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

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 organizes listening skills into macro-language use, "the learning of elements of language and their potential combinations", and micro-skills that each perform different functions. It reports Rivers and Temperly's seven enumerated listening abilities, Richards' 33 micro-skills (of which ten are listed, from retaining chunks of language to recognizing core conversational vocabulary), Richards' three listening areas (conversational, academic, pleasure listening), and Richards' three levels of processing: propositional identification, interpretation of illocutionary force, and activation of real world knowledge.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Instruction should treat listening as a primary skill in its own right rather than a by-product of other practice

Constraints¶

• The skills are inter-dependent and integrated with each other, not separate

Target Learners¶

• EFL learners from elementary to advanced levels

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Listening comprehension skill development in EFL

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¶

• Listening as an active process of constructing meaning from a stream of sounds
• Unified taxonomy of subskills shared between and exclusive to reading and listening comprehension

Examples¶

• Four-stage progression for teaching listening skills across proficiency levels
• Increase listening instruction time and replace audio-lingual pattern drills with listening comprehension materials

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