HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGLISH

ASSIGNMENT ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

M.A Thesis Proposal

ENHANCING LISTENING SKILLS THROUGH ENGLISH VIDEOS FOR

SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS OF FACULTY OF ENGLISH AT HANOI OPEN
UNIVERSITY
(NÂNG CAO KỸ NĂNG NGHE HIỂU THÔNG QUA VIDEO TIẾNG ANH CHO
SINH VIÊN NĂM HAI KHOA TIẾNG ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC MỞ HÀ NỘI)

Full name : TRAN SON TUNG

Date of birth: 25/09/2004
Group 2: K29A02
Field: English Language

Hanoi - 2023
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents Page number
1. Introduction 1
1.1. Rationale 1
1.2. Aim and objectives 1
1.3. Scope of the study 2
1.4. Research questions 2
1.5. Structure of the study 2
2. Literature Review 3
2.1. Overview of previous studies 3
2.2. Theoretical framework 4
3. Proposed Research Methodology 7
3.1. Research approaches 7
3.2. Population and sample 7
3.3. Research methods (data collection instruments/tools,
7
procedure, data analysis)
4. Proposed Chapter Outline 7

References 9
1. Introduction
1.1. Rationale
Listening plays an important role in both language learning process and real-life
communication. Being good at listening in the English process particularly and in foreign
language learning process generally is the immense desire of most foreign language
learners. Evidently, in order to obtain the purpose of mastering a foreign language,
learners are supposed to focus on the four significant skills named listening, speaking,
reading and writing. Among these four skills, listening is often regarded to be the most
crucial and challenging task for students to deal with.
It is obvious that listening skills have been paid much attention to by numerous
language researchers and teachers. Many researchers have been conducted on how to
teach and learn listening skills effectively. All contributions are very useful for
enhancing listening skills. At the Faculty of English, Hanoi Open University (FOE,
HOU), however, teaching and learning listening is a really challenging job. In addition
to the lack of well-equipped facilities, teaching listening methods are unfamiliar to
teachers. Another problem is students' low level of proficiency in terms of vocabulary,
grammar, pronunciation, skills and so forth. It is the reason why students find it difficult
and tough to listen to and they are not confident enough to do listening tasks successfully.
Moreover, learning habits do not help much to improve their listening in the classroom.
The students often get bored, tired and indifferent in listening lessons because of
uncreative tasks and activities, topics, and so on.
All the above - mentioned reasons have inspired the writer to do a research on listening
skills and the research title goes as "Enhancing listening skills through English videos
for second-year students of Faculty of English at Hanoi Open University". It is expected
that the study would bring some useful benefits to learners of English in the process of
language learning.
1.2. Aim and objectives
The study aims to help second - year students at the Faculty of English, Hanoi Open
University enhance their listening skills.
The research objectives of the study are as follows:
+ To investigate the attitudes of the second-year students at the Faculty of English,
Hanoi Open University towards using videos to enhance listening skills.

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 + To identify the effect of videos on enhancing listening skills of the second-year
students at the Faculty of English - Hanoi Open University.
+ To propose some recommendations of using videos to enhance the listening skills
of the second-year students at the Faculty of English - Hanoi Open University.
1.3. Scope of the study
Academic scope: English listening skill.
Social scope: second-year students at the Faculty of English, Hanoi Open University.
1.4. Research questions
The study addresses these following questions:
-What are the attitudes toward learning English listening skills of the second-year
students at the Faculty of English, Hanoi Open University?
-What are the effects of videos on enhancing listening skills of the second-year
students at the Faculty of English - Hanoi Open University?
-What are some recommendations of using videos to enhance the listening skills for
the second-year students at the Faculty of English - Hanoi Open University?
1.5. Structure of the study
The study is divided into 5 chapters
Chapter 1: Introduction
This part includes five small parts:
1. Rationale
2. Aim and objectives
3. Scope of the study
4. Research questions
5. Structure of the study
Chapter 2: Literature Review
This part consists of 2 parts:
1. Overview of previous studies
2. Theoretical framework
Chapter 3: Proposed Research Methodology
This part consists of 3 parts:
1. Research approaches
2. Population and sample

