Using note taking strategies to improve listening skills for students of second year study

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled USING NOTE-TAKING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE LISTENING SKILLS FOR STUDENTS OF S

USING NOTE-TAKING STRATEGIES TO

IMPROVE LISTENING SKILLS FOR STUDENTS

OF SECOND YEAR STUDY

(CẢI THIỆN KĨ NĂNG NGHE CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM

2 BẰNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP NOTE-TAKING)

PHAN VU HONG TRANG

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled USING NOTE-TAKING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE LISTENING SKILLS FOR STUDENTS OF SECOND YEAR STUDY submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Language Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due

acknowledgement in the text of the thesis

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to offer my most heartfelt thanks to everyone who was instrumental

in the successful completion of this thesis It's possible that I wouldn't have been able

to complete my work without their guidance and input

To begin, I would like to express my most sincere appreciation to my advisor, Dr Nguyen Thi Van Dong Throughout the process of completing this thesis, Dr Nguyen Thi Van Dong has supported me, generously supplied me with insightful direction, and provided me with helpful criticism; without her, the thesis would be a long way from being done Without her, the thesis would not be nearly as complete as it is now In addition, I would want to express my appreciation to each and every one of the presenters

Second, I would want to express my gratitude to the members of the English Faculty at Hanoi Open University Their academic expertise, insightful lectures, and clear directions were all really helpful to me as I worked to finish the assignment Thirdly, I would like to express my gratitude to the teachers at the Library Department of Hanoi Open University They made it much simpler for me to search the resources needed for this thesis and borrow them

Finally, I would want to express my gratitude to my family, my seniors, and my instructors for your consistent support and encouragement over this time period

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EFL English as a Foreign Language

HTC Hanoi Tourism College

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1: The results of Pre-listening test and Post-listening test 26

Table 2: Statistical Table of Pre-test and Post-test Results 27

Figure 1: The results of Pre-listening test and Post-listening test 28

Figure 2: The number of Students Applying Strategies 36

1.5 Scope of the study

1.6 Significance of the study

1.7 Structure of the study

2.2 Note-taking strategies for listening skills

2.3 Effects of note-taking strategies

2.4 Types of note-taking Strategies

2.4.1 Mind Mapping Strategies

2.4.2 The Cornell note-taking Strategies

CHAPTER IV: Using note taking strategies to improve students’ listening

skills

4.1 The results of tests

4.2 Applying strategies results

4.3 The results of interviews

4.4 Note taking strategies to improve students’ listening skills

5.3 Limitation of the study

5.4 Recommendations and suggestions for further research

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

It is true that students often struggle with listening skills, particularly year non-English majors The majority of students struggle with their listening abilities, and a sizeable proportion cannot hear anything Humans are capable of communication, mutual understanding, and the sharing of the roles of speaker and receiver Heylen (2009) contends that the interaction process involves a speaker and

second-a psecond-assive listener who considers second-and comprehends the discourse

Listening is a fundamental talent that must be learned, as stated by Rest (2011) and Ahour and Bargool (2005) Students need to be able to listen to audio in English and have a complete understanding of the content or dialogue being conveyed in order to be successful in learning a second language such as English

Language learning is facilitated by participating in this activity According to Nunan (1999), the ability to listen is on par with that of Cinderella in terms of prestige (published in 1993 by Oxford, and in 1992 by Scarella and Oxford) Listening is a skill that is necessary for second-language learners to develop in order

to be able to acquire the other three skills, such as reading, speaking and writing

Listening is widely recognized as a fundamental skill; hence, it is crucial that students of any language be instructed in the capacity When it comes to studying English as a second language, students at higher education institutions are a good example of English language learners who should work on improving their listening abilities There are two methods in which students digest what they have heard, and those are top-down processing and bottom-up processing

The process in which listeners translate sounds into words, words into phrases, and clauses into sentences In contrast to the bottom up method, the top down method enables viewers to comprehend information that goes beyond words

or phrases This indicates that various viewers have varied methods of analyzing the information that they receive

The students have the ability to choose the alternative that best suits their needs However, it is crucial that top-down be an efficient strategy for eliciting correct information since it pushes students to evaluate phrases beyond their literal meaning This is why it is essential that top-down be an effective technique

"Note-taking" is a skill that, when used regularly, may help a person improve their listening capacity as well as their ability to retain information According to Boch and Piolat (2005) and Gur, Dilci, Cosgun, and Delijan (2013), which are also quoted in Ahour and Bargool (2015), taking notes is an essential method for both listening to and reading material

Students are unable to use this method when new material is offered to them, despite the knowledge that practicing it might increase their memory and problem-solving skills and that they are not able to do it currently In this particular scenario, English teachers encourage their students to take notes while they are reading and listening to assignments so that they may enhance their overall performance and their ability to take notes

According to Dunkel and Pialorsi (2005) and Haswell and Lee (2013), when students are given the opportunity to take notes while listening to a lecture, they report feeling more at ease while responding to post-listening questions

Some students have difficulties, as a result of challenges, isolating the most essential ideas from the auditory stimuli According to research done by Brown and Yule (1983) and Nunan (1991), the four things that make listening difficult are the speaker's accent and pace, the role of the audience, the content, and the use of visual

or practical assistance

The findings of the investigation indicate that certain students at Hanoi Tourism College have trouble listening and taking notes This is the reason why this research is being carried out: to establish which strategy is applied, and how it contributes to the improvement of students' listening abilities

