An investigation into using video for out of class listening pactice among the 3rd year english majors at hanoi pedagogical university no 2

2 =====***===== NGUYEN THI THANH MUOI AN INVESTIGATION INTO USING VIDEO FOR OUT-OF-CLASS LISTENING PRACTICE AMONG THE 3RD-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT HANOI PEDAGOGICAL... ABSTRACT This study

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY Nº 2

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NGUYEN THI THANH MUOI

AN INVESTIGATION INTO USING VIDEO FOR OUT-OF-CLASS LISTENING PRACTICE AMONG THE

3RD-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT HANOI PEDAGOGICAL

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to take this chance to express my greatest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Ta Thi Thanh Hoa, M A., for her patience in providing continuous and careful guidance as well as encouragement, indispensable suggestions and advice

I am greatly indebted to the teachers of English at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 for their help and guidance while I was carrying out the survey

I wish to thank all lecturers at Hanoi Pedagogical University N˚ 2, especially the lecturers in the Foreign Language Faculty for their instruction during my years

of university work

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my deepest thanks to 3rdyear English majors at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0.2 for their help in completing the survey questionnaires, and for the willingness to share their relevant problems with me

-I am particularly grateful to my close friends for their enthusiasm and kindness in sharing me valuable documents for my research

Last but not least, I owe a debt of gratitude to my beloved family, for their whole- hearted encouragement and endless support

ABSTRACT

This study aims at surveying the benefits of using video in learning listening and suggests suitable techniques of using video which may help the students and teachers to improve the current situation

The thesis consists of the theoretical background about listening comprehension, the role of listening, and the benefits of using video in listening practice Based on the data analysis and tests’ result analysis, the success of using video in English listening practice and the types of problems and causes have been found Solutions to the problems have been suggested

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

Title: An Investigation into Using Video for Out-Of-Class Listening Practice among the 3rd-year English Majors at Hanoi Pedagogical

University N0.2

(Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of

Bachelor of Arts in English)

I certify that no part of this report has been copied or reproduced from any other person’s work without acknowledgements and that the report is originally written by me under strict guidance from my supervisor

Date submitted: May 2013

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

Tables:

Table 1: The effectiveness of using video in listening practice

Table 2: Some negative attitudes towards using video in listening practice

Table 3: Students’ favorite while-listening activities

Charts:

Chart 1: Students’ difficulties in listening

Chart 2.1: Students’ frequency of practicing listening English through video Chart 2.2: Students’ attitudes towards video listening

Chart 3: Students’ while -listening activities

Chart 4: Students’ application of effective techniques of using video for out-of- class listening

Chart 6: Raw marks in listening post-test

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i

ABSTRACT ii

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS iii

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION I Rationale 1

II Research presupposition 2

III Research objectives 2

IV Research scope 3

V Research tasks 3

VI Research methods 3

VII Significance of proposed research 4

VIII Design of the research work ……….4

PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND I.1 Literature review in brief 6

I.2 General concepts of listening comprehension 7

I.2.1 Definition of listening comprehension 7

I.2.2 Listening comprehension process 8

I.2.2.1 Bottom- up process 8

I.2.2.2 Top- down process 9

I.2.2.3 Interactive process 9

I.2.3 Stages of listening comprehension 10

I.2.3.1 Pre-listening 10

I.2.3.2 While-listening 10

I.2.3.3 Post-listening 10

I.3 The roles of listening in foreign language teaching and learning 11

I.3.1 Language acquisition 11

I.3.2 Speaking skill development 12

I.3.3 One of ultimate goals of learning a language 12

I.4 General concepts of video 13

I.5 Uses of video in learning language 14

I.5.1 For its own sake 14

I.5.2 For comprehension of spoken language 14

I.5.3 As a language model 14

I.5.4 Cultural values 15

I.5.5 As a stimulus for input 15

I.5.6 As a moving picture book 15

I.6 The effectiveness of using video in listening comprehension enhancement 16

I.6.1 Generating interest, motivation and concentration in listening 16

I.6.2 Lowering anxiety in listening 17

I.6.3 Helping learners study on-verbal and non-verbal aspects of communication 18

I.6.4 Providing the background of communication 19

CHAPTER TWO METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH FINDINGS II.1 Survey 20

II.1.1 Purpose of the survey 20

II.1.2 Population of the survey 20

II.1.3 Type of the survey 21

II.1.4 Construction of the test 21

II.1.5 Presentation of the survey 21

II.1.5.1 Test items 21

II.1.5.2 Arrangement of the test items 22

II.1.6 Administration of the try-out 22

II.1.6.1 Presentation of the try-out 22

II.1.6.2 Try out 22

II.1.7 Method of data analysis 22

II.2 Data analysis and discussion 24

II.2.1.Data analysis 24

II.2.1.1 Students’ difficulties in listening practice 24

II.2.1.2 Students’ attitudes towards the use of video in English listening practice 25

