Luận văn vai trò của tính tự chủ của sinh viên trong việc phát triển kĩ năng nghe ielts tại trường Đại học ngoại thương

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES TRAN THI TRUNG HIEU THE ROLE OF LEARNER AUTONOMY IN THE IMPROVEMEN

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

TRAN THI TRUNG HIEU

THE ROLE OF LEARNER AUTONOMY IN THE

IMPROVEMENT OF 1KL1S LISTENING SKILLS IN

FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY

(Vai trỏ của tính tự chủ của sinh viên trong việc phát triển

kĩ năng nghe IELTS tại trường Đại Học Ngoại Thương)

M.A COMBINED PROGRAMME TIIESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 60140111

HANOI — 2015

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

TRAN TIII TRUNG INEU

THE ROLE OF LEARNER AUTONOMY IN THE

IMPROVEMENT OF IELTS LISTENING SKILLS IN

FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY

(Vai trò của tính tự chủ của sinh viên trong việc phát triển

kĩ năng nghe lI¿1/T8 tại trường Dại Ilọc Ngoại Thương)

M.A COMBINED PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

Supervisor: Dr Duong Thi Nu

HANOI - 2015

DECLARATION

Thereby euatify my authorily of the rescarch submitted enfilled “The role of

learner autonomy in the improvement of IELTS listening skill in Foreign Trade

University” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of

Arts,

Hanoi 2013 Tran Thi Trung Hieu

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my deep gratitude to Dr Duong Thi Nu - my research supervisor, for her patient guidance, enthusiaste encouragement and useful critiques of this research work I would like to thank my classmates Ms Trang and

Ms Hanh, for their advice and assistance in keeping my progress on schedule

1 would also like to extend my thanks to my academic staff from my Faculty of English for Specific Purposes in Foreign Trade University for their help in offering

me the resources to enrich iy research My grateful thanks are also extended lo my

dear students for their helpful enthusiasm and sincere sharing during my procedures

of data collection

Finally, [ wish to Uumk my dear family, my beloved husband and my siueers

friends for their support and cucouragement throughout my study.

ABSTRACT

The effects of leamer autonomy have been shown to play an important role in language education, However, we have not really progressed in autonomons leaning application There has been little research on the role of leamer autonomy

in the improversent of Tistening skill in universilies, This

study was designed investigate the relationship between Iearuer autonomy and TELTS listaning score in

y (FTU) A survey design of questionnaires and interviews was employed as the main instruments of the study ‘The population included all first ~year students from 7 CLC classes in the

about 175 students The 36

different departments in Foreign Trade Universi

students enrolling CLC program from Business Management Department are the sample chosen for this study A convenient sampling design was used in this study Data were collected through two phases of the study, utilizing both quantitative xethod (suvey questionnaires) ancl qualitative method (seri-structured individual interviews), Results reveal that IELTS listening autonomous learning cnables students to perform significantly better

iii

1, Rationale of the study va.csaseesessuniatesnnanincmusenenanainensnentnenenea d

a Siguificane of the study

1 Theoretical backgTontmd on tt th rtreeiiC

1.1 Defimitions of Leamer Autonormy -cc ssetiietrriierrrrrerrre)

2.3.1, Sample and sampling non eeierrrirrorrieeaoo 38

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1, Contribution of the study to existing literature 62

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Attitudes and abilities to self-regulate their leaming of category 1 Figure 2: Attitudes and abilities to self-regulate their learning of category 2

Figure 3: Attitudes and abilities to self-regulate their leaming of category 3

Figure 4: Comparison among 3 categories in terms of their agreement

Figure 5: Comparison among 3 categories in terms of their “no idea”

Figure 6: Comparison among 3 categories in tenns of their disagreement

vi

The results of the final test of 3 categones

‘The results of entry test and final test of the whole class

vii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLC: Chat Luong Cao

FTU: Foreign Trade University

IRI-TS: Intemational Fnglish Language Testing System L2: Second Language

ESP: English for Specific Purposes

TESOL: Teaching English to Students of Other Languages

MOET: Ministry of Education and Training

vi

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study

Leamer autonomy in language leaming has attracted a large number of resgarchers all over the world with a great deal of the research originating in Europe

(see Holeo, 1981; Little, 1991; Dam, 1995) It has been further studied and

promoted by Asian researchers in countries such as Ilong Kong (Benson, 2001:

Litlewoud, 2007) and Japan (Aoki & Sinith, 1999; Aoki, 2001) The research on leamer autonomy recognizes the benefits and the possibility of fostering learner autonomy in language education (Benson, 2007) In 1980, Holec mentioned the

main purpose of language teaching as “to help the leamer acquire the linguistic

communicative abilities he has defined for himself (Finch, 2001: 7) When we

consider this purpose of teaching language, it may be obvious that an autonomy is a necessity in the leaming process which can be handled by the learners not by the

teachers Tt will be more cffective and long lasting if the role of Icachers in the teaming process is limited to show students how Lo acquirs the knowledge in a

suitable way as the motto of strategic Leaning “life Long lasting”

‘Traditionally, language curriculum has aimed to teach knowledge and skills, and has neglected to teach leamers the way to leam Mostly the main elements of leaning will be the teacher and then the learners The teaching method that the

“teacher does to their leamers” (Little, 1993, p.3) has been widely applied The teachers were and are always be the only people who take charge of all the knowledge which is necessary for the learners on the assumed items ‘Ihe increase

in learning demands with the change of technology, social values, and standard life

brings sbont the change of rule of toachers, A new I learning” or

erged nearly al the ond of 1970's Leamer training in second

or foreign language teaching is a new way of teaching Icarncrs explicitly the techmiques of learning, and an awareness of how and when to use strategies to

enable them to become self-directed (Williams and Burden 1997) Today, therefore,

there is & growing Irond 1o explore learner autonomy in forcign Tanguage conlexts (Benson, 2013), The trend, however, has been to research the application of leamer

autonomy in particular educational contexts such as in mainstream language

education environments (Benson, 2007), This research recognizes the global trend

of an increasing approach to Jeamer-centered education in the context of Vietnam as

the result of current needs:

