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7 (1) 2017

The impacts of rhetorical schema on English majors’ listening comprehension in academic situations at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology And Education


Author - Affiliation:
Le Thi Kim Thu - Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education , Vietnam
Nguyen Thanh Tung - Ho Chi Minh City University of Pedagogy , Vietnam
Corresponding author: Le Thi Kim Thu - thultk@hcmute.edu.vn

Abstract
Listening is a basic language skill which involves the interaction of diverse factors affecting learners’ listening comprehension. Learners often encounter various difficulties in listening to an oral text with a little knowledge of the reasons why it occurs. Moreover, teachers mainly pay more attention to it as a product rather than as a process. Also, the factors about listening strategies have been under-researched although they play a significant role in guiding learners through what to listen to and how to listen to it effectively. This study sought to investigate the effects of rhetorical schema including note-taking and four listening strategies, and the extent to which students change as regards strategy use and listening achievement in academic settings. Forty second-year EFL students from the two listening classes, one treated as the experimental group (EG) and the other as the control group (CG), at the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education (HCM UTE) were invited to participate in the study. Data were collected in the form of a questionnaire administered to EG and listening tests of IELTS part 4 taken by both groups. The findings indicate that EG students are more open to use the strategies introduced, so rhetorical schema positively enhance their listening comprehension. Notably, the scores of the rank high - distinction - appeared for the first time albeit its small percentage in EG. Students also express significant changes in their attitudes towards rhetorical strategies in terms of their awareness of its importance, frequent use, and confidence in listening to lectures in the future.

Keywords
Listening comprehension; Listening strategies; Note-taking strategies; Rhetorical schema

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