Improving 11th form students listening comprehension through modified listening task of the new textbook english 11 at kinh mon high school, haiduong

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* VŨ THỊ THÀNH DINH IMPROVING 11 TH FORM STUDENTS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION THROUGH MODIFIED LISTENING TASKS OF THE NEW TEXTBOOK ENGLISH 11 AT KINH MON HIGH SCHOOL, HAI DUONG (NÂNG CAO KHẢ NĂNG NGHE HIỂU CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 11 TRƯỜNG THPT KINH MÔN, HẢI DƯƠNG THÔNG QUA VIỆC THIẾT CHỈNH LẠI MỘT SỐ BÀI TẬP NGHE TRONG SÁCH GIÁO KHOA TIẾNG ANH 11) M.A.MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE : 601410 HANOI – 2011 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* VŨ THỊ THÀNH DINH IMPROVING 11 TH FORM STUDENTS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION THROUGH MODIFIED LISTENING TASKS OF THE NEW TEXTBOOK ENGLISH 11 AT KINH MON HIGH SCHOOL, HAI DUONG (NÂNG CAO KHẢ NĂNG NGHE HIỂU CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 11 TRƯỜNG THPT KINH MÔN, HẢI DƯƠNG THÔNG QUA VIỆC THIẾT CHỈNH LẠI MỘT SỐ BÀI TẬP NGHE TRONG SÁCH GIÁO KHOA TIẾNG ANH 11) M.A.MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE : 601410 SUPERVISOR: NGUYỄN THỤY PHƯƠNG LAN, M.A HANOI - 2011 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Candidate’s statement i Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii List of tables and charts viii List of abbreviations ix page PART I: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale………………………………………………………………… Aims of the study………………………………………………………… Research questions……………………………………………………… Scope of the study………………………………………………………… Design of the study……………………………………………………… PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Theoretical background of listening skill…………………………………………… 1.1.1 Definitions of listening……………………………………………………… 1.1.2 Definitions of listening comprehension…………………………………… 1.1.3 The significance of listening comprehension……………………………… 1.1.4 Factors affect students’ listening comprehension…………………………… 1.2 Listening tasks………………………………………………………………… 1.2.1 Definitions of task ………………………………………………………… 1.2.2 Criteria of a good listening task…………………………………………… 1.2.3 Types of listening tasks…………………………………………………… 1.3 Material adaptation……………………………………………………………… 3 6 v 1.3.1 Definition of material adaptation………………………………………… 1.3.2 Reasons for adapting materials…………………………………………… 1.3.3 Principles for adapting materials………………………………………… 1.3.4 Techniques for adapting materials……………………………………… 1.3.5 Levels of material adaptation…………………………………………… 1.3.5.1 Macro adaptation………………………………………………………… 1.3.5.2 Adapting a unit………………………………………………………… 1.3.5.3 Adaptation of specific activities……………………………………… CHAPTER TWO: THE METHODOLOGY 2.1 Research method of the study………………………………………………………… 2.1.1 An overview of action research…………………………………………… 2.1.2 Action research models……………………………………………………… 2.1.3 Action research cycle and procedure for this research……………………… 2.2 Data collection instruments………………………………………………………… 2.2.1 Pre and post tests…………………………………………………………… 2.2.2 Survey questionnaires……………………………………………………… 2.2.3 Classroom observations…………………………………………………… 2.2.4 Teaching diary……………………………………………………………… 2.2.5 Textbook analysis…………………………………………………………… 2.3 Participants……………………………………………………………………………… 2.3.1 The teacher/ researcher……………………………………………………… 2.3.2 The non- participate observer……………………………………………… 2.3.3 The students………………………………………………………………… 2.4 Summary……………………………………………………………………………… CHAPTER THREE: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 3.1 Initial data……………………………………………………………………………… 3.1.1 Results from pre-listening test……………………………………………… 3.1.2 Results from pre-action stage observations………………………………… 3.1.3 Results from students’ questionnaire 1……………………………………… vi 3.1.3.1 Students’ evaluation about listening skill and their own listening competence………………………………………………………………………… 3.1.3.2 Students’ opinions about listening tasks in English 11…………………… 3.1.3.3 Students’ feelings when doing listening tasks in English 11 ……………… 3.1.3.4 Students’ evaluation about the effectiveness of listening tasks to their listening competence……………………………………………………………… 3.1.3.5 