Needs from students: Litlzwood”s (2000) study show that leamers are not that passive and they now do not wish to be merely “obedient listeners” (p.33) but “they would like to be active and independent” (Littlewood, 2000,

p 34}, This is clearly a new direction of investigating how students leam and want fo lean in Vicinarmn, Ta another study with 300 Vietnamese leamiars of English, Tomfinson and Dat (2004) reported thal Tearners would be eager for changes to the culture of their classrooms However, most teachers in ths study were unaware of what their students felt and thought about the methodology of their courses (Tomlinson & Dat, 2004)

Needs from teachers: Dang (201) mentioned that “being strongly considered part of the Eastem culture, teaching and leaning in Vietnam is more teacher-centered” (p 5) Nonetheless, “teachers of English in Vietnam seem to have accepted that the erammar-translation method is not effective

in Pnglish Innguage teaching and learning” and that “they have begun to realize (hal communicative teaching method and studcut-contered approaches are what they necd to implement in their teaching” (Brogan & Nguyen, 1999,

p 3) to improve students” learning

Necds from the government: Nowadays, it is necessary that education and training nmst not only be able to equip students with new scientific and cultural knowledge but also develop their reasoning, creative abilities and team work skills (Moet, 2005), As a result, perceptions about teaching and learning philosophies should be changed by Vietnamese educational authorities (Pham, 2008) They have put into consideration that the traditional teaching and learning approach, with ils emphasis on individuat

achievement and Gansmission of information has become inadequate in developing students’ thinking and leaming skills in current global society (Dang, 2010) Therefore, the importance of learner autonomy has been acknowledged in a new educational policy number: 43/2007/QD-BGDD1 (Moet, 2007, p.3) issued by the Vietnamese government In this policy, managing and teaching by credit system is strongly emphasized “One credit point is equivalent to 15 class hours In order to leam well, students must spond ai Ioast 30 hours of preparation for an equivalonl credit point” This policy aims lo develop more autonomous learning with mong avtive and responsible students, then to develop lifelong and autonomous Icamers According to this new policy, all universities and institutions have to adapt their syllabus and teaching and Ieaming processes to a central accreditation- based system, which includes the development of leamer autonomy It is suggested Ihal teaching strategies shoukd be changed lo meet the expectations

of the mew requirements Students? roles are to become mare avtive mud responsible for their studies because they have now gol the chance to choose

their own courses and teachers and so they themsclves must leam how to

manage their time and leaming proves

To datc, there have been few studies that focuses on the role of leamer autonomy in listening skills in general and in IELTS listening skills in particular In fact, teaching IELTS is a combination of English language training and 1ELTS examination requirements and procedures in arder that when students take this exam, they are better able lo produce their best results There is no magic remedy for getting « high band in the exam, Students themselves will be guarantecd to have

a good knowledge of English and to be more active and responsible for their studies

in order to achicve a band score which will make thom cligible to follow CLC cwxiculum in Foreign Trade University (FTU) In other words, autonomous leamting in IELTS listening skills has been strongly encouraged with the support from the teacher As a starting point, the current research argues that in order to understand how leamer autonomy can be effectively applied in FTU, its role in the

improvement of IELTS listening skills ïs r

Vietnamese educational context and particularly Foreign Trade University

ssary (0 bo investigated in generally

2 Aims and Objectives of the study

‘The main aiva of this study was to investigale the role of lear autonomy in the improvement of IELTS listening, especially to identify the role of students’ attitudes and their abilities to self‘regulate their leaming in the improvement of IELTS listening skill in Foreign ‘Trade University Personally, it is challenging when taking charge of first-year CLC students Such CLC ones are assigned to achieve an essential band score of IRLTS to meet the linguistic demands of Foreign

‘Trads Univesity Thal effectively counts only if there exists onfhusiastie Iscturer involvement and cxeatlent student performanes, especially students" autonomous

Icaming, As a matter of fact, the students arc not well-aware of autonomy Therefore, I would like to conduct a survey research so that the goal is achieved

To be more specific, the primey objectives were sot as shown below

- To investigate the students’ attitudes and abilities to sclfregulate their learning towards IELTS listening skills at Foreign Trade University (FTU)

- To identify the cffects of autonomous Icaming in IELTS class at FTU on the

improvement of first-year CLC students’ IELTS listening band scare

instruments of the study The population included all frst ~yoar students in 7 CLC classes in the different departments of Business Management, Banking and Finance and Intemational Economies; about 175 students, The 36 students enrolling CLC program from Business Management Department are the sample chosen for this study A convenient sampling design was used in this study Moreover, tests were used as the additional instrament to see the students’ improvement and support main instruments to find the answers to research questions

5 Scope of the study

The study will not discuss the effectiveness of learner autonomy in learning all skills of official [RI-TS tosts, bul focus on Tistening skill ony ‘This is also a situational study in the Ikaming and tcaching IELTS sctting of Foreign ‘Trad: University with the population of 175 students, 36 CLC students in the rescarcher’s own classroom will be the sample and respondents to the questionaire, in-depth individual interviews of the method themselves Since this study is cartied out to figure out leamer autonomy in learning IELTS listening of CLC students in FTU, the results of the questionnaire will give the researcher supplementary support for the conclusion drawings Thus, the findings of this paper may not be necessarily

generalized (o students al other universities

6 Significance of the study

‘The research on the role of autonomy plays a significant part, especially mearingfil 10 pupils that have just graduated from high schools aud entered new university environment with now (caching methods, TẾ suuđenls still keep applying traditional teacher-centcred learning method at universities, they will be overloaded with wide knowledge that teachars cannot transmit in limited time If their leaming, methods have not been gradually changad, especially to specialized IELTS practice,

it tums out difficult to get high band scores Moreover, a variety of IELTS materials confuses students; then, they get difficulty making good selections of sources relevant to their language competence and CLC requirements Time arranged for cach lesson has just been cnough for lecturers lo introdnee sources for students to

gct know well and guide them some necessary tips based on listening techniques to

practice at class Their autonomous performance invelves students” attitudes and abilities to control their own leaming, their own leaming strategies and self-search for further practice and Cambridge IELTS Tests, Onhne Banks of Official IELTS, and so ơn are some of suggestions, ‘hat is a good opportunity for students to come into contact with real tests, selfevaluate their strengths and weaknesses in IELTS study, and consider whsther their practice materials currently suit their ability and meet first-year linguistic demands

7 Design of the Study

‘The study is divided into three parts, which are presented as fallows:

Part A (Introduction) provides an overview of the study, containing the rationale of the study, aims and objectives, research questions, research methodology, scope, significance and the design of tle study Part B (Development) consists of 4

nis Titerature 1

claplers Chapter 1 pr relevant to th tudy This chapter provides the background knowledge of lcamer autonomy, Ieamer autonomy in language leaming, the importance of leamer autonomy, IELTS test, general listening and IELTS listening This part also illustrates some related research (literature review) conducted by other researchers as well as their gaps in the field which inspire the writer to conduct the study Chapter two describes the

methodology underlying the research, which presents the context of the study, the

ratiomile for using survey research, the details about the participants and all instruments employed by the rescarcher as well as procedures to collect data Chapter three presents the process of data analysis Chapter four is devoted to a detailed description of the significant findings from data collection, and discussions aiter analyzing gathered data fiom described instruments, Part C (Conclusion) presents the conclusion which focus on the findings and summary of the main points of the study This chapter also points out several limitations of the research as

well as some implivalions which presents some further revernmerdations for the

cffective application of lamer autonomy in IELTS CLC dass as well as suggestions for further study

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

‘This Chapter reviews the relevant literature to the study and explanation of some key terms in the study ‘his chapter begins with the definition of leamer autonomy, leamer autonomy in language learning and its importance, some information about IELTS test, listening skill in general and IELTS listening skill in particular and some related researctliteralure review of learner autonomy

1 Theoretical background

1.1 Definitions of Learner Autonomy

‘The term “aztonomy” which is derived originally from the fields of politics and moral phitosophy, is a slippery tenn because il is widely eonfused with sel&

instruction and independent Iearing It is also a immltifaccted concept whose meaning, has been discussed fiom many perspectives by theoreticians (Benson 2001, 2007), The below table representing the definitions of autonomy made by different thinkers is adopted from Finch (2001: Appendix 1-2)

Table 1: Description of Autonomy

‘Name Definition

1 | Tolec (1981) The ability 1o lake charge of one’s own learning This

abilily is not inborn but must be acquired cither by

“natural” micans or (as most often happens) by formal leamung, ina systematic, deliberate way

2 | Young (1986) Authoring one’s own world without being subject 10

the will of others

3 | Dickinson Complete responsibility for one’s leaning, camied out

1 (1987) without the involvement of a teacher or pedagogic

materials

2 (1992) An altitude towards learning in which the Icamer is

prepared to take, or docs take, responsibility for his

own learning

4 | Boud (1988) Students take some significant responsibility for their

own learning over and above responding to instruction

5 |Hunt, Gow and|Decisionmaking process involved in identifying

Bares (1989) problems and making relevant decisions for their

solution through access to sufficient sources of information

6 | Little, D The goal of all developmental leaming and, is,

1.(1989) moreover, fundamental to its processes Acceptance of

responsibilily for one’s own learning

2.( 1991) A capacity for detachment, critical reflection, decision

making and independent action

7 [Allwaght A constanlly changing bul ai any time opliual slate of

(1990) equilibrium between maximal self-devclopment and

human interdependence

8 | Wenden, A (1991) | In effeel, successful or expert or intelligent learners

have leamed how to leam They have acquired the

leaming strategies, the knowledge about leaming, and

the attitudes to enable them to use these skills and

Imowledge confidently, flexibly, appropriately and independenily of a teacher Therefore they are

aulemornious

9 | Kant (1991) Foundation of human dignity

10 | Legutke and Thomas | An ability that has to be acquired (leaming how to (99) and lear) and is separate fom the leaming that may take

Iätlewood (1996) - | plage when autonomy las boon acquired

11 | Benson, P The concep of aulomomy is indeed beginning to enter

141996) The nginstream of language loaming xnefhodology

2 (1996) Autonomization is necessarily a transformation of the

leamer as a social individual autonomy not only transforms individuals, it also transforms the social

situations and structures in which they are participants

12 | Cotteral, $, (2000) [Autonomy is an incontrovertible goal for leamers

everywhere, since it is obvious that no students, anywhere, will have their teachers to accompany them (hroughout life

13 | Fenner, A (2000) | Analtitude or even a philosophy than a methodology

14 | Shrader, SR (2003) | Selfdiected leaming or a shift of responsibility for

leaning from teacher to student

From these definitions, it is clear that researchers try to explain autonomy in five main categories: 1, an inborn capacity which is supposed by institutional education, 2, a set of skills which can be leamed and applied in self-directed learning; 3 situations in which learners sluly entirely on their own; 4 the emphasis

of leamers’ responsibility for their own leaming; 5 the zight of leamers to determine the direction of their own leaming, (Benson and Voller, 1997:1)

While the first time when the term ‘Icamer autonomy’ was used in second language education is not known, it first appeared officially in the Council of Ewope Moder Languages Project in 1979 by Holec This resulted in the publication of Holec’s 1981 seminal report (Holec, 1981), in which he defined leamer autonomy as “the ability to take charge of one’s own leaming” (p 3) Benson (20076: 22) remarks that ‘Ttolac’s (1981) definition of leaner auonomy has proved remarkably robust” and Little (2007; 15) has recently described it as a

‘foundational definition”,

Following this, learner aulonory with various ofher definitions hive becrr

considered, For instance, Wenden (1999) recognized the importance of metacognitive awareness when she clamed that true leamer autonomy mentioned

how students reflect on their learning and how they are able to realize when they

have effective leaming opportunities In another example, Littlewood (1996) took

the notion of autonomy as “leamers” ability and willingness to make choices

independently” (p 427) Tle argued that “this capacity depends on two main

compơnents: ability and willingness” (p 428) These two abilities are interdependent and are divided into subeomponenls of knowledge about the

altcmative choices and skills available for carrying out appropriate choiccs

‘Willingness depends on the motivation and confidence a person has in order to take

responsibility for necessary choices In order to become antonomous successfully, a person needs to have the four subcomponents of knowledge, skills, motivation, and confidente Littlewood also suggesled that these components be focused in the

development of leaner suloniomy

In short, definitions of learnar autonomy have heen varied (Littlewond (1999: 71) However, the basis of aulonomny has always boon the ability te take responsibilily for (or take control/charge of) one’s own learning (Cotlsrall ((1993 198), Dickinson (1995: 163), Little (1999), Littlewood (1999: 71), Benson (2006: 21); Litils (2007; 14) This detinition of leamer autonomy is also used for the

current research: Autonomy refers to abilities and attitudes (or whatever we think

the “a capacity to contre! your own /earning”) The point is, then, that “learning by

yourself is not the same tring as having the capacity to leam by yourself Also,

autamomous Icarners may be botlor than others al learning by themselves, bul they

