Using shadowing to improve listening skills for grade 10 mixed ability students at a high school in hanoi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ***************** TRỊNH THU HƢƠNG USING SHADOWING TO IMPROVE LISTENING SKILLS FOR GRADE 10 MIXED-ABILITY STUDENTS AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN HANOI (Sử dụng kỹ thuật bắt chƣớc để cải thiện kỹ nghe cho học sinh lớp 10 có trình độ khác trƣờng cấp ba Hà Nội) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 HANOI - 2020 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ***************** TRỊNH THU HƢƠNG USING SHADOWING TO IMPROVE LISTENING SKILLS FOR GRADE 10 MIXED-ABILITY STUDENTS AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN HANOI (Sử dụng kỹ thuật bắt chƣớc để cải thiện kỹ nghe cho học sinh lớp 10 có trình độ khác trƣờng cấp ba Hà Nội) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Supervisor: Prof Dr Hoàng Văn Vân HANOI - 2020 DECLARATION I declare that this minor thesis named “Using shadowing to improve listening skills for grade 10 mixed-ability students at a high school in Hanoi” is the study of my own research and the substance of the thesis has not been submitted for a degree to any other university or institution Hanoi, 2020 Trịnh Thu Hƣơng i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been accomplished without the assistance of people who I would like to express my deep gratitude Firstly, I would like to express my thankfulness to Prof Dr Hoàng Văn Vân, my supervisor, for his wholehearted support, helpful comments, and insightful guidance towards the completion of this study Secondly, my special thanks are also sent to all lecturers, my classmates, as well as my colleagues for their precious comments and for their continuous encouragements Thirdly, I appreciate the cooperation given to me by students at Hoang Mai High School Without their sincere participation and valuation opinions, the study would not have been accomplished Last but not least, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my family for their continuous support during my time of fulfilling this thesis ii ABSTRACT Listening is one of the most crucial skills in learning a foreign language, which has a great effect on learners’ failure or success Shadowing is one of the effective ways to improve listening skills for the mixed-ability students at Hoang Mai High School, where the author was conducted this research The research was carried out by using two data collection instruments, including questionnaires and pre- and post-tests The results revealed that all of the students taking part in the research have a positive attitude toward this method and they think shadowing made them prefer learning English more, especially listening Additionally, their scores for listening skills were improved dramatically in the previous school year Hopefully, this study will make a relative contribution to improve their listening skills, as well as teachers, have one more effective technique to make their listening lessons more interesting iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English as a Foreign Language ESL: English as the Second Language L2: Second language MOET: The Ministry of Education and Training LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Paired Samples Statistics Table 2: Paired Samples Correlations Table 3: Paired Samples Test Table 4: Students’ evaluation of shadowing technique LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Comparison of students’ performance in the pre-test and post-test iv TABLES OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study Aims of the study Research questions The scope of the study Research methods Design of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Theoretical background 2.1.1 Definitions of listening 2.1.2 The significance of listening 2.1.3 The processes of listening 10 2.1.4 Listening skills 12 2.1.5 Difficulties in learning listening skills 13 2.2 Shadowing 15 2.2.1 Definition of shadowing 15 2.2.2 Advantages of shadowing 17 2.2.3 Teaching procedures by using shadowing 20 2.3 Mixed-ability classes 20 2.3.1 Definition of mixed-ability classes 20 2.3.2 Challenges of mixed-ability classes 22 2.3.3 Strategies for teaching mixed-ability classes 24 v 2.4 Previous studies on the use of shadowing 26 2.5 Summary 28 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 29 3.1 Setting of the study 29 3.2 Materials 30 3.3 Participants 30 3.4 Data collection instruments 31 3.4.1 Pre-test and post-test 31 3.4.2 Questionnaire 31 3.5 Data collection procedure 32 3.6 Summary 32 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 33 4.1 Findings 33 4.1.1 Research question 33 4.1.2 Research question 37 4.2 Discussion 42 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 44 5.1 Recapitulation 44 5.2 Limitations of the study 45 5.3 Suggestions for further studies 46 REFERENCES 47 APPENDICES I vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study It cannot be denied that English is the dominant language because of its contributions in many fields such as technology, science, education, entertainment, economy, culture and so on Because of this reason, more and more people especially young learners who wish to master English; and the number is rapidly increasing day by day English not only broadens students’ knowledge but also helps them have many good chances to develop themselves