A study on how to take full advantage of EFL internet resources for k37 english majors improvements in EFL listening comprehension in ha noi pedagogical university n0 2

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.

Special thanks are also to many teachers and friends in the Faculty of Foreign
Languages for correcting mistakes and collecting materials for the study.
Last but not least, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my family who
encouraged constantly me in the process of conducting this graduation paper.


ABSTRACT

********
Applying in English listening teaching and learning is still a quite new
concept in Vietnam in general and in Hanoi Pedagogical University Number 2 in
particular. During the history of formation and development, computers and the
Internet has been used in many fields including education industry. Especially, it is
very effective to apply computers and the Internet to teach and learn foreign
language, for example, through the method Computer- Assisted Language Learning
(CALL). Learners and teachers are possible to organize efficient studying time with
high learners’ independence by many kinds of the Internet according to crucial
principles. Besides, a basic view of listening comprehension is drawn consisting of
nature of listening, the teaching and learning EFL Listening Comprehension and
general listening procedure of a lesson. From that, advantages and disadvantages of
applying the Internet in teaching and learning English listening skills are mentioned
in detail.
In addition, the reality of teaching and learning English listening skill via the
Internet to K37 English majors in Hanoi Pedagogical University Number 2 was
learnt about. This study entails studying the current situation of teaching and
learning listening comprehension through conducting a survey for data analysis.
Based on the result of the survey, the attitude of the teacher and students
towards applying the Internet to learn English listening and their practice on
teaching and learning process have been found. Hence, some implications of better
using the Internet resources to teach and learn EFL Listening Comprehension have

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

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP .................................................................... iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................... v

PART I: INTRODUCTION
I. Rationale for the study .................................................................................... 1
II. Objectives of the study ................................................................................... 2
III. Significance of the study ............................................................................... 2
IV. Scope of the study .......................................................................................... 3
V. Methodology..................................................................................................... 3
VI. Organization of the study .............................................................................. 4

PART II
DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE
LITERATURE REVIEW
I.1. Literature review in brief............................................................................... 5
I.2.Overview of the application of information technology in education in
recent years ............................................................................................................ 6
I.3. Summary of Literature review ...................................................................... 8
I.3.1.Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) ........................................... 8
I.3.2. History of the Internet .................................................................................. 10
I.3.3. Sources of the Internet resources to be used................................................. 10
I.3.4. Principles of using the Internet resources ..................................................... 12


I.3.5. The exploitation of authentic materials on the Internet as supplementary
materials in EFL listening comprehension............................................................. 13
I.3.6. Learner Autonomy ........................................................................................ 17
I.3. Introduction of listening skills and methods of teaching Listening ......... 19

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

II.1.4.Data analysis ................................................................................................ 37
II.1.4.1.Learners’attitude towards learning Listening through the Internet and
approaches of improving listening skills ............................................................... 37
II.1.4.2. Practicing listening skills through Internet............................................... 40
II.1.4.3.Learners’view of considering internet as a tool to teach and learn English
listening skills .............................................................................................. ...........49
II.1.4.4. Teachers’ attitude towards teaching Listening on Internet ...................... 51
II.1.4.5. Teachers’ practice on their listening lectures ........................................... 54
II.2. Implications towards better using the Internet to facilitate the teaching
and learning English listening skills ........................................................ ..........61
II.2.1. Implications of better using the Internet resources to teach and learn EFL
Listening Comprehension ...................................................................................... 61
II.2.2. Introduction of the website: www.tienganhonline.net ................................ 66
II.2.3. How to exploit the website: www.tienganhonline.net to teach and learn
English listening skills ................................................................................ ..........67
II.2.4. How to apply the Internet resources to effectively teach English listening
skills in a Listening procedure lesson .................................................................... 69
CHAPTER III. CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 73
REFERENCES
APPENDICES


PART ONE
INTRODUCTION
I. Rationale
English has been becoming increasingly popular not only in Vietnam but also
all over the world since it is considered international language in communication.
The statistic figures also show that over 75% people all over the world are using
English language to communicate and it cannot be denied that English is likely to be