1.2 Learner autonomy in language learning

In fact, in the traditional education setting, the main and most important clement! is the teacher, then the learners The toachers are responsible for all of the leamers and their learning process They were and are always be the only people to

decide necessary information for the learners from delivering, explaining,

inofivating, setting standards for this picee of knowledgs to assessing thom For

more details, they have to supply the knowledge, transmit the knowledge, set the

standards of the knowledge or learning and also motivate the learners to absorb the

Imowledge and finally assess the improvement of the learners meanwhile assess

themselves as the information provider at the end of each semester In terms of responsibilities of the learners, it is clear that their main role is to achieve the

standards set by the teachers at the beginning of each semester Ta reach this goal,

they may absorb the information, display understanding and skill, apply the theory

into practice Obviously, the traditional education system has put a great pressure on

the shoulders of the teachers

Also in Vietnam, traditionally, teaching and leaming English is limited to giving students lessons and far trom teaching them how to learn, that is, the main task of the teacher is to transit the knowledge to his/her students (Tnmh, 2005) rather than encouraging students to become autonomous in their learning Kramsch and Sullivan (1996) studied that teachers are traditionally considered as masters of knowledge in the classroom Researchers (Mumphreys & Wyatt, 2014, Nguyen, Toulouw & Pilot, 2006) indicaled Ua Vietnamiese learners have been influenced by the Confucian perspective in that thore are “baditional baticfs of rclational hicrarchy

in classrooms, where Ihe roles of teachers and Ieammers ave rooksd deeply in people's thinking” (Ho & Crookall, 1995, p 237) Students arc in these classes not aware of construct the information that they receive from the teachers They tend to be dependent and believe that all the knowledge from teachers seem to be all right In the classroom, the students are passive and not directly conftont teachers, This would be disrespect fal and cause the teacher to lose face As a consequence, schools arc formed in a stmeturs where the authority is not shared; individuality and creativity are less cneouraged (Hannan & Nguyen, 2009) In short, devclaping Icamer autonomy in the traditional system tends to be insupportable during the

leaming and teaching process

The changing world wgently demands for the change in teachers’ roles and new term“self-directed leaming”- or “autonomy”- has emerged as a result of that

fact Tn language teaching, Holec is one of ths thinkers who mostly prefers to uss

the word autonomy instead of the other words such as self-directed leaming used for autonomy In Holec (1980) it is indicated that “adult education becomes an instrument for arousing an increasing sense of awareness and liberation in man, and

in some cases, an instrument for changing the environment itself” From the idea of man ‘product of his society”, one moves to the idea of man ‘producer of his society” (Finch, 2001:2), Related to this movement, a number of leamer-centered approaches took place in 1980” and in 1990’ which mainly included autonomy as the basis of

iclair 1989;

their coriculum Those are briely leemer-raining (ElHS and

Dickinson 1992), the leamer-centored cuiculum (Nunan 1988c), leaming-strategy training (Oxford 1990b; Wenden 1991a}, the project-based syllabus (Legutke and

‘Thomas 1991), and leamer-based teaching (Campbell & Kxyszewska, 1992), All these approaches are named by many of the researchers as the early work on leamer autonomy which was develuped in 1980°s by Strevens, Tlec Allwright, Dickinson,

instruction, ‘sclaccoss', ‘self-study’, ‘self-education’, ‘oul-of-class learning’ or

‘distance Icaming' These terms can be distinguished in various way and basically describe various degrees of leaming by yourself, while autonomy mentions abilities

and attitudes (or whatever we think “a capacity to control your own leaning”) As mentioned before, this means that “leaming by yourself is not the same thing as having the capacity to learn by yourself, Also, aulonomous Teamers may be betler than others at learning by themselves, bul they do not necessarily have to learn by themselves” (Nguyen (2014:16)) Autonomy has been widely applied in lmguage

teaching with the pedagogical concerns on ‘Icamer-centered’ aims and methods that

mainly focuses on the independent learner and how they thik, learn and behave According te Benson and Voller, “Such an approach is often characterized by

tensions between responsibility and freedom from constraint, between the

individual and the social, and between the view of language learning as a means to

12

an end (autonomy for Tanguage Tearing) and as an end ín isc]f (angusgo lomring for autonomy)” (1997: 5) There was always a duality in the definition of autonomy

Overall, a strong link has becn found between leamer autonomy and self regulation According to Penry, Nordby, and VandeKamp (2003; 317), the term self regulated is used to describe metacognitive, intrinsically motivated, and strategic leamers Zimmerman (2002: 64) defines self-regulation as “self-generated thoughts, feelings, and bebaviors that are oriented to attaining goals” According to Wenden (1995-183) “in the cognitive literature on leaming and instruction, autonomons leaming is referred to as self-regulation” The ability to take responsibility for learning often refers 10 learners’ ownership of many learning processes traditionally owned by teachers such as setting goals; choosing learning methods, materials and tasks; monitoring and evaluating progress (Ho and Crookall (1995: 235), Cotterall (1995; 195); Littlewood (1999: 71), Benson (2006; 21) ‘These strategies have been used in the literature to describe both autonomous and self regulated leamers (¢.g Wenden (1995: 235); Lee (1998: 282), Graham, Harris and Trơia (1998) These characteristics of autonomous and selftregulated leamers are

also investigated in the framework of the current rescarel

1.3 The Importance of Autonomous Learning

on individual enhancement in learning process and effective classroom appheations

of leamer strategies in their studies They have been interested in finding the ways

to support thei leamers to be autonomous, In 1985, Wenden claimed that “leamer strategies are the key to leamer autonomy, and that one of the most important goals

of Ianguage training should be the facilitating of thal antonomy” (Brown 1994 124), Also, Dickinson (1987) provides five main reasons for supporting self instruction (Finch, 2001: 5) such as practical reasons, individual differenecs among Ieamers, educational aims, motivation, and leammg how to leam foreign languages Moreover, Cotteral, Benson and Voller, Brooks and Grundy, Little, Kelly and many

3, when the leamer sets the agenda, learning is more focused and purposefial, and thus more effective both immediately and in the longer term (ef Little 1991; Holec 1981; Dickinson 1987);

4, when responsibility for the leaming process lies with the leamer, the baniers to leaming and living that are found in traditional teacher-led educational structures need to aise (Little 1991; Holoe 1981; Dickinson

