VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE USE OF METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE STUDE S’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION IN TOEIC TESTS AT AN ENGLISH CENTRE IN HANOI (Nghiên cứu hành động về việc sử dụng chiến lược siêu nhận thức để cải thiện khả năng nghe hiểu của học sinh trong bài thi TOEIC tại một trung tâm tiếng Anh tại Hà Nội) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 HANOI, 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THU THỦY AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE USE OF METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION IN TOEIC TESTS AT AN ENGLISH CENTRE IN HANOI (Nghiên cứu hành động về việc sử dụng chiến lược siêu nhận thức để cải thiện khả năng nghe hiểu của học sinh trong bài thi TOEIC tại một trung tâm tiếng Anh tại Hà Nội) M. MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231. Huỳnh Anh Tuấn HANOI, 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: “An action research project on the use of metacognitive strategies to enhance students’ listening comprehension in TOEIC tests at an English centre in Hanoi” is the result of my own research in the fulfillment of the requirement for Degree of Master of Arts at the Faculty of Post Graduate Studies – University of Languages and International Studies, Hanoi.
I commit that this thesis has not been submitted anywhere for any degree. Hanoi, 2019 Nguyễn Thu Thủy i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe great many thanks to so many people who have supported me all the way throughout my study to this final achievement. It is with deep gratitude that I wish to thank Dr. Huỳnh Anh Tuấn for his wholehearted guidance, valuable suggestions and academic advice during the course of writing this thesis, without which this work would hardly have been accomplished.
I also wish to acknowledge all the staff of the Department of Post-Graduate Studies for giving me assistance and the lecturers who conducted the Master course for me with valuable knowledge. Last, to my family, words are not enough to express my gratitude. I am grateful to my parents, my child, and my dear husband. Without their help and encouragement, I could not have completed this study.
ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT This research intended to explore the potential effects of instructing students to use metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension in the TOEIC tests. An action research approach was employed. The research project lasted 8 weeks. During 8 weeks of the project, participants were given instructions on using metacognitive strategies to improve their listening comprehension in the TOEIC tests.
The researcher used survey questionnaires, interviews, pre-test and post-test to collect data from the students. The pre-questionnaire was chosen to elicit the data about the students’ employment of metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension in the TOEIC tests before the intervention. The post-questionnaire and the interview was conducted to collect students’ feedbacks on instructing metacognitive strategies in the TOEIC tests after the intervention. Two TOEIC listening comprehension tests were given at the beginning and the end of the course in order to assess the students’ listening comprehension improvement.
Concerning the results of the study, instructing metacognitive strategies has a positive effect on the students’ listening comprehension and there was a slight improvement on the students’ listening comprehension in the TOEIC tests. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. iii LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES .vii PART ONE: INTRODUCTION. Rationale of the study.
Aims and objectives of the study. Scope of the study. Structure of the study. Significance of the study.
3 PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT. 5 CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW. Overview of the TOEIC listening test. Metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension.
Definition of metacognition. Definition of metacognitive strategies. Differences between cognitive and metacognitive strategies. The role of metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension.
Types of metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension. Related previous studies. 24 CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. Definition of action research.
Rationale for the use of action research. 27 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Data collecting instruments. Structure of the metacognitive strategy training sessions in listening.
Data analysis procedure. 35 CHAPTER THREE: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Students’ employment of metacognitive strategies before the intervention. The students’ improvement in the TOEC listening test.
The students’ feedbacks on the instructions of using metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension in the TOEC tests after the training. Summary of the chapter. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS. Summary of major findings.
Limitations of the study. Suggestions for further study .LX v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure Figure 1: Action research cycle Tables Table 1. The description of the research program Table 2. The students’ overall awareness of metacognitive strategies in listening before the intervention Table 3.
The students’ awareness of planning strategies in TOEIC listening comprehension before the intervention Table 4. The students’ awareness of monitoring strategies in TOEIC listening comprehension before the intervention Table 5. The students’ awareness of problem solving strategies in TOEIC listening comprehension before the intervention Table 6. The students’ awareness of evaluation strategies in TOEIC listening comprehension before the intervention Table 7.
TOEIC pre- and post-test score Table 8. Paired Samples Statistics Table 9. Paired Samples Test Table 10. The students’ impression of the listening lessons Table 11.
The students’ involvement in the listening lessons Table 12. The students’ levels of motivation in the listening lessons Table 13. The students’ self-assessment of their listening improvement Table 14. The students’ assessment of the use of metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension Table 15.
