Using videos to improve elementary students listening comprehension in foreign languages and informatics center of peoples police college ii

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH OPEN UNIVERSITY MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY DUONG THUC PHUONG USING VIDEOS TO IMPROVE ELEMENTARY STUDENTS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INFORMATICS CENTER OF PEOPLE’S POLICE COLLEGE II Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Major code: 60140111 MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL Supervisor: Dr NGUYEN THI THANH HA Ho Chi Minh City, 2018 i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certificate that this MA thesis submitted today entitled “Using videos to improve elementary students’ listening comprehension in Foreign Languages and Informatics Center of People’s police college II” is my own work Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, the thesis does not contain materials published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of the thesis This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or diploma in any tertiary institution Ho Chi Minh City, 2018 Duong Thuc Phuong ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude towards Dr Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha for her enthusiasm, patience, extensive and profound knowledge and motivation She was always available to read and comment my work, give quick response to my questions as well as support me with a lot of useful materials to the completion of my work My gratitude also goes to the director of Foreign Languages and Informatics Center of People’s Police College II, who gave me opportunity to choose participants and conduct the experimental course for the thesis Additionally, I would like to thank all my friends in Ho Chi Minh City Open University and my colleagues at People’s Police College II who were willing to give useful suggestions and share precious experience And I am deeply thankful to 71 students in my college who kindly accepted to participate in my study Finally, I am grateful to my family members, especially my mother, who were always a source of encouragement and inspiration iii ABSTRACT Later than audio materials, videos have been used widely in teaching and learning listening in a lot of schools and universities all over the world, and this brings students several benefits regarding their listening comprehension and learning attitudes However, videos are not popular in Vietnam teaching context including Foreign Languages and Informatics Center of People’s Police College II where English listening skill is a real challenge for the students, and many of them have failed listening exams for years Besides, previous studies revealed that there are differences in content, vocabulary, and length of listening materials for the control groups (CG) and experimental groups (EG) In addition, some studies are conducted with only one group of participants, so the readers not know whether videos are better than traditional audio materials or not Therefore, the current study was conducted with 71 participants in Foreign Languages and Informatics Center of People’s Police College II to examine the effects of using videos on their listening learning and their attitudes The CG with 35 students received 10 listening lessons using 10 audio recordings, while the EG with 36 students worked with 10 videos in a 10-week treatment The listening materials for both groups have the same scripts Although there was no statistically significant difference in the mean scores of the pre-test on listening skills between the two groups, the statistics of the post-test after the treatment shows that the EG outperformed the CG in listening comprehension Besides, the data from the questionnaire administered to the experimental group points out that the participants had positive attitudes towards using videos in listening learning The findings were then discussed before proposing some implications and recommendations for further research iv TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii ABSTRACT iv LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS x Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research problem 1.2 Purpose statement 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Research hypothesis 1.5 Delimitation 1.6 Definitions of terms 1.7 Significance of the study 1.8 Thesis structure Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Theoretical background 2.1.1 Nature of listening and stages of a listening lesson 2.1.2 Videos 10 2.1.3 Learners’ attitudes 13 2.2 Previous studies of using videos on students’ listening learning 16 2.2.1 Previous studies of the impact of using videos on students’ listening comprehension 16 2.2.2 Previous studies of students’ attitudes towards using videos in listening learning 18 2.2.3 Previous studies of both the impact of using videos on students’ listening comprehension and their attitudes towards using videos in listening learning 19 v Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY 22 3.1 Study design 22 3.2 Research site and participants 23 3.2.1 Research site 23 3.2.2 Participants 23 3.3 Instruments and measurement 24 3.4 Materials 29 3.5 Intervention 