An action research on applying a blended learning program to improve students’ TOEIC listening performance in a TOEIC class

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY- HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES ****************** LƯỜNG HẠNH NGÂN AN ACTION RESEARCH ON APPLYING A BLENDED LEARNING PROGRAM TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ TOEIC LISTENING PERFORMANCE IN A TOEIC CLASS (Nghiên cứu cải tiến sư phạm việc áp dụng chương trình học kết hợp cơng nghệ thơng tin vào lớp học truyền thống để cải thiện khả nghe TOEIC học sinh lớp học TOEIC) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 HANOI - 2018 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY- HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES ****************** LƯỜNG HẠNH NGÂN AN ACTION RESEARCH ON APPLYING A BLENDED LEARNING PROGRAM TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ TOEIC LISTENING PERFORMANCE IN A TOEIC CLASS (Nghiên cứu cải tiến sư phạm việc áp dụng chương trình học kết hợp cơng nghệ thơng tin vào lớp học truyền thống để cải thiện khả nghe TOEIC học sinh lớp học TOEIC) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Supervisor: Dr Dương Đức Minh HANOI - 2018 DECLARATION I, Lường Hạnh Ngân, hereby certify that this thesis entitled: “An action research on applying a blended learning program to improve students‟ TOEIC listening performance in a TOEIC Class”, which is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, is the result of my own work I have provided fully documented references to the work of others The material in this thesis has not been submitted for any other formal course of study Hanoi, 2018 Lường Hạnh Ngân i ACKNOWLEGEMENTS This research paper would not have been completed without the help of many people to whom I would like to express my deep gratitude First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Mr Dương Đức Minh, PhD for his wholehearted support, continuous motivation and precious guidance which was decisive factors to the completion of the thesis I owe my parents their continuous support Their patience and love have helped me go beyond what sometimes looks like an insurmountable task I thank all my dear friends for their lifting my spirits at each turning point of this journey as well as for their great encouragement and valuable help during the data collection process Last but not least, I extend my special thanks to all the research participants Without their valuable opinions and ideas in the questionnaires, the study would not have been accomplished ii ABSTRACT This paper investigates the use of blended learning (BL) in an on-ground traditional face-to-face TOEIC course and seeks to determine the extent to which the blended TOEIC listening course significantly affects the improvement in students‟ TOEIC listening performance, how students experience the teacher‟s practice and behavior and measure the students‟ perceptions of the blended learning environment with respect to its effectiveness The purpose is to explore how to prepare English teachers to create a productive BL environment for their students To carry out this study both quantitative and qualitative methods were used In this case, the use of research may be directed by emphasizing on either quantitative or qualitative approaches in the mixed method research (Creswell, 2009) Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through the questionnaires at the end of the course Quantitative data would also be collected and analyzed to evaluate the effect of the blended TOEIC listening course by continuous evaluation and the pretest and posttest at the beginning and the end of the course respectively The results from the data revealed that the Blended TOEIC listening course significantly affected the improvement in students‟ TOEIC listening performance In addition, most of the students involved in the study are generally happy about the program and they recognize the benefits of the curriculum in enhancing interaction between them and their classmates as well as their teacher iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale .1 Aims of the study Research questions Scope of the study .2 Significance of the study Thesis outline PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Overview of listening comprehension .5 1.1.1 Definition of listening comprehension .5 1.1.2 Significance of listening comprehension 1.1.3 The listening comprehension process 1.1.4 Possible problems in listening comprehension 10 1.2 Overview of blended learning .12 1.2.1 Definition of blended learning .12 1.2.2 Features and