a direct approach to the study of listening 1957

7/30/2019 A Direct Approach to the Study of Listening 1957

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A D i r e c t Approach t o t h eS t u d y o f ListeningGertrude lliff

The classroomexperimentdescribed n this articlefurnishesamuch-neededingredient in discussionsof listening-concrete sug-gestions. The author'sproceduresshould providehelp to others inplanningistening nstruction, hetheror not herplanof organiza-tion is followed. Gertrude Elliff is a teacher of speech at the SouthHigh School in Minneapolis. This year she is teaching at the Mu-nicipal Lyceum for Girls and the Vossius Gymnasium, Amsterdam,under the Fulbright Program.

COMMUNICATION is a two-way affair.When people communicatewithone another through language, theyspeakandlistenandreadandwrite.Apersonwholacksproficiencyn anyoneof these skills is handicappedn theprocess of communicating. In spite ofthe fact that listening consumes themost time as comparedwith the otherlanguage arts, the study of listening isstill neglected at all educational levels.Studies indicatethat adultsspendforty-five percent of their time each day inlistening and children listen 57.5 per-cent of their classroom activity time.However, it is not the time spent butrather the importance of listening inmodern life which should give teachersthe most concern. Critical listening isneeded in a world full of propaganda,since economicconcepts,political ideals,and ethical standards are influencedbylistening. Striking examplesof the con-sequencesof uncriticallistening are notdifficult to find-the panic resultingfrom Orson Welles' broadcast of themythical invasion from Mars and the

hysteria of the Nazi mass meeting areonly two. As the Commission on theEnglish Curriculumnoted, "The era ofdictatorshipand totalitarianismhas in-dicated to the world that future civili-zations will be saved or destroyed bythose who listen."'This paper is a report of an "actionstudy" in the teaching of listening tohigh school students. The problems Iset for myself were:1. What sort of classroom listeningactivities would be stimulating to highschool students and be best suited toimproving listening?

2. What evidence could be gatheredto show that these listening activitieswere useful and profitablefor the stu-dent?Description f ProceduresA. The Experimental Groups

During the school year, 1953-54, astudy of the direct approachto teach-ing listening was made in my speech1The English Language Arts (New York:Appleton-Century-Crofts, nc., 1952), p. 330.

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DIRECT APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF LISTENING 21and drama classes at South HighSchool, Minneapolis. The Brown-Carl-sen Listening ComprehensionTest2wasgiven to all students at the beginningand the end of the study. The experi-mental groups included twenty-fourstudents in the second period speechclass and twenty-two students in thefifth period drama class. The studentsin these classes studied listening andwere involved in listening activities.The control groups, twenty-three stu-dents in the firstperiod speechclass andtwenty-one students in the sixth perioddrama class, did not take part in thelistening activities.B. Teacher Preparation for TeachingListening

I spent the first semester gatheringand studying all researchmaterial deal-ing with listening, considering my stu-dents' listening activities, and compilingsuch data as the students' scores on theStanford Language Arts Test and theirI.Q.'s. I decided on three methods ofapproachto the study of listening-di-rect instruction, coordination of listen-ing and speechinstruction,and a listen-ing laboratory.C. Student Preparation for the Studyof Listening

Early in the second semester all stu-dents in my classes took the Brown-CarlsenListening ComprehensionTest.

For the following three weeks commit-tees of students from the experimentalclasses studied all the material I hadgathered on listening, and they pre-pared mimeographed material dealingwith listening habits and characteristicsof a good listener. Two student com-mittees listened to records and devisedaccompanying tests. After furtherwork, some of these tests were used inthe study. Record tests were mimeo-graphed by the typing committee, andthe student laboratory assistants metwith me and decided on the proceduresto be followed in the listening labora-tory for the six weeks of study.D. ClassroomProcedures

Studentsnow were given their scoreson the Brown-Carlsen test, and indi-vidual improvement of listening com-prehensionwas the goal set for the sixweeks' study of listening. The firstthing we did was to keep a record forthree days of time spent in listening,speaking, reading, and writing. Duringthis period we discussed the followingmaterial each student had been givenon "Eight Significant Listening Habits"and "Characteristics of a Good Lis-tener."