II.2.1.3 Students’ activities while practicing listening 30

II.2.1.4 Students’ application of effective techniques of using video for out-of- class listening 31

II.2.2 Tests’ result analysis 32

II.2.2.1 Analysis of the pre-test 32

II.2.2.2 Analysis of the post-test 34

II.2.3 Discussion of the findings 35

II.2.3.1 Success in terms of applying video in listening practice 35

II.2.3.1.1 Developing confidence in listening 35

II.2.3.1.2 Improving pronunciation 36

II.2.3.1.3 Motivating students’ interest in listening 36

II.2.3.1.4 Increasing input comprehension 37

II.2.3.2 Problems 37

II.2.3.2.1 The mixed ability among the students 37

II.2.3.2.2 The choice of unsuitable video in listening 38

II.2.3.2.3 Inappropriate listening tasks designed from video 38

CHAPTER THREE: SUGGESTED SOLLUTIONS III.1 Selecting video materials 39

III.2 Some techniques of using video 40

III.2.1 Sound off/vision on (silent viewing) 40

III.2.2 Sound on/vision off (sound only) 40

III.2.3 Sound on and vision on (normal viewing) 41

III.2.4 Split viewing 41

III.2.5 Jumbled sequence 41

III.3 Varying tasks designed from video 42

III.3.1 Diagram labeling 42

III.3.2 Matching 42

III.3.3 Dictation 42

III.3.4 Gist listening 43

III.3.5 Note- taking 43

III.3.6 Predicting language 43

III.3.7 Spotting activities 43

PART THREE: CONCLUSION CONCLUSION 44

REFERENCES 46

APPENDICES 48

LISTENING PRE-TEST 48

LISTENING POST-TEST 49

SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE 51

PART ONE INTRODUCTION

I Rationale

English language has been recognized as a means of communication in the world It is the official language of many developed counties and is taught as the second foreign language in most of the countries across the world Today, knowledge of English language has become the basic requirement in most of the aspects such as economy, science, education, culture and so on Therefore, mastering English will help people enrich their knowledge about the world

For its great importance, English has now a mandatory subject in all schools

in Vietnam In recent years, with the prevalence of the communicative approach, English are taught as a tool of communication In this communicative process, listening comprehension plays an important role Foreign language listening comprehension is a complex process and crucial in the development of second language competence, and the importance of listening in language learning has only been recognized recently (Celce-Murcia, 2001) Because the role of listening comprehension in language learning was either overlooked or undervalued, it merited little research and pedagogical attention in the past But at present, some researchers have devoted some time to listening and believe it to be an important skill in teaching and learning

Videos have become more and more popular in language practicing for decades Language skills, namely speaking, listening, reading, and writing, can be instructed with videos Videos are not only used for entertainment, but they also can provide a great approach for language teaching and learning In addition, videos can motivate students to engage in language learning The availability of videos for use in practicing listening is increasing Most often a video film is used

to present communicative situations in context The video is an important resource that may be used by teachers of English Experience also shows that activities based on video materials encourage more communication among learners When they watch a video, learners are able to understand that gestures, facial expressions,

postures and body language are generally more important for communication than verbal messages Therefore, students can improve their comprehension if they pay full attention to sounds and meaning whenever they view videos

Unfortunately, using English video for listening comprehension enhancement seems to be the most challenging to many students This is also a big problem that most students especially the 3rd-year students are encountering Moreover, as a prospective teacher, I would like to make a contribution to the English teaching in Vietnam In addition, the research available on second-language comprehension is insufficient Comparing with other skills, there are fewer insights about the process of listening and the way it is learnt

For all the things mentioned above, the researcher finds it necessary to carry out the investigation into “using video for out-of-class listening practice among 3rd- year English majors at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0 2” It is hoped that the results of this investigation will cast some light on this issue and pave the way for better listening

II RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Some questions are raised:

1) What problems of using video in listening practice are most often faced by the

3rd-year English majors at Hanoi Pedagogical University N0 2 (HPU2)?

2) What are the causes of the problems of using video in listening practice faced

by the 3rd-year English majors at HPU2?

3) What effectiveness of using video for out-of-class listening practice is achieved

by the 3rd-year English majors at HPU2?

Based on the questions above, I am eager to learn about the effectiveness and make a problem analysis so that the effective ways in using video for listening practice may be found

III RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of using video for listening comprehension enhancement among the 3rd-year English majors so

that some suggestions of how to use video in practicing listening skills in the classroom can be given to help students improve these skills

The specific aims are as follows:

1) Investigating the students’ attitudes towards listening through video

2) Finding out the effectiveness of using video in practicing listening comprehension

3) Suggesting some techniques of using video in practicing listening out of class

IV RESEARCH SCOPE

In this study, the researcher conducted a survey on using video in listening practice to find out how to improve students’ listening skills through video

The survey was conducted on thirty 3rd-year English majors at HPU2

The use of video lasted for the period of 8 weeks with the purpose of practicing the listening skills through video Video is used outside classroom as an

extra activity The video materials were taken from the Oxford English Video- Lifetime, by Tom Hutchinson (1999) and from website http://www.schoolstube.com/

V RESEARCH TASKS

The study involves fulfilling the following tasks:

1) To study the general concepts of listening comprehension

2) To provide insight into significance of listening in language teaching and learning

3) To study the uses of video in learning language and the benefits of using video

in listening comprehension enhancement

4) To conduct a survey to find out the effectiveness of using video for listening practice and the common difficulties in using video in the classroom On the basis of the findings, some recommendations to the difficulties are sought to overcome these difficulties and take full advantage of videos

VI RESEARCH METHODS

In order to achieve the objectives of this study, both the qualitative and qualitative methods are used and the data for analysis in the study are collected from different resources as follows:

 Survey questionnaires were designed for collecting data for analysis from the

3rd-year majors at HPU2 (these students had access to videos out of class)

 Interviews: the researcher also interviewed some students to double check the information gained from the questionnaires However, the interviews were sometimes applied if the author finds that the answers of respondents were not clear enough

 Tests for students (a pre-test and a post-test): the aim of the tests is to find out what progress videos help students to make in their listening skills The tests were delivered to students at the first and at the eighth week of the study

VII SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH

It is no doubt that using video in listening language practice, particular in English listening as a foreign language, brings advantages However, several problems in using it in listening practice are sometimes predictable and sometimes unpredictable It is, therefore, essential for teachers to have better treatment to anticipate problems After the research, it is hoped that the results will be of great value:

1) For learners of English, the result of this study will have positive impact on the learning quality in listening practice through videos

2) For teachers of English, the findings of this study will provide valuable information on problems and suggested solutions to the problems so that they can have effective methods of using video for listening practice

This study is also beneficial to anyone who is interested in using video for listening practice

VIII DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH WORK

The research has three main parts, namely: Introduction, Development and Conclusion The part “Development” consists of two chapters Chapter one is entitled “Theoretical background” It includes two sections Section one reviews literature review in brief The second one deals with things related to listening comprehension such as definition, process and stages of listening comprehension

as well as the uses and the benefits of using video in practicing listening comprehension

Chapter two is named “methodology and research findings” It has three sections Section one is devoted to the survey The second deals with data analysis

of using video for out-of class listening practice The last one is on some suggested solutions to the problems on using video in practicing listening comprehension

PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND I.1 Literature review in brief

Using video to learn a language has been described by many grammarians like Pano Michaelides (2004), Stempleski and Sand Arcanorio (1990), Arthus, P (1999), Sherman, J (2003), Katsiashviki (2010), Cooper, R., Lavery, M and Rinvolucri, M (1991), Barry Tomalin and Stempleski, S.(2001), and so on They each have their own way to describe videos Generally, they focus their attention

on history, benefits of video and ways of using video in practicing listening language

Arthus, P (1999) in Why Use Video? A Teacher’ Perspective describes the

current theory on the use of video as an Education Medium of Instruction He also gives ways of using video in the F/SL classroom Moreover, he focuses on considerations for using video in the classroom with nonnative speakers

In the book using Authentic Video in the Language Classroom, Sherman, J

(2003) describes the reason for using video He also focuses his attention in uses of video in language teaching Furthermore, he introduces some ways of using video and understanding video

Pano Michaelides (2004) in the TESOL Video News mentions some of most

basic practical techniques for using video In addition, he introduces a collection of some specific activities focusing on language and literature, the storyline, comprehension and viewers

Katsiashviki (2010) in the book the Role of the Video in Language Learning

mentions the history of using video In addition, they focus on advantages of using video in EFL classroom Besides, he pays his attention to the role of video in language learning

In the book Video in Action: Recipes for Using Video in Language Teaching,

Barry Tomalin and Stempleski, S (2001) focuses his attention to how to use video

in language teaching

Stempleski, Sand Arcanorio (1990) in the book Video in Second Language Teaching: Use, Selecting, and Producing Video for the Classroom describe the

history of video In addition, they concentrate on the ways of using and selecting video Besides, they pay much attention on how to produce video for the classroom

