This study examines the approaches considered effective by EFL teachers in solving their learners’ major listening difficulties. In-depth semi-structured interviews were adopted to probe into 10 Chinese EFL teachers’ beliefs about what they perceived to be effective methods that would assist their students in dealing with their listening difficulties. In the interview, the teachers were asked to identify the main sources of their students’ listening difficulties, discuss their preferred approaches to helping their students deal with their listening problems, and describe instructional procedures that would enhance their students’ overall listening abilities. The results show that in general these teachers share a preference for a bottom-up approach to teaching L2 listening, stressing the importance of giving priority to developing their students lower level skills such as coping with fast speed and recognizing words in speech. However, differences in opinions are identified among the teachers, especially regarding the degree of importance attached to the teaching of listening strategies. Overall, the results seem to lend support to the argument that enhancing EFL learners’ bottom-up processing competence is perhaps the first thing that needs to be addressed to help EFL learners build a solid linguistic foundation before they move on to learning the more advanced listening skills.
목차
Abstract INTRODUCTION THE STUDY Methodology Participants Data Collection Data Analysis Results and Discussion Preferred Approaches to Coping with Text-Related Variables Vocabulary instruction Topic preparation Slowing down the material mechanically Repeated listening Preferred Approaches to Coping with Processing Factor Pronunciation instruction Focused practice on phonetic variations Aural-written verification Dictation Repeated listening Strategy-based instruction LIMITATIONS AND DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH CONCLUSION THE AUTHORS REFERENCES APPENDIX
The goals of Asia TEFL are to promote scholarship, disseminate information, and facilitate cross-cultural understanding among persons concerned with the teaching and learning of English in Asia. In order to accomplish this, Asia TEFL will pursue the following goals:
1. To link ELT professionals in joint research on issues and concerns regarding English teaching and learning in the Asian context.
2. To publish an academic journal, The Asia TEFL Journal, as an internationally recognized journal in the field of English language teaching.
3. To host conferences and seminars addressing important issues concerning ELT in Asia.
4. To develop proficiency guidelines and assessment methods designed for the needs of the Asian context.
5. To develop programs for Asian learners and teachers of English to build their English language proficiency and cultural understanding and provide them with the skills required to be efficient English teaching professionals.