The Impact of a Native English Speaking Teacher on Listening Comprehension and Listening Anxiety: An Exploratory Study on Fifth Graders in A Rural District in Northern Taiwan

• Main Authors: Chen, Ya-Ching, 陳雅瀞
• Other Authors: Wu, Mei-Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/tfp784

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 英語學系 === 105 === While the advantages of native English speaking teachers in English class have been discussed, the actual effects of native English teachers’ instruction to particular language skill are relatively unexplored. The study aims to investigate the impacts of native English speaking teachers on young foreign language learners’ listening comprehension and listening anxiety level. There are two foci of the research. First, both the result and the process of learners’ listening comprehension development is prudently examined. Second, as listening anxiety might play a role in listening performance and language acquisition, it is carefully investigated. Quantitative and qualitative data collection tools such as listening comprehension test, questionnaires, observations, and interviews are utilized in the research. The findings suggest that the learners make a great progress in listening comprehension by learning with the native English speaking teacher. The progress is not limited to their performance on the listening comprehension test but extends to the sensitiveness to linguistic features of English, and the broaden scope of knowledge of the language and the culture. With respect to listening anxiety, the statistics do not demonstrate the native English speaking teacher’s impacts after six months. Nevertheless, most of the learners seem to view listening as a joyful and relaxing activity when listening to the native English speaking teacher after six months. These findings have implications for the educational settings and local English teachers.