Tài liệu A study on how to take full advantage of efl internet resources for k37 english majors' improvements in efl listening comprehension in ha noi pedagogical university n0.2

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY N0.2 FOREIGN LANGUAGES FACULTY ==***== TRAN THI TRANG A STUDY ON HOW TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF EFL INTERNET RESOURCES FOR K37 ENGLISH MAJORS’ IMPROVEMENTS IN EFL LISTENING COMPREHENSION IN HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY N0.2 (SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENGLISH) SUPERVISOR: TA THI THANH HOA, M.A. Hanoi, May 2012 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT *********** I would be grateful to my supervisor, Ta Thi Thanh Hoa, M.A., who directly instructed me to implement the study for her precious advice, valuable suggestions and constant encouragement in the preparation and completion of the thesis. Without her enthusiastic help, this graduation paper would not be completed. I would like to express my sincere thanks to K37 English majors in Hanoi Pedagogical University Number 2, who provided me with very useful and practical information while this study was being developed. Special thanks are also to many teachers and friends in the Faculty of Foreign Languages for correcting mistakes and collecting materials for the study. Last but not least, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my family who encouraged constantly me in the process of conducting this graduation paper. ABSTRACT ******** Applying in English listening teaching and learning is still a quite new concept in Vietnam in general and in Hanoi Pedagogical University Number 2 in particular. During the history of formation and development, computers and the Internet has been used in many fields including education industry. Especially, it is very effective to apply computers and the Internet to teach and learn foreign language, for example, through the method Computer- Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Learners and teachers are possible to organize efficient studying time with high learners’ independence by many kinds of the Internet according to crucial principles. Besides, a basic view of listening comprehension is drawn consisting of nature of listening, the teaching and learning EFL Listening Comprehension and general listening procedure of a lesson. From that, advantages and disadvantages of applying the Internet in teaching and learning English listening skills are mentioned in detail. In addition, the reality of teaching and learning English listening skill via the Internet to K37 English majors in Hanoi Pedagogical University Number 2 was learnt about. This study entails studying the current situation of teaching and learning listening comprehension through conducting a survey for data analysis. Based on the result of the survey, the attitude of the teacher and students towards applying the Internet to learn English listening and their practice on teaching and learning process have been found. Hence, some implications of better using the Internet resources to teach and learn EFL Listening Comprehension have been suggested. STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP **************** Title: A study on how to take full advantage of EFL Internet resources for K37 English majors’ improvements in EFL listening comprehension in Hanoi Pedagogical University No.2 (Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in English) I certify that no part in this study has been copied or reproduced from any persons; work without acknowledgements and this study is written initially by me under the instruction of my supervisor. Date submitted: May 2012 Student Tran Thi Trang Supervisor Ta Thi Thanh Hoa, M. A. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................. ii ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iii STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP .................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................... v PART I: INTRODUCTION I. Rationale for the study .................................................................................... 1 II. Objectives of the study ................................................................................... 2 III. Significance of the study ............................................................................... 2 IV. Scope of the study .......................................................................................... 3 V. Methodology..................................................................................................... 3 VI. Organization of the study .............................................................................. 4 PART II DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE LITERATURE REVIEW I.1. Literature review in brief............................................................................... 5 I.2.Overview of the application of information technology in education in recent years ............................................................................................................ 6 I.3. Summary of Literature review ...................................................................... 8 I.3.1.Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) ........................................... 8 I.3.2. History of the Internet .................................................................................. 10 I.3.3. Sources of the Internet resources to be used................................................. 10 I.3.4. Principles of using the Internet resources ..................................................... 12 I.3.5. The exploitation of authentic materials on the Internet as supplementary materials in EFL listening comprehension............................................................. 13 I.3.6. Learner Autonomy ........................................................................................ 