31 3.6 Data collection procedure 32 3.6 Data analysis 34 3.7 Reliability 36 3.8 Validity 39 Chapter 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 42 4.1 Participants’ general characteristics 42 4.2 Effects of using videos on students’ listening comprehension 45 4.2.1 Performance of the CG and EG on the pre-test 45 4.2.2 Performance of the CG on the pre-test and post-test 45 4.2.3 Performance of the EG on the pre-test and post-test 45 4.2.4 Performance of the CG and EG on the post-test 46 4.2.5 Comparison between the CG’s and EG’s Pre-test 47 4.2.6 Comparison between the CG’s pre-test and post-test 47 4.2.7 Comparison between the EG’s pre-test and post-test 48 4.2.8 Comparison between the CG’s and EG’s post-test 49 4.3 Students’ attitudes to using videos in listening learning 50 4.3.1 Scale 1: Students’ feelings on using videos in listening learning 50 4.3.2 Scale 2: Students’ beliefs about using videos in listening learning 51 vi 4.3.3 Scale 3: Students’ behavior tendencies towards listening learning with videos 53 4.4 Discussion 53 4.4.1 Summary of the major results 54 4.4.2 Discussion on research question 55 4.4.3 Discussion on research question 58 Chapter 5: CONCLUSION 61 5.1 Overview of the study 61 5.2 Implications 62 5.3 Limitations of the study 63 5.4 Recommendations for further research 64 REFERENCES 66 APPENDICES 74 APPENDIX 1: The first questionnaire 74 APPENDIX 2: The second questionnaire 75 APPENDIX 3: The pre-test 76 APPENDIX : Answer key of the pre-test 80 APPENDIX 5: Script of the pre-test 81 APPENDIX 6: The post-test 87 APPENDIX : Answer key of the post-test 91 APPENDIX 8: The script of the post-test 92 APPENDIX 9: Experimental materials 99 APPENDIX 10: Scripts of experimental materials 103 APPENDIX 11: Lesson plan of topic 10 106 vii LIST OF TABLES Table of contents v Table 3.1 The pre- and post-test design 23 Table 3.2 Purposes of instruments 24 Table 3.3 Content of the first questionnaire 26 Table 3.4 Content of the second questionnaire 27 Table 3.5 Teaching materials 29 Table 3.6 Data collection procedure 32 Table 3.7 Test of normality 37 Table 3.8 Test of normality 37 Table 3.9 Cronbach’s Alpha values of the three scales 38 Table 3.10 Scale of feelings: Inter-item correlations 38 Table 3.11 Scale of beliefs: Inter-item correlations 38 Table 3.12 Scale of beliefs: Inter-item correlations 39 Table 3.13 Scale of behavior tendencies: Inter-item correlations 39 Table 4.1 Participants’ characteristics: gender 43 Table 4.2 Participants’ characteristics: age 43 Table 4.3 Number of years of studying English 44 Table 4.4 Time practicing listening English outside class in a week 44 Table 4.5 Mann-Whitney U test for number of years of studying English 45 Table 4.6 Mann-Whitney U test for Time of practice listening English outside class 45 Table 4.7 Descriptives of the CG and EG’s pre-test 46 Table 4.8 Descriptives of the CG’s pre-test and post-test 46 Table 4.9 Descriptives of the EG’ pre-test and post-test 47 Table 4.10 Descriptives of the CG and EG’s post-test 47 Table 4.11 Mann-Whitney U Test for the scores of the CG and EG’s pre-test 48 Table 4.12 Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test for the CG before and after the treatment 49 viii Table 4.13 Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test for the EG before and after the treatment 49 Table 4.14 Mann-Whitney U Test for the scores of CG and EG’s post-test 50 Table 4.15 Descriptive statistics of total score of scale 51 Table 4.16 Descriptives of students’ feelings on using videos in listening learning 52 Table 4.17 Descriptive statistics of total score of scale 52 Table 4.18 Descriptives of students’ beliefs about using videos in listening learning 52 Table 4.19 Descriptive statistics of total score of scale 53 Table 4.20 Descriptives of students’ behavior tendencies towards listening learning with videos 53 ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CG: control group CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning EG: experimental group L2: second language PPC: People’s Police College x APPENDIX 9: Experimental materials Topic 1: World party 99 100 Topic 10: Memory and language learning APPENDIX 3: Scripts Week 1: World party Week 101 Textbook for week 10 APPENDIX 3: Scripts Week 1: World party Week 102 APPENDIX 10: Scripts of experimental materials Topic 1: World party There are seven billion people in the world But how big is seven billion? One, two, three, four… Don’t count from one to seven billion! It takes two hundred years There are seven billion stars But from Earth, you can see a thousand at night, not billions Walk around the Earth 133 times and that’s seven billion steps People send seven billion texts every 30 hours in the USA That’s 65.000 texts every second And what about a party with seven billion people? Everyone can come But where on Earth is there a place for a world party? Let’s go and take a look Actually, a place for seven billion people isn’t very big compared to the Earth One person needs about tree square feet But it’s a party So everyone needs about six square feet So everyone in the world, that’s about 42 square feet or 1.500 square miles So, where is a good place for this party? The Juneau Icefield in Alaska is the correct size, but it’s a bit cold Or there’s a state of Rhode Island It’s 1.500 square miles What about French Polynesia? Its islands are beautiful and they are about 1.500 square miles Oh, and for a photograph of seven billion people, with everyone next to each other, we need an area of 500 square miles Yes! Seven billion people in square miles Los Angeles is 500 square miles So we can take the photo there Here comes the photographer in a helicopter Smile! 