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

also bring about invaluable knowledge for my future career.
II. Objectives of the study
I write this graduation with the following aims:
- To introduce some theories of using the Internet resources to teach English
listening skills
- To catch up with the latest teaching approach which is very essential for my
future career to find out the best way to exploit the Internet in ELT to teach English
- To make learners understand better the significance of the Internet in
teaching English skills.
- To provide teachers of English with the best way to give learners equal
education opportunities
- To offer teachers a model of teaching English listening skills through the
Internet is the fifth aim
III. Significance of the study
There is no doubt that English plays an essential role in our communication
over the world. Among four language skills, Listening is the most important which
creates a successful conversation. However, not only English learners in general but
also K37 English majors in Hanoi Pedagogical University No.2 in particular meet
many difficulties in learning listening comprehension. Therefore, it is indispensable
to implement this study. After this research, it is hoped that the result will be helpful
to:


- Provide learners with some useful techniques to study English listening
comprehension through EFL Internet resources.
- Suggest some implications towards better exploitation of the Internet to
facilitate the teaching English listening skills for the teachers.
- Be meaningful to people who are interested in improving English listening
standard through the Internet.
IV. Scope of the study

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

The study is divided into three parts:
The first part is the Introduction of the thesis which includes rationale,
objectives, significance, scope, methodology and organization of the study.
The second part named Development. In this part, there are two chapters.
Chapter one is called “Theoretical Background”. In this chapter, I would like to
introduce some listening skills and methods of teaching Listening; the summary of
teaching Listening methods. Besides, I also want to show some advantages and
disadvantages of using the Internet resources in teaching and learning EFL listening
comprehension. Finally, the role of teachers and learners are provided. In the second
chapter, The Methodology and Results are conducted. I carry out the research to find
out the reality of improving listening performance of K37-English majors in Hanoi
Pedagogical University Number 2 via the Internet. Some implications towards better
using the Internet to facilitate the teaching and learning English listening skills are
introduced. Moreover, I would like to give some recommendations for teachers and
learners to applying the Internet resources effectively in their listening learning and
teaching.
In addition, the last part is Conclusion part. This part consists of the
discussion with my supervisor and my friends; some suggestions for teachers and
learners of English on Listening; appendices as well.


PART TWO
DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

I.1. Literature review in brief
Taking advantages of the Internet resources in teaching and learning English
has been researched by many linguists like Prichard, A (2007), Teeler, D and Gray,

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.

In fact, there are many problems making students here confused when making the
most of the Internet to learn English. Therefore, it is very crucial to carry out a study
of taking full advantage of EFL Internet resources for K37 English majors’
improvements in EFL listening comprehension in Hanoi Pedagogical University
No.2.
I.2.Overview of the application of information technology in education in
recent years
It is obvious that all the developed countries in the world pay much attention to the
development of technology in education, and one of the most significant fields of
education used application of technology is language. The 90s decade was
considered as the decade of brightly flouring information technology, therefore its
achievements were applied promptly in almost all of domains including the most
imperative industry, the human education and training.
According to the general situation of developing and applying technology in
education in some advanced countries as follows, I would like to emphasize the vital
role of information technology in general and Internet resources in particular in
education.
 In Singapore


In 1997, The Ministry of Education and Training expanded the overall plan of
applying technology in education in a period of 5 years (1997-2002) with some main
principles as following: connecting all the national schools into the unique united
network system, renewing the curricula in schools with the assistance of
technology… The expected aim is that students can spend 14 percent of the class
timetable using computers and Internet to study.
 In Malaysia
The Prime Ministry directly took the initiative and encouraged the
development of technology in education. A project of international stature named
the Multimedia Super Corridor was built in this country. In education, especially in

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

English teaching and learning process. Therefore, it is very necessary to maintain
and develop the use of computers in the education all over the world.
CALL is the acronym for Computer Assisted Language Learning and it is
related to the use of computers for language teaching and learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is often perceived as an approach to language
teaching and learning in which the computer is used as an aid to the presentation,
reinforcement and assessment of material to be learned, usually including a
significant interactive element.
The development process can be divided into three phrases as follows:
a. Behaviouristic CALL:
The first phase of CALL, conceived in the 1950s and implemented in the
1960s and '70s was based on the behaviorist theories of learning. Informed by
behaviorist - learning model, this mode of CALL described the repetition of
language drills, referred to “drills and practice”. This courseware relied on the
model of computer as tutor (Taylor, 1980). The best-known tutorial system,
PLATO, ran on its own special hardware consisting of a central computer and
terminals and featured extensive drills, grammatical explanations and translation
tests at various intervals (Ahmad, Corbett, Rogers, & Sussex 1985).


