receptive and productive skills of freshman students in thai nguyen university system bases for listening and speaking activities

Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the PhilippinesRECEPTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE SKILLS OF FRESHMAN STUDENTS IN THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM: BASES FOR LISTENING AND SPEAKING ACTIVIT

Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines

RECEPTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE SKILLS OF FRESHMAN STUDENTS

IN THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM: BASES FOR

LISTENING AND SPEAKING ACTIVITIES

A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of Graduate School Batangas State University Batangas City, Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Of Doctor of Philosophy Major in English

By:

Hoang Thi Nhung

June 2015

APPROVAL SHEET

This dissertation entitled “RECEPTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE SKILLS OF FRESHMAN STUDENTS IN THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM: BASES FOR LISTENING AND SPEAKING ACTIVITIES” prepared and submitted by HOANG THI NHUNG in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy major in English has been examined and is recommended for Oral Examination

Date Dean, Graduate Studies

College of Arts and Sciences

Title : Receptive and Productive Skills of Freshman Students at

Thai Nguyen University System: Bases for Listening and Speaking Activities

Author : Hoang Thi Nhung

Course : Doctor of Philosophy

Major : English

Adviser : Dr Matilda H Dimaano

Summary

This study aimed to assess the receptive and productive skills among

freshman students at Thai Nguyen University, Vietnam It covered the profile of

the student respondents including gender, high school graduated from,

residence, parents’ education, family income and exposure to English media

The respondents listening skills in terms of accuracy, comprehension,

vocabulary and spelling were assessed Included also in the study were the

levels of student’s speaking skills in terms of pronunciation, fluency,

comprehension and vocabulary with English listening and speaking activities

as output to enhance the listening and speaking skills of the students

Respondents included in the study comprised of 53 English teachers

and 380 freshman students The study made use of descriptive method of

research utilizing survey questionnaire and teacher- made test as data

gathering instruments Data were treated using the following statistics:

frequency distribution and percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation,

and independent t-test

Results of the study indicate that relative to the demographic profile of the

student respondents relative to gender, majority of them are female comprising

59.47 percent For residence profile, they are almost equally distributed in urban

and suburban areas with a slight five percent higher frequency in urban

respondents As to type of high school attended, majority of them come from

public schools comprising 85.53 percent For education of parents, less than half

of the respondents’ parents or 38.68 percent have tertiary education With

regards to exposures to English media, majority of students’ exposure comes

from printed means comprising a total of 53.83 percent

For the levels of the students’ listening skills in terms of accuracy,

they got an average performance rating or 52.0 percent while in the area of

comprehension, students got an average performance or 60.0 percent In

addition, the vocabulary performance of the students is average or 60.0

percent while in the area of spelling their performance is also average or

52.0 percent

Relative to the level of the students’ speaking skills, the pronunciation

performance of the students is 42.0 per cent while in fluency the performance of the

students is 40.0 percent Both got the equivalent rating of low average In

comprehension on the other hand students’ performance is average or 52.0 percent

In terms of vocabulary, students obtained the rating of 56.0 percent or average

As to the relationships between students’ listening and speaking skills,

no relationship exists between them except some sub skills where a p-value

greater than 0-05 can be noted

For the difficulties commonly met by students in listening, results

showed that in all four areas the performance rating is above 50 percent, and

only the area that got the most difficult rank was a tie between accuracy and

spelling On the difficulty in speaking two of the four areas had performance

ratings above 50 percent, and two had below 50 percent which are the sub-

skill areas on Pronunciation and Fluency

The listening and spelling activities as the output of the study were

based on the identified skills areas were students find most difficult and those

that showed low rank in the teachers’ perception of frequency use and

importance The study recommended that the proposed listening and speaking

activities may be reviewed by concerned practitioners for further suggestions

and improvements; that efforts should be exerted to address problems and

concerns relative to improving listening and speaking performance of students

and a similar study may be conducted along this line to other universities

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The researcher expresses her profound gratitude and sincere

appreciation to all the persons who in their special ways help in making this

study a reality She is most grateful to:

Dr Dang Kim Vui, President Thai Nguyen University (TNU), Vietnam for

his support in making this partnership with Batangas State University possible;

Dr Matilda H Dimaano, Dissertation Adviser and Mentor, for all the

assistance, guidance, critical comments and suggestions for the improvement

of this dissertation Her sound advices and research expertise contributed

much in completing this academic endeavor;

The Panel of Examiners Dr Corazon B Cabrera, Dr Amada G Banaag,

Dr Felix M Panopio, Dr Maria Luisa A Valdez, Dr Myrna G Sulit for their

valuable comments and recommendations for the enrichment of this study;

Dr Remedios P Magnaye, Recording Secretary, for all her efforts in the

preparation and encoding of defense minutes;

Dr Nguyen The Hung, Director of the International Training Center,

TNU; Dr Nong Quoc Chinh, Rector and Dr Le Thi Thanh Nhan, Vice Rector of

Thai Nguyen University of Sciences for their encouragement and support;

Her colleagues and classmates, for their support and friendship;

The teachers and student-respondents of the study, for their active

participation and cooperation;

Her parents and sibling for their blessings;

Le Tran Kien, husband, and Le Hoang Trung, son, for all their love and

support, and for being an inspiration

Hoang Thi Nung

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE i

APPROVAL SHEET ii

ABSTRACT iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT vii

DEDICATION ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS x

LIST OF TABLES xiii

LIST OF FIGURES xv

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM Introduction 1

Statement of the Problem 8

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study 9

Significance of the Study 10

II REVIEW OF LITERATURE Conceptual Literature 12

Research Literature 31

Synthesis 38

Theoretical Framework 42

Conceptual Framework 44

Hypothesis 47

Definition of Terms 47

III RESEARCH METHOD AND PROCEDURE Research Environment 49

Research Design 51

Subjects of the Study 52

Data Gathering Instrument 53

Data Gathering Procedure 56

Statistical Treatment of Data 57

IV PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA 59

V SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Summary of Findings 105

Conclusions 115

Recommendation 116

BIBLIOGRAPHY 117

APPENDICES……… 122

A Questionnaires 123

B Letters of Request 134

C Documentations 141

D Psychrometric Conversion Table 147

CURRICULUM VITAE 149

LIST OF TABLES Table Title Page

1 Distribution of Sample Respondents 53

2 Gender Profile of the Student Respondents 59

3 Residence Profile of the Student Respondents 61

4 Type of High School Profile of the Student Respondents 63

5 Parent's Education Profile of the Student Respondents 63

6 Type of English Media Exposure of the Student Respondents 65

7 Levels of Student's Performance in Listening 67

8 Levels of Students’ Performance in the Speaking Skill 71

9 T-test Comparison of the Student's Mean Performance in Listening 75

10 T-test Comparison of the Student's Mean Performance in Speaking 76

11 T-test Comparison of the Student's Mean Performance in Listening and Speaking 78

12 Students’ Performance in the Listening Skill

as to Degree of Difficulty 80

13 Student's Performance in the Speaking Skill

as to Degree of Difficulty 81

14 Bases for the Design of Remedial Learning

and Speaking Activities 83

LIST OF FIGURES

1 Conceptual Paradigm of the Study ……… 45

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM Introduction

In our day to day life, language plays a very vital role in communication

Most of our daily activities need the interplay of these four language skills

listening, speaking, reading and writing A balance among them would be

required for an individual to become an efficient and effective communicator of

the language Meanwhile, there seem to be factors that lead to linguistic

incompleteness causing problems to users of the second language

It has been claimed that over fifty percent of the time that students spend

functioning in a foreign language is devoted to listening (Nunan,1998) Despite

this observation, among the four language skills, listening is the one often

taken for granted In fact, it is the least understood and most overlooked

language skill Since the natural precursor to speaking is listening, in a

person’s first language, the early stages of language development are

dependent on listening In first language education, on- going attention is

needed for both listening and speaking development This is because first

language speakers are often taken for granted in terms of instruction relative to

