Difficulties in developing listening skills by using the clt approach for efl university students

--- Page 1 --- MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VAN HIEN UNIVERSITY -------------- FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES FINAL TEST SUBJECT: APPLIED LINGUISTICS ------***----- DIFFICULTIES IN DEVELOPING LISTENING SKILLS BY USING THE CLT APPROACH FOR EFL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS Class: 233ENG49103 & 233ENG49104 Group 4: 1. PHAN KIM TIỀN – 221A140459 --- Page 2 --- 2. LÊ THỊ CẨM TÚ – 221A140435 3. NGUYỄN THỊ THANH HIỀN – 221A140041 4. NGUYỄN THỊ MINH HIỀN – 221A140077 5. TRẦN THỊ THANH THẢO – 221A140005 Lecturer: PhD(c). MA. Nguyễn Trường Giang HCMC, July 2024 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VAN HIEN UNIVERSITY -------------- FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES FINAL TEST SUBJECT: APPLIED LINGUISTICS ------***----- --- Page 3 --- DIFFICULTIES IN DEVELOPING LISTENING SKILLS BY USING THE CLT APPROACH FOR EFL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS Class: 233ENG49103 & 233ENG49104 Group 4: 1. PHAN KIM TIỀN – 221A140459 2. LÊ THỊ CẨM TÚ – 221A140435 3. NGUYỄN THỊ THANH HIỀN – 221A140041 4. NGUYỄN THỊ MINH HIỀN – 221A140077 5. TRẦN THỊ THANH THẢO – 221A140005 Lecturer: PhD(c). MA. Nguyễn Trường Giang ĐIỂM KẾT THÚC HỌC PHẦN (Học kỳ 3 – Năm học 2023-2024) Môn học: Ngôn ngữ học ứng dụng (Applied linguistics) Mã học phần: 233ENG49103 & 233ENG49104 Họ tên & MSSV: 1. PHAN KIM TIỀN – 221A140459 2. LÊ THỊ CẨM TÚ – 221A140435 --- Page 4 --- 3. NGUYỄN THỊ THANH HIỀN – 221A140041 4. NGUYỄN THỊ THANH HIỀN – 221A140077 5. TRẦN THỊ THANH THẢO – 221A140005 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Initially, we would like to express our gratitude to some people because, without them, we would not have been able to achieve this great work. In the first utterance, we would like to thank PGS. TS Nguyen Minh Duc, who is the principal of Van Hien University, for creating conditions and an environment for us that have been studied and researched. We wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my lecturer, Mr. Nguyen Truong Giang, who is also our supervisor. We have received patient guidance and support, which could make adjustments, correct mistakes, and expand our knowledge. Without Mr. Nguyen Truong Giang, we could not accomplish the research. We are also feeling thankful for our fellow workers, who are members of our group and always stand side by side. They are an important factor and make this research complete. Also, we would like to mention the supporters who kindly took the time and effort to help us do actual surveys to get data. Finally, our family always supports us mentally. We want to send our deep thanks to them. --- Page 5 --- ABBREVIATIONS --- Page 6 --- LIST OF FIGURES Table 4.1. The difficulties of using the CLT method in practicing listening skills................19 Table 4.2. Benefits of using the right CLT method to practice listening skills......................20 --- Page 7 --- CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION With the development of the current world, the tendency of globalization and integration requires citizens around the world to have a common language to communicate together. According to Ethnologue, English is considered the most common language, with nearly 1.5 billion speakers around the world communicating together. According to David Crystal (2003), English is now the language most widely taught as a foreign language - in over 100 countries, such as China, Russia, Germany, Spain, Egypt, and Brazil - and in most of these countries, it is emerging as the chief foreign language to be encountered in schools, often displacing another language in the process. In 1996, for example, English replaced French as the chief foreign language in schools in Algeria (a former French colony). The importance of approaching English as a foreign language has initiated the revolution of English teaching methods, so it is necessary for English teachers to revolutionize the traditional pedagogy. Instead of conventional teaching methods such as the Grammar-Translation approach and Teacher-centered classroom, teachers need to make a transition to the teaching method by maximizing students’ opportunities and allowing students to develop communicative competence. According to Richard (2007), learners now had to participate in classroom activities that were based on a cooperative rather than individualistic approach to learning. Students had to become comfortable with listening to their peers in group work or pair work tasks, rather than relying on the teacher for a model. They were expected to take on a greater degree of responsibility for their learning. And teachers now had to assume the role of facilitator and monitor. Therefore, teachers play an important role as a catalyst to help students develop cognition and develop communicative competence. Listening skill is considered as an input to develop students’ linguistic development and comprehension skills. Accordingly, passive listening might be a barrier to prevent students from maximizing linguistic performance, in which the information cannot be put into long-term memory. Teaching listening is a complicated process that requires students to pay attention to comprehend the information, these pieces of information are usually transcribed into dialogues and monologues. Additionally, an ESL teacher is the key factor in this learning process. As the instructor comprehends students’ obstacles, teachers should research suitable methods and cultivate effective listening strategies to assist learners. Consequently, students will have a foundation and direction to improve their listening skills and solve problematic distractions. Thus, according to the Method, language communication is not only a means of expressing thoughts but also a means of communication. However, this method has not been popularized in the university environment to create a communication environment that fully develops language skills for students, helping students to remove language barriers and be more proactive and more active in communicating in another language. By synthesizing studies on CLT, we wanted to find answers to the following questions: What are the difficulties facing EFL learners when listening? EFL students often lack confidence and motivation in listening practice. What can instructors do to help students overcome these difficulties? CHAPTER 2. THE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 2.1 English Learning of Current Students English is one of the top priority foreign languages ​​in Vietnamese education. In recent years, communication-oriented foreign language teaching at universities and colleges has gradually been widely applied, since then language learning has become more active, no longer passive. Among the four language skills, listening comprehension is considered one of the most difficult skills for students. Many language researchers have also pointed out that listening skills are considered the most important skills that help support the development of remaining skills such as speaking, reading, and writing because when you cannot hear, it will affect your performance. The communication process may be corrupted or fail.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAININGVAN HIEN UNIVERSITY