It was found via casual observations and conversations with the author's students that one of the issues impacting their listening skills was their poor use of listening strategies This was determined based on the findings of these observations and conversations The purpose of this study is to investigate the different methods

of note-taking that students use

A great number of research, such as the one that Kirkgoz (2010) carried out, have been carried out on the topic of "note-taking strategies in listening" in order to nurture note-taking abilities for regular listening skills and educational institutions where English is the language of instruction

A number of studies, including Khavazi et al (2018), Hayati and Jalilifar (2009), Ahour and Bagool (2015), and Boran and Yi (2012), study the impact that taking notes has on one's ability to do well in listening tasks The purpose of this research is to explore the methods of note-taking that students who have successfully finished English for Academic Purposes have used in order to enhance their English listening abilities

There has been no previous research carried out on this subject so far In addition, the precise tactics used by each student are investigated throughout this

research

1.2 Aim and objectives

It is anticipated that the research will assist students in their second year at HTC to enhance their listening comprehension by making more effective use of note-taking practices

The following are some of the goals that the paper intends to accomplish:

• Discovering the strategies that the students used in order to respond to the listening assignment and determining whether or not they may have a beneficial effect on the listening abilities of students

• Understanding how students may improve their listening abilities by using note-taking strategies and what note-taking strategies can assist students to improve their listening skills

1.3 Research questions

1 What different kinds of note-taking strategies do the students use?

2 Can they have positive impacts on students’ listening skills?

3 How might students improve their listening abilities by using an approach that involves taking notes?

1.4 Methods of the study

The purpose of this research is to discover how students might enhance their listening abilities via the use of different note-taking procedures and to evaluate the improvement of students' listening skills

As a result, qualitative and descriptive approaches were used in the process

of data collection

In order to address the question of how students took notes during the English listening test, the researcher also examined the students' note-taking materials The research consisted of a pre-test, a post-test, and interviews to determine the extent to which taking notes improves students' listening skills In this investigation, qualitative descriptive methods were used to cast light on the interview and document data collected Various research methods, including qualitative, quantitative, descriptive, and analytical techniques, were employed to conduct the study

The results of both the pre-test and post-tests administered to students are analyzed qualitatively in order to obtain pertinent information After the information

is gathered through assessments and interviews, it is frequently subjected to quantitative analysis When conveying the results of examinations and interviews, descriptive language is frequently employed The analysis is used to evaluate the information obtained through interviews and tests In qualitative research, the researcher chooses the subject matter or topics that are of interest, obtains data from

a range of sources (sometimes acting as a participant observer), and views the work

of analysis as one of determining answers that seem to be consistent with the evidence that is available The time limit for the study is typically not set when the research began since it might take anything from a few months to as long as it takes for an effective answer to emerge

The sequential explanatory mixed method, a hybrid technique that incorporates quantitative and qualitative approaches, is utilized by the researcher Before starting the actual instruction, the students were given a pre-listening test to evaluate their listening skills

A total of 12 weeks were spent by the researcher doing her study, after which her students were coached in proper note-taking procedures by her Textbooks for the Cambridge IELTS made up almost two-thirds of the resources that she used Because she wanted to show her students that note-taking skills might be valuable for reasons other than tests, she also incorporated materials from TED speeches and

programs broadcast on Voice of America These resources are found in the internet platform

After that, three months later, these students were given a post-listening test that had questions similar to the questions on the pre-listening test in the hopes that they would forget the answers to the questions on the pre-listening test Additionally, the post-listening test was used to assess whether or not the utilization

of tactics for note-taking may increase the listening abilities of sophomores enrolled

in the Hanoi Tourism College program

Interviews were conducted by the author with second-year students at Hanoi Tourism College to gain insight into the note-taking tactics that these students used while responding to the listening assignment, as well as the ways in which note-taking strategies assist students in developing their listening talents The 25 students who agreed to be interviewed were selected at random from the class being analyzed As part of the investigation, the researcher will be interviewing groups of students throughout the last three weeks of the research class she is taking

The individual interviews are followed by the completion of the data collection phase, which consists of group interviews, in order to get more explanations The researcher picks 15 students to participate in individual interviews with them There is one "average" student, five students who work hard on her creativity, five students who take good notes, and one student who works hard on creativity and taking good notes

By asking students questions on a variety of levels, the researcher had the objective of obtaining a sample that was typical of her class as well as a broad spectrum of reactions to her invention Students had the choice of meeting with the researcher either before or after class for their interviews, which lasted anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes each

All of the interviews were done in the classroom by her, so that her students wouldn't have to deal with the bother of traveling All interviews are recorded The researcher also had the opinion that her students were more at ease in their classroom since it was one that they were used to

The second strategy that she used consisted of her observations of the individuals Throughout the whole of the class, both the comments and behaviors of the students

are recorded It is referred to these notes as a supplement to the interviews and questioned students for clarity on issues to have a deeper understanding of

1.5 Scope of the study

The purpose of this research was to assist students in their second year at Hanoi Tourism College in developing their listening comprehension skills Because

of this, the author made the decision to use note-taking to teach 125 pre-intermediate level students in order to assist them in improving their listening comprehension

