Demotivating factors in listening lessons of 10 grade students at no 1 lao cai high school

Vietnam national university, Hanoi University of languages and international studies Department of post graduate studies HOÀNG THỊ HỒNG NHUNG Demotivating factors in listening lessons of 10 grade students at No.1 lao cai High School NHỮNG YẾU TỐ GÂY MẤT HỨNG THÚ TRONG CÁC GIỜ HỌC NGHE CỦA HỌC SINH KHỐI 10 TẠI TRƯỜNG THPT SỐ THÀNH PHỐ LÀO CAI A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Supervisor: Nguyen Quynh Trang, MA Code: 601410 Hanoi, 2012 LIST OF TABLES AND DIAGRAMS No Candidate’s statement Acknowledgment List of tables and diagrams Table of contents PART ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1Rationale 1.2Aims of the study 1.3Research questions 1.4Research methodolo 1.5Scope of the study 1.6Contribution of the s 1.7Organization of the PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1Overview of listenin 1.2Overview of motivat 1.3Overview of demoti 1.4Possible demotivatin CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY 2.1Research questions 2.2Participants of the stu 2.3Method of the study 2.4Instruments 2.4.3 Interview for te 2.5Data collection and d CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 3.1Demotivating factors 3.2Teachers’ teaching str 3.3Overcoming demotiva PART THREE: CONCLUSION 3.1Conclusions 3.2Implications REFERENCES Appendix Appendix Appendix PART ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale Despite being aware the importance of English to career prospects, a large number of students seem to lose their interests in learning this international language English has taken an important role in not only Vietnam but also countries around the world In Vietnam, it cannot be deniable that one’s English proficiency has become his passport to a better job in all aspects of modern life In fact, Vietnamese students have learnt English through compulsory programs at school for many years Despite teachers’ efforts and the shift from the traditional teaching methods to communicative language teaching, English is still considered as a compulsory subject that needs to be mastered and tested rather than a tool for communication As a result, most of learners find themselves unable to use English for day-to-day communication after having passed the English national examination as a requirement for the General Education Diploma Although “listening is fundamental to speaking skill” in second language acquisition (Nunan, 1997), students’ low proficiency in listening is deniable At No.1 Lao Cai High School, students are bored in listening lessons Most of the learners have passive attitudes in listening lessons because of underlying reasons that need to be investigated A large number of researches have been conducted on language learning demotivation in general, but few studies have addressed possible demotivating factors in listening skill particularly It is necessary for teachers to be aware of the possible demotivating factors that cause students lose their motivation in listening lessons Hopefully, the major findings of the study will provide the teachers with students’ possible demotivating factors in listening lessons as well as factors that might assist their students to overcome demotivation With those factors in mind, they might have more appropriate teaching method to help their students make process in listening 1.2 Aims of the study The study aims at investigating possible demotivating factors in listening lessons of the 10th grade students at No.1 Lao Cai High School The main purposes of the study are summarized as follows: To investigate main demotivating factors that reduce students’ interests in listening lessons To explore techniques used by teachers of English to motivate their students in listening lessons To investigate factors that assist students to overcome their demotivation in listening lessons Reasearch questions This study aims to answer the following questions: What are the dominant demotivating factors affecting students’ listening lessons? What are techniques used by teachers to motivate their students in listening lesson? What are factors that assist students to overcome their demotivation in listening lessons? 1.4Research methodology This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods For quantitative method, two questionnaires were delivered to four teachers and 110 students A semi structure interview for teacher was also conducted to collect data qualitatively 1.5 The scope of the study This study focused only on demotivation in listening lessons of student in grade 10 at No.1 Lao Cai High School In details, the study was carried out to investigate students’ main demotivating factors in listening lessons, to discover techniques used 10 by teachers to motivated students in listening lessons and to discover main factors that assist students to overcome their demotivation in listening Contribution of the study This is one of the first studies discovering demotivating factors in a particular skilllistening There have been a large number of studies on students’ demotivation generally in learning English as a second language such as Christophel & Gorham, 1992; Gorham and Millette, 1997; Kearney, Plax, Hays, & Ivey ,1991; Zang’s 2007; Ikeno, 2002; Arai, 2004; Falout & Maruyama, 2004; Hasegawa, 2004; Kikuchi, in press; Tsuchiya, 2004a, 2004b, 2006a, 2006b; Kojima, 2005 However, few studies focus on demotivating factors that prevent learners from enjoying studying English in a particular skill, especially in listening skill The study’s contribution can be summarized as follows:  Theoretically, this study will shed a light on research area that few researchers have addressed: demotivation in listening  Practically, findings of this study will provide teachers of English at No.1 Lao Cai High School with deep understanding of demotivating factors encountered