How to improve listening skills for beginners at hai phong university of management and technology

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠOTRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUẢN LÝ VÀ CÔNG NGHỆ HẢI PHÒNG ---HOW TO IMPROVE LISTENING SKILLS FOR BEGINNERS AT HAIPHONG UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY KHÓA LUẬN TỐT

Rationale

English is increasingly the global language, spoken as a first language in more than 60 countries and used worldwide, which drives rising demand for learning English In Vietnam, English study is a major goal for students, yet many face difficulties, so this piece offers techniques to further improve listening skills for beginners Listening plays a vital role in real-life communication and provides learners with understandable information, making it a core part of language learning This research aims to help students pay more attention to listening, since listening is often the most challenging receptive skill; unlike reading, listeners cannot easily refer back to a text in contexts like TV programs, meetings, or conversations The article highlights practical tips for teachers to motivate students to engage with listening more enthusiastically With four years of experience practicing listening with others, the author observed that many students struggle to practice listening and often report uncertainty about their abilities, which inspired the study Consequently, the research title is “How to improve Listening Skills for beginners at Hai Phong University of Management and Technology.”

Aims of the study

The study is done with the following aims:

This article identifies the most common difficulties beginners face when learning listening skills and explains how these challenges can reduce motivation to practice in the classroom It then offers practical, evidence-based solutions designed to boost listening proficiency, addressing both skill gaps and engagement barriers The proposed strategies help students keep pace with the tempo of real-life conversations, thereby strengthening their overall communication competence.

Methods of the study

This study adopts a mixed-methods design, integrating quantitative and qualitative data to capture a comprehensive picture Questionnaires are designed as a convenient, cost-effective data-collection tool that is quick for students to complete, enabling efficient gathering of information on listening skills development The survey targets students who are new to listening, recognizing the importance of introducing effective listening techniques early in training By applying appropriate strategies from the outset, students can steadily build their listening abilities over time After collecting the questionnaire responses, data analysis is conducted using established methods to interpret the results.

Scope of the study

This study focuses on learning English listening skills for beginners, aiming to identify the difficulties students typically encounter and to provide recommendations for overcoming these problems and improving listening ability A random sample of 30 students was selected from Haiphong University of Management and Technology, and surveys were distributed after class to collect data on their listening challenges and potential solutions.

Design of the study

This study is composed of three main parts:

− Part A is the introduction which consists of rationale, aims, methods, the scope and design of the study

Part B is the development—the main section of this study—and is divided into three chapters Chapter I presents the theoretical background, Chapter II provides a detailed explanation of the methodology, and Chapter III reports the findings along with their discussion.

− Part C is the conclusion which summarizes what was given in previous parts as well as some limitations of the study and recommendations for further study

Theoretical background

Listening

Listening skill is considered as one of the skills that play a vital role in the process of learning a language and communication

Listening, as defined by Howatt and Dakin (1974), is the ability to identify and understand what others are saying, forming the foundation of effective communication It involves recognizing a speaker’s accent or pronunciation, grasping their grammar and vocabulary, and interpreting the intended meaning behind the spoken words.

Pearson (1983) asserts that listening involves the simultaneous organization and integration of phonology, syntax, semantics, and knowledge of text structure, all governed by cognitive processes; though not fully realized, listening remains essential for acquiring language proficiency.

Ronald and Roskelly (1985) describe listening as an active process that uses the same core skills required for writing and reading—prediction, hypothesizing, checking, revising, and generalizing They emphasize that listening is an interactive rather than passive skill, one that demands sustained effort and practice from learners They also note that listening involves actively perceiving and constructing meaning from a continuous stream of sound.

In order to do well in listening, the listener must have sufficient knowledge of the language he or she is listening to

According to Hirsch (1986), listening is a skill-based process that engages neural responses and the interpretation of sounds to derive meaning It involves reacting to auditory input, selecting relevant meanings, and using memory, attention, and analysis—guided by prior experience—to understand what is heard.

Bentley and Bacon (1996) describe listening as a key component of the second language learning process They define it as an active process in which the listener constructs meaning from oral input.

Brown (2001) argues that listening is not simply a one-way reception of audible symbols; it also involves the psychomotor process of receiving sound waves through the ear and transmitting nerve impulses to the brain Therefore, listening comprises three elements: the sender, the message, and the listener.

Ma Lihua (2002) states that listening comprehension is a complex psychological process in which a listener understands language through the sense of hearing It is an interactive interplay of language knowledge and psychological activities However, this process is not simply decoding the message; it also involves integrating the decoding with its reconstruction to generate meaning.