Moreover, the use of English among young Vietnamese students is becoming more and more popular In recent years, English has been a mandatory subject in curriculums in the educational system of Vietnam English is regarded as a challenging subject as well as practical demand for learners to achieve their better study or their success in the near future However, obtaining a good language competence is not simple for all learners; it requires a huge effort from them Although each one of the four language skills – listening, speaking, reading, and writing, has their own characteristics, listening is said to be the most challenging skill to learners The factors that affect the learners’ listening ability are various such as pronunciation, stress, intonation or misunderstanding the information of speakers, etc In order to improve such difficulties, it is suggested that learners should find some suitable methods as well as practise listening more and more at any time As a high school English teacher, I always wish to find ways that can help my students overcome difficulties in learning English in general and listening skills in particular One of the ways I want to use is shadowing in my teaching process Despite the fact that shadowing was originally designed to train simultaneous interpreters, it has attracted much attention in the field of teaching and learning foreign languages and is now being widely used in classrooms On the one hand, if shadowing is often implemented in teaching English, it helps teachers make a positive listening practicing environment for their students On the other hand, shadowing keeps learners continuously learning It is clear that shadowing can not only enhance learner’s listening skills but also can help them improve other skills such as speaking or reading At Hoang Mai High School, a private high school, English is a compulsory subject for all students from grade 10 to grade 12 Moreover, as they have learnt English since primary school, they have already been familiar with the learning of English at high school However, because of their poor listening skills and their mixed abilities in one class, they find it difficult to learn other skills That is to say, they cannot understand what is said by their English teachers It is necessary for students to improve their listening skills so that they will be able to understand the listening materials as well as speak English better For the reasons mentioned above, I have decided to undertake this action research entitled “Using shadowing to improve listening skills for grade 10 mixed-ability students at a high school in Hanoi” Aims of the study The aim of this study is to investigate the use of shadowing technique to improve English listening skills of the students at Hoang Mai High School Two objectives are set to fulfil this aim The first objective is to examine how the use of shadowing technique helps improve the listening skills of the students at Hoang Mai High School And the second one is to identify students’ attitudes towards learning English listening skills, and towards using shadowing technique in learning skills APPENDIX Listening pre-test Task You will hear a student’s talk discussing about the problems and solutions of the natural environment Listen and circle the correct answers What has led to air pollution? A the burning of fossil fuels by factories and households B the burning of fossil fuels by factories and motor vehicles C the burning of rubbish by factories and households D the burning of rubbish by factories and motor vehicles The use of harmful chemicals in agriculture has led to serious _ A greenhouse effect and acid rains B acid rains and health problems C soil pollution and greenhouse effect D soil pollution and health problems According to the talk, what has affected the ecosystem? A the flood B the extinction of rare animals C the global warming D the deforestation According to the talk, _ has polluted the water A land erosion B sewage C died animals D wood dumped in rivers I Task Listen again and decide if each sentence is True or False Sentences True False The definition of environment in the talk is natural world in which only people and plants live The burning of fossil fuels resulted in acid rains, greenhouse effect and global warming There are three examples listed in the talk about human activities that have impacts on the natural environment According to the talk, we should stop the fossil fuel burning to reduce air pollution We should include the preservation of the environment in education to minimize the rate of environmental degradation Environmentally friendly materials should be used to preserve the environment Tapescript Environment is the natural world in which people, animals and plants live The natural environment has seriously affected and degraded by human activities through many decades For instance, the burning of fossil fuels by factories and motor vehicles has led to air pollution and resulted in acid rains, greenhouse effect and global warming The use of harmful chemicals in agriculture has led to serious soil pollution and health problems Deforestation for the land use has affected the ecosystem and led to the extinct of rare animals and extreme floods and land erosion Harmful rubbish and sewage dumped in rivers and oceans has polluted the water and aquatic animals There are many human activities having II serious impacts