EIGHT SIGNIFICANTLISTENING HABITS8

I. Maintains nawareness f one'sownmotivesin listeningA. Develops speedily in each situa-tion his own motives for effectivelisteningB. Analyses the speech and adjustshimself to his own motives

II. Shares with the conveyor responsi-bility for communication

*Brown-Carlsen Listening ComprehensionTest (Chicago: World Book Company, 1953).For grades 9-13; available in two equatedforms; an objective measureof ability to com-prehend spoken language. Measures five im-portant listening skills: immediate recall, fol-lowing directions,recognizingtransitions, recog-nizing word meanings,and comprehending lec-ture-with attention to listening for details,getting the central ideas, drawing inferences,understandingorganization, and noting degreeof relevancy.

"From Ralph G. Nichols, "The Teaching ofListening," Chicago Schools Journal, XXX(June 1949), pp. 273-78.


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22 THE ENGLISH JOURNALA. Applies himself to the differenttechniques of the speakerB. Assumes his half of the responsi-bility for communication

III. Arranges favorable physical condi-tions for listeningA. Adjusts himself for any personalhearing disability or for poorroom ventilation or temperatureB. Ignores any outside or unneces-sary distractionsIV. Exercises emotional control duringlisteningA. Postpones personal worriesB. Does not permit an immediatedislike for a speech or speakerto interfere; waits until the thesisis fully comprehendedV. Structuralizes the presentationA. Recognizes conventional composi-tional techniquesB. Adjusts his system of note-takingto the organizational plan of thespeechVI. Strives always to grasp the centralideas in the presentationA. Focuses on central ideas andtends to recognize the character-istic language in which they arestatedB. Has the ability to discriminatebetween fact and principle, ideaand example, evidence and argu-ment

VII. Exploits fully the rate differentialbetween thought and speechA. Demands continuous attention--a staying on the track with thespeakerB. Does these: mental anticipationof each of the speaker's points,identification of the techniquesused in the development of eachpoint, and mental recapitulationof points already developedVIII. Seeks frequent experience in listen-ing to difficult expository materialA. Is acquainted with such radioprograms as: "Invitation toLearning," "America's TownMeeting of the Air," and "Meetthe Press"B. Has experience in listening todifficult material

CHARACTERISTICS OFA GOOD LISTENER'I. A good listener has the following at-

titudes toward the listening situation:A. Wants to listenB. Finds a personal reason for listen-ingC. Is willing to do his part in thelistening situationII. A good listener has the followingattitudes toward the speech:A. Is receptive and open-mindedB. Is aware of the effect of his ownprejudicesC. Is willing to "hear the speakerout" to the endD. Makes understanding his mostimportant objectiveIII. A good listener has the followingattitudes toward the speaker:A. Is friendly and sympatheticB. Respects the speaker as a personIV. A good listener prepares to listen inthe following ways:A. Tries to learn about subject,speaker, situation in advanceB. Sits where he can see and hear

C. Tries to eliminatedistractionsinhis environmentD. Is ready to take notes when ap-propriateV. A good listener does the followingthings while listening:A. Relates what the speaker is say-ing to past knowledgeand experi-enceB. Looks in the direction of thespeakerC. Evaluates the speech as he hearsand understands tD. Is attentive,acceptinghis respon-sibility as a listenerE. Takes notes suitable for his pur-poseF. Eliminates or quickly adjusts todistractionswithin himselfG. Tries to locate the central ideaH. Tries to re-construct the organi-zational patternof the speechI. Considers relationship betweenpoints made by speaker

J. Recognizes the purpose of illus-4Compiledy DonaldBird, StephensCollege.


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DIRECT APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF LISTENING 23trations and examples usedK. Recognizes the differences be-tween facts and opinionsL. Understands the figurative lan-guage used-analogy, metaphor,etc.M. Selects important details for re-tentionN. Is aware of implications in whatis said

