MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ------------ NGUYEN THI THU THUY DESIGNING SUPPLEMENTARY LISTENING MATERIALS TO TARGET CEFR-B1 LEVEL FOR STUDENTS AT BO TRACH HIGH SCHOOL No1 IN QUANG BINH PROVINCE MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60140111 SUPERVISOR: Assoc. PHAN VAN HOA HUE, 2013 i BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ ------------ NGUYỄN THỊ THU THỦY THIẾT KẾ TÀI LIỆU BỔ TRỢ KỸ NĂNG NGHE HIỂU HƢỚNG ĐẾN CẤP ĐỘ B1-KHUNG THAM CHIẾU CHÂU ÂU CHO HỌC SINH Ở TRƢỜNG THPT SỐ 1 BỐ TRẠCH-TỈNH QUẢNG BÌNH LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƢƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 60140111 NGƢỜI HƢỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: PGS. PHAN VĂN HÒA HUẾ, 2013 ii STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that this study is mine. The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true and have not been published elsewhere.
Author Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy iii ABSTRACT The study attempted to design supplementary listening materials to target CEFR-B1 level for students at Bo Trach High School No1 in Quang Binh province. It aims to find out (1) teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the needs for designing supplementary listening materials; (2) the difficulties faced by students when learning the listening skill; (3) some elements which should be included in the materials. Both qualitative and quantitative research methodology were utilized in this study. The data collected through the listening proficiency test, questionnaires, interviews and three experimental teaching lessons.
The participants of the research included 135 students at grade 10, 11, and 12 and 14 teachers of English at Bo Trach High School No1. The results from the study revealed most teachers and students affirmed that it was necessary to design supplementary materials in order to help students enhance their listening skills. Most of the students indicated the common obstacles that interfered with the listening skill attainment were their lack of background knowledge, the high speed of delivery of the speakers, lack of supplementary materials and environmental noises. The findings also showed that the materials used to design supplementary materials should be authentic since when being introduced authentic materials, students will be exposed to a variety of different spoken English.
Additionally, a list of the topics which interested students in listening was proposed to design materials. Based on the above findings, a topic- based syllabus for supplementary listening materials was suggested and three sample units were designed. On the basis of the findings, some pedagogical implications were drawn out not only for students to become effective listeners but also for language teachers and the educational administrators to enhance students’ listening ability. Limitations of the study were pointed out and further research was suggested.
iv Above all, I would like to express my profound gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc. Phan Van Hoa for his invaluable guidance, comments and enthusiastic encouragement during the time I carried out this research paper. I would like to convey my thankfulness to Assoc. Le Pham Hoai Huong and Assoc.
Truong Vien for their recommendations and support upon which ideas of the study could be developed. I am sincerely grateful to my friends Mrs Eileen, Mr John and PhD. Hoang Vu Cuong for their precious constructive criticism and helpful support in the completion of my research. I am indebted to the teachers from Bo Trach High School No1 for completing the questionnaires and participating in the interviews.
I also warmly thank the students at Bo Trach High School No1 for their involvement in taking a listening test and giving responses to the questionnaires. Without their enthusiastic contribution, I could not have done so well with my research paper. Last but not least, I would like to express gratitude to my family and close friends who are always beside me, creating favorable conditions and supporting me both v spiritually and materially to complete this thesis. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS SUB COVER PAGE.
i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP .v TABLE OF CONTENTS. vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. xi LIST OF TABLES. xii LIST OF FIGURES.
xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. Aims and objectives of the study. Significance of the study. Scope of the study.
Structure of the thesis .4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND. Theoretical Basis of Listening Comprehension. Definitions of Listening. Nature of Listening Comprehension.
The Process of Teaching and Learning Listening. The Bottom-up Listening Process. The Top-down Listening Process. Factors Affecting Students' Listening Learning.
Listener-Related Factors. Listeners’ Background Knowledge. Speaker – Related Factors. Rate of Delivery.
Current Issues of the Teaching and Learning of English Listening Skill in Vietnam and at Bo Trach High School No1. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. What is CEFR?. Common Reference Levels of Language Proficiency.
Preliminary English Test for Schools. Listening Comprehension Test in PET. Format of the Listening Test in PET. The National Foreign Language 2020 Project.
Needs Analysis in Language Teaching. Supplementary Materials Design. Approaches to Materials Design. Selecting the Materials.
Principles of Materials Design. Previous Studies Related to the Study. Instruments for Data Collection. Listening Proficiency Test.
Data Collection Procedures .32 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Listening test scores. Teachers’ and students’ perceptions of needs for designing supplementary listening materials. Teachers’ and students’ interest in teaching and learning the listening skill.
Teachers’ and students’ opinions on the difficulties of teaching and learning the listening skill. Students’ difficulties in understanding the recorded spoken materials about daily life. Frequency of students’ practice of the listening skill at home. Activities students often use to improve the listening skill.