1.6 Significance of the study

In practice, the results of this research are expected to provide light not just

on how students' listening abilities progress over time but also on how different approaches to note-taking influence that development The results may help teachers enhance their ability to make well-informed decisions on how to encourage students

to take notes in order to improve their listening abilities

After taking notes, the students were able to react with a higher level of assurance to the listening questions According to the findings of the interviews, the students shared the opinion that making notes was an effective method for carrying out their responsibilities relating to listening The students came to the realization that taking notes allowed them to more efficiently recall the information required to respond to the enquiry

self-When they use an outline, they are able to be more specific about the sequence in which they need to provide the material The last category is one that focuses on sentence construction It had a reputation for being more accurate, despite the fact that it was used far less often (and was therefore slower) It is possible to arrive at the following conclusion: the vast majority of students were of the opinion that taking notes was useful, as it assisted them in correlating their listening work and improved their capacity for listening comprehension

1.7 Structure of the study

The study is divided into 5 chapters

Chapter 1: the Introduction which is about chapter gives the rationale, the

aims and objectives, research questions, the scope, significance, the method and the design of the study

Chapter 2 is entitled Literature review that is presented as the foundation for

the study

Chapter 3, the Research Methodology that gives the population and sample, research design, research method and methods of analysis

Chapter 4, the Using note taking strategies to improve listening skills,

begins with result of tests and result of interviews

Chapter 5 is the Conclusion where briefly summary on what has been discussed in the previous parts Furthermore, this chapter also presents the limitations of the research and some suggestions for further studies

References and Appendixes come at the end of the study

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Listening skills

To truly perceive a speaker, it is necessary to derive and construct meaning Conversation can also occur through listening, since the purpose of listening is to comprehend and respond to what the other person is saying Kim (2016) defines listening skills as the capacity of listeners to comprehend discourse-level spoken language, including dialogue, anecdotes, and informational oral texts

Another definition of listening is the capacity to grasp what other people are saying, as stated by Howat and Dakin (1974) and underlined by Hien (2015) According to Hien, listening is the act of not only listening what the speaker says but also understanding it and providing a response to it

According to Rost (2002), which was mentioned by Gilakjani and Sabouri (2016), the act of listening might be of assistance in the process of formulating communication Listening includes taking in the information that is presented to the listener, as suggested by the antecedent claims Understanding what is being said and being able to react appropriately are prerequisites for effective communication Furthermore, Flowerdew and Miller (2005) state that the capacity to watch is just as important to develop as any other aptitude The ability to listen attentively is essential to effective communication This skill must first be taught in the classroom, and then it must be practiced outside of the classroom

In addition, listening is characterized as a difficult talent that requires the use

of interpretation To complete this technique successfully, you will need the ability

to integrate newly learned information with information you have already amassed Listening is a vital ability for learners of foreign languages, according to Rost and Hien (2015), who explain that this is because listening offers feedback at every stage

of the process

According to Darti & Asmawati (2017) and Ardani (2012), the process of listeners interpreting the voice heard, recognizing the words, putting them into

sentences, and integrating two pieces of information to reply to the speaker is what contributes to the complexity of listening

According to Ardhani (2012), one of the most effective ways to improve one's listening abilities is to analyze the context of every statement in order to better understand what the speaker is trying to convey Additionally, in order for customers

to overcome listening, they need to have certain microskills According to Brown (2001), who was quoted by Ardhani, the capacity to perceive speech, stress pattern, intonation, pauses, mistake, grammatical rules, and meaning are all examples of listening microskills When listening to a speaker, students should be able to determine both the context of the discussion as well as the significant linguistic aspects that help in comprehending the speaker's message

Strategies for taking notes are yet another significant aspect to take into consideration According to Moshleh and Baba (2013), there are a variety of methods for taking notes, including the two-column method, the Cornell method, the REAP method (relating, extending, establishing, and profiting), outlining, charting, sentence method, and mind map method The analysis of the Cornell method, as well as sentence mapping, mind mapping, outlining, and listing, is the exclusive subject of this work These methods are examples of the many different approaches

of taking notes, each of which has its own set of advantages and disadvantages

In addition, strong listening skills are necessary for clear and efficient communication as well as improved academic success However, there are a great many factors that have the potential to influence the listening process as well as the listening skills of the students

Aural comprehension and listening comprehension are closely related terms

in the field of language and communication, but they can have slightly different nuances:

+ Aural comprehension generally refers to the ability to understand and interpret spoken language or sounds It encompasses a broader range of auditory skills, including understanding spoken words, phrases, intonation, accents, and various

auditory cues Aural comprehension can be relevant in contexts beyond language, such as in music, where it involves understanding and interpreting the sounds and melodies

+ Listening comprehension specifically focuses on the understanding of spoken language It is a subset of aural comprehension that centers on the ability to grasp and comprehend spoken words and sentences accurately Listening comprehension

is particularly important in language learning and communication, as it involves understanding what others are saying, processing the information, and responding appropriately

In essence, aural comprehension is a broader term that encompasses various aspects

of auditory understanding, while listening comprehension is a more specific skill related to understanding spoken language However, the two terms are interconnected, as developing strong aural comprehension skills can enhance listening comprehension abilities, especially in a multilingual and multicultural context