Students’ preferences for listening tasks………………………………… 3.1.3.6 Students’ opinions about the way their teachers treat listening tasks……… 3.1.4 Results from document analysis…………………………………………… 3.1.4.1 English 11………………………………………………………………… 3.1.4.2 Listening tasks in listening sections of English 11……………………… 3.1.5 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………… 3.2 The hypothesis………………………………………………………………… 3.3 Planning action steps………………………………………………………… 3.3.1 Replacing…………………………………………………………………… 3.3.2 Omitting………………………………………………………………… 3.3.3 Changing…………………………………………………………………… 3.4 Data collected in the action stage………………………………………………… 3.4.1 Results from action stage observations…………………………… 3.4.2 Results from Questionnaire ……………………………………………… 3.4.3 Results from teaching diaries………………………………………………… 3.4.4 Results from post-test……………………………………………………… 3.5 Action research evaluation…………………………………………………………… 3.5.1 Students’ involvement in tasks before and after action plan………………… 3.5.2 Students’ progress reflected through tests………………………………… 3.5.3 Summary of major findings and discussions………………………………… 3.5.3.1 The unsuitability of listening tasks in the textbook affects students’ listening comprehension…………………………………………………………… vii 3.5.3.2 Students’ preferences for listening tasks………………………………… 37 3.5.3.3 Modified listening tasks could help improve students’ listening comprehension……………………………………………………………………… 37 PART III: CONCLUSION……………………………………………………… 39 Conclusions…………………………………………………………… 39 Recommendations…………………………………………………………… 39 Limitations of the study………………………………………………………… 40 Suggestions for further study…………………………………………………… 40 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………… APPENDICES 41 viii LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS List of tables Table 1: Results from pre-listening test………………………………… Table 2: Students’ involvement in the tasks……………………………… Table 3: Frequency of listening tasks in listening lessons…………… Table 4: Students’ feelings when doing listening tasks in English 11…… Table 5: Students’ evaluation about the effectiveness of listening tasks … Table 6: Students’ preferences for listening tasks………………………… Table 7: Students’ opinions about the ways their teachers treat listening tasks Table 8: Topic in English 11…………………………………………… Table 9: Types of listening tasks in English 11………………………… Table 10: Students’ involvement in the tasks…………………………… Table 11: Students’ evaluation about modified listening tasks ………… Table 12: Results of post-test…………………………………………… List of charts……………………………………………………………… Chart 1: Students’ involvement in tasks before and after action plan…… Chart 2: Students’ progress reflected through tests ……………………… ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS - MOET: The Ministry of Education and Training - EFL:English as a foreign language - AR:Action research - TESOL : Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study The years 2006, 2007 and 2008 marked a milestone in the ways of teaching and learning English when the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) introduced the new sets of English textbook English 10, English 11 and English 12 to school curriculum The aim of MOET is to develop students‟ communicative competence so as to meet the demand of integration and globalization That is the reason why in the new textbooks, four skills including reading, speaking, listening and writing are put in priority and integrated Of the four skills mentioned above, listening is considered to be the most challenging one Most students find it hard to master this skill and soon feel bored with listening periods The reasons for this are various, such as uninteresting topics, fast speed, students' poor pronunciation or lack of background knowledge and cultural understanding Eleven graders at Kinh Mon High School have encountered such a lot of difficulties when dealing with listening lessons However, after five years of teaching English 11, I also discover that the listening tasks themselves are also a factor affecting students‟ listening comprehension It is obvious that suitable tasks make students more interested in the listening passages and then help them develop their listening skills Inappropriate