17 I.3. Introduction of listening skills and methods of teaching Listening ......... 19 I.4.1. Nature of listening......................................................................................... 19 I.4.1.1. Definition of Listening............................................................................... 19 I.4.1.2. Classification of Listening ......................................................................... 20 I.4.1.3. Listening strategies .................................................................................... 22 I.4.1.4. Listening Comprehension Skills ................................................................ 23 I.4.2. Teaching and learning EFL Listening Comprehension ................................ 25 I.4.2.1. The importance of listening as a language skill in EFL teaching and Learning.................................................................................................................. 25 I.4.2.2. Factors affecting English majors’ listening performance .......................... 27 I.4.2.3. Roles of teachers and learners ................................................................... 28 I.4.2.4. History of teaching listening comprehension – in the light of different teaching methods-Grammar Translation, Audio Lingual, Communicative Language Teaching, etc .......................................................................................................... 30 I.4.3.Teaching procedure........................................................................................ 31 I.4.3.1.Pre-listening ................................................................................................ 31 I.4.3.2.While-listening ............................................................................................ 32 I.4.3.3.Post-listening............................................................................................... 32 I.5. Advantages and Disadvantages of using the Internet resources in teaching and learning EFL listening comprehension ....................................................... 33 I.5.1.Advantages ..................................................................................................... 33 I.5.2.Disadvantages ................................................................................................ 34 CHAPTER TWO METHODOLOGY AND THE RESULT II.1. The reality of teaching and learning English listening comprehension to K37-English majors in Hanoi Pedagogical University number 2.................... 36 II.1.1.Aims of survey questionnaire ...................................................................... 36 II.1.2.Participants ................................................................................................... 36 II.1.3.Content of survey questionnaire ................................................................... 36 II.1.4.Data analysis ................................................................................................ 37 II.1.4.1.Learners’attitude towards learning Listening through the Internet and approaches of improving listening skills ............................................................... 37 II.1.4.2. Practicing listening skills through Internet............................................... 40 II.1.4.3.Learners’view of considering internet as a tool to teach and learn English listening skills .............................................................................................. ...........49 II.1.4.4. Teachers’ attitude towards teaching Listening on Internet ...................... 51 II.1.4.5. Teachers’ practice on their listening lectures ........................................... 54 II.2. Implications towards better using the Internet to facilitate the teaching and learning English listening skills ........................................................ ..........61 II.2.1. Implications of better using the Internet resources to teach and learn EFL Listening Comprehension ...................................................................................... 61 II.2.2. Introduction of the website: www.tienganhonline.net ................................ 66 II.2.3. How to exploit the website: www.tienganhonline.net to teach and learn English listening skills ................................................................................ ..........67 II.2.4. How to apply the Internet resources to effectively teach English listening skills in a Listening procedure lesson .................................................................... 69 CHAPTER III. CONCLUSION CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 73 REFERENCES APPENDICES PART ONE INTRODUCTION I. Rationale English has been becoming increasingly popular not only in Vietnam but also all over the world since it is considered international language in communication. The statistic figures also show that over 75% people all over the world are using English language to communicate and it cannot be denied that English is likely to be much more used in the coming years. In the 21st century, the innovation of science and technology will continue developing, which brings both advantages and disadvantages for learners. The innovation of education in general and the trend of applying computer and the Internet to teach English is not strange in Vietnam. It is a quick approach to discover new ways, new knowledge of teaching foreign languages. In fact, there are many countries applying the Internet to teach English such as Malaysia, Singapore, China and so on. Using the Internet to teach English is one of the most effective approaches applied in many countries That makes their lessons more interesting and attractive. The application of computers and the Internet in English Language Teaching in many countries throughout the world for many years has proved its advantages and