VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES LÊ THỊ HỒNG LOAN DIFFICULTIES IN LEARNING LISTENING SKILLS EXPERIENCED BY FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AT VIETNAM MARITIME UNIVERSITY AND SOME SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS (NHỮNG KHÓ KHĂN TRONG VIỆC HỌC KỸ NĂNG NGHE CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀNG HẢI VIỆT NAM VÀ MỘT SỐ GIẢI PHÁP KHẮC PHỤC) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 HANOI - 2012 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES LÊ THỊ HỒNG LOAN DIFFICULTIES IN LEARNING LISTENING SKILLS EXPERIENCED BY FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AT VIETNAM MARITIME UNIVERSITY AND SOME SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS (NHỮNG KHÓ KHĂN TRONG VIỆC HỌC KỸ NĂNG NGHE CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀNG HẢI VIỆT NAM VÀ MỘT SỐ GIẢI PHÁP KHẮC PHỤC) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 Supervisor: Phạm Thị Thanh Thủy, M.A HANOI - 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration……… …………………………………………………………………… i Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………… ii Abstract……………………………………………………………………………… iii Table of contents….………………………………………………………………… iv List of charts… ……………….……………………………………………………… ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statement of the problem and rationale of the study………………………… 1.2 Aims of the study……………………………………………………………… 1.3 Scope of the study…………………………………………………………… 1.4 Significance of the study……………………………………………………… 1.5 Design of the study…………………………………………………………… CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Listening comprehension………………………………………………………… 2.2 Component skills of listening…………………………………………………… 2.3 Potential problems in learning listening………………………………………… 2.3.1 Sounds………………………………………………………………… 2.3.2 Stress and intonation…………………………………………………… iv 2.3.3 Vocabulary……………………………………………………………… 2.3.4 Speech rate……………………………………………………………… 2.3.5 Accent…………………………………………………………………… 2.3.6 Redundancy…………………………………………………………… 10 2.3.7 Speech organization…………………………………………………… 10 2.3.8 Informal language……………………………………………………… 10 2.3.9 Background knowledge………………………………………………… 11 2.3.10 Fatigue and concentration……………………………….…………… 11 2.3.11 Psychological problems…………………………………….………… 11 2.3.12 Number of speakers…………………………………………………… 12 2.3.13 Familiarity of topic…………………………………………………… 12 2.3.14 Confidence…………………………………………………………… 12 2.3.15 Interest and motivation………………………………………………… 12 2.4 Three stages in teaching listening………………………………………………… 13 2.4.1 Pre-listening…………………………………………………………… 13 2.4.2 While-listening………………………………………………………… 13 2.4.3 Post-listening…………………………………………………………… 14 2.5 Previous study on listening difficulties………………………………………… 14 2.6 Summary………………………………………………………………………… 15 v CHAPTER THREE: THE STUDY 3.1 The setting of the study………………………………………………………… 16 3.2 Participants……………………………………………………………………… 16 3.2.1 Students………………………………………………………………… 16 3.2.2 Teachers………………………………………………………………… 16 3.3 Research methods………………………………………………………………… 17 3.3.1 Data collection instruments…………………………………………… 17 3.3.2 Data analysis methods………………………………………………… 17 3.4 Data analysis… ………………………………………………………………… 17 3.4.1 Learners and teachers‟ perceptions of linguistic difficulties in learning listening……………………………………………………………… 17 3.4.2 Learners and teachers‟ perceptions of listening difficulties related to the listening text…………………………………………………… 19 3.4.3 Learners and teachers‟ perceptions of listening difficulties related to the speakers………………………………………………………… 21 3.4.4 Learners and teachers‟ perceptions of listening difficulties related to the listener………………………………………………………… 23 3.4.5 Learners‟ expectations towards their teachers and teachers‟ opinions about how they can help their students……………………………………… vi 25 3.5 Summary………………………………………………………………………… 27 CHAPTER FOUR: DISCUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 4.1 Difficulties in learning listening encountered by first-year students at Vietnam Maritime University and possibles sources of these difficulties…………… 28 4.2 Recommendations to help students overcome difficulties in learning listening……………………………………………………………………………… 29 4.2.1 Helping students with vocabulary…………………………… 29 4.2.2 Dealing with sounds, stress and intonation…………………………… 30 4.2.3 Helping students get familiar with different accents………… 31 4.2.4 Creating expectations…………………………………………………… 31 4.2.5 Overcoming psychological problems…………………………………… 31 4.2.6 Using