In the book Video, Cooper, R., Lavery, M and Rinvolucri, M (1991) give

the definition and benefits of using video They also focus on the reality in the use

of video as a TV- video image Furthermore, they pay their attention to the effectiveness of using video recording in learning a language Besides, they concentrate on some activities using video

In summary, much research has been done on video but very little research has been conducted to point out the effectiveness of using video for out-of-class listening comprehension enhancement Considering the importance of this issue, it

is essential to conduct a comprehensive investigation into using video for class listening comprehension enhancement

out-of-I.2 General concepts of listening comprehension

I.2.1 Definition of listening comprehension

Many researchers agreed that language is the tool of communication, while listening is a great important part of language communication and it is the basic path to understand others Listening is more than merely hearing words and comprehension is often consider to be the first goal of listening, and the highest priority of the listener During the last few decades, scholars have been trying to find out the nature of listening comprehension and different definitions of listening comprehension have been proposed

According to Boyle (1981), “listening comprehension is defined as the process of understanding speech in a second or foreign language When comprehending something, we can understand what is said It is assumed that speaking and writing are the process of encoding messages while listening and reading decode them Listening comprehension, therefore, is a perceptive skill involving identifying and retaining information orally perceived.”

In Buck’ point of view, “listening comprehension is an active process of constructing meaning and this is done by applying knowledge to the incoming sound “in which” numbers of different types of knowledge are involved; both linguistic knowledge and nonlinguistic knowledge.” (Buck, 2001)

More specifically, Anderson and Lynch (1988) believe that listening comprehension requires both the linguistic knowledge and nonlinguistic knowledge in order to reach the final message of the speaker in communication According to them, “listening comprehension means to understand what a speaker says: the listener has a crucial part to play in the process by activating various types of knowledge, by applying what he knows to what he hears and trying to understand what the speaker means.”

In summary, listening comprehension involves multiple skills It is a complex and active process of interpretation

I.2.2 Listening comprehension process

Listening is different from hearing in the aspect of listeners’ paying attention Paying attention leads to the fact that listeners actively process what they hear

To understand how people make sense of the stream of sound we all hear, it

is helpful to think about how we process the input A useful metaphor often used to explain reading but equally applicable to listening is “bottom-up” and “top-down processing,” proposed by Rumelhart and Ortony (1977) and expanded upon by Chaudron and Richards (1986), Richards (1990) and others The distinction is based on the way listeners attempt to understand what they hear or read

I.2.2.1 Bottom-up process

As Nunan, D (1999) puts it, “bottom-up processing is a process of decoding the sounds that one hears in a linear fashion, from the smallest meaningful units (or phonemes) to complete texts According to this view, phonemic units are decoded and linked together to form utterances and utterances are linked together to form complete meaningful texts.”

For Hedge, T (2000), “in the bottom part of the listening process, we use our knowledge of language and our ability to process acoustic signals to make

sense of the sounds that speech presents to us In other words, we use information

in the speech itself to try to comprehend the meaning We segment speech into identifiable sounds and impose a structure on these in terms of words, phrases, clauses, sentences and intonation patterns At the same time, we use whatever clues are available to infer meaning from the developing speech.”

With bottom-up processing, students start with the component parts: words, the combination of sounds, and grammar that creates the meaning

I.2.2.2 Top-down process

Top-down processing is opposite to bottom-up processing Learners start from background knowledge, either content “schema” (general information based

on previous learning and life experience) or textual schema (awareness of the kinds

of information used in a given situation) (See Long, 1989)

Nunan, D (1990) illustrates that top-down processes “focus on the overall meaning of a passage and the application of schemata Schemata are mental frameworks based on past experiences which can be applied to and help us interpret the current situation.” In top-down processing, listeners use their prior knowledge to generate hypothesis Prior-knowledge includes the topic, the context, the cultural aspects and text type of the listening material It is important for both teachers and students to recognize the existence of these two types of processing listening input as they both contribute to the development of listening skill

I.2.2.3 Interactive process

Because neither bottom-up process nor top-down process alone is sufficient for comprehension, “these two processing intersect to develop an interactive processing” (Wu, 2008) In the interactive process, listeners use both prior knowledge and linguistic knowledge in understanding messages The degree to which listeners use the process or the other will depend on their knowledge of the language and familiarity with the topic or the purpose for listening

Understanding how listening comprehension will provide students with a lot

of ideas to listen more successfully It is also necessary to consider the stages of listening comprehension in learning to listen to English

