in enhancing students’ listening skill 41 Figure 4.3 Rank of scaffolding strategies used at the pre-listening stage based on teachers’ responses 50 Figure 4.4 Rank of scaffolding strategies used at the while-listening stage based on teachers’ responses 55 v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL : English as a Foreign Language MOET : Ministry of Education and Training ZPD : Zone of Proximal Development vi TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP i ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LISTS OF TABLES iv LIST OF FIGURES v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi TABLE OF CONTENTS vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Rationale 1.3 Aims of the study 1.3.1 General objectives 1.3.2 Specific objectives 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Significance of the study 1.7 Structure of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Perception 2.2.1 Perception 2.2.2 Teachers’ perceptions 2.3 Listening comprehension 2.3.1 Definition 2.3.2 The importance of listening comprehension 2.3.3 The process of listening comprehension 10 2.3.4 Factors affecting students’ success in listening comprehension 11 2.3.5 Teaching listening comprehension to EFL students 12 2.4 Scaffolding 13 vii