the use of note taking skill in english listening

ABSTRACT
The purpose of the graduation paper is to study the use of note-taking of the
second-year English major students at ThuongMai University. The author has also
cultivated in his mind the idea of providing the students with a rich source of
information and future research priorities concerning the theme "the use of notetaking skill in English listening". Methodologically, note-taking studies were
researched by survey questionaires and interviewing students. The search notes
focused on the theory underlying note-taking and the findings of the previous
studies. Note-taking performs a crucial function in improving English listening
skill.

1


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Mrs.
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc for her continuous support for my study, for her patience,
motivation, enthusiasm, and immense knowledge. Her guidance helped me in all the
time of research and writing of this graduation paper.
Besides my supervisor, I would like to thank ThuongMai University and
English Faculty of ThuongMai University for creating favorable conditions for me
to do my graduation paper.
I’d like to send my sincere to my family for their support during the
development of this graduation paper.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT..............................................................................................................i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT......................................................................................ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS.......................................................................................iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.................................................................................vi
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES.....................................................................vii
Chapter 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY..........................................................1
1.1 Rationale.............................................................................................................1
1.2 Previous studies..................................................................................................2
1.3 Aims of study......................................................................................................3
1.4 Research subjects................................................................................................3
1.5 The scope of study..............................................................................................3
1.6 Research Methology...........................................................................................3
1.7 Organization of the study....................................................................................4
Chapter 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND....................................................5
2.1 Listening comprehension.....................................................................................5
2.1.1 Definition of Listening comprehension.............................................................5
2.2 Note-taking.........................................................................................................6
2.2.1 Definition of Note-taking................................................................................6
2.3 The importance of note-taking while listening....................................................7
2.4 Effective note-taking techniques while listening.................................................8
2.4.1 Learn to abbreviate and use symbols................................................................8
2.4.2 Use mind maps in taking note.........................................................................11
2.4.3 Two - column method to take notes.................................................................12
2.4.4 Review and edit your notes.............................................................................14
Chapter 3: DATA ANALYSIS...............................................................................15
3.1 Discussion about English listening skill of the second-year English majors of
ThuongMai University (Q1, Q2, Q3)......................................................................15

3


3.2 Discussion about note-taking skill while listening to English of the second-year

English majors of ThuongMai University. (Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8, Q9).......................17
3.2.1 Using abbreviations........................................................................................17
3.2.2 Using Mind map (Q6).....................................................................................19
3.2.3 The two-column method (Q7).........................................................................20
3.2.4 Other techniques.............................................................................................22
Chapter 4: SOME SUGGESTED TECHNIQUES..............................................24
4.1 Improve English listening skill..........................................................................24
4.2 Use symbols and abbreviations..........................................................................25
4.3 Use Mind Maps.................................................................................................28
4.4 Use Cornell method to take notes......................................................................31
4.5 Review and edit the notes..................................................................................32
4.6 Other tips...........................................................................................................33
4.6.1 Make clear and accurate notes.......................................................................33
4.6.2 Use Colors......................................................................................................33
4.6.3 Write phrases, not full sentences.....................................................................34
4.6.4 Take notes in your own words.........................................................................34
4.6.4 Organize the notes..........................................................................................34
4.6.5 Underline, circle the notes..............................................................................35
4.6.6 Think while you take note...............................................................................35
CONCLUSION...................................................................................................VIII
REFERENCES......................................................................................................IX
APPENDICIES......................................................................................................XI

4


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
TMU
Q
=

ThuongMai University
Question
Stand for

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
5


Table 1: Frequency of students in using symbols and abbreviations to take notes
while listening to English........................................................................................17
Table 2: Tips or techniques of students to abbreviate..............................................18
Table 3: Reasons of not using mind map to note while listening.............................20
Table 4: Frequency of students in using two-column method to take notes.............21
Table 5: Frequency of students in leaving a space between entries to fill in it........22
Table 6: Reasons of not review and edit your notes.................................................23
Table 7: Reasons of not review and edit your notes.................................................23
Figure 1: Prestyn Kylie (2015, April19) some abbreviations for taking note............9
Figure 2: Mind mapping information and advices, how to make a mind map.........12
Figure 3: Two - column method to take notes..........................................................13
Diagram 1: English listening level of second-year English majors at ThuongMai
University................................................................................................................ 16
Diagram 2: Frequency of students in using symbols and abbreviations to take notes
while listening to English........................................................................................18
Diagram 3: Using mind map while listening to English..........................................20
Figure 4: List of Abbreviations................................................................................27
Figure 5: List of Internet Acronyms........................................................................28
Figure 6: An example of a mind map......................................................................30
Figure 7: An example of a mind map......................................................................30
Figure 8: An example of the Cornell note-taking method........................................32