I.2.3 Stages of listening comprehension

Listening comprehension can be divided into three main stages: pre-listening, while listening, and post-listening Each stage has it owns aims, activities and time location

I.2.3.1 Pre-listening

This stage is carried out before students begin listening to the listening text

It plays a vital role in the whole process of a listening practice Pre-listening stage

is aimed at preparing students to listen and think about what they are going to hear Moreover, the purposes of pre-listening activities are to prepare learners with everything necessary for listening and understanding the listening text Normally, pre-listening stage is often five to ten minutes depending on each lesson For Hedge (2000), “at the pre-listening stage, the teacher will need to tune into the context and the topic of the text, perhaps express attitudes towards that topic, certainly bring to the front of their minds anything that they already know about the topic and most probably hear and use some of the less familiar language in the text which would otherwise distract or create anxiety during listening.”

Activities in while-listening stage relate directly to engagement with text, and students do them during or immediately after they are listening

I.2.3.3 Post-listening

It is the final step of a listening practice Therefore, it is the time for students’ production The activities at this time are aimed at helping learners to use what they have had from the listening text The teacher should make up and vary the

activities for learners to do depending on their level of English competence This stage often lasts for ten or fifteen minutes According to Hedge (2000), “post-listening activities can take students into a more intensive phase study in which aspects of bottom-up listening are practiced.”

Post-listening work can be more successful if they are integrated with other skills through development of the topic into reading, speaking or writing activities I.3 The role of listening in language teaching and learning

I.3.1 Language acquisition

In the book Teach English- a Training Course for Teachers, Adrian Doff

(1996) states that listening to spoken English is an important way of picking up the structures and vocabulary It is no doubt that listening can help learners build their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary that is the reason why listeners who are living in an English spoken country acquire the language much easily than the others because they hear it all the time

According to second language acquisition theory, language input is the most essential condition of language acquisition As an input skill, listening plays a crucial role in students’ language development Krashen (1981) illustrates that people acquire language by understanding the linguistic information they hear Thus learners achieve language acquisition mostly through receiving understandable input and the ability of listening is the vital part in achieving understandable language input

Harmer, J (1999) illustrates that one of the main reasons why listening is taught is that listening can help students to acquire language subconsciously even

if teachers do not focus on its special features In learning a language, exposure to the language is a fundamental requirement for everyone wanting to learn it Listening to appropriate tapes provides such exposure and students get important information both about grammar and vocabulary as well as pronunciation, rhythm, intonation, pitch and stress

I.3.2 Speaking skill development

According to Anne Anderson and Tony Lynch (1988), effective speaking is influenced by successful listening To become a good communicator, a learner must be skilled as both speaker and listener They prove this point by conducting communication experiments in which a speaker must instruct a listener in drawing

a diagram or in arranging a set of objectives, and they found that the most effective spoken performances came from speakers who had previously been listeners on a similar task

For Anderson, Brown and Yule (1984), “experience as a listener was more effective than practice in the speaking role, as it seemed to emphasize the need of the listener for clear and explicit instructions Many of the speakers failed to produce “listener-friendly” messages without prior listening practice.” In a word, listening and speaking are interdependent with each other

I.3.3 One of the ultimate goals of learning a language

As Wang Shouyuan (2003), listening is the most important component in five aspects of overall English competence He suggests among five aspects (listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation), listening deserves particular attention Therefore, it is necessary to actively explore the methodology of listening in order to improve listening and make students recognize that listening is one of the ultimate goals of learning a language Moreover, according to Donoghue (1985), listening occupies the basic portion in the context of the language arts and the process in reading, speaking and writing is directly governed by the ability of listening It is the most important of the four arts since nearly half of the adult’s working day and more than half of the child’s classroom activity is spent in listening Apart from communication interaction, much of the enjoyment in second

or foreign language comes from listening activities like watching films and plays

or watching TV or listening to songs In class there are many things that students can learn from their students They also learn from the tape or from each other through the act of listening

In addition, learning listening is not simply intended to make students hear a sound, a word or a sentence, rather, the goal is to cultivate students’ abilities to understand speakers’ intentions accurately and communicate with each other effectively Thus, many experiences of listening can be gained to a wide variety of samples of spoken English Students also know many varieties of language such as standard or regional, formal or informal language

Therefore, listening is regarded to be one of the most important educational objectives It increases an individual’s level of vocational skills Students are also provided a stimulus for other activities such as discussion, reading and writing, which are the main language skills