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3. Research methods (data collection instruments/tools, procedure, data analysis)
Chapter 4: Proposed Chapter Outline
References

2. Literature review
2.1. Overview of previous studies
English listening is an important language skill and its development is a key factor for
language learners (Rubin, 1994). Thus, the complex nature of listening skills and the
difficulties that second language learners meet when listening to the language merits
serious thought and investigation. As such, teaching listening skills has attracted the
attention of many teachers and researchers. A researcher urged teachers to provide
language learners with three important services when teaching interactive listening:
simplifying the provided text, giving pre-listening activities, and offering visual support
for the listening activity (Rost, 1991). Using videos has been closely associated with
developing listening skills (Baltova, 1994). Videos as learning materials have received
a great deal of attention from educators and their effects have been positively reported
in various areas. Extensive research has been conducted into the possible effects of using
videos to enhance language learning: to provide a rich context for authentic discourse
(Altman, 1989), to improve listening comprehension (Buck, 2001), to enhance learners’
achievements and motivation (Oura, 2001; Oxford et al., 1993), and to acquire a better
understanding of non-verbal expressions (Hu, 2006).
Videos are more useful than traditional lecture-based instruction (Brett, 1995) and
exposure to authentic video resources facilitate the internalization and reproduction of
new languages (Brett, 1997). Buck (2001) has demonstrated the benefits of using
captions and subtitles to enhance listening comprehension. Moreover, connecting the
oral and written forms is an effective method that allows students to read and listen at
the same time. In other words, videos provide second language learners with contextual,
visual, and non-verbal input that minimizes any lack of comprehension that might result
from listening alone (Brett, 1995). To be clear, listening does not represent a simple
word-by- word translation, but rather involves a deeper understanding of the meaning.
Teachers should guide students in understanding actual speech so that students learn to
deal with genuine conversations and real listening situations. Therefore, it is crucial to

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choose practical learning materials in English listening courses. Video resources can be
used as an alternative method for teaching practical listening since they will contain
various words and expressions used in everyday language by English speakers. Mathew
and Alidmat (2013) has argued that the employment of videos is preferable to audio-
only instruction in teaching English because of the advantage of multiple input
modalities. That is, videos can facilitate learning and comprehension by attracting
learners’ attention to the aural and visual inputs.
Generally, the research conducted in English listening concentrates primarily on
comprehension with captions or scripts, rather than on the improvement of listening
skills (Buck, 2001; Lee, 2001). As a result, it is meaningful to investigate the impact of
using video materials on students’ listening skills and evaluate students’ perceptions
toward using video resources in learning English listening.
2.2. Theoretical framework
2.2.1. Definitions of listening
There is no doubt that listening plays a significant role in daily life. It is also one of
four major aspects of communication skills and language development which are
listening, speaking, reading and writing. This part will present definitions of listening
skills by well-known linguists below.
Barker (2001) states "Listening is more than just being able to hear and understand
what someone else says, listening skills involve etiquette, asking for clarification,
showing empathy and providing an appreciative response.
In the point view of Howatt and Dakin (1974), listening is the ability to identify and
understand what others are saying. This process involves understanding a speaker's
accent or pronunciation, the speaker's grammar and vocabulary, and comprehension of
meaning.
Rost (2013) defines listening, in its broadest sense, as a process of receiving what the
speaker actually says (receptive orientation); constructing and representing meaning
(constructive orientation); negotiating meaning with the speaker and responding
(collaborative orientation); and, creating meaning through involvement, imagination and
empathy (transformative orientation).
In conclusion, there are various different ways to define what listening is. However,
it is approved that listening occupies a crucial position to gain effective communication.