Figure 9: Using different colors to take notes..........................................................34
Y

6


Chapter 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
1.1 Rationale
Today, English is the most commonly used language in the world. It is the
language of science, technology, technology, commerce and information across the
globe. English has become a compulsory subject in most schools in Vietnam,
especially in universities. During the course of learning English at Thuong Mai
University, especially in the field of listening in the second year, I myself
discovered that if Vietnamese people can master the listening skills, the problem of
settling listening to English will be overcome.
Listening is an important part as well as an essential means of language
acquisitions. In the mid twentieth century, Bloomfield (1942) ever declares that:
“One learns to understand and speak a language primarily by hearing and
imitating native-speakers”. Although this saying a little looks down on the written
language, it is true to assume the indispensable role of listening skills in learning
English. Lundsteen (1979) also affirms that listening is the first language skill to
appear. In chronologic order, children listen before they speak, speak before they
read, and read before they write. From this point of view, the importance of teaching
listening can well be seen and it is now regarded the first and foremost skill to be
acquired in learning a new language.
In fact, English Faculty of ThuongMai University offers listening courses to
all the students of English Faculty. However, the second-year students are not
professional listeners, so obviously they do not have a wide knowledge about notetaking skill. Furthermore, they do not know how to take note fast, what to note, etc.
They tend to write as much as they can. This not only takes long time but also go
too far from the main idea. Sometimes, they note the less important information and

leave behind the main purposes of the speaker. All of problems above lead to an
unexpected result.
Together with many others skills in listening skill, note-taking plays very
important role because this stage supplements memory to have a better listening
skill. However, note-taking is not a simple skill. It requires very high requirements.


Students have to analyze, choose information and note down while listening for
speaker. Besides, the speed of speaking is faster than the speed of writing, student
must be fast to catch up with the speaker's idea. Thus, it seems harder work for the
second-year English majors at ThuongMai University.
All the above reasons have inspired me to choose the subject: A study on the
use of note-taking skill in listening skill of the second-year English majors at
ThuongMai University and suggested solutions.
1.2 Previous studies
 “Note-taking and Information Retention and Recall” - A thesis submitted
to the College of Communication and Information of Kent State University in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts by Gary
E.Meacher (May, 2012). This thesis offers a framework for the development of
Notable. He supposed that notable is a versatile tool that functions in varied notetaking environments. Considerations for different learning styles and activities that
aid in information retention and recall are uniquely utilized throughout the
application. Ethnographic research was conducted on middle school students to gain
insight into their learning environments, including the classroom, lecture styles,
note-taking tools, organizational methods and social interactions amongst teachers
and classmates.
 "Notes on Note-Taking: Review of Research and Insights for Students and
Instructors" by Michael C. Friedman (Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching
Harvard University). This literature overview is designed as a resource for both
students and instructors to gain insight into what education research reveals about
note-taking. He said that note-taking is an acquired skill that improves student

learning and retention of information in a variety of domains and subjects.
Importantly, comprehension and production processes (which both require working
memory resources) are needed simultaneously for optimal learning to occur, making
effective note-taking difficult to accomplish. The methods of assessment for notes
can be relatively subjective or inconsistent from one study to the next, which makes
it difficult to uniformly capture what makes for high-quality notes.


1.3 Aims of study
The study has purposes:
 To find out the use of note-taking skill in listening skill by second year
English majors in improving note-taking skill in listening class.
 To suggest some techniques to improve note-taking skill of the second-year
English majors of ThuongMai University.
1.4 Research subjects
 How to take note while listening to English by the second year English
majors at ThuongMai University?
1.5 The scope of study
English listening is a big theme. However, because of the limited time and my
knowledge, in this graduation paper, I only focus on the use of note taking skill in
listening of the second year English majors at ThuongMai University and some
techniques to improve note-taking skill for them. The study limits itself at
presenting how to take note while English listening of the second-year English
majors of ThuongMai University.

Moreover, I concentrate on improving note

taking skill in listening class accessed in the view of students.
1.6 Research Methology
 With a hope that I could research successfully the topic "A study on the use

of note-taking skill in listening skill of the second-year English majors at Thuong
Mai University and suggested solutions" the following methods are used in the
research process:
 Firstly, interviews 300 second-year English majors of ThuongMai
University.
 Secondly, survey questionnaires for 300 second-year English students
Major of ThuongMai University.
 Finally, in

order

to

accomplish

the

graduation paper, a flexible

combination of methods is used, which embraces collection, categorizing and
analyzing of data, and description of result.


