Listening as an active process of constructing meaning from a stream of sounds¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The paper argues that although listening is classified as a receptive skill, it is not passive: "Listeners do not passively absorb the words, but actively attempt to grasp the facts and feelings in what they hear". It reviews definitions from Chastain, Morley, Postovsky, Goss, James and others who treat listening comprehension as an activity in which listeners employ mental processes to decode meaning from oral texts, and O'Malley, Chamot and Kupper's account of listening as an active, conscious process using contextual cues and existing knowledge.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Learners must keep mentally active, attending to what the speaker says, how it is said, and the context of the message

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• EFL learners

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Listening comprehension in English as a foreign language

Claims¶

• A 2010 teacher guide reports, citing Postovsky (1974, 1975), that delaying oral production and emphasising aural comprehension early in EFL instruction gives better results than intensive oral practice [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Taxonomy of macro- and micro-skills of listening comprehension

Examples¶

• Increase listening instruction time and replace audio-lingual pattern drills with listening comprehension materials
• Dictation Exercises
• Audiobooks
• Audiobooks for Literacy Reinforcement
• Text To Speech Technology

Key Sources¶

• Cheung, Yun Kul. (2010). The Importance of Teaching Listening in the EFL Classroom. ERIC Classroom Teacher Guide. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED512082