tasks, on the contrary, can demotivate students In listening sections of English11, some tasks are too difficult or too long and some are boring In this case, it is necessary for teachers to modify listening tasks to make the tasks more suitable and interesting for learners, even though it is not an easy job for the teacher as modifying tasks means having to take many things into accounts such as the objectives, the criteria or the student‟s needs However, for the benefit of students, it is worth doing so For the above reasons, especially for the researcher‟s desire to help her students better th at listening, the choice of the study entitled “Improving 11 form students’ listening comprehension through modified listening tasks of the new textbook English 11 at Kinh Mon High School, Hai Duong” is not accidental 2 Aims of the study The main purpose of this research is to study the effects of modified listening tasks of English 11 on improving 11 th form students‟ listening comprehension at Kinh Mon Upper-Secondary School The specific objectives of the study are: To investigate students‟ attitudes towards listening tasks in English 11 and the difficulties they face To study whether the modified listening tasks could help students improve their listening comprehension Research questions As a basis for my investigation, the following research questions were formulated: What makes students uninterested in listening lessons? How can the modified listening tasks help improve students‟ listening comprehension? Scope of the study Due to the limited knowledge, energy and time, the researcher was unable to carry out the investigation on a large scale This action research was only conducted for only weeks with the four listening lessons and in the context of 50 eleventh-grade students at Kinh Mon High School in the academic year 2011-2012 only Hence, the results of the study is only limited to the above teaching context and participants Design of the study This study consists of three parts: Part I: The introduction: provides the basis information such as rationale for the study, aims of the study, research questions, methods of the study, scope of the study and the design of the study Part II: The development: consists of three chapters The first chapter is literature review which discussed theoretical background relevant to the purposes of the study The next one is the methodology which gives a detailed description of how the study was conducted The last chapter is to report the data analysis as well as the results of the study Part III: The conclusion: summarizes the action research Then some recommendations are proposed, some limitations of the study are pointed out as well as some suggestions for further research are given out 38 First of all, the modified tasks not only closely followed the theories of listening and principles for adapting materials but they were also based on students‟ opinions Hence, the modified tasks fit students‟ needs and interests In addition, after each lesson, the researcher immediately got reflection from students through questionnaires, from a colleague teacher through observations and she herself kept teaching diaries This helped the researcher have proper adjustments for the next lessons to fit students‟ needs Therefore, all the modified listening tasks were certainly prepared Last but not least, the researcher tried to employ the various techniques for adapting the material to ensure the modified tasks more appropriate to her students 39 PART III: CONCLUSION There are four sections in this chapter The first section deals with conclusions The second section states some recommendations Following are some limitations of the present study The last section suggests some suggestions for further study Conclusions The action research was conducted within eight weeks In the first week, by observing lessons, discussing with colleague teachers and talking with students, the problem of students‟ uninterest in listening lessons was identified In the following week, at the preaction stage, observations, questionnaire and document analysis were employed to confirm the problem After analyzing data from these instruments, the unsuitability of