I.4 General concepts of video

Video was first developed for cathode ray tube (CRT) television systems, but several new technologies for video display devices have seen been invented Charles Ginsburg led an Ampex research team developing the first practical video tape recorder (VTR) In 1951 the first video tape recorder captured live images from television cameras by converting the camera's electrical impulses and saving the information onto magnetic video tape

The use of motion pictures for training has a long history and, as predicted from their invention, motion pictures have played a significant role as an aid in education That role has continued to grow as motion picture technology has evolved to what we now simply call “video.” With the advent of the digital age, the training industry has seen significant advances in the use of video-based education with much of this medium already moved to computer-based platforms for delivery A significant advancement in this medium was videodisc technology that often used human actors to portray targeted behaviors in scenarios that were then presented to trainees as a series of vignettes Empirical studies demonstrated that videodiscs delivered marked improvements over conventional instruction methods and documented video as an effective aid to teaching (Fletcher, 1990) Specifically, these studies showed that videodisk technology exhibited increased trainee time on task with a cost reduction advantage for self-paced-training However, despite their effectiveness, the use of video-based technologies has not been as widespread as they could be This was due to cost, difficulties with the

logistics and production of video, and with the long term maintenance and updating of the video products

I.5 Uses of video in learning a language

Video is a very effective technological tool for English language learning Most often a video film is used to present and practice communicative situations The video is an important resource that may be used by students of English

I.5.1 For its own sake

According to Eka Katsiashvili (2010), people want access to the world of English language media: they want to be able to view the news, get information from advertisements, and see a film, in general, to use this language This may well

be one of your students' major goals in learning English and in all fairness they ought to be able to get a glimpse of their goals He emphasizes that if we are prepared to teach 'reading newspapers' or 'conversation' we should also teach these major audiovisual genres

I.5.2 For comprehension of spoken language

According to Hemei (1997), in many English learning situations, videos are used as a key role in order to create a successful learning environment for learners

It is necessary to prepare adequately to promote active viewing and facilitate successful language acquisition

As Sherman, J (2003) puts it, video brings learners all kinds of voices in all kinds of situations, with full contextual backup One obvious advantage for comprehension is the visual dimension, particularly for pragmatic understanding in dialogue The most important advantage is the access to a variety of recognizable genres and the long-term contextual understanding built up as the program develops

I.5.3 As a language model

Sherman, J (2003) illustrates that authentic video provides a vast up-to-date linguistic resource of accents, vocabulary, grammar and syntax, and all kinds of discourse, which shows learners language in most of its uses and contexts-

something neither course book nor classroom can do For him, authentic video can

be a model for specific language items or a general pool for students to pick and choose from Each type contributes its own particular discourse structures and lexis The particular value of video is that it illustrates the kind of interactive language most foreign language students seldom encounter

I.5.4 Cultural values

Lebedko (1999) illustrates that the advantages of using video in the EFL classroom are numerous and obvious According to him, “videos increase oral production and motivation and can adapted for use with learners at all proficiency levels” Learners are also able to make cross-cultural comparisons They can observe how people speak and behave in the language which they are learning

According to Katsiashvili (2010), video is a window on English language culture Apart from giving access to global cultural products like feature films, it also shows how people live and think and behave A small amount of showing is worth hours of telling from a teacher or a course book

I.5.5 As a stimulus for input

In Sherman’s viewpoint, video can be used for discussions, for writing assignments, as input for projects or the study of other subjects The 'film of the book' is particularly useful in the study of literature, and work based scenarios and training films are useful in special purpose language learning

I.5.6 As a moving picture book

Sherman, J (2003) shows that video gives access to things, places, people, events and behavior, regardless of the language used, and is worth thousands of picture dictionaries and magazines

In conclusion, you will agree that it is difficult to fulfill this range of functions except by living in an English speaking country—an opportunity that most learners do not have Authentic video helps to substitute for this experience and brings the English language world to the learners

I.6 The effectiveness of using video in listening comprehension enhancement

As Heron (1995), “video can be used to help learners improve comprehension and aid in the retention of information Heron, Hanley, and Cole (1995) also hypothesize that the more meaningful educational video is, the more impact it can have on comprehension and retention The findings from their studies show that video offer contextual support and help learners to visualize words as well as meaning It can be argued that language found in videos could help non-native speakers understand stress patterns and allow learners to see body rhythm and speech rhythm in second language discourse through the use of authentic language and speed of speech in various situations

It is very important to motivate students to learn If students want to be motivated to learn, they need not only ample opportunities, steady encouragement but also support their learning efforts According to Good and Brophy (1994),

“because such motivation is unlikely to develop in a chaotic classroom, it is very important that teacher organize and manage the classroom as an effective learning environment.” They also emphasize that “because anxious or alienated students are unlikely to develop motivation to learning, it is very important that learning occurs within a relaxed and support atmosphere.”

