Difficulties in teaching and learning listening skills with the new english textbook for grade 10 at fpt high school = những khó khăn trong việc dạy và học kĩ năng nghe với sách giáo khoa tiếng anh lớp 10 mới Ở một trường trung học phổ thông Ở hà nội
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
English is widely recognized as a global language and plays a crucial role in national development, making its teaching and learning vital for non-English speaking countries In Vietnam, the importance of English has grown significantly, especially under the current open-door policy, where proficiency in the language benefits every citizen Among the core language skills, listening is particularly essential, as it enhances both everyday communication and academic success in English learning.
(2013) said that listening skill is crucial in acquiring understandable input Learning does not occur if there is not any input Pourhosein Gilakjani and Mohammadreza Ahmadi (2011) expressed that listening has an essential role in the communication process Listening is the most frequently used language skill (Morley, 1999; Scarcella & Oxford, 1992) Wolvin and Coakley (2000) concluded that, both in and out of the classroom, listening consumes more daily communication time than other forms of verbal communication
Strong listening skills empower students to fully grasp classroom lessons and enhance their academic performance Additionally, these skills play a vital role in helping learners engage confidently in real-life conversations with foreigners, fostering effective communication in diverse social settings.
Despite the growing recognition that strong listening skills empower Vietnamese students to access diverse learning resources and foster independent study, the educational focus in Vietnam remains heavily centered on grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension, primarily to prepare learners for the national examination.
As a consequence, high school students have little chance of practicing listening skills Moreover, in most Vietnamese public schools, there still exists a number of challenges that hinder teachers from teaching effective listening skills for students, including large class sizes, a shortage of teaching materials, and insufficient training for teachers in listening pedagogy (Nguyen, 2020; Vu & Pham, 2022) Teachers report that students struggle with parsing spoken English, particularly due to
Despite the introduction of the "Tieng Anh 10 – Global Success" textbook in 2022 and comprehensive teacher training, many educators in Vietnam struggle to implement effective listening activities due to challenges such as unfamiliar vocabulary, rapid native speech, and limited access to authentic materials The lack of technological resources in schools further hampers the delivery of listening lessons, leading some teachers to neglect or inadequately teach these skills Additionally, Vietnamese students' low English proficiency often results in a lack of confidence during listening tasks, contributing to teacher frustration and reduced engagement in listening instruction.
In research fields, there have been many studies on the difficulties in teaching English in general, and teaching and learning listening skills in particular, in Vietnamese classroom context However, with the introduction of the new English textbook for grade 10 students – ―Tieng Anh 10 Global Success‖, there have not been any research looking into detail on the difficulties of teachers and students during listening lessons Furthermore, the researcher implements this research at a high school in Hanoi, a school with students from different regions mostly around northern Vietnam From this reality, the writer finds an urgent need to investigate the challenges teachers and students at this high school face while teaching and learning listening skills in the new textbook for grade 10 – ―Tieng Anh 10 Global Success‖.
Aims of the study
Investigate the difficulties in teaching and learning listening skills in Tieng Anh 10 by Global Success perceived by teachers and students at a high school in Hanoi
Provide some suggestions for teachers and students to enhance their teaching and studying listening skills.
Objectives of the study and research questions
This study is being conducted with the hopes of enhancing listening skills among
3 students and improving teaching strategies among teachers The following questions are addressed by the research:
1 What are the difficulties experienced by students at a high school in Hanoi when learning listening skills in the new textbook ―Tieng Anh 10 Global Success‖?
2 What are the difficulties experienced by teachers at a high school in Hanoi when teaching listening skills in the new textbook ―Tieng Anh 10 Global Success‖?
3 What are some effective ways to improve teachers‘ teaching methods and students‘ learning strategies of listening skills?
Significance of the study
Listening, though often overshadowed by reading and writing in classroom instruction, is a vital skill that significantly influences students' academic success As a primary medium of learning throughout all educational stages, listening deserves greater emphasis, especially in Vietnamese high schools where teaching methods remain underexplored This research offers practical insights for educators seeking effective strategies to enhance listening lessons, boosting student confidence for higher education Additionally, the findings support English teachers adapting to new textbooks and serve as a valuable resource for material developers aiming to create more suitable listening content for high school learners.
Scope of the study
This research explores the challenges faced in teaching and learning English listening skills using the new textbook “Tieng Anh 10 Global Success” among Grade 10 students and English teachers at a high school in Hanoi The study focuses on a sample group comprising 311 students from 10 classes with similar English proficiency levels and 5 out of 8 English teachers, selected due to time limitations.
This study explores the challenges of listening comprehension while identifying key factors that impact the listening process It also offers practical strategies to improve the teaching and learning of listening skills, aiming to enhance overall language acquisition and classroom effectiveness.
Organization of the study
The study is divided into five chapters which are summarized as follows:
The first chapter is the introduction of the rationale for the study, the aims, the methods, scope of the study as well as the design of the study The theoretical background is covered in the literature review in the second chapter The third chapter includes a description of the procedure involved in conducting the research such as the participants, data collection instruments and data analysis methods The fourth chapter presents and discusses the results of the data analysis Some potential solutions to help teachers and students overcome their listening skill learning and teaching challenges are also offered in this chapter The fifth chapter provides a summary of the study, followed by references and appendices.
Methods of the study
The study was conducted using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, using semi-structured interviews, survey questionnaires as primary data collection instruments
To investigate the challenges students face in developing listening skills and identify key factors influencing the learning process, the researcher distributed survey questionnaires to gather direct feedback To enhance the reliability and objectivity of the findings, classroom observations were also conducted to analyze students’ real-time responses and behaviors during listening activities.
To study the difficulties in teaching listening skills faced by teachers, survey questionnaires are also given to teachers, and semi-structured interviews are employed to dig deeper into the questions and to enquire some suggestions on teaching and learning listening skills
LITERATURE REVIEW
English as foreign language (EFL) listening skills
Listening plays a crucial role in language development, both in one's native tongue and when acquiring a second language Due to its significance, scholars have proposed diverse interpretations of what listening entails, reflecting a wide range of academic perspectives and theoretical approaches.
