MINISTRY OF FINANCE

UNIVERSITY OF FINANCE - MARKETING

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

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SPOTIFY: A SOLUTION TO ENHANCE ENGLISH LISTENING SKILLS

FOR ENGLISH MAJORS STUDENTS OF HO CHI MINH CITY

Reporter: Nguyễn Hoàng Phúc

Code: 2221000319
Class: 22DTA04
Supervising lecturer: ThS. Trần Đăng Khoa

Ho Chi Minh City, 8/11/2024

 ASSESSMENT

Number CRITERIA SCORE

• Form
• Accuracy
1 ___/1.0
• Images, graphics
• References, sources
2 • Introduction ___/0.5
3 Title of the research proposal ___/1.0
Background
4 • The rationale of the research ___/1.0
• Literature review ___/1.5
5 Aim & Objectives ___/1.0
Methodology
• The participant(s) ___/0.5
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• Method(s) of data collection ___/1.0
• Method(s) of data analysis ___/1.0
7 Timetable ___/1.0
8 Budget and resources ___/0.5
Total ___/10
INTRODUCTION

In terms of English language proficiency , listening skills are regarded as the most crucial
aspect. However, traditional teaching methods, while possessing their own advantages,
sometimes struggle to provide students with a vast and diverse range of up-to-date
listening materials. This limitation hinders students' opportunities to practice and improve
their listening abilities. To overcome these problems, Spotify, emerges as a potential
solution. It offers a unique experience for language students to immerse themselves in
authentic language use. By utilizing Spotify, learners can expose themselves to various
accents, dialects and speaking styles, thus enhancing their listening comprehension.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Listening

Listening skills are fundamental to language learning, particularly for English majors who
aim to master both the spoken and written aspects of the language. Listening
comprehension involves understanding spoken language, interpreting meaning, and
responding appropriately, which are crucial for communication. Lundsteen and Sara W.
(1979) defined listening as ‘the process by which spoken language is converted to meaning
in the mind’. As this definition suggests, listening is more than just hearing. Pearson and
Linda Fielding (1983) stated, “Listening involves the simultaneous organization and
combination of skills in Phonology, Syntax, Semantics, and knowledge of the text
structure, all of which seem to be controlled by the cognitive process. Thus it can be said
that though not fully realized, listening skill is essential in acquiring language proficiency”.
Recent studies emphasize that listening is often underdeveloped in language learning,
partly because traditional teaching methods prioritize reading and writing over listening
(Field, 2009). Moreover, non-native English learners frequently face challenges related to
various accents, speech rates, and colloquial expressions, making the need for diverse
listening practice more apparent (Rost, 2011). As such, finding engaging and effective
resources for practicing listening is crucial for English majors.

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Spotify

Spotify is a Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on April 23,
2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It has since evolved into one of the world's
largest music streaming platforms with over 626 million monthly active users, including a
substantial 246 million paying subscribers. A research conducted by Yuni Marsela et al.
(2024) has demonstrated the positive impact of using applications like Spotify on students'
listening skills. The platform offers a diverse array of features, including digital music,
podcasts, and video streaming. In the digital music feature, users can play their favorite
songs within the app. Podcasts themselves offer a wide variety of interesting listening
materials, while video streaming can also be used as a learning medium by watching videos
(Andriani et al., 2018). Spotify is available across a range of devices, including computers,
phones, tablets, speakers, TVs, and cars, and you can easily transition from one to another
with Spotify Connect ( one of Spotify features). Spotify's versatility is further enhanced by
its compatibility with a wide range of devices, from computers and smartphones to smart
TVs and automobiles. In today's technologically advanced world, most students possess
personal gadgets such as computers, smartphones, and tablets. This widespread
accessibility, coupled with Spotify's user-friendly interface and extensive content library,
makes it an ideal tool for language learners, particularly English majors, to hone their
listening skills.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

AIM

The research aims to explore how effective is Spotify as a tool for enhancing English
listening skills among English major university students in Ho Chi Minh City, and from
there, provide some recommendations to improve the effective use of Spotify.