1.7 Organization of the study
The study is divided into four parts:
 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION presents the rationales, aims, research
subjects, scope, methodology and organization of the study.
 Chapter 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND - deals with the concepts
including listening and note taking skill in listening skill, types of listening, and the
roles of note taking skill in listening skill.

 Chapter 3: DATA ANALYSIS – shows the results of the survey and a
comprehensive analysis on the data collected.
 Chapter 4: SOME SUGGESTED TECHNIQUES


Chapter 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
2.1 Listening comprehension
2.1.1 Definition of Listening comprehension
Listening is considered as one of the most important parts of the oral
communication. The term is used in order to make oral communication effective.
There was an idea that “Students spend 20 percent of all school related hours just
listening. If television watching and one-half of conversations are included, students
spend approximately 50 percent of their waking hours just listening. For those hours
spent in the classroom, the amount of listening time can be almost 100 percent”.
Obviously, it is believed that listening is a significant and essential area of
development in a native language and in a second language, therefore, there have
been numerous definitions of listening and listening skill.
According to Howatt and Dakin (1974), listening is ability to identify and
understand what others are saying. This process involves understanding a speaker’s
accent

and

pronunciation,

the

speaker’s

grammar

and

vocabulary

and

comprehension of meaning. An able listener is capable of doing these four things
simultaneously.
Rubin (1995) conceived listening as an active process in which a listener
selects and interprets information, which comes from auditory and visual clues in
order to define what is going on and what the speakers are trying to express.
Purdy (1991) defined listening as “the active and dynamic process of
attending, perceiving, listening, remembering and responding to the expressed
verbal and non-verbal needs, concerns and information offered by the human
beings”.
Carol (1993) described listening as a set of activities that involve “the
individual’s capacity to apprehend, recognize, discriminate or even ignore”.
Wolvin and Coakley (1985) points out that listening is “the process of
receiving, attending to and assigning meaning to aural stimuli”. This definition
suggests that listening is a complex, problem-solving skill. The task of listening is
more than perception of sound. This view of listening is in accordance with second-


language theory which considers listening to spoken language as an active and
complex process in which listeners focus on selected aspects of aural input,
construct meaning, and relate what they hear to existing knowledge (O’Malley &
Chamot, 1989).
Recently, Imhof (1998) stated that listening is “the active process of selecting
and integrating relevant information from acoustic input and this process is

controlled by personal intentions which are critical to listening”.
Rost (2002) confirmed, “Listening is experiencing contextual effects‖ which
can be translated as ―listening as a neurological event (experiencing) overlaying a
cognitive event creating a change in a representation”, etc
2.2 Note-taking
2.2.1 Definition of Note-taking
Note taking is to record and capture the essence of information, Moreover,
recording the key points of information from another source, such as an oral
discussion, lectures, books, and other sources in a systematic way. In other words,
learners have to gather the information together in a way that makes sense to them,
and choose the appropriate method that suits their needs.
According to Shelley O'Har, "Taking notes involves active listening, as well as
connecting and relating information to ideas you already know. It also involves
seeking answers to questions that arise from the material.”
And Walter Pauk and Ross J.Q. Owens supposed that "Taking notes doesn't
simply mean scribbling down or marking up the things that strike your fancy. It
means using a proven system and then effectively recording information before
tying everything together."
According to Monereo,C. , note-taking is the hegemonic study activity at
university and the main ground for education interaction between teacher and
students. This observation has given rise to an increasing and interest in studying
students' note-taking and its impact on learning
So in my opinion, note taking is an essential skill for university students, but
taking notes and integrating information from many sources, including textbooks,
labs, online discussions, lectures, and/or seminars, can be challenging. Take time to


explore different note-taking methods in order to determine which method works
best for you and your course requirements.
2.3 The importance of note-taking while listening