possibilities of blended learning 14 1.2.3 Challenges to implementation of blended learning 15 1.2.4 Blended learning and E-learning 18 1.2.5 Blended learning frameworks 18 1.2.6 Learning outcomes in blended learning 21 1.3 Overview of the TOEIC listening test 23 1.3.1 The TOEIC test 23 1.3.2 TOEIC listening comprehension section 23 1.4 ICT tools and listening 24 1.5 The blended TOEIC listening course 25 1.6 Summary 30 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 31 2.1 Research design .31 2.2.Context of the study 32 iv 2.3 Participants 32 2.4 Data collection instruments 36 2.5 Data collection procedures 37 2.6 Data analysis methods 38 2.7 Summary 39 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS, DISCUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .40 3.1 Results and discussions 40 3.1.1 The level of the blended TOEIC listening course in the improvement of students‟ listening performance 40 3.1.2 Learners‟ attitudes towards the blended learning environment during their TOEIC listening course 42 3.2 Summary 49 PART C: CONCLUSION .50 Recapitulation 50 Major findings 50 Limitations 51 Recommendations and suggestions for further studies 53 Contribution of the study 54 REFERENCES 55 APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1: TOEIC LISTENING COMPREHENSION TEST I (PRETEST) I APPENDIX 2: TOEIC LISTENING COMPREHENSION TEST .XII (POSTTEST) XII APPENDIX 3: QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT BLENDED TOEIC LISTENING COURSE XXII APPENDIX 4: REPLIES FOR OPEN QUESTIONS FROM LEARNERS XXV APPENDIX 5: TOEIC LISTENING SYLLABUS (12 Sessions) XXVI v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BL : Blended Learning ESL : English as Second Language EFL : English as Foreign Language ICT Information and Communications Technology : TOEIC Test of English for International Communication : L2 Second Language : N : Number MOODLE : Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment vi LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 2.1 The pretest results Table 2.2 The course procedures Table 3.1 Group‟s performance in the pre-test and post-test Table 3.2 Results of the Paired-Sample T-tests Figure 1.1 Khan‟s Octagonal Framework (adapted by Singh, 2003) Figure 1.2 The homepage of Blended TOEIC listening course Figure 1.3 Further practice web page Figure 1.4 Assigned homework Figure 1.5 Summited homework Figure 1.6 Further exercises/practice Figure 1.7 The learners check the results of excersies Figure 3.1 Periodical test results Figure 3.2 Students‟ satisfaction of BL TOEIC listening course Figure 3.3 Students‟ attitude of online assignments Figure 3.4 Students‟ opinion about their online listening assignments Figure 3.5 Students‟ perception of online assignments Figure 3.6 Technical difficulties Figure 3.7 The impact of online activities on listening skills Figure 3.8 The impact of online assignments on specific listening skills Figure 3.9 Reasons for not completing the online assignments vii PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale With the emergence of online technology, the modern classroom is changing, nobody can deny the effectiveness of applying information communication and technology and the internet in foreign language teaching; therefore, living in the 21st century with a lot of new technologies coming into beings, teachers of English need to make use of these new technologies to apply in their English language teaching The computer with the internet is the one among the achievements of the new technologies and computers have had a great marvellous impact in English language teaching, so merging these two fields - computers and English language is inevitable in a world where many things are being automated and implemented into computer programs Listening ability is one of the important skills in foreign language learning and no one can deny its important role However, listening skills in language learning have not received sufficient attention and listening remains one of the least understood processes in language learning Hardly has anyone doubted nowadays that listening skills must be trained and practices regularly and continuously The contemporary application of high technology in language teaching and learning is listening online which can also be consolidated into traditional classroom listening to audio from cassettes or CDs Researchers and language practitioners have also perpetuated that listening skills could be chosen by the learners for a long period of time and the present advantages of high technology allow the use of a combination of learning techniques in