Listening is a multifaceted skill that involves more than just hearing words—it requires interpreting meaning based on context, speaker intent, and prior knowledge Underwood (1989) emphasized that successful listening demands understanding how words are used in specific situations, not merely recognizing them Rost (2002) described listening as a complex interpretive process, while Chastain (1971) defined it more simply as the ability to comprehend native speech at normal speed Morley (1972) expanded on this by highlighting components such as auditory discrimination, aural grammar, information selection, memory, and the connection between sound and meaning Jafari and Hashim (2015) further noted that listening serves as a vital channel for comprehensible input, with students dedicating nearly half their learning time to developing this essential skill.
Listening skills are an active process that involves interpreting spoken language to create meaning, rather than passively receiving information To develop effective listening abilities, students must engage in understanding the speaker’s message, respond thoughtfully, and co-construct meaning through interaction, creativity, and empathy This dynamic approach to listening enhances communication and fosters deeper learning.
Listening comprehension has been defined by numerous scholars as a crucial aspect of language understanding Brown and Yule (1983) describe it as the ability to comprehend spoken language, emphasizing the listener's capacity to make sense of what is heard In contrast, Rost (2002) and Hamouda (2013) highlight listening comprehension as an interactive process, involving active engagement between the listener and the speaker, which contributes to effective communication.
Listening comprehension involves a complex interplay of cognitive and linguistic processes through which listeners construct meaning from spoken language Key factors such as sound discrimination, prior knowledge, grammatical structures, stress, intonation, and various linguistic or non-linguistic cues contribute to understanding oral input Nadig (2013) defines listening comprehension as the ability to recognize speech sounds, interpret individual word meanings, and grasp sentence structures Similarly, Wolvin and Coakley (1985) describe listening as the active process of receiving, attending to, and assigning meaning to auditory stimuli Therefore, effective listening goes beyond mere sound perception and requires a deeper comprehension of meaning.
Listening comprehension is a dynamic and interactive process that requires active engagement through skills such as remembering, inferring, and interpreting spoken messages To effectively understand and respond to information, listeners must focus attentively, absorb key details, analyze context, evaluate meaning, and formulate appropriate reactions.
Theoretically, listening comprehension is viewed as an active process in which listeners focus on particular aural information, infer meaning from passages, and relate what they hear to prior knowledge Information processing is how cognitive psychology defines comprehension The guiding structures in the comprehension process are called schemata Rumelhart (1980) describes the schemata as a data structure for encoding the general notions kept in memory It can be used to represent all of the concepts we know, including those that underline things like situations, events, actions, and action sequences The cognitive comprehension theory defines "schema" as an abstract textual structure that the listener employs to interpret the material that is being presented The listener uses verbal, contextual, and situational cues and also the expectations he has about the new input to evoke schemata A schema will become a guiding framework in comprehension after it has been elicited The listeners have successfully understood the text if the
Bottom-up and top-down processing are foundational models in information processing, derived from the schema principle, which states that incoming data must align with existing schemata or be modified These models intersect to form an interactive listening process, categorized into three distinct types Bottom-up processing begins with new auditory input, passing through schemata organized from specific to general This approach involves decoding sounds into phonemic units, forming words, phrases, and ultimately coherent texts It relies heavily on the listener’s linguistic knowledge—phonological, morphological, lexical, and syntactical—which activates relevant schemata According to Rubin (1994), bottom-up processing emphasizes form and is influenced by the listener’s vocabulary, syntax, and grammar proficiency.
Top-down processing in listening comprehension involves using contextual cues and prior knowledge to interpret messages By relying on general schemata, listeners form predictions and seek information that aligns with these mental frameworks This approach enables the listener to actively reconstruct the speaker’s intended meaning based on the surrounding context However, when the input is unfamiliar and does not match existing schemata, comprehension depends solely on linguistic knowledge, which may lead to misunderstandings Therefore, while top-down processing enhances interpretation through context, it can be limited when encountering novel information.
According to the interactive processing, top-down and bottom-up listening processes should be coordinated to improve listening comprehension Comprehension and interpretation are made simple using background
Effective listening comprehension relies on a listener's prior knowledge, contextual understanding, and language proficiency When the content is familiar, listeners can anticipate meaning and validate their assumptions through new input However, when the material is unfamiliar, comprehension depends heavily on linguistic skills, especially vocabulary and syntax knowledge (Pourhosein Gilakjani & Ahmadi, 2011).
Comprehension involves perception, parsing, and utilization Perceptual processing is the encoding of the auditory or written message, and it includes chunking phonemes from the continuous speech When receiving information, a person pays close attention, and the sounds are kept in memory While the input is still in memory, language code analysis starts, and the encoding process transforms the input into useful representations (Anderson, 1995 as cited in Pourhosein Gilakjani & Ahmadi, 2011)
2.1.4 The skills of listening comprehension
Integrating listening skills is necessary for effective listening According to Rost
Listening is not merely an isolated micro-skill but functions as a central coordinator of various listening component skills As highlighted by Richard, and cited by Brown (1994) and Buck (2001), effective listening encompasses a comprehensive set of 21 distinct micro-skills essential for both academic and conversational contexts These micro-skills collectively contribute to a listener’s ability to process, interpret, and respond to spoken language with accuracy and fluency.
2.1.4.1 Micro-skills for conversational listening a Hold varying lengths of language chunks in short-term memory b Identify distinct English sounds c Recognize stress patterns, the placement of stressed and unstressed words, rhythm, intonation, and their communicative functions d Understand commonly reduced forms of spoken words e Identify word boundaries, root words, and understand word order and its meaning f Comprehend spoken language at different speeds g Understand speech that includes pauses, mistakes, corrections, and other irregularities
Effective language comprehension involves identifying grammatical categories such as nouns and verbs, recognizing systems like tense and agreement, and analyzing structural patterns and incomplete forms It also requires distinguishing between major and minor sentence elements, understanding that ideas can be expressed through various grammatical structures, and recognizing linking devices in spoken communication By interpreting context, speaker intent, and purpose, listeners can grasp the intended function of speech Leveraging background knowledge helps decode settings, participants, and their motivations Additionally, predicting outcomes, connecting ideas, inferring causes and effects, and identifying key points and supporting details are essential Understanding both literal and implied meanings, interpreting non-verbal cues like facial expressions and body language, and applying listening strategies—such as identifying keywords, inferring meaning from context, seeking clarification, and signaling comprehension—are crucial for mastering effective communication.