1987),

$ without such barriers, learners should have lilile difficulty in transfering their capacity for aulonomous behavior to all other arcas of their lives, and

this should make them more useful members of socicty and “more effcctive

participants in the democratic proves.” (Little, 1991);

6 * much of the significant language leaming which individuals, tor variety of reasons, undertake at different stages in their lives, occurs outside classroom walls massisted- some would state mencumbered- by a classroom teacher” (Finch, 2001: 6)

In short, the benefits of developing leaner autonomy in language education can be summarized into three major areas (Little, 1991) Firstly, as the student is involved in the decision-making process, “leaming should be more focused and purposeful, and thus more effective both immediately and in the longer tenn” (Little, 1991, p 8) Secondly, as it is the “leamer’s responsibility for their learning process, the constraints between learning and living that are often found in traditional teacher-centered educational structures should be mmimized” (Littlewood, 1997, p.72) Finally, it is believed that when a student is autonomous

for hisfher own loaning, it is more likely that (s)he will be responsible in other areas in his/her life, and as consequence, (s)he will be a usefill and more effective member of the society (Little, 1991) In fact, Littlewood (1997), Dam (2008), Benson (2008) and Hamilton (2013) have shown the advantages of fostering leamer autonomy in language education in their research ‘lhe fact results in the trend of application of leamer autonomy in particular educational contexts such as in mainstream language education environments (Benson, 2007) The current research

also follows (his trend

14 IELTS &Banks of Official IELTS:

‘The International English Language Testing Systm (IFL-TS) is the world’s

most popular high-stakes English language proficicney tust fir higher education and global migration, with more than 2 million tests taken in the last year IELTS assesses all of four English skills reading, writing, listening and speaking and

is designed to reflect real life use of English at study, at work, and at play The IELTS test is developed by some of the world’s leading experts in language assessment, Ithhas an excellent international reputation, and is accepted by over

8,000 organizations worldwide, including schools, universities, employers, immigration authonitics and professional botkcs

TALTS is the most widely accepted Pryglish language test that uses a one-one one sposkig test to English commuicalion skills, This means thal candidates arc assessed by having a real-life conversation with a real person This is the most effective and natural way of testing English conversation skills There are two versions of the test IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training depending,

on the organization candidates are applying to and their plans for the future, Both versions of the test are made up of four parts — Listening, Reading, Writing and Spoaking [HITS results ave graded on the unique TRL-TS 9-Land seals

Banks of Official IELTS

1 Cambridge Test Series 1-9

2 Latest Publishers for TET.TS

- A&C Black

-_ Camiridge Univonsity Press

- Educational Software Products

- Barron's Fduoatiomal Series, Tne 1.5 Listening

Before 1970s, listening was only considered as a receptive skill (Johnson, 2008,P.299) where “students listened to repeat and develop a better pronunciation” (Vandergritt 2011) Although the literature based on listening stuategy instruction has not caught enough attention, strategy instruction for listening task has been increasingly focused by listening experts such as Goh (2000, 2002), Hasan(2000), Mareschal (2002) and Vandergrift (2003B) in the past decades

Initially, most of the listening strategy studies have been investigating pallems and strategies used by successful versus loss succoseful lamers Gradually the line

of research shifted to focus ou effective stuategies-based and process oriented approaches to teaching listening skill in order to guide the students “learn to listen”

so that they can better “listen to lean” (Vanderprift, 2004) Therefore, listening instrnetors have the responsibility of teaching students to take advantage of strategies rather than merely providing students with oral passages and testig them (Mendelechn, 1995)

‘Three types of learning strategies have been applied in listening instruction: cognitive stratcgics metacognitive stratcgics and socicaffective strategies (Chamot,

1993, Oxford et al.1989; Vanderguift, 1997) Cognitive strategies consist of inferencing, resourcing and note taking which are unconscious interactions with the material to be learned Metacognitive strategies refer conscious management and regulation over learning process namely planning, concerntrating and monitoring Socioaffective involve interacting with peers or management of affzction to

16

facilitate learning, such as asking quostion, collaborating with classmates and controlling stress ("Malley et al.,1989; Oxford etal., 1989; Vandergritt, 1997) 1.5.1 General listening

The researcher would like to consider listening from two different perspectives: Listening as comprehension and listening as acquisition

Listening comprehension is theoretically viewed as an active process in which individuals focus on selected aspucts of aural input, constrnet meaning from passages, und telale whal they ear to existing knowle

2 Comprehension means

listening is not simply a process of just hearing what is said; it is like a child’s

ability to understand meaning of words that he hears and relate to them in some

ways A good practice of listening comprehension enables listeners to understand,

remember, discuss and even retell in their own words Learning to listen

comprehensively is not only a prerequisite to reading comprehension, but also provides a rich resource for listeners to draw upon what they want to convey their

own thoughts and feelings as a native speaker

Listening as acquisition

‘We have just discussed about the ile of listening in a language program

based on the assumption that it can basically help develop lcarncrs” abilitics to

understand what they listen toe As I mentioned above, listening as acquisition employs how listening can provide input to development of L2 proficiency

Therefore, this approach has been based on the following assumptions: Listening serves the goal of extracting meaning from messages In order to achieve this

leamers lave lo he well educated how to use beth bottom up and top down

12

provessas to understand the massages Temporary carriers of meaning ean be found

in the language of ulterances such as the precise words, syntax, expressions used by speakers, If the meaning has been clarified, the form of messages requires no further attendance unless misunderstandings occur Moreover, teaching listening strategies

can make leamers more effective listeners

15.2, IELTS listening

In IELTS, the listening comprehension is designed to assess candidates” ability to understand spoken English and is the same for all candidates There is a pre-recorded tape which lasts for about thirty minutes ‘There are a total of about forty questions ‘here are four sections in the test Nach section may contain two

or three linked passages of two to three minutes each, or one longer passage of about five minues The passages get more difficull as candidates progres:

through the tape

‘The carlicr sections use situations in which candidates may find themselves

on first arziving, in an English-speaking country, when they need ‘survival English’ These include finding their way around, following directions, giving and taking, down information, making arrangements etc, Section 1 is always in the form of a dialogue between two or more speakers, while section 2 is a talk or some information given by one person at a time In the later sections the topics usually concem education and training Ilere candidates may have to do the kind of thing they will need lo do in am academic enviroment - listen lo prerecorded information, listen to lectures, pick oul relevant key information from # dislogus and so on Again, scotion 3 is a dialogue or discussion, while scction 4 is a single voice giving a talk or lecture, So they will hear monologues and dialogues They will hear male voices and female vaices ‘They will also hear a variety of accents

