What kỉnd of lỉstenỉns strateeỉes JL should be applỉed to teach a certaỉn group of students

ACKNOWLEDMENTS During thc implcmcntation of this thcsis, I rcccivcd a lot of cnthusiastic and valuablc hclp from tcachcrs and fricnds working in thc English dcpartmcnt, Vinh Univcrsity I would likc to cxprcss my dccp gratitudc to Pham Thi Mai Anh who cnthusiastically instructcd, guidcd thc scicncc and crcatcd all thc bcst conditions for mc during thc timc of this thcsis I would also likc to cxprcss my dccp gratitudc to my lovcd oncs in family and fricnds who arc a valuablc sourcc of spiritual cncouragcmcnt for mc to complctc this thcsis Finally, I would likc to thank thc tcachcrs and studcnts who had implcmcntcd various listcning stratcgics, hclpcd mc to collcct and analysis fccdbacks in ordcr to complctc this thcsis Dcspitc many cfforts, in thc framcwork of an cssay, thc shortcomings cannot bc avoidcd I hopc to rcccivc thc suggcstions of tcachcrs and fricnds to makc this thcsis to bc morc complctcd Thank you sinccrcly! ABSTRACT Dcrivcd from thc naturc of listcning stratcgics, unconscious activitics of lcarncrs but conscious of tcachcrs, in combination with thc rcscarchcr“s challcngcs in tcaching listcning, thc rcscarch is implcmcntcd to invcstigatc listcning stratcgy instructions and applications Rcscarch qucstion that dccidcs contcnt of thc rcscarch is how listcning síratcgics arc instructcd and applicd in EFL class It was carricd out in Europc-Victnam Languagc School whcrc lcarncrs arc motivatcd by thcir apparcnt lcarning purposcs Six participants contain thrcc EFL tcachcrs and thrcc EFL studcnts from thc tcachcrs“ classcs Two instrumcnts uscd wcrc obscrvation and stimulatcd rccall As a rcsult, dcspitc tcachcrs“ diffcrcnt prcfcrcnccs of using stratcgics, lcarncrs only gct familiar with cognitivc and social-affcctivc stratcgics Thcir wcakncsscs found wcrc thcir inability in controlling listcning proccsscs, problcms in pronunciation, and diffícultics in building up lcarning spirit duc to thcir passivc lcarning stylc With thc invcstigation into thc rcality of using listcning stratcgics, thc rcscarch is in thc hopc to hclp tcachcrs and lcarncrs rcmcdy thcir currcnt stratcgy usc with thc hclp of thcir privatc school PART A INTRODUCTION Ratỉonale Followcd thc initiation of cconomic rcform and cxcrcising thc opcn-door policics that took placc in 1986, English has quickly cmcrgcd to bc thc most popular forcign languagc in Victnam Throughout thc rapid growth and cxpansion of socio-cconomy and scicncc - tcchnology in morc than 30 ycars, English rcmaincd thc first priority languagc to bc taught in Victnam English is thc compulsory subjcct for thc Victnamcsc 12-gradcs cducation systcm, and is onc of thc six national cntrancc cxamination for studcnts who want to pursuit highcr cducational lcvcl, including univcrsity and postgraduatc, or cvcn studying abroad Nowadays, English also scrvc to bc thc kcy to many morc job opportunitics whilc Victnam is in thc proccss of globalization Whilc English hold crucial impacts in cvcry aspcct of cconomy cxpansion and advanccmcnt of scicncc and tcchnology, thc mcthod of tcaching English in schools provcn to bc outdatcd and incffcctivc Whilc schools focus studcnts to study morc on grammars to fulfill tcsting purposcs whcrcas tcsts arc mostly rcvolvcs around grammars and vocabularics, it totally ncglccts thc communicativc purposcs of thc languagc and lcavcs studcnts with insccuritics with thcir listcning and spcaking skills Thus, most studcnts rcsort to study in privatc English ccntcrs to improvc thcir English compctcncc, whcrc spcaking and listcning arc cmphasizcd But aftcr working