MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY N0.2
FOREIGN LANGUAGES FACULTY
==***==

TRAN THI TRANG

A STUDY ON HOW TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF EFL
INTERNET RESOURCES FOR K37 ENGLISH MAJORS’
IMPROVEMENTS IN EFL LISTENING COMPREHENSION
IN HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY N0.2

(SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF
THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENGLISH)

SUPERVISOR: TA THI THANH HOA, M.A.

Hanoi, May 2012


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

***********

I would be grateful to my supervisor, Ta Thi Thanh Hoa, M.A., who directly
instructed me to implement the study for her precious advice, valuable suggestions
and constant encouragement in the preparation and completion of the thesis. Without
her enthusiastic help, this graduation paper would not be completed.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to K37 English majors in Hanoi
Pedagogical University Number 2, who provided me with very useful and practical
information while this study was being developed.

been suggested.


STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

****************

Title: A study on how to take full advantage of EFL Internet resources for
K37 English majors’ improvements in EFL listening comprehension in Hanoi
Pedagogical University No.2
(Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the
Degree of Bachelor of Arts in English)

I certify that no part in this study has been copied or reproduced from any
persons; work without acknowledgements and this study is written initially by me
under the instruction of my supervisor.

Date submitted: May 2012

Student
Tran Thi Trang

Supervisor
Ta Thi Thanh Hoa, M. A.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................. ii
ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iii

I.4.1. Nature of listening......................................................................................... 19
I.4.1.1. Definition of Listening............................................................................... 19
I.4.1.2. Classification of Listening ......................................................................... 20
I.4.1.3. Listening strategies .................................................................................... 22
I.4.1.4. Listening Comprehension Skills ................................................................ 23
I.4.2. Teaching and learning EFL Listening Comprehension ................................ 25
I.4.2.1. The importance of listening as a language skill in EFL teaching and
Learning.................................................................................................................. 25
I.4.2.2. Factors affecting English majors’ listening performance .......................... 27
I.4.2.3. Roles of teachers and learners ................................................................... 28
I.4.2.4. History of teaching listening comprehension – in the light of different
teaching methods-Grammar Translation, Audio Lingual, Communicative Language
Teaching, etc .......................................................................................................... 30
I.4.3.Teaching procedure........................................................................................ 31
I.4.3.1.Pre-listening ................................................................................................ 31
I.4.3.2.While-listening ............................................................................................ 32
I.4.3.3.Post-listening............................................................................................... 32
I.5. Advantages and Disadvantages of using the Internet resources in teaching
and learning EFL listening comprehension ....................................................... 33
I.5.1.Advantages ..................................................................................................... 33
I.5.2.Disadvantages ................................................................................................ 34


CHAPTER TWO
METHODOLOGY AND THE RESULT
II.1. The reality of teaching and learning English listening comprehension to
K37-English majors in Hanoi Pedagogical University number 2.................... 36
II.1.1.Aims of survey questionnaire ...................................................................... 36
II.1.2.Participants ................................................................................................... 36
II.1.3.Content of survey questionnaire ................................................................... 36

much more used in the coming years. In the 21st century, the innovation of science
and technology will continue developing, which brings both advantages and
disadvantages for learners. The innovation of education in general and the trend of
applying computer and the Internet to teach English is not strange in Vietnam. It is a
quick approach to discover new ways, new knowledge of teaching foreign
languages. In fact, there are many countries applying the Internet to teach English
such as Malaysia, Singapore, China and so on. Using the Internet to teach English is
one of the most effective approaches applied in many countries That makes their
lessons more interesting and attractive. The application of computers and the
Internet in English Language Teaching in many countries throughout the world for
many years has proved its advantages and effectiveness over other teaching aids.
Therefore, in order to catch up with the trend of integration and globalization, we
have no other choice but to apply the world latest achievements for our education.
At universities of foreign languages, learners are taught four English skills, namely:
speaking, listening, reading and writing. However, in many other universities,
listening is not paid much attention, even neglected. This usually causes many
difficulties for learners to get used to this skill when listening to English and
communicate to foreigners.
The mentioned-above reasons are the motivation for me to choose “A study
on how to take full advantage of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Internet
resources for K37 English majors’ improvements in EFL listening comprehension in


