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Luận văn tiếng Anh: Applying learning strategies to improve TOEFL listening skill of Advanced Program students at Thai Nguyen University of Technology. M.A Thesis Linguistics: 60 140 111
Nhà xuất bản: University of Languages and International Studies
Ngày: 2014
Miêu tả: 67 p. + CD-ROM
M.A Thesis English Teaching Methodology -- University of Languages and International studies. Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 2014
The study was conducted to find out the frequency of listening strategies as well as investigate the relationship between listening strategy use and language proficiency level of Advanced Program students at Thai Nguyen University of Technology.
Electronic Resources
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Writing a thesis, especially in such a limited time, was one of the most
challenging things I have ever gone through. In this demanding process, I was lucky
enough to have the support of several people.
First and foremost, I would like to express my deep thank to my advisor, Dr.
Duong Duc Minh for all his efforts, for not only being a very hardworking advisor,
but also an understanding counselor. He never left me without an answer to my
never-ending questions; he was always so quick to give feedback that I could finish
my thesis on time thanks to him.
I also would like to thank the Faculty of Post Graduate Studies, University
of Languages and International Studies, Hanoi National University for granting
me the opportunity to pursue my studies and my research.
I am grateful to my collegues and my friends, who are always willing to
share with me any kinds of work, documents or experience in doing a thesis. They
also symphathize with with my difficulties as well as my fault in life.
Last but not least, I owe my genuine, deepest gratitude to my family for their
everlasting belief in me, for always encouraging me. They have been the strongest
motivation for me to pursue my degree. I am indebted to my family, especially my
parents who are always ready to look after my little daughter. Without the support
from my family members, I would not have finished my thesis.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the current study was to examine the frequency of
listening strategies use by Advanced Program students at Thai Nguyen University
of Technology and the relationship between listening strategy use and their
language proficiency level. A total of 40 students were involved in this study. The
results of TOEFL test were employed to identify the learners‟ listening proficiency
levels and a survey was developed and administered in which questionnaires were
used to investigate the frequency of listening strategies use by Advanced Program
students. The reported listening strategies use for this study are limited to
metacognitive, cognitive, social and affective strategies. The findings of this study
show that Advanced program students reported employing meta-cognitive
strategies more frequently and actively; followed by cognitive and socio-affective
listening strategies. The results of the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
showed that there was significant difference between listening strategy use and
language proficiency levels of students. Based on the results obtained from the
study, it is recommended that teachers should aware of listening strategies and
should have effective teaching methods to Giúp students improve their listening skill
when doing TOEFL listening test.
TABLE OF CONTENTS...........................................................................................vi
PART A: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................1
1. Rationale of the study .........................................................................................1
2. Aims of the study................................................................................................2
3. Research Questions.............................................................................................2
4. Scope of the study...............................................................................................3
5. Methods of the study..........................................................................................3
6. Design of the study .............................................................................................3
PART B: DEVELOPMENT.....................................................................................5
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................5
1.1. Learning Strategies...............................................................................................5
1.1.1. Definition of Learning Strategies .................................................................5
1.1.2. Classification of Learning Strategies............................................................6
1.1.2.1. O'Malley's (1985) Classification of Language Learning Strategies.....6
1.1.2.2. Rubin's (1987) Classification of Language Learning Strategies...........7
1.1.2.3. Oxford's (1990) Classification of Language Learning Strategies .........8
1.1.2.4. Stern's (1992) Classification of Language Learning Strategies ............9
1.2. Listening Strategies............................................................................................11
1.2.1. Definitions of Listening by Different Researchers.....................................11
1.2.2. The importance of listening ........................................................................12
1.2.3. Overview of listening strategies .................................................................13
1.3. Previous studies in the world and in Vietnam....................................................16
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY.........................................................................21
2.1. Participants and setting of the study ..................................................................21
2.1.1. Participants..................................................................................................21
2.2.2. Setting of the study .....................................................................................23
2.2. Data Collection...................................................................................................24
2.2.1. Data Collection Instruments .......................................................................24