However, behavioristic CALL were being rejected at both theoretical and
pedagogical level. It revealed the limitations of primitive repetition, shortage of
authentic communication that paved the way for the second mode of CALL to
appear.
b. Communicative CALL
The second phase of CALL was based on the communicative approach to
teaching which became famous in the 1970s and 80s. This approach showed that the
drill and practice programs of the previous decade did not allow enough authentic
communication.
One of the main advocates of this new approach was John Underwood, who in
1984 proposed a series of "Premises for “Communicative” CALL" (Underwood,

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.

Hence, with the advance of multimedia computing and the Internet, language
teaching and learning have been improved day by day.
The first version of the Internet was started during the 1960s in the United
States with the name of ARPAnet (a defense department network). As a form of
international communication, the Internet has been in constant expansion since
1973, when the ARPAnet was first connected to the United Kingdom and Norway.
Much of northern Europe was connected to the Net in the early 1980s. Japan and
Canada soon followed suit. A special link was established between Germany and
China at about the same time. And then in the late 1980s the real growth began as
Australia, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand and Puerto Rico joined the
Net. In 1984, JANET (the UK’s Joint Academic Network) was founded, linking
Higher Education throughout the country and allowing access the global Internet.
The Internet has become a global network connecting millions of computers
all over the world. More than 100 countries are linked via the Internet to exchange
data, news and opinions. Remarkably, this technological revolution was a
momentous turning- point in mankind’s knowledge.
I.3.3. Sources of the Internet resources to be used


There are many kinds of Internet resources; however, not all of them could
support foreign language teaching and learning. Teachers are responsible for
suggesting and providing students with suitable and necessary Internet resources.
Based on the information from the website
these types of Internet resources
below might be examples for students and teachers to apply to learn as well as teach
English.
The most common kind of the Internet putted into practice in teaching and
learning foreign language is websites. Websites on Internet contain a lot of updated
knowledge which is extremely useful to students. Experienced teachers could
introduce reliable and interesting website addresses for students. That can promote

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

is very good for language teaching and learning.
Online applications- This is less common kind of Internet applied by
language teachers and learners. But the effect it brings is not little. It helps to save
time for both teachers and students. They must not go to class during studying
process, and just have to communicate through Internet, learn based on online
applications. Some applications of the Internet can be mentioned are:


Langmaster.net (a favorite Internet application to learn English nowadays), or
Online News Hour: RealAudio Files- RealAudio programs to learn English. (Cited
in />In general, the Internet has been applied in teaching and learning foreign
languages in many countries over the world. For each purpose and characteristics of
foreign language education, only suitable source of the Internet are chosen among a
variety of the Internet kinds. Both the teachers and students should understand
thoroughly separate figures of particular type of the Internet to select the proper
ways to improve English standard via the Internet.
I.3.4. Principles of using the Internet resources
The use of Internet plays an essential part in improving the quality of
language learning and teaching all over the world in general and in Vietnam in
particular. With the aim to make learners independent, the Internet and computing
become the most indispensable tools, especially in developing listening skills for
students. Ministry of Education, Culture and Human Resources (2009) in the
handbook “Principles and Guidelines for Internet usage at School” found that these
principles below would help both language teachers and learners to have the most
efficient lessons.
One of the most important principles is that only relevant materials related to
the lessons should be downloaded. The Internet resources are vast and often not
reviewed carefully. As a result, there is much unrelated information which can
confuse Internet users. Therefore, before downloading any materials, people must
consider thoroughly what should be gathered.

