VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -------------------- TRẦN THỊ TRUNG HIẾU THE ROLE OF LEARNER AUTONOMY IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF IELTS LISTENING SKILLS IN FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY (Vai trò của tính tự chủ của sinh viên trong việc phát triển kĩ năng nghe IELTS tại trường Đại Học Ngoại Thương) M. COMBINED PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI – 2015 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -------------------- TRẦN THỊ TRUNG HIẾU THE ROLE OF LEARNER AUTONOMY IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF IELTS LISTENING SKILLS IN FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY (Vai trò của tính tự chủ của sinh viên trong việc phát triển kĩ năng nghe IELTS tại trường Đại Học Ngoại Thương) M. COMBINED PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr. Duong Thi Nu HANOI – 2015 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I hereby certify my authority of the research submitted entitled “The role of learner autonomy in the improvement of IELTS listening skill in Foreign Trade University” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts.
Hanoi 2015 Tran Thi Trung Hieu i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deep gratitude to Dr Duong Thi Nu - my research supervisor, for her patient guidance, enthusiastic encouragement and useful critiques of this research work. I would like to thank my classmates Ms Trang and Ms Hanh, for their advice and assistance in keeping my progress on schedule. I would also like to extend my thanks to my academic staff from my Faculty of English for Specific Purposes in Foreign Trade University for their help in offering me the resources to enrich my research. My grateful thanks are also extended to my dear students for their helpful enthusiasm and sincere sharing during my procedures of data collection.
Finally, I wish to thank my dear family, my beloved husband and my sincere friends for their support and encouragement throughout my study. ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT The effects of learner autonomy have been shown to play an important role in language education. However, we have not really progressed in autonomous learning application. There has been little research on the role of learner autonomy in the improvement of listening skill in universities.
This study was designed investigate the relationship between learner autonomy and IELTS listening score in Foreign Trade University (FTU). A survey research was adopted in this study and a design of questionnaires and interviews was employed as the main instruments of the study. The population included all first -year students from 7 CLC classes in the different departments in Foreign Trade University; about 175 students. The 36 students enrolling CLC program from Business Management Department are the sample chosen for this study.
A convenient sampling design was used in this study. Data were collected through two phases of the study, utilizing both quantitative method (survey questionnaires) and qualitative method (semi-structured individual interviews). Results reveal that IELTS listening autonomous learning enables students to perform significantly better. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .iii TABLE OF CONTENTS.
iv LIST OF FIGURES. vi LIST OF TABLES. vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. viii PART A: INTRODUCTION.
Rationale of the study. Aims and Objectives of the study. Scope of the study. Significance of the study.
Design of the study .7 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………7 1. Definitions of Learner Autonomy. Learner autonomy in language learning. The Importance of Autonomous Learning.
IELTS &Banks of Official IELTS .The context of the study. Context of institution. Context of class. 26 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Syllabus and objective. Teacher tasks assignment. Sample and sampling. 41 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND FINDINGS…………………………………….
Answer to Question 1. Answer to question 2. 59 CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS………………. Contribution of the study to existing literature.
Summary of results and findings. Suggestions for further research. 68 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………70 APPENDICES………………………………………………………………………I v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Attitudes and abilities to self-regulate their learning of category 1 Figure 2: Attitudes and abilities to self-regulate their learning of category 2 Figure 3: Attitudes and abilities to self-regulate their learning of category 3 Figure 4: Comparison among 3 categories in terms of their agreement Figure 5: Comparison among 3 categories in terms of their “no idea” Figure 6: Comparison among 3 categories in terms of their disagreement vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Description of Autonomy Table 2: Converting IELTS mark for first-year CLC students Table 3: Background information about the subjects of the study Table 4: The results of the final test of 3 categories Table 5: The results of entry test and final test of the whole class vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLC: Chất Lượng Cao FTU: Foreign Trade University IELTS: International English Language Testing System L2: Second Language ESP: English for Specific Purposes TESOL: Teaching English to Students of Other Languages MOET: Ministry of Education and Training viii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the study Learner autonomy in language learning has attracted a large number of researchers all over the world with a great deal of the research originating in Europe (see Holec, 1981; Little, 1991; Dam, 1995).
It has been further studied and promoted by Asian researchers in countries such as Hong Kong (Benson, 2001; Littlewood, 2007) and Japan (Aoki & Smith, 1999; Aoki, 2001). The research on learner autonomy recognizes the benefits and the possibility of fostering learner autonomy in language education (Benson, 2007). In 1980, Holec mentioned the main purpose of language teaching as “to help the learner acquire the linguistic communicative abilities he has defined for himself” (Finch, 2001: 7). When we consider this purpose of teaching language, it may be obvious that an autonomy is a necessity in the learning process which can be handled by the learners not by the teachers.