‘They will hear the passages once only, as in most situations in real life Candidates are given a booklet This contains all the instructions and questions with space to

wile their answers

As in the reading test, there is a wide range of question types Much of this

may be in the form of graphics, such as tables This applies also to mutliple-choice

18

questions, where candidates may have to choose between a number of pictues or

mark a point on a plan, Spelling 1s important, especially where it is clear from the tape that accuracy is required, such as filling in important details on an application

form Errors in spelling and grammar are only accepted on very uncommon words

Answers require notes, letters or numbers rather than complete sentences

Candidates will be given time to check their answers between sections, and at the

end of the test as well as time to read the questions before each section

Instructions are revorded on the tape They are clear and candidates are sornelirnes given examples of what they have to do At the end of the tes! they are given ten

minutes to transfer their answers to an answer shect

2 Previous research

Tn 1980s, learner autonomy has been heated debate in language education

under the influcnec of learner-centered teaching methods The main supporters in

research into leamer autonomy in the field of language learmg remam Holec (1981, 1985, 2007), Dam (1995, 2000, 2003), Little (1991, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000,

2001, 2002, 2007), and more recently Benson (1996, 1997, 2001, 2007a, 2U07b,

2007c) While Darn’s wark has mainly involved working with children, many of her ideas and gencral principles are applivable to adult lesmmers and she has warked

closely with others in the field across sectors Holce (1979) raises a “foundational definition” of learner autonomy: “the ability to take charge of one’s learning” which

is a skill ‘to be acquixed by “natural” means or in a systematic, deliberate way.” He

believes 1m the absolute treedom of learners to direct all decisions concerning their

learning — the what, when, how, in what order and by what means — and to work

with ‘a reality which he himself constmets and dominates’ (Holec, 1981: 21) The society changing with its human-centered retails changes in institutional education with new methods No longer have the leamers been dependent than they became

the build:

and controllers of their own learning in both Joarning styles and knowledge Therefore, learner autonomy also changes from “direct teaching” to

“selEinstrueted learning” However, “self-instructed leaming” is not innate ability;

it must be systematically and intentionally gained through formal teaching Besides, Little (2007) refers three findamental rules for success in language teaching: leaner

19

involvement, Iøam reffeelion and tangot language uso Litile also puts forward some supgestions to the above ries

Leamer autonomy has caught much attention of researchers all over the world for more than three decades More specifically, researchers have extensively investigated leamer autonomy in second language leaning, especially in developed countries Hereby, the researcher conducts the research in the context of Vietnam; therefore, similar studies in Asian and Vietnamese contexts will be considered to find the gap in the literature Concerning the empirical findings of previous studies

in Asian contexts, Dafei (2007) concems the relationship between leamer autonomy and Fnglish proficiency of non-English majors in a Chinese college Statistical results reveal that English proficiency is significantly positive and lineatly related to leamer autonomy, That means the more autonomous a leamer becomes, the more likely he/she can achieve high language proficiency Moreover, leamer autonomy tends to help students to effectively monitor and self-evaluate their leaming process rather than the only large quantity of teachers’ efforts Besides that, learner motivation is also highlighted as a major factor promoting the efficiency of autonomous learning Also in Chinese contexts, the stuly “The Relationship between EFI Ieamer's Beliefs and Lcaming strategy Use” done by Yang is investigating the impact of awareness of the selflcaming and motivation on language leaming success, In his study, Yang (1999) ted to answer the question of

“how are foreign’ second language leamers’ beliefs about language learning related

to their strategy use?” One of the studies which also mentions about self-learning

or se] faccess is the stuly of Liltlewood “Sel Face

In another development, Bacikanli (2010) finds that it is crucial for ‘Turkish students to be involved in formulating the objectives of foreign language leaming to

20

take the learning: yro

ore earingful Respondents show their clear perception of leaner autonomy and strong preference for a more autonomous learning environment They feel more contident and effective if they have freedom

of choices of materials they employ in the classroom ‘The research adds that developing language learners” ability of self-assessment and self-reflection of their own competence will eventually encourage them to take greater responsibility for their awn lsaming Additionally, Bancikanli (2010) points ont that the prevalence of

fortnal teacher

entered educational system in Turkey way hinder the readiness af

leamers in actual autonomous leaming despite of an available well-constructed,

notion of teachers and learners

Recently, Tanyeh and Kuter (2013) examine the practice of learner autonomy in foreign language learning and instruction The study focuses on the

practice of leamer autonomy in language studying as a whele and specifically in English writing skill Using questionnaire and semi-structured interview protocols

on a group of freshmen, their findings displayed that English leamers have a

positive attitude towards antonomons leaming and be actively responsible for their

own loamting progross to become “a socially responsible learner” The study slso

finds oul Thai language learners need to be carefully instructed by teachers through providing appropriate tools and opportunitics to practice but it docs not mean total

dependence on teachers Surveyed students pamt out inappropriate instructional

environment and designed curriculnm as major problems inhibiting their autonomy

in language learning On the other hand surveyed teachers think that time constraint and learner passive participation in learning could not produce effective learning

autemomy

‘The studies reviewed here have focused upon leamer autonomy within a particular conlext of Asia The proposed study focuses on the tole of learner autonomy in Vietnam In particular it concentrates on how student’s attitudes and their ability of learning by their will have an cffect on students’ improvement The curent study will be situated in Vietnam, so it is important now to discuss the research on leamer autonomy in this context

31

However, im the context of Vietnam, where traditional teaching methods are commonly employed (Dang, 2010; Pham, 2008; Phan, 2006), research into learner autonomy has been limited Although, leamer autonomy is not an entirely new term

in Vietnamese educational settings, further research needs to be conducted to develop deeper understandings of leamer autonomy and how it might be applied within Vietnamese classrooms

In details, researchers (Ho & Crookall, 1995; Littlewood, 1999) indicate that

Easter leamers, including Vietnamese leamers, share the same traditional beliefs

of relational hierarchy in the classrooms, where the roles of teachers and leamers

are rooted deeply im people's thinking In these classes, sludents tend to he very

passive and dependent upon their teachers for learning The general debate has

given rise to the vast volume of available related materials in Vietnam Although

leamer autonomy in Vietnamese contexts has been interpreted differently, in each case, the definitions include fearners’ self-regulated skills such as planning, monitoring, and assessing or selfevaluating their own learning (Trinh, 2005;

Dang, 2010: Nguyen, 2010; Le, 2013) Those researchers agree that it is possible to

proves its efficiency in developing learner autonomy and communicative

competence Moreover, four parameters of the curriculum (choices, interactions, task features and learner development) are set out to encourage students to integrate

info independent learning Trinh (2005) disagrees with the view that (Vietnamese) leamiers themselves are not auloromous by mature The problem indeed Jies on the

educational system which should be designed to create leamers” opportunities to use

the target language authentically and allow choices of what to do and how to do

leaming tasks

22

While Trinh (2008) uses a Iask-lasod npproaeli, Nguycn (2010) explores Thế

relationship between learner autonomy and students’ language proticiency through

a learner-based approach She supports the definition of autonomous learning as the leamers’ capability to self-initiate and seif-regulate their learning Nguyen’s study

indicated there exists a positive relationship between leamer autonomy and students’ language proficiency Nguyen stated that “like other Asian

leamers Vietnamese leamets are autonomous The Vietnamese culture, did not

indibit but, facilitated learner sulonomy” (Nguyen, 2010, p 295) However, “while

the sel Finiliution of leamers is not casily changed or improved thmough teaching, it

is possible to enhance it through teaching Icamers meta-cognitive skills of planning,

monitoring and evaluating” (Nguyen, 2009, p 295) Once again, Nguyen

emphasizes that teaching meta-cognitive skills of planning, monitoring and

evaluating could help learners to design their awn learning strategies

Contributing to that Literature, Dang (2010) examines the role of learner autonomy in higher education in Vietnam from a socio-cultural view Agreeing with

Mo & Crookall (1995), Dang states a fact that absorbing and memorizing is the popular philosophy of cducation practices in Vielunn, Toachar-contored leming,

big sixe class, rigorous lesl-orionted syslem, unequal opportunity to access meet

could be considered as socio-cultural aspects which restrict the practice of leamer autonomy in Vietnam (supported by M.H Nguyen, 2008; AN Nguyen, 2011; C.T Nguyen , 2011; N.T Nguyen, 2012: Phan, 2012) He found that three dimensions of teaching and leaming process (resources, learner identities and practices) play an important vole in promoting Jeamner aulonomy The study also suggests thal it is boiler and casior for the icachors to actively involve their studonts in antonomous learning practice rather than negotiate with authority Therefore, autonomy- promoting teaching practices need to provide Icamers wider opportunitics for negotiations and choices to help them find their own leaming path Supporting that argument, N.T, Nguyen (2012) found a good result of the active involvement of the teachers by conducting an expenment in a Vietnamese EFL class In her study, experimental learners have become more active and motivated when they are given chances to involve in class decision making by the toacher

33

‘The most weent research is recorded for T.N Nguyan (2014) In hết thesis,

Nguyen claims that leamer autonomy in Vietnamese educational system is considered a Westem-origin construct This study emphasizes the alignment

between teachers’ beliefs and their actual teaching practices [eachers’ lack of

understanding about leamer autonomy and their subsequent teaching do not foster

autonomous leaming ‘This results from their confusion of the construct and

reluctance to transform conrse designing tasks to learners Even those, who have

experienced Western educational enviromocut, are still nol confident to implement

promuoting-aulonomous learning activities in their class

Although leamer autonorny in Vienamsse contexts has been interpreted

differently, in each case, the definitions mostly include learners’ self-regulated

skills such as planning or initiatirig, monitoring, and assessing or evaluating their

learning (Dang, 2010; Le, 2013; Nguyen, 2010; Trinh, 2005) The mentioned

researchers shared the same ideas that autonomy in language leaming can he

applied with a Vietnamese context and that Vietnamese leamers could be trained

to be autonomons, however, their research has approached the notion of fostering

leamer sulonouy in the Vielarnase educational contexts differently In short,

despite the steady inerease in the number of papers devated to the theory: and

practice of autonomy in language leaming over the last two decades, we have not

really progressed very far in our atterupts to reach a common definition and agreed

practical application In fact, some research even showed that there was no clear existence of relationship between autonomous leaming and student’s success in language learning

For instance, As Cotteral stated in her article, Developing a Course Strategy

for Leamer Autonomy, leamers who are autonomous might take responsibility for

their own learning by setting their own goals, planing practice gpporlunilies, or

assessing their progress (1995: 219) However, the research result indicates that

there was no significant relation between autonomy and success Since, the previous

leaming behaviors of the subjects were not appropriate for autonomous learning; it was <ifficnlt for them to have the responsibility of assessing their own

24

imiovamonls in reglar inforvals In order to help therm te acquire the behavior of being autonomous leamers, much time 1s needed to provide the wanted behavior,

Another study held by Haris (1997), is discussing the issue off self: assessment of the leamers He claims that self-assessment is a key leaming strategy for autonomous language leaming, enabling the students to monitor their progress and relate leaning to individual needs But as he continues stating in his article (1997: 1), students are often passive in their approach to learning, and may become

demotivated if they carmol sce any clear progress But improvement in language

matter of time and also this time can change from one lamer to another related to

the ability and capacity

In spite of that fact, everlasting learning demand has been the result of

continously developed society and urgently requires educational innovation Bringing into play learner autonomy at universities is one step in learning ladder of

all students’ life On the other hand, although lots of prior studies conduct research:

on promoting antonornaus Ieaming in Vicar, a debate still exists between those who follow traditional leaching methods and those who support adapting new

teaching style Morcover, M.H, Nguyen (2008) found that leamers consider

listening skill as the most difficult skill in English learning which require nruch etiorts and appropriate autonomous leaming strategies However, almost all

previous studies investigate the effect of leamer autonomy on English proficiency

as a whole or specifically for writing skill Those points raises a need of changing current perceptions of leamsr autonomy and finding an appropriate approach to

enhance leamer listening performance by fostering learner autonomy in Vietnam

‘Thers bas been few rescarch on ths role of earner autonomy in the improvement of

listening skill in universities, especially IELTS listening, Therefore, the researcher

in this study desizes to investigate the relationship between leamer autonomy and

IBLT'S listening score in Foreign Trade University (FTU).

