Teaching English to high school students in rural and urban areas in Vietnam: students' listening competence and teachers' perceptions

This study explores the differences in English listening competence of urban and rural high school students in Northern Vietnam. English listening competence is critical to young people's employabibity in contexts where English is used. It is affected by a number of factors in the teaching and learning process, such as learners' background, and social and pedagogical factors (Field, 2010; Goh, 1999). This mixed-methods case study was conducted in English classes in two high schools, in urban and rural regions of Vietnam. Both student and teacher data were collected through administering a listening test and questionnaire for students, plus a questionnaire and follow-up interviews to explore teachers' perceptions. The collected data then was analyzed by thematic coding and constant comparative method. The results reveal a remarkable divergence in listening competence between students in the two contexts. Three groups of factors interfere with students' achievement in their English listening skills. These are teacher factors (teacher beliefs and frustration), school factors ( exposure time), and social factors ( career orientation, perception of the value of English, and learning conditions). The study draws some conclusions for pedagogy and teacher development.