Lecturer: PhD(c) MA Nguyễn Trường GiangHCMC, July 2024

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VAN HIEN UNIVERSITY

Lecturer: PhD(c) MA Nguyễn Trường Giang

3 NGUYỄN THỊ THANH HIỀN – 221A140041

4 NGUYỄN THỊ THANH HIỀN – 221A140077

5 TRẦN THỊ THANH THẢO – 221A140005

We wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my lecturer, Mr Nguyen Truong Giang,who is also our supervisor We have received patient guidance and support, which couldmake adjustments, correct mistakes, and expand our knowledge Without Mr NguyenTruong Giang, we could not accomplish the research.

We are also feeling thankful for our fellow workers, who are members of our groupand always stand side by side They are an important factor and make this researchcomplete.

Also, we would like to mention the supporters who kindly took the time and effort tohelp us do actual surveys to get data Finally, our family always supports us mentally Wewant to send our deep thanks to them.

CHAPTER 2 THE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 7

2.1 English Learning of Current Students 7

2.2 CLT Approach 8

2.2.1 Principles and Techniques of CLT 8

2.2.2 Role of authentic materials in listening activities 9

2.3 Disadvantages faced by educators and learners 10

2.3.1 Challenges for lecturers in conveying listening skills 10

2.3.1.1ClassroomManagementChallenges 11

2.3.1.3 Difficulty in Assessment 13

2.3.2 Some problems about learners that arise in the CLT classroom 14

2.3.2.1 Pronunciation Restrictions 14

2.3.2.2 Low Motivation 15

2.3.2.3 Limitations of Exposure and Practice 15

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 16

3.1 Sample and sampling procedures 16

3.2 Research instruments 17

3.2.1 Questionnaires 17

3.2.2 Interview 18

3.3 Data collection procedures 18

3.4 Data analysis procedures 19

CHAPTER 4 RESULTS & DISCUSSION 19

ABBREVIATIONS

LIST OF FIGURES

Table 4.1 The difficulties of using the CLT method in practicing listening skills 19Table 4.2 Benefits of using the right CLT method to practice listening skills 20