OBJECTIVES

• Describe the current situation of English listening comprehension among

English major university students in Ho Chi Minh City.

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 • Evaluate the perceptions of students regarding the use of Spotify as a language
learning tool.
• Analyze the impact of Spotify on students' English listening comprehension
skills, including vocabulary acquisition, pronunciation, and overall fluency.
• Identify some specific features and strategies in utilizing Spotify that are most
effective in improving listening skills.
• Provide recommendations for improving the benefits of Spotify use on the
English listening skills of English majors students in Ho Chi Minh City.

METHODOLOGY

1. Research Design

This research will be conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods. This
approach will allow for a comprehensive understanding if Spotify is an effective tool to
enhance HCMC English majors students’ listening skills.

2. Participants

Population: English majors students that currently are studying in Ho Chi Minh City.

Sample Size: Approximately 300 students.

Criteria: Must be active Spotify users and fluent in both Vietnamese and English.

Methods of Data Collection

1. Online Surveys

A structured questionnaire via Google Forms will be set up and distribute to the network
of Ho Chi Minh City Universities to measure and assess Spotify usage with its correlation
to the listening skills improvement.

2. Semi-structured Interviews:

In-depth interviews will be conducted with a select group of English majors students to
gain a deeper understanding of their experiences with Spotify multimedia sevices. The

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interview questions will dive into their motivations for using Spotify, their perceptions of
the platform's effectiveness in improving listening skills, and any challenges they
encountered while using it.

Methods of Data Analysis

1. Quantitative Data Analysis

Statistical Techniques: Descriptive and correlational analyses using Microsoft Excel.

2. Qualitative Data Analysis

Thematic Analysis: Thematic analysis will be used to identify patterns and themes within
the qualitative data collected from the interviews. The transcripts will be coded and
categorized to extract key insights.

3. Mixed-Methods Data Analysis

Data Triangulation: The findings from both quantitative and qualitative data will be
triangulated to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the research question. By
combining the results from different data sources, researchers can enhance the validity and
reliability of their findings.

4. Comparative Analysis

Cross-Cultural Comparison: By comparing the findings from HCMC students to those

from elsewhere, we can gain insights into how cultural differences influence Spotify
engagement and English listening practices.

TIMETABLE

Date Action

October 25th, 2024 Choosing topic

October 25th – October 26th, 2024 Background research

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 October 27th – November 3rd, 2024 Data collection

November 3rd – November 8th, 2024 Data analysis

BUDGET AND RESOURCES

Resources Cost

Travel 100.000 VND

Total expenditure 100.000 VND

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REFERNCES

Lundsteen, Sara W. (1979). Listening: Its Impact at All Levels on Reading and the Other
Language Arts (Revised Edition). ERIC Clearinghouse of Reading and Communication
Skills, National Institute of Education.

Pearson and Linda Fielding (1983). Instructional implications of listening comprehension

research. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Field, J. (2009). Listening in the Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511575945

Rost, M. (2002). Teaching and Researching Listening (2nd ed.). Edinburgh: Pearson.

Yuni Marsela, Septi Nurul Aini, Putri Yuliastuti, Rizqah Fajar Khardani, Didin Nuruddin
Hidayat, Yatni Fatwa (2024) Tertiary Students’ Perspectives on the Use of English Songs
and Podcasts on Spotify in Improving Listening Skills. Jurnal Onoma: Pendidikan,
Bahasa dan Sastra, 10(1), 1149 – 1150. http://dx.doi.org/10.30605/onoma.v10i1.3283

Andriani, Akib, E., & Ma, A. (2018). The Use of Spotify Application to Improve Students
Ability in Listening Through English Song: A Pre-Experimental Research. 1(2).
https://ojs.fkip.unismuh.ac.id/index.php/JCIE/index