103 Topic 10: Memory and language learning Which language are you learning at the moment? 00 10 I'm learning English in England because I need it for my job Also because I enjoy learning languages 00.20 At the moment, I'm learning French I use it mostly for holidays, but from time to time I use it for business 00.28 I'm from Mumbai I'm learning to speak English to take my exam in it because I need it for work 00.35 m learning Chinese at the moment because there are so many businesses in China I feel that in the future it will help me with my work What you find difficult about learning a language? 00.54 Well, there are so many new words to learn and I forget them So if I listen to the radio in English, it's difficult to understand every word 01.04 Sometimes I find it hard to remember lots of vocabulary and also ends of verbs, particularly the irregular ones 01.13 With English, there are a lot of new words to learn and sometimes I forget them And also the pronunciation is sometimes very difficult Like when I'm watching the news I don t always know what they are saying When you hear or see a new word in the language, how you memorise it? 07.36 I've got a book and every time I learn a new word I write it down and I also write the definition so I can go back to it and memorise it 01.48 I use different techniques I might think: 'Does it sound like something I know? Does it look like something I know?' For example 'un plat' is 'a plate' and I think: 'It's like "a plate" but without the e’ 02.4 Sometimes I write the meaning of the word or draw a picture of it on a card and then I carry these cards with me so I can learn them when I'm on the bus on the way to work 02.14 Well, when I hear a word, I repeat that word over and over again 104 What is your advice for someone who wants to learn a new language? 02.30 Well I think you should have fun, but also you need to work hard I think you need to study every day and practise 02.40 I think my best advice is to make it fun Buy the newspaper in the language Download a podcast Draw stuff Above all, make it more like a hobby, not like you're trying to learn 02.56 Every chance I can, I use to speak English So when I am m England, I will speak English all the time But also when I am at home, I will watch the news and look at the Internet in English also 105 APPENDIX 11: Lesson plan of topic 10 LESSON PLAN (FOR THE EG) Topic 10: Memory and language learning Course book: Life-A1-A2, Vietnam Edition Time allotted: 02 periods Students’ levels: Elementary Stages Warm-up Prelistening (Prewatching) Teaching procedures Game: Word chain memory Ask Ss to work “New words I learnt yesterday were in groups of 5, technology and problem” play chain game “New words I learnt yesterday were technology, problem, and engineer…” Tasks 10f MEMORY AND LANGUAGE LEARNING Before you watch Activity (p 127) Work in pairs Look at the photo and read the caption Answer the questions What language are they learning? Did you learn another language when you were a child? How old were you when you started learning English? Is it important to learn different languages when you are a child? Why? Key: Student’s ideas 106 Ask Ss to look at the photo Put Ss in pairs to discuss the questions Time Period Stages Whilelistening (Whilewatching) Teaching procedures Tasks While you watch Activity (p 127) Ask Ss to watch Watch the video What questions the video and write the the people answer? questions that Key: the people Which language are you answer Let learning at the moment? them compare What you find difficult about their ideas in learning a language? pairs When you hear or see a new word in the language, how you memorise it? What is your advice for someone who wants to learn a new language? Activity (p 43) Watch the video again How these people answer the questions (1-4)? Write words and phrases for each answer Don’t write full sentences Key: Speaker 1: English so many new words to learn, it’s difficult to understand every word write worss and definitions down have fun, but work hard; study every day and practise Speaker 2: French remembering vocabulary; ends of verbs, particularly the irregular ones 107 Ask Ss to watch the video again Tell them to take notes about the answers to the questions Let them compare their ideas in pairs Time Period Stages Teaching procedures Tasks think about weather it looks or sounds like something you already know make it fun; read a newspaper, listen to a podcast, make it more like a hobby Speaker 3: English new words; pronunciation write the meaning of the word; draw a picture use every chance to speak the language; watch the news and look at the internet in English Speaker 4: Chinese repeat new words over and over again Activity (p 43) Work in groups Compare your answers in Exercise and add more information Then watch the video