Results and discussions of the findings from the Post-Questionnaire
The benefits of using dictation method in the English listening
In order to find out the answer to the question on the benefits of using the dictation method in the listening process, the researcher designed one subdivision of Likert items, which consists of 7 statements relating to the benefits of applying the dictation method in improving freshmen's listening skills.
Overall, as it is suggested in Table 4, over half of the Likert items are categorized into the value “Agree” (items 4, 5, and 6) Two Items I and 3 fall into the section “Strongly agree” Item 2 is classified into the group “Neutral” The last item (7) belongs in the category “Disagree” Besides, the std Deviation varies from 832 to 1.024, which means that responses to the statements are unevenly distributed.
1 Repetition of texts in English | 93 1 S 4.23 849 by native speakers from audio helps me know the pronunciation of English in detail.
2 Using dictation method allows | 93 1 5 3.37 1.101 me to keep up with the speed of the English listening.
3 Dictation is an_ effective | 93 1 5 4.22 832 method for me to understand sentence structures.
4 The dictation method allows | 93 | 5 3.95 O71 me to catch the meaning of vocabulary during the English listening process.
5 It is easy for me to listen to | 93 1 5 3.74 977 different accents after using dictation method to practice listening skill.
6 With the help of dictation | 93 1 a 3.81 1.024 method in listening to English text, my vocabulary is increasing.
7 Listening to English by using | 93 1 5 2.55 915 dictation method allows me to improve concentration.
Table 4 The benefits of using dictation method in the listening process
The participants were strongly in favor of the first and third benefits of the dictation method with the two highest Mean scores of 4.23 and 4.22 (Strongly agree), respectively Two Mean values illustrate that the students took “Repetition of texts in English by native speakers from audio helps me know the pronunciation of English in detail.” and “Dictation is an effective method for me to understand sentence structures.” as the dictation method’s benefits after a 3-week period applying dictation method The result can be understandable since by requiring students to transcribe spoken words and phrases, dictation exercises help students focus on the details of pronunciation and sentence structure This ultimately leads to improving students’ listening skill and overall language skills.
Concerning three items 4, 5, and 6, the Mean scores from 3.74 to 3.95 (Agree) signify that the respondents agree “The dictation method allows me to catch the meaning of vocabulary during the English listening process.”’, “It is easy for me to listen to different accents after using dictation method to practice listening skill”, and “With the help of dictation method in listening to English text, my vocabulary is increasing.” In other words, using dictation method allows freshmen to catch the meaning of vocabulary, listen to different accents, and enhance lexical resources.
The freshmen remain neutral (M=3.37) with the second statement “Using dictation method allows me to keep up with the speed of the English listening.” To put it another way, freshmen occupies the middle ground about dictation method allows them to keep up with the speed of the English listening.
Item 7 reaches the lowest Mean score of 2.55 (Disagree) It can be concluded that “Listening to English by using dictation method allows me to improve concentration.” is usually not true to the target students This indicates that the2 dictation method may not be the most effective way for these students to improve their concentration when listening to English.
Some difficulties encountered by the first year English major
The researcher created one subdivision of Likert items, which consists of 5 statements referring to the difficulties of using the dictation method in enhancing freshmen’s listening skills, to discover the response to the question about the challenges of applying it in the listening process.
In general, as it is suggested in Table 5, over half of the Likert items are categorized into the value “Disagree” (items 1, 2, and 4) Item 3 falls into the section “Agree” Item 5 is classified into the group “Neutral” In addition, the Std.
Deviation varies from 814 to 1.073, which means that responses to the statements are unequally distributed.
1 This method took me bored | 93 ll 5 2.56 853 because it takes me a lot of time to apply.
2.The exercise is unrealistic | 93 ll 5 2.45 814 because the texts used have been previously designed to be read rather than to be heard.
3 It is difficult for me to find | 93 1 5 3.47 951 dictation resources which are suitable with my English level.
4.1 did not remember the} 93 | 5 2.54 891 vocabulary and grammar I have dictated during the process of practicing listening skill using the dictation method.