Taking notes is a skill we all use, to some extent, recording useful information,
and identifying key points within it, as a part of organizing the daily life. Hence,
learners need to develop this skill. Good notes should be accurate, clear and
concise. Taking notes helps the learner to maintain a permanent record of what they
have listened to.
K. Dietsche, submitted these tips for a project in 2000. –DGJ“As an adult
student, and mother of three college-aged children, experience has taught me the
importance of good study skills and habits. Not only can a student “survive”
college with these skills, they can actually do quite well. I took the opportunity to
write this paper with my children in mind. Learning how to take lecture notes
effectively is the first step college students need to make the transition from high
school to college easier.”
According to Walter Pauk, people lose their retention at the following rates:
 20 minutes 47% forgotten
 1 day 62% forgotten
 75 days 75% forgotten
 78 days 78% forgotten
Hence, having notes to fall back on for review is essential for attaining good
grades.
Note taking, in addition to helping retention, allows students to become
effective learners. George Dudycha, a professor of psychology at Wittenberg
College states, “The taking of notes facilitates learning. When one takes notes he
attends to what is said and done; he analyzes and thinks rapidly about what he sees
and hears; and finally he records his observations. Attending to, analyzing, and
doing something about a class lecture means the student is actively engaged in
those activities that are essential to effective learning.” He goes on to say that notes
are “the cues that stimulate recall”.


College academic and learning skill centers actively promote the use of notetaking in lectures to improve a student’s learning capabilities:

 Note-taking is one way to enhance listening, and using a systematic
approach to the taking and reviewing of your notes can add immeasurably to your
understanding and remembering the content of lectures (Berkeley College).
 Effective note taking is an essential part of any successful academic study
program. It is a high level skill, involving such complex cognitive processes as
analyzing, synthesizing, writing, evaluating, and reviewing. But more than anything
else, it requires active listening (University of Texas at Austin).
2.4 Effective note-taking techniques while listening
2.4.1 Learn to abbreviate and use symbols
Another important thing that should be taken into account in taking notes is
the use of abbreviations and symbols. Wallace (1984) indicated that this strategy
can save a lot of valuable time. Learners should avoid the counterproductive effect
of using abbreviations and symbols that they would not be able to understand later.
Learners should be careful in the use of this aid to quick note taking.
Fisher and Harris (1994) found that students perform note-taking more
efficiently when they are allowed "to encode information" using abbreviations.
McKeachie (1994) suggests that abbreviating of spoken information leads to an
increase to the number of words in working memory and improvement of subject
retention. Boyle (2001) concluded that use of abbreviations decreases hands and
eyes engagement and enable to record spoken information more efficiently.
Moreover, abbreviating the spoken word increases the attention and
concentration span, and provides more time for students to comprehend class
material. They can process spoken information into written form faster and it
enhances retention of the information and can lead to improvement in overall
organization of their notes. In addition, a higher writing speed allows more time to
pay attention to handwriting legibility and style to make notes legible and readable.


Figure 1: Prestyn Kylie (2015, April19) some abbreviations for taking note
To sum up, abbreviations and symbols are, like other elements in notes, “a

means to an end, not an end in themselves” (Jones, 2002). What is the use of
abbreviations and symbols, if they do not help students to do his/her work better?
For the students to fully get benefits from note-taking, a system of abbreviations
and symbols that is logical, connected and unequivocal should be developed on his
or her own.
The main method for writing brief notes is to write only the key words that
convey the necessary meaning that you need. These key words can often be
abbreviated or symbolized. Walter Pauk suggests the following:


 Use symbols
≠ = does not equal
f = frequency
< > = less than, greater than
↓ = decreases
 Leave out periods in standard abbreviations.
ISU = Illinois State University
cf = confer
dept = department
 Use only the first syllable of a word.
pol = politics
cap = capitalism
 Use the entire first syllable and only the first letter of the second syllable.
soc = sociology
ind = individual
subj = subject
 Eliminate final letters. Use just enough of the beginning of a word to form
an easily recognizable unit.
assoc = associate
info = information

biol = biological
intro = introduction
 Omit vowels from the middle of words. Retain only enough consonants to
provide a recognizable skeleton of the word.
skltn = skeleton
gvt = government
prblm = problem
bkgd = background
 With words that have more than one ending, include the final consonant.
demy = democracy
demt = democrat


 Spell out short words. Time won’t be saved by shortening a word that is
already short.
ex.: in, at, to, for, but
 Leave out a, the, and other unimportant adjectives.
2.4.2 Use mind maps in taking note
The term ‘Mind-map’ was coined in the late 1960’s by Tony Buzan. “A mind
map is a graphic technique provides a universal key to unlock the potential of the
bran. It harnesses the full range of cortical skills: words, images, number, logic,
rhythm, color and spatial awareness.”, stated by Tony Buzan (2012). Moreover, a
mind map captures and helps in recording, memorizing and connecting the
information in a visually expressive manner.
In other words, the map involves a combination of words and images.
Additionally, Buzan encouraged the use of at least three colors, symbols, and codes
to highlight or represent ideas. Furthermore, he argued that the approach works best
if people relax and their minds go free and be unrestrained by conventional
thinking. Mind mapping is claimed to be effective in helping people to visualize,
structure and classify ideas.