2.1.4.2 Micro-skills for academic listening a Understand the main purpose and overall scope of a lecture b Identify the lecture topic and track how it develops throughout c Recognize how different parts of the lecture relate to each other, such as main points, general ideas, hypotheses, and supporting details d Understand how discourse markers (like conjunctions, adverbs, and conversational cues) help signal the structure of the lecture e Infer logical relationships such as cause and effect or draw conclusions f Recognize important vocabulary related to the lecture topic g Figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words using contextual clues h Identify elements that connect ideas and maintain cohesion in the lecture i Interpret how intonation (such as pitch, loudness, speed, and emphasis) reveals how information is organized
Learning and teaching listening in high school
Listening is a fundamental skill in language acquisition, essential for enhancing overall language proficiency and fostering effective communication in everyday interactions By actively engaging in listening, learners can improve their comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency, making it a vital component of successful language learning strategies.
2.2.1.1 The importance of learning listening skills
Listening is a vital component of language learning, acting as the cornerstone for developing other linguistic abilities and enhancing effective communication Far from being a passive activity, it involves actively interpreting and constructing meaning from auditory input Mastering listening skills is essential for understanding spoken language, which directly supports language acquisition and enables successful interaction across diverse contexts.
Listening provides learners with essential input for language acquisition Krashen
Comprehensible input plays a crucial role in language acquisition, as learners progress by understanding material slightly beyond their current proficiency level This type of input introduces new vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation in a context that remains accessible, enabling learners to infer meaning and internalize linguistic patterns Although producing language through comprehensible output is valuable, listening serves as the primary channel for absorbing the foundational elements of a new language.
Authentic and modified input are essential in language learning, each serving distinct purposes Authentic input, like real-life conversations and media broadcasts, immerses learners in natural language use, enhancing their readiness for real-world communication In contrast, modified input—such as teacher talk or simplified listening materials—supports lower-proficiency learners by offering more accessible language Listening plays a vital role in both implicit and explicit learning; repeated exposure to comprehensible input helps learners subconsciously absorb language rules and patterns, while focused listening tasks enable them to consciously notice specific grammar and vocabulary This process of noticing linguistic features is a key step in language acquisition and lays the foundation for developing other language skills.
Listening plays a vital role in language acquisition, deeply influencing speaking, reading, and writing skills It enhances speaking proficiency by helping learners internalize pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm, while also equipping them with conversational tools like fillers and discourse markers Exposure to natural speech patterns fosters fluency and supports reading comprehension through shared cognitive processes and reinforced vocabulary Additionally, listening sharpens contextual inference abilities and indirectly improves writing by strengthening understanding of sentence structure, organization, and flow.
Exposure to a wide range of spoken discourse significantly enhances learners' vocabulary and equips them with practical models for effective communication By actively listening to various communicative contexts, individuals gain insight into language features and purposes, which directly influence and improve their writing skills This foundational understanding is essential for navigating real-world communication with clarity and confidence.
Listening is the most frequently used language skill in real-life communication, surpassing speaking, reading, and writing Strong listening abilities are essential for success in academic, social, and professional environments In education, listening helps students grasp lectures, follow instructions, and participate in discussions Socially, it fosters meaningful conversations, relationship-building, and awareness of social cues Professionally, effective listening enhances collaboration, meeting engagement, and client interactions Poor listening can result in miscommunication and misunderstandings In today’s globalized world, intercultural listening competence is vital for understanding diverse accents, cultural nuances, and communication styles, ensuring effective interaction across cultures.
2.2.2.1 The importance of teaching listening skills
Teaching listening comprehension is essential because listening is the most frequently used form of verbal communication It plays a critical role in developing other language skills such as reading, writing, and speaking Moreover, listening serves as the foundation for building communicative competence, making it a key component in effective language learning.
15 language usage, and helping vocabulary d Pronunciation of words learned exclusively through listening e Successful listening helps to overcome linguistic barriers in lectures as in certain subject matters (p 24)
Listening plays a vital role in language acquisition, serving as the primary source of input necessary for learners to begin understanding and using a new language It fosters meaningful interaction between students and native speakers, which is essential for developing comprehension skills Challenges in grasping authentic spoken language can stimulate deeper engagement and learning rather than hinder progress Additionally, listening activities enable educators to highlight key linguistic elements such as vocabulary, grammar, and conversational patterns, making it a powerful tool for effective language instruction.
Effective listening instruction is a vital component of English language teaching, emphasizing the need for careful and appropriate strategies in the classroom Gilman and Moody (1984) advocate for the use of authentic materials to enhance listening comprehension across all proficiency levels, from beginners to advanced learners Supporting this approach, Whitaker (2011) highlights the importance of tailoring listening activities to suit diverse student needs, reinforcing the role of meaningful content in language acquisition.
Special and general education teachers are increasingly collaborating to deliver services within inclusive general education classrooms, a shift from the traditionally separate educational environments This evolving approach is commonly referred to using terms such as integration, mainstreaming, and inclusion, reflecting a broader movement toward unified and equitable learning experiences for all students.
2.2.2.2 Process of teaching listening skills
According to Brown and Yule (1983), listening exercises can be developed based on four levels of comprehension: a The listener is able to accurately repeat the content of the text;
Students are expected to grasp the meaning of specific vocabulary within textual context, accurately interpret anaphoric references by identifying their antecedents, and demonstrate comprehension of both explicit content and underlying inferences conveyed throughout the text.
Teaching effective listening strategies is essential for language learners, as emphasized by Goh (2000), who highlights the importance of building foundational knowledge in vocabulary, grammar, and phonology before strategy instruction Vandergrift (1999) further supports this by noting that strategic development enhances listening training, empowering learners to monitor, evaluate, and improve their own comprehension and responses.
Listening activities are commonly structured into three distinct stages—pre-listening, while-listening, and post-listening—as outlined by Underwood (1989) This three-phase approach is widely adopted by educators due to its proven effectiveness in enhancing students' comprehension and engagement during listening exercises.