Definitions of listening vary with the author's purpose, yet the core idea is that effective listening is an active process, not a passive reception Listeners should engage by focusing attention, interpreting messages within their context, and responding appropriately to what is heard By treating listening as an active skill—one that involves questioning, reflection, and applying insights—audiences can improve understanding and communication in any setting.

Research into listening shows that it is a foundational element of both daily communication and language learning, making it the most frequently used language skill Its importance extends beyond the classroom into everyday life, and for students it is especially significant because listening serves as the initial step in learning at every stage In a communicative approach to language teaching, listening is taught through modeled strategies and ample practice in authentic, real-life situations—the kinds of listening tasks learners will actually encounter when using the language Consequently, establishing a “listening-first” orientation can be a foundational principle in foreign language teaching and learning.

Listening skills including of two fundamental types are casual and focused listening:

Casual listening is listening without a specific purpose, and we often pay little attention to what we hear unless something grabs our interest, making it hard to remember what we’ve just heard In daily life, casual listening happens frequently—whether we’re listening to music, catching the news on the radio or TV, doing housework, or chatting with a friend.

Focused listening, also called purposeful listening, is listening with a specific goal in mind to uncover the information you need It happens commonly in everyday life, where you concentrate intently to extract as much relevant detail as possible from speech or lectures You don’t hear every word; instead, you anticipate what matters and capture the key points or critical data In classrooms, learners use this focused listening approach to identify essential information and improve understanding.

There are five periods in the listening process: o Receiving

It refers to the response caused by sound waves to the ear of listener It is the physical response o Understanding

At this stage, you learn what the speaker means through their thoughts and emotional tone It is crucially important to communication process and exists in all speech o Remembering

Remembering is essential to keep the conversation flowing because it means a message has not only been delivered and understood but also stored in the listener’s memory Humans are moral beings and our attention is selective, so in any dialogue only a portion of the information shared becomes part of our internal memory As a result, what is remembered often differs from what was originally seen or heard, making ongoing evaluation of memory accuracy a natural part of effective communication.

This phase is mostly executed by conscious awareness, consists of judging the messages in some way Meanwhile, you might try to penetrate the speaker’s underlying intentions or motives o Responding

Effective communication hinges on confirming whether a message has been understood, as listeners supply feedback through verbal responses or nonverbal cues This feedback verifies message reception and keeps the conversation flowing, enabling ongoing dialogue and stronger engagement.

Potential difficulties in listening for beginners

Listening can be particularly challenging for beginners learning a new language, who often try to interpret it using cues from their first language (Cameron, 2001), a process that is still developing Since not all communication is face-to-face, listeners lack immediate verbal feedback and a visible guide, making it harder to understand, even when listening to audio such as a CD Research identifies several common listening problems for beginners, with classroom atmosphere being a notable factor affecting listening practice and outcomes.

Sometimes discomfort in classrooms affects students listening comprehension

In large classrooms, students sitting in the back rows may not hear recordings clearly, and those near windows are often disturbed by noise from outside As teachers, we should take concrete steps to address these issues by improving acoustics and accessibility: use reliable audio amplification with well-placed speakers, reduce external noise with window treatments and strategic seating, provide transcripts or captions for recordings, and consider seating arrangements that optimize audibility and visibility These measures help ensure all learners can engage with the material, regardless of their seat or window location, ultimately enhancing learning outcomes.

Effective classrooms require considering several conditions that influence listening comprehension: classroom size can hinder a teacher's ability to manage group activities and provide feedback; room temperature affects concentration and listening performance, and classrooms without air conditioning or heating can be too hot in summer or too cold in winter; the speaker's accent can also impact how easily students understand spoken language By addressing these factors—adequate space, climate control, and clear speech—educators create a more conducive learning environment and support better listening outcomes.

Accent is a key factor to consider when selecting listening materials for English learners, because it directly affects comprehension Even listeners with strong overall listening skills can struggle when the speaker's accent is unfamiliar or local Research shows that comprehension declines and the mental effort required to understand increases when learners lack awareness of the speaker's accent Additionally, studies indicate that accent familiarity becomes particularly important when speech rate or background noise are present in auditory materials.

Munro and Derwing (1999) argued that excessive accented speech can notably reduce listening comprehension Goh (1999) found that 66% of learners cited a speaker’s accent as one of the most significant factors affecting listener comprehension Unfamiliar accents, whether native or non-native, can cause serious problems for listening comprehension, and familiarity with an accent helps learners understand more effectively Buck (2001) noted that listeners who have studied only American English may face critical difficulties when they first encounter an unfamiliar accent such as Indian English, disrupting the overall listening process and sometimes making comprehension impossible for some listeners.

