EFL students’ difficulties in VSTEP listening comprehension at a university in Can Tho city

Abstract

It is widely accepted that listening comprehension is of the utmost importance in second language acquisition. To attain a defined level of mastery in English listening skills, however, has never been an effortless task. On that account, the study entitled “EFL students’difficulties in VSTEP listening comprehension at a Univerity in Can Tho City” was conducted. Through a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data, the research identified key difficulties that impeded students' listening proficiency. The study included 65 participants who were seniors English majors aged from 21 to 23, all of whom were studying at TDU. Data was collected using research instruments such as questionnaires and interviews through Google Forms. The results revealed that students' difficulties were due to a variety of issues, including lack of vocabulary, restricted background knowledge, pronunciation, speed, foreigners' accents, attitude, and emotion. Based on these insights, the study provided several recommendations for enhancing listening comprehension methodologies, including integrating a wider variety of listening exercises into the curriculum, offering targeted strategy training, and utilizing technologyassisted learning tools. These recommendations aimed to improve the overall listening skills of EFL students and better prepare them for the VSTEP examination.