Rationale
Listening skills are essential in foreign language learning because acquiring a language fundamentally depends on receiving comprehensible input Scholars like Krashen, Terrell, Ehrman, and Herzog (1984), as well as Rost (1994), emphasize that language acquisition occurs when students absorb sufficient understandable input, highlighting the vital role of listening in providing this input Krashen (1985) asserts that language is acquired through understanding spoken linguistic information, making listening a critical component in language development Without comprehending input at the appropriate level, effective learning cannot happen, positioning listening as a fundamental skill that deserves priority among the four language areas Recognizing its importance, the author, an English teacher with experience, is interested in investigating the common difficulties students face in developing listening skills at TanKy High School, leading to her thesis titled “An investigation into difficulties in learning English listening skills at TanKy High School.”
Listening is the most essential skill in effective communication, as it enables us to understand spoken language and respond appropriately Listening and speaking are closely interconnected—comprehensible listening is vital for meaningful speaking and prevents misunderstandings In language learning, listening provides learners with crucial input, facilitating the transition from classroom English to real-life communication Teaching listening skills in the classroom supports this transition, making language acquisition more effective This research aims to emphasize the importance of listening skills for both teachers and learners to enhance overall communication proficiency.
Learning listening skills is often considered the most challenging aspect of mastering a foreign language Unlike reading, which allows learners to revisit the text for clarification, listening is a receptive skill that can be daunting due to the inability to pause or review spoken content in real-time, especially in contexts like TV programs, meetings, discussions, lectures, or conversations As Harmer highlights, this makes developing effective listening comprehension particularly difficult for language learners.
The written word remains on the page, allowing readers to revisit and review it multiple times, ensuring clarity and retention In contrast, spoken words are fleeting unless recorded, making repetition impossible during a live conversation While listeners can request repetitions, they cannot revisit spoken content as easily as readers can with written material, highlighting the enduring and revisitable nature of the written word.
In Vietnam, teaching and learning English listening skills present numerous challenges for both teachers and students, due to a combination of objective and subjective factors (Harmer, 1991) Specifically, in Tan Ky, these difficulties hinder effective language acquisition, prompting the need to identify and address the underlying causes Therefore, this study focuses on exploring the main obstacles faced by learners and analyzing the reasons behind these challenges to improve English listening education.
Many learners lack interest in developing their listening skills due to the perception that listening classes are boring and challenging Listening practice can be time-consuming and difficult, which often discourages students To address this, teachers need to foster enthusiasm for regular listening activities and cater to learners who listen for relaxation and enjoyment Consequently, providing effective strategies can motivate students to engage with listening practice more passionately and improve their skills more effectively.
The aim of the study
The study is done with the following aims:
Many students struggle to develop effective listening skills when learning English This study aims to identify the common difficulties faced by learners at Tan Ky High School in mastering English listening comprehension Understanding these challenges can help educators develop targeted strategies to improve students’ listening abilities and enhance overall language learning outcomes.
This study aims to assess the current level of English listening skills among students at Tan Ky High School By identifying the specific challenges students face, we can understand the underlying reasons for their difficulties in learning English listening The findings will help develop effective strategies to improve listening proficiency and enhance overall language learning outcomes at the school.
Many learners lose interest in practicing listening skills during language classes due to difficulties they face This study offers practical solutions to motivate students and assist English teachers at Tan Ky High School, as well as other high schools, in enhancing their students' listening abilities Implementing these strategies can help learners keep pace with real-life conversational speeds, thereby improving their overall communication competence and confidence in English.
Research questions
The thesis mainly focuses on answering the three following research questions:
1 What are the students‟ difficulties in learning English listening at Tan Ky high school?
2 What are the causes of those difficulties ?
3 What are the possible pedagogical implications that can help to reduce those difficulties ?
The scope of the study
This survey investigates the listening difficulties faced by students at Tan Ky High School, highlighting their personal experiences and opinions The study also explores students' suggested solutions to overcome these challenges, providing valuable insights to improve their listening skills.
The organization of the study
The research consists of the following chapters:
This chapter deals with rationale, the aims, the research questions, the scope, the method and the organization of the study
Chapter 2: Theoretical background and Literature review
This chapter offers a comprehensive review of previous studies on teaching and learning English listening skills, highlighting key research findings It defines the nature of teaching listening, emphasizing the importance of listening skills in language acquisition The chapter explores different types of listening and the critical factors involved in listening comprehension It also discusses common listening difficulties faced by high school students and the underlying causes of these challenges in second language learning Additionally, an overview of the "Tieng Anh 11" textbook is provided to contextualize current educational materials.
Chapter 3: Research design and Methodology
This chapter present research approach, subjects, data collection instruments and research procedures, data analysis and reliability and validity
This chapter summarize major findings of the study, suggest some implications or recommendations for teachers and learners when teaching and learning listening skills at Tan Ky high school
This chapter summarize what have been done in the research, some limitations of the study and suggestions for further study and suggested further research
2.1 Previous studies related to the topic
Listening is one of the most challenging skills for both EFL teachers and learners, prompting increasing research and focus from educators and researchers Improving listening proficiency remains a key area of interest in language education, highlighting the need for effective teaching strategies As a vital component of language learning, listening comprehension is often prioritized to enhance overall communication skills Continued studies aim to identify the most efficient methods to develop listening skills in EFL contexts, benefiting both teachers and students.
Yagang (1993) identified four major factors that hinder EFL learners' listening comprehension: the message, the speaker, the listener, and the physical setting To address these challenges, he recommended providing students with appropriate listening materials, enhancing their background and linguistic knowledge, creating comfortable classroom environments, and developing enabling skills through effective drills These strategies aim to equip learners with effective listening strategies and improve their overall listening ability.
