Listening Comprehension: A Key to the World

This work aims at investigating the effectiveness of scaffolding interactive activities in developing English listening comprehension skills of the sixth grade elementary pupils. To fulfill this aim, the present study takes 50 pupils as its subject and divides them equally into two groups- control and experimental. Both groups study the same lessons. To determine which listening skills are included in the English textbooks taught in the sixth grade, a listening skill list is selected and the textbook is analyzed accordingly. A listening comprehension test is then designed and used as a pre/post test. The treatment is designed by the researcher to develop the experimental group skills and taught over 16 classes in 8 weeks (2 per week). Statistical results show statistically-significant differences in the mean scores of the experimental and control groups in the post-test (as a whole) in favor of the latter, and of the experimental in the pre-test and post-test in favor of the post-test. It then becomes possible to conclude that the proposed scaffolding interactive activities are very effective in developing the addressed listening comprehension skills.

Autorentext

Salwa Al-Yami, MA: Studied Education and Teaching Methodology (TEFL) at King AbdulAziz University. A former teacher of English in public schools, a former lecturer at the Department of Education, a present lecturer at the Department of European Languages at King AbdulAziz University- Jeddah.