visuals………………………………………………… 32 4.2.7 Giving clear instruction……………………………………… 33 4.2.8 Utilizing the internet…………………………………………………… 33 4.2.9 Using music…………………………………………………………… 35 4.2.10 Providing task variety and text variety………………………………… 35 4.2.11 Encouraging self-study………………………………………………… 37 4.3 Summary………………………………………………………………………… 37 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION vii 5.1 Conclusions……… …………………………………………………………… 38 5.2 Limitations and suggestions for further study…………………………………… 39 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………… 40 APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………… I viii LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Learners‟ perceptions of their linguistic difficulties in learning listening Chart 2: Teachers‟ perceptions of students‟ linguistic difficulties in learning listening Chart 3: Learners‟ perceptions of their listening difficulties related to the listening text Chart 4: Teachers‟ perceptions of their students‟ listening difficulties related to the listening text Chart 5: Learners‟ perceptions of their listening difficulties related to the speakers Chart 6: Teachers‟ perceptions of their students‟ listening difficulties related to the speakers Chart 7: Learners‟ perceptions of their listening difficulties related to the listener Chart 8: Teachers‟ perceptions of their students‟ listening difficulties related to the listener Chart 9: Students and teachers‟ opinions about solutions to overcome difficulties in listening ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statement of the problem and rationale of the study It cannot be denied that English has now become the most popular language in the world In the past, learning a foreign language mainly means learning the vocabulary and practicing the system of grammar However, in recent years, more attention has been paid to listening and speaking skills since they play important roles in communication At Vietnam Maritime University (VMU), as most other universities in Vietnam, English has been taught as a compulsory subject for all majors Among four skills of English, listening is often considered the most difficult one for students First-year students at VMU have various difficulties with this skill because not many of them are familiar with listening at high school Moreover, not many researchers have studied the difficulties of first-year students in learning listening skills at VMU Therefore, it is urgent to carry out the research on “Difficulties in learning listening skills experienced by first-year students at Vietnam Maritime University and some suggested solutions” 1.2 Aims of the study The aims of the study are:  To investigate the difficulties that first-year students at Vietnam Maritime University encounter in learning listening skill  To find out factors that cause the students‟ difficulties in learning listening skill  To provide some suggested solutions to help students overcome these difficulties In order to achieve these aims, the study has three research questions as follows:  What difficulties first-year students at Vietnam Maritime University encounter in learning listening skills as perceived by themselves and by their teachers?  What are the factors causing these difficulties to the students?  What can teachers to help students overcome these difficulties? 1.3 Scope of the study The study is conducted at Vietnam Maritime University to find out the difficulties in learning listening skill of first-year students The study focuses on describing the linguistic factors, factors related to the listening text, factors related to the speakers and factors related to the listener The study also offers some recommendations to improve the current situation 1.4 Significance of the study Many students find listening difficult, so it is essential for the researcher to investigate the difficulties and give some possible solutions to help students be more confident when learning listening to English 1.5 Design of the study This study is divided into five main chapters in order to get insights into different aspects of the problem Besides, there are parts of References and Appendices Chapter presents reasons for choosing the topic, aims, scope, significance and the design of the study Chapter deals with theories related to the study including definitions of listening comprehension, component skills of listening, possible sources of difficulties in learning listening and three stages in teaching listening Chapter shows the procedure of