A study on the causes of the students’ english listening anxiety in university of languages and international studies, vietnam national university, hanoi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES *************** PHÙNG THI ̣HẰNG A STUDY ON THE CAUSES OF THE STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LISTENING ANXIETY AT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI (Nghiên cứu nguyên nhân gây lo lắng nghe sinh viên trường Đại học Ngoại Ngữ, Đại học Quốc Gia Hà Nội) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI - 2017 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES **************** PHÙNG THI ̣HẰNG A STUDY ON THE CAUSES OF THE STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LISTENING ANXIETY AT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI (Nghiên cứu nguyên nhân gây lo lắng nghe sinh viên trường Đại học Ngoại Ngữ, Đại học Quốc Gia Hà Nội) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr Mai Thị Loan HANOI - 2017 DECLARATION I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled “A study on the causes of the students’ English listening anxiety in University of Language and International Studies” submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Teaching Methodology Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been utilized without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis Hanoi, 2017 Phùng Thị Hằng i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my profound gratitude to my supervisor Dr Mai Thi Loan In the absence of her help, encouragement and support, this thesis could not have been completed Not only did she provide me with invaluable guidelines but she also read and commented on numerous portions of the manuscript I am indebted to all staff, professors and members the of Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Language and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi who taught me valuable and interesting courses and offered much help during my study at the University I would also like to acknowledge my sincere thanks to all students at University of Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi and all the people who have assisted my research work I would like to thank my friends, my classmates for their advice and useful documents Finally, my special thanks go to my parents and my husband who have always given me their endless love, understanding and encouragement throughout the study ii ABSTRACT Listening skill plays an important role in real- life communication as well as foreign language acquisition Therefore, this study has been conducted to investigate the causes of English listening anxiety which non- major students face through their process of learning listening The researcher conducted the study on 100 General English (GE2) students of University of Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National University (VNUUET) The data have been collected via the questionnaire and interview The questionnaire examined the sources for the students’ anxiety in listening activities and the measures for alleviating the situations The interview enables the researcher to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the sources and solutions for the students’ English listening anxiety The findings of the questionnaire and the interview identified three main sources of the students’ listening anxiety which are listening input, listener and physical setting From these findings, the potential solutions were also proposed such as self- study, providing comprehensible inputs, making listening purposeful for the students, exposing the students to various types of listening materials, introducing listening strategies, enhancing the students’ knowledge of vocabulary and offering good condition facilities iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATION vii LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES viii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale for the study Aims and objectives of the study Research questions Scope of the study Method of the study Significance of the study Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Review of previous related studies 1.1.1 Previous Studies overseas 1.1.2 Previous studies in Vietnam 1.2 An overview of listening comprehension 1.2.1 Definition of listening comprehension 1.2.2 The significance of listening comprehension 1.2.3 The listening comprehension process 10 1.3 Overview of anxiety 11 1.3.1 Definitions of anxiety 11 1.3.2 Types of anxiety 12 1.3.3 Foreign language anxiety 13 1.4 Listening anxiety 14 1.4.1 Causes of listening anxiety 14 iv 1.4.2 Instructional approach for listening anxiety alleviation 22 1.5 Summary 24 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 