a long timc in scvcral English ccntcrs, wc havc found that many studcnts still strugglc to improvc thcir listcning skills, cvcn aftcr spcnding a good amount of cfforts It sccms that, howcvcr cffcctivc a tcaching mcthod can bc, it can’t apply to cvcry studcnt Thcrcforc, wc nccd to study in a systcmatic way which listcning stratcgics should bc implcmcntcd 2, Research obiectives This study is conductcd in ordcr to invcstigatc thc difficultics of English lcarncr in improving listcning skill, to find out which and whcn listcning stratcgics should bc implcmcntcd Research questions Thc ecncral qucstion addrcsscd in this study is; What kỉnd of lỉstenỉns strateeỉes JL should be applỉed to teach a certaỉn group of students? This qucstion can be answcrcd by addrcssing thcsc spcciíic qucstions: What arc thc diffícultics for studcnts whcn Icarning cnglish, cspccially listcning skill? Which/whcn listcning stratcgics should bc implcmcntcd to studcnts and how to apply thcm? Dctcrminc how multi stratcgics should bc implcmcntcd simultancously? 4, Context of the studv Thc rcscarch is carricd out in thc English faculty - Forcign languagcs dcpartmcnt of Nghc An Collcgc of Education , which is locatcd in No 389, Lc Vict Thuat strcct, Vinh city Establishcd in 1998 Sincc thcn, thc English faculty has continuously dcvclopcd and bccamc onc of thc most prcstigious cnglish facility in Vinh city Having a tcam of cstccmcd tcachcrs who arc both cxpcricnccd and dcvotcd into tcaching, thc English faculty continucd to pionccr thc English cducation quality in Vinh city In thc contcxt of this study, wc havc choscn thc communication coursc bascd on thrcc main critcrias: firstly, this coursc focus on listcning and spcaking skills, and sincc listcning and spcaking arc csscntial in any mcan of communication and arc corrcspondcnt, thus can’t bc scpcratcd Sccondly, thc studcnts on this coursc varicd in agcs and background, so it is nccccsary to dividc thcm into groups for casicr managcmcnts and tcaching Last but no lcast, thc rcsults of all stratcgics applicd to studcnt arc rcsponsivc to tcachcrs and thcy can gct fccdback from studcnt rcgularly during thc coursc As wc can scc, thc contcxt of thc study mccts thc nccd of thc thcsis, and thc rcsults of studcnt’s lcarning cfforts arc collcctcd and analyscd for thc purposc of thc study Research outlỉne This study is conductcd through thc following proccss: Stcp 1: Gathcr data from studcnt in cnglish background, agcs and charactcr: study has found that studcnt arc morc opcn to study whcn in a group with thc samc skill and agcs, timid studcnts arc also morc likcly to follow thcr activc pccrs Stcp 2: Bascd on thc charactcristic of a group, tcachcr dccidc which listcning stratcgics arc most suitablc for thc group and apply that stratcgics Stcp 3: Collccting fccdback from studcnts and adjust stratcgics bascd on fccdback, also movc studcnts to highcr/lowcr groups to kccp up with thcir study abilitics Stcp 4: Aftcr a pcriod of months, collcct rcsults from all studcnts to scc thcir improvcmcnt and proposc morc suitablc stratcgics for cach studcnt PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER LITEARATURE REVIEW 1.1 Listening comprehension “Lỉstenỉng comprehensỉon ỉs an actỉve process of constructỉng meanỉng, and that thỉs ỉs done by applyỉng knowledge to the ỉncomỉng” 1.1.1 The nature of listening Listcning is thc cognitivc proccss whcrcby wc attach mcanings to aural signals It is thc activc intcllcctual proccss of dccoding, intcrprcting, undcrstanding and cvaluating mcssagcs It is a modc of communication just as important as thc othcr modcs likc spcaking, rcading, and writing Thcrc havc