Hanoi Pedagogical University No.2” as the topic of my graduation paper. I am
going to be a teacher of English. Therefore the methods to study and teach English
as a foreign language are very important. Although Internet has been applied lately
in Vietnam to teach English, especially listening skills, but there is no doubt that it is
very useful and feasible. I am sure that in the future, the Internet will be used more
widely to teach English in general and English listening skills in particular. Doing
this study helps me not only improve my current English teaching approaches but

In general, using the Internet to teach English listening skills is a virtual large
area for me to research. Therefore, I do not dare to mention every aspects concerned
teaching English listening skills by the Internet in my graduation paper. Because of
the immensity of this topic both theoretical and practical, all what I wish is to focus
on the difficulties in using the Internet resources and some implications for teaching
and learning English listening skills to improve the current situation of listening
skills in many universities, especially Hanoi Pedagogical University number 2. All
what I presented in my graduation paper surely has many shortcomings due to lack
of experience, limitation of time and knowledge. However, I do hope that, to some
extent, this study will help teachers and learners to have a more comprehensive
viewpoint on teaching English listening skills through Internet resources.
V. Methodology
In order to complete my graduation paper effectively, it is indispensable for
me to read, study and collect information in books and other materials. That is
considered as the prerequisite of my graduation paper.
Besides, I also use both inductive and deductive methods in my study. As for
inductive method, facts and figures which were relevant and essential for exploiting
Internet resources in teaching English listening skills were introduced. The method
also contains a survey questionnaire with students and teacher of Hanoi Pedagogical
University No 2 to investigate the demand and the reality of using Internet resources
to teach English, especially listening skills. With the deductive method, I would like


to suggest some implications for teachers of English to exploit the Internet to teach
listening. Besides, learning about the role of Internet in teaching English listening
and how to use Internet for updating and seeking information is also considered.
Last but not least important, the method consisting of discussion with my
experienced teachers, friends and supervisor, references to publication, interviews,
personal observation was conducted, too.
VI. Organization of the study

P (2000) , Meskill, C (1994), Underwood, M (1989) and so on. Different person has
his/her own way of exploiting the Internet as a tool of foreign language listening
teaching and learning. Generally, they pay attention to the definition and history of
the Internet in English teaching, the definition and characteristics of authentic
materials on the Internet to improve listening comprehension, the use of the Internet
as a means of improving English listening performance of students.
Pilchard, A (2007) in Effective Teaching with Internet Technologies describes
learning theories and the use of the Internet in teaching foreign languages, some
suggestions for teaching methods via the Internet. Besides, he also lists possible
problems and solutions for taking advantages of the Internet in teaching foreign
languages.
In the book How to Use the Internet in EFL, Teeler, D and Gray, P (2000)
refer to the Internet as a materials resource and a classroom tool. The definition of
the Internet and some Internet-based activities in the classroom are depicted as well.
Moreover, they indicate the Internet in teacher development process.
Meskill, C (1994) in his book named Listening Skills Development through
Multimedia focuses on the use of technologies in teaching listening skills by many
means as visuals, texts, videos, schemata and so on.


In the book Longman Handbook for Language Teachers Teaching Listening,
Underwood, M (1989) gives a quite comprehensive picture of the authentic
materials on the Internet. She distinguishes between the authentic and non-authentic
materials through their definition and features. Furthermore, she details the way of
making use of the authentic materials on the Internet for language teachers teaching
EFL listening comprehension.
In general, much research has been implemented on the use of the Internet in
teaching and learning English listening comprehension. However, the reality of
applying Internet technology for listening improvement in Hanoi Pedagogical
University No. 2, especially K37 English majors, has never been considered before.

teaching foreign language, Malaysia applied technology including Internet to
improve students’ creativity.
 In Canada
In Canada, the SchoolNet system which is used to link all the inland schools
into one network through a much more 1000-kilimetre photo- electric cable was
established. It serves only training and education. In coming years, Canada intends
to promote the transmitting speed of the cable system from 32Mb to 100Mb.
 In China
China is one of the countries newly having the Internet; however, they quickly
set up a national network for the most crucial industry, training and education. This
network system is used as a powerful medium in teaching and learning in all
subjects such as literature, music, drawing, painting…. , and English, of course.
 In Vietnam
Understanding thoroughly the importance of Internet resources in education,
right in 1990, the Senior Officials in the Ministry of Education and Training decided
to use the considerable fund of foreign currency to equip computers and other
technology applications for universities and high schools with the capital
investments around 2 million USD per year.


In recent years, our country is successful to develop the Local Area Network
(LAN) mostly in universities. Being aware of the significance of Internet in
education, our Ministry of Education and Training is gradually establishing a
network system linking all the universities, colleges and services of education and
training with Ministry’s network. That is one of motivations contributing to
remarkable achievement of our educational industry.
I.3. Summary of Literature review
I.3.1.Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)
Computers have been used in teaching and learning English for many years in
the world. They play a vital role not only as assistants but also as enhancers in

1984). According to Underwood, communicative CALL focuses more on using
forms rather than on the forms themselves. In communicative CALL, the focus was
not so much on what students did with the machine, but rather what they did with
each other while working at the computers.
c. Integrated CALL
By the late of 1980s and early 1990s, integrative CALL which is based on two
important technological developments of the last decade - multimedia computers
and the Internet was occurred. Many teachers have been paying attention to a more
social view in teaching instead of the cognitive view, which emphasizes the use of
language in authentic social contexts. This can led to a new perspective on
technology and language learning in many skills as listening, speaking, reading and
writing. In integrated approaches, the students learn to use computers as a crucial
tool to learn English thank to a lot of techniques. Two main changes had been
beginning in the mid of 1990s. The first was the dramatic increase in commercial
multimedia for language learning as CD-ROMs which are used for home computes.
The other was the speedy development of World Wide Web. In integrative CALL,
learners have more opportunities to integrate with others via computers and the


Internet rather than with computers. Thanks to information technology, they can
approach a lot of authentic materials for foreign language studying.
In conclusion, Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) generally used
to refer language learning activity that involves the use of computers. It describes
the important role of computers and technology in the language learning’s process.
In the near future, it can be sure that they will become one of the most effective tools
to teach and learn foreign language over the world.
I.3.2. History of the Internet
The Internet has become such an integral part of our lives, with such powerful
capabilities in many areas, ranging from entertainment to study. Recently years have
witnessed an explosion of interest in using computers to teach and learn language.

their autonomy effectively; they can not only find out the easiest way to learn
English corresponding to their English level but also practice self-educated ability.
Many

websites

are

highly

appreciated

in

language

teaching

such

as

,http://:www.tienganhonline.com, http://:www.voa.gov,
and so on.
Intranet- An intranet is a private network that is contained within an
enterprise. It may consist of many interlinked local area networks and also use
leased lines in the wide area network. Typically, an intranet includes connections
through one or more gateway computers to the outside Internet. Teachers could
apply Intranet to control class, to share information for students and among students
together. An intranet can also be used to facilitate working in pair and groups which

Besides, users who are not expert at computing should not download
freeware, music, song games and other unnecessary gimmicks because they usually
contain viruses. When computers are infected with viruses, users’computers will be
influenced badly causing troubles.


Learners should not surf websites containing poisonous and offensive
materials. There is no worthy information for language learning. Even when you do
not intend to access bad websites, ensure that you are in the right websites with the
right URL, otherwise you will be attacked. For example, in fact you want to access a
website of language learning as . But attackers send you
an email which asks to go to . After going to that fake
websites, you will be assailed.
What I mentioned above is only some basic principles among much necessary
information the learners should research carefully if they want to apply the Internet
to their studying. Understanding the fundamental regulation of accessing the Internet
will not only prevent learners from the attack of implicit risks on the Internet but
also promote absolutely the strong point of the web-based materials in EFL learning.
I.3.5. The exploitation of authentic materials on the Internet as supplementary
materials in EFL listening comprehension
Materials play a very important part in the process of teaching listening
comprehension. According to Nunan (1991), syllabus is the bone and material is
regarded “flesh on the bone of these specifications”. Consequently, a good set of
listening materials and tasks is one of the guarantee factors for the success of
teaching. Great effort has long been invested in developing materials. Among
various sources of materials, the authentic materials on the Internet has been
becoming popular and effective in teaching and learning EFL Listening
Comprehension in many places.
a. Definition
The concept of “authentic materials” is defined in many ways. As defined

materials which are easily discovered on the Internet. They are:
- Transactional discourse (message-oriented): radio broadcasts, news,
television programs, TV broadcasts, instructions, descriptions, announcements,
advertisements, phone messages.


- International discourse (listener-oriented): social intercourses, meetings,
talks, lectures, conversations.
- Pleasure-oriented texts: videos, DVDs, songs, plays, movies, audio-taped
stories, poems and novels.
Among them, pleasure- oriented texts are often suggested for teachers to provide
students in supplementary part in listening lectures because they usually contain
vivid images and animated rhythms in order to motivate students.
b. Applying authentic listening materials on the Internet in listening lectures as
supplementary materials
 Criteria for selecting authentic listening materials on the Internet
Firstly, learner’s language proficiency level and the linguistic demands of the
listening text should be considered. Learner level is an important factor in selecting
authentic listening materials. According to Driven (1981), spontaneously spoken
language is too complex to be introduced in the classroom in the first stage of
foreign language learning, but in the second or intermediate stage of foreign
language learning, all the factors of the spontaneously spoken language come into
action. So for the lower level learners, the teachers should provide easier materials.
For the intermediate and advanced level students, they have learned the target
language for years and have the ability of dealing with the possible difficulties with
their linguistic competence and world knowledge. Teachers now can choose difficult
speeches for foreign language learners.
Secondly, the teacher must pay attention to learners’ interest and the intrinsic
interest of the topics on the Internet. Teachers have to think how easy it is to create
interest in the topic at a pre-listening stage and how familiar the topic is to the


in

lectures

as

supplementary materials
Firstly, teachers should introduce a variety of listening tasks to students with
authentic materials so that they can develop their listening proficiency as well
“activate their own knowledge and experience” (Rost, 2001, cited in Nunan, 2003)
and “prepare themselves for real-life listening in the future” (Oura, 2001, p.73).
Therefore, teachers should not limit their exploitation of authentic materials to just
designing pedagogical tasks based on those materials such as gap-filling, multiplechoice questions or matching exercises. They should, at the same time, pay
sufficient attention to exploiting real-world tasks and simulated tasks as well when
exposing their students to authentic materials. Authentic materials should go
together with authentic activities in the classroom. Teachers should exploit authentic
materials “in an authentic way” (Bernard, 2002, p.21).


Secondly, Miller (2003) suggests that listening tasks based on authentic
materials should be implemented according to the format of three stages in a
listening lesson, namely pre-listening, while-listening and post-listening. Because
this format has proved useful in taking the attention off continually testing listening
and has allowed learners to do other things with the information that they listen to.
If the teachers skip a certain steps while introducing authentic materials in lessons, it
is hard for learners to overcome supplementary part because almost authentic
materials on the Internet are rather difficult compared to non-authentic materials in
the textbooks.
Thirdly, to deal with the complexity of the authentic materials on the Internet

take personal or “self regulated” responsibility for learning. This definition implies
that the learners take their own study in charge and must self adjust themselves to
learn well.
b. Principles of Learner Autonomy
To promote Learner Autonomy ability the best, teachers and learners should
follow some basic principles. According to David Little (1991), there are three main
pedagogical principles as follows: