(Luận văn thạc sĩ) using portfolios in teaching listening skill to the first year non english major students of accounting department, acedemy of finance

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** LÊ THỊ HƯƠNG GIANG USING PORTFOLIOS IN TEACHING LISTENING SKILL TO THE FIRST-YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS OF ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, ACADEMY OF FINANCE (SỬ DỤNG HỒ SƠ BÀI TẬP ĐỂ DẠY KỸ NĂNG NGHE HIỂU CHO SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN TIẾNG ANH NĂM THỨ NHẤT KHOA KẾ TỐN HỌC VIỆN TÀI CHÍNH) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Methodology Code: 601410 Hanoi - 2010 VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** LÊ THỊ HƯƠNG GIANG USING PORTFOLIOS IN TEACHING LISTENING SKILL TO THE FIRST-YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS OF ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, ACADEMY OF FINANCE (SỬ DỤNG HỒ SƠ BÀI TẬP ĐỂ DẠY KỸ NĂNG NGHE HIỂU CHO SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN TIẾNG ANH NĂM THỨ NHẤT KHOA KẾ TỐN HỌC VIỆN TÀI CHÍNH) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: Lâm Thị Phúc Hân, M.A Hanoi - 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration …………………………………………………………………………… i Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………………… ii Abstract ……………………………………………………………………………… iii Table of contents …………………………………………………………………… iv List of abbreviations ………………………………………………………………… vii List of figures, tables and charts ……………………………………………………… viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………… 1.1 Rationale of the study…………………………………………………………… 1.2 Aims and research questions of the study ……………………………………… 1.3 Scope of the study ……………………………………………………………… 1.4 Methods of the study …………………………………………………………… 1.5 Design of the study …………………………………………………………… CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ………………………………………… 2.1 Theoretical background of listening comprehension …………………………… 2.1.1 Definitions of listening comprehension ……………………………………… 2.1.2 Listening comprehension process …………………………………………… 2.1.3 The importance of listening ………………………………………………… 2.2 Theoretical background of teaching and learning listening skill ……………… 2.2.1 Components skills for listening ……………………………………………… 2.2.2 Potential problems in learning to listen to English …………………………… 2.2.3 Stages of a listening lesson …………………………………………………… 10 2.2.3.1 Pre-listening ………………………………………………………………… 10 2.2.3.2 While-listening ……………………………………………………………… 11 2.2.3.3 Post-listening ……………………………………………………………… 12 2.2.4 The roles of teachers in a listening lesson …………………………………… 13 2.2.5 Encouraging students' self-learning ………………………………………… 14 2.3 Theoretical background of portfolio …………………………………………… 16 2.3.1 Definitions of portfolio ……………………………………………………… 16 2.3.2 The contents of portfolio ……………………………………………………… 16 2.3.3 Phases of portfolio development ……………………………………………… 18 2.3.4 Benefits of using portfolios …………………………………………………… 19 2.3.5 Weakness associated with using portfolios …………………………………… 19 2.4 Summary ……………………………………………………………………… 20 CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY ……………………………………………………… 21 3.1 Context of the study …………………………………………………………… 21 3.1.1 The institution ………………………………………………………………… 21 3.1.2 The teachers ………………………………………………………………… 21 3.1.3 The students ………………………………………………………………… 22 3.1.4 The course …………………………………………………………………… 22 3.1.5 Introduction to the coursebook ……………………………………………… 23 3.2 Research methodology ………………………………………………………… 24 3.2.1 Participants …………………………………………………………………… 24 3.2.2 Data collection procedure …………………………………………………… 24 3.2.3 Data collection instruments …………………………………………………… 27 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ………………………… 27 4.1 Data analysis of the students' survey questionnaire before the portfolio process 28 4.1.1 Students' motivation in learning listening skill ……………………………… 28 4.1.2 Students' past learning experience …………………………………………… 29 4.1.3 Students' knowledge of portfolios …………………………………………… 30 4.2 Data analysis of the students' survey questionnaire after the portfolio process 30 4.2.1 Students' feelings and awareness of the portfolio process …………………… 30 4.2.2 Students' attitudes towards the effects of portfolio listening activities ……… 31 4.2.3 Students' opinion related to portfolio sharing activities ……………………… 33 4.2.4 Students' difficulties in implementing the portfolio ………………………… 35 4.2.5 Students' opinion to improve the self-learning portfolio …………………… 36 4.3 Summary ……………………………………………………………………… 36 CHAPTER 5: FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR USING PORTFOLIOS 37 5.1 Major findings and discussions ………………………………………………… 37 5.1.1 Students' previous motivations and learning experiences in listening as well as in the use of portfolios …………………………………………………………… 37 5.1.2 Students' attitudes towards the effects of the portfolio