effectiveness over other teaching aids. Therefore, in order to catch up with the trend of integration and globalization, we have no other choice but to apply the world latest achievements for our education. At universities of foreign languages, learners are taught four English skills, namely: speaking, listening, reading and writing. However, in many other universities, listening is not paid much attention, even neglected. This usually causes many difficulties for learners to get used to this skill when listening to English and communicate to foreigners. The mentioned-above reasons are the motivation for me to choose “A study on how to take full advantage of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Internet resources for K37 English majors’ improvements in EFL listening comprehension in Hanoi Pedagogical University No.2” as the topic of my graduation paper. I am going to be a teacher of English. Therefore the methods to study and teach English as a foreign language are very important. Although Internet has been applied lately in Vietnam to teach English, especially listening skills, but there is no doubt that it is very useful and feasible. I am sure that in the future, the Internet will be used more widely to teach English in general and English listening skills in particular. Doing this study helps me not only improve my current English teaching approaches but also bring about invaluable knowledge for my future career. II. Objectives of the study I write this graduation with the following aims: - To introduce some theories of using the Internet resources to teach English listening skills - To catch up with the latest teaching approach which is very essential for my future career to find out the best way to exploit the Internet in ELT to teach English - To make learners understand better the significance of the Internet in teaching English skills. - To provide teachers of English with the best way to give learners equal education opportunities - To offer teachers a model of teaching English listening skills through the Internet is the fifth aim III. Significance of the study There is no doubt that English plays an essential role in our communication over the world. Among four language skills, Listening is the most important which creates a successful conversation. However, not only English learners in general but also K37 English majors in Hanoi Pedagogical University No.2 in particular meet many difficulties in learning listening comprehension. Therefore, it is indispensable to implement this study. After this research, it is hoped that the result will be helpful to: - Provide learners with some useful techniques to study English listening comprehension through EFL Internet resources. - Suggest some implications towards better exploitation of the Internet to facilitate the teaching English listening skills for the teachers. - Be meaningful to people who are interested in improving English listening standard through the Internet. IV. Scope of the study In general, using the Internet to teach English listening skills is a virtual large area for me to research. Therefore, I do not dare to mention every aspects concerned teaching English listening skills by the Internet in my graduation paper. Because of the immensity of this topic both theoretical and practical, all what I wish is to focus on the difficulties in using the Internet resources and some implications for teaching and learning English listening skills to improve the current situation of listening skills in many universities, especially Hanoi Pedagogical University number 2. All what I presented in my graduation paper surely has many shortcomings due to lack of experience, limitation of time and knowledge. However, I do hope that, to some extent, this study will help teachers and learners to have a more comprehensive viewpoint on teaching English listening skills through Internet resources. V. Methodology In order to complete my graduation paper effectively, it is indispensable for me to read, study and collect information in books and other materials. That is considered as the prerequisite of my graduation paper. Besides, I also use both inductive and deductive methods in my study. As for inductive method, facts and figures which were relevant and essential for exploiting Internet resources in teaching English listening skills were introduced. The method also contains a survey questionnaire with students and teacher of Hanoi Pedagogical University No 2 to investigate the demand and the reality of using Internet resources to teach English, especially listening skills. With the deductive method, I would like to suggest some implications for teachers of English to exploit the Internet to teach listening. Besides, learning about the role of Internet in teaching English listening and how to use Internet for updating and seeking information is also considered. Last but not least important, the method consisting of discussion with my experienced teachers, friends and supervisor, references to publication, interviews, personal observation was conducted, too. VI. Organization of the study The study is divided into three parts: The first part is the Introduction of the thesis which includes rationale, objectives, significance, scope, methodology and organization of the study. The second part named Development. In this part, there are two chapters. Chapter one is called “Theoretical Background”. In this chapter, I would like to introduce some listening skills and methods of teaching Listening; the summary of teaching Listening methods. Besides, I also want to show some advantages and disadvantages of using the Internet resources in teaching and learning EFL listening comprehension. Finally, the role of teachers and learners are provided. In the second chapter, The Methodology and Results are conducted. I carry out the research to find out the reality of improving listening performance of K37-English majors in Hanoi Pedagogical University Number 2 via the Internet. Some implications towards better using the Internet to facilitate the teaching and learning English listening skills are introduced. Moreover, I would like to give some recommendations for teachers and learners to applying the Internet resources effectively in their listening learning and teaching. In addition, the last part is Conclusion part. This part consists of the discussion with my supervisor and my friends; some suggestions for teachers and learners of English on Listening; appendices as well. PART TWO DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE THEORETICAL BACKGROUND I.1. Literature review in brief Taking advantages of the Internet resources in teaching and learning English has been researched by many linguists like Prichard, A (2007), Teeler, D and Gray, P (2000) , Meskill, C (1994), Underwood, M (1989) and so on. Different person has his/her own way of exploiting the Internet as a tool of foreign language listening teaching and learning. Generally, they pay attention to the definition and history of the Internet in English teaching, the definition and characteristics of authentic materials on the Internet to improve listening comprehension, the use of the Internet as a means of improving English listening performance of students. Pilchard, A (2007) in Effective Teaching with Internet Technologies describes learning theories and the use of the Internet in teaching foreign languages, some suggestions for teaching methods via the Internet. Besides, he also lists possible problems and solutions for taking advantages of the Internet in teaching foreign languages. In the book How to Use the Internet in EFL, Teeler, D and Gray, P (2000) refer to the Internet as a materials resource and a classroom tool. The definition of the Internet and some Internet-based activities in the classroom are depicted as well. Moreover, they indicate the Internet in teacher development process. Meskill, C (1994) in his book named Listening Skills Development through Multimedia focuses on the use of technologies in teaching listening skills by many means as visuals, texts, videos, schemata and so on. In the book Longman Handbook for Language Teachers Teaching Listening, Underwood, M (1989) gives a quite comprehensive picture of the authentic materials on the Internet. She distinguishes between the authentic and non-authentic materials through their definition and features. Furthermore, she details the way of making use of the authentic materials on the Internet for language teachers teaching EFL listening comprehension. In general, much research has been implemented on the use of the Internet in teaching and learning English listening comprehension. However, the reality of applying Internet technology for listening improvement in Hanoi Pedagogical University No. 2, especially K37 English majors, has never been considered before. In fact, there are many problems making students here confused when making the most of the Internet to learn English. Therefore, it is very crucial to carry out a study of taking full advantage of EFL Internet resources for K37 English majors’ improvements in EFL listening comprehension in Hanoi Pedagogical University No.2. I.2.Overview of the application of information technology in education in recent years It is obvious that all the developed countries in the world pay much attention to the development of technology in education, and one of the most significant fields of education used application of technology is language. The 90s decade was considered as the decade of brightly flouring information technology, therefore its achievements were applied promptly in almost all of domains including the most imperative industry, the human education and training. According to the general situation of developing and applying technology in education in some advanced countries as follows, I would like to emphasize the vital role of information technology in general and Internet resources in particular in education.  In Singapore In 1997, The Ministry of Education and Training expanded the overall plan of applying technology in education in a period of 5 years (1997-2002) with some main principles as following: connecting all the national schools into the unique united network system, renewing the curricula in schools with the assistance of technology… The expected aim is that students can spend 14 percent of the class timetable using computers and Internet to study.  In Malaysia The Prime Ministry directly took the initiative and encouraged the development of technology in education. A project of international stature named the Multimedia Super Corridor was built in this country. In education, especially in teaching foreign language, Malaysia applied technology including Internet to improve students’ creativity.  In Canada In Canada, the SchoolNet system which is used to link all the inland schools into one network through a much more 1000-kilimetre photo- electric cable was established. It serves only training and education. In coming years, Canada intends to promote the transmitting speed of the cable system from 32Mb to 100Mb.  In China China is one of the countries newly having the Internet; however, they quickly set up a national network for the most crucial industry, training and education. This network system is used as a powerful medium in teaching and learning in all subjects such as literature, music, drawing, painting…. , and English, of course.  