The Effects of Topic Familiarity on English Listening Comprehension of Senior High EFL Students in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Wan-rong Lai, 賴莞容
• Other Authors: Hsiu-chun Lin
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2004
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/12169556225841504927

碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 英語學系 === 92 === ABSTRACT The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of topic familiarity on English listening comprehension of Senior High EFL students in Taiwan. One hundred and seventy-five male freshmen from National Tainan Second Senior High School were the subjects in this study. They took a Listening Comprehension Test on Topic Familiarity designed by two native speakers and they were required to fill in the questionnaire designed by the researcher. The valid questionnaires were collected and used for data analysis. The following is a summary of the findings in this study: (1) The subjects performed better in “Halloween” (recorded on Side A ) than in “St. Patrick’s Day” (recorded on Side B) because they were taught relevant information and vocabulary regarding “Halloween” before they took the test. This showed that topic familiarity had a significant influence on the listening comprehension of the subjects. (2) Both the HPG and the LPG depended on topic familiarity when they did the LCTTF. The means of HPG and LPG were significantly higher on “Halloween” than on “St. Patrick’s Day.” The t-test showed significant results. (3) The past and present learning conditions of the students have an effect on their listening performance. Based on the findings in this study, it is suggested language teachers take pride in the important roles they play in listening instruction. They should recognize the importance of listening comprehension in language learning, that is, to understand the factors affecting listening comprehension and to provide listening strategies for students. These are done via choosing appropriate materials and supportive instructional media.