Planning, implementing, and evaluating an experimental listening program in the fifth grade

• Main Author: Moore, Mahalla
• Other Authors: Memorial University of Newfoundland. Faculty of Education
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 1985
• Subjects: Listening > Study and teaching; Reading (Elementary); Newfoundland studies; University of Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/theses2/id/37740

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1985. Education Bibliography: leaves 119-125. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a planned instructional listening skills program upon the listening achievement of a group of grade five students. It examined (1) the effect of direct listening instruction upon the listening achievement of grade five students, (2) the relationship between listening and reading skills of grade five students, (3) the relationship between listening and intelligence of grade five students, and (4) the specific problems experienced with the listening program, as well as the children's attitude towards the program. -- A review of the literature related to this study indicated that the listening ability of children can be improved through instruction. Studies have also shown that children who participated in a planned program of listening instruction not only improved their listening ability, but they also improved their reading ability. -- The listening skills program used in this study was built through the use of material from the Science Research Associates Listening Skills Program, IIb. The writer developed specific behavioural objectives for each lesson, and used the responses to these behavioural objectives as formative evaluation throughout the program. The program was taught in 22 half-hour lessons which concentrated on the following specific skills: (1) auditory discrimination, (2) following directions, (3) following sequence, (4) selecting main ideas and details, (5) note-taking, (6) summarizing, (7) recognizing cause and effect, (8) creative listening, (9) distinguishing between fact and opinion, and (10) making inferences. -- The instructional listening skills program was implemented during a 9-week instructional period. The study sample was selected from the grade five population of three elementary schools in the Avalon North Integrated School System. The study sample contained 68 students. These students were divided into an experimental group and a control group. Each group had 34 students. The intelligence quotients of the experimental group ranged from a low of 71 to a high of 115, and the intelligence quotients of the control group ranged from a low of 82 to a high of 116. -- Summative evaluation revealed that the experimental group made significant gains in the six listening and reading components-listening vocabulary, listening comprehension, total listening, reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, total reading. The control group showed significant gains in four of the six listening and reading components-listening vocabulary, listening comprehension, total listening, reading comprehension. However, in all components of the study, except listening vocabulary, the experimental group made gains that were superior to the gains made by the control group. For both the experimental group and the control group, the study showed a significant relationship between listening vocabulary and reading vocabulary, and between total listening and total reading. The relationship between listening comprehension and reading comprehension was positive but not significant. -- The findings of this study also indicated a strong relationship between listening and intelligence. Children with higher intelligence quotients listened better both before and after instruction in listening than did children of lower intelligence quotients. However, children who had lower intelligence made greater gains in listening during the instructional listening skills program than did the children of higher intelligence. -- The success ratio for each specific skill taught in the listening skills program was assessed to determine the areas of difficulty the children experienced during the program. It was discovered that their greatest areas of difficulty were; (1) selecting main ideas from details, (2) selecting key facts to make a summary, (3) arranging sentences in their proper sequence of cause and effect, (4) creative listening, and (5) making inferences. -- The program was also assessed on the basis of the children's attitude towards the program. This was done according to the children's responses to the specific questions: "Did you enjoy the listening program?" and "Do you think you should have another listening program soon?” Out of the 34 students who participated in the program, 32 claimed to have enjoyed the lessons and were in favour of having more lessons of a similar nature soon. -- It was recommended by the writer that a program of listening instruction should be introduced early in the school year to give plenty of opportunity for remedial and follow-up work in any listening skills which the children might find difficult. It was also recommended that listening instruction should provide specific purposes for listening, utilize appropriate listening materials, and provide challenging activities for the children.