listening tasks in the textbook English 11 was found to be one of the main reasons which made students bored with listening lessons The fact is that most of the students are not good at listening, whereas some listening tasks in the textbook are so difficult that students can not deal with Besides that, some tasks are too long for students to complete in a short time Finding the answer for the first research question led to the hypothesis whether modified listening tasks could help increase students‟ listening comprehension To solve the problem, an action plan was prepared by modifying listening task in the textbook The modification of the tasks was based not only on the principles for adapting materials but also on students‟ real needs and interests The techniques used for modification were replacing, omitting and changing Three weeks following, the action plan was applied in three lessons (Unit 3, and 7) The data collected from questionnaire 2, observations and teaching diaries clearly showed that most of the students made progresses in listening Despite some shortcomings, the modified listening tasks were quite effective as the tasks could help students more engaged into the lessons and then their listening competence was enhanced Recommendations As discussed in this study, the application of modified tasks can be effective in improving students‟ listening comprehension So as for EFL teachers to have effective modifications, I have some recommendations as follows: 40 First of all, teachers should spend time talking to students to find out which kinds of listening task they are fond of as well as which kinds of listening tasks not meet students‟ needs and levels Secondly, a plan about modifying listening tasks should be well and thoroughly prepared The teacher must point out what he/ she intends to with the tasks Thirdly, after each modified listening taught to students, a small survey or an informal interview may be helpful as it will help teachers measure the appropriateness of the modified tasks Last but not least, the researcher also recommends some useful techniques which can be often used to modify listening tasks These techniques are omitting, replacing, changing, adding or simplifying Depending on a particular situation of each class, the teacher can choose some suitable techniques for the action plan Limitations of the study The study has gained some success in improving students‟ listening comprehension through modified listening tasks However, it still bears some limitations First of all, the whole research lasted for eight weeks and the modified tasks were applied within three weeks merely with three lessons The results would be more reliable if the researcher had more time to study and experiment with more lessons Secondly, within the scope of the study, the participants in the study were limited in a class with 50 students The researcher really wishes that she could conduct the research on a larger scale to produce better results Finally, the study would be more effective if the researcher were much better at academic language proficiency, and had more experience in carrying out the research Suggestions for further study This study is of small-scale with limited participants Therefore, a similar study with bigger scope of subjects at other school might be conducted so as to get a fuller evaluation of the listening tasks in English 11 Other studies on modifying activities in such skills as reading, speaking and writing may be also helpful for EFL learners 41 REFERENCES 1.Anderson, A & Lynch, T (1988) Listening Oxford: Oxford University Press 2.Barker, L (1971) Listening Behavior Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents 3.Boyle, J.P (1984) Factors Affecting Listening Comprehension ELT Journal 38 (1) 34-8 4.Brown, H.D (1994) Teaching by Principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy: Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents 5.Brown, G & Yule, G (1983) Teaching the Spoken Language Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 6.Coles, J & Quirk, R (2001) Action Research for Education Buckingham: Open University Press 7.Crookes, G (1986) Tasks classification: a cross-disciplinary review Technique Report No 4, Honolulu: Center for language classroom Research, Social Science Research Institute, University of Hawaii 8.Cunningham, D (1995) Language to Go Longman: Longman.com 9.Dick, P & Swepson, J (1997) Research Design and Statistics for Applied Linguistics Rowley MA: Newbury House 10.Emmert, P (1994) A definition of listening Listening Post, 51, 11.Kemmis, S., & Mc Tagger, R (1998) The Action Research Planner Geelong, Victoria, Australia: Deakin University Press 42 12.Lee, J (2000) Tasks and Communicating in Language Classrooms Boston: McGrawHill 13.Lewin, K (1946) “Action research and minority problems” in Lewin, G W (Ed.), Resolving Social Conflicts London: Harper & Row 14.Madsen, H.S & Bowen, J.D (1978) Adaptation in Language Teaching Rowley, MA: Newbury House 15.McBride, N & Schostak, J.F (2002) Understanding, Designing and Conducting Qualitative Research in Education, Framing the Project Open University Press 16.McDonough, J & Shaw, C (1993) Materials and Methods in ELT: Blackwell Publishers 17.McDonough, T.F & Shaw, J (1993) The Power of Positive Teaching New York: McMillan 18.Nunan, D (1991) Language teaching methodology Sydney: Prentice-Hall 19.Nunan, D (1992) Research Methods in Language Learning Cambridge: Cambride University Press 20.Peacock, M (1997).The Effect of Authentic Material on the Motivation of EFL Learners EFL Journal, Vol 51, No.2 April 1997, 144-156 Oxford University Press nd 21.Rivers, W.M (1981) Teaching Foreign Language Skills (2 ed.) Chicago: University of Chicago Press 22.Rost, M (1994) Introducing Listening London: Penguin Group 43 23.Rixon, S (1986) Developing Listening Skills Macmillan 24.Tanner, R & Green, C (1998) Tasks for Teacher Education Addison Wesley Longman Limited 25.Tomlinson, B (1998) Materials Development in Language Teaching Cambridge University Press 26.Ur, P (1996) A Course in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 27.Wallace, M J (1998) Action Research for Language teachers: Cambride University Press 28.Wolven A.D & Coakley, C (1985) Listening Dubuque: William C Brown I APPENDIX 1: PRE-TEST ENGLISH LISTENING TEST Time: 15 minutes Name: …………………………………… Class: 11I Listen to the two descriptions three times Mark the statements True (T) or False (F) Sydney … People in Sydney don’t like strangers ……… Sydney Harbor is very large … You can see many animals at Harbor Zoo ……… At the zoo, you can see koala bears Singapore ……… Visitors love Singapore for the nightlife ……… There are many different kinds of people living in Singapore ……… The food is very expensive ……… Outdoor food markets are the best places to eat II APPENDIX 2: ĐIỀU TRA NGHIÊN CỨU ( Dành cho học sinh) Các em học sinh thân mến, Phiếu khảo sát nhằm phục vụ cho đề tài nghiên cứu “ Nâng cao khả nghe hiểu cho học sinh lớp 11 trường THPT Kinh Môn, Hải Dương thông qua việc thiết chỉnh lại số tập nghe sách giáo khoa Tiếng Anh 11” Các thông tin liệu mà em cung cấp quan trọng việc nghiên cứu Rất mong nhận hợp tác em Xin em vui lòng trả lời câu hỏi sau Xin chân thành cảm ơn! Thông tin cá nhân: Giới tính : a.Nam b Nữ a Nơng thôn b Thị trấn Tuổi :……………………… Em sống ở: Em học tiếng Anh được: …………….năm Em thấy việc học kĩ nghe nào? a.Rất khó b Khó c Khơng khó d.Tương đối dễ 2.Em đánh giá khả nghe hiểu mình? a Rất tốt b Tương đối tốt c Bình thường d Kém e Rất Em có thường hồn thành tập nghe học nghe không? a.Luôn b.Thường xuyên c.Thỉnh thoảng d Chưa III Em thường gặp dạng tập nghe sau học nghe ( Đánh dấu ( √ ) vào thích hợp ) Dạng tập Trả lời câu hỏi Điền từ vào chỗ trống Xác định thông tin đúng/sai Đánh số tranh Chọn đáp án Hoàn thành thơng tin cịn thiếu bảng, biểu Đánh dấu ( √ ) vào thông tin mà em nghe Theo em, dạng tập nghe SGK Tiếng Anh lớp 11 có đa dạng khơng? a.Rất đa dạng b.Không đa dạng c.Không đa dạng chút Khi làm tập nghe SGK, em thường cảm thấy nào? a Rất hứng thú b Hứng thú c Bình thường d Nhàm chán IV e Rất nhàm chán Em đánh giá độ hiệu tập nghe SGK việc nâng cao khả nghe hiểu em? a Rất hiệu b Tương đối hiệu c Không rõ d Không hiệu e Phản tác dụng Các em vui lòng đánh dấu ( √ ) vào dạng tập nghe mà em thích làm a Trả lời câu hỏi b Điền từ vào chỗ trống c Xác định thông tin đúng/sai d Đánh số tranh e Chọn đáp án f Hồn thành thơng tin