I.6.1 Generating interest, motivation and concentration in listening

According to Sherman, J (2003), the compelling power of video in the classroom is enhanced by concentration on short sequences The eye is caught, and this excites interest in the meaning of the words

Video can help maintain the interest and concentration in listening Balatova (1994) suggests that like a student, who listened in sound only conditions, the use

of video and sound conditions were more consistent in their perception of the story She noted that scenes where an action and body language back up utterances were considered easier for students to understand Whereas, less lively scenes, which involves relatively long stretches of conservation, were labeled as more difficult In conclusion, visual cues are often intrinsically interesting and attractive as many

people are more familiar with watching television and video than listening to audio material

In addition, Susan Stempleski and Barry Tomalin (1990) illustrate that “the outstanding feature of video films is their ability to capture the interest of viewers and stimulate their motivation in listening comprehension.” In other words, video brings language in a lively way, which makes students feel interest faster The combination of moving pictures and sound can present language more comprehensively and more realistically than any other teaching medium

Similarly, Balatotva (1994) also states that video maintains learners’ interest and concentration better than sound only learning environment Therefore, using a video in outside classroom listening practice is one best thing for experiencing the listening sequence in real life

Moreover, video can take students into the lives and experiences of others

To prove this point, Lonergan, J (1984) suggests that “at their best, video presentation will be intrinsically interesting to language learners The learner will want to watch, even if comprehension is limited The learner will want to see more,

to ask questions, to follow up ideas and suggestions if the material is motivating.”

In this way, by generating interest and motivation, the video films can create

a climate for successful listening comprehension

I.6.2 Lowering anxiety in listening

According to Arthus (1999), “video can lower anxiety when practicing the skill of listening.” If teacher wants to reduce classroom anxiety, it is necessary to make the learning context less stressful In fact, it is considered that video is the most useful to deal with body language and help students to interpret it before they listen through silent viewing

Getting students to focus on these factors can help to raise awareness of what will come in the listening They will at least have developed a conceptual framework for what they need to understand and will build up some expectations

of what they will hear Video, therefore, can make the listening comprehension easier and more enjoyable

I.6.3 Helping learners study verbal and non-verbal aspects of communication

Experience shows that activities based on video materials encourage more communication among learners When they watch a video, learners are able to understand that gestures, facial expressions, postures and body languages are generally more important for communication than verbal messages

For learners who lack verbal language skills, the availability of video may have a contributory influence on their second language development Burt (1999) concurred that video “is accessible to those who have not yet learned to read and write well, and provides context for learning.”

Moreover, video provides a good source of authentic listening for the practice of pronunciation (McKinnon, 2005) When learners are viewing, it is easier for them to notice how new words are pronounced This activity can also be done with audio, but imitation is improved with video, since the students can see how mouth and movements fit with voice This makes students depend upon their ears and more importantly, realize how important to do so

Furthermore, video can help learners use right vocabulary in right situation (Lonergan, J., 1984) Similarly, Canning and Wilson (2000) shows that visual cues found in videos are informative and enhance students’ vocabulary recognition We know that deficiencies in vocabulary can make even a simple task very difficult for learners Video makes meaning clearer by illustrating relationships in a way that is not possible with words only, which proves a well-known saying that a picture is worth thousand words

According to Susan Stempleski and Bary Tomalin (1990), “our gestures, expression, posture, dress and surroundings are as eloquent as what we actually say.” Video allow us to see this in action and to freeze any moment to study the non-verbal communication in detail

The American psychologist, Robert Merabian, estimated that as much as 80% percent of our communication is non-verbal Similarly, Lerangan, J (1984) states

“paralinguistic information, such as facial expressions or hand gestures, is available to accompany aural clues of intonation” The reason is that learners can see and hear the speakers and they can see other participants in the situation as well

The language learner can readily see the ages of the participants, their sex, perhaps their relationships one to another, their dress, social status, and what they are doing, and perhaps their mood or feelings

In addition, Tomalin, B (1986) emphasizes that “the learner can also concentrate in detail on visual clues to meaning such as facial expression, dress, gesture and posture of the character of the people seen ‘frozen’ on the screen Even without hearing the language spoken, clues to the meaning can be picked up from the vision itself