reading and writing as it is previously assumed that listening and speaking are

skills that are automatically acquired by native speakers

In the 1980’s, listening had a very important role in second language

learning This notion resulted to a corresponding drop in the importance of

speaking in the early stages of learning This was apparent even in a course

where it was often discouraged to speak early The insight on what it means

to learn a language finds support in the contention where emphasis is given to

listening and speaking is delayed

One way of learning the language is through the mode of listening A

number of approaches to language teaching gave importance to listening

Nord’s (1980) view was clearly expressed when he stated that some people

believe that learning a language is like building a map of meaning in the mind

and that talking would indicate that the language was learned; although he

does not believe that talking is the best way to build this cognitive map but

rather the best method is to practice listening Through listening, the learner is

given information from which the knowledge necessary for using the language

is built up The learner can start speaking when knowledge is built up

There are many benefits to learners if they can concentrate to listening

and delay speaking One of these is cognitive benefit wherein there will be no

overloading relative to the focus of the learner on two or more skills Another is

the speed of coverage, wherein, receptive knowledge grows faster than

productive knowledge, and the possibility to experience and learn more about

language occur through listening Further, there’s a strong effect on motivation

if there is a move to realistic communicative listening activities There is also a

psychological benefit when listening activities are involved in language

learning as these reduce stress while independent learning of these activities

are well-suited for individualized learning

Listening before is viewed as passive process wherein the listener acts

as receiver of information transmitted by the speaker Recently, a much more

active and interpretive process is attributed to listening as the message is not

fixed since it is created through interactional space between participants

Listeners constructed meanings that are shaped by context through the act of

interpreting meaning, rather than receiving it intact (Lynch, 2002)

Listening comprised not only of one skill but varied sub- skills There is

better performance in comprehension questions for listeners with more skills A

fundamental platform for second language development and content learning

is provided through experiences with meaning-focused listening Directed

attention to perceptual processing and parsing skills enriched these

experiences Finding an appropriate balance between providing opportunities

for listening skill development through meaning –focused listening and through

language learning focused listening which focuses on bottom-up listening

practice is needed by teachers

In listening comprehension, there are problems of learners identified

These include problems in recognizing word forms, and keeping up with what

is coming in Learners do not have enough time to turn perceived form into an

appropriate message Goh (2000) stated that listening problems can occur at

the levels of perception, parsing and utilization and that learners can benefit

from training in listening strategies which include communication strategies to

assist comprehension, like making predictions before listening, listening

selectively, and knowing how to interrupt politely Others problems of learners

identified in listening are not being able to discriminate or distinguish English