O. Can distinguish relevant from ir-relevant material in the speechP. Determines new word meaningsby reference contentsQ. Is aware of loaded words, emo-tional slanting, and semanticerrorsR. Overlooks inadequacies in speechcontent and deliveryS. Tries to relate what is said tohimself and his interestsT. Recognizes use of devices such asintroduction, transition, repeti-tion, summary, and conclusionU. Recognizes the effect of empha-sis, inflection, rate, volume, ges-ture, and quality on meaningV. Interprets what he hears in termsof speaker's stated or impliedpurposeVI. A good listener follows up on hislistening in the following ways:A. Is able to give an accurate re-statement of the main points inthe speechB. Asks questions of the speaker ifthere is opportunityC. Talks about what has been saidwith othersD. Constructs an outline of thespeech from his notesE. Looks for opportunities to referto what was said in speaking orwriting

Following this we listened to recordswhich were played according to a de-termined order of difficulty. Aftermembers of the class had listened to arecord, the two students in chargepassed out the accompanying test. Afew questions from these tests aregiven as examples.

"Mrs. Marty Mann" (This I Believe,Columbia, S1-192-LP)1. What caused Mrs. Marty Mann'sdownfall ?a. gamblingb. drugaddictionc. alcoholism2. What did Mrs. Mann believe?a. Striving hard and long will helpyou overcome your faults.b. Suffering can be good and is neces-sary.c. It's easier to say 'I'm going to quit'than it is for me to do it.

"My Little Boy" (Stories to Remember,Institute for Democratic Education,Inc., 212 Fifth Avenue, New York 10)1. The son's first lesson was connectedwitha. stealingb. lyingc. promisesd. fighting2. What did the father want most for hisboy ?a. a good educationb. a decent and happy lifec. securityd. good friends

The students were then given a cer-tain length of time-usually five to tenseconds per question-to complete thetest. The papers were then collectedand marked by the two students incharge and recorded on a chart. Stu-dents had the opportunity to make uprecord tests in order to improve theirscores.Next, each studentmade out his own

tests dealing with immediate recall, fol-lowing directions, recognizing transi-tions, recognizing word meanings, lec-ture comprehension, and spottingboners or contradictions. Studentsworked in groups of four or five andpicked out the best tests on these sixsubjects to give to the class. Studentswere given a few days to assemble theirmaterial and work on their presenta-


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24 THE ENGLISH JOURNALtion. Each group had a class period topresent its test. Each member of thegroup read at least one section of thetest, which was followed by oralquestions that students checked on ananswer sheet. No one was allowed torepeat any part of the test or repeat aquestion. If membersof the class couldnot understand what was said, theyraised their hands so that the speakercould realize he was not getting his ma-terial across. After the group had fin-ished, the answer sheets were collectedand corrected by the group, and thescores for each section of the test wereposted on the bulletin board. The stu-dents then had the opportunityto studythe section that needed the most atten-tion before they took the next grouptest. By populardemand we had a sec-ond round of group tests, and therewas considerable improvement in thematerial and in the delivery. Therewere also objective tests to accompanyinstructional material in the listeninglaboratory so that interested studentshad the opportunityto work further ontheir listening comprehension.E. The Listening Laboratory

Another phase of our listening studywas the listening laboratory.This was aroom set aside especially for listeningpurposes and was always accessible tostudents during their vacant periods.During every period of the day one ortwo laboratory assistants were incharge so that a student could come inand listen to records he had missed orlisten again to one he had heardin classin order to improve his listening scoreon the test. There was also a libraryofinstructionalmaterial with accompany-ing tests as well as the student-madetests described earlier. Also in the lab-

oratory were the following: a phono-graph with three sets of ear phonesattached so that three students couldlisten to one record while others werelistening to a different record on a sec-ond phonograph; a cabinet whichhoused all the listening tests, filed ac-cording to the order of difficulty,andtheir accompanying test sheets; a filewhich contained progress cards givingeach student's test scores. There was abulletin board for newspaperand mag-azine clippings on listening, rules forthe use of the laboratory, and a chartshowing the progress of each studentin the experimentalclasses. The labor-atory assistants were in full charge andcorrected all tests and kept records upto date.F. AdditionalActivities

Some mention should be made ofother listening activities of the experi-mental group. Students kept notebooksthat contained all the information theyhad gathered on listening, their owntests, their test scores, lists of listeningsituations outside of class, and theirevaluation of the listening activities.They carried their interest outside ofthe classroom, and many students be-came acquainted with more difficultradio programs, such as "JuniorTownMeeting," "America's Town Meetingof the Air," "The Chicago RoundTable," and "Meet the Press." A com-mittee of five students worked on abulletin board which had sketches anddrawingsto illustratethe characteristicsof a good listener.