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Listening also requires numerous skills as it is a complicated process challenging the
listeners.
2.2.2. Theory of Listening Comprehension
Second language (L2) listening comprehension is a complex process. There are two
distinct processes involved in listening comprehension. Learners use 'top-down'
processes when they use prior knowledge to understand the meaning of incoming
messages. On the other hand, they use 'bottom-up' processes when they use linguistic
knowledge to understand them. Thus, in bottom-up processing, listeners focus on
individual words and phrases, and construct meaning from the smallest unit of spoken
language to the whole content in a linear mode (Nunan, 1997). On the other hand, in
top-down processing, listeners get the gist and main ideas of the listening passage. They
interpret the intended meaning of the speakers using schemata or background knowledge
(Nunan, 1997). This understanding emphasizes the prior knowledge already possessed
by listeners that facilitate their ability to grasp incoming information. On the other hand,
it is argued that the process of listening comprehension can be defined as interactions
between the top- down and bottom-up processing (Flowerdew & Miller, 2005).
Flowerdew & Miller (2005) introduce interactive models that encompass individual,
cultural, social, contextualized, affective, strategic, and critical dimensions. Using these
models, they noted that listeners process spoken language interactively and
simultaneously by compensating for the lack of information on one level by checking it
against another level.
Teaching listening has long played an important role in both EFL classrooms and in
research involving teaching EFL. Although listening is a passive skill, learners need to
take an active role in interpreting information from aural and visual cues. Improving
second language listening skills is not easy because learners have to process both content
knowledge and linguistic knowledge simultaneously while listening. According to
Underwood (1989) students experience considerable difficulty in listening
comprehension because they cannot control the speed of delivery. Moreover, students
tend to have difficulty in concentrating on listening since it requires an enormous
amount of effort to follow the meaning. L2 learners have cognitive constraints to
processing information in the second language owing to their lack of familiarity with
the new language. Thus, bearing in mind the theoretical aspects of listening, teaching
listening is somewhat complicated in ESL and EFL courses.
2.2.3. Using Videos for Listening
With regard to teaching listening, it is essential to note that students should be
provided with a wide range of materials to increase listening comprehension, as

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opposed to simply relying on textbooks. Gardner (2008) highlighted the fact of
learners’ multiple intelligence, meaning that all learners do not learn in the same way.
Some learn better by watching, some learn better by listening, and so on. Using video
materials provides different types of learners with multiple methods of simultaneous
learning that also extends their language experience. Videos introduce learners to a
wide array of real life language experiences that enriches their learning environment,
and contextualizes their learning process (Sherman, 2003). Moreover, using such
educational videos is a commonly used tool because it provides background
knowledge and specific examples that provide a focus for learning activities. While
textbook-based classes might be boring for learners (Heffernan, 2005; Xu & Guo,
2007), however, simply adding different types of interesting videos can make learning
more fun and recapture students’ attention.
As the research of Diao et al. (2007) along with Jones and Plass (2002)
demonstrated, students who learned aurally and visually outperformed those who
learned only aurally and had a lower cognitive load. These studies proved that using
videos is an effective way to enhance listening to comprehension. Mathew and Alidmat
(2013) found that audio-visual materials could make lessons easy to understand and
concluded that using visuals during language lessons was always helpful for the
learners. Students not only listened to the characters, but also paid attention to non-
verbal expressions (Hu, 2006).
In the Vietnam context, learners were likely to benefit from reading the subtitles in
Vietnam while watching video materials (Ho & Le, 2022). Moreover, less advanced
learners gained more than the advanced students did from the subtitled videos. Thus,
the use of authentic video materials clearly plays a role in developing students’ use of
non-verbal communication to supplement verbal communication and interaction.
Maneekul (2002) further studied the effects of using authentic video materials on
listening skills with undergraduate students who majored in English. In this study,
students improved their listening comprehension.
Regarding students’ perceptions toward the use of video materials, it is possible to
raise students’ motivation, cultivate their listening interests, and achieve the goal of
learning English. Movies as a learning medium can provide a much more interesting,
attractive, and useful experience over common material printed in books and audio
material provided on tapes (Heffernan, 2005; Xu & Guo, 2007). Research has
demonstrated the positive effects between learners’ motivation and the use of video
materials in EFL classrooms (Oura, 2001). That is, the implementation of authentic
videos such as movies or news in English classes increases learners’ engagement and
comprehension.