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

With the development of the current world, the tendency of globalization and integrationrequires citizens around the world to have a common language to communicate together.According to Ethnologue, English is considered the most common language, with nearly 1.5billion speakers around the world communicating together According to David Crystal(2003), English is now the language most widely taught as a foreign language - in over 100countries, such as China, Russia, Germany, Spain, Egypt, and Brazil - and in most of thesecountries, it is emerging as the chief foreign language to be encountered in schools, oftendisplacing another language in the process In 1996, for example, English replaced French asthe chief foreign language in schools in Algeria (a former French colony) The importance ofapproaching English as a foreign language has initiated the revolution of English teachingmethods, so it is necessary for English teachers to revolutionize the traditional pedagogy.Instead of conventional teaching methods such as the Grammar-Translation approach andTeacher-centered classroom, teachers need to make a transition to the teaching method bymaximizing students’ opportunities and allowing students to develop communicativecompetence According to Richard (2007), learners now had to participate in classroomactivities that were based on a cooperative rather than individualistic approach to learning.Students had to become comfortable with listening to their peers in group work or pair worktasks, rather than relying on the teacher for a model They were expected to take on a greaterdegree of responsibility for their learning And teachers now had to assume the role offacilitator and monitor Therefore, teachers play an important role as a catalyst to helpstudents develop cognition and develop communicative competence Listening skill isconsidered as an input to develop students’ linguistic development and comprehension skills.Accordingly, passive listening might be a barrier to prevent students from maximizinglinguistic performance, in which the information cannot be put into long-term memory.Teaching listening is a complicated process that requires students to pay attention tocomprehend the information, these pieces of information are usually transcribed into

dialogues and monologues Additionally, an ESL teacher is the key factor in this learningprocess As the instructor comprehends students’ obstacles, teachers should researchsuitable methods and cultivate effective listening strategies to assist learners Consequently,students will have a foundation and direction to improve their listening skills and solveproblematic distractions.

Thus, according to the Method, language communication is not only a means of expressingthoughts but also a means of communication However, this method has not beenpopularized in the university environment to create a communication environment that fullydevelops language skills for students, helping students to remove language barriers and bemore proactive and more active in communicating in another language By synthesizingstudies on CLT, we wanted to find answers to the following questions:

 What are the difficulties facing EFL learners when listening?

 EFL students often lack confidence and motivation in listening practice What can instructors do to help students overcome these difficulties?

CHAPTER 2 THE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE2.1 English Learning of Current Students

English is one of the top priority foreign languages in Vietnamese education In recent years,communication-oriented foreign language teaching at universities and colleges has graduallybeen widely applied, since then language learning has become more active, no longerpassive Among the four language skills, listening comprehension is considered one of themost difficult skills for students Many language researchers have also pointed out thatlistening skills are considered the most important skills that help support the development ofremaining skills such as speaking, reading, and writing because when you cannot hear, it willaffect your performance The communication process may be corrupted or fail.

Based on the results of the student surveys, and also on the researcher's subjectiveassessment through actual classroom teaching sessions and discussions with students, it canbe seen that the current status of students' listening learning and listening practice is asfollows:

Although students have studied English for many years at the elementary, middle, and highschool levels, most of them think that listening skills are challenging to acquire and are stillquite new, moreover in chiefs in rural areas or small provinces often do not have enoughfacilities such as speakers and cassette players to serve listening comprehension, andcommunication skills are therefore not emphasized Very few students voluntarily practicelistening at home because most of them are not motivated, do not have specific methods, anddo not understand listening, leading to discouragement A bad habit of students is to read thetranscript before practicing listening skills This habit does not help improve listeningcomprehension skills at all but is also a waste of time In addition, the number of students inuniversity classes is very large, up to hundreds of people per class, but there are very fewnative speakers, leading to students having few opportunities to listen correctly to sounds,intonation, and syllables Level differences between students are inevitable It is a fact thatevery student's psychology when learning to listen is that they want to be able to listen andremember completely the content in their mother tongue without paying attention to thecentral and core content in the listening process That's why it has become a psychologicalobsession every time it's time to study listening