2.2 Note-taking Strategies for listening skills

Students in secondary school and college may jot down the essential concepts that must be memorized and applied to other assignments and examinations Students are required to work quickly in order to transcribe these essential concepts from their lectures Noting these significant ideas is known as taking notes

According to Kirkgoz (2010), in order for students to be successful in taking notes, they need certain tactics, such as the use of symbols and abbreviations Students are able to save time, take notes more quickly, and remain engaged in the lecture when they make use of abbreviations and symbols in their note-taking

In addition, students gain a lot from having the capacity to take notes since it provides them with a systematic way to remember the most important aspects of what they hear The students save the note to help them recall the information that has been presented by their teachers and lecturers

According to Milligan (2014), the practice of taking notes is an effective method of learning since it enables students to acquire a significant amount of new information Students, for example, need to have sharp thinking and listening abilities so that they can identify the relevance of information that has to be recorded

In addition, Suritsky and Hughes (1991), who were quoted by Yang (2007), proposed that the ability to take notes required four general skills: listening, cognitive processing, documenting the substance of a passage in writing form, and evaluating the material that was previously recorded

Taking notes obviously includes a variety of skills, including analytical thinking, listening, cognitive ability, form writing, and evaluating Students are required to examine what the presenters genuinely mean to express with their statements when they get to the listening part of the test In order for students to effectively interpret a speech, they first need to establish the context of the speech, and then they need to capture the concepts in a timely manner while maintaining accuracy

The simple order of thoughts is the single most important factor in regards to taking notes in a way that is both successful and understandable In order to build a relationship between the key points and the supporting ideas, information has to be arranged in such a way that it can be coordinated Students need to be able to recognize what is important and arrange their thoughts in a clear and succinct manner

When it comes to taking notes, the most important thing for students to do, as recommended by Makany et al (2008), is to pick out the most important material from both the lecturer and the assigned reading

According to Flowerdew (1994), there are five steps to the process of taking notes: interpreting the delivered information, absorbing the material, locating the most important concepts, selecting when to record these points, and writing quickly Students will find that using this method to organize their note-taking is of great use

to them Students are required to be engaged participants and observers throughout the duration of the learning process associated with listening courses

2.3 Effects of note taking strategies

Researchers have, throughout the years, sought to establish that taking notes

is a tool that students may use to assess their lectures after they have taken notes (Ladas, 1980) These researchers have been unsuccessful in their attempts

Because of this remark, it is now clear that the act of taking notes and later reviewing those notes does not lead students to lose vital knowledge that they have acquired in class (Armbruster, 2000)

When doing a review of the process of taking notes in a lecture, the process

of taking notes itself has to be highly generative for learning to take place Students are able to expand their knowledge and comprehension of subjects via the practice

of taking notes They are able to construct concepts that are real, significant, and consistent on the basis of what they have written

According to Armbruster, the method of taking notes from classes or other speeches requires students to have cognitive abilities This is because students are required to listen to the lecture, decide which ideas are the most significant, keep and control the concepts in their memories, translate the data, decide what to record, and write down the ideas

All students of a second language may benefit from developing their cognitive talents Cognitive processes such as inference and interpretation are examples In a study of high school students learning English as a second language that was carried out by O'Malley, Chamot, and Kupper (1989), the researchers found that students most commonly used the cognitive strategies of repetition and note-taking When working on jobs that require listening, it is acceptable to replay the audio many times since of this, students ' cognitive abilities are improved since they must relisten to the material in order to grasp it

According to Wenden (2001, 1998, and 1996; referenced in Cotterall and Murray, 2009), the metacognitive information that is involved in note-taking has an effect on the success that students have in learning These kids have a healthy sense

of self-awareness, are actively involved in their studies, and make use of learning

tools that inform their choices She goes on to suggest that metacognition has two parts: one that deals with information, and another that deals with strategy The latter, according to her, is comprised of "general skills learners use to manage, direct, regulate, and direct their learning, i.e planning, monitoring, and evaluating."

It is obvious that students are able to determine which learning tactics are most effective for them as a consequence of their metacognitive abilities According

to Wang et al (2009), the primary focus of metacognition is on making sure that students are aware of and in control of their own thoughts in order to facilitate active learning

2.4 Types of Note-Taking Strategies

During the process of learning and teaching, students are able to benefit from using a variety of different note-taking procedures that have been proposed by Moshleh and Baba (2013) In order to underline that this research investigates five different methods that students use to take notes, mind mapping, outlining, Cornell, sentence, and listing will be discussed After that, an explanation of the different approaches will follow

2.4.1 The Approach of making Mind Maps

The approach of mind-mapping is an initial writing strategy that may be used for taking notes The process of mind mapping is projecting thoughts onto a bigger canvas, which subsequently assists the writer in grasping and retaining important information Because the writers highlight the textual main ideas, this method makes things easier for the students by indicating in more detail the most important topics that are being discussed

Mind mapping is a method of organizing that makes use of lines, symbols, keywords, and pictures, as stated by Buzan (2012) He shows that mind mapping is a sort of diagrammatic note-taking that is more visually appealing and well-organized than traditional note-taking methods The generation of new ideas and concepts is a potential use for mind mapping

Advantages of Utilizing a Mind Mapping Strategy (Adodo, 2013, modified and excerpted from Tee et al 2014, page 29):

- Coming up with ideas;

- Compiling a synopsis of the material and making notes;