Pre-listening stage: This is a preparatory stage for students to get to know the topic and to guess what they are going to listen to In other words, it gives students a purpose to listen It also gets students to relate to what they already know about the topic and arouse their interest in listening as well
Difficulties in teaching and learning listening skills
2.3.1 Difficulties in learning listening skills
Listening is a vital skill for English language learners, yet its challenges are only beginning to receive focused attention To improve listening comprehension in a second language, it is essential to identify common difficulties and address them effectively Understanding the obstacles students encounter allows educators to develop targeted strategies that enhance listening proficiency and support overall language acquisition.
Listening comprehension poses significant challenges for EFL learners, as highlighted by various studies Goh (1999) identified key issues such as rapid forgetting, difficulty recognizing known words, misunderstanding intended messages, and struggling to form mental representations Sun (2024) emphasized that Korean learners with lower proficiency particularly struggle during the parsing stage, hindered by fast speech, accent variations, and ambiguous language Tran and Duong (2020) found that Vietnamese students face obstacles across all stages of listening, including phonological difficulties like unfamiliar vocabulary, syntactic challenges from lengthy utterances, and discoursal issues involving implied meanings and unfamiliar topics.
Anxiety is a significant barrier to effective listening comprehension Le My and Do
Anxiety significantly affects Vietnamese EFL students' listening comprehension, as highlighted by Thuan Giang (2023), who identified unfamiliar pronunciation, rapid speech, and teacher-related issues as key contributors to heightened stress levels This emotional strain hampers students' ability to effectively process auditory input Supporting this, Namaziandost et al (2020) emphasized that affective factors like low confidence and lack of motivation further diminish learners' listening performance, underscoring the critical role of emotional well-being in language acquisition.
Apart from those problems, Azmi Bingol, Celik, Yidliz, and Tugrul Mart (2014) also suggested some other problems faced by students while doing listening tasks The first problem that some classes encounter is the low quality of recorded materials and the sound system which can impact the listening process of the learners Faisal (2019) also stated that poor tape quality and surrounding noise during listening activities disrupt students' focus and comprehension The second factor is the cultural differences between learners‘ and speakers‘ If the listening job includes wholly diverse cultural components, the students may have serious understanding issues Teachers are responsible for providing background information about the listening activities before actual listening (Azmi, Celik, Yidliz, & Tugrul, 2014) In addition, the researchers also mention accent as a factor affecting listening comprehension Goh (1999) also shared the idea that one of the most important aspects affecting listener understanding is a speaker's accent Unfamiliar accents, both native and non-native, can create major listening comprehension issues, whereas familiarity with an accent aids learners' comprehension According to Buck (2001), when listeners hear a new accent, apart from which they have learnt, they will have serious listening difficulties This will undoubtedly disrupt the entire listening comprehension process, and an unusual accent will make comprehension difficult for the listeners
Learners often struggle with listening comprehension due to limited vocabulary, inadequate grammar skills, and frequent misinterpretations of listening tasks According to Graham (2006), these challenges are compounded by cognitive and metacognitive difficulties that language learners face, which significantly impact their ability to process and understand spoken language effectively.
21 secondary school contexts She identifies:
Difficulties with word recognition and decoding under time constraints
Limited use of strategic behaviors, such as prediction, inference, or repair strategies
Learners‘ beliefs and attributions about listening success or failure, which influence motivation and persistence
Metacognitive strategies, rooted in Flavell‘s (1979) foundational work, have been widely recognized as critical in second language listening O'Malley and Chamot
The integration of metacognitive strategies in listening instruction has evolved significantly, beginning with the CALLA model (1990), which emphasized planning, monitoring, and evaluating listening processes Vandergrift and Goh (2012) advanced this approach by introducing a pedagogical framework that incorporates collaborative pre- and post-listening activities to enhance metacognitive awareness Goh’s (2008) development of the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ) further underscores the link between specific strategies, listener confidence, and comprehension success These models collectively stress the importance of teaching learners not just listening content, but also strategic self-regulation techniques to improve overall listening proficiency.
Hasan (2000) categorizes listening problems into four main domains:
Listener-related: Learner characteristics such as anxiety, low motivation, limited vocabulary, or lack of background knowledge
Speaker-related: Accent, speed of speech, pronunciation, and speech clarity
Content-related: Complexity of information, unfamiliar topics, and use of idiomatic language
Task-related: Poorly designed tasks, unclear instructions, or tasks not suited to learner level
Faisal (2019) also identified that unclear pronunciation, limited vocabulary, and poor knowledge of grammar are internal factors affecting students' listening abilities
Underwood (1989) states seven causes of obstacles to efficient listening comprehension which the author thinks summarize all the above ideas
Listening comprehension in a foreign language presents several challenges for learners One major obstacle is the inability to control the speaker's pace, which can hinder understanding, especially when speech is rapid (Underwood, 1989) Additionally, students often cannot choose to replay specific parts of a recording, relying instead on teachers to decide what to repeat, which may not align with individual comprehension gaps Limited vocabulary also affects comprehension, as unfamiliar words can cause listeners to pause and miss subsequent information Recognizing discourse signals—such as transitions, examples, or repetitions—is another difficulty, particularly in informal settings where cues like pitch changes or gestures are less obvious Contextual knowledge plays a crucial role; without it, listeners may grasp only surface meanings and misinterpret cultural nonverbal cues Concentration is vital, yet even brief lapses can disrupt understanding, and sustained attention during long listening tasks can be mentally exhausting Finally, ingrained learning habits may influence how effectively listeners process spoken language.
Many educators emphasize the importance of understanding every word in a listening exercise, often encouraging students to repeat phrases or slow down recordings to aid comprehension This approach can lead students to feel anxious about missing content if they fail to grasp each word However, Underwood (1989) argued that learners should embrace ambiguity and accept that complete comprehension is not always necessary for effective listening.
Research indicates that students often face challenges during listening tasks, which can be categorized into four key areas: individual learning abilities, teacher effectiveness, the complexity and relevance of instructional materials, and the quality of school facilities To enhance listening comprehension, educators are encouraged to recognize and address these obstacles through targeted teaching strategies and improved resource allocation.