5.I find it challenging to| 93 1 5 2.85 1.073 comprehend the listening context when using the dictation method.
Table 5 Some difficulties encountered by the first year English major students while using dictation method to practice listening skill
In terms of Item 1, 2, and 4, the Mean values from 2.45 to 2.56 suggests that the respondents disagree that “This method took me bored because it takes me a lot of time to apply.” “The exercise is unrealistic because the texts used have been previously designed to be read rather than to be heard.” and “I did not remember the vocabulary and grammar I have dictated during the process of practicing listening skill using the dictation method.” Based on the Mean values, it can be inferred that the respondents have a generally positive perception towards the dictation method The values suggest that they did not find the method boring, nor did they find the exercise unrealistic Additionally, the respondents reported a good retention of the vocabulary and grammar taught through the method.
The freshmen agree that “Jt is difficult for me to find dictation resources which are suitable with my English level.” This is a common challenge amongEnglish language learners, as finding appropriate dictation resources can be difficult.
It is important to find resources that match your current level of English proficiency in order to maximize learning and improve accuracy Some resources that may be helpful include online dictation exercises and resources offered by language schools.
The freshmen remain neutral (M=2.85) with the fifth statement “7 find it challenging to comprehend the listening context when using the dictation method.”
This suggests that the freshmen are not particularly struggling with using the dictation method in understanding listening context.
The effectiveness of dictation method in improving English major freshmen’s listening skkIẽẽ - cesceeeseeeesseceseeeeeseeeeseeeeeceeseeenseeeeseeensaes 37 3.1.2.4 First year English major students' interest and motivation for using
Valid | Yes, I definitely see| s; 61.3 61.3 61.3 the efficacy of dictation method on my study.
No, | to mat see the) 1a 12.9 12.9 74.2 efficacy of dictation method on my study
I’m not sure, maybe I 22 PM: 237 97.8 see the efficacy of dictation method but not enough
Table 6 The effectiveness of dictation method in improving English major freshmen’s listening skill
Table 6 illustrated the results of students’ opinions about the effectiveness dictation method in improving English listening skill With all respect to the fisrt position is 61.3% of students saw the efficacy of the dictation method on their study.
However, as predicted, 22 students (23.7%) claimed that they were not sure about the efficacy of the dictation method, they might see the benefits of the dictation method; however, it could not convince them Besides, there were 12,9% of
37 students straightly shared their view about the dictation method that they did not catch its advantages.
3.1.2.4 First year English major students’ interest and motivation for using dictation method to improve listening skill
Valid Yes, I find it very 81 87.1 87.1 87.1 interesting and motivating.
No, I do not find it 12 12.9 13:9 100.0 interesting and motivating.
Total 93 100.0 100.0 Table 7 First year English major students' interest and motivation for using dictation method to improve listening skill
Table 7 depicted the results of students’ opinions about the motivation of the dictation method in improving English listening skill With all respect to the fisrt position is 87.1% of students saw the dictation method interesting and motivating.
In contrast, 12 students (12.9%) claimed that they do not find the dictation method interesting and motivating These results suggest that the motivation dictation method can be an effective way to improve English listening skill for the majority of students.
3.1.2.5 The recommendation level of applying dictation method for English major freshmen at Hanoi Law University
Recommend Le) 37.6 37.6 89.2Do not recommend 10 10.8 10.8 100.0
Total 93 100.0 100.0 Table 8 The recommendation level of applying dictation method for English major freshmen at Hanoi Law University
As can be seen from Table 8, over half of freshmen (51.6%) highly recommend to apply the dictation method in improving freshmen’s listening skill.
35 students (37.6%) recommend use the dictation method in enhancing English listening proficiency Only 10 respondents (10.8%) do not recommend.
Compared with previous studies in dictation method in improving listening skill, my study has more students with higher results.
3.2 Results and Discussions of the findings from the Tests
In this study, 93 students who were English major freshmen participated and were given a listening pretest, treatment with dictation method, and posttest.
However, t The results of their scores from both tests are displayed in Table 9.
