Browsing by Subject "Listening."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

Open Access
A comparison of EFL teachers' and students' perceptions of listening comprehension problems and teachers' reported classroom practices
(2013) Yıldırım, Selin
This study aims to explore teachers’ perceptions of university level students’ listening comprehension problems, who learn English as a Foreign Language (EFL), in order to compare them with the students’ perceptions, as well as to probe into teachers’ reported classroom practices to deal with these listening comprehension problems. With this aim, the study was carried out with 423 B1.2 level EFL learners and 49 teachers in Turkey. First, the participating teachers were asked to list B1.2 level students’ listening comprehension problems, and then both teachers and students were given a 30-item questionnaire with 5 sub-categories related listening comprehension problems: message, task, speaker, listener and strategy use. In addition, 12 teachers, who were chosen by considering the results of the quantitative data, were interviewed in order to explore how teachers help their students to overcome their listening comprehension problems.The results of the quantitative data revealed that several items in each subcategory of the questionnaire showed statistically significant differences. Except for one item, teachers’ mean scores were always higher than students’ mean scores, which indicate that students do not experience these listening comprehension problems as frequently as their teachers think and teachers may be more aware of these listening comprehension problems than their students. The analysis of the interviews revealed that, all of the participating teachers considered listening as a very important skill for their students. In addition, it is found that although teachers have different perceptions among themselves and have different years of experiences, when their reported classroom practices are considered, they perform similarly in the classroom in order to help their students to overcome their listening comprehension problems.
Open Access
The effect of language of note taking on successful task completion
(2009) Bozkurt, Zeral
This study investigated the effect of language choice on students‟ ability to take notes while listening; another aim in this study was to compare these students‟ performance in completing tasks, according to the language they take notes in. Moreover, it explored students‟ perceptions of and their preferences for language of note taking. The study was conducted with the participation of 38 intermediate level students, divided into two classes at English Language Preparatory School of Zonguldak Karaelmas University. A three-week note taking in L1 and L2 implementation was carried out according to the schedule and tasks developed by the researcher. The data were gathered through students‟ notes they took in L1 and L2, the tests they did after each note taking, the summaries written from their notes and group interviews with the students. In each week of the three-week implementation, the classes listened to a real world text in the second language and took notes in the first or second language and they also summarized their notes in the language they took the notes. After these procedures, they performed the tests. The first week of this three-week implementation was like a preparation for students‟ taking notes. The students were interviewed in order to see their attitudes towards note taking and language of note taking. The quantitative and qualitative analyses demonstrated that there was no significant difference between Turkish and English note taking on task completion. Further, the students found Turkish note taking more difficult than English note taking, yet they expressed positive perceptions of note taking in general. This study implied that a note taking strategy could be incorporated into English Language Preparatory School of Zonguldak Karaelmas University in order for the students to understand the listening texts.
Open Access
Effects of training university EFL students in metacognitive strategies for listening to academic lectures
(1993) Özbilgin, Alev
The problem investigated by this research is whether strategy training in listening comprehension in particular is effective with EFL university students. Two hypotheses were set to understand the role of strategy training on the performance of EFL students on lecture comprehension. Two groups were formed to test the hypotheses. One of the groups was a "self-questioning" experimental group (SQ) and the other was a "review" control group (R). A total of thirteen EFL learners participated in the study. Students in SQ condition were trained to use self-questioning strategy by practising it with different listening texts as well as lecture excerpts. Students in R condition, on the other hand, reviewed and practised the lecture material by summary writing. These two groups met the researcher once a week separately for half an hour. The first hypothesis was that Turkish EFL students who were trained in self-questioning would do better on achievement tests than similar students who only reviewed their lecture notes and practised summary writing. The analysis of data rejected this hypothesis. R group performed better on post-test than SQ group. There is, however, a gain in the results of the SQ group, although this gain does not reach a significant level (t=-1.66, df=7, p=0.14). The second hypothesis was that the students trained in selfquestioning strategy would use this strategy on their own in a lecture where they are not instructed to use, and thus would maintain this strategy in new situations. On this maintenance test, students in R condition showed better performance than students in SQ condition. However, the analysis of data indicated that SQ could not maintain the strategy. Thus, this hypothesis was also rejected (t=0.06, df=9, p=0.14).
Open Access
The effects of watching American TV series on tertiary level EFL learners' use of formulaic language
(2014) Erdemir, Fatma Birgül
This study investigates the effects of watching an American TV Series, How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM), on tertiary level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ use of formulaic language. The participants were 66 Upper Intermediate level students studying at Akdeniz University, School of Foreign Languages, Intensive English Program. The study employed an experimental and a control group. At the beginning of the study, both groups were administered a pre-Discourse Completion Test (DCT) to determine their knowledge of formulaic language. After the pre-test, the experimental group received formulaic language training through watching an American TV Series HIMYM while the control group received a traditional training of formulaic language without watching any American TV Series. At the end of the 3-week training, both groups were given a post-DCT to see if they have developed their use of formulaic language. After a two-week interval, both groups received a recall-DCT to check the long term effects of formulaic language training. The findings revealed that, both the experimental and the control groups have made progress in their use of formulaic language at the end of the formulaic language training. However, the experimental group’s development is statistically much higher than that of the control group in the recall-DCTs, which indicates the long-term effects of watching an American TV Series HIMYM. The findings revealed that formulaic language training through watching American TV Series is effective in improving the students’ formulaic language use in the long term. This finding confirms the previous literature which emphasizes the influence the use of authentic media tools has on foreign language acquisition. The present study has filled the gap in the literature on formulaic language use by suggesting the use of an American TV Series HIMYM as a source to develop EFL learners’ formulaic language use. This study gives the stakeholders; the administrators, curriculum designers, material developers, and teachers the opportunity to draw on the findings in order to shape curricula, create syllabi, develop materials, and conduct classes accordingly
Open Access
An investigation of Turkish preparatory class students' listening comprehension problems and perceptual learning styles
(2009) Demirkol, Tuba
Listening is a skill that many Turkish EFL learners have constant problems with and perceptual learning styles of the students is a factor that plays an important role in students‟ learning a foreign language. This study aimed to find out (a) the most and the least frequent listening comprehension problems of the students, (b) the difference in listening comprehension problems in terms of proficiency levels and gender, (c) common perceptual learning styles among the Turkish university students, and (d) the relationship between students perceptual learning styles and listening comprehension problems. The study was conducted at Gazi University, School of Foreign Languages, with the participation of 295 students from three different proficiency levels (pre-intermediate,
Open Access
Pronunciation awareness training as an aid to development EFL learners' listening comprehension skills
(2012) Ak, Sevil
This study investigates the effects of pronunciation awareness training on listening comprehension skills of tertiary level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. The participants were 68 Upper Intermediate level students studying at Gazi University, School of Foreign Languages, Intensive English Program. Two experimental and four control groups were employed in the study. At the beginning of the study, all groups were administered a pre training test to determine their level of listening comprehension. After the pre-test, the experimental groups received the pronunciation awareness training, while the control groups continued their regular classes. At the end of the 6-week period, all groups were given a post training test to see if they have improved their listening comprehension skills. The findings revealed that, both the experimental and the control groups have performed a statistically significant development at the end of the 6-week period. Although the control group has increased their listening comprehension skills, which may be attributed to the success of the program offered by Gazi University, School of Foreign Languages, the fact that the experimental group has performed a significantly higher development implies that the pronunciation awareness training has been more effective in developing listening comprehension skills than their regular English classes. This finding confirms the previous literature suggesting the relationship between pronunciation awareness and listening comprehension. The present study has filled the gap in the literature on listening comprehension regarding integrating listening and pronunciation by suggesting a new way to apply in order to develop EFL learners‟ listening skills. This study gives the stakeholders; the administrators, curriculum designers, material developers, and teachers the opportunity to draw on the findings in order to shape curricula, create syllabi, develop materials, and conduct classes accordingly.