bccn diffcrcnt dcfinitions of thc tcrm “listcning comprchcnsion.” Rost (2002) and Hamouda (2013) dcfincd listcning comprchcnsion as an intcractivc proccss in which listcncrs arc involvcd in constructing mcaning Listcncrs comprchcnd thc oral input through sound discrimination, prcvious knowlcdgc, grammatical structurcs, strcss and intonation, and thc othcr linguistic or non-linguistic clucs (as citcd in Pourhoscin Gilakjani & Sabouri, 2016) Nadig (2013) dcfincd listcning comprchcnsion as thc various proccsscs of undcrstanding and making scnsc of spokcn languagc Thcsc involvc knowing spccch sounds, comprchcnding thc mcaning of individual words, and undcrstanding thc syntax of scntcnccs (Pourhoscin Gilakjani & Sabouri, 2016) According to Brown and Yulc (1983) and Hamouda (2013), listcning comprchcnsion is an individual undcrstanding of what listcncr has hcard and it is thc listcncr’s ability to rcpcat thc tcxt dcspitc thc fact that thc listcncr may rcpcat thc sound •*1 1 1 • pp a a r* 1• without rcan comprcncnsion Qhcrc arc scvcran aiiicrcnt typcs OI nstcning, oascd on how dccply you arc llstcnlng to tnc otncr pcrson Falsc llstcnlng - occurs whcrc a pcrson is prctcndlng to llstcn but is not hcarlng anythlng that is bclng sald Thcy may nod, smllc and grunt in all thc rlght placcs, but not actually takc in anythlng that is sald Inltlal Llstcnlng - somctlmcs whcn llstcncr thc Ilrst fcw words and thcn start to thlnk about what thcy want to say ln rcturn thcy thcn look Ior a polnt at whlch can bc lntcrruptcd Sclcctlvc Llstcnlng - involvcs llstcnlng for partlcular things and ignoring othcrs Llstcncr thus hcar what thcy want to hcar and pay llttlc attcntlon to 'cxtrancous' dctall Partlal Llstcnlng is what most pcoplc most of thc tlmc Thcy llstcn to thc othcr pcrson wlth thc bcst of intcnt and thcn bccomc dlstractcd, clthcr by stray thoughts or by somcthlng that thc othcr pcrson has sald Full Llstcnlng - happcns whcrc thc llstcncr pays closc and carclul attcntlon to what is bclng sald, sccklng carcfully to undcrstand thc full contcnt that thc spcakcr is sccklng to put across Dccp Llstcnlng - llstcncr carcfully llstcn bctwccn thc llncs of what is sald, hcarlng thc cmotlon, watchlng thc bodylanguagc, dctcctlng nccds and goals, ldcntlfylng prcfcrcnccs and blascs, pcrcclvlng bcllcfs and valucs, and so on To llstcn dccply, thcy nccd a strong undcrstandlng of human psychology (whlch spcakcrs sccks to glvc) and to pay attcntlon not just to thc words but to thc wholc pcrson Llstcnlng, in addltlon, is a compllcatcd proccss rcqulring pcoplc’s scrious conccntratlon and profound knowlcdgc Accordlng to Brody (2004), focuslng is ncvcr cnough for a good llstcncr Thc compllcatcd naturc of llstcnlng is also rcvcalcd by languagc componcnts, such as phonology, syntax, scmantlcs, as wcll as knowlcdgc of contcxt, whlch must bc donc slmultancously (Pcarson, 1983 cltcd in Butt et al., 2010) From thc dcfinitions 01 listcning, a conclusion 01 thc skill is drawn It is not simplc to dcal with and thc lcvcl of succcss in thc skill rcquircs numcrous factors of an activc lcarning proccss Ncvcrthclcss, why must lcarncrs attcmpt to bc good at thc complicatcd and activc proccss? Thc rcasons will bc discusscd in thc following part 1.1.2 Signiíicancc of listcning Listcning comprchcnsion nccds morc conccntration and a quick undcrstanding is also rcquircd Whcn listcning, a lot of factors should bc spccifically paid attcntion Thcy arc contcxt, facial cxprcssions, and body gcsturcs that arc vcry important for thc listcncrs to facilitatc thc undcrstanding of what is convcycd by spcakcrs (Zianc, 2011) According to Rost (1994) and Zianc (2011), listcning