Students’ expectations of teachers. Students’ and teachers’ perceptions of needs for designing supplementary listening materials. Difficulties in teaching and learning the listening skill at Bo Trach High School No1. Difficulties encountered by teachers and students in teaching and learning listening due to the listener factors.
Students’ listening difficulties caused by speakers factors. Students’ listening difficulties caused by materials and physical settings. Students’ need for designing supplementary listening materials with reference to CERF-B1 level. Students’ and teachers’ preferences for the sources of materials.
Students’ preference for topics in listening. Students’ and teachers’ preference for types of tasks. Students’ and teachers’ views on teaching aids selection. Students’ and teachers’ specific suggestions to the school for improving students’ listening comprehension skill to CEFR required standard.
Suggested Syllabus for Supplementary Listening Materials. Sample units for supplementary listening materials (See Appendix 5). Students’ feedback from the three experimental units .62 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH. Summary of the key findings.
For school administrators. Limitations of the study. Suggestions for further research .76 x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CEFR: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages CoE: The Council of Europe L2: The second language N: Number P: Percentage PET: Preliminary English Test Q: Question xi LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1: Activities used by students to improve the listening skill .2: Students’ expectations of teachers .3: Students’ listening difficulties due to the listener factors .4: Students’ listening difficulties caused by the speaker factors .5: Students’ listening difficulties due to materials and physical settings .6: Students’ and teachers’ preferences for the sources of materials .7: Students’ preference for topics in listening .8: Students’ and teachers’ preference for types of tasks .9: Students’ and teachers’ views on teaching aids selection .10: Students’ and teachers’ suggestions for improving students’ listening comprehension skill .57 xii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.1: Listening test scores .2: Teachers’ and students’ interest in teaching and learning the listening skill .3: Students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the importance of the listening skill.4: Students’ and teachers’ opinions on the difficulties of learning and teaching the listening skill.5: Students’ opinion on the difficulties of understanding the recorded spoken materials about daily life .6: Frequency of students’ practicing the listening skill at home .7: Students’ and teachers’ views on the necessity of designing supplementary listening materials .44 xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale English has become an extremely popular language world-wide over a period of many years.
It is seen as a bridge that helps people from different nations come closer to each other. Understanding its role, the Vietnamese Government and people consider the English language as an essential means to integrate into the world as well as to enhance the economy, education, foreign relationships, health care system, etc. More than ever, the demand and requirements for English speaking proficiency among people are increasing. Therefore, the Government of Vietnam has developed a number of programs to popularize English and at the same time finds ways to improve the quality of English language learning and teaching.
In 2008, the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam started the National Foreign Languages Project entitled "Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period 2008-2020” which is aimed at making English compulsory in the school curriculum, teaching English for 3rd graders, thus by the year 2020 most Vietnamese students graduating from secondary, vocational schools, colleges and universities will be able to use a foreign language confidently (Nguyen, 2008). To achieve this objective, a Vietnam language proficiency framework which consists of six levels compatible with the Common European Framework of Reference was developed. Students at upper secondary school are required to achieve B1 level after graduation and accordingly they must satisfy requirements of language skills utilization in the real world. Among four language skills, listening comprehension is considered as a crucial factor in language acquisition.
According to Feyten (1991), in daily communication, people spend 45% of time in listening, 30% in speaking, 16% in reading and 9% in writing. Cornaway (1982) also states that listening has been regarded as the most frequently used language skill in the classroom. Thus it plays an even more important role in one's academic success than reading skill or academic aptitude. These indicators show that listening 1 accounts for an important part in communication and obviously decides the success and effectiveness of information comprehension and exchange.
The researcher has years of experience as a teacher of English at Bo Trach High School No1 and has witnessed big changes in English teaching methodology focusing on teaching communicative skills for students in recent years. Listening is recognized as a critical means in communication and acquisition of language, however, it remains one of the least understood skills in language learning (Morley, 1991). The importance of reading and writing skills are still emphasized over listening and speaking skills. In spite of students' mastering English grammar and vocabulary, they still have a difficult time in understanding spoken English.
Many students come to listening activities not only with little knowledge of the listening process, but also with serious misunderstanding about what will make them successful in listening. As a result, they pay little attention to listening lessons in the classroom. In addition, it is obvious that the current English textbooks for students put an emphasis on listening comprehension, but listening texts seem not to be adequate and relevant to B1 level of Common European Framework. Therefore, according to requirements of National Foreign Language Project 2020, achieving B1 level seems to be impossible for high school graduates if there are no feasible solutions, supplementary materials and strategies to foster their listening skills and prepare them as active listeners in language learning.
Furthermore, there has been little study on designing supplementary listening materials for students in the light of the National Foreign Language 2020 Project so far. It is these significant deficiencies that have motivated the researcher to conduct the research paper titled “Designing Supplementary Listening Materials to Target CEFR-B1 Level for Students at Bo Trach High School No1 in Quang Binh Province”.