EvaluationA. Test Data

After the students in the experimen-tal classes had spent six weeks study-


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DIRECT APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF LISTENING 25ing and discussing problemsof effectivelistening, taking listening progress testswith comprehension check questions,working in the listening laboratory,andparticipatingin various listening activ-ities, students in all classes were giventhe Brown-Carlsen Listening Compre-hension Test again. At the end of thestudy of listening the experimentalclassin speech showed a mean gain of forty-four raw score points as comparedwitha mean gain of 8.5 points for the con-trol speech class, even though the me-dian I.Q. of the experimental groupwas 100 as compared to 105 for thecontrolgroup.The drama groups were evenlymatched on I.Q. On the listening test,the experimental group in dramashowed a mean gain of forty-three rawscore points as compared with a meangain of 7.3 for the control group. Thethird period drama class which studiedlistening for four weeks showed a meangain of 35.4 raw score points.These results suggest that listeningcan be taught and listening comprehen-sion can be improved through directinstruction. Certain limitations to thisconclusion must be observed. Twoforms of the Brown-Carlsentest werenot available and results were nottreated statistically; hence, no exactstatement is possible on the significanceof the gains. However, the consistencyof the gains is important. All but onestudent gained; no one regressed.5

B. Teacher ObservationBesides the improvement as shownby the test results, there were other

evidences that the study of listeninghad been useful and practical for thestudents. The close cooperationand in-terest of students in the experimentalclasses, without which I could not havecarriedon the study, were amazing.Allstudent procedures were carefully su-pervised and materials constantlycheckedoutside of class to insure a well-organized class presentation. Studentsgained an understandingof what to doto improve their listening habits, andthey saw the need for self-improve-ment. I told the students that we knewvery little about how to teach listening,and that we would work out our studytogether. Their ideas, suggestions, andcriticisms were most valuable. Theirenthusiasm was catching, and seniorleaders in my third period dramaclass,feeling that they were missing a partofthe training necessary for college andemployment, asked me if I would bewilling to take class time for listeningif they could persuade the class to dothe scheduled drama work beforeschool.From talking to students, observingtheir reactions and behavior, readingtheir evaluations, and working withthem in the experimentalclasses, I con-cluded that the listening activities moststimulating and profitable and bestsuited to improving listening were theones in which the students gatheredtheir own materials and made accom-

' During the school year, 1954-55, a study ofthe direct approach to the study of listening wasagain made in my speech and drama classes.Form Am of the Brown-Carlsen ListeningComprehension Test was given to all students atthe beginning of the study and Form Bm,which was then available, was given at the endof the study. Significant gains made by stu-dents who had studied listening again suggestedthat listening can be taught and listening com-prehension improved through direct instruction.

In April 1956, students in my classes who hadparticipated in the study the previous year weregiven Form Am of the Brown-Carlsen Listen-ing Comprehension Test. Every student whohad studied listening showed marked improve-ment over his previous score, while studentswho had not studied listening seldom showedany improvement and usually regressed.


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26 THE ENGLISH JOURNALpanying tests. At the beginning of thestudy, I had planned to use only re-cordings, but interest lagged and thestudents decided it was not a real-lifelistening situation to listen to record-ings all the time. Each student tried toanalyze his own listening problems,andsince our goal was the individual's im-provement in listening comprehension,instruction had to be individualized tomeet the needs of each student. We de-cided that students would write or findtheir own material and make out ac-companyingtests, andthensee how wellthe class could listen when they gavethe tests orally. In their listening exer-cises they tried to cover almost everylistening situation that would be met indaily life.At first students had some difficultyfinding suitable material, and the ac-companying questions dealt with thesmallest details. It was necessary tohave a review lesson on how to analyzeeach topic for values to the listenerpersonally and how to listen to centralideas and relate those ideas structur-ally to the talk. The work on recogniz-ing transitions was especially valuablefor the students.They read a great dealin trying to find material appropriatefor a variety of purposesand had prac-tice in expressing themselves clearlyand emphasizingorderly thinking. Lis-tening materials were drawn frommany differentsubject-matterareasandfrom different departments in theschool.C. Improvementin Speech Noted

