Effects of Strategy Instruction on Tertiary Students’ Attitudes towards Learning English Listening Skill: An Action Research Project in Vietnam

Abstract

Strategy instruction has been proved as an effective method to enhance the listening ability and metacognition of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). However, little attention has been paid to how listening strategy instruction impacts the learners' attitudes towards their listening learning. This study investigated Vietnamese students' attitudes towards English listening learning after the two cycles of an action research project in which strategy instruction was employed as the intervention. A total of 30 English-majored freshmen students in a university in Vietnam expressed their attitudes through weekly diaries and focus-group interviews. The findings revealed that the students showed positive attitudes towards English listening learning in terms of all three aspects of attitudes, i.e., cognitive, behavioral, and effective. The results of the study suggest that teachers of English should implement strategy instruction in English listening classes to motivate their EFL learners. Moreover, collaboration with the teacher and among partners is advisable.