INTRODUCTION
Rationale
Listening constitutes 45% of communication time in daily life, significantly more than reading (16%), speaking (30%), and writing (9%) (Wilt, 1950; Martin, 1987; Strother, 1987) This highlights the critical role of listening as a skill that deserves focused attention, especially in the context of language learning.
In 2007, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in Vietnam established a new general curriculum that mandates English as a compulsory subject from lower to upper secondary levels, and introduces it at the primary level from forms 3 to 5 One of the primary goals of Vietnam's English Language Teaching is to ensure that students achieve a certain level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing by the end of upper secondary education Despite the absence of listening tests in the graduate national examination and university entrance exams, listening skills have become increasingly vital in the English learning and teaching process today.
For students, English listening skills are a crucial indicator of academic success, ranking alongside speaking, reading, and writing Among these four essential language skills, listening is often prioritized less, leading to significant challenges in listening comprehension for many learners This is particularly evident in educational settings where there is a stronger focus on writing, reading, and vocabulary development, leaving students in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) programs struggling to improve their listening abilities.
Listening is a crucial skill for language learners, yet it is often challenging to acquire Student participation in listening activities varies significantly, with those possessing a stronger language background showing more interest than their peers with less proficiency Factors such as pronunciation difficulties, rapid speech from speakers, and a lack of opportunities for repetition contribute to this challenge Many students find listening tedious and struggle due to various reasons To enhance engagement, pre-listening activities are essential; they should be designed to make lessons more appealing and relevant One effective strategy is prediction, which encourages students to anticipate what they will hear, providing them with a clear purpose and increasing their motivation to listen.
To enhance listening comprehension in students, language teachers must consider several key factors, including their teaching approach, the motivation of the students, their interests and preferences, as well as the effective use of media in language learning.
This study explores the use of prediction activities as an effective teaching strategy to enhance listening comprehension among 11th graders at Vinh University High School for non-major gifted students The simplicity and appeal of prediction make it an engaging method that captures students' attention and focuses them on specific tasks The researcher aims to investigate how these activities can significantly improve listening skills in this educational context.
Aims of the study
This study aims to explore the use of prediction strategies in listening lessons for non-major gifted students at Vinh University High School The research focuses on understanding how these techniques can enhance students' listening skills and overall learning experience.
♦ To investigate whether prediction activities help develop EFL 11 th graders’ listening comprehension
♦ To find out 11 th graders’ attitudes and opinions about the implementation of prediction activities in listening lessons.
Research questions
To fullfill the aforesaid aims, the two research questions are put forward They are:
♦ Does the use of prediction activities help improve EFL 11 th graders’ listening comprehension?
♦ What are the students’ attitudes towards the implementation of prediction activities?
Methods of the study
This research is an experimental one, which is intended to make a contribution to the improvement of English listening comprehension skill by using PAs
With the above aims of addressing the research questions, in data collection, this study employs both quantitative and qualitative methods including Survey questionnaire and Pre-test, Post-test.
Significance of the study
This study aims to enhance English language teaching and learning by demonstrating how prediction techniques can boost student interest in listening activities Additionally, it seeks to improve students' listening skills, thereby encouraging more effective communication in English Ultimately, the findings are intended to inspire educators to adopt and innovate new methods for teaching listening comprehension (LC).
Scope of the study
This study specifically examines the application of prediction in teaching listening skills to 11th-grade non-major gifted students at Vinh University High School It focuses on analyzing materials related to prediction, identifying challenges faced during the teaching process, and proposing solutions for improving listening lessons in the 11th-grade curriculum.
Structure of the study
The research is divided into five chapters as follows
Chapter 1 introduces background of the study The rationale, the purposes, the research questions and the scope of the research are also presented.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Listening
There are definitions about listening Chastain (1971) defined listening as the ability to understand native speech at normal speed According to Morley
Listening is a complex process that encompasses auditory discrimination, aural grammar, and the ability to select, remember, and connect information to sounds and their meanings Postovsky (1975) highlights that listening extends beyond mere sound discrimination to include aural comprehension Goss (1982) defines listening as the process of understanding auditory input and organizing it into meaningful lexical elements.
Listening is a crucial process that involves receiving, interpreting, and responding to both verbal and nonverbal messages According to Jafari and Hashim (2015), it serves as a vital channel for comprehensible input, highlighting its importance in effective communication.