which the method blended learning of listening skills in English classrooms is employed and applied effectively From the own experience as an English teacher in teaching English in general and listening skill in specific, the researcher has found that students encounter many difficulties when studying listening and since having a big gap in listening comprehension, when converging on the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) syllabus they PART Directions: You will hear some conversations between two people You will be asked to answer three questions about what the speakers say in each conversations Select the best response to each question and mark the letter (A), (B), (C) or (D) on your answer sheet The conversations will not be printed in your test book and will spoken only one time 41 Who sent the package? (A) Mr Ozawa (B) Ms Jones (C) Mr Ozawa‟s boss (D) Mr Ozawa‟s secretary 42 When is the meeting with Ms.Jones? (A) Right now (B) This morning (C) Tonight (D) Tomorrow 43 Where is Mr Ozawa now? (A) At lunch? (B) At his desk (C) In a meeting (D) In the mailroom 47 How many people will eat dinner? (A) Two (B) Three (C) Eight (D) Nine 48 What time will they eat dinner? (A) 8:30 (B) 8:45 (C) 9:00 (D) 10:00 49 What will they before dinner? (A) Visit the kitchen (B) Look for a table (C) Sit in the bar (D) Fix the car 44 Where are the speakers? (A) At home (B) At a bank (C) At the office (D) At a restaurant 50 What are the speakers discussing? (A) Washing the windows (B) Buying new chairs (C) Painting the room (D) Cleaning the rug 45 What will the woman do? (A) Buy a card (B) Pay the bill (C) Play a game (D) Cook a meal 51 What colour is the rug? (A) Green (B) White (C) Yellow (D) Blue 46 What will the man give the woman? (A) Some money (B) Some letters (C) A wallet (D) a meal 52 When will they start work on your project? (A) Tonight (B) Tomorrow (C) On Friday (D) Next week XVI 53 Why did Jim miss the meeting? (A) He was feeling sick (B) He had to type a memo (C) He left his watch at home (D) The copy machine didn‟t work 59 Who will be in the office tomorrow? (A) Sam (B) Sam‟s boss (C) Sam‟s friend (D) Sam‟s assistant 54 What time was the meeting? (A) 3:00 (B) 4:00 (C) 6:00 (D) 8:00 60 What does the woman want help with? (A) Cooking lunch (B) Finding a book (C) Going over accounts (D) Planning a conference 55 Why does the man have to hurry? (A) The meeting starts soon (B) He has to mail a letter (C) It‟s starting to rain (D) He has to catch a train 61 When will the woman go to the office? (A) After work (B) After lunch (C) Before lunch (D) At dinnertime 56 Where will the speakers go to work? (A) The conference room (B) The business office (C) The elevator (D) Their desks 62 What does the man want to buy? (A) A fax machine (B) A newspaper (C) A telephone (D) A briefcase 57 What will they take with them? (A) Pens (B) Notepads (C) A computer (D) Computer paper 63 How much is the sale? (A) 10 percent off (B) 15 percent off (C) 20 percent off (D) 50 percent off 58 What kind of work are they doing? (A) Ordering office supplies (B) Planning a conference (C) Fixing a computer (D) Writing a report 64 When does the sale end? (A) Today (B) Tomorrow (C) On Saturday (D) Next week XVII 65 What is broken? (A) The air conditioner (B) The photocopier (C) The telephone (D) The light 66 When will the repair person arrive? (A) At noon (B) Next week (C) Right way (D) This afternoon 67 What will the man while he is waiting? (A) Eat a meal (B) Read e-mail (C) Write a report (D) Make a phone call 68 Why can‟t the man meet with the woman this week? (A) He has to meet another person (B) He needs to rest this week (C) He‟ll be away on a trip (D) His office won‟t be open 69 What does the woman want to discuss? (A) Conference plans (B) A letter (C) Money (D) A class 70 What time will the woman be at the man‟s office? (A) 9:00 (B) 10:00 (C) 11:00 (D) 1:00 XVIII PART Directions: You will hear some talks given by a single speaker You will be asked to answer three questions about what the speaker says in each talk Select the best response to each question and mark the letter (A), (B), (C), or (D) on your answer sheet The talks will not be printed in your test book and will be spoken only one time 71 What time will the train leave? (A) 10:10 (B) 10:15 (C) 10:30 (D) 10:40 77 Where would you hear this announcement? (A) At a grocery store (B) At a department store (C) At a restaurant (D) At a library 72 Who should arrive at the gate early? (A) Passengers who can offer help (B) Passengers with luggage (C) Passengers who have questions (D) Passengers who have children 78 What is on sale? (A) Beef (B) Vegetables (C) Fruit (D) Suits 73 What form of payment is accepted for 79 Who can use the express check-out lanes? tickets on the train? (A) People buying ground beef (A) Cash (B) People buying sale items (B) Check (C) People buyinh vegetables (C) Credit card (D) People buying only 15 items (D) Money order 74 Who is talking? (A) A news reporter (B) A weather forecaster (C) A pilot (D) A travel agent 75 When is the speaker talking? (A) In the early morning (B) At noon (C) In the evening (D) Late at night 76 How will the weather be tomorrow? (A) Rainy (B) Cloudy (C) Sunny (D) Cold 80 Who is talking? (A) A student (B) A professor (C) An author (D) A medical doctor 81 What is the subject of the class? (A) Maths (B) Computers (C) Finance (D) Health 82 How many tests will there be? (A) One (B) Two (C) Seven (D) Ten XIX 83 Who was Bob Wilson? (A) A mayor (B) A bus driver (C) A war hero (D) An artist 89 What is Ms Park‟s book about? (A) Public speaking (B) Sports (C) Making money (D) Retail business 84 How long will they stay at the Wilson 90 What will Ms Park do? House? (A) Introduce someone (A) Half an hour (B) Receive an award (B) One hour (C) Read from her book (C) One hour and ten minutes (D) Make copies of the book (D) Two hours 91 What can you at the back of the 85 Where will they go after visiting the auditorium? Wilson House? (A) Buy a book (A) To a restaurant (B) Read some signs (B) To a bus station (C) Play a game (C) To a monument (D) Answer questions (D) To a museum 86 What are the tickets for? (A) A city bus tour (B) A theater (C) A sports event (D) An awards ceremony 92 Who is Pamela Jones? (A) A telephone operator (B) A scientist (C) An assistant (D) A newspaper reporter 87 Where can you get tickets? (A) At the stadium (B) At the front desk (C) At the bus station (D) At the ticket counter 93 Why can‟t she answer the telephoe right now? (A) She‟s at a conference (B) She‟s talking to someone else (C) She‟s reading the newspaper (D) She‟s working on a story 88 What time will the bus leave? (A) 3:00 in the morning (B) 6:00 in the morning (C) 3:00 in the afternoon (D) 6:00 in the evening 94 What should you if want to leave a message? (A) Talk to Ms.Jones‟s assistant (B) Call the main switchboard (C) Stay on the line (D) Send a message by e-mail XX 95 Which flight will arrive on time? (A) The flight from Hong Kong (B) The flight from Sydney (C) The flight from London (D) The flight from Paris 96 Why was the flight canceled? (A) Because of rain in London (B) Because of blizzard in Paris (C) Because no tickets were sold (D) Because the schedule changed 97 When does the special sale end? (A) This evening (B) On the weekend (C) Next week (D) Next month 98 How many shows will the theater have today? (A) One (B) Two (C) Three (D) Five 99 What is half price? (A) The midnight show (B) Tickets for people younger than 18 (C) Shows before five o‟clock (D) Snacks sold in the lobby 100 What is not allowed inside the theater? (A) Popcorn (B) Drinks (C) Any snack (D) Outside food XXI APPENDIX 3: QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT BLENDED TOEIC LISTENING COURSE XXII XXIII XXIV APPENDIX 4: REPLIES FOR OPEN QUESTIONS FROM LEARNERS XXV APPENDIX 5: TOEIC LISTENING SYLLABUS (12 Sessions) Objectives 1.1 Knowledge After finishing the course, participants strengthen and refine their knowledge: Grammar: knowledge of tense, use of nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, clauses in the text Types of conditional sentences, comparative adjectives; modal verbs, gerund and infinitive Vocabulary: Students increase their vocabulary on common topics in the TOEIC exams as well as in everyday life such as business, office, management, human resources, sales, finance, and finance Goods, restaurants, travel, entertainment, health care Phonetics: Students reinforce their knowledge and understanding of intonation, word stress, and sentence stress 1.2 Skill Learners will be able to listen and understand the words that describe the pictures, understand the questions, how to respond to those questions in the dialogues, and understand short conversations and talks in the TOEIC test 1.3 Attitude Learners love the subject Be proactive and earnest Learners The course aims at those who are interested in English at the elementary level, wanting to take the TOEIC exam to get 450 points Requirements Learners take part in all lessons in full, actively participate in classroom activities Be proactive in preparing homework and doing homework in full and be honest in the examination and evaluation Materials 4.1 Learning materials in class and