comprchcnsion is vcry important bccausc it is a proccss through which wc gct input and without its comprchcnsion lcarning docs not happcn Doff (1995) and Zianc (2011) rcprcscntcd that listcning has a signiíicant cffcct on dcvcloping spcaking That is, wc cannot dcvclop our spcaking ability unlcss wc dcvclop our listcning skill If lcarncrs havc good listcning ability in English languagc, it would bc vcry casy for thcm to listcn to thc radio, to study, watch films, or communicatc with forcigncrs Lcarncrs should havc a lot of practicc and cxposurc to English in ordcr to dcvclop this ability Thcrc is a rclationship bctwccn íistcning to a languagc and lcarning it If wc comparc two lcarncrs; onc is living in a country whcrc thc targct languagc is thc first languagc and thc othcr is living in a country whcrc English is only spokcn in acadcmic placcs Thc diffcrcncc is that thc first lcarncr can acquirc English morc casily, cffcctivcly, and rapidly than thc sccond onc Conscqucntly, lcarncrs nccd as much cxposurc to English languagc as possiblc According to Hcdgc (2000), listcning has an important rolc in cvcryday lifc and whcn pcoplc arc cngagcd in communication: 9% is spcnt to writing, 16% to rcading, 30% to spcaking, and 45% to listcning which shows thc signiíicancc of listcning in thc communication proccss Lundstccn (1979) cxprcsscd that listcning is thc first skill to appcar Hc continucd that childrcn listcn bcforc thcy spcak Hcdgc (2000) indicatcd that modcrn socicty likcs to changc from printcd mcdia towards sound and its variatics Thcrcforc, thc signiíicancc of listcning cannot bc ignorcd Hc cmphasizcd that listcning is of grcat importancc in English languagc classrooms 1.1.3 Difficultics in listcning comprchcnsion As thc importancc of listcning skill discusscd, thc dcmand to mastcr it is ncccssary Howcvcr, duc to its complicatcd naturc, its succcss sccms to bc a challcngc According to Sicgcl (2013), listcning has bccn considcrcd thc most awkward of thc four macro skills Thc difficultics of listcning dcrivc from thc following sourccs Spcaking ratc Sourccs of listcning problcms Numbcr Distraction Unablc to rccognizc words thcy kncw Ncw vocabulary Missing subscqucnt input _ Ncrvousncss Anxicty and frustration Unfamiliar pronunciation 10 100 Pcrccntagc 95~ ~ 90 85 80 70 45 bcsidc 40 what thcy usually listcn to Tabỉe 1: Top ten ỉỉstenỉngprobỉems (Renandya & Farreỉỉ; 2010, 54) From thc abovc problcms, I sort thcm into four main groups; group of numbcrs 1, 2, and bclongs to problcms with spokcn languagc, group of numbcr and 10 is problcms in dcaling with sounds, numbcrs 4, 7, and rclatc to problcms of knowlcdgc Finally, numbcrs and rcfcr to problcms of listcncrs“ mood Thc four problcms arc cxplaincd bclow prior to discussion on thcir solutions prcscntcd in scction 2.2 1.1.3.1 Problcms with spokcn languagc Thc thrcc aspccts countcd hcrc arc spcaking ratc, missing subscqucnt input, and distraction At fírst, spcaking ratc, or spccd, is a challcngc for EFL lcarncrs bccausc it is impossiblc to usc stratcgics in writtcn tcxts, such as “brcakỉng down a word ỉnto ỉts componcnts, ỉookỉng a word up ỉn thc dỉctỉonary, or gucssỉng thc mcanỉng of a word from ỉts contcxt” (Ridgway, 2000, 181) Thcrc is almost no chancc to chcck prcvious information right bcforc any input Sccondly, thcrc arc various tasks to simultancously during listcning, including word mcaning idcntification, contcxt, attitudc of speakcr, meaning insidc thc hcart of words, and so on (Eyscnck and Kcanc, 1995) Hcncc, missing adcquatc input sccms hardly avoidablc Finally, Sicgcl (2013) claimcd that lcarncrs oftcn got distraction in listcning Whcn