sounds or learners lack of phonological awareness; not knowing the meaning

of English words or lack of vocabulary; and their lack of pacing or speed in

understanding spoken language

Speaking on the other hand is said to be acquired by all human beings

who are normally endowed without explicit instruction Among the four skills,

speaking is the most demanding and challenging skill It is an activity that

requires an integration of many subsystems One of the most difficult aspects

of the spoken language is accomplished through interaction with another

speaker Since speech is the most basic means of human communication, for

most people, knowing the language is synonymous to the ability to speak a

language Reduced forms like contractions, vowel reduction, and elision

comprised fluent speech These are features that interact to make speaking a

very important central skill

In the oral mode, speaking is a productive skill and it is also complicated

like the other skill components of language as it involves many aspects There

are three situations where speakers are engaged when speaking In interactive

speaking situations, the speaker has the chance to request from conversation

partner to clarify, repeat, or slow down speaking while in partially interactive

speaking situations, the speaker can gauge whether there is understanding of

the message conveyed on the part of the conversation partner through facial

expressions and body language Recording a speech for radio broadcast is a

form of a non-interactive speaking situation

A number of situational factors to help convey meaning and intention

rely on speaking There are some characteristics that speaker must carry out

in order to become successful speaker These include giving much time or

opportunity to the students to speak as often as possible Allocating as much

time as possible to students talking can create the best environment for

engaging in oral activities

The following features are considered for successful speaking activities

These are making sure that students participation is not dominated by a few

talkative students; that students want to speak because they are interested in

the topic; that students have something relevant to say; that students can be

understood by anyone; and that there are not frequent interruptions while

student is speaking

There are also several factors to consider when planning for a variety

of speaking tasks to push learner’s output First is that learners should be

able to speak on a range of topic, as covering a good range of topics

improves learner’s vocabulary Range of text types is another factor that

though these text types which include intimate interpersonal interaction,

scientific exposition, and imaginative narrative were written types, they

contain spoken equivalents As for the range of performance conditions,

planning before speaking is very important as it involves task preparation

before performance Time pressure also affects speaking performance in

the sense that providing learner’s ample time to perform speaking task

increase the quality of the learner’s spoken output

With regards to the amount of support as performance condition, an

important requirement in supportive listening is providing the speaker a way in

finding needed items in language without giving overwhelming attention to that

given support For the standard of performance affecting speaking, while it can

be supportive to speak with others, it can also be demanding

Some problems in an English class are attributed to the failure of some

speaking activities The problems faced by learners in speaking activities

include inhibition, nothing to say, the low participation, the theme to be spoken

and the use of the mother tongue Manifestations of students having inhibitions

is stage freight whenever a student is made to speak in front of an audience,

nothing to say where students need not say anything because they feel bored

knowing that the topic is unrelated to anything they know; low participation

where students are prevented to speak due to the dominance of students who

are good English speakers and mother tongue where students insist on using

their mother tongue instead of English language for fear of criticism Speaking

in class can be a lot of fun, raise general learner motivation and making

English language classroom a dynamic place if the language activities are

taught in a right way

So that as a college instructor teaching Basic English course, the

researcher is prompted to conduct a study on receptive and productive skills of

Freshman students with the end view of proposing English speaking and

listening activities to enhance the students’ receptive and productive skills

Statement of the Problem

This study is designed to assess receptive and productive skills among

freshman students in Thai Nguyen University, Vietnam

Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:

1 What is the demographic profile of the respondents with reference to:

1.1 gender;

1.2 high school graduated from;

1.3 Residence;

1.4 parent’s education; and

1.5 English media exposure?

2 What are the levels of the students’ listening skills relative to:

2.1 accuracy;

2.2 comprehension;

2.3 vocabulary; and

2.4 spelling?

3 What are the levels of students’ speaking skills relative to:

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study

This study focused on the assessment of the speaking and listening skills

of the freshman students at Thai Nguyen University, Vietnam

Profile of the respondents including gender, high school graduated from,

residence, parents’ education, and exposure to English media were covered in

the study The respondents listening skills in terms of accuracy,

comprehension, vocabulary and spelling were assessed Part of the study also

included the levels of students’ speaking skills in terms of pronunciation,

fluency, comprehension and vocabulary with the end view of proposing English

listening and speaking activities to enhance the receptive and productive skills

of the students

The study covered the four (4) Thai Nguyen Universities in Thai Nguyen

City Three hundred and eighty (380) Freshman students and 53 English

teachers were used as respondents of the study during the Academic Year

2013-2014 The study did not include those students in the higher levels and

those coming from other colleges of TNU system not mentioned in the study

This study is limited on the results of the data gathered from students

and teacher respondents involved

Significance of the Study

The study is deemed beneficial to the Administrators of Thai Nguyen

University, faculty of basic English, freshman students, parents, present

researcher and future researchers

Administrators of Thai Nguyen This study can guide them in

improving their English curriculum by evaluating the different English

proficiency enhancing activities This study will also serve as a guide for the

enhancement of the existing Basic English curriculum to meet their institutional

goals and objectives

Faculty of Basic English This study will serve as a tool for the faculty

in teaching Basic English as they may become aware of the present level of

students’ listening and speaking skills This will provide them insights on what

innovative learning activities will be appropriate to enhance the language

proficiency of their students

First Year Students The findings of this study will make them aware

of their level of listening and speaking skills This would give them

information on their performance in Basic English and will be an instrument

for them to improve their weak points and enhance their over all

performance in Basic English

Parents Parents of the first year students will become aware of the

English performance of their children which will make them more supportive

and cooperative in school activities especially on the improvement of the

performance in Basic English skills of their children

Present Researcher Results of the study will serve as bases in

designing more exercises that will further improve students language

proficiency

Future Researchers This study will serve as basis for conducting similar studies focusing on other types of receptive and productive skills