again and check Key: The same Exercise 3’s answers 108 Time Period Divide Ss into groups of four Tell them to compare notes and the answers to the questions Play the recording again for Ss to check (show subtitles for the last time) Stages Postlistening (Postwatching) Teaching procedures Tasks Time Period After you watch Activity (p 127) Work in pairs Look at the answers for each person in Exercise Which answers are also true for you? Key: Student’s ideas Organize class into pairs Ask them to say which answers are true for them Take feedback from the class GROUP DISCUSSION POSTER PRESENTATION Activity (p 127) Work in groups Discuss and plan a list of advice for other people learning English Talk about these questions How you memorise new words in English? How can you learn English outside of the classroom? Key: Student’s idea Organize the class into groups of four Ask them to discuss the questions and plan a list of advice Ask Ss make their posters and put them on the walls Ask two Ss in a group walk around and look at the posters while the other two stay with their poster to describe it CONSOLIDATION _ 109 The end LESSON PLAN (FOR THE CG) Topic 10: Memory and language learning Course book: Life-A1-A2, Vietnam Edition Time allotted: 02 periods Students’ levels: Elementary Stages Warm-up Prelistening Teaching procedures Game: Word chain memory Ask Ss to work “New words I learnt yesterday were in groups of 5, technology and problem” play chain game “New words I learnt yesterday were technology, problem, and engineer…” Tasks 10f MEMORY AND LANGUAGE LEARNING Activity (p 127) Work in pairs Look at the photo and read the caption Answer the questions What language are they learning? Did you learn another language when you were a child? How old were you when you started learning English? Is it important to learn different languages when you are a child? Why? Key: Student’s ideas 110 Ask Ss to look at the photo Put Ss in pairs to discuss the questions Time Period Stages Whilelistening Tasks Activity (p 127) Look at the questions and listen to people’s answers Questions: Which language are you learning at the moment? What you find difficult about learning a language? When you hear or see a new word in the language, how you memorise it? What is your advice for someone who wants to learn a new language? Activity (p 43) Listen again How these people answer the questions (14)? Write words and phrases for each answer Don’t write full sentences Key: Speaker 1: English so many new words to learn, it’s difficult to understand every word write worss and definitions down have fun, but work hard; study every day and practise Speaker 2: French remembering vocabulary; ends of verbs, particularly the irregular ones 111 Teaching Time procedures Ask Ss to look Period at the questions on the screen that the people answer, listen to four segments in accordance with the four questions Ask Ss to listen again Tell them to take notes about the answers to the questions Let them compare their ideas in pairs Stages Teaching procedures Tasks think about weather it looks or sounds like something you already know make it fun; read a newspaper, listen to a podcast, make it more like a hobby Speaker 3: English new words; pronunciation write the meaning of the word; draw a picture use every chance to speak the language; watch the news and look at the internet in English Speaker 4: Chinese repeat new words over and over again Activity (p 43) Work in groups Compare your answers in Exercise and add more information Then watch the video again and check Key: The same Exercise 3’s answers 112 Time Period Divide Ss into groups of four Tell them to compare notes and the answers to the questions Play the recording again for Ss to check (show subtitles for the last time) Stages Postlistening Teaching procedures Tasks Activity (p 127) Work in pairs Look at the answers for each person in Exercise Which answers are also true for you? Key: Student’s ideas Time Period Organize class into pairs Ask them to say which answers are true for them Take feedback from the class GROUP DISCUSSION POSTER PRESENTATION Activity (p 127) Work in groups Discuss and plan a list of advice for other people learning English Talk about these questions How you memorise new words in English? How can you learn English outside of the classroom? Key: Student’s idea Organize the class into groups of four Ask them to discuss the questions and plan a list of advice Ask Ss make their posters and put them on the walls Ask two Ss in a group walk around and look at the posters while the other two stay with their poster to describe it CONSOLIDATION The end _ 113 ... participants in Foreign Languages and Informatics Center of People’s Police College II to examine the effects of using videos on their listening learning and their attitudes The CG with 35 students. .. 4.3 Students? ?? attitudes to using videos in listening learning 50 4.3.1 Scale 1: Students? ?? feelings on using videos in listening learning 50 4.3.2 Scale 2: Students? ?? beliefs about using videos. .. Significance of the study The current study was expected to offer an overall view of the impact of using videos to practice listening on listening comprehension of the students in Foreign Languages and Informatics