listening activity …… 37 5.1.3 Students' difficulties in implementing the portfolio ………………………… 38 5.1.4 Students' suggestions to improve the self-learning portfolio ………………… 39 5.2 Suggestions for using portfolios ……………………………………………… 39 5.2.1 Suggestion for the teachers ………………………………………………… 39 5.2.2 Suggestions for the students ………………………………………………… 40 5.3 Summary ……………………………………………………………………… 41 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION …………………………………………………… 42 6.1 Summary of the study ………………………………………………………… 42 6.2 Limitations of the study ………………………………………………………… 43 6.3 Suggestions for further researches ……………………………………………… 43 REFERENCES …………………………………………………………………… 44 APPENDICES ……………………………………………………………………… I Appendix 1: Portfolio guidelines for students ……………………………………… I Appendix 2: Listening portfolios …………………………………………………… II Appendix 3: Description of portfolio assessment and evaluation ………………… III Appendix 4: Learning log …………………………………………………………… IV Appendix 5: Questionnaire (N01) for students ……………………………………… V Appendix 6: Questionnaire (N02) for students ……………………………………… VI LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AOF: Academy of Finance L2: Second Language LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES AND CHARTS TABLES Table 1: Students' feelings and awareness of the portfolio process Table 2: Students' attitudes towards the effects of listening portfolio activities Table 3: Students' opinion related to portfolio sharing activities CHARTS Chart 1: Students' reasons for learning listening skill Chart 2: Students' frequency of listening to English outside the class Chart 3: Students' knowledge of portfolios Chart 4: Students' difficulties in implementing the portfolio Chart 5: Students' opinion to improve the self-learning portfolio CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale English is thought to be one of the decisive factors for people's success at the period of globalization Therefore, it leads to the increasing number of users of English in many parts of the world Since the open-door policy was introduced in Vietnam, English has become increasingly important not only as a means of global communication but also as bridge to mankind's knowledge To students, nowadays, English is not only a subject in the curriculum at university but also a key to gain access to the information world that proves of great value to all people in general and to students of Academy of Finance in particular However, obtaining a good language competence is not easy for all students; it requires a huge effort from them, especially self-study Of four language skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing, listening is believed to be the most difficult skill to students They encounter difficulties in comprehending the information due to unfamiliarity with the pronunciation, stress, intonation and a lack of listening skill, etc To overcome such difficulties, it is necessary for students to spend much more time practicing listening skill at home The time to practice listening in class is not enough because every week students have only two periods lasting 90 minutes to learn this skill The question posed for English teachers is how to help students overcome difficulties and improve their listening skill One of the ways to help students deal with difficulties is using portfolios to learn at home Surely, portfolios which reflect what students have done at home are a useful additional learning tool On one hand, portfolios help teachers to assess what students have done at home On the other hand, portfolios keep students continuously learning It is obvious that portfolios can improve students' listening skill and encourage their self-learning, which is the decisive factor for their success in learning English For the above reasons, the author decided to choose the study entitled "Using portfolios in teaching listening skill to first-year non-English major students of Accounting Department, Academy of Finance" 10 1.2 Aims and research questions of the study The major aims of the study are: - To investigate students' motivation and learning experiences in listening skill - To examine students' attitudes towards the effects of the portfolio listening activity - To give some suggestions for using the portfolio to enhance students' autonomy in learning listening skill In order to implement the study, the following research questions were formulated: Were first-year students autonomous learners in terms of motivations and learning experiences in listening skill? What are students' attitudes towards the effects of the portfolio listening activity? What should teachers to help students to develop their autonomy in learning listening skill? 1.3 Scope of the study The study is concerned with using portfolios in teaching listening skill to the firstyear non-English major students of Accounting Department, Academy of Finance Other approaches to teach listening skill intended for students at other levels of English language proficiency would be beyond the scope 1.4 Methods of the study 54 first-year non-English major students were chosen randomly to take part in the research of applying portfolio listening activity to develop learner self-study They came from two classes of Accounting Department, AOF They are both male and female, at the age from 19 to 20 and have learnt English for at least three years at high school Questionnaires were delivered to first-year students at AOF before and after the portfolio process to collect the most reliable data for this study This research also based itself on some previous studies in listening skill and portfolios 1.5 Design of the study 11 The study is comprised of five chapters: Chapter I: Introduction; Chapter II: Literature review; Chapter III: The study; Chapter IV: Major findings and discussions and Chapter V: Conclusion Chapter I: Introduction This chapter introduces the rationale, the aims, research questions, the scope, the methodology and the design of the study Chapter II: Literature review This chapter reviews the literature related to the nature of listening comprehension, the importance of listening, components skills for listening, potential problems in learning to listen to English, stages of a listening lesson, the roles of teachers in a listening lesson, ways of encouraging students' self-learning, definitions of portfolio, the contents of portfolio, phases of portfolio development, benefits of using portfolios and weakness associated with using portfolios Chapter III: The study This chapter presents the methodology used in the study including the context, participants, data collection procedure, data collection instruments and data analysis Chapter IV: Major findings and discussions This chapter shows some major findings which lead to some suggestions for using the portfolio Chapter V: Conclusion This chapter summarizes the main points discussed in the paper and some limitations of the study Future researches will also be presented in the chapter 50 provided necessary information of ways to make it effectively When the students are familiar with making the portfolio, they will spend less time compiling it Moreover, the teachers can require students to work in groups of four or five Group members will share the work with one another It cannot be denied that it costs the students an amount of money to implement the portfolio because they have to print plenty of extra materials to submit to the teachers Therefore, the teachers can require groups to send their portfolios by email Using the internet in the library is free for the students In addition, it is necessary for the teachers to raise the students' awareness of the importance of self-learning From the findings mentioned above, most students are passive learners waiting for their teachers to assign them the tasks and explain everything to thing Thus, the students should be told that they are the most crucial factor for their success, not the teachers or someone else Next, the teachers should take into account such things as the students' feelings, motivation as well as attitudes towards the use of portfolio listening activity The teachers should help the students to recognize the importance of portfolio to improve their listening skill The data also shows that some of the students feel that the concept of portfolio is quite new and difficult to understand They think that finding materials for the portfolio is challenging Therefore, it is recommended that the teachers play a role as a guide, a facilitator who understands students' needs and wants Recommending useful websites and software will help the students to find materials for the portfolio much easier In terms of evaluation, it is advisable that the teachers provide feedback on the portfolio that is more than just a grade If possible, the teachers write a letter about the portfolio, which details strengths and weaknesses and generates a profile of students' ability Consequently, the students will have the faith in what they are doing and continue to make the portfolio in the future 5.2.2 Suggestions for the students To ensure the success of the project, it is recommended that the students participate in making the portfolio actively Certainly, it takes time and great effort to overcome obstacles to complete the portfolio Therefore, active participation is needed 51 What's more, the students should self-study and self-discover to widen their knowledge because the project is conducted successfully only when the students obtain certain language competence Finally, most of the work is done outside the class, so it is likely that some students could ask more competent students for help 5.3 Summary In short, the chapter has discussed the crucial parts of the study - the main findings and suggestions