2.2 CLT approach

2.2.1 Principles and Techniques of CLT

In the moment's social environment, language learners need to perform certain functionssuch as making an appointment, inviting to a party, and declining assignments Scholarsknow the rules of language use but cannot use the language (Widdowson 1978) In short,being suitable to communicate requires further than verbal capability, it requirescommunication capability, knowing when and how to say what to whom Among the newteaching methods applied today, the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) method isconsidered a foreign language or language teaching method that emphasizes, focusing ondeveloping effective communication abilities of learners in real situations This methodemphasizes the use of language to convey information, perform tasks, and interact withothers, instead of just focusing on learning grammar and vocabulary stereotypically andmechanically.

The first principle and technique in this method is to focus entirely on communicationbecause the main goal of CLT is to improve the ability to communicate in the targetlanguage Therefore, learning activities in CLT are designed by teachers to encouragelearners to use language to exchange information, express personal opinions and views, solveproblems, and complete tasks Second, instead of learning complex grammatical structuresand rarely used vocabulary that tires learners, CLT focuses on real communication situationsto help learners of this method learn how to express and Vocabulary needed to communicateeffectively in situations that serve specific personal needs such as greeting, introducingyourself, shopping, asking for directions, to turn communication competence into the goal ofteaching Third, games play a very important role because they have certain features incommon with real communicative events – there is a purpose to the exchange During thelearning process, learners will participate in highly communicative games such as role-playing in a given situation, discussing a social issue, or simply writing a letter to a friend Ithelps learners feel interested and actively participate in building lessons because they cancommunicate and perform tasks from the game Learners will be divided into small groups,each group has a piece of information needed to complete a task, and they mustcommunicate with each other to exchange information and complete that task Because weare learner-centered, activities throughout the teaching process are designed based on eachperson's level, goals, and learning style, so they are given many opportunities to express theirideas, personal opinions, and points of view Errors and mistakes during speaking areconsidered natural because this activity is aimed at fluency, so the teacher will not correct theerror immediately but will record the error and will come back to correct it later In addition,CLT also helps learners develop soft skills such as communication, active listening,problem-solving, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and adaptability because teacherswill set situations that require learners to work together to solve and produce results In thismethod, the teacher only plays the role of a supporter and advisor during the activity CLTuses authentic material such as newspapers, songs, advertisements, and movies to exposestudents to natural language in a variety of situations The documents do not have to beauthentic, but they must be used authentically and applied in communication situations

Newspapers, songs, movies, and news are authentic documents that play a very importantrole as a means to help learners come into contact with the language in real use so that theycan become familiar with the intonation, accent, pronunciation, speaking speed, andlanguage usage of native speakers In addition, authentic materials often have rich anddiverse content to help learners become more interested in listening practice For example,when listening to a song or watching a favorite cartoon, the tones and rhythms in the songwill help us get used to listening, and repetition of the song, it will also help us understandsentence structure and remember words easily Similarly, when watching animation, viewersneed to listen carefully and follow the situation so as not to miss the story of the movie Overa long period, watching movies helps us get used to the tone, speaking speed, and how to uselanguage closer to reality.

The source of authentic documents is extremely diverse, vast, and rich Depending on eachperson's preferences, the choice of documents by topic will also be different The advantageof choosing a topic based on your interests will help learners be inspired to learn listening Inaddition, choosing topics according to interests also motivates listening learners to strive andgradually improve their listening skills Next, as learners approach new vocabulary in manydifferent contexts found in authentic documents, they will gradually develop more skills notonly in listening but also in memorizing keywords and then summarizing them Finally, therole of authentic materials is extremely important in listening activities This resource alsohelps learners become familiar with and develop more practical communication skills.