on the natural environment They have changed and degraded the natural environment and led to various health problems We should something soon to protect our environment For instance, we should control the fossil fuel burning and encourage forestation to replace deforestation In addition, there should be appropriate places to dump harmful rubbish and chemicals to reduce the rate of water pollution, a threat to human health and a danger to aquatic animals To minimize the rate of environmental degradation and to raise awareness of its threats, the preservation of the environment should be included in education and mass media People should use all environmentally friendly materials to preserve the environment for the next generation III APPENDIX Listening post-test Task Mr Linn is talking to a class about global warming Listen to the talk and choose the best answers What is the main purpose of Mr Linnn’s talk? A To make the students understand global warming B To make the students understand that it is their duty to reduce global warming C To make the students understand what greenhouse gases are D To make the students understand that global warming leads to catastrophic weather patterns How many sources of greenhouse gas emissions does Mr Linn mention? A one B two C three D four How many people may have to suffer from the effects of global warming? A A million people B Hundreds of people C Hundreds of millions of people D 20-30% of the world’s population According to the talk, what is the first step to take to help to reduce global warming? A To have a lot of information about the topic B To change your lifestyle C To inform others about the topic D To inspire others to change IV Task Listen again and decide if each sentence is True or False Sentences True False According to Mr Linn, the greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, water vapour The thick layer of the greenhouse gases traps more heat from the sun leading to the decrease of the temperature on the earth The emission of a large amount of harmful gases into the atmosphere has been contributed by the burning of fossil fuels Global warming results in climate change which can affect the animal lives If we not reduce the rate of global warming, people may suffer from famine, water shortages, and extreme weather conditions The first important step towards solving global warming is well-informed about the effects of global warming Tapescript Hi, everybody In my talk today, I'll discuss global warming, and its causes and effects on our lives I hope you can all understand that it’s everyone's duty to help reduce global warming right now You all know that global warming is the rise in the average temperature of the earth due to the increase of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and water vapour Climate scientists now believe that V humans are mainly responsible for this The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas and the cutting down of large areas of forests have contributed to the emission of a large amount of harmful gases into the atmosphere in recent years The thick layer of these gases traps more heat from the sun, which leads to the increase in the earth's temperature Global warming results in climate change and catastrophic weather patterns such as heat waves, Hoods, droughts and storms, which can affect human lives Hundreds of millions of people may suffer from famine, water shortages, and extreme weather conditions if we not reduce the rate of global warming This could also result in a 20-30% loss of animal and plant species Being well-informed about the effects of global warming is the first important step towards solving this problem You'll be more willing to change your lifestyle if you understand the impact of global warming Moreover, you'll be able to inform others and inspire change VI APPENDIX Questionnaire after the post-test Dear students, My name is Trinh Thu Huong, an English teacher working at Hoang Mai High School I am conducting my thesis titled “Using shadowing to improve listening skills for grade 10 mixed-ability students at a high school in Hanoi” This survey questionnaire is designed to collect your opinions about shadowing used in listening classes Your completion of this questionnaire is highly appreciated and the data collected are used in this study only Please answer the following questions carefully based on your own experience in listening classes by circling the appropriate for the following questions Thank you very much for your cooperation! DIRECTIONS: Please put a tick  to state your opinion or given short answers in the provided space No Statements Strongly agree Agree I would recommend this technique to others This technique made me feel more confident when dealing with listening exercises This technique did not meet my VII Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree 10 learning needs I am getting bored with this one I have more motivation to practise listening skills at home I am getting a little better each time I can recognize ending sounds when listening to the tape again and again I can listen to linking words clearly when shadowing I can hear the stress of words clearly when shadowing My pronunciation can be improved dramatically when shadowing I can retain incoming sound information more accurately when shadowing I find it easier to find out the main VIII 11 12 13 14 idea of the passage when shadowing I can listen for the gist of the conversation when shadowing I feel using shadowing to improve listening skills is a waste of time I cannot follow and pursue with native speakers’ speeches when shadowing It is difficult to guess the meaning of new words or phrases when shadowing 15 What suggestions can you make to better the 18-period teaching and learning sessions? IX APPENDIX SAMPLE LESSON PLAN UNIT 10: CONSERVATION Period: 62 LESSON 3: LISTENING I Objectives: - Sts know how a forest fire starts and what campers have to remember to to protect the forests * Language: - Some set expressions - Vocabulary on forest II Skills - Listening: order events, mark True/False, detect sentences - Speaking: discuss how a forest fire may start and what every camper ought to remember III Teaching aids - Textbook, tape, pictures related to conservation IV Procedures T 5’ Teacher’s activities Students’ activities Homework checking: - One st tell the whole class about the Other sts listen to their friend advantages and disadvantages of a zoo and give remarks of the new kind - Listen and give remarks 10’ Before you listen: Aims: to focus sts on the topic and review/ introduce the words phrases used in the listening text X and a Divide sts into groups and ask each - Work in groups and discuss to discuss one of the following the questions questions: a How destructive can a forest fire be? b What can cause a forest fire? c Do you know any famous forest fire? Are there any forest fires in Vietnam? Which countries have many forest fires every year? - Ask some sts to give their answer - One st from each group stands up and gives their answer b Introduce the topic of the listening text - Introduce some new words/ - Copy down the words and expressions phrases into their notebooks - campfire (n): the fire made on at camping trip - forester (n): the person whose job is to take cares of the forest - a heap of (n): a lot of thing on top of one another - spread (v): to move to other places very quickly] - leave sb/ st doing: leave sb/st when XI it/he is Ving - Listen and repeat - Read the words again and ask sts to - Read the words in pairs and repeat correct each other’s mistakes - Ask sts to read the words in pairs - Some individuals read the - Ask some sts to read the words again words aloud and give remarks - Listen to the T 28’ While you listen: * Practise Shadowing Before ask sts the tasks below, T show the tapescript of the passage on the screen - Ask sts + Step 1: Listen to the passage while - Listen to the passage trying to understand the passage’s overall meaning + Step 2: Practise mumbling once or - Practise and shadowing the twice, in which they softly shadowed incoming sounds the incoming sounds + Step 3: Practise parallel reading, in - Practise parallel which the students shadow while reading the text of passages + Step 4: Check their understanding of - Check carefully the written texts silently + Step 5: Practise shadowing three - Shadowing times + Step 6: Check the written texts for - Listen carefully XII sounds the students could not hear or shadow the meanings they could not understand + Step 7: Practise contents shadowing, - Practise carefully in which they concentrated on both shadowing and interpreting the meaning of the passage + Task 2: Aims: Sts practise listening and marking True/ false - Ask sts to listen to the tape again and - Listen to the T decide whether the given statements - Read the statements in pairs are true or false and try to the task - Ask sts to read the statements to see if - Listen to the tape / the they understand them teacher and the task - Ask sts to tick to the box to indicate - Compare their answer T/ F statement and underline the false - Give their answer information F F T T - Ask sts to compare their answer in F pairs - Check their answer say it - Check sts’ answer aloud, and then correct their - Play the tape once again, stop the tape work if they have the wrong where necessary and conduct the answer correction 5’ After you listen: + Task 3: XIII Aims: Sts practise listening and ticking the sentences they hear - Ask sts to have a look at the sentences - Read the sentences and find given to see if they understand them out the difference between and compare the sentences in each pair sentences in each pair to see the difference between them - Ask sts to listen to the tape again and - Listen to the tape and the tick in the box to indicate the sentences task they hear - Check sts’ answer - Give their answer - Play the tape once again, stop the tape Key: B A A where necessary and conduct the - Check their answer and then correction correct their work if they have the wrong answer 2’ Homework: Write a short paragraph about what - One/ two sts present people can to protect forest from fires XIV XV ... interpreter trainee Since shadowing is a dual task of listening and speaking at the same time, shadowing is regarded as a good interpreting training program Today, shadowing is viewed as a strong and effective... of shadowing improve listening skills for grade 10 mixed- ability students at Hoang Mai High School? What are the students? ?? attitudes towards using shadowing in developing listening skills? The... with parrot style, using headphones and devised as a means of studying selective attention and practising for simultaneous interpretation Hamada (2016) states that shadowing was original as a technique