50 percent of the time learners spend in learning a foreign language is for listening
There are various types of listening sub-skills to help listeners make sense of the listening text Most commonly used listening sub-skills in language classrooms are:
Listening for gist: listening to get general ideas
Listening for specific information: listening just to get specific information
Listening for detail: listening to every detail, and try to understand as much as possible
Listening to infer: listening to understand how listeners feel
Listening questions and responding: listening to answer questions
Listening to description: listening for a specific description
Mendelson (1998) highlights a disconnect between listening researchers and classroom practitioners, as classroom materials often fail to enhance students' metacognitive awareness of listening processes It is crucial to instruct students in effective listening strategies, shifting the focus from the final outcome to the listening process itself This approach encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning, fostering self-regulated learners who are more aware of their listening skills.
The pedagogical sequence proposed by Vandergrift (1999) enhances students' awareness of one-way listening processes and fosters essential metacognitive knowledge for effective listening comprehension For the development of two-way listening skills, which primarily involve interaction with another speaker, refer to the works of Ross & Rost (1991) or Vandergrift (1997b).
2.1.3.1 Planning for the successful completion of a listening task
Pre-listening activities are essential for guiding students on what to focus on during listening exercises, enhancing their comprehension of the material Teachers play a crucial role in this phase by preparing students for the content they will encounter and outlining their expected tasks It is important for students to activate their prior knowledge about the topic, understand the structure of various texts, and consider relevant cultural contexts Additionally, establishing a clear purpose for listening allows students to identify the specific information they need to focus on and the level of detail required By synthesizing this information, students can make informed predictions about the content they are about to hear.
2.1.3.2 Monitoring comprehension during a listening task
During the listening activity itself, students monitor their comprehension and make decisions about strategy use Students need to evaluate continually what they are comprehending and check:
♦ internal consistency; i.e., the ongoing interpretation of the oral text or interaction
Teacher intervention is challenging during listening activities due to their fleeting nature However, regular practice in decision-making and strategy application can enhance inferencing skills, enabling students to monitor their understanding more effectively.
2.1.3.3 Evaluating the approach and outcomes of a listening task
Students should assess the outcomes of their decision-making during listening tasks to enhance learning Teachers can promote self-evaluation by encouraging students to reflect on the effectiveness of their strategies Engaging in group or class discussions about the different approaches taken by peers can further stimulate reflection and valuable evaluation Sharing individual paths to success, such as how a student inferred the meaning of a word or adapted a specific strategy, is highly encouraged.
To enhance students' awareness in planning, monitoring, and evaluating their listening tasks, teachers can create performance checklists These tools assist students in preparing for listening activities and assessing their performance afterward.
According to Brown (2006, p.94), teaching a listening text can be divided into three main stages with their own aims and activities: pre-listening, while- listening and post-listening
The pre-listening stage equips students with the necessary preparation for upcoming audio content, significantly enhancing their chances of success in related tasks Engaging in pre-listening activities fosters better comprehension and retention of information.
Help teachers find out about what students already know about the topic Prepare students for the vocabulary and language structures in the text
Help mitigate the anxiety which comes from listening in a foreign language, by providing a clear context
Offer opportunities for class discussion and more interaction among students
Some activities often used in this stage are:
To effectively warm up the class, the teacher can engage students by motivating them and gradually establishing a context for the upcoming listening text This can be achieved by asking thought-provoking questions that draw on students' ideas and experiences related to the topic, or by incorporating visual aids and encouraging imaginative thinking.
introducing the topic: The teacher introduces the topics of the listening text briefly so that students may focus their attention on
presenting key words: The teacher only presents important words to help students understand the text
Guiding questions are essential tools that help students focus on the key points of a text, enhancing their comprehension By encouraging students to predict answers before listening, these questions foster active engagement and deeper understanding of the material.
The while-listening stage focuses on enhancing students' listening skills and assessing their comprehension During this stage, learners engage in various tasks that demonstrate their understanding of the audio content Effectively designed activities during this phase can significantly aid students in grasping the material they have heard.
Identify what’s important in a passage
Keep themselves concentrated throughout the passage
Show their understanding or non-understanding of the passage
Most while-listening activities focus on these sub-skills:
Listening for the speaker’s attitude or opinion
Post-listening activities are designed to encourage students to reflect on their listening experiences These tasks are implemented after teachers have effectively conducted pre-listening and while-listening activities.
Students can use some of the following activities:
summarizing the text orally or in written form
re-telling the content of the listening text
role-play: Students play the roles of the characters in the listening text
discussion: Students can discuss the main points in the text or giving comments on the information in the text
The teacher should make up and vary activities for students to do at this stage depending on their level of English
In addition, the teacher should pay more attention to the following factors in selecting post-listening activities:
the amount of language work the teacher desires to do relating to the listening text
speaking, reading and writing skills should be integrated in post- listening activities
pair work and group work should be encouraged
the designed activities should be motivating to students 2 TEACHING
Listening comprehension
Listening comprehension is defined by various authors, with Brown and Yule (1983) stating it refers to a person's ability to understand what they have heard They emphasize that auditory learning leads to comprehension of the material Additionally, Dirven and Oakeshott-Taylor (1984) describe listening comprehension as the outcome of effective teaching methodologies.
