Phương pháp dạy học sử dụng internet nhằm phát triển kỹ năng nghe hiểu cho sinh viên tiếng Anh thương mại - Trường Đại học Kinh tế Quốc dân

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t b trong ging dy và nghiên c%u v ngoi ng 708 PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC SỬ DỤNG INTERNET NHẰM PHÁT TRIỂN KỸ NĂNG NGHE HIỂU CHO SINH VIÊN TIẾNG ANH THƯƠNG MẠI - TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KINH TẾ QUỐC DÂN Lê Th Thu Mai, Phm Th Tuy
t Hng Trường Đại học Kinh tế Quốc dân Tóm t t: Việc ứng dụng phương pháp dạy tiếng Anh có sự trợ giúp của internet (IAL) tại Việt Nam cũng như tại Bộ môn (BM) Tiếng Anh thương mại (TATM), Trường Đại học Kinh tế Quốc dân (ĐHKTQD) vẫn còn nhiều hạn chế và cần được nghiên cứu chuyên sâu hơn. Là giảng viên, đồng thời là trưởng nhóm Kỹ năng nghe hiểu tại BM, tác giả đã nhận thức được những lợi ích cũng như bất cập của phương pháp giảng dạy IAL đối với việc phát triển các kỹ năng tiếng Anh nói chung, và kỹ năng nghe hiểu tiếng Anh nói riêng. Nhìn chung, hầu hết các sinh viên (SV) BM TATM tại ĐHKTQD gặp rất nhiều khó khăn trong thời gian đầu học tại BM, mặc dù họ nắm từ vựng và ngữ pháp khá tốt. Do đó, chương trình học Kỹ năng nghe hiểu chủ yếu được thiết kế dành cho SV đã theo học tiếng Anh hệ 3 năm hoặc 7 năm tại phổ thông, nhưng chưa quen với hoạt động rèn luyện kỹ năng nghe hiểu. Khóa học nhằm từng bước mục đích giúp SV luyện tập và nâng cao kỹ năng nghe hiểu tiếng Anh. Nghiên cứu "Phng pháp dy hc có s& d$ng internet nhm phát trin k' năng nghe hiu cho sinh viên ti
ng Anh thng mi, Trng Đi hc Kinh t
Qu"c dân“ nhằm các mục tiêu: (i) tìm hiểu nhận thức của SV TATM về lợi ích của phương pháp học có sự trợ giúp của mạng internet đối với việc phát triển kỹ năng nghe hiểu tiếng Anh; (ii) tìm hiểu các bất cập, khó khăn khi ứng dụng phương pháp dạy và học này; và (iii) nêu ra một số đề xuất giúp các giảng viên (GV) và cán bộ quản lý tổ chức thực hiện phương pháp dạy và học này hiệu quả hơn. Nghiên cứu được tiến hành với sự tham gia của 87 SV TATM Khóa 54 và 3 GV đang giảng kỹ năng nghe hiểu tiếng Anh tại BM trong kỳ 2, năm thứ nhất (năm học 2012-2013). Tại thời điểm này, SV đã có thời gian làm quen với máy tính và mạng Internet. Sau một kỳ tham gia hoạt động giảng và học kỹ năng nghe hiểu tiếng Anh có sự trợ giúp của internet trên phòng máy, SV có thể cung cấp đủ dữ liệu giúp đánh giá hiệu quả của phương pháp giảng dạy và học tập này, đồng thời có thể nêu lên một số đề xuất giúp việc ứng dụng phương pháp dạy và học này hoàn thiện hơn. Abstract: Useful as it is, the application of internet- assisted learning (IAL) in teaching English in Vietnam as a whole and at Business English Department (BED), Faculty of Foreign Languages, National Economics University (NEU) in particular is still limited and needs more thorough studies. Being a lecturer and leader of the Listening Group in BED, contributing to the growth of this course from initial steps, the researcher of the study has been aware of the advantages as well as disadvantages that IAL have brought to the development of English language skills in general, and in listening skills in particular. Generally, most students at BED, NEU (herein referred to as BED students) have difficulties in listening comprehension on their first days at a university specializing in English, while they have quite a good command of vocabulary and grammar. Accordingly, the listening courses are mainly designed for students who have learnt English at high school (in either the 3-year or 7-year program) and who haven't got used to listening skills. These courses aim at equipping students with practical skills to improve their listening skills step by step. The ultimate purpose of the study of “Using internet-assisted learning method to develop BED students’ listening skills” is to: (i) explore BED students’ perceptions of benefits of internet-assisted learning (IAL) to their English listening skills development; (ii) investigate obstacles to the use of IAL Chi
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hi nhp Tháng 11/2014 709 activities in learning English listening skills at BED, NEU; and (iii) propose some recommendations to relevant teachers and administrators for better organization of IAL activities for BED students to improve their English listening skills. The participants were 87 first year English majored students of BED, NEU. The time to conduct the research was during the second semester of the students’ first year (2012-2013), when the students had had enough time to be familiar with the college life and to gain some knowledge about using computers and the Internet. After a semester taking part in the application of teaching and learning listening in the laboratory with the assistance of internet websites, these students were supposed to provide enough data