for applying the portfolios for students' self-study to the context of Accounting Department, Academy of Finance 52 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION Introduction This final chapter provides a brief summary of the present study All limitations and suggestions for further researches will also be presented 6.1 Summary of the study As for the merits of the study, the findings reveal that portfolios can benefit students' listening skill development These benefits can be summarized as follows: Portfolios could promote learner autonomy both inside and outside the class Therefore, portfolios help students take more responsibility during the learning process Portfolios motivate students to learn listening skill Many subjects believe that their listening skill has been improved after making portfolios Hence, they have a positive attitude towards portfolio activity and listening skill Portfolio sharing can increase classmates' cooperative learning and mutual growth in English During the portfolio sharing activities, students are able to share useful English learning resources with my classmates and learn a lot from other classmates such as learning strategies, methods of critical thinking Portfolios can improve learner-teacher interaction through selection and review of portfolio contents Portfolio making gives students a right to control the selection of the contents of portfolios Students can select and justify portfolio choices, monitor progress and set learning goals Portfolios also develop the ability of time management and dealing with deadlines Nevertheless, applying portfolios in teaching listening skill has some weaknesses: Making portfolios is time-consuming because students have to collect listening files which are the most suitable to the given topics They also have to negotiate with other group members to choose the best files and then design listening exercises Compiling portfolios cost students a lot because extra materials are involved Sometimes, students feel difficult to find materials for portfolios because of the lack of sources 53 6.2 Limitations of the study The study would be more objective and more reliable if: - The number of students taking part in the study was much larger - The researcher was much better at academic language proficiency and had more experience in implementing the study - The researcher had more time to measure the effects of the portfolio listening activity by testing the subjects 6.3 Suggestions for further researches As a matter of fact, this study can not cover everything in portfolio-based teaching; many untouched issues can be interesting topics for further research: - Further investigation into how to use portfolios in teaching other language skills - Further investigation into how to make the contents of portfolio more effective - Further investigation into how to increase students' awareness of the importance of portfolio in the self-learning process In conclusion, this study focuses on the investigation into the effectiveness of using portfolios in teaching listening skill With the use of questionnaires for students at the beginning of the portfolio process and at the end of the portfolio process, the findings point out both benefits and challenges when portfolios are applied to teach listening skill Portfolios can help students become more autonomous inside and outside the class, motivate students to learn listening skill as well as develop the ability of time management and dealing with deadlines Portfolios also improve learner-learner interaction and learnteacher interaction during the portfolio process However, making portfolios can be timeconsuming, costly and quite difficult for students to find suitable materials Despite these concerns, the benefits of portfolios seem to outweigh the worries Hopefully, with students' positive looks and attitudes towards the effects of portfolios, teachers will apply them in teaching listening skill and other languages skills more efficiently 54 REFERENCES Anderson, A & Lynch, T (1998) Listening Oxford: Oxford University Press Brown, G (1986) Investigating Listening Comprehension in Context Applied Linguistics Bastidas, J.A (1996) The Teaching Portfolio: A tool to become a reflective teacher English Teaching Forum July/October, 24-28 Buck, G (2001) Assessing Listening Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Doff, A (1988) Teach English: a training course for teachers Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Dunkel, P (1991) Listening in the Native and Second/ Foreign Language: Toward an integration of Research and Practice TESOL Quarterly 25 (3), 431-457 Field, J (1998) Skills and Strategies: Toward a New Methodology for Listening ELT Journal Volume 52/2 April 1998 Gathercole, I (1990) Autonomy in Language Learning London: CILT Gomes, E (2000) Guidelines for Portfolio Assessment in Teaching English Retrieved on 30 May, 2006 from website: http://www.anglit.net/main/portfolio/default.html#Whatis 10 Gottlieb, M (1995) Nurturing Student Learning through Portfolios TESOL Journal 5, 1, 12-14 11 Grant, D & McLarty, R (1995) Business Basics Oxford: Oxford University Press 12 Harmer, J (1998) How to Teach English Essex: Addison Wesley Longman Limited 13 Harmer, J (1998) The Practice of English Language Teaching Essex: Pearson Education Limited 14 Helgesen, M & Brown, S (2007) Practical English Language Teaching: Listening New York: Mc Graw Hill 55 15 Herman, J.L & Winters, L (1994) Portfolio Research: A Slim Collection Educational Leadership, 52, 48-55 16 Johnson, D (1992) Approaches to Research in Second Language Learning New York: Longman 17 Johnson, K.E (1996) Portfolio Assessment in Second Language Teacher Education TESOL Journal, 18 Little, D (1991) Learner Autonomy Dublin: Authentik 19 Mendelsohn, D J (1998) Teaching Listening, An Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 20 Nguyen, L.H & al (2007) Practice Your Listening Skills Hanoi National University Publishing House 21 Nauman, G (2002) Teaching Students to Listen Effectively Teacher's Edition,10, 2430 22 Nunan, D (1991) Language Teaching Methodology Sydney: Prentice Hall 23 Nunan, D (1992) Research Methods in Language Learning Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 24 Paulson, P.R & Meyer, C.A (1991) What Makes a Portfolio a Portfolio? Educational Leadership, 60-63 25 Rixon, S (1986) Developing Listening Skill Macmillan 26 Rost, M (1990) Listening in Language Learning London: Longman 27 Rost, M (1994) Listening London: Longman 28 Saglam, M (2005) Portfolio assessment versus traditional assessment techniques: a case study on the proficiency development and classroom practices of EFL students in a Turkish military high school Unpublished master thesis, Bogazici University 29 Underwood, M (1989) Teaching Listening New York: Longman 30 Ur, P (1984) Teaching Listening Comprehension Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 31 Ur, P (1996) A Course in Language Teaching: Practice & Theory Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 56 32 Weiner, S (1997) Preparing your students to deal with portfolios In J Barton & A Collins (Eds.), Portfolio assessment: A handbook for educators New Jersey: Dale Seymour Publications 57 APPENDICES APPENDIX PORTFOLIO GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS I What is a listening portfolio? A listening portfolio is a purposeful and organized collection of students' files of listening which reflects their talent, capacity and their own learning process Listening portfolios also show their progress and products of their listening learning II The purposes of portfolios The portfolios help student to become more autonomous and active in their learning process III Essential elements of a listening portfolio It is important to include all of the following: Cover Letter: The cover letter introduces the author and students' strengths and weakness in writing and the things that they would like to improve The cover letter of the portfolio is put at the beginning of the portfolio Table of Contents with numbered pages Entries - The entries are composed of six listening files, designed exercises for those files Dates on all entries to facilitate proof of growth over time Reflections can appear at different stages in the learning process For each item - a brief rationale for choosing the item should be included Students can choose to reflect upon some or all of the following: - What did I learn from it? - What did I well? - How I feel about my performance? - What were the problem areas? 58 APPENDIX LISTENING PORFOLIOS (Semester 2: Academic year 2009-2010) I Suggested topics Students can choose the following topics (These topics are closely related to the themes and activities in the coursebook "Business Basics" by David Grant and Robert McLarty published in 1995 by the Oxford University Press - Describing products or evaluating products - A life story or a family business - Lending and borrowing - Complaining or making decisions - Suggesting and recommending - Interviewing II Elements of the portfolio The portfolio must include: - One cover letter - listening files and designed exercises for those files - reflections III Deadlines of the portfolio Week and week 2: - Teacher and students discussed the objectives, plan, organization, form, content, evaluation, etc of the portfolio - Teacher provided students with some useful source material such as website, CD, tapes, etc - Teacher provided students with the photocopies of assessment scale for the portfolio From week to week 8: Every week, each group handed in one listening file, the designed exercise for this file and peer feedback Also, every student had to hand in one learning log Week 9: Each group wrote the cover letter and finalized the portfolio Deadline: May 14th, 2010 59 The portfolio assignment was compulsory for every student and accounted for 10% of the total mark 60 APPENDIX DESCRIPTION OF PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION The portfolio can be assessed by the following checklist of criteria Criteria Maximum mark for each criteria Include all of the required items 30% Present the tasks clearly 10% Show originality and creativity of the portfolio 35% Contain thoughtful reflection 15% Be handed on time 10% Total 100% 61 APPENDIX LEARNING LOG Name: ……………………………………………………………………………………… Group: ……………………………………………………………………………………… Date: ………………………………………………… What did I do? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… How well (badly) did it go? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… What did I learn? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… 62 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE (N0 1) FOR STUDENTS This questionnaire is designed to collect ideas of First-year Non-English major students of Accounting Department studying at Academy of Finance (AOF) on listening activities Please answer the following questions carefully based on your own experience in listening activities Your options would be very valuable to the methodology research and improvement in the teaching and learning listening skill Your cooperation is highly appreciated Why you learn listening skill? (You can choose more than one answer) A Because I want to pass university examinations B Because I think listening skill is necessary for my future job C Because listening is a compulsory skill at university D Because I like learning English How often you listen to English outside the class? A Very often B Often C Not very often D Never Do you know anything about portfolios? A: Very well B: Well C A little D Nothing 63 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE (NO 2) FOR STUDENTS This questionnaire is designed to collect ideas of First-year Non-English major students of Accounting Department studying at Academy of Finance (AOF) on listening activities Please answer the following questions carefully based on your own experience in listening activities Your options would be very valuable to the methodology research and improvement in the teaching and learning listening skill Your cooperation is highly appreciated As for you, tick the box that best shows your level of agreement and disagreement SD: Strongly disagree DA: Disagree A: Agree SA: Strongly agree I find that making the portfolio was very enjoyable SD DA A SA I have a clear concept about how to make the portfolio SD DA A SA I understand why we need to compile the portfolio SD DA A SA The portfolio helps me take more responsibility during the SD DA A SA DA A SA SD DA A SA The portfolio allows me to choose what I like to listen to SD DA A SA learning process The portfolio helps me keep the habit of listening to SD English regularly I can appreciate that my listening skill has improved according to my personal interest I feel the portfolio is not helpful to my learning SD DA A SA The portfolio helps me to monitor the learning goals SD DA A SA 10 I feel that the portfolio can present my learning results SD DA A SA 11 I will use portfolio as a useful additional tool in my SD DA A SA DA A SA DA A SA future learning 12 The portfolio sharing activities are helpful to my SD understanding of portfolio 13 Portfolio sharing can increase classmates' cooperative SD learning and mutual growth in English 64 14 During the portfolio sharing activities, I was able to share SD DA A SA DA A SA useful English learning resources with my classmates 15 I want to continue this listening portfolio in the next SD semester What difficulties you have when you compile the portfolio? (You can choose more than one answer) A Finding suitable materials for portfolios is difficult B It takes a lot of time to make the portfolio C Compiling the portfolio is costly D The concept of portfolio is quite new and difficult What you think your teacher should to improve the self-learning portfolio? A Design more suitable portfolio contents B Provide clear guidelines for implementing portfolios C Provide students with more useful websites, software or other resources as a source material D Make students more aware of the importance of self-study ... students to develop their autonomy in learning listening skill? 1.3 Scope of the study The study is concerned with using portfolios in teaching listening skill to the firstyear non- English major students. .. portfolios in teaching listening skill to first- year non- English major students of Accounting Department, Academy of Finance" 10 1.2 Aims and research questions of the study The major aims of the study... related to the nature of listening comprehension, the importance of listening, components skills for listening, potential problems in learning to listen to English, stages of a listening lesson, the