Listening comprehension is an interactive process where listeners actively construct meaning from spoken language This involves sound discrimination, utilizing prior knowledge, understanding grammatical structures, and interpreting stress and intonation, along with other linguistic and non-linguistic cues.
(2013), listening comprehension is the various processes of understanding and making sense of spoken language
2.2.2 The importance of listening comprehension
The significance of listening in language learning has evolved significantly, moving from a neglected skill to a fundamental component of effective communication Previously, educators assumed that listening skills would develop naturally alongside grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation practice However, it is now recognized that listening is as crucial as speaking for successful interactions In primary education, students are encouraged to hone their listening skills in their native language to facilitate everyday communication Additionally, developing effective listening strategies is essential for acquiring a new language Underwood (1987) emphasizes that listening requires active engagement, as it involves concentrating on the speaker's message to decode it, contrasting with the passive nature of hearing The auditory process consists of three main stages: first, sounds are organized into meaningful units based on the learner's existing knowledge; second, new information is processed by comparing it with previously heard words or phrases.
12 already known information The last step includes transmitting the newly acquired information into the long term memory so that we can use this information later
2.2.3 Difficulties encountered in listening comprehension
According to AzmiBingol, Celik, Yidliz, and Tugrul Mart (2014), learners often face numerous challenges in the listening comprehension process The primary goal is to recognize these difficulties and seek effective solutions.
In certain classrooms, educators often utilize recorded materials that lack high audio quality, which can adversely affect students' listening comprehension According to Azmi Bingol, Celik, Yidliz, and Tugrul Mart (2014), the effectiveness of the sound system plays a crucial role in how well learners understand spoken content.
Understanding the cultural context of a language is crucial for learners, as it greatly influences their comprehension When listening tasks incorporate unfamiliar cultural elements, students may face significant challenges in understanding the material Therefore, it is essential for teachers to provide background knowledge related to listening activities beforehand (Azmi, Celik, Yidliz, & Tugrul, 2014).
Research by Munro and Derwing (1999) highlights that heavy accents can significantly hinder comprehension Goh (1999) found that 66% of learners identified a speaker's accent as a crucial factor impacting listener understanding Both native and non-native unfamiliar accents can pose serious challenges to listening comprehension, while familiarity with an accent can enhance it Buck (2001) noted that listeners exposed to unfamiliar accents, such as Indian English after primarily studying American English, often face substantial difficulties, which can disrupt overall listening comprehension.
13 comprehension process and at the same time an unfamiliar accent makes comprehension impossible for the listeners
Research by Azmi Bingol, Celik, Yidliz, and Tugrul Mart (2014) highlights that listening texts featuring familiar vocabulary significantly enhance students' engagement and motivation, ultimately improving their listening comprehension skills However, the presence of polysemous words—those with multiple meanings—can lead to confusion if not used in the correct context, underscoring the importance of contextual understanding in language learning.
Length and speed of listening:
Azmi Bingol, Celik, Yidliz, and Tugrul Mart (2014) emphasize that a student's proficiency level significantly impacts their ability to listen to lengthy audio and retain information Lower-level students often struggle with listening tasks that exceed three minutes, making shorter passages more conducive to comprehension and reducing fatigue Underwood (1989) notes that the speed of speech can also hinder understanding; if speakers talk too quickly, learners may find it challenging to grasp L2 vocabulary This inability to control the speaker's pace can lead to serious comprehension issues Furthermore, Underwood identifies various barriers that affect the listening comprehension process.
Listeners cannot control the speed of speech
Listeners cannot have words repeated
Listeners do not have high vocabulary knowledge
Listeners may lack contextual knowledge
It is not very easy for listeners to concentrate on the listening text
According to Vandergrift (2007) and Walker (2014), in addition to identify the words despite their unfamiliar pronunciation, students should try to decide
Prosodic features of spoken language, including stress patterns, weak and strong forms, and intonation, significantly influence the comprehension of oral texts According to Vandergrift (2004) and Walker (2014), oral passages are processed in real time, requiring rapid comprehension, and once the passage concludes, only a mental representation persists This immediate processing makes listening a more complex skill than reading Additionally, students' cultural background knowledge plays a crucial role in enhancing their listening comprehension.
