VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
____________________

NGUYỄN THÙY TRANG

A STUDY ON THE USE OF PORTFOLIOS IN IMPROVING
LISTENING SKILL OF SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS AT HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

(NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG HỒ SƠ BÀI TẬP TRONG VIỆC CẢI
THIỆN KỸ NĂNG NGHE HIỂU CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ 2 TẠI
TRƯỜNG ĐH CÔNG NGHIỆP HÀ NỘI)

M.A. Minor Programme Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60140111 HANOI – 2014

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
____________________
Nguyễn Thùy Trang

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Ngo Huu Hoang for his
helpful guidance, critical comments, ongoing support and invaluable contributions during all
the stages of this study.
I owe my special thanks to Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Tam, who has made insightful suggestions
for improving my thesis.
I am grateful to all lectures and staff members of the Faculty of Post - Graduate Studies for
their valuable lessons and help.
I am thankful to the students who took part in this study for their cooperation and contribution.
Lastly, I am deeply indebted to my family and colleagues whose encouragement has been
extremely important to the success of this study.



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ABBREVIATIONS
AOF Academy of Finance
EFL English as a foreign language
ESL English as a second language
ESP English for specific purposes
HAUI Hanoi University of Industry

1.2.4. Strengths and weaknesses of using portfolios in learning listening…………… ……11
1.3. Previous studies………………………………………………………………… ………12
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
2.1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………….… ….14
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2.2. Context of the study…………………………………………………………………… 14
2.2.1. The setting of the study……………………………………………………….…….….14
2.2.2. Course book………………………………………………………………….…………15
2.3. Methodology……………………………………………………………………….…… 15
2.3.1. Participants……………………………………………………………………….…… 15
2.3.2. Instrumentation……………………………………………………………… … ……15
2.3.2.1. Questionnaires for students………………………………………….…… …16
2.3.2.2. Designed content of the listening portfolio…………………………….…… 17
2.3.3. Data collection procedure……………………………………………………….… ….18
CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY
3.1. Data analysis………………………………………………………………………… ….19
3.1.1. Data analysis of the students' survey questionnaire before the portfolio process… ….19
3.1.1.1. Students‟ motivation in study listening skill……………………… … ……19
3.1.1.2. Students‟ learning experience………………………………………… … 20
3.1.1.3. Student‟s knowledge of listening portfolios………….………………… … 21
3.1.2. Data analysis of the students' survey questionnaire after the portfolio process… ……22
3.1.2.1. Students‟ attitude towards the portfolios……………………………… …22
3.1.2.2. Students‟ preferences for working arrangement on the portfolios……… … 25
3.1.2.3. Students‟ preferences for task requirements on the portfolios………… ……26
3.1.2.4. Students‟ difficulties in listening portfolio process…………………… … 27
3.1.2.5. Students‟ suggestions to improve the listening portfolio contents……… …28
3.1.3. Data analysis of students‟ testing results………………………………………….……29
3.2. Major findings and discussions………………………………………….………… ……31
3.2.1. Summary of the study stages…………………………………………………… ……31

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PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Of the four language skills, it is surprising the listening skill is often ignored even in the
modern methods of foreign language teaching. Interestingly did the way Nunan (1997: 42)
comment on the listening skill: “Listening is the Cinderella skill in second language learning.
All too often, it has been overlooked by its elder sister: speaking.” Listening is an important
skill and probably the most challenging skill in learning English on account of learners‟
unfamiliarity with different intonation pattern and use of stress, etc. For the second-year non
English major students at Hanoi University of Industries, most of them agree that they
encounter a lot of difficulties in learning the listening skill such as social setting, background
knowledge, cultures, similar pronunciation or inferred information. Because the level of
English language proficiency of the students is not very high, the motivation of learning
listening is affected. Additionally, limited time duration of listening lesson every week is
conducive to the slow learning progress of students. Obviously, students should spend more
time practicing outside class. As a solution, listening portfolios which reflect what students
have done at home are a useful additional learning tool. For years, in ESL field, employing
portfolios to learn at home has been a good way for learners to obtain the listening skill for its
purposefulness, systematization and above all, actual reflection of learning activities. It not
only helps teachers assess students‟ work, but also keep students continuously learning.
Although the teacher may deal with considerable challenges to the exploitation of portfolios, it
is still worthy to carry out because of the benefits it offers. Now, this method of practicing is
firstly introduced at HAUI as a piloting solution for improving the listening skill.
For the above reasons, the choice of the study entitled “A study on the use of portfolios in
improving the listening skill of second-year students at Hanoi University of Industry,
HAUI” is not accidental.
2. Aims of the study
The specific aims of the research are as follows:
- To investigate the influence of portfolios on students‟ the listening skill (through the


Chapter 3: The Study
This chapter consists of 2 main parts: (i) Data Analysis: Data collected from the task
performance measurement and questionnaire was analyzed. It explains why the results came
out as they did, and how they helped to achieve the objectives of the study as well as to answer
the two research questions; (ii) Major findings and Discussions.
Part C: Conclusion
The chapter revisits the main points discussed beyond. The two research questions are also
answered and some limitations of the study and future research will be presented.
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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
In this chapter, the author will focus on the concepts of the listening skill and portfolios. Other
previous studies on this topic are also reviewed.

distracted while listening, then they will have a successful listening communication.
There exist several definitions of listening comprehension. Among all, a representative one is
propounded by Clark & Clark (1977: 43-44) for their broad and narrow definition:
“Comprehension has two common senses. In its narrow sense, it denotes the mental processes
by which listeners take in the sound uttered by a speaker and use them to construct an
interpretation of what they think the speaker intended to convey…Comprehension in its
broader sense, however, rarely ends here, for listeners normally put the interpretations they
have built to work. ”.
1.1.1.2. The process of Listening Comprehension
There are two distinct processes involved in listening comprehension.
 “Bottom - up”: Learners utilize their linguistic knowledge to identify linguistic
elements in an order from the smallest linguistic unit like phonemes (bottom) to the
largest one like complete texts (top). They link the smaller units of the language
together to form the larger parts and it's a linear process where meaning is derived
automatically at the last stage. It is absolutely "text based" process where learners rely
on the sounds, words and grammar in the message in order to create meaning.
 “Top - down”: This requires learners to go to the listening with their prior knowledge
of topic, context, and type of text as well as knowledge of language to reconstruct the
meaning using the sounds as clues.
The distinction between Top-down and Bottom-up listening process is visualized vividly by
Helgesen and Brown (1994: xii) as they employ the metaphor of a brick wall, “if you are
standing at the bottom looking at the wall brick by brick, you can easily see details. It is
difficult, however, to get an overall view of the wall. And if you come to a missing brick (e.g:
an unknown word or unfamiliar structure), you get stuck. If, on the other hand, you are sitting
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on the top of the wall, you can easily see the landscape. Of course, because of distance, you
will miss some details”.
Listening comprehension is not either top-down or bottom-up processing, but an interactive,
interpretive process where listeners use both prior knowledge and linguistic knowledge in

 A resource: Teachers should facilitate their students by giving advice and is available
when the learners need to consult some problems. They usually help with unknown
vocabulary or grammatical patterns.
 A tutor: In this case, a tutor is a teacher who acts as a coach and as a resource (Harmer
1991: 242) and is able to help their students to develop ideas. Teachers help their
students during each stage, especially during the while-listening stage. They can help
their students with prediction of the missing information.
 An investigator: Teachers can observe the activities in their lessons and subsequently
evaluate their efficiency. They keep reflective journals and evaluate the benefits of
each listening activity.
 A prompter: This role of teachers sounds quite strange. A “prompter” teacher is who
encourages their students and offers suggestions about activities that are being done by
the students. They ought to support their students during each stage so that the students
can be more successful.
 A participant: Teachers can participate in pre and post-listening task with the activities
of discussions or role-play. Their participation can also improve the classroom
atmosphere.
1.1.3.2. The importance of students’ autonomy
The autonomy of students is considered as an important factor in making progresses in
learning. According to Bonnet & Cuypers (2003: 326), the learner‟s own thinking has to be
respected in educational context. Specifically, Jiao (2005: 28) gives four substantial reasons in
support of learner autonomy for English learning: (i) It enhances the learner‟s motivation and
leads to more effective learning; (ii) It provides learners with more opportunities for English
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communication in a non-native environment; (iii) It caters to the individual needs of learners
at all levels; and (iv) It has a lasting influence.
Thanasoulas (2000) points out that: “If learners labor under the misconception that learning is
successful only within the context of the "traditional classroom," where the teacher directs,
instructs, and manages the learning activity, and students must follow in the teacher's

In the article “Nurturing Student Learning through Portfolios”, Margo Gottlieb writes that
portfolios are a means of alternative assessment and that they “facilitate articulation between
teachers and individual students, other teachers, parents, and administrators.” (Gottlieb,
1995: 12).
Briefly, a listening portfolio is an organized collection of students‟ work in the listening skill
that indicates the products of their own learning process.
1.2.2. The required elements of portfolios
There are a variety of different portfolios and each kind of portfolios serves its own purpose
and consists of its own required elements. According to Wolf and Dietz (1998), there are three
purposes for portfolios: (i) learning portfolio, (ii) assessment portfolio and (iii) employment
portfolio. They also conclude that portfolios normally contain selected evidence
of performance and products in various contexts accompanied by a teacher‟s comments and
reflections. Generally speaking, a portfolio is a folder containing all the student work; others
see it as a collection of the student best work. According to Lynch & Shaw (2005), in practical
terms, a student portfolio for assessment purposes is a “library” of
reports, papers, and other materials, together with the student‟s reflection on his or her
learning and on strengths and weaknesses. It may also contain reports of grades, evaluations,
and examinations, and it is usually held together in some appropriate binder.
It is important to include all of the following in a portfolio:
1. Cover Letter: The cover letter summarizes the evidence of a student‟s learning and progress.
2. Table of Contents
3. Entries - both core (items students have to include) and optional (items of student‟s choice).
The core elements will be required for each student and will provide a common base from
which to make decisions on assessment. The optional items will allow the folder to represent
the uniqueness of each student.
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4. Dates on all entries, to facilitate proof of growth over time.
5. Drafts of aural/oral and written products and revised versions; i.e., first drafts and
corrected/revised versions.

jointly decide which of those artifacts best demonstrate the achievement of learning goals.
3. Reflection: In this stage, students express their thinking about each piece in the portfolios.
They assess their own growth overt time as well as identify and gaps in their development. It
can't be denied that this stage is the most important and it is what enables portfolios to become
lifelong tools.
In short, each author applies different stages in carrying portfolios. Thus, the researcher should
take his or her own context and learning and teaching situation into account before deciding
the stages of portfolio implementation.
1.2.4. Strengths and weaknesses of using portfolios in learning listening
For many years, researchers have confirmed the positive effects of portfolios in learning
English. According to Margery and Gominda (2005: 282-283), it is undeniable that the
portfolio brings both teachers and students various benefits as it:
 Assess and promote critical thinking.
 Encourage students to become accountable and responsible for their own learning (i.e.,
self-directed, active, peer-supported, adult learning).
 Facilitate reflection and self-assessment.
 Integrate learning and assessment.
 Offer teachers vital information for diagnosing students‟ strengths and weaknesses to
help them improve their performance (i.e., formative assessment).
 Reflect students‟ progression toward learning outcomes
On the contrary, there exist several weaknesses of portfolios in learning:
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 When portfolios are used for summative assessment, students may be reluctant to
reveal weaknesses.
 Difficulties may arise in verifying whether the material submitted is the candidate‟s
own work.
 Portfolios take a long time to complete and assess.
 The portfolio process involves a large amount of paperwork.
 Portfolio assessment may produce unacceptably low inter-rater reliability, especially if

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CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
2.1. Introduction
This is a piece of action research. Its goal is to use portfolios as an intervention to improve
students' listening skill. In this way, the teacher has the opportunity to extend existing
professional development experiences to meet individual needs and the needs of second-year
non-English major students at HAUI.
The model of action research proposed by Nunan (1992) was adopted and adapted in this
study. The details in each step will be presented in the latter.
- Step 1: Initiation
- Step 2: Preliminary investigation
- Step 3: Hypothesis
- Step 4: Intervention
- Step 5: Evaluation
- Step 6: Dissemination
- Step 7: Follow-up
Specifically, this chapter would give the setting of the study and describe the method to

rest of the population.
2.3.2. Instrumentation
Two questionnaires will be used to investigate the answers to the research questions: one
before the process of portfolios and one after the process of portfolios. In the book
“Developing a Questionnaire” (Gillham, 2000), some outstanding advantages of using
questionnaires in research are listed such as their efficiency in terms of (i) research time and
costs and (ii) researchers‟ effort. Specifically, researchers can send out a thousand
questionnaires in the time it takes to do two semi-structured interviews. Then data could be
processed fast and relatively straight forwards.
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Meanwhile, a designed portfolio was given out to students. In general, a portfolio is a
collection of students‟ work, which means they are free to choose materials related to the
required topics. Normally, teachers believe that designing good portfolio contents is hard and
in some cases, they have to design their own portfolio contents to correspond to students‟
needs, interests and levels of knowledge. In this study, the contents of listening portfolio were
designed by the author, consisting of 12 listening files (one file for each week).
Moreover, a pre-test and post-test were given to the students before and after the application of
portfolios.
Although Vietnamese is considered as the optimal language to elicit the issues, the language
use in the questionnaires and portfolio guidelines was English. Specifically, the English
language used was simple and easy to understand and the students might learn some new
words through it. For the portfolio guideline, the teacher explained in English first, and then
translated in mother-tongue to ensure all of the students understand.
2.3.2.1. Questionnaires for students
There are two questionnaires for students before and after the portfolio process.
The pre-process questionnaire consists of 5 questions and aims at exploring:
1. Students‟ learning experiences (Question 1, 3, 4)
2. Students‟ motivation and interests in learning the listening skill (Question 2)
3. Students‟ knowledge of portfolios (Question 5)