The occurrence of infrequent words in a passage contributes to its complexity and difficulty Infrequent words in a passage may impact listening

Listening comprehension can be challenging when learners encounter low-frequency words, often requiring more processing time to infer meaning or risking that those terms are ignored Conversely, listening texts that use familiar vocabulary make it easier for students to understand, extract information, and stay engaged When learners know word meanings, their interest and motivation increase, which can positively impact listening performance Additionally, many words have multiple meanings, and without appropriate contextual use, students may become confused Therefore, the quality of recorded material is a crucial factor shaping listening comprehension.

In some classes, teachers use some recorded materials that are not high quality The quality of sound system can impact the comprehending of learners’ listening

Methodology

The participants

This study targets a population of first-year students at Hai Phong University of Management and Technology, from which a random sample of 30 students was selected to represent the population The choice to include freshmen in the English program reflects that they are at the initial stage of learning each English skill, especially listening Although their English background is relatively similar due to prior exposure to the high school English curriculum, they have had limited opportunities to practice English skills, which contributes to limited proficiency when they enter university As a result, they face several difficulties in studying and further recognize their difficulties, needs, and achievements related to listening activities.

Additionally, the researcher invited six lecturers from the Department of Foreign Languages, aged 30 to 45, to participate by answering the questionnaire Their extensive experience teaching English enables them to understand the difficulties students face when learning English, particularly with listening skills, making their insights valuable for the study.

The survey questionnaires

The survey consisted of nine questions administered to 30 first-year students to examine their perceptions of listening, their current listening level, the difficulties they encounter, the classroom activities they practice, and their suggestions for overcoming these challenges Participants were asked to tick the options that best correspond to their experiences and views.

11 their option The aims are designed to give participants the opportunity to present their viewpoints about learning The questionnaires are designed as below:

Question 1, 2 and 3: studying on students’ attitude toward learning English in general, and listening skill in particular

Question 4: studying on practicing listening skill of students

Question 5, 6: difficulties students encounter when listening English

Question 7, 8, 9: students' expectation to improve their listening skill

2.2 Procedure of the survey questionnaires

This section outlines the data collection process used to gather information and identify solutions to the stated problems The steps include presenting the questionnaires to students and clearly explaining each item to prevent misunderstandings, providing precise instructions for completing the questionnaires, and collecting the completed responses from the students.

The next step after the researcher collects the data is analyzing the data

Data analysis begins with reading and identifying the completed questionnaire responses, followed by classifying the results of the questions to reveal patterns in the data Tables are then constructed to categorize students’ problems and the strategies they used, based on the survey results The results are subsequently calculated from the students’ answers using these tables, and final conclusions are drawn from the data analysis.

2.3.1 Students’ attitude toward learning English in general and listening skill in particular (Q1)

Chart 1: The most favorite skill to students’ view

This study investigates which English language skills students prefer Chart 1 shows that the four core skills—listening, reading, writing, and speaking—receive strong emphasis in language learning, while the accompanying pie chart reveals the students’ favorite skill or the one they find most interesting.

Speaking is the most prominent of the four language skills, accounting for about 50%, while listening accounts for only 25% There are several reasons for this gap First, listening is more challenging than the other skills because it requires long-term practice and integration with pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar Second, the way classroom instruction is delivered in Vietnamese contexts can dampen students’ interest Moreover, in-class listening often relies on CDs or cassette recordings where native speakers speak quickly, with many homophones and a range of accents, making comprehension very challenging.

Many students find it hard to catch the words and understand what speakers mean, highlighting listening comprehension as a key challenge The data show reading at 12% and writing at 13%, with speaking and listening constituting the larger share of language skills Overall, speaking and listening are the two skills that drive communication, yet Chart 1 reveals a noticeable gap in students’ motivation between these two areas Consequently, targeted strategies are needed to attract students’ interest in listening skills and boost engagement with listening activities.

2.3.2 The students' assessment of learning the listening skill (Q2)

Chart 2: The students' assessment of learning the listening skill

According to the chart, the listening skill is difficult to learn for many learners Fifty percent report that listening is difficult, and 17% say it is very difficult By contrast, 27% view listening as normal and 6% as easy, highlighting a wide spectrum of perceptions about listening to English These findings underscore the significant challenge learners face when developing listening proficiency in English.