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 Harmer and KHAN (1991) say that authentic texts (either written or spoken) are
real text designed for native speakers, not for language students. That is, authenticity
implies a real language which is unlikely to be simplified or spoken slowly by non-
native speakers. Authenticity often means negative expectations for low-level learners
since they struggle to decipher what to them is an almost continuous chain of
unfamiliar sounds (Harmer & KHAN, 1991). Inexperienced learners describe the pace
of the authentic materials as being too fast while experienced learners handle the
ongoing speech by breaking it down into separate words that allow them to grasp
meaning (Read, 2000). According to Liu (2008), it can be difficult for teachers to
choose appropriate videos for use as teaching and learning materials, that is, to satisfy
the different proficiency levels. Hu (2006) argued that the ability to select suitable
movies for teaching languages is often constrained by the class duration, which tends
to be shorter than most films. And yet, while the drawbacks of using such videos has
been an obstacle to fully utilizing their teaching and learning potential, many educators
still consider it a necessary medium. The advantages of using videos ultimately
outweigh the disadvantages if the videos are satisfactorily chosen out with both
students and teachers in mind (Liu, 2008). It can be concluded from the
aforementioned studies that videos can be beneficial for second language learners to
improve listening skills. Since considerable research has been focused on investigating
the effects of using videos with captions on comprehension and students' perceptions
toward using videos, there is a need to explore the potential of using authentic video
resources among different proficiency level students. Thus, this study will now focus
on whether students can expand their listening comprehension by utilizing various
types of video resources.
3. Proposed Research Methodology
3.1. Research approaches
To reach the goal of the study, the writer used two main research approaches. They
were quantitative and qualitative approaches. By virtue of the quantitative method, the
data were collected for the study including the second-year students at the Faculty of
English - Hanoi Open University students’ attitudes toward using videos to improve
listening skills and effects of videos on improving their listening skills. The qualitative
method was applied to describe and analyze the data of the study.
3.2. Population and sample

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 The study investigated the effects of videos on improving listening skills. The
research was based on a survey of the second – year students at FOE, HOU in the
academic year 2023, with 40 students chosen at random to participate.
3.3. Research methods
To achieve the aim and objectives, the researcher used quantitative methods and
qualitative methods. The quantitative approach was applied to investigate the second-
year students at the Faculty of English - Hanoi Open University students’ attitudes
toward using videos to improve listening skills and effects of videos on improving their
listening skills. Besides, the qualitative approach was used to describe and analyze the
second-year students at the Faculty of English - Hanoi Open University students’
attitudes toward using videos to improve listening skills and effects of videos on
improving their listening skills. The survey questionnaire consisted of 7 multiple-choice
questions and 5 questions with 5 ranking scale responses. The researcher conducted
interviews to collect data about the second-year students at the Faculty of English - Hanoi
Open University students’ attitudes toward using videos to improve listening skills.
4. Proposed chapter outline
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1. Rationale
1.2. Aim and objectives of the study
1.3. Scope of the study
1.4. Research questions
1.5. Methods of the study
1.6. Structure of the study
Chapter 2: Literature review
2.1. Overview of previous studies
2.2. Theoretical background/frameworks
Chapter 3: Methodology
3.1. Research approaches
3.2. Population and sample
3.3. Research methods
Chapter 4: Findings and discussion

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4.1. The attitudes toward learning English listening skills of the second-year students at
the Faculty of English, Hanoi Open University
4.2. The effects of videos on enhancing listening skills of the second-year students at the
Faculty of English - Hanoi Open University
4.3. Some recommendations of using videos to enhance the listening skills for the
second-year students at the Faculty of English - Hanoi Open University
Chapter 5: Conclusion
References
1. Altman, R. (1989). The video connection: Integrating video into language
teaching. (No Title).
2. Baltova, I. (1994). The impact of video on the comprehension skills of core
French students. Canadian modern language Review, 50(3), 507-531.
3. Barker, L. L. (1971). Listening Behavior.
4. Brett, P. (1995). Multimedia for listening comprehension: The design of a
multimedia-based resource for developing listening skills. System, 23(1), 77-85.
5. Brett, P. (1997). A comparative study of the effects of the use of multimedia on
listening comprehension. System, 25(1), 39-53.
6. Buck, G. (2001). Assessing listening. Cambridge University Press.
7. Diao, Y., Chandler, P., & Sweller, J. (2007). The effect of written text on
comprehension of spoken English as a foreign language. The American journal
of psychology, 120(2), 237-261.
8. Flowerdew, J., & Miller, L. (2005). Second language listening: Theory and
practice. Cambridge university press.
9. Gardner, H. E. (2008). Multiple intelligences: New horizons in theory and
practice. Basic books.
10. Harmer, J., & KHAN, S. (1991). The Practice of English Language Teaching with
DVD. A TESOL Publication of English Australia Pty Ltd, 24(1), 85.
11. Heffernan, N. (2005). Watching movie trailers in the ESL class. The internet
TESL journal, 9(3).
12. Ho, T. V., & Le, T. T. (2022). The Effects of Video Materials on English-Major
Students’ Learning: A Test of Hypotheses in the Vietnamese Context. FOSTER:
Journal of English Language Teaching, 3(4), 185-196.

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13. Howatt, A., & Dakin, J. (1974). Language laboratory materials. A Journal for the
Teacher of English Outside the United States, 31(1-4), 1-19.
14. Hu, S. F. (2006). On teaching non-English majors listening and speaking through
videos. China English Language Education Association Journal, 29(2), 42-48.
15. Jones, L. C., & Plass, J. L. (2002). Supporting listening comprehension and
vocabulary acquisition in French with multimedia annotations. The modern
language journal, 86(4), 546-561.
16. Lee, T. H. (2001). The effects of closed-captioned films with Korean open
subtitles on students’ listening comprehension. Multimedia-Assisted Language
Learning, 4(1), 122-145.
17. Liu, H. J. (2008). A STUDY OF THE INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
LISTENING STRATEGY USE, LISTENING PROFICIENCY LEVELS, AND
LEARNING STYLE. Annual Review of Education, Communication & Language
Sciences, 5.
18. Maneekul, J. (2002). Use of authentic material and tasks to enhance English
listening skill for undergraduate students majoring in teaching English at Faculty
of Education, Chiang Mai University. Unpublished master thesis), Chiang Mai
University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
19. Mathew, N. G., & Alidmat, A. O. H. (2013). A study on the usefulness of audio-
visual aids in EFL classroom: Implications for effective instruction. International
Journal of Higher Education, 2(2), 86-92.
20. Nunan, D. (1997). Approaches to teaching listening in the language classroom. In
Plenary (p. 1).
21. Oura, G. K. (2001). Authentic task-based materials: Bringing the real world into
the classroom. Sophia Junior College Faculty Bulletin, 21, 65-84.
22. Oxford, R., Park-Oh, Y., Ito, S., & Sumrall, M. (1993). Learning a language by
satellite television: What influences student achievement?. System, 21(1), 31-48.
23. Read, J. A. (2000). Assessing vocabulary. Cambridge university press.
24. Rost, M. (1991). Listening in action: activities for developing listening in
language teaching.'La comprensión oral en acción: actividades para desarrollar
la comprensión oral en la enseñanza de la lengua'. Hertfordshire: Prentice Hall,
1991.

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 25. Rost, M. (2013). Teaching and researching: Listening. Routledge.
26. Rubin, J. (1994). A review of second language listening comprehension research.
The modern language journal, 78(2), 199-221.
27. Sherman, J. (2003). Using authentic video in the language classroom. Cambridge
University Press.
28. Underwood M. (1989). Teaching listening. Longman.
29. Xu, B., & Guo, H. M. (2007). English through movies.

Research schedule

Research phase Objectives Deadline

1. Background ● Meet with supervisor for initial 20th November

research and discussion 2023
literature review ● Conduct a more extensive
review of relevant literature
● Refine the research questions
● Develop a theoretical
framework

2. Research ● Design questionnaires 25th December

design planning ● Identify online and offline 2023
channels for recruiting participants
● Finalize sampling methods
and data analysis methods

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3. Data collection ● Recruit participants and send 24th January 2024
and preparation out questionnaires
● Conduct semi-structured
interviews with selected participants
● Transcribe and code
interviews and clean survey data

● Statistically analyze survey 22nd February 2024

4. Data analysis data
● Conduct thematic analysis of
interview transcripts
● Draft the results and
discussion chapters

5. Writing ● Complete a full thesis draft 18th March 2024

● Meet with supervisor to
discuss feedback and revisions

6. Revision ● Redraft based on feedback 28th April 2024

● Get supervisor approval for
final draft
● Proofread
● Print, bind and submit

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