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

‘As mentioned above, this study was designed to mvestigate the relationship between leamer autonomy and their IELTS listemng band score In order to achieve the aim of the study, a survey research was set and implemented in first-year CLC! students in Foreign ‘Trade University ‘Chis chapter presents the detailed information about context of the study, the rationale of using survey research, the population and the chosen sample, the procedures as well as the instruments for data collection

2.1 The context at the study

2.1.2 Context of institution

The study was conducted in Foreign Trade University (FTU), As considered

as one of the leading Universities in Vieluam, Porsign Trade University is well-

known for traming sludents to become businessinen in the future Tt is an urban

setting institution which aliracts learners from a variety of backgrounds, ranging

from small villages to big citics

2.1.2 Context of class

Depending on students’ results of University onfrance oxam and majors, students are normally grouped into different classes of ubout 25 to 40 students tn fact, thoy are at different English backgrounds While some arc from urban arcas and have leamt English for more than 10 years ( ranging trom pre-intennediate to Intermediate level), others are from countryside and just have 3 years leaming English (elementary level), At university, students have to learn general English tor the first two years, which focus on 4 English skills (Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing), and English for Specific Purposes in the third and fourth years Based

on this, both teachers and students are aware of the importance of general English in the first and second years because they will provide them with a good background

in order that they will develop more in the rest two years Since the open-door policy in 1986, Viemam is on its way to integrate into the world economy In response to this tendency, Vietnamese people have been putting great efforts in

26

acquiring English, one of the Tost widely-used languages in the world, for they know that future leaders are required to fully reflect a globalized mind, A new language may open up a new horizon to Vietnam, and people's lives may take up new opportunities, Foreign ‘Irade University (FT'U), which is renowned for training future businesspeople, is regarded as one of the leading universities in Vietnam Being aware of the importance of communication skills, the university has

introduced IRL-TS mothe to the first-year high-quality students

2.1.3 Students

Students in Foreign Trade University are placed in classes based on their majors in accordance with their grades of university's entrance exam and age- groups A class normally consists of about 25 to 40 stndents, Sadly, there is a wide range of ability in terms of English skills Some of the students who major in

torn thal refers to Tecognizing for achioving high grados

academic achievernen! on a coursework or an exam CLC firs!

students in Forcign Trade University (FTU) aim at those who gct high marks in the

entrance examination to FTU and get over 620 of the TOEIC Entry Test Achieving

such scores means these students in FTU can acquire basic necessary skills m

English competence and ability to independently study ‘See Appendix J) In this

study, CLC can be understood by the meanings of honored, gifted, high-quality,

help them form a basis of general English skills, which serves their mmjors in ths two following years The others take the responsibility of teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) for the senior students and high-quality ones, Most of them are well-educated and qualified for the job as a teacher of English, Yet, there are still a few teachers who are not trained in the aspect of Teaching English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL), which leads to some limitations in their

teaching competence

2.15, Syllabus and objective

As a part of the syllabus designed by the Faculty of English for Specific Purposes, CLC leamers in FTU have to study IELTS module in their first year Students study this subject in two semesters with ten weeks for each In each of the

two terms, there is a three-period lesson (each period lasts for 43 minutes) 4 week

on Uns subjcel Afler ten weeks, students will take a final test like ather subjects

The textbook which signed for the course is Reprove your JELTS

listening and speaking skills- Barry Cusack with reference book: JELTS grammar

and vocabulary - Sam McCarter published by MacMillan This is a complete preparation course for the Listening and Speaking Modules of the International English Language ‘Testing System (1LL‘'S) ‘Through targeted practice, it develops skills and language to help students achieve higher IRLTS score in speaking and

listening modules The reason why this book is chosen as the core book for the

course is thal siudents can use Auprove pour IELTS listening and speaking skills as

a book for sludying on their own or ima class If students are sludying un their own, Improve your IELTS listening and speaking skills is designed to guide them step-by-

step through the activities The book is completely self-contained: a clear and

accessible key 1s provided, so they can easily check their answers as they work

through the book ‘There are two CLs which contain all the recorded material

necessary for the Listening skills and Speaking skills sections of each unit, There is

1

also an audio script which contains all the cxam listoning material on the CDs 10 they are studying as part of a class, their teacher will direct them on how to use each activity, Some activities, especially in the Topie talk and Speaking skills sections, provide the opportunity for speaking and discussion practice Jmprove your JELTS listening and speaking skills can help students improve their scares by developing skills, developing language and test technique The skills sections of each unit form

a detailed syllabus of essential IRITS Tistening There is caverage of Signpost phrases nud Prediction skills Tho Topic talk part of cavtt tmil develops vovatulary, phrases, and sentenee forms for use in the Listewing and Speaking Modules Also, the Listening skills sections introduee leamers to the skills they nced to tackle the various types of question that can be asked Knowing the best way to tackle each type of question will enable them to get the best mark they ean

‘Trade University (TU) in Menoi, Viettam majoring in Business Management

‘They enrolled at the FTU after successfully passing the National Tintrance

Fxannination wiich comprised three subjeuts: matherativs, physics and chemistry

Most of them conmpleted thr

had 6 ycars studying English at secondary and high school Few of them learned other foreign languages such as Russian or French or none at all The overall aim of

in the targel language Al high school, students are

At ithe PTU, the four-year English course is divided ilo Iwo lmlves, the first

half is for teaching gencral English, the sccond half for business English (English

249

for spovifie yuxposes) The auadenie year of firsteycar CLC students is divided into two semesters, each lasting 10 weeks finishing with an end-of‘semester examination, The first semester focuses on three main aims:

- To develop students’ ability of controlling basic grammatical aspects of English

- To cnablc students to reccptively and productively usc that knowledge of grammar

- To provide students with language models that will be directly relevant to be the students’ real needs

For the first semester, CLC students will be assessed by full 60-minute entry- term test and final test in terms of Reading and Listening skills Writing and Speaking skills are continuously assessed during the semester, and their band scores will be added to the aflondance marks In PTU, IETLS will be converted to Vicliamuse tratttional imarking system over 10 by a table of converting wark for

first-ycar CLC students below ‘Table 2)

Table 2:

‘onverting IELTS mark for first-year CLC students

2.18 Teacher tasks assignment

‘Phere are two English teachers dealing with giving lectures to first-year CLC students during ten-week length of the module One of them deals with two lessons