Distribution of pre-test and post-test SCOT€S 5552555 s++<s+sssss+ 39
No Score Pre-test Post-test
Table 9 Distribution of pre-test and post-test scores
From Table 9, it can be seen that before students using Dictation method, there were 55 students (59.14%) who had scores of 7.1-8.5 points and no student were given 8.6-10 points In addition, 10 student (10.75%) had a score between 5.6-7.0 points, and 28 students (30.11%) at the 4.0-5.5 level of listening proficiency In other words, students in this class have already had good
39 listening skill, but they still need improvement After students were used Dictation method in the listening process, it can be seen that there was a difference in their scores Their listening scores on the posttest improved as 45 students (50%) belong to the 8.6-10 category of the listening score and 47.78% of the students had listening scores between 7.1 and 8.5 Only 2 students (2.22%) was given 5.6- 7.0 points In addtion to this percentage, descriptive statistics were also employed.
The results are presented in Table 10.
From the result of the descriptive statistics above, it is known that the pretest mean score was 6.83, while the posttest mean score was 8.71.
Because the posttest mean score was greater than the pretest mean score, it can be concluded that descriptively there was a difference in mean scores between the pretest and posttest score Then, to know whether or not there was a significant difference, inferential statistics using paired sample t-test was carried out.
From the result of Paired Sample Correlations above, it can be seen that the Sig = 0.000 < 0.05 Based on this result, it can be concluded that the students’ listening scores on the pretest and posttest have a correlation.
Mean | Std Std | 95% Confidence tailed)
Deviation | Error Interval of the
The result of paired sample t-test above shows that the Sig (2-tailed) score was 0.000 which was lower than 0.05 (Sig 0.000 < 0.05) Based on these analysis results, HO was rejected and HI was accepted (H0 is that there is no difference in mean between the variables; H1 is that there is a difference in mean between the two variables) In other words, there was a significant difference in the students’ listening scores between the pretest and posttest after the students use dictation method.
The four tables (Table 9, Table 10, Table 11, Table 12) above do not answer the research question, but they support the results of the study, making the research question more credible.
3.3 Results and Discussions of the Interview
An in-depth interview was carried out to have a good grip on the findings from the survey questionnaire The results of the interview, which were in line with that of the questionnaire, will be fully analyzed below.
3.3.1 The difficulties facing English major freshmen in the process of learning English listening skill
In order to investigate the freshmen’s difficulties students face in the process of learning English listening skill, the researcher has designed two questions The first question is about whether or not students think /istening is the most challenging skill to learn, and the second one is concerned with the difficulties which students deal with in the process of learning English listening skill.
In terms of the first question, all the students (100%) held the view that listening is the most challenging skill to study is indisputable with plausible explanations The first convincing argument was that listening is the most difficult skill because it takes me a huge amount of time to master it (Student 1) Besides, Student 4 also stated that “Jt is difficult mainly because I usually hear the pronunciation but I do not know how to write it” The second logical reason was that students have problems understanding the pronunciation In addition, Student 5 contended that “Listening requires high concentration, perseverance, and regular practice so I consider listening as the hardest skill to study.”
When it comes to the second question, the students list the difficulties which they deal with in learning listening skill The first clarification for this was that noise has an immediate, direct effect on the listening process (Student | and Student 2) This leads the students often miss the main ideas when listening to English.
Student 3 and Student 6 expressed the same view that the different accents can make it difficult for them to understand what is being said Moreover, Student 4 stated that “Unfamiliar vocabulary and idiomatic expressions can make it difficult for me to understand the meaning of what is being said.” Finally, Student 5 with the opinion “ 7 find that it is the scarcity of opportunities to practice listening to native speakers It can be difficult to find people to practice with, and even when you do, it can be difficult to find the time to practice regularly.”
The English major freshmen’s motivation for using dictation method in
All interview participants (100%) confirmed that they find that applying the dictation method in learning English listening is interesting and motivating Student2 and Student 3 reported feeling more engaged in the listening process and enjoying the challenge of transcribing spoken words Student 5 noted that “The dictation method helped me improve their listening skill and accuracy Therefore, I find motivated to use this method in improving the listening skill” Overall, the feedback was positive and suggests that the dictation method is a helpful method for English language learners looking to improve their listening skills.
3.3.3 The benefits of applying dictation method to improve English major freshmen’s listening skill at Hanoi Law University
Many benefits of the dictation method are mentioned by English major freshmen First and foremost, Dictation is an effective method for freshmen to keep up with the speed of English listening and understand sentence structures and meaning (Student 2 and Student 4) Student 3 noted, “Repetition of texts in English by native speakers from audio helps me know the pronunciation of English in detail.” Student 1 believes that “Listening to English by using dictation method allows me to improve concentration.” Student 5 claims that it is easy for them to listen to different accents after using dictation method to practice listening skill In addition, “dictation also helps students to improve their spelling and grammar By listening to and transcribing English texts, students can practice proper sentence structure and word usage This can lead to improved writing skills overall.”
3.3.4 The challenges of using dictation method in the process of learning listening skill for the English major freshmen at Hanoi Law University
Student 1 and Student 5 saw that using dictation method may take a lot of time for English major freshmen to practice it Student 2's concern highlights the importance of finding appropriate resources for dictation practice that match one's level of English proficiency It may take some effort to find suitable materials, but it can be worth it for the benefits of dictation practice It is also worth noting that dictation is not the best method for everyone, and it is important to consider individual preferences and learning styles when deciding on a method for improving listening skills Students 3 finds it challenging to comprehend the listening context when using the dictation method Compared with the dictation method’s benefits, there are a few disadvantages of this method are given by learners Student 6 noted
“In reality, many students did not remember the vocabulary and grammar they have
43 dictated during the process of practicing listening skill using the dictation method”.
Student 4 lists distinct challenges of applying the dictation method in improving listening skill at Hanoi Law University “There is no doubting the benefits of using the dictation method to improve listening skill for English major freshmen who have little exposure to English listening skill However, when applying this method, there is a disadvantage that is limited in terms of time Specifically, the number of teaching hours in class is limited, so students need to actively study at home.
Therefore, it is difficult for teachers to control students’ self-study Besides, because this method takes a long time to apply, it is easy to cause boredom for the students”.
In this chapter, the data acquired from the survey questionnaires, tests were comprehensively interpreted by the use of pie charts, bar charts, and tables.
Furthermore, the researcher examined information from the in-depth interview through the responses of each interviewee The findings from the interview are compatible with those of the questionnaire The combination of results from both the questionnaire and the interviews enables the researcher to reach reasonable conclusions for the study.
Based on the results and discussion of Chapter 3, the dictation method has numerous advantages for enhancing listening skills, but it also has drawbacks Here are some recommendations for popularizing dictation skills:
4.1 Recommendations for using the Dictation method effectively in order to improve the first year English major students’ listening skill
Some ways to overcome the drawbacks of using dictation method to
With respect to the methods adopted to tackle the drawbacks of dictation method in learning English listening skill, students listed some ways, namely review the words and grammar structures they struggled with, create a list of the vocabulary and grammar featured in the dictation exercise before starting, and using grammar and vocabulary learned English listening via dictation method in other skills such as writing and speaking.
One possible solution to improve retention is to provide students with a written transcript of the dictation exercise after it is completed, so they can review the words and grammar structures they struggled with Another approach is to provide students with a list of the vocabulary and grammar featured in the dictation exercise before starting, so they can be better prepared to recognize and remember the words and structures Another option is to provide students with opportunities to practice speaking and writing using the vocabulary and grammar from the dictation exercise, as this can further reinforce their learning and help them better retain the language.
4.1.2 Further recommendations for applying dictation method to improve English major freshmen’s listening skill at Hanoi Law University
When using the dictation method in listening to English, learners need to focus on each word of each sentence Therefore, if students need to complete listening tasks like Fill in the blank that require accurate word distinction, this is the appropriate method for them However, for listening exercises that demand listening comprehension and capturing key information such as Matching or Multiple Choice,
45 this method may be detrimental to students in terms of time As a result, the dictation method is combined with other methods to be more effective and suitable for English language learners of all levels, such as listening for details or shadowing.