25 2.1 Restatement of research questions 25 2.2 Setting of the study 25 2.3 Participants of the study 25 2.4 Research types 25 2.5 Data collection instruments 26 2.5.1 Questionnaire 26 2.5.2 Interviews 27 2.6 Data collection procedures 27 2.6.1 Questionnaire 27 2.6.2 Interview 28 2.7 Data analysis methods 28 2.8 Summary 28 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 29 3.1 Questionnaire 29 3.1.1 Listening anxiety associated with input factors 29 3.1.2 Listening anxiety associated with listener factors 31 3.1.3 Listening anxiety associated with physical setting 33 3.1.4 Students’ opinions of solutions to listening anxiety 33 3.1.5 Students’ expectation toward teacher and university 34 3.2 Interview 37 3.2.1 Students’ responses about the causes of listening anxiety 37 3.2.2 Students’ recommendation about solutions 41 3.3 Discussions and implication of the research 42 3.3.1 Listening anxiety- provoking causes for VNU- UET Students 42 3.3.2 Implications of the research 43 4.3 Summary 47 PART C: CONCLUSION 48 v Recapitulation 48 Conclusion 48 Limitation and suggestions for further study 49 REFERENCES 50 APPENDIX I APPENDIX V APPENDIX IX APPENDIX XII vi LIST OF ABBREVIATION GE2: General English UET: University of Engineering and Technology VNU: Vietnam National University, Hanoi FLA: Foreign language anxiety vii LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figures and Items Page tables Figure Listening anxiety related to listening text factors 29 Figure Listening anxiety related to speaker factors 30 Figure Listening anxiety related to listener factors 31 Figure Listening anxiety related to physical setting 33 Figure Students’ opinion of solutions to listening anxiety 34 Table Students’ expectation toward teacher and university 35 viii 42 Young, D.J (1991) Creating a low anxiety classroom environment: What does language anxiety research suggest? The Modern Language Journal, 75, 426- 43 43 Young, D.J (1992) Language anxiety from the foreign language specialist’s perspective: interviews with Krashen, Omaggio Hadley, Terrell and Rardin Foreign Language Annuals, 25(2), 157- 172 44 Yuan H (2006) Listening comprehension anxiety: students reported sources and solutions Celea Journal bimonthly 29(5), 100- 104 53 APPENDIX QUESTIONAIRE Dear participants, We are conducting a research project on what the causes of students’ listening anxiety are This questionnaire is designed with the aim of understanding what makes you feel nervous while you are listening to English Please answer ALL the question as truly as you can Your responses are used confidentially for the research purpose only and they are not assessed or marked Thank you for your cooperation PART I FREQUENCY OF STUDENTS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION ANXIETY IN LEARNING Students’ perception of the causes of listening anxiety (Put a tick(√) in the most appropriate column for you ) No Causes of students’ listening anxiety It frightens me when the listening text includes many unfamiliar words The spoken text with complicated structures worries me I am afraid of the text which is not of my interest It makes me fatigued Listening to the text in the absence of visual aids (pictures, diagrams, video…) bothers me I get nervous and confused to listen to varied and unfamiliar accents in the listening text I get worried when listening to the text with full of natural speech such as assimilation, ellipsis, linking, intonation, etc Never Seldom Sometimes Often I Always I panic to listen to the listening input at very fast delivery of speech Due to my limited knowledge of vocabulary, I am often nervous during listening for fear of not catching the idea of the text I often get confused when I fail to memorize what I have just listened 10 It embarrasses me when I cannot recognize the familiar words because of my poor pronunciation 11 I panic at the time of listening when meeting unfamiliar topics due to insufficient background knowledge 12 I feel anxious while listening because of lack of practice at home and at school 13 When I am tense and confused, I am prone to lose concentration and miss key words 14 At the time of listening, I panic in case of inability to predict what is coming next 15 It frightens me when I fail to recognize the signals moving from one point to another 16 I feel worried as having little time to look over the questions of the listening text 17 I become nervous when I fail to catch the main ideas from the first time listening to the text 18 Large classroom makes it harder to listen to the recorded materials, II which confuses me 19 I feel nervous when poor teaching equipment leads to unclear sounds 20 It bothers me about background noise resulting