A Comparative Study of the Use of Scripted and Unscripted Listening Text in the English Classroom in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Lin, Hsin-hsiu, 林欣秀
• Other Authors: Liu, Yeu-ting
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/95m28n

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 英語學系 === 105 === In Taiwanese English classes, teachers mostly utilize ‘scripted’ listening materials in listening teaching, which did not fully equip learners with competence to comprehend the real-life speech outside the classroom. The purpose of the current study was to (1) investigate whether the ‘unscripted’ text is beneficial to learners and, (2)compare and contrast their performances in both ‘scripted’ and ‘unscripted’ listening tests. Seventy eighth graders in Taipei public junior high school were included as participants. Participants were categorized into four groups and treated with different combinations of listening materials during 10-week experiment. The results indicated that neither unscripted nor scripted texts conduced to significant improvement in learners’ listening comprehension. However, the ‘unscripted tests’ not only benefited learners’ listening abilities but also raised their motivation in English listening. The positive backwash was found in this type of listening test. Based on the hypothesis of Transfer Appropriate Processing (TAP), the congruency between learning and using conditions can benefit learners. In this study, the result suggested implementing the ‘unscripted’ text in classroom settings because the text is more like real-life speech and it consequently can equip learners with the real ability to comprehend native speakers. What is more, the ‘unscripted’ test is a useful assessment to measure learners’ accurate listening ability. The reasons of calling for the use of ‘unscripted text’ were discussed in the pedagogical implication.