- Integrating findings from a variety of research sources into a unified whole;

- Identifying sources

- Dissecting complex issues and situations

- Organizing the material in such a way that it clearly displays the overall

- The organizational framework of your topic

- Learning something, being able to remember it, and studying it

- Encourages the kind of learning that really matters, rather than rote memorizing

Spoorthy et al (2013) identified the following drawbacks of using mind mapping:

- The use of mind mapping is not required in order to retain the information that has been listened to; rather, it is an additional notion that has been formed from the listening

- Adopting a new approach to taking notes is challenging and calls for a significant amount of work on the part of the individual

- Because it needs previous knowledge of the subject or issue, it is difficult to develop a competent mind map of a subject or topic that is foreign to you

- It is difficult to create a mental map without a plan since it demands a lot of room, imagination, and other things

- Taking notes in a linear format may prove to be more useful than using mind mapping

2.4.2 The Cornell note-taking Strategies

Students may find it helpful to use the Cornell note-taking approach, which is characterized by its high level of organization and its use of three columns for the taking of notes while listening to material Students will have an easier time picking relevant material while using this method

The author Ozcakmak (2019) indicates in a written piece that the Cornell method of note-taking consists of two fundamental components; claimed that note-taking consists of two components The first method involves paying attention to what has been seen, read, or heard as well as concentrating on the present, while the second method involves taking notes that may be used in the future

There are seven steps involved in the process of taking notes (Pauk, 2001, pp 238-241):

- Write the ideas and facts presented in the lecture on a column that is six inches wide

- Reread the notes and rectify any problems in spelling or punctuation that you find

- In the cue column, enter the primary concept of the lecture as well as an inquiry that is based on the primary idea

- Go back over the question and read the material and the notion that you need to have in order to answer the problem out loud using your own words

- In the bottom part of the paper, write a concise summary of the information

- Instead of isolating individual facts and concepts, you should review your notes in order to get a holistic grasp of the subject matter

- Contemplate the relevance of the facts and ideas presented, as well as their underlying principles, the ways in which I might apply them to what I already know, the ways in which they fit, and what lies beyond the facts and ideas presented

The benefits of using the Cornell Method of Note-Taking (Ruschhaupt, June 2010)

- Arrange the notes in a way that makes it possible to modify and examine them at a later time

- It is less difficult to find the essential information

- Concentrating on the most important concepts, which may include specific words, dates, and people, as well as theories and processes, etc

- Using this approach to take notes during the presentation is an efficient strategy

- A way of learning that is less time-consuming and stressful yet nevertheless produces better outcomes

- It is simpler to review the material before the day of the examination

2.4.3 The Outlining Strategies

The material is organized in this way from the broadest to the most specialized During the process of categorizing, the initial level is assigned to each new notion or concept, and each sublevel is required to have some kind of connection to the primary level The strategy comprises structuring the information

in such a way that information that is more inclusive is placed after information that

is more specific, but relevant

"Outline strategies offer certain benefits, such as well-organized information, the recording of relationships and the content of information, the reduction of editing and modification, and the facilitation of easier review by transforming key

points into questions," write Moshleh and Baba (2013) "Outline strategies offer these benefits because they allow for easier review by transforming key points into questions."

Wong (2006) provides instruction on how to study using an outline

- Describe what it means to be informed and how one concept is connected to another

- Make sure the information you have is accurate

- Write down any crucial phrases or particulars

- In order to assist you in remembering the material, make use of the key words

- To make the connection between the ideas, use your own words

2.4.4 The listings strategies

The Listing Strategy is a way of taking notes that places an emphasis on the words that are being said The flaw with this tactic is that it does not grasp the data that is obtained; rather, it just captures as much of what the speakers say as is humanly feasible If students try to learn using this method, they will find that it is useless; yet, it is quite easy to ensure that students retain the subject It is up to the

person taking notes to decide how much information to include or how little (Wong, 2006)

2.4.5 Sentences Strategies

According to Moshleh and Baba (2013), this approach of note-taking is common and widespread since it does not need a predetermined outline When compared to the requirements for the other techniques, the sentence approach had more stringent requirements In the following, we will discuss the benefits, drawbacks, and applications of the approach

Method: Create a new line for each concept, piece of evidence, or topic that you want to discuss

Advantages: This paragraph has a little bit more organization than the one before it

It is difficult to differentiate between important and minor components based

on a numbered list, which is one of the list's disadvantages Both editing and inspecting it are tough to do

The sentence technique is helpful in situations when the lecture is organized yet the material being presented is difficult and moves quickly You have

well-an understwell-anding of the mwell-any facets, but you are unaware of the connections between them The points are communicated without any clear connection between

This inquiry was carried out with English Language Teaching (ELT) students who were in their first year of the program at the time of the study The researchers

of this study, however, did not take into account the kids' improving listening abilities Then, Gur et al (2013) evaluated the influence of taking notes when listening on listening comprehension in a higher education environment They found that students who take notes while listening had a superior understanding than students who do not take notes while listening On the other hand, these findings suggest that students need to be instructed in the practice of taking notes while listening more regularly

In addition, Jalilifar (2009) did a research to investigate the impact that different methods of note-taking have on the auditory understanding of EFL students Students believe that taking notes and having good aural comprehension

go hand in hand with each other Students who take notes consistently do better academically than their peers who do not The purpose of this research is to investigate different methods for taking notes during auditory activities