at home Compiled by teachers from various TOEIC books: XXVI Longman New Toeic Listening Comprehension Pearson Longman John B & Henry J.A (2013) Tomato TOEIC Listening Kim S & Park Won Big step TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehesion Kim S & Park Won Big step TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehesion Lougheed, L (2008) 600 essential words for TOEIC 3rd ed Barron‟s Educational Series Lougheed, L (2006) Longman Preparation Series for the New TOEIC Test – Introductory Course 4th ed Pearson Education Rainbow TOEIC Parts 1, 2, 3, 4.2 References books Trew, G (2007) Tactics for TOEIC- Listening and Reading Test Oxford: Oxford University Press Taylor, A & Byrne G (2007) Very Easy TOEIC, 2nd ed Compass Publishing Taylor, A & Malarcher, C (2006) Starter TOEIC, 3rd ed Compass Publishing Talcott, A & Tullis, G (2006) Target Score – Acommunicative Course for TOEIC Test Preparation 2nd ed Cambridge: Cambridge University Press New Longman Real TOEIC Actual Tests for Listening & Reading Comprehension Pearson Longman Taylor, A (2006) Mastering TOEIC Test-taking Skills – TOEIC Analyst 2nd ed Compass Publishing 4.3 Websites http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish http://www.toeic-online-test.com http://www.goodlucktoeic.com http://www.toeic.com/2_2_2taketest.htm http://www.TOEICmirror.com http://www.waystoenglish.com XXVII Content of overall Training Week/Lesson Contents Pre-test & Introduction Listening part – Picture Description Listening part – Picture Description Listening part – Questions and Responses Listening part – Questions and Responses Listening part – Questions and Responses Listening part – Short Conversations Listening part – Short Conversations Listening part – Short Talks 10 Listening part – Short Talks 11 Review & Listening Practice 12 Post – test & Check Note Details 6.1 Implementation guide  Training duration: 12 sessions x hours/ session = 24 hours  Beginning of the course (Session 1) teacher use the Practice Test one (Longman Preparation Series for the New TOEIC Test) to test the student's entry level and use Practice Test Two to assess the progress of the student at the end of the course (session 12)  The book „600 Essential Words for the TOEIC‟ is used to teach vocabulary The main purpose is to provide vocabulary, so teacher can consider which exercises are suitable for class work and homework assignments  Teachers may get materials from other sources for teaching, if they find those contents suitable for the learners 6.2 Detailed contents [1] Lougheed, L (2008) 600 essential words for TOEIC 3rd ed Barron‟s Educational Series XXVIII [2] Lougheed, L (2006) Longman Preparation Series for the New TOEIC Test – Introductory Course 4th ed Pearson Education [3] Longman New Toeic Listening Comprehension Pearson Longman [4] John B & Henry J.A (2013) Tomato TOEIC Listening [5] Kim S & Park Won Big step TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehesion [6] Kim S & Park Won Big step TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehesion [7] Rainbow TOEIC Parts 1, 2, 3, Week/ Lesson 10 Contents Pre-test & Introduction Practice test &Vocabulary Listening part – Picture Description Vocabulary Listening part – Picture Description Vocabulary Listening part – Questions and Responses Vocabulary Listening part – Questions and Responses Vocabulary Listening part – Questions and Responses Review and practice & Vocabulary Listening part 3– Short Conversations Vocabulary Listening part 3– Short Conversations Vocabulary Listening part 4– Short Talks Vocabulary Listening part 4– Short Talks Vocabulary 11 Review & Listening Practice 12 Post – test & Check Questions and Answers XXIX Material [2] pp.209-222 [1] pp.1-18 [5] pp.15-39 [1] pp.19-32 [6] pp.18-48 [1] pp.33-50 [6] pp.58-74 [1] pp.51-64 [6] pp.75-92 [1] pp.65-82 [3] pp.136-149 [1] pp.83-96 [7] pp.122-172 [1] pp.97-114 [7] pp.174-221 [1] pp.115 -128 [7] pp.232-298 [1] pp.129-146 [7] pp.299-329 [1] pp.147-160 Compiled by Teacher [2] pp.249-262 XXX ... via blending a traditional face -to- face class and online learning environment to enhance the quality of TOEIC listening teaching and learning process in Vietnam Another possible contribution... listening test and ICT tools and listening All of these serve as a basis for an action research on applying a blended learning program to enhance listening performance for the students which is carried... on blended learning Khan‟s framework can serve as a guide to planning, development, delivery, management and evaluation of combined learning programs 1.2.6 Learning outcomes in blended learning