Prior knowledge encompasses the preconceived ideas and information that a listener possesses about a topic, context, and discourse, which aids in understanding new experiences (Vandergrift, 2003) This knowledge includes mental representations from long-term memory, enabling individuals to draw from their experiences when processing new information For high school students, prior knowledge may stem from related lessons or familiar concepts associated with the listening text Green (2004) emphasizes the significance of activating schemata to enhance language skills, as familiarity with context and topics allows listeners to anticipate vocabulary and comprehend content more effectively Brown (2006) supports the idea that leveraging students' prior knowledge is crucial for improving listening comprehension Ultimately, prior knowledge plays a vital role in understanding and interpreting listening texts The concept of "listening comprehension" will be further explored in the following section.
Listening is crucial for developing communicative and cognitive skills, yet it was not prioritized in language teaching curricula until the 1970s Recently, with a heightened focus on communication, listening has finally gained its rightful place in language programs For many second and foreign language learners, effective communication in social contexts is a primary motivation for language acquisition Listening provides essential input for language learning, making listening comprehension instruction vital, as it helps teach grammatical structures and contextualizes new vocabulary within communicative discourse Furthermore, with English increasingly used as an international language, the importance of teaching listening has grown However, language teachers face challenges in effectively teaching listening skills.
In 1994, it was highlighted that listening skills were poorly taught for several reasons Firstly, listening was not recognized as a distinct skill to be explicitly taught, with many believing that language learners would naturally enhance their listening abilities through daily exposure to their teachers Secondly, teachers often felt insecure about their ability to effectively teach listening Lastly, traditional language teaching materials were inadequate for developing listening skills Despite these challenges, significant advancements in teaching listening have been made over the years (Field 2008; Mendelson).
In 1994, Rubin emphasized that recognizing the importance of listening skills in language learning and communication prompts teachers and researchers to focus more on this essential skill in the classroom Increased awareness of the various stages involved in a listening lesson enhances the effectiveness of language instruction.
Research indicates that addressing students' listening comprehension issues can significantly enhance their learning experience (Field, 2008; Richards, 2005) Figures 2.1 and 2.2 illustrate the evolving structure of listening lessons over the years, highlighting the importance of adapting teaching methods to meet students' needs.
Pre-teach vocabulary ‘to ensure maximum understanding’
Extensive listening followed by general questions on context
Intensive listening followed by detailed comprehension questions
Analyze language (e.g Why did the speaker use the Present Perfect here?)
Paused play Students listen and repeat
Figure 2.1 Early format of listening lesson
Pre-teach only critical vocabulary
General questions on context and attitude of speakers
Functional language in listening passage
Learners guess the meaning of unknown words from the sentences
Final play; learners look at transcript
Figure 2.2 Current format of listening lesson
Prediction
Prediction plays a crucial role in learning English, particularly in listening comprehension (LC), as it allows learners to utilize their prior knowledge to understand texts Jiang (2009) defines prediction as a strategy where learners generate hypotheses about a text's type, purpose, or scope, which aids in confirming comprehension The effectiveness of a learner's prediction skills is influenced by their background knowledge of the world and language, familiarity with the speaker, and understanding of the speaker's intent Wills and Guo (2006) also emphasize that predictions are grounded in prior knowledge, highlighting their importance in the learning process.
Effective listening comprehension (LC) relies on the context of communication, as highlighted by Lingzu (2003), who emphasizes that predictions made during listening are grounded in various rules such as logic, syntax, and phonetics Listeners draw upon their personal knowledge and experiences, alongside common procedural knowledge, to interpret the listening material accurately In essence, successful prediction in LC involves the integration of linguistic understanding with the listener's broader world knowledge.
According to Vandergrift (2003), making predictions offers several advantages for students Firstly, it enables them to concentrate on key information rather than getting lost in every word Secondly, predictions encourage students to move beyond the instinct to translate mentally, allowing them to focus on essential content words Additionally, predictions empower students to leverage their existing knowledge to enhance their understanding of upcoming audio content Lastly, this process fosters an awareness of the active engagement required in listening.
Besides, after experimenting prediction strategy in LC classes, Jiang (2009) admits the positive effects of the prediction strategy:
It rouses the listener’s original knowledge and makes it familiar,
It makes the questions much easier because they can listen very effectively and actually they have already known partially what they are going to hear,
It makes the learner’s mind busy and active,
It relaxes the listener’s nerve, so listening becomes efficient
Predicting can assist both learners and teachers in navigating challenges during the listening process, allowing them to focus on the factors that enhance listening effectiveness This approach aids students in breaking old listening habits, ultimately leading to more effective listening comprehension lessons.