I.6.4 Providing the background of communication

The use of video is also beneficial to language learners in the way of making the setting of communication clear According to Jack Lonergan (1984), through video films, “the language learner can see on the screen where the action is taking place This information may help to clarify whether the situation is very formal, or perhaps informal.” He also argues that these audio-visual features of video films are found in cinema films and television broadcasts too But these other media do not offer the same facilities for classroom exploitation of the material and content that video recorders do In the same way, video, as a moving picture book, gives access to things, places, people, events and behavior, regardless

of the language used

Canning and Wilson (2000) illustrate that “video provides stimuli such as environment and this can lead to and generate prediction of the listening and a chance to activate background schemata.” To this extent, the use of video helps students predict information; infer ideas and analyze the world brought into the classroom

In conclusion, video offers foreign and second language learner a chance to improve their ability to understand comprehensible input Through video, teachers are also allowed to ask both display and referential questions However, teachers should multi-layer video tasks in order to exploit all information and elements contained in the aural and visual texts

CHAPTER TWO METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH FIDNINGS

II.1 Survey

This chapter presents the findings of the practical research among the students of English at Hanoi Pedagogical University Number 2 It falls into three sections Section II.1 deals with the survey questionnaire, which was designed to map out the effectiveness of using videos made by students at Hanoi Pedagogical University Number 2 Section II.2 presents data analysis and discussion Section II.3 provides students and teachers with some suggested solutions to minimize the problems in the use of video for listening comprehension enhancement

II.1.1 Purpose of the survey

The purpose of the study is to investigate the benefits of using video for of-class listening practice among the 3rd-English majors at HPU2

out-II.1.2 Population of the study

The number of students participating in the survey questionnaire is thirty 3rdEnglish majors HPU 2 There are some reasons for the selection

-First of all, the researcher chose 3rd-English majors at HPU2 because the advanced level of the students can benefit most from the application of video In addition, the male and female students under investigation have at least five terms learning English at Foreign Language Faculty Thus, students have enough knowledge of listening as well as using video in listening practice to answer the questions given and the data collected from the survey would surely be reliable

Finally, in spite of being foreign language students, listening English to them was not really an easy skill Therefore, when listening to boring recorded tape, many of them felt asleep or put their attention away during the listening practice That state often led to low results in listening exams That was the reason why the researcher would like to carry out the research of using video as a means of practicing listening in order to reduce students’ prejudice about this skill, draw

their interest to this communicative skill and help them to improve their listening ability through video

II.1.3 Type of the survey

To collect data, a complete test was used It involves such activities as choosing the correct answer, completing the table and answering the interviewer’s questions

II.1.4 Construction of the test

In order to obtain the above objectives, a survey questionnaire was designed with eight questions which focused on 6 main aspects that the researcher would like to investigate as follows:

Question 1, 3, 7 and 8 worked out the students’ attitudes towards video practice

Question 2 investigated the students’ difficulties in listening practice

Question 4 and 5 worked out the students’ while-listening activities

Question 6 clarified the application of effective techniques for using video in English listening practice

Along with the questionnaire, two tests of listening (pre-test and post-test) were designed by the author in the model of achievement test which is used to access students’ listening skill The time for the test was twenty minutes

II.1.5 Preparation of the survey

II.1.5.1 Test items

There are many possible aspects used to evaluate the effectiveness in the use

of video in learning listening comprehension that a survey cannot find out Thus, it

is necessary to predict possible aspects and include them in the survey In this survey, possible aspects were classified into the following categories:

1) Students’ difficulties in listening practice

2) Students’ attitudes towards the use of video in English listening practice

3) Students ‘while-listening activities

4) Students’ application of effective techniques for using video in listening practice

II.1.5.2 Arrangement of the test items

After being classified, the test items were arranged into the following numbers:

1) Test on students’ attitudes towards the use of video in English listening practice, numbers 1, 3, 7 and 8

2) Test on students’ difficulties in listening, number 2

3) Test on students ‘while-listening activities, numbers 4 and 5

4) Test on students’ application of effective techniques for using video in listening practice, number 6

II.1.6 Administration of the try-out

II.1.6.1 Preparation of the try-out

The teachers in charge of the two groups which were intended to do the survey questionnaire were asked for permission before the try-out was carried out II.1.6.2 Try-out

The try-out was conducted on March, 29th, 2013 The students from the two groups were gathered in a room and asked to do the questionnaire as well as possible in compliance with their own ability They were instructed carefully before answering the questionnaire Importantly, they were reminded that the result

of the questionnaire was to serve the research and it has no influence on their study results Hence, they made their great efforts to do the questionnaire without copying from the others The allocated time for eight questions was 20 minutes II.1.7 Method of data analysis

The researcher used questionnaire and interview, along with the tests as the main sources to collect data According to Burnes (1999: 25), “triangulation involves gathering data from different sources so that the research findings or insights can be tested out against each other” As a result, the reliability and validity of the research are better ensured