2.2.1.1. Interview..............................................................................................24
2.2.1.2. Classroom observation ........................................................................25
2.2.1.3. Think-aloud Protocols .........................................................................26
2.2.1.4. Diary studies........................................................................................26
2.2.1.5. Written Questionnaire .........................................................................27
2.2.2. Data Collection Procedures ........................................................................31
2.2.3. Data analysis ...............................................................................................32
2.2.3.1. SPSS Software.....................................................................................32
2.2.3.2. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) .........................................................32
2.2.3.3. The post-hoc Scheffé Test...................................................................32
CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ...................................................34
3.1. Findings..............................................................................................................34
3.1.1. Frequency of Strategy use from the results from questionnaire.................34
3.1.1.1. Metacogitive Strategies .......................................................................34
3.1.1.2. Cognitive Strategies ............................................................................36
3.1.1.3. Social/ Affective Strategies .................................................................38
3.1.2. Variation in Frequency of Use of Listening Strategies According to
Language Proficiency Level .................................................................................40
3.2. Discussion ..........................................................................................................42
3.3. Pedagogical Implications ...................................................................................43
PART C: CONCLUSION.......................................................................................46
1. Conclusions...........................................................................................................46
1.1. Research question 1: What is the frequency of listening strategies reported
by AP students at TNUT?.....................................................................................46
1.2. Research question 2: Do students‟ choices of listening strategies vary
significantly according to their levels of proficiency? If they do, what are
the main patterns of variation?..............................................................................47
2. Limitations of the study ........................................................................................47
3. Suggestions for further study................................................................................48
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................49
APPENDICES............................................................................................................. I
PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
Nowadays, when the world has become increasingly global and information
technology has developed with rapid speed, English is considered as an
indispensable means of international communication. On this basis, since an opendoor policy was adopted in Vietnam, the focus of teaching has been promoting oral
skills in order to meet the students‟ needs of mastering English for effective
communication. It is English that becomes a compulsory subject at high schools as
well as universities throughout the country. Among these universities is Thai
Nguyen University of Technology (TNUT), Thai Nguyen University. TNUT is one
of the educational institutions in Vietnam which uses the results of Test of English
as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in evaluating English proficiency of lecturers as
well as students, especially students studying Advanced Program (AP). AP is the
program that TNUT is granted from Vietnamese Government to offer two Bachelor
of Science programs, major in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering.
The two courses are implemented in English, with the same syllabus, curricular and
training method as in the University of New York at Buffalo and the University of
Oklahoma, the United State. AP is set of engineering courses in English, established
to meet the increasing trends of globalization on engineering items. As language
instruction of AP is English, students have to obtain TOEFL score according to the
regulation of the program before they get the Degree of Engineer.
However, that most students were taught focus too much on grammar, structures
and vocabularies when they were at high school makes it difficult for them to do the
listening test. Despite teachers‟ efforts to Giúp students develop their communication
skills, effective listening teaching and learning is still a challenge to both teachers and
students in Vietnam. Researchers showed that listening skill is employed the most
frequently among four language skills. Hence, strategies for listening and the ability to
use them effectively are particularly significant in language learning.
As a lecturer at TNUT, I would like to do a research in the hope of improving
listening skill for AP students and as a result, the thesis title goes as: “Applying learning
strategies to improve TOEFL listening skill of Advanced Program students at Thai
Nguyen University of Technology”.
2. Aims of the study
Difficulties in listening are challenges for Vietnamese learners in general and
for second year AP students in particular if they do not find the suitable study
methods for themselves. In order to develop this skill, many different methods have
been applied and various activities have been employed in classrooms. Teachers
have sought ways to teach foreign language learners strategies to adopt. In addition
to applying strategies, researchers and teachers have designed and tried to follow
different techniques. Nevertheless, listening has remained one of the most difficult
skills due to certain reasons. Applying strategies into the listening learning and
teaching process has become a mounting concern for both teachers and learners.
The aim of this study is to investigate listening strategies that AP students reported
employing when doing TOEFL listening tests then draw out some tips for teaching
processes. Hopefully, this research will be useful for second year AP students in
improving listening skills as well as for teachers in finding new teaching methods.
This study has three specific aims:
- Finding out the frequency of listening strategies used by AP students.
- Investigating the relationship between listening strategy use and language
proficiency level of AP students at TNUT.
- Pointing out some suggestions for English teachers and students to help
students improve listening skill.
3. Research Questions
This study will find answers to two questions:
* What is the frequency of listening strategies used by AP students at
TNUT?
* What are the main patterns of variation of listening strategies choices
according to their levels of proficiency ?
4. Scope of the study
Due to the limitation of page number of the minor thesis, the author can only
conduct a survey on the frequency of listening strategies use and the relationships
between listening strategy use and proficiency level of second year AP students at
TNUT. After that, researcher will give some suggestions for English teachers to
Giúp students better in improving listening skill.
5. Methods of the study
To seek answer to the research questions, following tasks have to be done:
- Collecting TOEFL test results of AP students to investigate their language
proficiency levels.
- Doing a survey on the use of listening strategies by AP students by
delivering questionnaires.
- Using SPSS software to analyze the frequency of strategy use and the
relationships between listening strategy use and proficiency level of AP students.
- Evaluating the techniques that are most suitable for students to improve
their listening skill.
6. Design of the study
This minor thesis consists of three parts:
Part A, “Introduction”, presents the rationale, aims, method, subject and
design of the study. It expresses the reason why the author decided to choose this
study and the methods for the fulfillment of the study.
Part B, “Development”, is divided into three chapters:
- Chapter one: Literature review presents the concepts relevant to the
research topic such as different point of views of listening, the importance of
listening, definition of learning strategies and listening strategies. The previous
studies in the world and in Vietnam are also presented in this chapter.
- Chapter two: Methodology presents the participants and setting of the study.
1.2. Research question 2: Do students’ choices of listening strategies vary
significantly according to their levels of proficiency? If they do, what are
the main patterns of variation?
Based on the results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA), there
was significant difference between listening strategy use and language proficiency
levels of students. The results of the post-hoc Scheffé test showed that in some
cases, students with high proficiency level employed listening strategy use
significantly more frequently than moderate and low proficiency level students,
while moderate proficiency level students employed language learning strategies
significantly more frequently than low proficiency level students. However, in
terms of other types of strategies such as social and affective strategies, moderate
and low proficiency level students use more often than those of high proficiency
level. This might be explained that higher proficiency students are more proficient
and more self-confident than those with moderate and low proficiency. Therefore,
higher level students get better results in TOEFL test than moderate and low level
students although they did not employed most frequently all listening strategies.
2. Limitations of the study
The sample size is the first limitation to be pointed out in this study. Due to
the limited scope of a minor thesis, the study has been conducted on a small number
of participants, 40 AP students at TNUT. The number of subjects may have been in
sufficient for factor analysis in research question 2. The study would be more
objective and more reliable if the number of students participating in the study was
much larger. They may either be the many other students of AP or students of any
other training fields at TNUT, so that researcher would be able to collect diverse
results for a broader study with some variables, such as education background,
gender, and motivation.
Using only one research instrument is not an effective way to get the adequate
information for any study. Beside questionnaire, semi-structured interview should
have been used along with written questionnaire to get qualitative data for the study.
This method makes interviewees speak more widely about what the researcher wants
to investigate. This is because the semi-structured interview is flexible and a good
way of accessing learners' perceptions. Moreover, semi-structured interview enables
researchers explore the interviewee‟s opinions or attitude.
Although there were limitations to the study, this research might provide
practitioners with a new approach in English language teaching.
3. Suggestions for further study
The overall results of the present study do not allow us to recommend a
change in the training of general listening comprehension skills towards training in
AP students. However, we would like to make a few recommendations based on the
findings described in this thesis. The primary goal of this study was to investigate
the relationship between frequency of listening strategy use and language
proficiency level of AP students at TNUT. The initial motivation for this study was
derived from the lack of research that had been carried out to investigate the
listening strategies for the TOEFL test in specific. For further study, in order to
obtain a more reliable model, increasing the number of participants might bring
better and more reliable result. Larger number of students should have been
involved in the listening strategies questionnaire along with the semi-structure
interview since the listening strategies in the present study were limited in the
questionnaire only.