carrying on the research such as the participants, data collection instruments and methods of data analysis Chapter reports and discusses the findings obtained from the data Some suggested solutions are also provided to help students overcome their difficulties in learning listening skill Chapter summarizes the whole study 5.2 Limitations and suggestions for further study Limitations are unavoidable in any research papers This study is not an exception Firstly, data are collected from a small number of participants, which could be insufficient to ensure the reliability of the study findings Further research should overcome this shortcoming Secondly, the researcher used only one kind of data collection method that is questionnaire, so the information may not be accurate enough It would be better to include interviews and class observations to obtain more specific ideas on the subject matter Thirdly, this study only investigated the difficulties experienced by students when learning listening to English There should be a research conducted to find out what difficulties that teachers at VMU have faced in teaching listening skills to students Hopefully, this study will be of some help to students at VMU to minimize their problems in listening acquisition and for anyone who is interested in this matter The researcher would highly appreciate readers‟ tolerance for any deficiencies of the study 39 REFERENCES Anderson, A & Lynch, T (1988) Listening London: Oxford University Press Baker, A (2006) Ship or Sheep? (Third Edition) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Baker, A (2006) Tree or Three? (Second Edition) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Barker, C (2001) Boost your vocabulary United States: Pearson Education Buck, G (2001) Assessing listening Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Chaudron, C (1983) Foreign talk in the classroom – an aid to learning? Mass: Newbury House Davies, P (2000) Success in English teaching Oxford: Oxford University Press Elkhafaifi, H (2005) Listening comprehension and anxiety in the Arabic language classroom The Modern Language Journal, 89, 206-220 Field, J (2008) Bricks or mortar: Which parts oof the input does a second language listener rely on? TESOL Quarterly, 42, 411-432 10 Helgesen, M & Brown, S (2007) Practical English Language Teaching: Listening New York: McGraw Hill 11 Jafari, S M (2009) On the relationship between listening comprehension motivation and listening comprehension among the Iranian EFL learners College of Literature and Humanities Shiraz Azad University 12 Lougheed, L (2004) Learning to listen United Kingdom: Macmillan 40 13 Marks, J (2007) English pronunciation in use Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 14 McCarthy, M & O‟Dell, F (2003) English vocabulary in use Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 15 Noro, T (2006) Developing a construct model of “listening stress”: A qualitative study of the affective domain of the listening process Annual Review of English Language Education in Japan, 17, 61-70 16 Nunan, D (2003) Listen in Hong Kong: Cengage Heinle 17 Richards, J C (1990) Listen carefully Oxford: Oxford University Press 18 Rixon, S (1986) Developing listening skills London: Modern English Publications 19 Rubin, J (1995) A guide for the teaching of second language listening San Diego, CA: Dominie Press 20 Soars, L & J (2007) New Headway (Third Edition) Oxford: Oxford University Press 21 Underwood, M (1989) Teaching listening London: Longman 22 Ur, P (1984) Teaching listening comprehension Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 23 Vandergrift, L (1999) Facilitating second language listening comprehension: Acquiring successful strategies ELT Journal Volume 53/3 Oxford University Press 24 White, G (1998) Listening London: Oxford University Press 41 APPENDICES APPENDIX Questionnaire for students KHÓ KHĂN TRONG VIỆC HỌC NGHE CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀNG HẢI VIỆT NAM VÀ GIẢI PHÁP KHẮC PHỤC Các bạn sinh viên năm thứ trường Đại học Hàng hải Việt Nam thân mến, giảng viên Bộ môn tiếng Anh trường, làm nghiên cứu khó khăn mà bạn gặp phải học nghe tiếng Anh Tôi mong bạn giúp đỡ cách điền vào bảng câu hỏi sau Sự tham gia bạn đóng vai trị quan trọng thành cơng đề tài Tôi chân thành cảm ơn cộng tác bạn I Dưới số khó khăn việc học nghe tiếng Anh Hãy khoanh tròn đáp án phù hợp với bạn = không = = = thường xuyên = luôn Em thấy việc nghe hiểu khó khăn nghe có nhiều từ Có từ em biết nghe em lại không nhận Em cách