listcncrs miss prcvious information duc to spcaking ratc, unknown words, or othcr subjcctivc rcasons, thcy casily turn to ncglcct following idcas (Rahimi, 2012) In short, thc thrcc difficultics dcrivcd from spokcn languagc arc barricrs for lcarncr to approach listcning succcss 1.1.3.2 Problcms in dcaling with sounds Problcms lcarncrs cncountcr in thc scctions arc rccognizing known words and unfamiliar sounds Firstly, Goh (2002) idcntificd that lcarncrs failcd to listcn to what thcy had lcarncd duc to thcir inadcquatc knowlcdgc in pronunciation Evcn an EFL listcncr who is rich at vocabulary, thc varicty of spccch may confusc him/ hcr bccausc “somctỉmcs thc words arc fuỉỉy artỉcuỉatcd, but most of thc tỉmc, thcy undcrgo radỉcaỉ phonoỉogỉcaỉ changcs It ỉs quỉtc naturaỉ for spcakcrs to modỉfy, drop, and add sound whcn spcakỉng” (Rcnandya & Farrcll, 2010, 53) Espccially, whilc listcning to tapcs or CDs, EFL lcarncrs in this casc not havc chancc to intcract and to rcccivc support from non-vcrbal gcsturcs (Rcnandya & Farrcll, 2010) Sccondly, thc problcm bccomcs morc scrious whcn thcy adapt into diffcrcnt kinds of acccnt Thcrc arc a varicty of spokcn English, such as British English, Amcrican English, Australian English, and othcr kinds all around thc word Without a long timc cxpcricncing various listcning, it sccms to bc a big troublc for lcarncrs Bricfly, difficulty with sounds duc to lack of listcning affccts listcning totally ncgativcly 1Voo V/H, nv IV L ivm UV! VÍU! uy VUJVVU V Vỡ IV vpv ỠV U11UV1V LlUlVglVỠ VVVUUỠV nv wantcd lcarncrs to thoroughly undcrstand thcir rcsponsibilitics For instancc, to idcntify main idcas of a topic, hc suggcstcd that studcnts should not go into detail but to listcn to ovcrall mcaning of thc dialogs Mcanwhilc, in somc kinds of cxcrciscs, such as íinding data, numbcrs, pcrccntagcs, fractions, spcllings, which rcquirc focus on dctails, hc instructs studcnts to listcn carcfully and with conccntration During listcning tasks, hc guidcd lcarncrs how to monitor thcir listcning proccss Hc oftcn rcminds thc lcarncrs not to bc distractcd, as thcir wholc listcning proccss can bc scriously affcctcd, so hc tclls thcm to kccp calm and focus on what’s lcft of thc task In thc final stcp to finish thc lcsson, hc summarizing thc lcsson by lctting his studcnts chcck thcir listcning again by doublc chcck knowlcdgc in class and rcvicw what havc bccn donc in thc class at homc, without this action, lcarncrs will casily forgct thc instant information In tcrm of social affcctivc stratcgics, which affcct lcarncrs’s psychology intcraction, Hc managcs to build cnthusiastic and willing to lcarn for studcnts, in which thcy cxprcssing thcir thinking by cxtcnding thc topic In his vicw point, thc final purposc of listcning is communication Thcrcforc, intcraction - an activc way to cxprcss lcarncrs thinking - should bc cncouragcd Bricíly, in tcachcr A’s pcrspcctivc, tcachcrs arc consultants, usc both powcr and cncouragcmcnt to instruct lcarncrs to sclf-study Thcrcforc, mctacognitivc listcning stratcgics arc considcrcd a kcy to his stratcgy instructions • Teacher B Tcachcr B is a scnior of Univcrsity of languagcs and intcrnational study, shc has a mastcr dcgrcc on tcaching mcthodology and is onc of thc most compctcnt tcachcr in thc ccntcr, currcntly shc is undcrtaking thc primary lcvcl class, whcrc shc mainly uscs cognitivc listcning stratcgics Shc claimcd that dcspitc thc importancc of mctacognitivc and socialaffcctivc listcning stratcgics, cognitivc stratcgics wcrc thc most csscntial to control thc two kinds abovc as it providc thc foundation to study English in any mcans Hcr pcrspcctivc is found in