The purpose of this study is to explore the methods that university students use to take notes when they are assigned listening assignments After taking notes, these students will next be asked about their approach to taking notes during an interview

2.6 Summary

This chapter discusses the thesis's literature This chapter begins by discussing attention abilities Then, the framework for this research is presented, which includes note-taking strategies for listening skills Following that, we will discuss note-taking strategies Mind mapping strategies, Cornell note-taking strategies, outlining strategies, enumeration strategies, and sentence strategies are included Following that is a summary of previous investigations Next, the chapter's summary is presented

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research design

This study's objectives were to identify the note-taking techniques that students used while responding to the listening assignment, and assess how the practice of note-taking contributes to the improvement of students' listening abilities

A qualitative descriptive method was used by the researcher throughout the data collection process so that he can better answer these study questions Mack (2005) demonstrates how descriptive qualitative analysis may be used to examine phenomena via the use of interviews and observations

The note-taking materials of the students were analyzed by the researcher to address the question of the note-taking strategies employed by students during the English listening evaluation A study was conducted by the researcher to evaluate the effectiveness of the student note-taking approach in enhancing students' listening skills The study involved pre-test and post-test assessments, as well as interviews with participants The present study employed qualitative descriptive methodologies

to elucidate the data garnered from both the interviews and the documents

The study was conducted using a range of research methodologies, such as qualitative, quantitative, descriptive, and analytical methods The qualitative analysis of both the pre-test and post-test administered to students is conducted to obtain relevant information

The data obtained from evaluations and interviews is frequently subjected to quantitative analysis subsequent to its acquisition In the context of presenting results from assessments and interviews, it is common to employ descriptive language The analysis of data derived from test outcomes and interviews is necessary to assess the information obtained

Qualitative research involves the researcher's selection of subjects or inquiries of interest, gathering data from various sources, and sometimes assuming

the role of a participant observer The analytical process is then employed to derive answers from the collected data

The purpose of conducting research is to enable the researcher to derive conclusions pertaining to the topic or inquiries of interest Typically, the temporal parameters of a study are not established at the outset of the research The process of gathering information may span several months or extend until a satisfactory solution is obtained

The utilization of a sequential explanatory mixed method, which amalgamates both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, is employed by the researcher Prior to commencing the lesson, the students underwent an initial listening assessment in the form of a pre-listening test to assess their listening proficiency

A total of 12 weeks were spent by the researcher conducting her study, after which her students were coached in proper note-taking procedures Almost two-thirds of the resources used were comprised of textbooks for the Cambridge IELTS Additionally, information from TED speeches and programs broadcast on Voice of America was incorporated because it was desired to demonstrate to her students that tactics for taking notes could be effective for reasons other than tests

The first week of class was spent by the researcher demonstrating different note-taking strategies to the students in the class During the following weeks, the students were engaged in developing listening methods, such as selectively jotting down ideas and codifying information that was heard In the third week, the teaching

of the conventional abbreviation system was initiated by her, and in the fourth week, the students were asked to develop their own systems The students were provided with examples of her approach in order to minimize misunderstanding, but they were also encouraged to think creatively and not rely on the notes that had been taken by her

The class was started out by the researcher with shorter recordings and easier tasks, allowing the students to practice the new ability they had just gained and build

their self-assurance The opportunity to self-reflect and learn from their classmates who were performing better was sought to be offered to the students by the researcher, as she encouraged them to discuss the note-taking strategies they had learned Additionally, the chance to learn from their peers who were performing better was aimed to be given to the students Observations were participated in by the researcher throughout the whole of the class, and interviews were conducted by them in the last two to three weeks

Because it has been established that training students to take notes increases their ability to comprehend spoken language in other settings, the researcher opted

to teach this skill to the students she was working with The authors of the study, Tsai and Wu (2G10), found that taking notes helped EFL students improve their listening comprehension on tests These writers do a comparison between two different groups of students and come to the conclusion that those students who take notes in the target language (in this case, English) are better listeners than those students who take notes in their native language (in this case, Chinese)

As a consequence of this, it was strongly encouraged by the researcher for her students to take notes throughout her research in English rather than in Vietnamese The second research was conducted by Aliintundc (2013), and it found that taking notes helps students enhance their understanding of lectures by making it easier for them to retrieve knowledge

In a separate piece of research, Hayati and Jalilifar (2009) found that students who had received instruction in note-taking performed much better than their peers who had not received training The decision was made by the researcher to use this finding as motivation to teach note-taking skills to her students in her classroom since some of those students previously took notes but did not obtain the intended outcomes

Taking notes without being instructed to did not inspire them in any way Nevertheless, there are difficulties to be found in the process of teaching note taking

It is possible that students' inadequate language abilities, together with other

linguistic features, will impair the effectiveness of the invention As a consequence

of this, the decision was made by the researcher to carry out her study in a intermediate class rather than at lower levels, and careful attention was paid by her

pre-to the ways in which language competency influenced her creativity throughout the research course

In addition to this, many students may have difficulty organizing the knowledge they have It was found in the research carried out by Hajati and Jalilifar (2009) that some of the participants found that taking notes distracted them while they were listening It is thought, however, that the reason for their poor performance is because they record information that is not relevant; as a result, instructing students on how to be selective may help them take notes that are more useful