This study would be more interesting if it examines TOEFL listening
strategies uses in relation to some types of variables such as gender, back ground
knowledge, place of living or learning motivation. In addition to this, semi -
interview should be added with written questionnaire to enable researcher collect
qualitative data for this study.
paper and computer format. The paper phiên bản of the TOEFL test currently has the
following sections:
Listening Comprehension
Structure and Written Expression
Reading Comprehension
Test of Written English.
However, TOEFL ITP (Institutional Testing Program), which is used to
evaluate AP students‟ English level at TNUT, has no test of Written English.
According to the website of a Subsidiary of Educational Testing Service,
TOEFL ITP provides convenient, affordable English proficiency tests that
can be used for institutional placement, progress evaluation, exit testing, and other
situations that don't require a secure environment. The TOEFL ITP consists of
previously administered TOEFL English language tests and is used to evaluate
English as a second language skill for academic purposes. With the advantages of
TOEFL ITP Test, many schools, universities, academic institutions, training
organizations all over the world have used this kind of test to evaluate the learners‟
improvement after the courses. It is also the minimum requirement to apply for a
course, to get a scholarship or graduate from a university. At TNUT, TOEFL ITP is
used to evaluate AP students‟ English proficiency level and it is one of requirements
for them to graduate after 5 years of studying.
2.2. Data Collection
2.2.1. Data Collection Instruments
Data collection instruments are helpful because they provide a “picture” of
the classroom/work environment. These include observation, diary, think-aloud
protocol, interview, questionnaire... Each has its own weaknesses and benefits as
the followings:
2.2.1.1. Interview
Interview is defined as “a directed conversation between an investigator and
an individual or group of individual in order to gather information” (Nunan 1989, p.
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Luận văn tiếng Anh: Applying learning strategies to improve TOEFL listening skill of Advanced Program students at Thai Nguyen University of Technology. M.A Thesis Linguistics: 60 140 111
Nhà xuất bản: University of Languages and International Studies
Ngày: 2014
Miêu tả: 67 p. + CD-ROM
M.A Thesis English Teaching Methodology -- University of Languages and International studies. Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 2014
The study was conducted to find out the frequency of listening strategies as well as investigate the relationship between listening strategy use and language proficiency level of Advanced Program students at Thai Nguyen University of Technology.
Electronic Resources
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Writing a thesis, especially in such a limited time, was one of the most
challenging things I have ever gone through. In this demanding process, I was lucky
enough to have the support of several people.
First and foremost, I would like to express my deep thank to my advisor, Dr.
Duong Duc Minh for all his efforts, for not only being a very hardworking advisor,
but also an understanding counselor. He never left me without an answer to my
never-ending questions; he was always so quick to give feedback that I could finish
my thesis on time thanks to him.
I also would like to thank the Faculty of Post Graduate Studies, University
of Languages and International Studies, Hanoi National University for granting
me the opportunity to pursue my studies and my research.
I am grateful to my collegues and my friends, who are always willing to
share with me any kinds of work, documents or experience in doing a thesis. They
also symphathize with with my difficulties as well as my fault in life.
Last but not least, I owe my genuine, deepest gratitude to my family for their
everlasting belief in me, for always encouraging me. They have been the strongest
motivation for me to pursue my degree. I am indebted to my family, especially my
parents who are always ready to look after my little daughter. Without the support
from my family members, I would not have finished my thesis.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the current study was to examine the frequency of
listening strategies use by Advanced Program students at Thai Nguyen University
of Technology and the relationship between listening strategy use and their
language proficiency level. A total of 40 students were involved in this study. The
results of TOEFL test were employed to identify the learners‟ listening proficiency
levels and a survey was developed and administered in which questionnaires were
used to investigate the frequency of listening strategies use by Advanced Program
students. The reported listening strategies use for this study are limited to
metacognitive, cognitive, social and affective strategies. The findings of this study
show that Advanced program students reported employing meta-cognitive
strategies more frequently and actively; followed by cognitive and socio-affective
listening strategies. The results of the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
showed that there was significant difference between listening strategy use and
language proficiency levels of students. Based on the results obtained from the
study, it is recommended that teachers should aware of listening strategies and
should have effective teaching methods to Giúp students improve their listening skill
when doing TOEFL listening test.