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter presents the conceptual and research literature,

synthesis, theoretical and conceptual frameworks of the study, hypothesis,

and definition of terms

Conceptual Literature

The concepts discussed provide a conceptual frame of reference These

include oral communication, the art of listening, speaking proficiency and

language learning activities

Oral Communication The process of expressing information or

ideas by word of mouth and verbally transmitting information and ideas from

one individual or group to another is termed oral communication (Swarthout,

Donna, education-portal.com/ academy/ lesson /oral – commu-nication/

definition-types-advantage html # lesson) It can either be formal or

informal There are advantages of oral communication One of these is that

it is more personal and less formal in compared to written communication

Another is that in oral communication, there is flexibility It can address

conflict and problem and in a team it can maintain energy and enthusiasm and

promote moral

According to Murphy, et al., (1997) oral communication describes any

type of interaction that makes use of spoken words, and it is vital, integral part

of the business world, especially in the information age and that the ability

to communicate effectively through speaking as well as in writing is highly

valued, and demanded in business Further, in effective communication, it is

also important to know the content, the functional areas that give life to

those ideas either in meeting or presentation The following are the criteria

for effective communication: clear, relevant, tactful, in phraseology and tone,

concise and informative

Oral communication means to communicate by talking, since this implies

a two-way interaction that emphasizes the communication aspect rather than

the simple act of articulation It is effective when it is clear, relevant,

appropriate to the intended audience in phraseology and tone, concise and

informative (www.use.my ability.org uk/skills/oral-commu-nication.html) All

forms of oral communication include speeches, presentations, and

discussions When communication matter is temporary, a kind where direct

interaction is required, it is generally recommended to have oral

communication as it implies communication through the mouth and includes

individuals conversing with each other be it direct or telephonic conversation

Nuval (2014) stated that oral communication deals with interaction of

communicators through the use of language which consists of systematized

vocal sounds made in the mouth, nose, and throat which are organized into

words and phrases for communication Processing of sequences, sounds and

words, and discriminating speech sounds and words that are similar to verbal

comprehension are required in effective oral communication Also required are

retaining a sequence of information, extracting meaning from complex or

abstract language or grammatical structures and understanding non-literal

language Moreover, communication through the mouth is required in oral

communication Considered forms of oral communication are conversation be

it direct or through telephone, speeches, presentations and discussions When

communication is temporary, where it is required to have direct interaction, oral

communication is recommended

Oral communication as a cycle involved two persons: the speaker and

the listener wherein the information is exchanged between them through a

common system of symbol, signs and behavior There are several advantages

for oral communication (www.management study guide.com.oral

communication.htm) These are: as it is interpersonal, there is high level of

understanding and transparency; there is no element of rigidity, thus, decision

can be made quickly; and it is not only time saving but it also saves money and

efforts In case of problem resolution, oral communication is best as it can put

end to conflicts, disputes, issues and differences In team work, oral

communication is essential aside from promoting receptive and encouraging

morale among organizational employees Oral communication is also effective

in transferring private and confidential matters

There are also chief principles or characteristics of effective

communication which are considered keys to productive communication

These are clearness and integrity of message to be conveyed; adequate

briefing of the recipient; accurate plan of objectives; reliability and uniformity of

the message; knowing of the main purpose of the message; proper response

of the message; correct timing; and the use of proper medium to convey the

message properly (https: sites: google.com.site/ communication skills / you/

characteristics of effective communication)

