The Effectiveness of a Top-Down Approach within a Blended Learning Environment for Enhancing Listening Skills of Students Learning English as a Foreign Language at Nguyen Tat Thanh University

Abstract

This study examnied the effectiveness of the top-downapproach in a blended learning environment with an aim of improving EFL students ' listening skills at Nguyen Tat Thanh University. A quasi-experimental design to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group received top-down listening instruction focusing on prediction, activation of background knowledge, and gist comprehension. Quantitative data from midterm listening scores on the Richmond LMS were analyzed using independent samples t-test, revealing a significant improvement of nearly 20 % in the experimental group, with a large effect size. A survey with a 15-item Linkert-scale questionnare and open-ended questions  was employed to examine learning perceptions, anylyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The findings indicated that the top-down approad enhanced listening performance and promoted more positive leaner perceptions, offering practical implications for EFL listening instruction.