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

by Rogers and Medley (1988), authentic materials are oral and written language
used in daily situations by native speakers of the target language. Additionally,
authentic texts regarded as “unaltered texts that are generated by native speakers
and for native speakers” (Bacon, 1992) and also “not written for pedagogic


purposes” (Wallace, 1992) but to “fulfill some social purposes in the language
community” (Peacock, 1997). Nunan (1988) shared the same idea by considering
authentic materials as spoken and written language produced in the context of real
communication but not specially served any teaching purposes.
b. Some information of authentic materials
Together with the development of “information highway”, a brand-new
source of listening materials has come into being, that is online materials. This type
of materials is not simply listening tasks that are posted on the Internet. It consists of
a variety of authentic materials which contributes to the richness of listening pool.
Though it is more complex to apply this source, it offers more room for teachers’
creativity. This source of materials has been more and more common thank to its
benefits and convenience.
There are four main categories which are clearly demonstrated below with
specific examples of authentic materials (Oguz and Bahar, (2008): Authentic
Listening – Viewing Materials (Songs, documentaries, radio and TV ads or
broadcasts, quiz shows, cartoons, movies, etc), Authentic Visual Materials
(Photographs, paintings, postcards, pictures,etc), Authentic Printed Materials
(Newspaper articles, song lyrics, restaurant menus, etc), Realia (Real Objects)
(masks, dolls, puppets, etc).
Regarding sources of authentic listening materials, Miller (2003) indicates
that the Internet opens a countless resource of listening materials with up-to-date and
abundant information. Using authentic materials on the Internet in listening lectures
as supplementary materials is an effective and creative way of teaching English.
According to Withnall (2001), there are three main types of authentic listening

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

students. Learner’s interest is another important factor that should be taken into
consideration when selecting authentic listening materials. It is necessary for
teachers to know students’ likes and dislikes on listening materials and it is wise for
them to make a survey among students before the selection. In this way, the selected


materials may be accepted by most of the students and successful listening teaching
may achieve.
Thirdly, they have to examine cultural appropriateness of authentic materials.
If there is any cultural specific content in the recording, the teachers should consider
whether they can reduce its comprehensibility to the listeners from other cultural
backgrounds or whether it can potentially cause cultural offence.
And exploitability is an important factor while choosing authentic listening
materials. Can you design any learning tasks based on the text to ensure the learners’
comprehension? There are other factors need to be considered: the information
density, the accent, the speed of the speaker, the relevance of the listening material
to the syllabus and the students etc.
Finally, the context of materials should be chosen carefully. Authentic
materials on the Internet with visual or other support which supplements the content
tend to be easier than texts with visual or other information that conflicts with the
content.
 Applying

web-based

authentic

listening

materials

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

after downloading, simplification must be done in accordance with learners’ levels.
The core rules for simplifying a text are: linguistic simplicity which handles
grammatical structures, lexical items; cognitive simplicity which concerns learners’
age, education and interests and lastly psychological simplicity which answers the
question of social norms being complied with.


I.3.6. Learner Autonomy
Learner autonomy is an important skill in the learning process of students
which helps them to grasp knowledge better and therefore the study could be more
effective. Instructing students to foster autonomy is an urgent request to teachers
nowadays. To achieve the best result, this demands great efforts and cooperation
between teachers and learners.
a.

Definition of Learner Autonomy
It is hard to define what Learner Autonomy is in words exactly. The term

“Learner Autonomy” was first coined in 1981 by Henri Holec who was considered
to be the father of Learner Autonomy. According to Henri Holec (1981, p.3) in his
book named “Autonomy in Foreign Language Learning”: “Autonomy is the ability
to take charge of one's own learning”. According to Henri Holec, this capacity is not
available, it is only gained by natural means or by formal learning. In this definition,
learners are regarded as active and responsible students who must take charge of
their own learning process. And autonomy can be taught and fostered by intentional
methods.
Meanwhile, David Little (1991) describes that Autonomy is a matter in which
learners’ psychology related to the process and content of learning. He emphasizes
on the importance of students in the process of studying and their self-management.
Differently, Benson and Voller (1997) consider Leaner Autonomy as the ability to

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: