Rationale
English serves as the global language, facilitating communication and fostering mutual understanding among people worldwide Its increasing prevalence in science, technology, culture, education, and the economy highlights the urgent need for effective teaching and learning strategies, making it a critical issue for nations, including Vietnam.
The demand for mastering English in various fields is rapidly increasing in Vietnam, particularly as the country embraces global integration This trend has elevated English from a personal concern to a significant national issue, leading to its designation as a compulsory subject in high schools and universities Consequently, effective English teaching and learning have become vital for students, teachers, and society as a whole However, traditional teaching methods, such as the Grammar Translation Method and the Audio-lingual Method, often prioritize grammar, vocabulary, and structure, resulting in a neglect of essential listening and speaking skills in high school education.
Since 2011, the researcher has been an English teacher at Tam Duong High School, where her teaching experience has highlighted significant challenges students face in learning listening and speaking skills Despite following the Ministry of Education and Training's English curriculum, which includes reading, listening, speaking, writing, and language focus, assessments primarily concentrate on grammar, reading, and writing This narrow focus has led to students struggling with practical listening and speaking abilities in English.
In primary and secondary education, listening skills are often neglected, with students lacking essential resources like quality recordings and audio equipment Teachers frequently resort to reading tape scripts instead of utilizing stereo systems, which hampers students' ability to understand native speakers in high school Consequently, learners are exposed to limited listening practice, as the primary language of instruction remains the teacher's native tongue, with the target language only presented during reading exercises This results in significant challenges for students when they encounter authentic listening materials.
Limited classroom time for learning English significantly affects students' motivation and interest, particularly in listening skills Typically, students receive only one 45-minute listening session per week, and many do not practice English at home As a result, they often lack the enthusiasm to engage with the language.
Nunan (1998) emphasizes that listening is a fundamental skill in language learning, asserting that effective communication is unattainable without it He notes that students dedicate more than 50% of their time using a foreign language to listening, highlighting its crucial role in the learning process.
The researcher conducted a study on the application of top-down techniques to enhance the listening skills of 10th-grade students who are not majoring in English.
This study focuses on enhancing listening competence among students at Tam Duong High School by first identifying the challenges they face during English listening tasks Subsequently, the research will implement top-down techniques in teaching listening skills to evaluate their effectiveness in improving students' listening abilities The teacher will assess the impact of these techniques during her listening lessons to determine their suitability for fostering better listening skills in students.
This study investigates high school learners' perceptions of listening activities utilizing top-down listening techniques, with the ultimate goal of formulating pedagogical implications to enhance the teaching and learning of listening skills at Tam Duong High School The focus on high school students is crucial, as many face challenges in listening due to a lack of formal instruction, which can hinder their English learning both now and in the future if not addressed.
In order to find out the answer for the study, two research questions was conducted as following:
1 What is the effect in terms of English language learning with the application of applying top-down techniques in teaching listening for English non-major
2 What are the learner´s perceptions regarding listening activities using top- down techniques in an English non-major 10 th grade class?
This study focuses on employing top-down techniques to assist tenth-grade non-major English students at Tam Duong High School in overcoming challenges in developing their listening skills Over an 8-week period, these techniques were implemented across three stages of a listening lesson: pre-listening, while-listening, and post-listening The research involved a sample of 35 students from class 10A10.
This study contributes to the professional development of the researcher by evaluating the effectiveness of top-down techniques in enhancing students' listening skills The findings will clarify whether these strategies are beneficial for improving student learning outcomes.
Developing interest and a positive attitude towards learning English is essential for mastering the language, as it requires the enhancement of all four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening Among these, listening comprehension is often the most challenging for students This thesis aims to assist learners in improving their listening skills, ultimately facilitating better language acquisition.
This study aims to foster a collaborative English learning movement among educators in the investigator's school and beyond, addressing common challenges in teaching listening skills Many teachers report that student attitudes and abilities lead to stress and demotivation in listening instruction By promoting innovative teaching methods and healthy competition, this research encourages educators to share their creativity and enhance their teaching effectiveness, ultimately improving students' overall competence in learning English.
The findings of this study will enable the researcher to identify her weaknesses in teaching listening skills, allowing her to enhance her methods for improved student learning Additionally, this research serves as a report on the strategies implemented to address English listening challenges in her high school and aims to discover more effective ways to boost her students' listening abilities.
There are three main parts in this study:
Part A: Introduction, presents the rationale, research questions, aims, scope, significance and design of the study
Part B: Development, which is divided into 3 chapters:
- Chapter I: “Literature review”, sets up theoretical background that is relevant to the purpose of the study
- Chapter II: “ Methodology”, indicates the setting, the participants, the methods
Chapter III, titled "The Study," outlines the data collection methods and the implementation of top-down techniques in teaching and learning listening skills at Tam Duong High School It presents the findings and engages in discussions regarding the effectiveness of these techniques in enhancing students' listening abilities.