in poor sounds and affect quality of my listening 21 Others (please specify) ………………………………………………… ………………………………………………… ………………………………………………… II SOLUTIONS TO STUDENTS’ LISTENING ANXIETY Put a tick(√) in the most appropriate column for you as measure you take to reduce listening anxiety No Your solutions to alleviate listening anxiety Enrich vocabulary to develop listening abilities Expose to authentic sources such as movies, video or reality shows in English with various topics and different accent Take breathing exercises or meditation to reduce listening anxiety Practice pronunciation by listening to spoken text then imitate Learn more about listening skills and strategies to improve listening performance Refine cultural and social knowledge to improve listening performance Others (please specify) Never Rarely Sometimes Often Always …………………………………………… …………………………………………… …………………………………………… III Put a tick(√) into the square for which you expect your teacher or university should to facilitate you to overcome listening anxiety Item The students’ expectation toward the teachers and university number Your choice Present unfamiliar vocabularies and structures before listening,  probably through games to help students remember more easily Take advantage of pictures or video related to the listening text to  attract students’ attention Allow students to work in pair or in group to work out the  knowledge of the topic as well as related vocabulary they can encounter before letting them listen to the text Introduce rules of pronunciation elements such as linking,  intonation assimilation, ellipsis, etc Allocate classrooms if they are close to building under  construction Teach students listening strategies before and after listening  Provide extra listening texts with interesting topics  Offer tasks enabling student to boost memorizing ability  Encourage students to practice and imitate pronunciation in pair  and group through home assignment 10 Convey listening text in a more relaxing and enjoyable manner to  avoid fatigue, boredom and tension 11 Expose students to many sources of authentic materials to  familiarize themselves with varied accent and fast delivery of speech 12 Provide good material facilities and high quality equipment IV  APPENDIX BẢNG CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT Các sinh viên thân mến, Chúng tiến hành nghiên cứu nguyên nhân gây lo lắng nghe sinh viên Bảng câu hỏi thiết kế nhằm mục đích thu thập thơng tin nhằm mục đích cho nghiên cứu nguyên nhân gây lo lắng học kĩ nghe Tôi mong nhận hợp tác giúp đỡ bạn cách trả lời câu hỏi sau cách thành thật đầy đủ Sự tham gia bạn đóng vai trị quan trọng thành cơng đề tài Số thứ tự Những nguyên nhân gây lo lắng Tôi lo sợ gặp nghe chứa nhiều từ Bài nghe chứa cấu trúc khó khiến tơi lo lắng Tơi sợ phải nghe nghe khơng phải sở thích tơi Nó khiến tơi cảm thấy mệt Khi nghe mà khơng có hỗ trợ hình ảnh khiến bối rối Tôi thấy lo lắng căng thẳng nghe có giọng nói lạ Tơi lo lắng nghe có nhiều nuốt âm, nối âm, ngữ điệu, v.v Tôi sợ nghe với tốc độ nhanh Vì vốn từ vựng tơi cịn nên khiến tơi thường cảm thấy lo lắng nghe sợ khơng nắm ý Tôi thường cảm thấy bối rối không Không Hiếm bao V Thỉnh Thường thoảng xuyên Luôn nhớ thông tin vừa nghe 10 Tôi thường bấn loạn nhận từ quen thuộc phát âm 11 Khi nghe chủ đề khơng quen, tơi thường thấy lo lắng khơng đủ kiến thức 12 Tôi cảm thấy lo sợ nghe khơng thực hành nghe nhiều nhà trường 13 Khi bị căng thẳng, thường tập trung bị lỡ từ khóa, ý 14 Trong nghe, tơi sợ khơng thể đốn nghe 15 Tôi thường sợ nhận dấu hiệu chuyển ý 16 Tôi lo lắng đủ thời gian nhìn qua câu hỏi trước nghe 17 Tôi bị căng thẳng không nắm ý lần nghe 18 Phịng học rộng khiến tơi nghe khó Điều làm bối rối 19 Tôi cảm thấy căng thẳng thiết bị nghe dẫn đến âm không rõ 20 21 Tiếng ồn bên ngồi làm tơi khó chịu, ảnh hưởng chất lượng nghe Các nguyên nhân khác (vui lòng nêu rõ ) …………………………………………… …………………………………………… VI II NHỮNG GIẢI PHÁP CHO VẤN ĐỀ LO LẮNG KHI NGHE CỦA SINH VIÊN Đánh dấu () vào cột với bạn mà bạn áp dụng để giảm lo lắng nghe Những biện pháp mà bạn áp dụng để Không giảm lo lắng nghe Trau vốn từ vựng để cải thiện khả nghe Nghe nhiều nguốn thực tế phim ảnh, chương trình thực tế với nhiều chủ đề giọng nói khác Tập hít thở, ngồi thiền để giảm cẳng thẳng Bắt trước cách phát âm việc nghe nhắc lại theo Học thêm kĩ chiến lược nghe để cải thiện khả nghe hiểu Trau kiến thức văn hóa xã hội để cải thiện khả nghe Các nguyên nhân khác (vui lòng nêu rõ ) Hiếm Thỉnh thoảng Thường Luôn xuyên ……………………………………………… ……………………………………………… ……………………………………………… Đánh dấu () vào điều với mong muốn bạn phía giáo viên nhà trường để tạo điều kiện cho bạn khắc phục cảm giác lo lắng nghe Số thứ Kì vọng sinh viên phía giáo viên nhà trường tự Lựa