phân biệt từ ngữ quan trọng, từ ngữ không quan trọng nghe I Em không hiểu ý nghĩa ngữ điệu nghe 5 Em thấy nghe khó chủ đề nghe không quen thuộc Em thấy nghe khó em khơng hiểu cấu trúc nghe Em thấy nghe khó nghe có phong cách dân dã Em thấy nghe khó tốc độ người nói nhanh Em thấy nghe khó người nói khơng phải người xứ người nói có giọng địa phương 10 Em thấy khó nghe có nhiều giọng nói nghe 11 Em cảm thấy mệt mỏi học nghe 12 Em tập trung nghe 5 13 Em không thấy tự tin nghe 14 Em không thấy hào hứng học nghe 15 Em thấy lo lắng không hiểu chi tiết nghe II II Dưới số việc giáo viên làm để giúp bạn học nghe tốt Hãy đánh dấu vào điều với mong muốn bạn (Bạn chọn nhiều câu trả lời) Giáo viên giới thiệu ngữ cảnh nghe Giáo viên cung cấp số hình ảnh liên quan đến nội dung nghe Giáo viên cung cấp số từ vựng cấu trúc ngữ pháp quan trọng nghe Giáo viên giải thích rõ ràng yêu cầu nghe Giáo viên cho nghe nhiều lần Giáo viên cho nghe thêm nghe có nội dung hấp dẫn sinh viên Giáo viên tự thiết kế thêm nghe phù hợp với trình độ sinh viên Giáo viên tự thiết kế thêm nghe có hình thức đa dạng, phong phú Giáo viên hướng dẫn sinh viên số phương pháp để nghe tốt Giáo viên giới thiệu số trang web / tài liệu học nghe phù hợp với trình độ để sinh viên tự nâng cao kiến thức rèn luyện kĩ nghe Ý kiến khác (hãy ghi vào đây) ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… Cảm ơn giúp đỡ bạn! III APPENDIX Questionnaire for teachers DIFFICULTIES OF FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS IN LEARNING LISTENING SKILLS IN ENGLISH AT VIETNAM MARITIME UNIVERSITY AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS Dear teachers of English Group, Vietnam Maritime University, I am doing a research on the difficulties that our first-year students encounter in learning listening skills in English I would like to ask you to help me answer the following questions about students’ learning listening skills in English Please give your answers which are true to your knowledge and experience because this will guarantee the success of the study Thank you very much for your cooperation I Following are a number of statements I would like you to indicate your opinion about each statement by choosing the option that is best true for your students Thank you very much for your help = never = seldom = sometimes = often = always Students find it difficult to understand the listening text when there are a lot of unfamiliar words in it Students cannot recognize some familiar words when they hear them spoken IV Students cannot recognize key words in the listening text Students not understand the meaning of intonation in the listening text 5 Students find it difficult to understand the listening text when the topic is not familiar to them Students find it difficult to understand the listening text when it is not well-organized Students find it difficult to listen to the informal language Students cannot catch up with the speed of the speakers Students find it difficult when listening to different accents 10 Students find it difficult to listen when there are many speakers in the recording 11 Students feel tired when learning listening 12 Students cannot concentrate during the listening 13 Students are not confident when learning listening 14 Students not feel motivated in listening lessons V 15 Students try to understand everything in the listening text and they get nervous when they cannot II In the following section I would like you to put a tick in any boxes indicating your opinion You can choose more than one options What you think teachers can to help students overcome the difficulties in learning listening skills in English? Introduce the listening context Give some pictures relating to the topic Provide some key vocabulary and grammatical structures in the listening Explain clearly what students will have to (i.e the listening tasks) after the CD stops Let students listen to the recordings many times as they require Give some extra listening texts with interesting topics Give some extra listening activities which are more suitable to the students‟ level Design various listening activities Teach students some listening strategies Recommend some listening websites or materials suitable to students‟ level for them to study at home Other ideas (please specify) ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Thank you very much! VI APPENDIX Activities with the song “Unbreak my heart” by Toni Braxton  Listen and number the sentences: _ Come and take these tears away _ Don‟t leave me out in the