TABLE OF CONTENTS...........................................................................................vi
PART A: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................1
1. Rationale of the study .........................................................................................1
2. Aims of the study................................................................................................2
3. Research Questions.............................................................................................2
4. Scope of the study...............................................................................................3
5. Methods of the study..........................................................................................3
6. Design of the study .............................................................................................3
PART B: DEVELOPMENT.....................................................................................5
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................5
1.1. Learning Strategies...............................................................................................5
1.1.1. Definition of Learning Strategies .................................................................5
1.1.2. Classification of Learning Strategies............................................................6
1.1.2.1. O'Malley's (1985) Classification of Language Learning Strategies.....6
1.1.2.2. Rubin's (1987) Classification of Language Learning Strategies...........7
1.1.2.3. Oxford's (1990) Classification of Language Learning Strategies .........8
1.1.2.4. Stern's (1992) Classification of Language Learning Strategies ............9
1.2. Listening Strategies............................................................................................11
1.2.1. Definitions of Listening by Different Researchers.....................................11
1.2.2. The importance of listening ........................................................................12
1.2.3. Overview of listening strategies .................................................................13
1.3. Previous studies in the world and in Vietnam....................................................16
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY.........................................................................21
2.1. Participants and setting of the study ..................................................................21
2.1.1. Participants..................................................................................................21
2.2.2. Setting of the study .....................................................................................23
2.2. Data Collection...................................................................................................24
2.2.1. Data Collection Instruments .......................................................................24
2.2.1.1. Interview..............................................................................................24
2.2.1.2. Classroom observation ........................................................................25
2.2.1.3. Think-aloud Protocols .........................................................................26
2.2.1.4. Diary studies........................................................................................26
2.2.1.5. Written Questionnaire .........................................................................27
2.2.2. Data Collection Procedures ........................................................................31
2.2.3. Data analysis ...............................................................................................32
2.2.3.1. SPSS Software.....................................................................................32
2.2.3.2. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) .........................................................32
2.2.3.3. The post-hoc Scheffé Test...................................................................32
CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ...................................................34
3.1. Findings..............................................................................................................34
3.1.1. Frequency of Strategy use from the results from questionnaire.................34
3.1.1.1. Metacogitive Strategies .......................................................................34
3.1.1.2. Cognitive Strategies ............................................................................36
3.1.1.3. Social/ Affective Strategies .................................................................38
3.1.2. Variation in Frequency of Use of Listening Strategies According to
Language Proficiency Level .................................................................................40
3.2. Discussion ..........................................................................................................42
3.3. Pedagogical Implications ...................................................................................43
PART C: CONCLUSION.......................................................................................46
1. Conclusions...........................................................................................................46
1.1. Research question 1: What is the frequency of listening strategies reported
by AP students at TNUT?.....................................................................................46
1.2. Research question 2: Do students‟ choices of listening strategies vary
significantly according to their levels of proficiency? If they do, what are
the main patterns of variation?..............................................................................47
2. Limitations of the study ........................................................................................47
3. Suggestions for further study................................................................................48
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................49
APPENDICES............................................................................................................. I
PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
Nowadays, when the world has become increasingly global and information
technology has developed with rapid speed, English is considered as an
indispensable means of international communication. On this basis, since an opendoor policy was adopted in Vietnam, the focus of teaching has been promoting oral
skills in order to meet the students‟ needs of mastering English for effective
communication. It is English that becomes a compulsory subject at high schools as
well as universities throughout the country. Among these universities is Thai
Nguyen University of Technology (TNUT), Thai Nguyen University. TNUT is one
of the educational institutions in Vietnam which uses the results of Test of English
as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in evaluating English proficiency of lecturers as
well as students, especially students studying Advanced Program (AP). AP is the
program that TNUT is granted from Vietnamese Government to offer two Bachelor
of Science programs, major in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering.