2.3.3 The importance of prediction in listening comprehension lessons
Listeners typically use a top-down approach to anticipate the theme of a conversation, followed by a bottom-up approach to verify their comprehension This prediction process encompasses both aspects of listening comprehension (LC) Numerous studies have demonstrated that this micro skill significantly aids in enhancing LC Ur (1984) notably highlighted that prediction plays a crucial role in improving listening comprehension skills.
Effective listening comprehension (LC) requires the ability to predict, as it involves navigating redundancies, false starts, and elaborations According to Lingzu (2003) and Guo & Wills (2006), prediction is a fundamental communication skill, particularly crucial in LC Listeners often make unconscious predictions based on their understanding of the discourse context, grammatical structures, and background knowledge of the topic This process is active and interpretive, allowing listeners to leverage their prior knowledge and linguistic skills to grasp messages effectively Ultimately, successful language learners excel in contextualizing their predictions and utilizing their prior knowledge, leading to numerous benefits in their listening comprehension skills.
2.3.4.1 Prediction based on the topic
In Vietnam's high school English listening classes, prediction activities are highly recommended by researchers Given that textbooks provide fixed topics and key words through titles and introductions, students have a solid foundation for making predictions Teachers can enhance this skill by encouraging students to read the topic thoroughly before guiding their focus to specific elements of the listening text.
21 key words After that teachers ask them to discuss questions such as “What is the coming listening text about?”
2.3.4.2 Prediction based on the key words
Students can effectively predict key concepts from listening texts by utilizing keyword lists found in high school listening textbooks These keywords serve as essential tools for enhancing comprehension and anticipation of the listening material Teachers should not only introduce and familiarize students with new vocabulary but also encourage practical application of these words After reviewing the keywords, teachers can pose questions that prompt students to make predictions, which they can then verify or adjust after listening to the corresponding passage or dialogue.
2.3.4.3 Prediction based on the exercises designed for the while listening and post listening period
High school listening lessons often include various exercises that students complete after listening to a passage or dialogue These exercises, which may consist of questions, tables, figures, or charts, can be utilized for pre-listening predictions, enhancing students' comprehension and engagement.
2.3.4.4 Prediction based on the speakers and their relations
Understanding the identities of speakers allows listeners to anticipate the content of their conversation and the nature of their relationship This is crucial for students, as recognizing key vocabulary helps them connect discussions to their existing knowledge For instance, when Minh meets his professor for the first time, listeners can expect a formal greeting and introduction due to the social hierarchy Similarly, in another dialogue, the context may reveal that A and B are roommates, further illustrating how speaker recognition aids comprehension.
A can hear the noise of B’s radio
A: That radio is terribly loud
B: Sorry Is that disturbing you?
A: I am trying to write an essay
B: I am sorry I did not know
2.3.4.5 Prediction based on the topic sentence
This activity enhances writing skills by reinforcing the significance of topic sentences in paragraph construction Students listen to short, formal paragraphs, honing their ability to identify main ideas through the topic sentence After hearing the initial sentence, they engage in discussions to predict subsequent content By grasping the topic sentence, learners effectively pinpoint controlling ideas, allowing them to concentrate on essential information.
2.3.4.6 Prediction based on the grammar structures
Many researchers highlight this prediction activity in LC They state that most predictions depend on more obvious choices of vocabulary and grammar
Students should learn to leverage their grammar knowledge to make educated guesses while listening Natural speech often lacks clear enunciation, making it difficult to catch every word Consequently, students frequently encounter gaps in understanding, particularly with function words that are pronounced weakly.
In the sentence "What ?????? do last night?", students can discern the overall meaning despite unclear enunciation of the middle part The question's structure, beginning with "What," helps learners infer the missing elements Specifically, an auxiliary verb and a pronoun are absent, and the phrase "last night" indicates the need for a past tense auxiliary Consequently, students can deduce the complete question: "What did you do last night?" This exercise illustrates how context and structure aid comprehension in language learning.
In speech, four high-frequency sentence patterns emerge despite the variety used by speakers The first pattern is comparatives, where teachers prompt students to guess the second half of a sentence, such as "A than B." The second pattern involves conditional sentences, where the main clause presents outcomes based on specific conditions, exemplified by "If you had studied hard earlier, you would have passed the examination." The third pattern is narrative sequence, where events are organized chronologically, often using sequential markers like "before" and "after." Lastly, students apply their prior knowledge to anticipate cause and effect relationships, often utilizing passive voice or adverbial clauses, as seen in "The sharply increased output was produced by the use of the new method."
“Because of the use of the new method, the output sharply increased.”
It is essential to educate students on how to utilize their grammar knowledge to fill in the gaps in their understanding Encouraging students to infer missing words is an effective listening strategy that enhances their language skills.