The effectiveness and importance of metacognitive strategies in TOEIC listening comprehension Table 16. The students’ difficulties in TOEIC listening comprehension after applying metacognitive strategies Table 17. The students’ assessment of the teaching method Table 18. The students’ evaluation of the way teacher instructed metacognitive strategies Table 19.
Metacognitive strategies that the students use to practice listening at home vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART ONE: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the study Facts have shown that the TOEIC test, which composes of two sections: listening and reading, is currently enjoying its popularity in both workplaces and universities in Vietnam. The teaching and learning of listening in preparation for the TOEIC tests is more demanding because it requires the test takers to process information while listening. Successful listening skills require the usage of effective strategies.
Without effective listening strategies, students’ listening becomes challenging, problematic and ineffective. There are various ways of classifying listening strategies. However, the classification of the strategies into cognitive, metacognitive, and social-affective strategies, which are based on cognitive theory (O’Malley and Chamot, 1990), seem to be the most popular. A listener might use a cognitive listening strategy to comprehend or make progress, but a metacognive-strategy user would monitor the process and include both self- reflection and self-direction.
Learners who have developed their metacognitive awareness are likely to become more autonomous. Therefore, Goh (2008) believed that metacognitive strategies instruction could potentially enhance learners’ knowledge about their listening and learning process. Metacognitive strategies instruction can also bring positive effects on listening comprehension and enhance students’ level of confidence, create more motivation and lessen anxiety in learners during the listening process. Despite its advantages, many students do not have adequate knowledge of metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension.
Moreover, literature review shows that little attention has been paid to giving students instructions in using metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension. Consequently, the listening proficiency of Vietnamese students has not reached satisfactory level. From the dissatisfaction with the current situation, and the desire to make intervention to improve the situation of teaching and learning listening, I decided to conduct: 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com “An action research project on the use of metacognitive strategies to enhance students’ listening comprehension in TOEIC tests at an English centre in Hanoi”. Aims and objectives of the study The ultimate aim of the study is to see whether giving students instructions in using metacognitive strategies help them improve their listening comprehension in the TOEIC tests.
The objectives of this research are: - To find out the students’ employment of metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension in the TOEIC tests before the intervention; - To investigate the extent to which giving the students instructions on metacognitive strategies help them improve their listening comprehension skill in TOEIC tests; - To find out the students’ feedbacks to the instructions of metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension in TOEIC tests 3. Research methodology Action research is appropriate for this research because the researcher has an impact on learners through the involvement of the teacher in the process of teaching and learning. The combination of different instruments, namely questionnaires, interviews, pre-test and post-test in this research is hoped to gain reliable data and help the researcher have a close investigation into the problems. Pre-questionnaire will be conducted in the first week.
It aims at investigating the use of metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension by students before the intervention. Post-questionnaire and interview will be delivered in the last week of the research. Post-questionnaire is used to collect feedback from students about giving instructions of metacognitive strategies. Interviews are applied to clarify the information collected from the questionnaires.
Pre-test and post-test are designed based on the actual TOEIC listening test. They are marked to reveal any improvements students have made during the research progress. 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Specifically, the study is conducted to answer the following research questions: How did the students use metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension in preparation for the TOEIC tests before the intervention? To what extent does giving students instructions on metacognitive strategies help them enhance their listening comprehension in the TOEIC tests? What are the students’ feedbacks to the instructions of metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension in the TOEIC tests? 4. Scope of the study Due to the limited knowledge and time of the researcher, the investigation could only be carried out on a small scale.
This action research will be conducted for only 8 lessons in the context of a certain group of 13 students from a class in the English centre. Structure of the study This study is divided into three parts: Part one “Introduction” presents the rationale of the study, aims, objectives, research questions, scope, and methods of the study. Part two “Development” consists of three chapters. Chapter 1 – Literature review deals with the theoretical foundation for the research.
Chapter 2 – Methodology describes the methodology applied in the study including participants, instruments, as well as the procedures of conducting the study. Chapter 3 – Research findings and discussion presents the results of the research and data analysis, from which major findings are revealed and discussed. Part three “Conclusion” summarizes the major findings as well as points out the limitation of the study. Suggestions for further study based on major findings are also mentioned in this part.
Significance of the study Metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension may provide a new look into the teaching and learning of TOEIC listening skills especially at my English 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Hopefully, it would enable students to learn listening and apply metacognitive strategies in their listening comprehension. Also, these strategies would be a helpful reference to teachers in the problems of insufficient methods for teaching TOEIC listening.