The two courses are implemented in English, with the same syllabus, curricular and
training method as in the University of New York at Buffalo and the University of
Oklahoma, the United State. AP is set of engineering courses in English, established
to meet the increasing trends of globalization on engineering items. As language
instruction of AP is English, students have to obtain TOEFL score according to the
regulation of the program before they get the Degree of Engineer.
However, that most students were taught focus too much on grammar, structures
and vocabularies when they were at high school makes it difficult for them to do the
listening test. Despite teachers‟ efforts to Giúp students develop their communication
skills, effective listening teaching and learning is still a challenge to both teachers and
students in Vietnam. Researchers showed that listening skill is employed the most
frequently among four language skills. Hence, strategies for listening and the ability to
use them effectively are particularly significant in language learning.
As a lecturer at TNUT, I would like to do a research in the hope of improving
listening skill for AP students and as a result, the thesis title goes as: “Applying learning
strategies to improve TOEFL listening skill of Advanced Program students at Thai
Nguyen University of Technology”.
2. Aims of the study
Difficulties in listening are challenges for Vietnamese learners in general and
for second year AP students in particular if they do not find the suitable study
methods for themselves. In order to develop this skill, many different methods have
been applied and various activities have been employed in classrooms. Teachers
have sought ways to teach foreign language learners strategies to adopt. In addition
to applying strategies, researchers and teachers have designed and tried to follow
different techniques. Nevertheless, listening has remained one of the most difficult
skills due to certain reasons. Applying strategies into the listening learning and
teaching process has become a mounting concern for both teachers and learners.
The aim of this study is to investigate listening strategies that AP students reported
employing when doing TOEFL listening tests then draw out some tips for teaching
processes. Hopefully, this research will be useful for second year AP students in
improving listening skills as well as for teachers in finding new teaching methods.
This study has three specific aims:
- Finding out the frequency of listening strategies used by AP students.
- Investigating the relationship between listening strategy use and language
proficiency level of AP students at TNUT.
- Pointing out some suggestions for English teachers and students to help
students improve listening skill.
3. Research Questions
This study will find answers to two questions:
* What is the frequency of listening strategies used by AP students at
TNUT?
* What are the main patterns of variation of listening strategies choices
according to their levels of proficiency ?
4. Scope of the study
Due to the limitation of page number of the minor thesis, the author can only
conduct a survey on the frequency of listening strategies use and the relationships
between listening strategy use and proficiency level of second year AP students at
TNUT. After that, researcher will give some suggestions for English teachers to
Giúp students better in improving listening skill.
5. Methods of the study
To seek answer to the research questions, following tasks have to be done:
- Collecting TOEFL test results of AP students to investigate their language
proficiency levels.
- Doing a survey on the use of listening strategies by AP students by
delivering questionnaires.
- Using SPSS software to analyze the frequency of strategy use and the
relationships between listening strategy use and proficiency level of AP students.
- Evaluating the techniques that are most suitable for students to improve
their listening skill.
6. Design of the study
This minor thesis consists of three parts:
Part A, “Introduction”, presents the rationale, aims, method, subject and
design of the study. It expresses the reason why the author decided to choose this
study and the methods for the fulfillment of the study.
Part B, “Development”, is divided into three chapters:
- Chapter one: Literature review presents the concepts relevant to the
research topic such as different point of views of listening, the importance of
listening, definition of learning strategies and listening strategies. The previous
studies in the world and in Vietnam are also presented in this chapter.
- Chapter two: Methodology presents the participants and setting of the study.
1.2. Research question 2: Do students’ choices of listening strategies vary
significantly according to their levels of proficiency? If they do, what are
the main patterns of variation?