Very difficult Difficult Normal Easy

Observation 14 shows that learners who report that learning the listening skill is easy tend to be the best students In short, the survey confirms the assumption that listening to English—and learning it—presents notable difficulty.

Below is the result when the author asks three students the same question in the interview:

What do you think of the difficulty of

Table 1: The interview results of students’ assessment in English listening skill

Table 1 presents the assessment results for English listening skills, showing that two students perceive rewriting English sentences as very difficult, while one student (33%) finds rewriting English sentences difficult Overall, most students view rewriting English sentences as a challenging task As depicted in Chart 2, the majority of students acknowledge that English listening skills are difficult.

As shown in Chart 1, almost all students report that English listening skills are difficult What about teachers? The table below presents the results of a questionnaire administered to six teachers who participated in the study, offering insights into their perspectives on listening difficulties and how they approach instruction.

Items Opinion Number of teachers

C It is very difficult but interesting

D It is quiet easy and very interesting

E It is difficult and boring 0 0%

Table 2: Teacher’s assessment on difficult of English listening skill

A table presents teachers' opinions on the difficulty of English listening skills Among three teachers, 50% consider English listening skills to be very difficult Despite these difficulties, 34% still find listening very interesting, proving that listening is not as boring as some people assume In real life, listening is a vital skill that significantly influences success, a value easy to realize yet often neglected in daily practice, for both mother tongue and foreign languages The data also show that only one teacher (16%) chose the option "It is very difficult but very interesting," while no one selected "It is quite easy and very interesting" or "It is difficult and boring."

These difficulties may or may not cause students to lose interest in listening, and this question is clarified by the following chart, which shows learners' interest in learning the listening skill in class.

2.3.3 Students’ opinions toward the role of listening skill (Q3)

Chart 3: Students’ opinion toward the role of listening skill

All the interviewees are English major students at Hai Phong Private University, so they understand the role of listening skills more clearly than most According to Chart 2, 85% of respondents regard listening skills as very important, 10% consider it important, and no respondent views it as unimportant; only 5% say it is not very important because their future careers will not involve communicating with foreigners These results show that students clearly recognize how important listening skills are to their studies and future professional paths.

Listening skills are among the most essential abilities for real-life communication In foreign language learning, developing strong listening skills becomes increasingly important, as understanding native speakers, catching nuances, and responding appropriately are foundational to fluency and confident interaction.

2.3.4 Studying on practicing listening skill of students (Q4)

Level Number of students Percentage

Table 2: Students’ practicing level about listening English

This survey examines students' practical level of listening skills and provides a realistic view of their current abilities The data show that the majority of students do not consistently practice listening in English Specifically, 19 students (63%) report sometimes practicing English listening, 7% never listen, and only 30% practice regularly at home This pattern suggests that many students do not actively invest in improving their listening skills, which helps explain why many still struggle with listening in English.

Chart 4: The time students spend on practicing listening English a day

Findings and discussion

Opinions of students about English listening skill

At HPU, 68% of first-year students report that English listening is difficult and that listening comprehension is hindered by a limited vocabulary Additionally, 33% of students say the university’s sound quality is not good enough and that facilities need upgrading Students are also not familiar with various accents; exposure to different speaking styles makes it hard to recognize sounds, and switching to a speaker with a different manner of enunciation can cause misinterpretation Finally, 82% of teachers agree that students struggle to keep up with the pace of speech, so they often miss messages because they are busy decoding the current part.

English listening skills can be challenging for many students, yet about 48% still enjoy the subject and tend to achieve high scores in listening However, learners continue to face problems with English listening In class, listening to dialogues is the most popular activity, chosen by 66% of students, because it is relatively easy for beginners and does not require extensive technique to perform well on tests.

Current situation in teaching and learning English listening skill

According to first-year students and teachers at Hai Phong University of Management and Technology, the major barriers to learning English listening skills are poor-quality CDs and CD players, unfamiliar listening texts, and limited practice time in class, which collectively slow students’ progress in listening and comprehension To improve outcomes, the university should upgrade audio materials and equipment, select more accessible listening content, and increase supervised listening practice during class sessions, thereby addressing audio quality, content familiarity, and practice opportunities to help students develop stronger English listening proficiency.

Subjective factors affecting students’ English listening skills include a tendency to try to hear every word, which prevents many students (about 40%) from keeping up with rapid speech In class, the most preferred activities are ticking off items they hear (33%) and selecting the correct answers (27%) Students also agree that listening-improvement activities work best when they involve pre-teaching related vocabulary and predicting the content before listening, followed by listening and taking notes during the task To maximize the benefits of these techniques, recommendations are proposed for first-year students in the Faculty of Foreign Languages.