2.3 Disadvantages faced by educators and learners

2.3.1 Challenges for lecturers in conveying listening skills

In today's period of economic integration, the need to learn foreign languages, specificallyEnglish, is higher than ever, especially in communication Being able to communicatefluently in English means opening up more job opportunities, higher income levels, beinggiven priority over people who only know one language as their mother tongue for everyonein general, and increasing opportunities to receive scholarships to study abroad for studentsin particular Communication ability has become the main goal in teaching and learningforeign languages in Vietnam However, developing listening and speaking skills for

students is facing many shortcomings and has not developed Therefore, this is considered anurgent requirement in the school's foreign language training program.

Among the foreign language teaching methods applied in the world, the CommunicativeLanguage Teaching (CLT) method is a method with outstanding advantages in teachinglistening and speaking skills This method has shown outstanding advantages in curriculumcompilation, classroom communication activities, etc However, accuracy and fluency inlanguage reception and production are the goals of the CLT method (Larsen-Freeman, 2000),so the lecturer's role in transmission is very large Survey results show that EFL universitystudents often have difficulty understanding listening materials accurately due to limitedvocabulary and grammatical knowledge that require instructors to provide additional words.In addition, the psychology of being timid, afraid, less expressive, and slow to react requireslecturers to be patient in communicating, needing to act as a friend to students so they canopen up more In general, in Vietnam, an average class usually has 30 to 40 students.Designing effective listening activities is also a difficult problem for lecturers because theymust have professional knowledge and understanding In-depth about this method.Furthermore, with such a large number of students, lecturers need to distribute activitiesappropriately and evenly, ensuring there is no difference in level between individuals whilestill meeting goals and interests Learners' interest in learning The lack of authenticmaterials requires a lot of time because lecturers have to research and find quality Englishlistening materials that, are not boring, can be applied in practice, and above all are suitablefor their needs Vietnamese learners because native English documents often have a differenttone, speed, and language usage compared to the English used in Vietnam With the CLTmethod, instructors are required to design activities such as role-playing, games, discussions,etc to increase interest and encourage learners to explore and communicate with each otherbecause this is the goal of the method This method also requires understanding and theability to use English fluently from the instructor to help learners avoid boredom and beconcise while still ensuring the content is communicated clearly and easily Although thereare many challenges that lecturers face, they can overcome them by participating in trainingdepartments on CLT method teaching skills As for documents, you can research them

yourself or search from reputable and reliable sources such as books and newspapers inuniversity libraries or on official internet sites.

2.3.1.1 Classroom Management Challenges

Because communication and interaction between learners are emphasized, classroommanagement poses some potential difficulties The characteristics of the CLT method arerole-playing activities, games, discussions, and debates created by instructors to promotecommunication, so, inevitably, students often move to exchange and talk Together to findthe answer, the class will become noisy and more difficult to manage than classes using othertraditional methods In addition, lecturers must learn how to manage their time appropriatelybecause the above activities often take a lot of time, it is necessary to adjust the activities sothat they are synchronized, ensuring enough communication activities while still beingeffective Time for other activities such as learning vocabulary, reviewing lessons, andmarking errors This job requires teachers to be careful, flexible, and adapt to the actualsituation of each class because no class is the same In addition, if the class is effectivelymanaged by highly qualified instructors, students will develop soft skills that will be helpfulfor future learning such as collaboration skills, respect skills, and listening skills These skillshelp students work cooperatively and effectively, increase productivity, listen to each other,absorb the instructor's opinions, and respect each other's opinions, thereby creating a positivelearning environment Extreme, joyful, exciting In a large classroom, students willinevitably make mistakes, but the instructor cannot correct each person's mistakes one by onebecause that is both ineffective and time-consuming Instead, the instructor should providefeedback Specific and constructive can be applied to the whole class, both saving time andhighly applicable to each individual in the classroom.