Further, to make communication effective there are guidelines to

follow Before communicating a message simplifying one’s thoughts is

needed Intent of each and every message of the individual must be

analyzed as well as knowing the physical setting before communicating

Appropriateness must considered when discussing with others regarding

plans for communication The basic content of the message, the tone must

be taken into consideration when communicating, and make follow up In

transmitting message, prepare oneself in a proper way by ensuring that

actions support communications and finally seek not to be understood but

understand The persistent and powerful role of language and

communication in human society is reflected in oral role communication

Halliday (2008) emphasized that communication is more than merely an

exchange of words between parties; but a sociological encounter and through

exchange of meanings in the communication process, social reality is created,

maintained and modified Multiple elements which result in the success or

failure of interaction comprised oral communication Moreover, any type of

interaction utilizing spoken words which is an essential part of the business

world dubbed as information age is described Students are aided in improving

their own academic performance, increasing their employment options,

enhancing their subsequent professional competence and improving their own

personal effectiveness through effective oral communication

Oral communication skills include mix of verbal, interpersonal, and physical

strategies needed to interact confidently and effectively with a range of

audience (www.griffith.educ.au/-data/assets/pdf.-file/0018 /162720/oral.pdf/)

When the desired effect is the result of intentional and unintentional

information sharing, which is interpreted between multiple entities and acted

on in a desired way effective communication occurs During communication

process, the desired effect ensures that messages are not distorted The

following should be generated through effective communication: desired effect,

maintained effect, and the potential to increase the effect of the message

Hymes (1972) on the other hand stated that the teaching of oral

communication skills as a contextualized sociocultural activity has become the

focal point in many English second learner (ESL) classrooms Oral skills

teachers should always connect speaking, listening, and pronunciation

teaching although the focus is any one of the class or activity that may

highlight one or another (Murphy, 1991) Oral skills classes may use reading

and writing activities as the basis or follow up for speaking activities

In the case of English foreign language (EFL) classes where all students

speak the same first language and English is not used outside the classroom,

these present certain challenges for the teacher Nunan (1993) stated that the

biggest challenges of EFL teachers in the EFL classroom are lack of

motivation, getting students to speak, and the use of the first language as well

as large classes are often the norm overseas, limiting both student

opportunities to talk and teacher opportunities to provide feedback

Curriculum which does not emphasized speaking skills but focus on

grammatical accuracy, as well as incompetent or lack of confidence of teacher

in speaking English are the other problems of EFL teachers Organizing class

activities that are authentic, motivating, and varied are needed by EFL

teachers when teaching speaking skills Likewise, in –class activities, the use

of authentic,engaging materials should be made bases

The Art of Listening The most frequently employed skill in daily

language use is listening, yet seemingly it is the most neglected area of

concern, because listening, unlike other skills, is an internal process that

cannot be directly observed (Morley, 1984) In addition, listening as a skill

was perceived to be the lowest in terms of its impact on the learner In

second language instruction, this lack of attention is due to several factors

These include focus on speaking a language where the primary explicit

concentration was on teaching learners to speak the second language as it

is believed that if one learned to speak the language, listening

comprehension would occur simultaneously; listening was used as a tool to

teach speaking but not as instructional goal in itself; and the passive

assumption that listening was a passive skill

Yagang (1993) defined listening as the ability to identify and understand

what others are saying and further stated the it involves understanding of the

speaker’s accent or pronunciation, his grammar and his vocabulary, and

grasping his meaning Willis (2001) identified the following micro-skills of

listening or enabling skills: predicting what people are doing to talk about;

guessing at unknown words or phrases without panicking; using one’s

knowledge of the subject to help one understand; identifying relevant points,

rejecting irrelevant information; retaining relevant points; recognizing discourse