Improvementin speech was remark-able. The girl with the soft voice whonever could be heard finally realizedthat no one could possibly pass the testshe gave if she did not speak up. The

boy whom we had tried for months to"slow down" almost overnight over-came this difficulty when he saw thatfew of his points were getting across.Students forgot themselves in their ef-fort to make the listening audienceunderstand them, and at last the stu-dents understood that every speakingsituation is a listening situation.D. Student Reactions

Students in the experimentalclassesand the laboratory assistants wereasked to write an evaluation of thelistening projectbefore they were giventhe second Brown-Carlsen test. Also,at the end of the year students listed inorder of interest all activities they hadstudied in speech and drama and dis-cussed the reasons for their rating.Most students selected listening as theactivity they had liked best and gavedifferent reasons for their choices.Comments from students showed thatthey felt the study of listening had beenuseful and practicalin school, at home,and at work.

Listening has been a new and excitingexperience for me. It was hard at timesto understand, but I really was thrilled tosee that almost every day I was improv-ing.Listening has helped me in all myclasses. I listen more to what the teacherand students are saying so consequentlymy work and marks have improved.I liked all the various projects con-nected with listening, and I've found thatit helps in everything I want to listen to.Not only that, but it helped me to get myjob at the Telephone Company as I wasbetter prepared than any other girls whowere also taking tests. The reason forthis is that the tests on numbers givenat the Telephone Company were almostexactly the same as the ones given inclass.


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DIRECT APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF LISTENING 27The studentlaboratoryassistants feltthat the listening laboratory had beenvaluable for the students, and that they

themselves had developed leadership,confidence, and responsibility. One as-sistant wrote this:I have gained muchmore confidence n my-self andmy work.I have enjoyedthe experi-ence of being a leader. My classmates havehelpedme as much as I have helpedthem inthe laboratory. n giving the tests on records,I found them eager to learn. Testing themorally gave me the opportunityto help my-self to speak slowly and clearly. My onlyregret is that I didn'tknow how to listen along time ago.

Interest spread beyond the classes,and two students who had alreadytaken the courses in speech and dramaworked in the listening laboratoryeveryday. Other students-some strangers--asked if they might get some listening

materials and take some of the tests.Conclusions

1. High school students can be moti-vated to participatein the direct studyof listening with a high degree of in-terest.2. High school students can partici-pate in the developmentof listeningma-terials.3. Students' reactionsto the value ofthe study were unanimously positive.4. Test resultssuggest that the periodof instruction,six weeks, was sufficientto produce real listening growth.5. It was profitable to co-ordinatelistening and speechinstruction.6. Results suggest that listening canbe taught and listening comprehensionimproved through procedures used inthis study.

Kinds of Sentences"Present-daywriters have forgotten,or never knew, the music and drama thatcan be written into a sentence.This can be doneby the craftsman hroughmanagingits structure."Stylists recognize the periodic sentence as one which helps build suspense. A peri-odic sentence does not make sense until the end and then it delivers its impact.Example:'Now, when all the studentshadgathered ntothe assemblyhall, andthe teachershadtaken their placeson the stage,and the principalmotioned o the stage manager, hetwo-mancommittee nteredwitha trophyto be presented o the Latinteacher.'"The balancedsentence uses parallelisms. It may be a parallelism of similarity: 'Wecannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate .. .' Or, it may be a parallelism of contrast:

'The world will little note nor long remember. .. but it cannot forget...' Incidentally,half of the sentences in the GettysburgAddress are balanced. One literary analyst saidthat balance was a characteristicof Lincoln's style, because his mind dealt with contro-versial issues and he tried to find a middleground in his thinking."We have been reading carefully samples of prose from educational journals. Wefind few periodic sentences; few balanced sentences. Do you know what type of sen-tence predominates? The type experts call the loose sentence. It is strung together, notbuilt. Example: 'The steering committee examined the results of the survey and foundthat the facts strongly implied a revision of the social studies course.' The loose sen-tence s a naturaland usefultypeof sentence, t can be effectiveevenwhenusedto theexclusion of other types. When, however, it is mixed and blended with other types, thewriting becomes more varied and interesting." -Edpress News LetterNovember 12, 1956

a direct approach to the study of listening 1957

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