In Vietnam Understanding thoroughly the importance of Internet resources in education, right in 1990, the Senior Officials in the Ministry of Education and Training decided to use the considerable fund of foreign currency to equip computers and other technology applications for universities and high schools with the capital investments around 2 million USD per year. In recent years, our country is successful to develop the Local Area Network (LAN) mostly in universities. Being aware of the significance of Internet in education, our Ministry of Education and Training is gradually establishing a network system linking all the universities, colleges and services of education and training with Ministry’s network. That is one of motivations contributing to remarkable achievement of our educational industry. I.3. Summary of Literature review I.3.1.Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) Computers have been used in teaching and learning English for many years in the world. They play a vital role not only as assistants but also as enhancers in English teaching and learning process. Therefore, it is very necessary to maintain and develop the use of computers in the education all over the world. CALL is the acronym for Computer Assisted Language Learning and it is related to the use of computers for language teaching and learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is often perceived as an approach to language teaching and learning in which the computer is used as an aid to the presentation, reinforcement and assessment of material to be learned, usually including a significant interactive element. The development process can be divided into three phrases as follows: a. Behaviouristic CALL: The first phase of CALL, conceived in the 1950s and implemented in the 1960s and '70s was based on the behaviorist theories of learning. Informed by behaviorist - learning model, this mode of CALL described the repetition of language drills, referred to “drills and practice”. This courseware relied on the model of computer as tutor (Taylor, 1980). The best-known tutorial system, PLATO, ran on its own special hardware consisting of a central computer and terminals and featured extensive drills, grammatical explanations and translation tests at various intervals (Ahmad, Corbett, Rogers, & Sussex 1985). However, behavioristic CALL were being rejected at both theoretical and pedagogical level. It revealed the limitations of primitive repetition, shortage of authentic communication that paved the way for the second mode of CALL to appear. b. Communicative CALL The second phase of CALL was based on the communicative approach to teaching which became famous in the 1970s and 80s. This approach showed that the drill and practice programs of the previous decade did not allow enough authentic communication. One of the main advocates of this new approach was John Underwood, who in 1984 proposed a series of "Premises for “Communicative” CALL" (Underwood, 1984). According to Underwood, communicative CALL focuses more on using forms rather than on the forms themselves. In communicative CALL, the focus was not so much on what students did with the machine, but rather what they did with each other while working at the computers. c. Integrated CALL By the late of 1980s and early 1990s, integrative CALL which is based on two important technological developments of the last decade - multimedia computers and the Internet was occurred. Many teachers have been paying attention to a more social view in teaching instead of the cognitive view, which emphasizes the use of language in authentic social contexts. This can led to a new perspective on technology and language learning in many skills as listening, speaking, reading and writing. In integrated approaches, the students learn to use computers as a crucial tool to learn English thank to a lot of techniques. Two main changes had been beginning in the mid of 1990s. The first was the dramatic increase in commercial multimedia for language learning as CD-ROMs which are used for home computes. The other was the speedy development of World Wide Web. In integrative CALL, learners have more opportunities to integrate with others via computers and the Internet rather than with computers. Thanks to information technology, they can approach a lot of authentic materials for foreign language studying. In conclusion, Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) generally used to refer language learning activity that involves the use of computers. It describes the important role of computers and technology in the language learning’s process. In the near future, it can be sure that they will become one of the most effective tools to teach and learn foreign language over the world. I.3.2. History of the Internet The Internet has become such an integral part of our lives, with such powerful capabilities in many areas, ranging from entertainment to study. Recently years have witnessed an explosion of interest in using computers to teach and learn language. Hence, with the advance of multimedia computing and the Internet, language teaching and learning have been improved day by day. The first version of the Internet was started during the 1960s in the United States with the name of ARPAnet (a defense department network). As a form of international communication, the Internet has been in constant expansion since 1973, when the ARPAnet was first connected to the United Kingdom and Norway. Much of northern Europe was connected to the Net in the early 1980s. Japan and Canada soon followed suit. A special link was established between Germany and China at about the same time. And then in the late 1980s the real growth began as Australia, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand and Puerto Rico joined the Net. In 1984, JANET (the UK’s Joint Academic Network) was founded, linking Higher Education throughout the country and allowing access the global Internet. The Internet has become a global network connecting millions of computers all over the world. More than 100 countries are linked via the Internet to exchange data, news and opinions. Remarkably, this technological revolution was a momentous turning- point in mankind’s knowledge. I.3.3. Sources of the Internet resources to be used There are many kinds of Internet resources; however, not all of them could support foreign language teaching and learning. Teachers are responsible for suggesting and providing students with suitable and necessary Internet resources. Based on the information from the website http://www3.airweb.org/links/reports/types.html, these types of Internet resources below might be examples for students and teachers to apply to learn as well as teach English. The most common kind of the Internet putted into practice in teaching and learning foreign language is websites. Websites on Internet contain a lot of updated knowledge which is extremely useful to students. Experienced teachers could introduce reliable and interesting website addresses for students. That can promote their autonomy effectively; they can not only find out the easiest way to learn English corresponding to their English level but also practice self-educated ability. Many websites are highly appreciated in language teaching such as http://www.englishtips.org,http://:www.tienganhonline.com, http://:www.voa.gov, and so on. Intranet- An intranet is a private network that is contained within an enterprise. It may consist of many interlinked local area networks and also use leased lines in the wide area network. Typically, an intranet includes connections through one or more gateway computers to the outside Internet. Teachers could apply Intranet to control class, to share information for students and among students together. An intranet can also be used to facilitate working in pair and groups which is very good for language teaching and learning. Online applications- This is less common kind of Internet applied by language teachers and learners. But the effect it brings is not little. It helps to save time for both teachers and students. They must not go to class during studying process, and just have to communicate through Internet, learn based on online applications. Some applications of the Internet can be mentioned are: Langmaster.net (a favorite Internet application to learn English nowadays), or Online News Hour: RealAudio Files- RealAudio programs to learn English. (Cited in http://www3.airweb.org/links/reports/types.html) In general, the Internet has been applied in teaching and learning foreign languages in many countries over the world. For each purpose and characteristics of foreign language education, only suitable source of the Internet are chosen among a variety of the Internet kinds. Both the teachers and students should understand thoroughly separate figures of particular type of the Internet to select the proper ways to improve English standard via the Internet. I.3.4. Principles of using the Internet resources The use of Internet plays an essential part in improving the quality of language learning and teaching all over the world in general and in Vietnam in particular. With the aim to make learners independent, the Internet and computing become the most indispensable tools, especially in developing listening skills for students. Ministry of Education, Culture and Human Resources (2009) in the handbook “Principles and Guidelines for Internet usage at School” found that these principles below would help both language teachers and learners to have the most efficient lessons. One of the most important principles is that only relevant materials related to the lessons should be downloaded. The Internet resources are vast and often not reviewed carefully. As a result, there is much unrelated information which can confuse Internet users. Therefore, before downloading any materials, people must consider thoroughly what should be gathered. Besides, users who are not expert at computing should not download freeware, music, song games and other unnecessary gimmicks because they usually contain viruses. When computers are infected with viruses, users’computers will be influenced badly causing troubles. Learners should not surf websites containing poisonous and offensive materials. There is no worthy information for language learning. Even when you do not intend to access bad websites, ensure that you are in the right websites with the right URL, otherwise you will be attacked. For example, in fact you want to access a website of language learning as http://www.englishtips.org. But attackers send you an email which asks to go to http://.www.Englishtips.org. After going to that fake websites, you will be assailed. What I mentioned above is only some basic principles among much necessary information the learners should research carefully if they want to apply the Internet to their studying. Understanding the fundamental regulation of accessing the Internet will not only prevent learners from the attack of implicit risks on the Internet but also promote absolutely the strong point of the web-based materials in EFL learning. I.3.5. The exploitation of authentic materials on the Internet as supplementary materials in EFL listening comprehension Materials play a very important part in the process of teaching listening comprehension. According to Nunan (1991), syllabus is the bone and material is regarded “flesh on the bone of these specifications”. Consequently, a good set of listening materials and tasks is one of the guarantee factors for the success of teaching. Great effort has long been invested in developing materials. Among various sources of materials, the authentic materials on the Internet has been becoming popular and effective in teaching and learning EFL Listening Comprehension in many places. a. Definition The concept of “authentic materials” is defined in many ways. As defined by Rogers and Medley (1988), authentic materials are oral and written language used in daily situations by native speakers of the target language. Additionally, authentic texts regarded as “unaltered texts that are generated by native speakers and for native speakers” (Bacon, 1992) and also “not written for pedagogic