Suggestions for improving English listening skill

Pre-listening activities lay the foundation for the entire listening task, and the level of comprehension depends on how well learners prepare and apply effective strategies To facilitate listening and improve skills, beginners should minimize distractions, since external noise can derail concentration, and they should cultivate mental ease and sustained focus Surveys show many first-year students have limited listening experience, which tends to make them tired, bored, and unfocused during listening tasks By implementing structured pre-listening routines that reduce distractions and promote concentration, learners can enhance their listening comprehension and stay engaged throughout the process.

During the listening stage, students must focus on the text to understand it, and a certain range of vocabulary is required to hear and comprehend the content of the conversation In addition, learners should acquire knowledge of English-speaking countries and Western culture and society, because understanding spoken text depends not only on language skills but also on basic world knowledge.

In Class 27, students are encouraged to practice English regularly through diverse listening activities These include listening to English songs, following VOA broadcasts, and watching foreign channels such as HBO, Netflix, and talk shows to become familiar with native accents in daily speech Regular exposure to authentic spoken English helps learners improve pronunciation, listening comprehension, and confidence in real-life conversations.

When the available listening materials are poor and hinder your ability to comprehend, ask your teacher to provide additional listening exercises for self-study at home Pairing these tasks with high-quality audio resources and reliable devices can boost listening practice and help you build stronger listening skills Make sure the exercises target listening for main ideas, detail, and inference, and that they fit your current level so progress feels achievable With regular, well-supported practice at home, material limitations become less of a hurdle and your listening proficiency can improve steadily.

Summary of study

Listening comprehension is a foundational skill in second-language acquisition, yet many learners still struggle This exploratory study examines dictation as a classroom technique to develop listening, testing the hypothesis that dictation can enhance students’ listening performance The findings offer new insights into the effectiveness of dictation in listening development and guide teachers on how to use dictation by selecting the appropriate type Finally, the study notes the need for larger-scale research to validate these results across diverse populations and contexts.

Limitations of study

While the study exhibits strengths in its data collection approach and the use of student-focused survey questionnaires, it also reveals several methodological limitations arising from tight timelines, limited sources, researchers’ capacity, and other unforeseen factors Due to time constraints, the study could not employ additional methods such as classroom observation, which could have enhanced the reliability of the findings The investigation is restricted to first-year students in the Faculty of Foreign Languages at HPU, a small segment of the Department of Foreign Languages, meaning the results cannot be generalized to the broader student body Furthermore, not all aspects of the listening difficulties were examined, and the suggested techniques were drawn from a limited set of reliable sources Nevertheless, as an exploratory study, it holds potential to inform improvements in teaching and learning English listening skills within the Department of Foreign Languages at HPU.

Suggestions for further study

Despite its limitations, this study focuses on the difficulties faced by beginners to help them improve their listening skills For future research, expanding the participant pool and diversifying data collection methods will yield stronger results; in addition to surveys and interviews, incorporating systematic observation can lead to more convincing conclusions Although conducted within defined boundaries, the work was carried out under the supervisor's guidance and through personal effort, and we welcome comments and criticisms to strengthen subsequent studies.

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ISSN 1916-4742 E-ISSN Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education

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This survey aims to assess your attitudes toward listening to English and your expectations for improving English listening skills, especially for beginner learners Your responses will contribute to the research for my graduation thesis, How to Improve Listening Skills for Beginners at Hai Phong University of Management and Technology Thank you for your participation.

1 Which English skill do you like most?

2 How often do you practice listening English at home?

3 How much time do you spend on listening English a day?

4 What kinds of listening text do you expect to practice more? (Put the tick (√) in your choice)

5 What makes you interested in learning English listening skill best?

Kinds of listening text Uninterested Normal Favorite Most favorite

6 Which difficulties have you faced when you listen to English?

A I am not familiar to listen to the native voice

B I am fed up with listening lessons

C The lessons are difficult for me

D The sound quality from radio is not good

7 What way do you often do in listening test?

A Try to listen to every word so you can’t catch up the speed of the speech

B Only listen to stressed words

C Need to listen more than three times to understand

D Feel tired and not concentrated when listen more than three times

8 What listening activities do you like best?

A Tick off (phrases/ pictures/items)

9 What should you do before listening? (More than one choice)

A Should learn some related new words

B Should predict the content of the listening texts by the activities that the teacher gives