to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching listening skill in the internet-assisted laboratory as well as provide ground for suggestions to be made. USING INTERNET-ASSISTED LEARNING METHOD TO DEVELOPLISTENING SKILLS FOR BUSINESS ENGLISH STUDENTSAT NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY 1. Background Useful as it is, the application of internet- assisted learning (IAL) in teaching English in Vietnam as a whole and at Business English Department (BED), Faculty of Foreign Languages, National Economics University (NEU) in particular is still limited and needs more thorough studies. Being a lecturer who has contributed to the growth of this course from initial steps, the researcher has been aware of the advantages as well as disadvantages that IAL has brought to the development of English language skills in general, and in listening skills in particular. 2. Purposes of the study The ultimate purpose of the study “Using internet-assisted learning method to develop Listening skills for Business English students at National Economics University” is to: (i) explore students’ perceptions of benefits of internet- assisted learning (IAL) to their English listening skills development; (ii) investigate obstacles to the use of IAL activities in learning English listening skills at BED, NEU; and (iii) propose some recommendations to relevant teachers and administrators for better organization of IAL activities for BED students to improve their English listening skills. 3. Selection of participants The participants of this study were 74 first year English major students of BED, NEU. These students were randomly chosen from 144 first year BED students. They belong to three classes. Instead of randomly selecting the individuals, the investigator randomly selects the groups or classes for investigation. Thus, the students chosen in this study could be representatives for the whole group of freshmen at BED. The time to conduct the research was during the second semester of the students’ first year (2012-2013), when the students had had enough time to be familiar with the college life and to gain some knowledge about using computers and the Internet. After a semester taking part in the application of teaching and learning listening in the language laboratory with the use of websites, these students were supposed to provide enough data to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching listening skill in the internet-assisted language laboratory as well as provide ground for suggestions to be made. 4. BED students’ perceptions of IAL in listening skill development 4.1. Students’ perceptions towards IAL in English listening skill in the multimedia classroom The first question in the survey questionnaire deals with the perceptions of learning English listening skill through Internet-assisted activities in the listening multimedia classrooms. Their attitudes towards this new approach of teaching and learning are revealed in Chart 1. Tiu ban 5: #ng d$ng công ngh và thi
t b trong ging dy và nghiên c%u v ngoi ng 710 Generally speaking, the students were positive about internet-assisted learning English listening skill in the multimedia classroom (Chart 1). Although almost all of them indicated their satisfaction with this new approach of learning English listening skill (64 out of 74 students), some still have doubts. This could be explained as the term "effective" might not have been the best word to use in the questionnaire since it is vague. It is also difficult for students to judge the effectiveness of a new technology after only being familiar with it for a semester. These students also gave reasons for their dissatisfaction, which would be referred to in the next part of the study. 4.2. Students' attitudes towards the appropriateness of the listening course in the new teaching approach Overall, the students were positive towards the appropriateness of IAL activities (Table 1), especially its function in supplementing in-class learning (84%). However, they did not show as much agreement when asked whether the program was suited for their English proficiency level (55%). This is probably due to the fact that students in these classes have varied English proficiency levels to start with. Moreover, over two thirds agreed that the materials on the selected websites were related to their current English lessons (68%). More interestingly, a high proportion of the respondents (80%) expressed their pleasure with this listening course in the new teaching approach explaining that the course provided them with further listening skill. Table 1: Students’ attitudes towards the appropriateness of the listening course with the Internet assistance Options Number of students Percentage (%) The course was an appropriate supplement to in-class instruction. 62 84% The course was appropriate for the skill level of the students. 46 55% The course was appropriately related to the current listening lessons. 50 68% The course provided us with further listening skills. 59 80% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 36 28 7 3 Chart 1: S tudents ' attitud es to wards inte rnet-ass is ted lear ni ng English listening skill in the multimedia classroom ver y effec tive e ffective not very effec tive not effective a t all Chi
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hi nhp Tháng 11/2014 711 4.3. The effectiveness of IAL in improving their English listening skill a. Concentration Two students said that internet-assisted learning English skill in the self-study period gave them a great chance to be concentrated when they can occupy their own cabin in the multimedia classroom. This made their listening more effectively. b. Interest Four of the respondents felt that this learning activity is very interesting and can attract their attention throughout the lesson. They provided lots of their satisfaction as well as leisure throughout their practice sessions. c. Updated material One more benefits that nearly half of the students interviewed recognized is that the listening activity gets them updated. They all seemed eager to discover current things happening around them. d. Authentic English language Surprisingly, many students enjoyed the authenticity of the materials on the recommended websites. They felt quite interested in the way native speakers pronounced. Their intonation, accent and voice seemed attractive to students. Some of the students find it best to study some of the colloquial and spoken language from listening to the authentic material in their listening lessons. They can not only be able to approach updated with news and information in the target language but also learn a lot from pronunciation and intonation of English native speakers. e. Time saving Moreover, two students said that internet- assisted listening activity saved a lot of their time. They explained that time was very precious in their learning responsibilities as they needed to study many other language skills and other courses in the curriculum. But now this learning approach helped them to practise listening skills in an effective way without having to spend so much time. f. Convenience Two respondents thought that it was quite convenient when they learn English listening skill through internet-assisted activities just by sitting in front of the computer screen as well as enjoying the totally free resources online. g. Independence More than half of the students interviewed agreed that this learning activity helps them to build their independence. They thought that it gave them a very clear purpose and goal at the beginning of the lesson. They can find their own needs and expectations. They actually realized the importance of persistent practice. The reasons they gave are quite understandable. These are two of the main reasons given by the respondents, namely practicing a lot at home and choosing their favorite activities for self-practice. h. Motivation Interestingly, most of the students are really motivated by this new learning approach. They felt more eager in the lesson, especially in the self- study period. Through her class observation, the researcher could see the difference in the students’ classroom behavior and performance when they were in the multimedia classroom compared to that in traditional ones. First, class attendance was higher compared with that in the traditional classrooms. In most cases in traditional classrooms, there were one or two students absent and many students were late for class. But during listening periods in the multimedia classrooms, fewer students were absent or late for class. During the self-study period, nobody dozed off, although the classes were in the afternoon. They were active in taking notes, discussing with their partners, and checking their understanding. Seeing this attention and conscientiousness on the students’ part, the researcher felt quite rewarded and thought efforts of the group of teachers of listening were not in vain. Tiu ban 5: #ng d$ng công ngh và thi
t b trong ging dy và nghiên c%u v ngoi ng 712 On the other hand, students became more enthusiastic about practicing listening. In addition to their attentive behavior in the class, the students also did a lot of practice after class as shown from the interview. From the informal small questions besides the interview, I could see that all the students finished the tasks as required and about 1/3 of them even listened to the files again at home or in Internet shops where they can get access to the Internet. 5. Difficulties encountered by students in the internet-assisted English listening activity Besides the above positive attitudes toward the new learning approach, students also encounter some difficulties, which are detailed as follows. a. Lack of computer skills The most popular difficulty reported is the unfamiliarity with computer functions. As mentioned in the previous part, nearly half of the respondents of the survey do not own a computer, this difficulty is understandable. Although students attend a training session of how to use the facilities in the multimedia classroom before joining the course, this amount of time is not adequate for them to feel confident when using these modern facilities. However, a few students think that using a computer is not that much difficult. Most of these students come from cities and have been using computers since they were at high schools. b. Technical problems The second most frequent problem is technical ones. Although the multimedia laboratories are well furnished with modern computers connected to the Internet, they are not periodically maintained. Besides, the dense frequency of using these facilities’ qualities may also be worsened. Therefore, students sometimes have technical problems with their computer in the laboratories, such as problems with sudden computer crash, outdated software which does not allow the installation of new programs suggested in websites, headphone volumes, slow speed Internet disconnection, and so on. c. Getting lost Besides the following popular difficulties, three of the student interviewees share the same problem of getting lost when they do listening exercises online. They explained that, after they finished the listening assignments in the suggested websites, they continued surfing the Internet. They were too interested in what they found online and kept glued to the screen. 6. Students’ suggestions to improve the effectiveness of the Internet-assisted listening learning 6.1. Suggestions to the administrator a. Improving facilities quality As mentioned above, students said that they encountered lots of technical problems while they studied in the lab. Therefore, the suggestions they all made to the administrators is to improve the quality of facilities. They said that the computers need to be faster. They preferred an LCD screen to avoid eye problems. Headphones in the lab should be checked to provide the adequate quality to enhance their listening rather than annoying them. b. Training computer skills Many students come from rural areas and are not familiar with using computers. Therefore, it is understandable for them to ask for more thorough computer skill training at the beginning of the course. Only one training session is not just enough for them to be comfortable using the computer. This suggestion was made by seven out of fifteen student interviewees. c. Improving classroom layout The students interviewed also made a suggestion related to the interaction among students in the laboratory. As the room is equipped with forty computers, its layout is not convenient for them to interact, especially in pair or group activities. Chi
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hi nhp Tháng 11/2014 713 6.2. Suggestions to the teachers Besides, students also wanted to make some suggestions to their listening teachers. These suggestions will certainly be of great help for teachers to enhance the effectiveness of the Internet-assisted listening learning activities. a. Creating more activities to motivate students Almost all students interviewed said that the teacher should give more activities to motivate them during the lesson. This suggestion is highly appreciated as these activities would help to hold the students’ attention and enthusiasm throughout the lesson. b. Being skillful in technical issues Three of the interviewees even expressed that the teachers should be more skillful in technical issues. In that case, the teacher could help them when they got into trouble with their computers during their listening practice. c. Choosing appropriate materials Interestingly, about half of the students interviewed said that they are quite satisfied with the types of online listening exercises that their teachers suggested. They thought the topic chosen, the language used in the materials, and the levels of difficulty of the materials are quite suitable to their needs and levels. However, three students felt that some materials are too hard for them to listen. Two of them even commented that the content in some website material is not interesting enough. They would like the teacher to choose more appropriate materials. This is not difficult to understand because the students do not have the same level and interest. 6.3. Suggestions to the students themselves Surprisingly, the students also give very interesting suggestions to themselves. a. Learning to use computers professionally Five students expressed their needs to learn to use the computer professionally. This i