Then, three months later, these students were given a post-listening test with questions similar to the questions on the pre-listening test in the hopes that they would forget the answers to the questions on the pre-listening test Additionally, the post-listening test was used to assess whether or not the utilization of tactics for note-taking may increase the listening abilities of sophomores enrolled in the Hanoi Tourism College program

Interviews were conducted by the author with second-year students at Hanoi Tourism College to gain insight into the note-taking tactics that were used by these students while responding to the listening assignment, as well as the ways in which note-taking strategies assist students in developing their listening talents The 25 students who agreed to be interviewed were selected at random from the class being analyzed As part of her investigation, Groups of students will be interviewed by the researcher throughout the last three weeks of the research class she is taking

According to Dahlberg and McCsig (2010), interning with a single group is unlikely to offer the researcher with significant knowledge regarding factors She agrees that it is vital to compare interview groups, as stated in the aforementioned

citation Each group interview had a maximum of 10 participants in it so that there would be enough opportunity for students to voice their opinions

Following the completion of the data collection phase, which consisted of group interviews, she moved on to conducting individual interviews in order to get more explanations The researcher picks 15 students to participate in individual interviews with them There is one "average" student, five students who work hard

on her creativity, five students who take good notes, and one student who worked hard on creativity and taking good notes

With the objective of obtaining a sample that was typical of her class as well

as a broad spectrum of reactions to her invention, students were asked questions on a variety of levels by the researcher The students were given the choice of meeting with the researcher either before or after class for their interviews, which lasted anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes each

All of the interviews were done in the classroom so that her students would not have to deal with the bother of traveling The opinion was also held by the researcher that her students were more at ease in their classroom since it was one that they were used to

The second strategy that observations of the individuals were used Throughout the whole of the class, both the comments and behaviors of her students were recorded and noted These notes were as a supplement to her interviews and questioned students for clarity on issues that she wanted to have a deeper understanding of

3.2 Population and sample

In Creswell's (2008) words, a population is "a group of individuals with the same characteristic." Taking into consideration Creswell's (2008) definition, the author of this research decided that the population of this study consisted of fifty students who were in their third semester

This research was carried out at the English Faculty at Hanoi Tourism College, which is responsible for the instruction of a variety of topics, including English for IELTS Because the students in this class gained an understanding of IELTS, it was determined that it would be beneficial to use a method of note-taking both during the instruction of IELTS classes and during the students' own study of those classes

This class had a total of 125 students who successfully finished it However, only 50 students participated in this research project The participants were chosen

by the researcher using the process of purposive sampling, as it was intended to focus on students who had expertise or prior knowledge of the topics being researched

It is possible that these students’ inadequate language abilities, together with other linguistic features, will impair the effectiveness of the invention As a consequence of this, the researcher decided to carry out her research in a pre-intermediate level class as opposed to a lower level class

3.3 Data collection

The data source for this inquiry would be the descriptive and qualitative data that it produces A selection process was carried out by the researcher in order to ascertain whether students met the prerequisites necessary to take part in this investigation

Participation in the study was restricted to only those students who had earned passing grades The identities of the participants were obtained by the researcher before administering an IELTS-auditory listening pre-test To accomplish this task, test 1 from Cambridge 15 was utilized, consisting of forty questions and divided into three separate listening portions

For the purpose of this investigation, twenty questions taken from sections two and three of the audio were simply examined by the researcher The decision was made by the researcher to focus on Sections Two and Three of the Interview

since they are more challenging and require the recollection of listening information and specifics Therefore, it is important that attention is paid by students The audio was played once

Moreover, the observation and evaluation of students' note-taking methods were conducted by the researcher The connection between the participants' method

of note-taking and their level of understanding was of interest to the researcher Consequently, each participant was asked to provide feedback on their experience

by her

Afterwards, information would be gathered by the researcher through conducting a document analysis, in which the students' paper tests would be the subject of the study Following that, interviews with the students were conducted to determine how they were aided by taking notes during the listening activity

Interviews were done by the researcher so that data could be gathered for the second research inquiry The examine class served as the pool from which the 25 participants were chosen at random The researcher requested the participant to provide their responses to six open-ended questions that were all connected to the data the researcher sought The interviews provided the basis for the data collection, which was followed by an analysis

As part of the investigation, groups of students will be interviewed by the researcher throughout the last three weeks of the research class she is taking According to Dahlberg and McCsig (2010), significant knowledge regarding factors

is unlikely to be offered to the researcher by interning with a single group The importance of comparing interview groups, as stated in the aforementioned citation,

is agreed upon by her Each group interview was comprised of a maximum of 10 participants, ensuring ample opportunity for students to voice their opinions

Following the completion of the data collection phase, which consisted of group interviews, individual interviews were conducted in order to get more explanations The researcher picks 15 students to participate in individual interviews with them There is one "average" student, five students who work hard on her

creativity, five students who take good notes, and one student who worked hard on creativity and taking good notes

With the objective of obtaining a sample that was typical of her class as well

as a broad spectrum of reactions to her invention, students were asked questions on a variety of levels by the researcher The students were given the choice of meeting with the researcher either before or after class for their interviews, which lasted anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes each

All of the interviews were in the classroom so that her students would not have to deal with the bother of traveling The opinion was also held by the researcher that her students were more at ease in their classroom since it was one that they were used to