2.3.4.7 Prediction based on the semantic markers
Ways of handling a prediction activity
According to the suggestions of Vandergrift (2003), Lingzu (2003), Brown
To effectively conduct prediction activities (PAs) in the classroom, teachers should first guide students to refine their general experiences based on the input language This involves explaining how to make predictions tailored to different types of PAs Next, students engage in making predictions, either individually, in pairs, or as a class, while teachers record these predictions for later comparison After the initial predictions are made, students listen to the material for the first time to verify their predictions, allowing them to adjust or create new ones for subsequent listening sessions Finally, teachers and students collaboratively review the predictions and discuss the strategies employed, aiming to enhance future prediction skills In essence, the process encourages students to initially utilize a top-down approach for predictions and then transition to a bottom-up approach for verification and comprehension.
In the implementing process of PAs, there can be problems that constraint the effectiveness of these activities
METHODOLOGY
Research setting
Listening constitutes 45 percent of our daily communication, significantly overshadowing reading at 16 percent, speaking at 30 percent, and writing at 9 percent, as noted by Wilt (1950), Martin (1987), and Strother (1987) in Malkakwi (2010) This underscores the critical role of listening as a vital skill that deserves focused attention, particularly in the context of language learning.
Listeners often face challenges that hinder effective listening, as highlighted by Goh (1997), who identifies issues such as understanding individual words without grasping the overall meaning, losing track due to lapses in concentration, and confusing similar-sounding words Additionally, she emphasizes factors influencing listening comprehension, including the timing of listening, interest in the topic, and prior knowledge and experiences Nunan (1998) also notes that difficulties in listening can arise from the organization and familiarity of information, as well as the types of referring expressions used.
Numerous studies highlight the significance of comprehensible input in language acquisition, particularly emphasizing top-down processing, where learners utilize their prior knowledge to anticipate the content of listening texts Researchers, including Vandergrift, advocate for the use of prediction activities (PAs) as an effective method for enhancing listening comprehension skills.
(2002 & 2003), Lingzhu (2003), Jiang (2009), Guo and Wills (2010), etc
Despite research highlighting the benefits of prediction techniques in enhancing students' listening comprehension, their use among listening comprehension (LC) teachers in Vietnam remains limited A study by Nguyen Hoang (2009) revealed that 71.4% of teachers recognize the importance of allowing students to utilize their background knowledge for prediction before listening Furthermore, Nguyen Thi Phuong's study (2010) indicated that prediction techniques constitute only 50% of activities during the pre-listening stage, with a maximum frequency of 50% in their application.
3.1.2 Practical setting Vinh University High School for non-major gifted students was established in 1966 It has 28 classes, with more than 10 teachers of English with good condition for studying I general and for English in particular Up to now there have been a lot of students got high prizes in many English contests I myself have encountered all above mentioned problems in my school, Vinh University High School for non-major gifted students My students come from many different places of Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, they are gifted students of many subjects, so their level of English is rather good But in fact they seem to rely too much on their linguistic knowledge They want to discriminate every single sound when listening rather than the whole message Moreover, they always seem to worry that they might miss something May be they are not very bad at grammar, speaking or reading but they like these three language skills than listening For them, there are a lot of difficulties in learning listening, which make them be afraid of listening When they were in secondary school, they did not pay much attention to listening lessons, and the most important reason is that they did not have listening part in the examination, so they seem to ignore this skill
In my teaching practice, I have been exploring and implementing techniques that utilize prediction to assist my students in gradually overcoming challenges and enhancing their motivation in listening This approach aims to improve their listening comprehension skills effectively.
The research focused on 11th graders at Vinh University High School for non-major gifted students, all aged 17 and with 8-11 years of English learning experience A total of seventy students, assessed at a pre-intermediate level during the 2018-2019 academic year, were divided into two groups: a control group of 35 students not taught listening with prediction, and a treatment group of 35 students who received instruction in listening with prediction Prior to the experiment, a pre-test was administered to ensure that both groups had comparable English proficiency While factors such as multiple intelligences, gender, and individual characteristics could introduce variability, the differences between the two groups were minimized.
The description of the student participant’s demographic information is presented as follows
Accumulated English learning experience 8-11 years
English listening proficiency level Pre-Intermediate
Table 3.1: Demographic information of participants
This study utilized the Tieng Anh 11 course book, which is systematically organized and theme-based, approved by the Ministry of Education and Training Each lesson is divided into five key sections focusing on essential language skills: Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing, and Language Focus.
There are sixteen topic-based units in the course, covering 16 Listening sessions The titles of the 16 units and tasks of listening lessons are described as below
1 Friendship Deciding on True/ False statements
2 Personal experience Deciding on True/ False statements
3 A party Deciding on True/ False statements
4 Volunteer work Gap-filling; Question answering
6 Competitions Deciding on True/ False statements
7 World population MCQs; Question answering
8 Celebrations Ticking the things you hear
9 The post office MCQs; Question answering
10 Nature in danger Deciding on True/ False statements
11 Source of energy MCQs; Gap-filling
12 The Asian games MCQs; Question answering
13 Hobbies Deciding on True/ False statements
14 Recreation Deciding on True/ False statements
15 Space conquest Deciding on True/ False statements
16 The wonders of the world Gap-filling
Table 3.2 Listening tasks in Tieng Anh 11
The analysis of the listening tasks indicates that activities such as True/False statements, question answering, gap-filling, and multiple-choice questions are highly effective for incorporating prediction exercises Prior to listening, teachers should encourage students to quickly review the tasks and make predictions, enhancing their focus and engagement Predictions can be made individually, in groups, or as a class, and whether correct or incorrect, this process consistently motivates students to improve their listening comprehension skills.
With the aim of addressing the research questions, the research was carried out by means of Survey questionnaire and Pre-test, Post-test
Surveys are a widely used method for data collection, primarily because they save researchers time Jo and Steve (1997) highlight that survey questionnaires provide a fast and accurate way to gather responses from diverse participants.
A survey questionnaire was utilized post-treatment to gather data on students' responses to the implementation of listening activities with prediction strategies Eight open-ended questions were crafted to assess students' interest in these activities and their improvement in listening comprehension (refer to appendix E).
In this study, two types of assessments were utilized: a Pre-test and a Post-test The Pre-test (refer to Appendix A) was conducted prior to the treatment involving prediction techniques to evaluate students' initial understanding and proficiency in listening skills Conversely, the Post-test (see Appendix C) was administered during the final session to assess the students' progress and mastery following the intervention.
The study demonstrated a 37% improvement in listening skills after incorporating predictive strategies in teaching and learning To ensure reliability, the researcher utilized two inner-raters to evaluate the qualification scores, as detailed in the accompanying table.
3.5 Procedures of data collection and data analysis
The 10-week experiment involved six lessons where the researcher directly instructed both the experimental and control groups To ensure the research's reliability and validity, a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was employed.
The data of this research was collected by the researcher from the Pre-test and Post-test and the attitudinal survey questionnaire through the following procedure:
The Pre-test was conducted to get information about the precondition of the participants before the treatment
In the initial week, the teacher administered a test to evaluate the proficiency levels of two groups, ensuring they were comparable This pre-test included three specific tasks designed to assess their skills.
Task1: Multiple choice questions with 5 sentences
Task 2: Gap-filling with 5 sentences
Time allowed for the test is 30 minutes
Teacher asked students to do the test in class and then collecting the papers and checked and gave mark at home
Materials
This study utilized the Tieng Anh 11 textbook, which is a systematic, cyclical, and theme-based resource approved by the Ministry of Education and Training Each lesson is organized into five key sections that focus on essential language skills: Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing, and Language Focus.
There are sixteen topic-based units in the course, covering 16 Listening sessions The titles of the 16 units and tasks of listening lessons are described as below
1 Friendship Deciding on True/ False statements
2 Personal experience Deciding on True/ False statements
3 A party Deciding on True/ False statements
4 Volunteer work Gap-filling; Question answering
6 Competitions Deciding on True/ False statements
7 World population MCQs; Question answering
8 Celebrations Ticking the things you hear
9 The post office MCQs; Question answering
10 Nature in danger Deciding on True/ False statements
11 Source of energy MCQs; Gap-filling
12 The Asian games MCQs; Question answering
13 Hobbies Deciding on True/ False statements
14 Recreation Deciding on True/ False statements
15 Space conquest Deciding on True/ False statements
16 The wonders of the world Gap-filling
Table 3.2 Listening tasks in Tieng Anh 11
The analysis of the listening tasks reveals that activities involving True/False statements, question answering, gap-filling, and multiple-choice questions are ideal for incorporating prediction exercises Prior to listening, teachers should encourage students to quickly review the tasks and make predictions, enhancing their focus and engagement This collaborative prediction process—whether done individually, in groups, or as a class—can lead to correct or incorrect guesses, which serves to motivate students in developing their listening comprehension skills.
Instruments
With the aim of addressing the research questions, the research was carried out by means of Survey questionnaire and Pre-test, Post-test
Surveys are a widely used method for data collection, primarily due to their efficiency in saving time for researchers As noted by Jo and Steve (1997), survey questionnaires provide a rapid way to gather precise and clear responses from dispersed participants.
To gather data for this research, a survey questionnaire was administered post-treatment to assess students' responses to the implementation of listening activities with prediction The survey included eight open-ended questions aimed at measuring students' interest in these activities and their improvement in listening comprehension (refer to Appendix E).
This study utilized two types of assessments: a Pre-test and a Post-test The Pre-test (refer to Appendix A) was administered prior to the treatment involving prediction techniques to evaluate the students' initial listening skills and their existing knowledge Conversely, the Post-test (see Appendix C) was conducted at the conclusion of the study to assess the students' progress and mastery of listening skills after the intervention.
The study demonstrated a 37% improvement in teaching and learning listening skills through the use of predictions To ensure reliability, the researcher utilized two inner-raters to evaluate the qualification scores, as detailed in the accompanying table.
Procedures of data collection and data analysis
The 10-week experiment involved six lessons where the researcher directly instructed both the experimental and control groups To ensure the research's reliability and validity, a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was employed.
The data of this research was collected by the researcher from the Pre-test and Post-test and the attitudinal survey questionnaire through the following procedure:
The Pre-test was conducted to get information about the precondition of the participants before the treatment
In the initial week, the teacher administered a pre-test to assess the proficiency levels of two student groups, ensuring they were comparable This assessment included three distinct tasks, as detailed in Appendix A.
Task1: Multiple choice questions with 5 sentences
Task 2: Gap-filling with 5 sentences
Time allowed for the test is 30 minutes
Teacher asked students to do the test in class and then collecting the papers and checked and gave mark at home
After an 8-week treatment period, students underwent a post-test to evaluate improvements in listening comprehension This assessment was conducted by two inter-raters to determine the effectiveness of the prediction implementation.
The Post-test was structured similarly to the Pre-test, featuring three tasks: multiple-choice questions, gap-filling exercises, and true/false statements, each containing five sentences The time allocated for completing the test was specified.
Teachers collected the papers from students, check and gave mark later
Finally, a survey questionnaire was given to work out the attitude of the participants after the treatment of using prediction toward listening comprehension ability
The survey questionnaire consisted of eight questions, incorporating both closed and open-ended formats, aimed at assessing students' perspectives on prediction techniques The teacher distributed the questionnaire and guided students through each question to ensure comprehension Each student independently provided their responses to all questions.
It took about 12 minutes to finish the questionnaire
The teacher collected all the answer and analyzed the result later
This study aims to investigate the impact of prediction activities on enhancing students' English listening comprehension and to assess their responses to these activities To gather quantitative data, two instruments were utilized: a listening pre-test and post-test, along with an attitudinal questionnaire administered at the study's conclusion The results were analyzed and presented using mean scores, median, and standard deviation.
The impact of the experimental treatment was evaluated by comparing the Pre-test and Post-test results of two randomly assigned groups The researcher employed a true experimental design, which enhances both internal and external validity through the random assignment of subjects This approach ensures a more reliable assessment of the treatment's effects.
39 control group to compare the results of the subjects in the experiment with other subjects of the similar status that have not been exposed to the treatment
The type of research is designed as follows:
Group Pre-test Treatment Post-test
- T1: Pre-test to the subject
- T2: Post-test to the subjects
- X: treatment by using prediction activities
The student score obtained was calculated by the following formula:
The research focused on inter-rater reliability, utilizing independent test scores from two raters to assess the reliability of the instruments used The researcher, along with an experienced teacher from the same school, analyzed the students' listening abilities to ensure accurate evaluation.
The data of the Survey questionnaire and Pre- test, Post- test were analyzed in the next part
The researcher employed McKernan's stages of qualitative data analysis, as referenced by Burns (1999), which include assembling, coding, and comparing the data, followed by building interpretations and reporting the findings derived from the research instruments.
The next phase involves scanning the data for a more in-depth analysis During this stage, the data is coded and categorized, effectively reducing the volume of information to focus on more specific insights.
After categorizing the data, the next step involved comparing it to identify recurring themes or patterns across various data collection methods This led to the interpretation phase, where the researcher analyzed the data based on the findings from the previous stage.
The final stage is outcome reporting in which the researcher presented the data and make sure that the finding and outcomes are well supported by the data
The researcher used the formula when data had been collected The formula of data analysis in tests was as follows:
∑ X = The sum of the total scores
N = The total number of the students
Formula for obtaining the score of every item in questionnaire as follow:
Total responses on an item
Total responses on all items
After implementing prediction activities, qualitative data was gathered from open-ended questions in the survey questionnaire by listing all mentioned items The researcher identified and reported the factors included before compiling a comprehensive report on each question item in the questionnaire.