by their students in listening lessons so that they might have more appropriate teaching method To students, the findings suggested some factors that might help them to recover their interests in listening Organization of the study This study consists of three main parts: Introduction, Development and Conclusion Part 1: Introduction This part presents the Rationale, Aim of the study, Scope of the study, Research questions, Method of study, and The content of the study Part 2: Development This part consists of three main chapters 11 Chapter 1: Literature review This part presents theoretical background of motivation and demotivation, reviewing studies of demotivation in second language acquisition, and brief view on concepts of listening and demotivating factors in listening Chapter 2: Methodology Research questions, participants, method of the study, instruments, data collection and data analysis are discussed in this chapter Chapter 3: Research findings and discussion This chapter presents major research findings and discussion in details Part 3: Conclusion This part presents conclusions and implications 12 PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Overview of listening 1.1.1 Definition of listening Scholars claim that listening is a complex and active process Wipf (1984) states that listening is an invisible mental process in which listeners must discriminate between sounds, understand vocabulary and grammatical structures, interpret stress and intention, retain and interpret this within the immediate as well as the larger socio-cultural context of the utterance According to Rost (2002), listening is a process of receiving what the speaker actually says; constructing and representing meaning; negotiating meaning with the speaker and responding; and creating meaning through involvement, imagination and empathy 1.1.2 Listening processes According to Richard (1990), there are two distinct processes in listening: top-down and bottom-up, and listeners need to use both of them in their listening comprehension Listeners apply “top-down” processes when they use prior knowledge to understand the meaning of a message Prior knowledge can be knowledge of the topic, the listening context, the text-type, the culture or other information stored in long-term memory Listeners use content words and contextual clues to form hypotheses in an exploratory fashion On the other hand, listeners apply “bottom-up” processes when they use linguistic knowledge to understand the meaning of a message They build meaning from lower level sounds to words to grammatical relationships to lexical meanings in order to arrive at the final message Listening comprehension is not either top-down or bottom-up 13 processing, but an interactive, interpretive process where listeners use both prior knowledge and linguistic knowledge in understanding messages The degree to which listeners use the one process or the other will depend on their knowledge of the language, familiarity with the topic or the purpose for listening For example, listening for gist involves primarily top-down processing, whereas listening for specific information, as in a weather broadcast, involves primarily bottom-up processing to comprehend all the desired details Byrnes (1984) emphasizes that context takes an important role in listening process Research from cognitive psychology has shown that listening comprehension is more than extracting meaning from incoming speech It is a process of matching speech with what listeners already know about the topic Therefore, when listeners know the context of a text or an utterance, the process is facilitated considerably because listeners can activate prior knowledge and make the appropriate inferences essential to comprehending the message Therefore, teachers need to help students organize their thoughts, to activate appropriate background knowledge for understanding and to make predictions, to prepare for listening This significantly reduces the burden of comprehension for the listener In listening process, Richards (1990) states the learners need to be aware of the purpose of the task He differentiates between an interactional and a transactional purpose for communication Knowing the communicative purpose of a text or utterance will help the listener determine what to listen for and, therefore, which processes to activate Listeners listen selectively according to the purpose of the task This determines the type of listening required and the way in which listeners will approach a task Interactional use of language is socially oriented, existing largely to satisfy the social needs of the participants such as small talk and casual conversations Therefore, interactional listening is highly contextualized and twoway, involving interaction with a speaker A transactional use of language, on the 14 between their answers in questionnaires and the underlying reasons leading to these responses REFERENCES Ames, C., & Ames, R (1989) Research in Motivation in Education San Diego: Academic Press Anderson, A and T Lynch (1988) Listening London: Oxford University Press Arai, K (2004) What “demotivates” language learners?: Qualitative study on demotivational factors and learners' reactions Bulletin of Toyo Gakuen University 12, 39-47 Burstall, C., Jamieson, M., Cohen, S & Hargreaves, M (1974) Primary French in the balace Slough: NFER Publishing Co Byrnes, H (1984) The Role of Listening Comprehension: A Theoretical Base Foreign Language Annals 17:317-29 Chamber, D N (1993) Taking the “de” out of Demotivation Language learning Journal, 7, 13-16 Christophel, D., Gorham, J (1992) A test-retest analysis of student motivation, teacher immediacy and perceived sources of motivation and demotivation in college classes Communication Education 44, 292-306 Dornyei, Z (1994) Motivation and motivating in the foreign language classroom Modern Language Journal 78, 273-284 Dornyei, Z (1998) Demotivation in foreign language learning Paper presented at the TESOL '98 Congress Seattle, WA Dornyei, Z (2001a) Teaching and researching motivation Longman, Harlow Dornyei, Z (2001b) Motivation strategies in the language classroom Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Falout, J., Maruyama, M., 2004 A comparative study of proficiency and learner demotivastion The Language Teacher 28, 3-9 XLIV Feyten, C M (1991) The Power of Listening Ability: An Overlooked Dimension in Language Acquisition The Modern Language Journal 75:173-80 Gardner, R.C., & Lambert, W.E (1959) Motivational variables in second language acquisition Canadian Journal of Psychology: 13 Gardner, R.C and Lambert, W.E (1972) Attitudes and Motivation in Second Language Learning Rowley, MA: Newbury House Publishers Gardner, R C (1983) Learning Another Language: A True Social Psychological Experiment Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 2, 219-240 Gardner, R C (1985) Social Psychology and Second Language Learning: The Role of Attitudes and Motivation London, UK: Edward Arnold Gorham, J., Christophel, D., 1992 Students' perception of teacher behaviors as motivating and demotivating factors in college classes Communication Quarterly 40, 239-252 Gorham, J., Millette, D (1997) A comparative analysis of teacher and student perceptions of sources of motivation and demotivation in college classes Communication Education 46, 245-261 Hasegawa, A (2004) Student demotivation in the foreign language classroom Takushoku Language Studies 107, 119-136 Hayamizu,T (1993) Between extrinsic and instrinsic motivation: Examination on individual beliefs of the links between both motivation Bulletin of the School of Education, 40, 77-88 Nagoya, Educational psychology Ikeno, O (2002) Motivating and demotivating factors in foreign language learning: A preliminary investigation Ehime University Journal of English Education Research 2, 1-19 Kearney, P., Plax, T G., Hays, E R., & Ivey, M.J (1991) College teacher misbehaviors: What students don't like about what teachers say and Communication Quarterly, 39, 309-324 XLV Kikuchi, K., in press Listening to our learners' voices: What demotivates EFL high school students? Language Teaching Research, 13, 12-36 Kikuchi, K., Sakai, H (2007) Japanese learners' demotivation to study English: A survey study Unpublished manuscript Kojima, S (2005) English learning demotivation in Japanese EFL students: Research in demotivational patterns from the qualitative research results of three different types of high schools Unpublished master thesis Kwansei Gakuin University, Hyogo, Japan Krashen, D (1988) Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning Prentice-Hall International Larsen-Freeman, Diane and Michael H Long 1991 An introduction to second language acquisition research New York: Longman 333pp Mendelsohn, D (1998) Teaching Listening Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 18:81-101 O'Malley, J M & A U Chamot (1990) Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Naiman, N., Prohlich, M., Sterm, H.H and Todesco, A (1978) The Good Language Learners Toronto, Ontario: Ontaria Institute for Studies in Education Nunan, D (1997) Closing the Gap between Learning and Instruction TESOL Quarterly Vol 29, No 1, Spring 1995 pp 133-158 Oxford, R (1993) Research Update on L2 Listening System 21:205-11 Oxford, R L & Shearin, J (1994) Language learning motivation: Expanding the Theoretical Framework The Modern Language Journal, 78, 12-28 Richards, J C (1990) The Language Teaching Matrix New York: Cambridge University Press Rost, M (2002) Teaching and Researching Listening London, UK: Longman XLVI Tsuchiya, M (2004a) Nihonjin daigakuseino eigogakushuuheno demotivation (Japanese university students' demotivation to study English) The Chugoku Academic Society of English Language Education Kenkyukiyo 34, 57-66 Tsuchiya, M (2004b) Factors in demotivation concerning learning English: A preliminary study of Japanese university students The Kyushu Academic Society of English Language Education (KASELE) 32, 39-46 Tsuchiya, M (2006a) Factors in demotivation of lower proficiency English learners at college The Kyushu Academic Society of English Language Education (KASELE) 34, 87-96 Tsuchiya, M (2006b) Profiling of lower achievement English learners at college in terms of demotivating factors Annual Review of English Language Education in Japan (ARELE) 17, 171-180 Ur, P (1984) Teaching of English as a second or foreign language Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Ushioda E (1998) Effective motivational thinking: a cognitive theoretical approach to the study of language learning motivation', in Current Issues in English Language Methodology, 77- 89 Vandergrift, L (1997a) The Strategies of Second Language (French) Listeners: A Descriptive Study Foreign Language Annals 30:387-409 Vandergrift, L (1999) Facilitating Second Language Listening Comprehension: Acquiring Successful Strategies ELT Journal 53:168-76 Vandergrift, L (2002) It was nice to see that our predictions were right: Developing Metacognition in L2 Listening Comprehension Canadian Modern Language Review 58:555-75 Willis, J (1981) Teaching English through English London: Longman XLVII Wipf, J (1984) Strategies for Teaching Second Language Listening Comprehension Foreign Language Annals, 17:345-48 Zhang, Q (2007) Teacher misbehaviors as learning demotivators in college classrooms: A cross-cultural investigation in China, Germany, Japan, and the United States Communication Education 56, 209-227 Appendix (translated into English) Questionnaire for students This survey questionnaire is designed for my thesis Demotivating factors in listening lessons of 10 grade students at No.1 Lao Cai High School It is highly appreciate if you could spend your time completing truthfully the questionnaire All your own information is only used for the thesis purpose, and you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Thank you very much for your cooperation! PART ONE:  I would like you to indicate your opinion by ticking ( ) the boxes below How proficiency? How lessons? PART TWO: How much is the following statements true for you as a demotivating factor in listening lessons?  