2.3.1.2 Limited Resources and Training

English has become a major subject required to be learned in many countries around theworld Learning English is no longer simply learning to understand and communicate, but itis also considered a stepping stone and the key to a successful future and reaching out to theworld In the current context of English education in Vietnam, the CLT method is stillsomething new and has not been applied much because it still faces many limitations anddifficulties in resources English in Vietnam is considered a foreign language rather than a

second language Therefore, applying the CLT method in the EFL context is a big challengefor teachers and students First of all, due to the lack of human resources, CLT requiresteachers to be proficient in English at a high level to be able to fully exploit the strengths ofthis method and apply it effectively in lessons Most teachers in Vietnam have not gonethrough formal training classes on the CLT method because it requires a lot of time, effort,and money Therefore, they do not receive much attention They often apply traditionalmethods of rote learning and memorization such as Grammar Translation Method, DirectMethod, etc to teach This is also considered the biggest challenge for applying this method.This method is taught in Vietnam The second problem is facilities With a large class sizeand a small classroom, moving around to play games, discuss questions, and communicatewith students is not guaranteed The space is narrow, and tables and chairs are close together,making learners feel uninterested, uncomfortable, and unable to concentrate on the lesson.Students also face the difficult problem of not having the opportunity to apply what theyhave learned in class into practice, which has created the mindset of learning English just forthe exam Equipment to serve the specifics of the CLT method such as speakers, projectors,headphones, TV, etc It is often absent or incomplete, affecting the quality of lessons andstudents' practice effectiveness In addition, traditional cultural factors also contribute tolimiting the application of CLT methods in Vietnam Traditional learning culture in Vietnamoften values test preparation, achievement, and scores more than understanding andcommunication, so both teachers and students have difficulty converting from traditionalmethods to new methods CLT CAO, X T A (2021) discovered that students in Vietnamare used to learning in unison and are afraid of speaking alone Being afraid to speak is thebiggest factor that prevents communication Students often have low self-esteem, fear thatwhat they say must be correct, and accurate, and fear of being wrong, so they often do notdare to express their own opinions Be cautious in asking and answering questions In short,factors including teachers, students, materials, facilities, and educational culture need to befocused on changing to suit today's times and develop in the future Although the CLTmethod still faces many shortcomings, it cannot be denied that this method meets allcomprehensive requirements such as not only providing students with solid knowledge in

terms of vocabulary and grammar, but more importantly, it helps them communicate in allsituations

2.3.1.3 Difficulty in Assessment

Due to its diverse and complex nature, the CLT method encounters some commonchallenges in objectively assessing student learning Shumin, K (2002) believes thatcommunication skill is a complex skill, including many factors such as the ability to speak,listen, understand, intonation, and body language, so assessing these factors accurately isimpossible In addition, traditional tests often cannot comprehensively assess each student'sabilities Each individual's skills and communication levels are different, so teachers'assessments are often not effective Furthermore, with a student population of 30 to 40people, teachers cannot allocate attention to everyone and cannot monitor each student'slearning progress For example, some students participate fully in every class, but duringdiscussion hours they are timid and do not express their opinions or communicate with thewhole group On the contrary, some students may participate little, but in role-playingactivities and games, they participate actively and confidently give their opinions Becausethe class operates based on a collective group model, which is difficult to manage, evaluationneeds to consider both the quality and quantity of student participation Teachers mustconsider students' learning progress based on many factors such as listening, speaking,comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary, and must evaluate over a long period For eachstudent, many factors must be considered, causing the teacher's workload to increase, notensuring the amount of time spent teaching in class, making applying this method to lessonsineffective, and also causing loss of time Time To overcome this problem, Brookhart, S M.(2011) said that teachers need to develop assessment methods that are appropriate to thelearning goals and levels of students Instead of using traditional assessment methods such asmultiple-choice tests, it can be replaced by criteria-based assessment, groups evaluating eachother or students themselves evaluating themselves to ensure fairness Equalize and reducethe workload for teachers, help teachers adjust appropriate teaching methods, and helpstudents achieve the best learning results according to the criteria that the CLT method aimsfor.

2.3.2 Some problems about learners that arise in the CLT classroom