Olaofe (1994) emphasized that effective listening comprehension can be taught in large classes by creating an interactive learning environment He advocated for students to work in small groups, where they first complete tasks individually before engaging in group discussions During group reports and presentations, note-taking practice and full class participation are encouraged, which significantly reduce the typical disorder often seen during group presentations This approach demonstrates that large listening classes can be both engaging and productive through structured group activities.
Jian (2005) emphasized the importance of adopting a communicative approach to teaching listening, highlighting the drawbacks of traditional methods where teachers act as “tape-recorders” and students are passive listeners In contrast, communicative classrooms provide authentic listening environments with diverse tasks, materials, and strategies, empowering students to become more active and skilled listeners This shift requires teachers to move away from traditional roles and develop new knowledge and techniques aligned with Communicative Language Teaching Djiwandono (2006) proposed a listening comprehension method combining cooperative and strategic learning, where students work in pairs or small groups to interpret recorded speeches using various listening strategies This approach fosters a positive classroom atmosphere and enhances student interaction These foreign studies have significantly contributed to advancing the teaching and learning of listening skills.
In Vietnam, teaching listening skills has gained significant attention among educators and researchers, highlighting its importance in the context of globalization Numerous studies, such as Le Thi Xuan Anh’s 2001 research, have explored this area, revealing that Vietnamese tertiary students frequently utilize listening strategies unconsciously Her findings indicate a positive correlation between students’ listening abilities and their strategy use, suggesting that more proficient listeners tend to employ listening strategies more consistently than less skilled counterparts.
Pham Thanh Vinh (2002) identified key listening challenges faced by first-year English students at Da Nang College of Education The study highlights four main problem areas: difficulties with linguistic features, struggles in retrieving information, challenges in capturing main ideas, and issues with note-taking during listening activities Addressing these common obstacles can significantly improve students' listening comprehension skills.
Phung Thi Hoai Thu (2008) identified key listening difficulties faced by teachers and students when using the new Grade 10 English textbook at Que Vo II Upper-Secondary School in Bac Ninh Teachers struggled with inadequate facilities, unfamiliar listening instruction methods, and a lack of experience in teaching listening strategies Students' low proficiency in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and learning habits further hindered their ability to listen effectively and diminished their confidence in completing listening tasks successfully Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop more suitable teaching methods and strategies that can enhance the effectiveness of listening lessons.
Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (2011) explored the challenges of teaching listening comprehension to second-year students at Hanoi Open University’s Economics Department using the “Head for Business” course book She identified key difficulties faced by teachers, including insufficient academic training, students’ mixed abilities and passive learning habits, inadequate teaching facilities, and limited time allocated for listening practice Additionally, she highlighted the unique characteristics of listening comprehension that contribute to these challenges The study also proposed practical solutions to enhance the effectiveness of listening teaching and improve student outcomes.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen (2010) recommended incorporating songs as supplementary materials to enhance listening skills among first-year non-major English students at Phuong Dong University in Hanoi This approach aims to eliminate students' prejudice against listening tasks, foster their interest in the skill, and improve their overall listening comprehension Using songs in teaching not only increases student engagement but also helps create a more enjoyable and effective learning environment for novice learners.
Do Van Hoa (2010) found that third-year students at Hong Duc University in Thanh Hoa Province could enhance their listening skills through the use of portfolios The study highlighted the significance of portfolios in promoting students' self-study, particularly in developing listening skills Pedagogically, these findings suggest that integrating portfolios into teaching practices can be highly beneficial, helping teachers recognize their vital role in fostering students' autonomous learning and improving listening proficiency.
This review highlights that most researchers focus on general teaching principles for listening skills or address learners' challenges and solutions mainly for tertiary-level students However, there is limited research on the specific issues faced by Vietnamese high school teachers in teaching listening This study uniquely emphasizes the problems encountered by high school educators in Vietnam and explores targeted solutions to improve listening instruction at the secondary education level.
2.2.1 Listening and listening comprehension 2.2.1.1 Definition of listening
It is thought that listening plays an important role in the process of acquiring a language However, different scholars defined this concept differently
Listening is a cognitive process where individuals focus on specific auditory input, interpret the information, and connect it to their existing knowledge base (O’Malley, Chamot, and Kupper, 1989) This active engagement enhances comprehension and learning effectiveness, making attentive listening a crucial skill in language acquisition and communication Developing strong listening skills involves concentrating on targeted sounds and passages, constructing meaningful understanding, and relating new information to prior knowledge.
Rost (1994) states that listening is a complex process which enables us to comprehend spoken message
Listening, as defined by Anderson and Lynch (1988), involves both the immediate production and imitation of spoken forms, highlighting the active processing required for comprehension Effective listening aims for learners to understand and then articulate or write about the heard content, emphasizing the importance of active engagement Listeners function as "active model builders," constructing coherent interpretations of spoken language by integrating new input with their existing knowledge and experiences The creation of a mental model—an internal representation of the message—is crucial, as it results from combining fresh auditory information with prior understanding This process underscores the role of active listening in language development and comprehension.
According to Buck (2001), listening is an active process that involves constructing meaning by utilizing both linguistic and non-linguistic knowledge to interpret incoming sounds He emphasizes that effective listening requires the listener to actively engage with the audio input, combining prior knowledge with sensory information to comprehend the message fully.
“comprehension is affected by a wide range of variables, and that potentially any characteristic of the speaker, the situation or the listener can affect the comprehension of the message”