thiếu bảng, biểu g Đánh dấu ( √ ) vào thông tin mà em nghe Giáo viên em thường dạy dạng tập nghe SGK nào? a.Thầy ( Cô ) thường dạy nguyên xi SGK b Thầy ( Cô ) thay đổi tập khó tập dễ c Thầy ( Cô ) thường xuyên thay đổi, điều chỉnh tập nghe cho phù hợp với trình độ học sinh lớp Chân thành cảm ơn! V APPENDIX 3: PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA NGHIÊN CỨU (Adapted from Peacock 1997) ( Dành cho học sinh) Các em học sinh thân mến, Phiếu điều tra nhằm để đánh giá tập sử dụng học hôm Đây khơng phải kiểm tra khơng có câu trả lời hay sai Sự tham gia đóng góp ý kiến đánh giá em vô quý báu đề tài nghiên cứu mà thực Các em viết tên vào phiếu điều tra Sau điền xong phiếu, mong em nộp lại cho giáo viên Chân thành cảm ơn em! Các em khoanh tròn vào chữ số thể quan điểm đánh giá em khái niện bên + Nếu số mô tả mạnh quan điểm ý kiến em khái niệm, em khoanh trịn chữ số minh họa đưới đây: Nhàm chán: Nhàm chán: + Nếu số miêu tả quan điểm ý kiến em khái niệm, em khoanh tròn chữ số minh họa đây: Nhàm chán: Nhàm chán: + Nếu số miêu tả quan điểm ý kiến em khái niệm bình thường, em khoanh trịn chữ số minh họa đây: Nhàm chán: : hay Em khoanh tròn số để bày tỏ ý kiến em tập nghe ngày hôm Mỗi hàng em khoanh tròn số VI Nhàm chán Không hứng thú Không thỏa mãn Không phù hợp Em đưa nhận xét chung buổi học hơm đưa đề xuất để làm cho học thú vị Chân thành cảm ơn em! VII APPENDIX 4: OBSERVATION SHEET (Adapted from Nunan 1995) Observer:………………………………………………… Dates:………………………… Teacher:………………………………………………… Observed class:……………… Number of students:……………………………… The observed lesson:…………………………………… Types of activities: (circle one) original/ modified Instructions: This sheet is for observing the class as a whole, not individual student Complete this sheet when the tasks are drawing to close Circle one number for each statement below Add your comments at the bottom of the sheet if you wish Mark how involved in the task the students are: Not very involved Mark the level of students’ concentration on the learning task: Low The students are enjoying the task Not really The students are paying persistent attention to the learning tasks Not really The students find the modified activities interesting Not really The modified listening tasks are appropriate for the students Not really Comments:……………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… VIII APPENDIX 5: TEACHING DIARY Unit:…………………………… I Effectiveness of the modified listening tasks and the lesson: Effectiveness of the modified listening tasks - Students’ involvement in tasks: …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… - Students’ interest in the task: …………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… - Students’ satisfaction with the task: …………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Effectiveness of the lesson: …………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… II Difficulties students met in the lesson: Task difficulty: …………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Length of the task: …………………………………………………………………………………… III General evaluation: …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………… IX APPENDIX 6: POST-TEST ENGLISH LISTENING TEST Time: 15 minutes Name: …………………………………… Class: 11I Listen to the two interviews three times and mark the statements are True (T) or False (F) Danielle … Danielle is on vacation ……… Her earrings cost $ 20 ……… She got her skirt at a thrift store ……… Her style is “high budget, high style.” Kenji … Kenji is a high school student ……… His T-shirt cost $9 ……… He got his pants at a department store ……… He doesn’t have a personal style ... better th at listening, the choice of the study entitled ? ?Improving 11 form students? ?? listening comprehension through modified listening tasks of the new textbook English 11 at Kinh Mon High School,. .. in English 11 Units Tasks Unit Task Task Unit Task Task Unit Task Task Unit Task Task Unit Task Task Unit Task Task Unit Task Task Unit Task Task As can be seen from the table, listening tasks... 2 Aims of the study The main purpose of this research is to study the effects of modified listening tasks of English 11 on improving 11 th form students? ?? listening comprehension at Kinh Mon Upper-Secondary