The Impact Of Using Social Media On Improving English Listening Skills Among Students At Dong Nai University

Improving listening skills is a serious concern for students at Dong Nai University (DNU) as it is one on the four skills that they find the most difficult and that they have to study during four years. Therefore, this research was carried out to investigate the impact of using social media on helping students at DNU improve their English listening skills. The participants involved in this research were 94 DNU students from freshmen to final year students to collect data on using social media habits and self-perceived English listening abilities. The aim of this research is to find out that students who use social media to watch English videos, listen to news, songs … in English at least one or two hours per day can improve listening skills, gain more knowledge, vocabulary and grammar in everyday conversations and have a better ability to learn English with native speakers. Listening skills enhancement through social media under the guidance of the teacher or on students’ own promotes their learning because they can get accessed to a wide variety of materials which are suitable for their levels. Additionally, these students reported that they had greater confidence in understanding academic lectures and following English-language media content. Especially, their exposure to authentic English speech patterns, accents, and content via social media boosts real-world listening skills. Thus, within the limitations of this study, social media activities appear beneficial as supplementary tools when blended with traditional classroom instructions in enhancing English listening skills among DNU students. The study provides preliminary evidence that educational use of social media can effectively help students develop listening skills needed for academic and professional success. Further research is recommended to give support for the promising patterns observed here.