Buzan has identified the foundation structures of a mind map, although they
are open to individual interpretation:
 Start in the centre of the page with a keyword or phrase. It may also help if
you can conceptualise the topic as an image.
 Then use lines to extend out from the centre in a radiating pattern. The
lines closest to the core of the mind map can be thicker than those at the periphery.
 Select key words and phrases, and position each word in its own space,
separate from others, on one of the extending lines. Each line is the same length as
the key word or phrase.
 Each line branches off from the earlier line to form another sub-concept or
sub-level of detail. Nevertheless, all extending lines at the periphery link back to the
mind map core.
 Make effective use of color, incorporating at least 3 colors throughout
your mind map. The colors you select can develop into your own code of meaning.


Here a certain color is used to connect key words and phrases in a related topic
and/or sub-topic area within the mind map.
 Use images, symbols, and codes, where relevant, throughout your mind
map. These may contribute to your own mind mapping style.
 Demonstrate emphasis and associations with the use of colour and
interconnecting lines. Alternatively, use your own techniques for emphasis and
showing associations between ideas.

Figure 2: Mind mapping information and advices, how to make a mind map
2.4.3 Two - column method to take notes
Kathleen T. McWhorter said that "This note-taking method is valuable for all
learners. Draw a vertical line from the top of a piece of paper to the bottom. The
left-hand column should be about half as wide as the right-hand column. In the

wider right-hand column, record ideas and facts as they are presented in a lecture
or discussion. In the narrower, left-hand column, note your own questions as they
arise during the class. When you go home and review your notes, add summaries of
major concepts and sections to the left-hand margin. This method allows you to
quickly review an outline or overview of a lecture by reading the left-hand column
and to study specific information and examples in the right-hand column."

Figure 3: Two - column method to take notes


2.4.4 Review and edit your notes
Academic skills centers and other authorities on effective study skills consider
reviewing and editing class notes to be the most important part of note taking and
essential to increasing learning capacity.
 It is extremely important to review your notes within 24 hours.
 Edit for words and phrases that are illegible or don’t make sense. Write out
abbreviated words that might be unclear later.
 Edit with a different colored pen to distinguish between what you wrote in
class and what you filled in later.
 Fill in key words and questions in the left-hand column.
 Note anything you don’t understand by underlining or highlighting to
remind you to ask the instructor.
 Consider rewriting or typing up your notes.
Ann Dillon supposed that "Leave a space between entries so that you can fill
in missing information. Always review your notes after class for accuracy. If
something isn't clear, find out what you missed and add it to your notes”.
To sum up, taking note while listening to English plays very important role
because this stage supplements memory to have a better listening skill. However,
note-taking is not a simple skill. Students have to analyze, choose information and

note down while listening. Besides, the speed of speaking is faster than writing’
speed, student must be fast to catch up with the speaker's idea. So, it is necessary for
them to improve note-taking skill.


Chapter 3: DATA ANALYSIS
In this chapter, with data collected from the survey questionnaires and
inteview, a comprehensive analysis will be presented. It is the studying about the
use of notes-taking in English listening through the data from the questionnaire by
the means of pie charts and columns, laid our corresponding to the sequence of the
questions and draws out immediately conclusions at each figure.
3.1 Discussion about English listening skill of the second-year
English majors of ThuongMai University (Q1, Q2, Q3).
Listening skills are a difficult and important skill for all foreign
languages learners. In fact, when you are a good listener, you will easily
handle the information that the speaker mentions and help you feel more
confident in communication. However, being a good listener is not easy. We
must cultivate, practice and learn how to handle sensitive situations.
For students in the second year of college major in business English,
the improvement and cultivation of listening skills is very necessary. It is one
of the skills that help them reach their goal of communicating in English.
From the result of question 1, I can see that most students in the second
year of English 60% of students start learning listening English Skill from
High school and most of them admit that their level of listening is normal or
bad.


