Volume 7, Issue 1 April 2014
A Study on the Relationship of English Listening Comprehension to Linguistic, Cognitive and Affective Variables among Taiwanese Elementary School Students
Wei-Chen Chen, Wen-Ying Lin
Abstract:
The present study intended to take a close look at the relationship of Taiwanese young learners' English listening comprehension to three clusters of variables —linguistic (general English proficiency and English vocabulary knowledge), cognitive, (Chinese listening ability and metacognitive awareness), and affective (English listening anxiety and language learning motivation). The participants of the present study were 141 sixth graders from two schools in Taipei City and New Taipei City. The instruments used in this study were: (1) an English listening comprehension test, (2) an English proficiency test, (3) a Chinese listening comprehension test, (4) an English vocabulary test, (5) a metacognitive awareness questionnaire, (6) an FL listening anxiety scale, and (7) a motivation questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed mainly through multiple regression analysis procedures. The major findings were summarized as follows. First, the three clusters of variables together significantly contributed to English listening comprehension (_R__2_ = .39, _F_(6, 134) = 14.15, _p_ < .001). Second, the cognitive variables significantly provided a unique (9%) explained variance (_R__2__change_ = .09, _F__change_(2,136) = 7.76, _p_ < .01) in English listening performance after the affective variables had been accounted for. Finally, the linguistic variables also significantly provided an additional (18%) explained variance (_R__2__change_ = .18, _F__change_(2,134) = 19.44, _p_ < .001) in English listening performance over and beyond the prediction afforded by the affective and cognitive variables. Based on the findings of the present study, some implications and recommendations for future research were provided.
Using CA for Effective Communicative Language Teaching
Emiko Matsui, Rikkyo Jogakuin Junior College
Abstract:
In this brief, reflective analysis, the author conducts an exploratory conversation analysis action-research project to better understand the dynamics of her own classroom. She attempts to answer the simple question of how effective she is in promoting a communicative learning environment in her Japanese university classroom. Her findings include increased understanding of her own limitations in encouraging student output, as well as surprise at how readily students engaged in repair practices.