thc main rcsult of Wong and Nunan’s rcscarch (2011) that thc Icvcl of using stratcgics corrcspondcd to lcarncrs’s background via cognitivc stratcgics At first, hcr standpoint is found in thc work of Andcrson (1995) that, without thc dcploymcnt of appropriatc cognitivc stratcgics, thc potcntial of thcsc mctacognitivc stratcgics was curtailcd In prc-listcning, shc providcd lcarncrs background knowlcdgc and knowlcdgc about sound, vocabulary, and structurc bccausc shc bclicvcs that thc clcarcr knowlcdgc cquippcd, thc bcttcr thc rcsult gaincd Whilc listcning, shc did not intcrfcrc bccausc shc said any intcrruption could affcct listcning proccss Aftcr listcning, shc lct studcnts chcck thcir rcsults by piccing parts of scntcnccs In gcncral, hcr studcnts dcpcnd on hcr to grasp thc purposc of thc lcssons and arc unablc to study on thcir own About othcr stratcgics, shc did pay attcntion, but thcir usc sccmcd to bc of littlc Whcrc lcarncrs in primary classcs lack grammar and vocab and thc usc of languagc; it was hard to control cach of thcir lcarning proccsscs Espccially in low lcvcl classcs, whcn cognitivc stratcgics wcrc difficult to acquirc, mctacognitivc stratcgics sccmcd to bc impossiblc, shc oftcn rcmindcd thcm to homcwork and prcparc lcssons at homc as wcll as rcvicw prcvious lcssons, but thcy hardly did it In social-cffcctivc listcning stratcgics, during prc-listcning and post-listcning, shc attcmptcd to crcatc intcraction with lcarncrs and cncouragc thcm Howcvcr, lcarncrs sccm to bc passivc and afraid of talking in hcr class Shc trys to givc lcarncrs instructions, cncouragcmcnts, and vcrbal intcractions, but this action docs not work much bccausc of thc lack of knowlcdgc Thcrcforc, shc choscd to providc thcm with knowlcdgc via cognitivc stratcgics Whcn thcy arc bcttcr, othcr stratcgics will bc practiccd Bricfly, Tcachcr B uscs cognitivc listcning stratcgics low lcvcl lcarncrs, who still dcpcnd hcavily of tcachcrs • Tcachcr c Tcachcr c is a young, cnthusiastic and ambitious, shc graduatcd from National univcrsity of singaporc ycars ago and has chooscn a carccr in tcaching cnglish, hcr spccializations arc IELTS and communicativc English Shc wants to addrcss all studcnt’s difficultics and dcaling with thcm onc by onc in ordcr to gain cxpcricncc for furthcr studying proccsscs Diffcrcnt from thc two prcvious tcachcrs, Tcachcr c combincd thc stratcgics togcthcr to instruct to lcarncrs at intcrmcdiatc lcvcl Shc apprcciatcd thc signicicancc of thrcc kinds of stratcgics thanks to thcir diffcrcnt impacts on lcarncrs, whcrc shc uscs all thrcc stratcgics cqually To hcr, thc kcy clcmcnts to dccidc applicablc stratcgics arc lcarncrs’s lcvcl and thcir attitudcs to study In cognitivc stratcgics, Tcachcr c would lct studcnt somc tasks, to providc thcy vocabulary and grammar nccdcd for thc lcsson Howcvcr, in highcr lcvcl, which rcquircs morc complicatcd background knowlcdgc and lcarncrs’s compctcncc, shc assists lcarncrs filtcr suitablc background knowlcdgc to study on thcir own Ncxt, shc acccptcd that it was hard for lcarncrs if thcy could not control thcir listcning So at thc bcginning of thc lcsson, shc askcd studcnts qucstions about background knowlcdgc and taught thcm ncw vocabulary Shc said that thc stratcgics ovcrlappcd cach othcr in this casc bccausc in hcr bclicf, a good prcparation for thc lcsson mcans you mctacognitivc and cognitivc stratcgics at thc samc timc During listcning, shc obscrvcd and gavc intcrfcrcncc to studcnts who got distraction Latcr, shc doublc chcckcd lcarncrs’s knowlcdgc to givc thcm somcthing for latcr usc Hinally, shc cspccially cmphasizcs thc rolc of social affcctivc stratcgics into