90

80

76.6

70

60

50

40

30

20
11.7
10

6

4

1.7
0

Very good

Quite good

Good

Normal

Bad

Diagram 1: English listening level of second-year English majors at ThuongMai
University
The number from the table and chart indicates that majority of the second-year
English majors of ThuongMai University (76.6%) self-assess their listening skills at
a normal level and 4% of the students self-assess their listening skills at poor level.
Only 19.4% of students rated themselves good or better (1.7% students: very good,
6% students: quite good, 11.7% students: good).
Nearly 100% of students find that listening skills is a difficult and very
difficult skill because:
 It requires high concentration while listening. This makes them under
stressful.
 They have to perform a lot of skills at the same time while listening for
information processing: note skills, concentration skills, and so on.


 They hardly catch up with the speed of the station and the trainers so it is
very difficult for them to get main information and key words.
 Their pronunciation is a barrier of getting good listening skill.
 Their vocabulary is limited
3.2 Discussion about note-taking skill while listening to English of the
second-year English majors of ThuongMai University. (Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8, Q9)
From the result of the question 4a, 4b, I see that almost of the second-year
English majors of ThuongMai University are aware of recording the important
information while listening to English. They found that recording while listening
gave them many benefits to improve their listening skills. However, their writing
speed was slow, their recording still get difficulties.

A small part of students do not record while listening to English, the first
reason is that they cannot take notes while listening to the same time, the speed of
the tapes makes them feel embarrassed when note the key words while this section,
the tapes are broadcast to the next. The second reason is they have good listening
skills so recording while listening is not very necessary.
3.2.1 Using abbreviations
Table 1: Frequency of students in using symbols and abbreviations to take
notes while listening to English
Number
%
Usually
5
1.6
Often
95
31.7
Sometimes
150
50
Rarely or never
50
16.7
Total
300
100%
Question 5 is used to investigate the frequency of students in using
abbreviations to take notes while listening to English. Students use abbreviations
while taking notes with varying frequency. Most of them often and sometimes use
it. Their main reasons is abbreviating while listening help students catch up with the
speed of the tapes or lectures and they can record more information than trying to

write down write full sentences.


60.00%
50.00%

50.00%
40.00%
31.70%
30.00%
20.00%

16.70%

10.00%
1.60%
0.00%

Usually

Often

Sometimes

Rarely or never

Diagram 2: Frequency of students in using symbols and abbreviations to take
notes while listening to English
Looking at the diagram, we can see that the number of students who often and
sometimes use abbreviations to take note accounted for more than 80%. Besides,

only 1.6% of students usually use abbreviations to record important information or
key word. The following tables will indicate the tips or techniques, the second-years
English majors of ThuongMai University usually apply to abbreviate.
Table 2: Tips or techniques of students to abbreviate.
Tips
Use symbols
Leave out periods in standard abbreviations. (ex: dept = department)
Use only the first syllable of a word (ex: cap = capitalism)
Use the entire first syllable and only the first letter of the second
syllable (ex: subj = subject)
Use just enough of the beginning of a word to form an easily
recognizable unit (ex: assoc = associate)
Other ways:
 Leave out a, the, and other unimportant adjectives and unimportant
verbs
 Omit vowels from the middle of words. Retain only enough
consonants to provide a recognizable skeleton of the word
(ex: gvt = government)

(%)
93%
43%
75%
82%
87%

35%


As can be seen from the above table and the result of question 5b, most of the

second-years English majors of ThuongMai University have well applied their
abbreviation ways in recording while listening.
There are about 16.7% of students rarely or never use. The students who rarely
or never use explained that they tried abbreviating to note key words while listening
to English but they felt it hard for them to understand clearly what those words
mean when reviewing their notes. They are not used to writing off a word.
To sum up, a part of students only know a few of abbreviations or symbol and
they have not built their own acronyms yet so they feel confused and unfamiliar
with abbreviating. They currently do not know how to abbreviate effectively and the
advantage of using abbreviation and symbols in their taking note. They waste a lot
of time for writing everything in words and cannot note the information as much as
they use abbreviation and symbols in note. It is one of the main reasons why they
cannot get all the main content in each lecture.
3.2.2 Using Mind map (Q6)
Mind mapping is one of the most effective methods to record what a listener
hears. It also makes it easy for the listener to remember and understand the notes.
Actually, the results of the survey question show that as many as 37% of
second-year students in the English department of commerce use a memory map to
record what they hear from the tape or teacher. The reason for this is:
 They point out that mind mapping helps them a lot in memorizing the text
and when they review the notes with the mind map, they easily understand the main
content of the note as well as key words and important information of listening
lesson.
 They also said that using competently mind mapping to note while
listening to English is a good way to recall the content of listening lessons.
However, the remaining 63% do not use mind map to note while listening to
English. Accordingly, the question 7c was raised to discover the main reason of the
fact.