2.3.2 Difficulties in teaching listening skills
Teaching listening skills in EFL and ESL classrooms is considered one of the most demanding tasks in language education Research consistently highlights various obstacles educators encounter, which fall into four main categories: student-related, pedagogical, environmental, and systemic challenges Among these, student-related issues—such as limited vocabulary, lack of motivation, and poor concentration—significantly hinder learners' ability to develop effective listening comprehension.
Learners often face significant challenges that hinder their academic progress, such as psychological barriers, low language proficiency, lack of motivation, difficulty maintaining focus, and external distractions These obstacles, highlighted in studies by Hamouda (2013) and Guo and Wills, underscore the importance of addressing learner-related issues to improve educational outcomes and engagement.
Listening comprehension in English language learning is significantly impacted by several key challenges Lestari (2022) identifies low student motivation and limited vocabulary as major obstacles that hinder effective listening skills Additionally, learners often struggle to understand various English accents and rapid speech, making instruction more difficult Kharma and Hajjaj (1997) emphasize that Arab learners face particular difficulties with English stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns, which further affect their ability to comprehend spoken English.
(2023) found that EFL students often struggle with limited vocabulary and unfamiliar accents, which hinder their listening comprehension Kharma and Hajjaj
Arab learners often struggle with English stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns, which significantly impact their listening comprehension These challenges are compounded by a lack of background knowledge, further hindering their ability to understand spoken English This issue aligns with previous research by Anderson and Lynch (1988), Saricoban (1999), and Guo and Wills, emphasizing the critical role of linguistic and contextual familiarity in effective listening.
Research on listening comprehension challenges reveals context-specific difficulties among learners from different regions Goh (1999) highlights memory retention and real-time decoding issues in Singaporean students, while Hamouda (2013) emphasizes accent and speech rate problems affecting Saudi learners These findings demonstrate that listening barriers are both cognitive and sociolinguistic, shaped by curriculum and exposure Tran and Duong (2020) further identify phonological and discourse-level obstacles in Vietnamese learners, adding cultural familiarity and implied meaning as key factors Collectively, these studies underscore the importance of localized teaching strategies and the need to enhance top-down processing and inferencing skills across diverse learning environments.
A lack of essential resources, including audio equipment (such as tapes and recorders), videos, computers, projectors, visual aids, and updated coursebook copies, poses a significant barrier Wulandari (2021) highlights that teachers often lack access to authentic and level-appropriate listening materials, making it difficult to engage students effectively The scarcity of technological tools like audio devices or language labs in many EFL classrooms further exacerbates this issue.Trinh Vinh
Hien (n.d.) emphasized that students accustomed to simplified classroom materials find authentic listening materials, rich in colloquial expressions and slang, challenging c Environmental and classroom constraints
Previous studies and research gaps
Numerous studies within the field of second language acquisition have extensively investigated the multifaceted difficulties encountered by EFL learners in the process of listening comprehension (e.g., Flowerdew & Miller, 2005; Graham, 2017) These investigations have consistently identified a range of interconnected factors that contribute to the complexity of understanding spoken language in a foreign language context These difficulties can be broadly categorized into linguistic factors, speaker-related factors, listener-related factors, and text-related factors Furthermore, Nguyen (2018) found that students in urban schools with greater exposure to English media perform better in listening tasks than their rural counterparts In contrast, Graham (2006) explored cognitive barriers among British secondary learners of French, highlighting limited use of metacognitive strategies Research has also explored the effectiveness of different teaching methodologies
27 and techniques for developing listening skills These studies have investigated the use of authentic materials, technology, and various instructional approaches Field
Recent research highlights a pedagogical shift from a product-based approach centered on comprehension questions to a process-oriented method that engages learners' cognitive processes during listening Nation and Newton (2009) propose a balanced framework for language acquisition, emphasizing four key strands: meaning-focused input, meaning-focused output, language-focused learning, and fluency development—each essential for effective listening instruction and overall language proficiency.
While previous research has primarily focused on learners or treated listening as a broad skill, few studies have explored the specific challenges of implementing listening instruction through the Grade 10 English textbook This study addresses that gap by examining how pedagogical strategies, curriculum demands, and learner needs converge within the framework of the national curriculum, offering a comprehensive analysis of the listening instruction context.
This research utilizes a multi-theoretical framework to explore the complexities of teaching and learning listening skills in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) environments By integrating four established models—linguistic, cognitive, metacognitive, and instructional—it offers a comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by educators and learners.
1 Hasan‘s (2000) Framework of Listening Comprehension Problems: Hasan's qualitative study on learners' perceptions of listening comprehension difficulties led to a four-part classification system:
Listener-related difficulties in language learning often stem from internal factors such as anxiety, boredom, low motivation, limited vocabulary, and insufficient background knowledge These challenges can cause learners to disengage quickly when they fail to understand parts of the audio, resulting in frustration and reduced listening comprehension.
Speaker-related difficulties: These arise from the speaker‘s pronunciation, accent, speed of delivery, or unclear enunciation Learners may struggle to keep up or misinterpret spoken input due to these variables
Content-related difficulties: These stem from the complexity or unfamiliarity of
28 the listening material, including dense informational content, difficult syntax, idiomatic expressions, or abstract topics
Task-related difficulties: These relate to how the listening activity is structured Poorly worded questions, lack of visual cues, or limited chances to listen again can exacerbate comprehension problems
This framework supports the construction of questionnaires and interviews, helping diagnose both student and teacher perceptions of listening difficulties
2 Graham‘s (2006) Cognitive and Strategic Listening Framework: Graham explored how learners in school settings (e.g., UK students learning French) struggle with:
Perceptual processing: Recognizing words and sounds in fluent speech, especially when spoken quickly or with reduced forms
Lack of strategy use: Learners often fail to use compensatory strategies such as prediction, contextual guessing, or re-listening
Negative beliefs and attribution: Learners who attribute failure to personal inability ("I‘m just bad at listening") are less likely to persist or improve
Graham‘s work emphasizes the need for teaching listening as a strategic process, not just passive exposure to audio
3 Underwood‘s (1989) Framework of Listening Barriers: Underwood (1989) identifies seven major barriers that hinder EFL learners from understanding spoken English effectively:
Lack of control over the speed at which speakers talk: Learners cannot ask speakers to slow down or repeat
Failure to recognize known words: Words that learners know may not be recognized in connected speech
Limited vocabulary: Insufficient word knowledge blocks comprehension
Failure to interpret signals: Learners may miss discourse markers or cues
Problems with concentration: Listening requires intense focus; distractions can cause failure
Difficulty in retaining the information: Memory limitations affect processing long or complex input
Understanding different accents: Regional and international accents can cause misunderstandings
Underwood‘s classification provides a practical lens to evaluate classroom-based challenges and offers insight into instructional design
4 To address the need for learner autonomy and strategic control, Vandergrift
(2004) developed a listening model based on metacognitive awareness - learners‘ ability to regulate their listening processes consciously This framework includes the following five components:
Planning and Prediction: Before listening, learners are encouraged to think about the topic, activate prior knowledge, set goals, and predict possible content
Monitoring: During listening, learners check whether they are following the message They detect inconsistencies or confusion and make mental adjustments in real-time
Evaluating: After listening, learners assess how well they understood the text and how effective their strategies were
Problem-Solving: Learners apply strategies when they realize a comprehension breakdown, such as using context clues or focusing on key words
Directed Attention: Learners actively maintain focus and ignore distractions, employing self-directed concentration strategies
METHODOLOGY
Restatement of research questions
This study aims to identify challenges faced by students and teachers during the implementation of Listening lessons in the new textbook *Tieng Anh 10 – Global Success* By exploring common difficulties and proposing practical solutions, the research seeks to enhance the effectiveness of English listening instruction Key questions focus on the nature of these problems and strategies to address them, contributing to improved teaching outcomes and learner engagement.
1 What are the difficulties experienced by students at a high school in Hanoi when learning listening skill in the new textbook ―Tieng Anh 10 Global Success‖?
2 What are the difficulties experienced by teachers at a high school in Hanoi when teaching listening skill in the new textbook ―Tieng Anh 10 Global Success‖?
3 What are some effective ways to improve teachers‘ teaching methods and students‘ learning strategies of listening skills?
Context of the study
This research explores the challenges faced by 10th-grade students and their English teachers in mastering listening skills using the newly introduced textbook It examines key factors influencing the teaching and learning process, aiming to identify practical solutions to improve outcomes The study begins with a comprehensive overview of the school environment to contextualize the listening activities To gather insights, researchers utilized two survey questionnaires and a set of interview questions, targeting both students and teachers to uncover their specific needs and obstacles in developing effective English listening skills.
Finally, some suggestions to make listening lessons in the textbooks less difficult are discussed
The research was conducted at a high school in Hanoi during the 2022–2023 academic year, involving 25 tenth-grade classes with a total of 750 students, each class comprising 28 to 30 learners The school employs 21 English teachers, including 16 Vietnamese and 5 foreign educators Notably, the Vietnamese teachers are responsible for delivering English lessons using the newly introduced textbook, "Tieng Anh."
This study focuses on 10 globally successful educators, specifically highlighting 8 experienced English teachers responsible for Grade 10 instruction These professionals specialize in teaching young learners and consistently enhance their pedagogical expertise by participating in annual seminars, training programs, and professional development courses.
In terms of facilities, each classroom has state-of-the-art amenities to support learning, including a projector, TV screen, and Internet access Additionally, the school library offers a wide variety of books, magazines, and journals to students and teachers for research or entertainment purposes Additionally, students are allowed to use their own laptop with Internet connection under teachers‘ guidance and supervision
The official English textbook for Grade 10 in Vietnamese high schools is "Tieng Anh 10 – Global Success," designed in alignment with the General Education Program in English and the 6-level Foreign Language Competency Framework for Vietnam Developed under Circular No 32/2018/TT-BGDĐT issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, this comprehensive curriculum aims to enhance students' English proficiency and support standardized language education nationwide.
The book series led by Editor-in-Chief Prof Dr Hoang Van Van reflects a strong international collaboration between Vietnam Education Publishing House and globally renowned publishers—Macmillan Education for primary education and Pearson Education for middle and high school levels—enhancing the quality and global relevance of educational materials in Vietnam.
The 'Tieng Anh 10 Global Success' textbook marks a significant innovation in Vietnam's national curriculum by embracing the communicative language teaching (CLT) method This modern approach promotes integrated skill development in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, aligning with global standards in language education Each listening module is carefully designed with pre-, while-, and post-listening stages to enhance comprehension and engagement Unlike traditional textbooks, it introduces real-life scenarios, task-based learning, and critical thinking exercises, offering a dynamic alternative to outdated mechanical drills and limited content.
Developed in partnership with Pearson Education and aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), this innovative textbook fosters learner-centered interaction and cultivates essential 21st-century skills like collaboration and media literacy Each listening unit begins with a contextualized "Before you listen" section that activates prior knowledge through visuals, guiding questions, or vocabulary support The "While you listen" tasks progress from global understanding to detailed comprehension, reflecting authentic communication scenarios and moving beyond traditional grammar-translation methods Post-listening activities encourage critical thinking and integrate speaking and writing for holistic skill development Diverse audio materials expose learners to various English accents, speeds, and registers, enhancing real-world listening competence while presenting challenges for beginners The textbook also promotes digital engagement through online tools, though implementation may be hindered by unequal access in public schools.
As a progressive educational tool, this innovation presents both opportunities and challenges for educators and students who are familiar with conventional teaching methods Understanding how these advancements are received and applied in real-world settings is essential, especially within public high schools throughout Vietnam.
Participants of the research
Five teachers who are teaching grade 10 students were invited to join the study Their ages range from 22 to 32 years old These teachers are chosen as the participants of this research is because they teach those classes with students of elementary to intermediate English level, evaluated based on the result of the entrance test to the school Although the number of teacher participants is small, each individual has substantial teaching experience and insight into the curriculum and materials The combination of questionnaires and interviews helps to enrich the teacher data set despite the sample size limitation The five teachers allowed the researcher to observe their classes, and they also participated in a survey to learn about their challenges and solutions in the field of listening instruction Two of them agreed to take part in the semi-structured interview to dig deeper into their answer in the questionnaire
Most 10 th -grade students are 15 to 16 years old, and they mostly come from cities or provinces in northern Vietnam All the selected students in this study are from 10 chosen classes, which have elementary to intermediate English level, evaluated based on the result of the entrance test to the school, who are observed to have difficulty in their listening skills They have learned English for 4 years in their secondary schools; however, most of them are not confident with their listening skills as they have not been exposed extensively and intensively to the skills since then Thus, students tend to get more bored when it comes to listening lessons rather than other English lessons as some of them cannot listen to what the recording is about, or they cannot identify which information they need to listen to Furthermore,
34 students have not been aware of the importance of listening skills in their study or in their everyday conversation, so they tend to ignore the listening lessons Being mindful about the problem, the researcher decided to randomly select 311 male and female students in different classes at this school to take part in the research, both in observation process and questionnaires.
Data collection instrument
This research utilized a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative techniques to explore the challenges faced by students and teachers in learning and teaching listening skills To gather comprehensive insights and actionable suggestions for improvement, the study employed semi-structured interviews and survey questionnaires as its primary data collection tools.
Survey research, as defined by Check & Schutt (2012), involves gathering data from a sample of individuals through their responses to structured questions This method allows researchers to utilize various techniques for participant recruitment, data collection, and instrumentation Depending on the study's objectives, survey research can adopt a quantitative approach using numerically rated items, a qualitative strategy with open-ended questions, or a mixed-methods design that integrates both.
Survey research is a powerful tool for achieving research objectives due to its ability to gather data from large sample sizes, analyze relationships between variables, and capture direct insights into respondents' opinions, emotions, and behaviors.
In this study, the researcher followed the procedure suggested by Susan (1983) The sequence of this study can be described in the following list:
Step 1: Defining the purpose of the survey: The researcher carried out this study to investigate problems perceived by students and teachers during the implementation of Listening lessons in the new textbook ‗Tieng Anh 10 – Global Success‘ and some suggestions to overcome the problems
Step 2: Referring to past studies on related subjects: In this step, prior studies that
35 were undertaken in the field of Listening skills implementation are carefully examined and contrasted The framework taken from this serve as the foundation for research methodology
Step 3: Selecting the type of survey design: After completing step two, the researcher decides on the survey design that best achieves the goals and objectives of the study
Step 4: Selecting the sampling methods: The sampling technique is used to connect the survey design type to the study's sample population In this study, five teachers and 311 students were included in the sampling
Step 5: Deciding on the method to collect the data: Questionnaires and semi- structured interviews are selected as instruments to collect data for the research
Step 6: Conducting a pretest with the questionnaire or interview schedule: The researcher carried out a pilot survey in advance to collect data for necessary adjustment to the questionnaires
Step 7: Collecting the data: This step involves effectively using questionnaires and interviews which have been piloted and developed for data collection
Step 8: Make follow-up attempt at collecting data: The researcher made attempt to collect data from the participants who have failed to submit the questionnaires or have submitted inappropriate ones for analysis
Step 9: An outline of how the analysis of the data will be conducted: This study involves both quantitative and qualitative data analysis
Step 10: Reporting or sharing the results of the survey: The findings are drawn and reported in this paper
The questionnaire was employed to collect data to answer the first research question on perceived challenges of students in learning Listening skills in the new textbook
“Tieng Anh 10 Global Success” was initially developed in English to align with international standards, but later translated into Vietnamese to enhance student comprehension and engagement By presenting the content in their native language, the program aims to inspire learners and minimize potential misunderstandings, ensuring the message is clearly conveyed and effectively received.
A self-designed questionnaire was developed to evaluate key factors influencing listening comprehension, including learners’ abilities, skills, knowledge, and interest; teachers’ expertise and training; the suitability of instructional materials; and the adequacy of school facilities This framework integrates insights from three foundational studies on listening comprehension, notably those by Underwood (1989) and Hasan, ensuring a comprehensive and research-based approach.
(2000) and Graham (2006) The researcher puts Listener-related difficulties component in Hasan‘s (2000) framework, seven major listening barriers in Underwood‘s (1989) framework, and perceptual processing and negative beliefs and attribution in Graham‘s (2006) framework, all mentioned in 2.6 and compiled all those criteria to form statements in component of Learner‘s ability, skills, knowledge, and interest For teachers‘ ability and training session, the researcher makes statements based on the way teachers can deal with learners‘ difficulties as mentioned in the previous part In Material‘s suitability, all the statements are adapted from Content-related difficulties and Task-related difficulties in Hasan‘s
(2000) framework and also from some of Underwood‘s (1989) major problems that may appear in the textbook which are the speed of the recording, the number of vocabulary, the use of discourse marker and the different accents in the recording; and in the last section, the researcher bases on the findings of Azmi Bingol, Celik, Yidliz, and Tugrul Mart (2014) and Faisal (2019) to create statements in School‘s facility components For the part of solution to overcome difficulties in learning listening, the researcher mainly focuses on Underwood‘s (1989) framework of difficulties in learning listening skills and Vandergrift‘s (2004) metacognitive framework to suggest solutions to tackle listening challenges
The questionnaire comprises of three major sections, each of which aims to discover the problems students are facing when learning Listening and their suggested solutions
The first section consists of questions relating to students‘ personal information This section also contains 2 questions asking the importance and difficulty of Listening section in the new textbook ―Tieng Anh 10 Global Success‖ and one question asking the listening ability as perceived by students themselves
The second section of the study explores 34 key statements addressing common obstacles students face during the listening process Of these, 30 are close-ended questions utilizing a Likert scale to assess learners' attitudes toward challenges in acquiring listening skills with the new textbook The remaining four are open-ended, allowing for deeper insights The Likert scale items are arranged from left to right, beginning with the most negative response, ensuring a structured evaluation of student perceptions.
The evaluation uses a four-point scale ranging from "strongly disagree" to more positive responses to minimize bias in student feedback It categorizes statements into four key dimensions: learners’ ability, skills, knowledge, and interest; teachers’ ability and training; material difficulty and suitability; and school facilities Each section concludes with an open-ended "Other" question to capture additional insights The learner-focused segment includes eight questions addressing how student-related factors influence listening challenges The teacher-focused section also contains eight statements examining how instructional methods and educator expertise impact listening performance Twelve statements assess the complexity and relevance of learning materials in the listening process Lastly, the school facilities section evaluates classroom size, layout, and equipment in supporting effective listening.
The third section of the survey explores student-proposed solutions to overcome listening challenges, featuring 10 targeted questions Nine of these are close-ended statements formatted on a Likert scale, mirroring the structure of the previous section to ensure consistency and measurable feedback The final question is open-ended, inviting students to share additional strategies or suggestions beyond the predefined options, enriching the data with diverse perspectives and enhancing the overall understanding of effective listening support methods.
The second research questionnaire, which focused on problems as perceived by
A comprehensive questionnaire was administered to 38 teachers to explore challenges in implementing Listening lessons and gather their suggested solutions Designed around five key components—learner ability, skills, knowledge, interest, teacher training, material suitability, and school facilities—the questionnaire served both as a data collection tool and a foundation for follow-up interviews to deepen insights into teacher perspectives Drawing from the works of Underwood (1989), Hasan (2000), and Graham (2006), the questionnaire adapted student-focused statements to reflect teacher-specific difficulties in Listening instruction To enhance clarity and usability, proposed solutions were categorized using Underwood’s (1989) three-stage listening framework: Pre-listening, While-listening, and Post-listening, enabling educators to apply targeted strategies effectively.
Data collection procedure
To gather data for the study, the researcher designed questionnaires for both students and teachers, along with a structured interview guide for teachers These tools were developed based on key components identified in the literature review, including learners’ abilities, skills, knowledge, and interests; teachers’ qualifications and training; the difficulty and relevance of educational materials; and the adequacy of school facilities.
During the next phase of the research, the supervisor reviewed and provided feedback on the data collection instruments, which were then piloted by a group of 10 respondents—eight students and two randomly selected teachers These participants received preliminary drafts of the two surveys and were invited to share their opinions, resulting in valuable insights that helped refine the instruments for improved accuracy and effectiveness.
To enhance language clarity and ensure better comprehension, certain items in the student questionnaire were revised Specifically, the term "predictive strategies," which caused confusion among several students, was simplified to "guessing what might come next in the listening text." This adjustment improves accessibility and aligns with best practices for educational content optimization.
To enhance clarity and improve assessment accuracy, educators identified certain survey items as overly broad or double-barreled—such as questions combining "speed and pronunciation"—and revised them by separating each concept into distinct, focused items This adjustment ensures more precise interpretation and aligns with best practices for educational evaluation.
Response scale balance: The Likert scale options were adjusted to ensure even spacing of agreement levels For students, a neutral option was added to prevent forced choices
Format and sequencing: Questions were reordered so that general background questions came first, followed by experience-based and opinion-based items This made the flow more logical and less cognitively demanding for student respondents
Completion time: The pilot revealed that students could comfortably complete the questionnaire in around 15 minutes, while teachers required 20–25 minutes This informed time allocation during data collection sessions
Based on the feedback from pilot participants, final modifications were made to the format and content of the instruments to improve their validity, reliability, and user- friendliness disseminating it to all students and other teachers
In the next stage, after consulting and revising the instruments, the researcher conducted data collection procedure Data were collected over a period of two weeks First, the student questionnaires were distributed during English classes and collected anonymously This was followed by administering the teacher questionnaires Finally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the two participating teachers
Although it would have been valuable to include student interviews, this option was excluded due to time constraints and administrative limitations The absence of student interview data is acknowledged as a limitation To compensate, the student questionnaire was designed to cover a wide range of issues and included open- ended questions.
Data analysis methods
The interview transcription was typed down, and all the data gathered from surveys was first looked through to get a sense of the entire data The Likert scale ranged from (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree), and the students and teachers were expected to select a number between 1 and 4 The mean score for each item was calculated using a weighted average approach, a common method for analyzing Likert-scale data in educational research (Boone & Boone, 2012) To determine the Agree percentage, the researcher has the number of respondents who chose Agree or Strongly agree divided by the total number of respondents Similarly, the Disagree percentage is decided by having the numbers of respondents who chose Disagree and Strongly disagree divided by the total number of respondents As a result, the researcher calculated the mean score for each using Excel and created mean score tables for the difficulties and possible solutions The following formula is used to calculate the mean score (Boone & Boone, 2012)
In this formula: n1 is the number of respondents choosing Strongly disagree n2 is the number of respondents choosing Disagree n3 is the number of respondents choosing Agree n4 is the number of respondents choosing Strongly agree
N is the total number of respondents (N = 311)
If one characteristic's mean score is greater than or equivalent to 2.5 on the score range of 1.0 to 4.0, it is regarded as a problem in the process of listening teaching and learning This particular number was selected because it is in the middle of the scale The data was coded, then entered manually into the software's data file The data was evaluated using the mean score and in the form of a percentage system once data entry was completed A series of tables were then used to illustrate and discuss the information that had been acquired To find the key themes and patterns, the open-ended data from the questionnaires and interviews were qualitatively evaluated
Qualitative data from teacher interviews and observation notes were analyzed using thematic analysis Transcripts and field notes were first reviewed to identify recurring ideas, then coded both deductively (based on theoretical categories like metacognition and listening barriers) and inductively (based on emergent themes such as anxiety, task misalignment, and classroom dynamics) This dual coding process provided a more nuanced understanding of the data and allowed meaningful connections between qualitative and quantitative findings.
Summary
In short, this chapter has identified the characteristics of the research settings, the participants as well as the research methods, data collection procedure and data analysis procedure First of all, a sampling of 311 students and five teachers were selected to do the questionnaires After that, three teachers confirmed to participate in an in-depth interview referring their difficulties in teaching Listening skills A framework to design questionnaires on problems of learning and teaching Listening and some possible solutions were also discussed The researcher also mentioned a structured observation checklist and descriptive field notes to systematically document classroom procedures and learner behaviors The answers to the three research questions were answered using self-designed surveys for students and teachers, a semi-structured interview for teachers, and notes from observation process Both qualitative and quantitative data analysis methods were employed in the study to process the collected data