chọn bạn Giới thiệu từ cấu trúc trước nghe,  thơng qua trị chơi để nhớ dễ VII Dùng tranh ảnh video liên quan đến học để  sinh viên ý tập trung Trước nghe, cho sinh viên làm theo nhóm theo  cặp để tìm chủ đề từ liên quan đến Giới thiệu quy tắc phát âm nối âm, ngữ điệu,  nuốt âm… Luân chuyển lớp học gần tòa nhà xây dựng  Dạy chiến lược nghe giai đoạn trước sau nghe  Cung cấp thêm tập với chủ đề thú vị  Cung cấp thêm tập giúp phát triển khả  nhớ thơng tin Khuyến khích sinh viên thực hành bắt chước phát âm  theo nhóm theo cặp thông qua tập nhà 10 Truyền tải nghe theo cách thú vị để tránh nhàm  chán, mệt mỏi căng thẳng 11 Cho sinh viên tiếp xúc với nhiều nguồn nghe từ thực tế  để quen giọng tốc độ nghe 12 Cung cấp sở vật chất tốt thiết bị nghe chất  lượng cao VIII APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS Have you ever become anxious and confused in English listening lesson? Can you describe your feeling? Which following listening problems renders you nervous in in English listening lesson, could you please propose your solutions if you encounter that problem 2.1 Listen to unfamiliar words, complicated structures or have limited knowledge of vocabulary You cannot guess their meanings during listening Your solutions …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.2 Fail to recognize familiar or known words due to the poor pronunciation or insufficient listening practice Your solutions …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.3 Have no idea of employing appropriate listening strategies/ skills (for example prediction for incoming data, recognition of signal for point change, listening for main ideas, etc.) Your solutions …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.4 Quickly forget what you have just listened heard IX Your solutions …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.5 Have negative psychological states such as tension, fatigue, uneasiness, etc Your solutions …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.6 Listen to unfamiliar accents or at a very fast rate of speech Your solutions …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.7 Listen to unfamiliar topics or unappealing topics Your solutions …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.8 Have no support of visual aids Your solutions …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.9 Be influenced by environmental factors such as background noise, poor- quality sounds X Your solutions …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.9 Please propose other solutions your implement to overcome state of anxiety (if any) XI APPENDIX CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN CHO SINH VIÊN Em có cảm thấy căng thẳng lo lắng học nghe khơng? Em miêu tả cảm giác khơng? Những khó khăn sau khiến em cảm thấy lo lắng học nghe em nêu giải pháp cho khó khắn( em gặp phải khó khăn đó) 2.1 Khi nghe thấy từ mà em nghĩa, cấu trúc khó vốn từ em cịn có hạn Em khơng đốn nghĩa từ Giải pháp em …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.2 Khơng thể nhận từ biết từ quen thuộc phát âm cịn thiếu thực hành nghe Giải pháp em …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.3 Không biết áp dụng kĩ năng/ chiến lược nghe hiệu ( ví dụ kĩ đốn trước thơng tin, nhận biết dấu chuyển ý, nghe ý chính…) Giải pháp em …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.4 Nhanh chóng quên thông tin vừa nghe XII Giải pháp em …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.5 Tâm lý không tốt căng thẳng, mệt mỏi, khó chịu … Giải pháp em …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.6 Nghe giọng khơng quen tốc độ nói nhanh Giải pháp em …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.7 Nghe chủ đề không quên không thú vị Giải pháp em …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.8 Khi nghe mà khơng có hỗ trợ hình ảnh Giải pháp em …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.8 Bị ảnh hưởng yếu tố môi trường tiếng ồn, âm chất lượng Giải pháp em XIII …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 2.9 Vui lòng đề suất giải pháp khác mà em áp dụng để khác phục trạng thái lo lắng nghe! (nếu có) Giải pháp em …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… XIV ... Postgraduate Studies, University of Language and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi who taught me valuable and interesting courses and offered much help during my study at the. .. evaluation to students’ academic and personal evaluation on the basis of their performance and competence in target language In brief, anxiety is an influential factor in a foreign language learning.. .VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES **************** PHÙNG THI ̣HẰNG A STUDY ON THE CAUSES OF THE STUDENTS’