The Impact of Extensive Listening on Listening Anxiety, Listening Skills and Attitude towards English Courses

Authors : Nilüfer Aybirdi, Turgay Han, Pembe Töngel

Pages : 194-211

Doi:10.38151/akef.2024.138

View : 120 | Download : 152

Publication Date : 2024-09-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study aimed to explore the effects of extensive listening (EL) to podcasts on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ listening anxiety, listening proficiency and attitudes towards English school lessons. Two intact classes with a total of 45 female tenth graders were assigned as the experimental and control group of the study. At the outset of the study, the participants’ level of listening competence was measured through the Key English Test (KET) developed by the Cambridge University. The “Foreign Language Listening Anxiety Scale” (FLLAS) and the “Scale of Attitudes towards English Courses” (SATEC) were administered subsequently to both groups. The experimental group received the treatment including 15 podcasts for EL practice. All the quantitative measurements were repeated after the treatment. Quantitative data was triangulated through semi-structured interviews with a sub-sample of 10 students. The results demonstrated that the students in the experimental group significantly improved their listening comprehension skills. The treatment reduced students’ listening anxiety while the reverse was true for the students in the control group receiving traditional second/foreign language (L2) instruction only. The findings of the study encourage L2 teachers to consider authentic input, namely podcasts, as a source of reducing students’ listening anxiety and improving listening proficiency. That students’ attitudes remained stable in both groups provides guidance for future research.
Keywords : Kapsamlı dinleme, Podcast, Dinleme yeterliliği, Dinleme kaygısı, Tutum