markers; recognizing cohesion devices; understanding different intonation

patterns and uses of stress, as well as understanding inferred information like

speaker’s attitude or intention

Good listening according to Nicholas (1988) relates itself to the following

characteristics of spoken language: redundancy which is considered both an

advantage and a disadvantage to a listener; untidiness in spontaneous

conversation where it often contains language structures that may not be

grammatical, unfinished utterances, pauses, and even moments of silence,

and environmental interferences where spoken language requires the hearer

to cope with environmental uncertainties such as noise, the voice quality and

the emotional states of interlocutors, and the loudness or lack of it

There are cited reasons why listening is a difficult process One of these

is the content and linguistic features found in listening materials which makes

the learners have difficulty in distinguishing or recognizing individual words in

the stream of speech; the speaker in conversation which normally resort to

redundancy; the listeners which according to Anderson, et al., (1988) are not

familiar with clichés and collocations in English to predict a missing word or

phrase, as well as their lack of sociocultural, factual, and contextual knowledge

of the target language can present problem to comprehension because

language is used to express its culture; and the physical setting, where noise,

unclear sounds resulting from poor quality equipment can interfere with

listener’s comprehension

There are two reasons why a person listens to a great deal of language

and these are interest and usefulness According to Harmer (1983) the

category of interest includes listening for enjoyment, pleasure, and intellectual

stimulation Burt et al., (1981) on the other hand included a focus on the roles

of listening when they characterized one-way communication as taking place

when a learner would listen to or read in a second language with the

communication targeted toward the learner but not issuing from the learner

The importance of listening in the processes of comprehension,

retention of information in memory and acquisition of second language

competence is recognized by proponents of comprehension approaches Nida

(1957) stated that learning to speak a language is very largely a task of

learning to hear it Reception should precede production because reception

enables production and while it is possible to learn to understand without

speaking, it is not possible to learn to speak without understanding (Nord,

1981) There are several effects if there is premature production Students are

forced to go back on first language (L1) production and make many transfer

errors if they lack competence in the second language (L2)

The ability to comprehend the language completely might be interfered

with the need to produce utterances and anxiety is produced if there is

overload of tasks demands on the learner which affects their learning

The importance of listening in communication is shown in the art of

listening (www.slideshare.Net/shivakuwar/the-art-of-listening) while others

considered it similar to reading and beginning to understand the scriptures Not

talking anything too personal is considered one way to become a good listener

as well being detached in order to hear the other person (www huffington

post.com/osi-mizraki/listening) Further, one of the most important skills a

strong leader must possess is to have effective listening as it is needed by

most small- business owners to develop since listening is the key to managing

and the mood in a company

Mayer (2013) pointed out that listening is an active interpretation that

shapes our realities, and it’s the answer to improving productivity and

increasing business with customers Degenerative moods among employees

such as mistrust, resignation, and resentment are the results of lack of

listening while improved mood fueled by ambition and confidence, that boosts

productivity and profitability are the results of those employees who are

listened to in terms of their experiences Further, there are five ways to

improve listening, these are to forget outdated advice, to interpret whatever is

heard, to clarify what is heard from other person, to ask open-ended questions,

and to validate what is heard

To listen attentively to one another has also some importance These

include to make eye contact when introduce to other person; listen actively;

listen reflectively; don’t judge; and create the right work environment

(www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/the-art-of-listening) According to Sheryl

Conelley, a futurist who works in Ford Motor Co., there are ways on how to

listen well First is to focus on the person speaking and listen carefully for

things not known Another is to challenge oneself on what is heard and be

prepared to change one’s mind In addition, if sitting is still difficult, then take

notes or doodle or both

Listening is attention and attention is energy True leadership is linked to

the ability to effectively listen to those persons around A person must practice

the art of listening in his life (www.nithyanarda.org.article/art-listening)

Speaking Proficiency A form of conversation ability or conversation

skill and performs mutual interdependent, interactive nature of conversation is

referred to as speaking proficiency or competence (Nolasco, et al, 1997) It is

also referred to as awareness and feedback activity so that series of tasks is

developed for student’s awareness on the activity to be sharpened as well as

their own progress performed assessed Automatic conversation becomes

accustomed, when those awareness and feedback activities becomes

accustomed Gradual practice controlled awareness and fluency conversation

are needed for speaking ability and conversation skill

Competence or proficiency in speaking is the ability to communicate

orally in clear, coherent, and persuasive language appropriate to purpose

occasion, and audience Acquiring poise and developing control of language

through experience in making presentations to small groups, to large groups,

and through the media comprise developing proficiency (www shsu

edu./sacs/compliancereport/narratives/documents/pdf)

Thornburry (2005) stated that speaking is a speech production that

becomes a part of our daily activities Speech, voice and delivery, vocabulary

profanity, grammar, and self- improvement suggestions are considered

requirements for making a good speech Speaking as expounded by

Underwood (1997) means creative process, an interaction between the

speaker and the listener that involves thought and emotion and involves three

areas of knowledge namely; mechanics, grammar, and vocabulary and further

refers to the ability to use the right word in the right order with the correct

pronunciation, function; knowing when clarity of message is essential, and

when precise understanding is not required, as well as social and cultural rules

and norms

Knowledge of turn-taking, rate of speech, length of pauses between

speakers, relative roles of participants comprised speaking The ability to

understand, how to take into account who is speaking to whom; in what

circumstances, and about what reason also pertains to speaking

Speaking according to Brown (1981) as part of work or academic study

may involve presenting reports or presenting a viewpoint on a particular topic

and comprised the following important features which include: it is

transactional; it involves taking a long turn; and it is influenced by written

language In addition, the speaking is done in the learner’s style in a clear and

deliberate way with opportunity for the speaker to monitor the production; as

well as it often needs teaching as it is a skill that is not a part of typical

language use

Brown (2004) emphasized that one can be considered to have speaking

proficiency or competence if he is able to imitate a word or phrase or possibly

a sentence; produce short stretches of oral language design to demonstrate

competence in a narrow band or grammatical, phrasal or phonological

relationship as well as prosodic elements which include intonation, stress,

rhythm, juncture, and intensive ability In addition, being able to respond to a

very short conversation, standard greetings and small talk, simple requests

and comments; as well as taking the two forms of either transactional

language which has the purpose of exchanging specific information or

interpersonal exchanges which have the purpose of maintaining social

relationships are also part of having speaking competence

Maintaining social relationships with facts and information transmitted as

well as developing oral production such as speeches, oral presentations and

storytelling during which the opportunity for oral interaction from listener is

either highly limited or ruled out together are also indications of speaking

competency The transactional nature of formal speaking as pointed out by

Nation, et al (2009) means that the effectiveness of the learner’s performance

should focus on the successful communication of information Thus, formal

speaking in the classroom should therefore be done with an obvious audience

who are interested in the speaker’s message

Relative to this, Brown (1978) called informal speaking as interactional

speaking and typically involves tasks where conveying information is not as

important as maintaining friendly relationship As most of an individual’s

speaking tends to be informal, this deserves attention within the classroom

Formal speaking helps language learner through representing a new use of

English for most learners and thus require them to focus on language items

that are not as well represented in other uses of the language as well as

control of content, awareness of a largely passive audience, and being the

focus of attention (Biber, 1999) Further, it thus requires learners to use

language under difficult and demanding circumstances, which will stretch the

boundaries of skill development

Speaking does not of itself constitute communication unless what is said

is comprehended by another person (Rivers, 1981) Teaching comprehension

of spoken speech is therefore of primary importance if the communication’s

aim is to be reached Ur (1996), on the other hand, stated that a speaking

activity is considered successful if it possess these characteristics of learner’s

talking a lot; their participation is even; motivation is high; and the language is

on acceptable level

Bygate (1987), however, emphasized that there are two aspects to

consider in achieving communicative goal through speaking These include:

knowledge of the language; and knowledge in using the language

Possessing a certain amount of language is not enough but a speaker of the

language should be able to use the language in varied situations

Moreover, Harmer (2001) identified the two aspects necessary for fluent

oral production namely; knowledge of language features and the ability to

process information on the spot which means mental or social processing

Language features which are necessary for spoken production include

connected speech, expressive devices, lexis and grammar and negotiation