Based on the results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA), there
was significant difference between listening strategy use and language proficiency
levels of students. The results of the post-hoc Scheffé test showed that in some
cases, students with high proficiency level employed listening strategy use
significantly more frequently than moderate and low proficiency level students,
while moderate proficiency level students employed language learning strategies
significantly more frequently than low proficiency level students. However, in
terms of other types of strategies such as social and affective strategies, moderate
and low proficiency level students use more often than those of high proficiency
level. This might be explained that higher proficiency students are more proficient
and more self-confident than those with moderate and low proficiency. Therefore,
higher level students get better results in TOEFL test than moderate and low level
students although they did not employed most frequently all listening strategies.
2. Limitations of the study
The sample size is the first limitation to be pointed out in this study. Due to
the limited scope of a minor thesis, the study has been conducted on a small number
of participants, 40 AP students at TNUT. The number of subjects may have been in
sufficient for factor analysis in research question 2. The study would be more
objective and more reliable if the number of students participating in the study was
much larger. They may either be the many other students of AP or students of any
other training fields at TNUT, so that researcher would be able to collect diverse
results for a broader study with some variables, such as education background,
gender, and motivation.
Using only one research instrument is not an effective way to get the adequate
information for any study. Beside questionnaire, semi-structured interview should
have been used along with written questionnaire to get qualitative data for the study.
This method makes interviewees speak more widely about what the researcher wants
to investigate. This is because the semi-structured interview is flexible and a good
way of accessing learners' perceptions. Moreover, semi-structured interview enables
researchers explore the interviewee‟s opinions or attitude.
Although there were limitations to the study, this research might provide
practitioners with a new approach in English language teaching.
3. Suggestions for further study
The overall results of the present study do not allow us to recommend a
change in the training of general listening comprehension skills towards training in
AP students. However, we would like to make a few recommendations based on the
findings described in this thesis. The primary goal of this study was to investigate
the relationship between frequency of listening strategy use and language
proficiency level of AP students at TNUT. The initial motivation for this study was
derived from the lack of research that had been carried out to investigate the
listening strategies for the TOEFL test in specific. For further study, in order to
obtain a more reliable model, increasing the number of participants might bring
better and more reliable result. Larger number of students should have been
involved in the listening strategies questionnaire along with the semi-structure
interview since the listening strategies in the present study were limited in the
questionnaire only.
This study would be more interesting if it examines TOEFL listening
strategies uses in relation to some types of variables such as gender, back ground
knowledge, place of living or learning motivation. In addition to this, semi -
interview should be added with written questionnaire to enable researcher collect
qualitative data for this study.
paper and computer format. The paper phiên bản of the TOEFL test currently has the
following sections:
Listening Comprehension
Structure and Written Expression
Reading Comprehension
Test of Written English.
However, TOEFL ITP (Institutional Testing Program), which is used to
evaluate AP students‟ English level at TNUT, has no test of Written English.
According to the website of a Subsidiary of Educational Testing Service,
TOEFL ITP provides convenient, affordable English proficiency tests that
can be used for institutional placement, progress evaluation, exit testing, and other
situations that don't require a secure environment. The TOEFL ITP consists of
previously administered TOEFL English language tests and is used to evaluate
English as a second language skill for academic purposes. With the advantages of
TOEFL ITP Test, many schools, universities, academic institutions, training
organizations all over the world have used this kind of test to evaluate the learners‟
improvement after the courses. It is also the minimum requirement to apply for a
course, to get a scholarship or graduate from a university. At TNUT, TOEFL ITP is
used to evaluate AP students‟ English proficiency level and it is one of requirements
for them to graduate after 5 years of studying.
2.2. Data Collection
2.2.1. Data Collection Instruments
Data collection instruments are helpful because they provide a “picture” of
the classroom/work environment. These include observation, diary, think-aloud
protocol, interview, questionnaire... Each has its own weaknesses and benefits as
the followings:
2.2.1.1. Interview
Interview is defined as “a directed conversation between an investigator and
an individual or group of individual in order to gather information” (Nunan 1989, p.
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