Overall, the dictation method has the potential to be an effective method for English language freshmen seeking to improve their listening skill and it is vital to combine the dictation method with other methods to the students have the opportunity to develop comprehensive listening skill.
Recommendations for English major freshimenn s5 << sssô< 46 1 Choosing suitable English level materials for dicfqfiOH
Maintaining regular dictation drills when learning listening skill
The most crucial aspect of learning English is to keep learning it on a regular basis, and the same is true for practicing dictation method to enhance English listening skill It is recommended that students practice dictation regularly, ideally every day, in order to build up their skills and improve their accuracy over time.
Maintaining regular dictation will help students improve their listening abilities by exposing them to different accents and styles of speech, as well as allowing them to practice in a more engaging and interactive way Moreover, practicing dictation regularly allows students to strengthen their listening and transcription skills, which can be particularly beneficial for language learners trying to improve their listening and comprehension skills.
Focusing on the content of the listening recordẽHỉS -‹‹‹ + s5: 46 4.2.4 Combining with other suitable learning modl6s -ô+-s++<+++ 47 4.3 Recommendations for English major lecturer 5 << 5 55s s< 47 4.3.1 Providing the instructions to their SfH(ẽ€HWfS - c5 55533 *++s‡++ss2 47 4.3.2 Providing rewards to motivate students to learn English listening skill.48 4.3.3 Combining the dictation method with other teaching methods 48 4.4 SUITITIALV - <5 5 << 5 5 << %9 9 9 0 0 500.50 0040004.0004 0009.0600920 48 CONCLUSION 0272554.ÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔỒ 49 1, Surimiọry Gf the main HNN GS scccsciscsnnascsavsccasssennsvsansensawsowassseunswsansawaswsonnswonnnss 49 Ds DOP CA TONS ssassssscessssccsnasxonssasasxersnscesnssxesassasesssssessasxessnssestesasssesussresenisesnesessesss 50 3 Limitations and suggestions for further researCHh << << s ôssssô 50 REFERENCES .csccsscsssscsscccscscscnsscsssesssesssssscssssscesscsssenesensssssssssssscsssssssessenssoes 52 APPPENDICCEEVS - <5 << s4 9 Họ 0 0000000400004 0004.500996 00400004 0808 5 Appendix I: Pre-survey Questionnaire 5 << G5 5< 5 991 999905 5889505688 55 Appendix II: Post-survey questionnaire 6555 <5 5 55 5559555589556 896 59 Appendix II: Pre-test ccccssssssnsssenssssscsnssnssnssronnoneoncsensnnsnsscesesnsonanenvexencensenennenass 62 Appendix IV: ẽPOS-Ấ€Sf (G5 G5 9 0 0 00000000 0004.0608004 06 64
If the students concentrate too much on the dictation, the students possibly miss crucial details from the listening or struggle to make sense In addition, the students are unable to determine what the content is This leads to the listening process using the dictation method being ineffective As a result, rather than just duplicating the spelling, it is important to focus on the main idea of the listening recordings.
4.2.4 Combining with other suitable learning modes
There is no denying the benefits of applying the dictation method to improve listening skill for English major freshmen who have little exposure to English listening skill However, when applying this method, there is a disadvantage that is limited in terms of time Specifically, the number of teaching hours in class is limited, so students need to actively study at home Therefore, it is difficult for teachers to control students’ self-study Besides, because this method takes a long time to implement, it is easy to cause boredom for students Therefore, students should study in groups to apply the most effective dictation method In addition, dictation method can also vary based on individual learning styles, so working in a group can help students find the most effective method for themselves.
4.3 Recommendations for English major lecturers 4.3.1 Providing the instructions to their students
The students need to be instructed by their teachers before applying dictation method in improving listening skill This is because dictation requires a certain level of language proficiency, and students need guidance on how to approach the exercise Teachers can provide tips on effective note-taking, how to identify keywords and phrases, and how to listen for intonation and stress Additionally, teachers can monitor students’ progress and provide feedback to help them improve their listening skills Instructors can also select appropriate listening materials and dictation exercises that align with students’ proficiency levels and learning objectives They can also offer additional resources, such as recordings or transcripts, to help students practice outside of class By providing clear instruction and support, teachers can help students successfully utilize dictation as a tool for improving their listening skills.