Please tick ( ) in appropriate boxes that best indicate your opinion No Items XLVIII Unfamiliar accents block my understanding Unknown understanding I am confused with complex structures utterances No Items I cannot effectively (cannot words or write fast) I am nervous because of texts with density I am confused with fast speech I lost my interest in listening because of failure in the past I lost my understanding of the purpose of listening I am forced to go to intensive English parents high 10 I am forced to learn English at my leisure time 11 I think listening skill is not necessary career 12 English influences language 13 I not like foreigners No Items 14 I not like repetition of listening practice 15 Teachers’ boring 16 Teachers leave me no time to catch up 17 Teacher’s instructions are not clear 18 Teachers’ terrifies me 19 Teachers’ humiliation on low achievers terrifies me 20 Only high teachers’ appraisal 21 Teachers’ scolding performance irritates me 22 Teachers are easy to become emotional 23 The class is always in disorder, which performance in class No Items 24 My class is not into studying, which performance in class 25 It is noisy out side when I listen to the tape/CD 26 The audio quality is poor 27 Listening tasks I did are not interesting or authentic 28 The content of the listening texts are not interesting or authentic 29 My teachers rarely speak English in class 30 I am lack of opportunities to communicate in English outside class 31 Listening is not important because it is not included in tests and examinations 32 My teacher focuses mainly on grammar and vocabulary 33 I wish to master of grammar because I want to get good marks in tests and exams 34 I think other languages (Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, etc) will more important than English in the future 35 I like to study Chinese than English Other demotivating factors (please specify) PART III: In your opinion, what are some possible reasons that help you recover your interests in listening lessons? LII Thank you very much for your cooperation! APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS This survey questionnaire is designed for my thesis “Demotivating factors in listening lessons of 10 grade students at No.1 Lao Cai High School” It is highly appreciate if you could spend your time completing truthfully the questionnaire All your own information is only used for the thesis purpose, and you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Thank you very much for your cooperation! Please circle the capital letter (A, B, C, D ) in front of the answers that indicate your opinion or write your responses in given blanks In which stage of a listening lesson you find that it is necessary to motivate your students? A Warm-up B Pre-listening C While listening What you think about the relationship between listening and other skill? A They are closely related to each other B They are separated skills C LIII Other ideas (please specify) How often you speak English to your students when delivering lectures? A Never B Rarely C Sometimes Please order the importance of the four skill and linguistic aspects from 1( t most important) to (the less important) Reading Listening Speaking Writing .Grammar Vocabulary LIV ii How you rate your students’ proficiency in listening? A very poor B poor C average D good E very good How motivated are your students in listening lessons? A very low B low C average D high E very high What can be motivating factors that encourage your students in listening lessons? What can be demotivating factors preventing your students from enjoying their listening lessons? Appendix 3: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (Composed in May 2012) Interviewee ii iii How long have you been teaching English? Please describe your students’ behaviors/ attitudes toward listening lessons Which aspect of language you mainly focus when teaching? (Grammar, vocabulary, or skills?) Why? Have you ever you accessed your students’ listening skill by marking them? Have you ever used listening materials outside instead of listening texts in the textbook? Please summarize the framework of your listening lesson Could you describe some techniques/methods you often use in each stage of listening lessons to motivate your students? APPENDIX Teachers’ Responses Q Quiet, bore Grammar, iii iv vocabulary, reading (reasons: exams, habit) No Rarely (songs) Pre-while-postlistening Q7*: Teacher’s techniques to motivate their students at Pre – While- Post listening stages Teacher - using pictures - asking and answeri - provide specific wo - brainstorming voca - contextualizing - providing specific - brainstorming voca - activating of prior - modifying tasks - activating of prior - providing specific Teacher - Complementing iv v - Making students be - Making students be - Complementing - Making students be - Having students ch Teacher - having student read - Analyzing linguisti No idea No idea - Having students sh v ... orientation were the main demotivating factors that caused 10 th grade students at No. 1 Lao Cai High School demotivated in listening lessons In terms of teacher’s techniques, the teachers at No. 1 Cai. .. demotivating factors in listening lessons of the 10 th grade students at No. 1 Lao Cai High School The main purposes of the study are summarized as follows: To investigate main demotivating factors that... identify main demotivating factors which affect 10 grade students? ?? listening at No. 1 Lao Cai High School and possible factors that help students to overcome demotivation The questionnaire contains three