It will be more effective and long lasting if the role of teachers in the learning process is limited to show students how to acquire the knowledge in a suitable way as the motto of strategic learning “life long lasting”. Traditionally, language curriculum has aimed to teach knowledge and skills, and has neglected to teach learners the way to learn. Mostly the main elements of learning will be the teacher and then the learners. The teaching method that the “teacher does to their learners” (Little, 1993, p.3) has been widely applied.
The teachers were and are always be the only people who take charge of all the knowledge which is necessary for the learners on the assumed items. The increase in learning demands with the change of technology, social values, and standard life brings about the change of role of teachers. A new term-“self-directed learning”- or –“autonomy”- has emerged nearly at the end of 1970’s. Learner training in second or foreign language teaching is a new way of teaching learners explicitly the techniques of learning, and an awareness of how and when to use strategies to enable them to become self-directed (Williams and Burden 1997).
Today, therefore, 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com there is a growing trend to explore learner autonomy in foreign language contexts (Benson, 2013). The trend, however, has been to research the application of learner autonomy in particular educational contexts such as in mainstream language education environments (Benson, 2007). This research recognizes the global trend of an increasing approach to learner-centered education in the context of Vietnam as the result of current needs: - Needs from students: Littlewood’s (2000) study show that learners are not that passive and they now do not wish to be merely “obedient listeners” (p.33) but “they would like to be active and independent” (Littlewood, 2000, p. This is clearly a new direction of investigating how students learn and want to learn in Vietnam.
In another study with 300 Vietnamese learners of English, Tomlinson and Dat (2004) reported that learners would be eager for changes to the culture of their classrooms. However, most teachers in the study were unaware of what their students felt and thought about the methodology of their courses (Tomlinson & Dat, 2004) - Needs from teachers: Dang (2010) mentioned that “being strongly considered part of the Eastern culture, teaching and learning in Vietnam is more teacher-centered” (p. Nonetheless, “teachers of English in Vietnam seem to have accepted that the grammar-translation method is not effective in English language teaching and learning” and that “they have begun to realize that communicative teaching method and student-centered approaches are what they need to implement in their teaching” (Brogan & Nguyen, 1999, p. 3) to improve students’ learning.
- Needs from the government: Nowadays, it is necessary that education and training must not only be able to equip students with new scientific and cultural knowledge but also develop their reasoning, creative abilities and team work skills (Moet, 2005). As a result, perceptions about teaching and learning philosophies should be changed by Vietnamese educational authorities (Pham, 2008). They have put into consideration that the traditional teaching and learning approach, with its emphasis on individual 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com achievement and transmission of information has become inadequate in developing students’ thinking and learning skills in current global society (Dang, 2010). Therefore, the importance of learner autonomy has been acknowledged in a new educational policy number: 43/2007/QD-BGDDT (Moet, 2007, p.3) issued by the Vietnamese government.
In this policy, managing and teaching by credit system is strongly emphasized “One credit point is equivalent to 15 class hours. In order to learn well, students must spend at least 30 hours of preparation for an equivalent credit point”. This policy aims to develop more autonomous learning with more active and responsible students, then to develop lifelong and autonomous learners. According to this new policy, all universities and institutions have to adapt their syllabus and teaching and learning processes to a central accreditation- based system, which includes the development of learner autonomy.
It is suggested that teaching strategies should be changed to meet the expectations of the new requirements. Students’ roles are to become more active and responsible for their studies because they have now got the chance to choose their own courses and teachers and so they themselves must learn how to manage their time and learning process. To date, there have been few studies that focuses on the role of learner autonomy in listening skills in general and in IELTS listening skills in particular. In fact, teaching IELTS is a combination of English language training and IELTS examination requirements and procedures in order that when students take this exam, they are better able to produce their best results.
There is no magic remedy for getting a high band in the exam. Students themselves will be guaranteed to have a good knowledge of English and to be more active and responsible for their studies in order to achieve a band score which will make them eligible to follow CLC curriculum in Foreign Trade University (FTU). In other words, autonomous learning in IELTS listening skills has been strongly encouraged with the support from the teacher. As a starting point, the current research argues that in order to understand how learner autonomy can be effectively applied in FTU, its role in the 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com improvement of IELTS listening skills is necessary to be investigated in generally Vietnamese educational context and particularly Foreign Trade University.