4.3.2 Providing rewards to motivate students to learn English listening skill
Using the dictation method in improving listening skill requires high concentration, perseverance, and regular practice Therefore, teachers should have timely rewards to encourage, and motivate the students to continue practicing dictation method to improve their listening skill For example, using plus points, the gift is a disc or an English book This will not only benefit students but also help teachers to assess their teaching methods and make necessary adjustments By providing rewards, the learning process is more enjoyable and teachers can encourage students to practice and improve their listening skills using the dictation method.
4.3.3 Combining the dictation method with other teaching methods
The dictation method is combined with other methods to be more effective and suitable for English language learners of all levels In fact, research has shown that using a variety of methods can enhance language learning outcomes The dictation method is a valuable tool for improving spelling, grammar, and vocabulary, but it can be even more effective when combined with other approaches For example, listening to audio recordings or watching videos can help students improve their listening comprehension skills, which is a crucial aspect of language learning By practicing listening to spoken language, students can become more familiar with the sounds and rhythms of the language, and develop their ability to understand spoken communication Additionally, using a variety of methods to teach listening can make language learning more engaging and enjoyable for students Lecturers can help their students stay motivated and interested in the learning process, and prevent them from getting bored or frustrated.
Throughout the chapter, sensible suggestions are made for using theDictation method effectively in order to improve the first year English student’s listening skill and for learners and educators to facilitate the acquisition of using dictation method to improve freshmen’s listening skill for the first-year LegalEnglish majors at Hanoi Law University.
For this section, the researcher makes a summary of the study, explains its implications and limitations, and puts forward suggestions for future research.
1 Summary of the main findings
Overall, the prime aim of the present research is to explore the effectiveness of using dictation method in improving English listening skill at Hanoi Law University On the basis of the key findings, the valid conclusion could be drawn so as to shed light on the matters of the current study.
First and foremost, there are some problems first year English major students face with in the listening process It includes pronunciation, lack of practice, speed, sentence structures and lexical resources.
Secondly, freshmen’s listening scores improved after a 3-week period of using the dictation method in the listening process In the 3-week period, the students realize the benefits when applying the dictation method in the listening process The benefits are pronunciation, sentence structures, lexical resources and accents After using this method, students improve pronuciation, sentence structures, lexical resources.
However, there are a few difficulties if dictation method is regularly applied for the listening skill teaching and learning process of English major freshmen at Hanoi Law University Firstly, first year English major students are difficult to find appropriate sources for themselves Secondly, applying the dictation method takes a lot of time for teaching and studying Finally, it is difficult for teachers to control students’ self-study.
Last but not least, regarding recommendations to apply the dictation method more effectively, first year English major students assume that the dictation method should be combined with other methods such as listening for details or shadowing to be suitable for English language learners of all levels Additionally, the author gives recommendations for students and lecturers at Hanoi Law University.
In the first place, the research serves as a bridge between the Department and students in the teaching-learning process of listening skill By dint of the findings from the research, the Department and their teaching staff could comprehend how the dictation method works on freshmen’s listening skill so as to offer high-quality educational services to help students to reach their ultimate goals of English listening acquisition.
In the second place, the research is meant to lay the foundation for subsequent studies on the reality of using the dictation method to improve listening skill amongst English major freshmen through other research instruments As a result, the matters related to applying dictation method in learning listening skill would be addressed thoroughly, and the benefits and the drawbacks when using this method in the listening process would be devised.
3 Limitations and suggestions for further research
Several limitations are inevitable despite the determined efforts of the researcher to carry out the study for the principal purpose of using the dictation method in improving freshmen’s listening skill at Hanoi Law University.
Firstly, the sample of the study is 93 freshmen (course 47) and 93 participants taking tests with only 6 students in the interview, which leads to the generalizability of the research results is limited and not as the researcher’s expectations due to some objective factors of reality.