The second strategy that she used consisted of her observations of the individuals Throughout the whole of the class, she meticulously recorded both the comments and behaviors of her students She also referred to these notes as a supplement to her interviews and questioned students for clarity on issues that she wanted to have a deeper understanding of

3.4 Methods of Analysis

The procedure of analyzing the data consisted of a number of different steps The determination and selection of the appropriate sample were initiated by the researcher Secondly, each participant's handwritten notes were individually examined by the researcher Thirdly, the approach used by the students was determined and assessed in terms of how their practice of taking notes may assist them in responding to the question In the fourth phase of the process, a descriptive analysis of the data will be subsequently provided by the researcher

A test was provided to the students in order to evaluate their progress and growth in English listening abilities The author made use of two different forms of assessments over the course of this investigation The first test was called the pre-listening test, and the second test was called the post-listening test

Following that, an interview was carried out by the researcher over the phone, and the conversation was transcribed Structured interviews, semi-structured interviews, and unstructured interviews are the three basic types of interview formats, as described by Borg and Gall (1983)

For the purpose of this investigation, the decision was made to conduct structured interviews by the researcher, which are the kind of research that is used most often in the social sciences In contrast, a structured interview will include a predetermined list of questions that cannot be deviated from, but a semi-structured interview will be more open-ended and provide the responder the opportunity to bring up new ideas as a consequence of what they say

semi-In a semi-structured interview, the interviewer often has a framework of topics that need to be researched in order to gain information from the interviewers This helps to get more information out of the interviewees As a result, it serves as a resource for identifying the note-taking tactics used by these students in responding

to the listening assignment, as well as how note-taking strategies help sophomores at Hanoi Tourism College strengthen their listening abilities

As part of her investigation, the researcher will be interviewing groups of people throughout the last three weeks of the research class she is taking According

to Dahlberg and McCsig (2010), interning with a single group is unlikely to offer the researcher with significant knowledge regarding factors She agrees that it is vital to compare interview groups, as stated in the aforementioned citation Each group interview had a maximum of 10 participants in it so that there would be enough opportunity for students to voice their opinions

Following the completion of the data collection phase, which consisted of group interviews, she moved on to conducting individual interviews in order to get more explanations The researcher picks 15 students to participate in individual interviews with them There is one "average" student, five students who work hard

on her creativity, five students who take good notes, and one student who work hard

on both creativity and taking good notes

With the objective of obtaining a sample that was typical of her class as well

as a broad spectrum of reactions to her invention, students were questioned on various levels by the researcher The option was given to the students to meet with the researcher either before or after class for their interviews, which had durations ranging from fifteen to twenty minutes each

All of the interviews were in the classroom so that her students wouldn't have

to deal with the bother of traveling The researcher also had the opinion that her students were more at ease in their classroom since it was one that they were used

to

The second strategy that she used consisted of her observations of the individuals Throughout the whole of the class, she meticulously recorded both the comments and behaviors of her students She also referred to these notes as a supplement to her interviews and questioned students for clarity on issues that she wanted to have a deeper understanding of

Following the completion of the interviews and the collection of data, The participants were chosen by the researcher based on their ability to provide clear and succinct answers to the inquiry An analysis of the data was then conducted by the researcher in order to provide a response to the second research topic A verdict was arrived at by the researcher in the end

To sum up, the primary purpose of this research was to investigate the different approaches to note-taking that students use while responding to an assigned listening assignment and to find out how students' use of note-taking methods contributes to the growth of their listening abilities

Since the researcher used a descriptive qualitative approach to gather the data, the study used a variety of methodologies, including qualitative, quantitative, descriptive, and analytic approaches, in order to answer these research questions The researcher also examined the students' note-taking materials in order to answer the issue of how students took notes during the English aural assessment

The study consisted of a pre-test, a post-test, and interviews to evaluate how much taking notes helps students improve their listening ability In this inquiry, qualitative descriptive approaches were used to shed light on the data obtained from the interviews and the documents

The second strategy that she used consisted on her observations of the individuals Throughout the whole of the class, she meticulously recorded both the comments and behaviors of her students She also referred to these notes as a supplement to her interviews and questioned students for clarity on issues that she wanted to have a deeper understanding of

The design of pre-tests and post-tests in relation to listening skills is crucial for assessing and measuring an individual's improvement in their ability to understand spoken language Here are some key considerations for designing pre-tests and post-tests for listening skills:

Pre-Test:

+ Baseline Assessment: The pre-test serves as a baseline assessment to gauge the initial listening abilities of the learners before any formal instruction or training takes place

+ Diverse Listening Materials: Include a variety of listening materials, such as audio recordings, dialogues, interviews, or lectures, that represent different accents, speeds, and topics to assess a broad range of listening skills

+ Question Types: Design a mix of question types, such as multiple-choice questions, true/false statements, short-answer questions, and open-ended questions,

to evaluate various aspects of listening comprehension

+ Difficulty Levels: Ensure that the pre-test includes listening tasks of varying difficulty levels to accurately assess the learners' current proficiency and identify areas that need improvement

+ Standardized Scoring: Establish clear scoring criteria and rubrics to ensure consistency in evaluating responses

Post-Test:

+ Progress Assessment: The post-test is conducted after a period of instruction or training to evaluate the learners' progress in listening skills