rain _ Come back and bring back my smile _ Don‟t leave me in all this pain _ Bring back those nights when I held you beside me _ The nights are so unkind _ I need your arms to hold me now  Fill in the blank with the words in the box door nights love life unbreak tears heart hurt CHORUS my heart Say you'll me again Undo this you caused When you walked out the And walked outta my Un-cry these I cried so many Un-break my heart My VII  Circle the correct words: Take back that bad/sad word good-bye Bring back the joy/toy to my life Don't leave me here with these fears/tears Come and kiss this paint/pain/ away I can't forget the day you left /get Dime/Time is so unkind And life is so cruel without your/you here beside me REPEAT CHORUS  Match the two halves of the lines: Don't leave me _ out in the rain Don't leave me _ when I held you beside me Bring back the nights _ in all this pain REPEAT CHORUS Unbreak my heart, Come back and Unbreak my heart Without you _ I just can't go on _ sweet darling _ say you'll love me _ oh baby (The song lyric: Unbreak My Heart Lyrics By Toni Braxton Don't leave me in all this pain Don't leave me out in the rain Come back and bring back my smile VIII Come and take these tears away I need your arms to hold me now The nights are so unkind Bring back those nights when I held you beside me CHORUS Unbreak my heart Say you'll love me again Undo this hurt you caused When you walked out the door And walked outta my life Uncry these tears I cried so many nights Unbreak my heart, my heart Take back that sad word good-bye Bring back the joy to my life Don't leave me here with these tears Come and kiss this pain away I can't forget the day you left Time is so unkind And life is so cruel without you here beside me REPEAT CHORUS Ohh, oh Don't leave me in all this pain Don't leave me out in the rain IX Bring back the nights when I held you beside me REPEAT CHORUS Unbreak my Unbreak my heart, oh baby Come back and say you love me Unbreak my heart Sweet darling Without you I just can't go on) X APPENDIX Adapted listening task on page 29, unit 4, New Headway Elementary student’s book Listen to Ceri and decide whether the following statements are true or false: Ceri is a doctor She likes playing rugby Every lunchtime she has a walk in the park She often goes swimming with her son Alex is her boyfriend On Tuesday and Friday mornings she goes to the gym after work She trains with her team at the club on Wednesday morning On Friday evenings she usually goes shopping She doesn‟t like cooking 10 She always goes out on Saturday evenings (The tapescript: I love my job as a family lawyer, because I like helping people But I love playing rugby, too, so my life is busy! Every lunchtime I go running in the park near my office On Monday and Thursday evenings I go to the swimming pool with my boyfriend Alex On Tuesday and Friday mornings I get up at 5.30 and go to the gym before work And on Wednesday evenings I train with my team at the club On Friday evenings I just relax because I’m usually very tired! I sometimes visit my sister She lives in the centre of Cardriff, too Or I cook a nice dinner at home with Alex We love cooking After dinner we often watch a DVD We never go out on Saturday evenings, because I always play in a match on Sundays I want our team to win the next World Cup!) XI APPENDIX Adapted listening task on page 37, unit 5, New Headway Elementary student’s book Draw a picture based on the description (The tapescript: There are three people in the living room A man and a woman on the sofa and a little girl in the armchair There’s a radio on the coffee table and a rug under it There’s a cat on the rug in front of the fire There are a lot of pictures on the walls but there aren’t any photographs There are two plants on the floor next to the television and some flowers on the small table next to the sofa.) XII ... students KHÓ KHĂN TRONG VIỆC HỌC NGHE CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀNG HẢI VIỆT NAM VÀ GIẢI PHÁP KHẮC PHỤC Các bạn sinh viên năm thứ trường Đại học Hàng hải Việt Nam thân mến, giảng viên. .. VIETNAM MARITIME UNIVERSITY AND SOME SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS (NHỮNG KHÓ KHĂN TRONG VIỆC HỌC KỸ NĂNG NGHE CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀNG HẢI VIỆT NAM VÀ MỘT SỐ GIẢI PHÁP KHẮC PHỤC)... bạn I Dưới số khó khăn việc học nghe tiếng Anh Hãy khoanh tròn đáp án phù hợp với bạn = không = = = thường xuyên = luôn Em thấy việc nghe hiểu khó khăn nghe có nhiều từ Có từ em biết nghe em lại