A Study On Freshmen’s English Listening And Speaking Autonomous Learning Abilities Based On Blended Learning

Under the background of teaching reform,the blended learning with the characteristics of informatization and network has exerted an important influence on the reform of college English teaching.It combines the merits of face-to-face classroom and online classroom,and plays a positive role in students’ comprehensive English ability and English autonomous learning ability(EAL ability).Most of the previous studies focused on EAL ability generally,instead of specific skills.Therefore,it is of certain significance to explore the English listening and speaking autonomous learning abilities(ELSAL abilities)based on blended learning.This study aims at exploring the status quo of non-English-major freshmen’s ELSAL abilities,and the influential factors affecting ELSAL abilities based on blended learning,hoping to provide some references for the cultivation of non-English-major freshmen’s ELSAL abilities based on blended learning.With the purpose,two research questions have been put forward,1)What’s the status quo of the non-English-major freshmen’s ELSAL abilities?2)Based on blended learning,what are the influential factors affecting the non-English-major freshmen’s ELSAL abilities?In this study,86 non-English-major freshmen were chosen as the subjects,all of whom are from two college English teaching classes,of a comprehensive university in central China.At the beginning of the first semester,they all needed to register an APP called We Learn,and joined their own class QQ group.The instruments of this study are questionnaires,online observation,teacher’s teaching log,and students’ reflections.They have provided quantitative and qualitative data for the investigation studies of the overall ELSAL abilities and the five dimensions,which are knowing the teacher’s teaching aims and requirements,establishing the listening and speaking goals and related plans,applying the listening and speaking learning strategies efficiently,monitoring the use of listening and speaking strategies,supervising and evaluating the listening and listening process.Based on the data,three major findings have been found as follows,Firstly,those non-English-major freshmen’s ELSAL abilities have reached the moderate level.In the five concrete dimensions,their ability in knowing the teacher’s aims and requirements is the best;their abilities in establishing the listening and speaking learning goals and plans,in applying the learning strategies efficiently are the worst;the rest two abilities in monitoring the use of listening and speaking learning strategies,in supervising and evaluating the listening and speaking learning process stay on the moderate.Moreover,in some concrete dimensions,their listening autonomous learning ability is better than their speaking ability.Secondly,it has been found that after one-semester blended learning,those non-Englishmajor freshmen’s overall ELSAL abilities have made much progress compared with the situation at the beginning of the semester.But a certain percentage of freshmen are still staying on the low level.Lastly,thirteen major influential factors have been found and discussed,which can be classified as three categories: students’ personal factors,factors of the course,teacher and peer,and technological factors.Positive autonomous learning awareness,interest,learning attitude,learning motivation and sense of achievement can promote ELSAL abilities;conversely,they fail;and the lack of strategies exerted quite negatively.Course requirements have a certain positive effect;the factors of peer,teacher’s role and teaching method have all promoted most.The online resources has obvious promotion but impedes some students with low proficiency;the supervision on We Learn works for both teacher and students,whose influence may vary based on students’ responses to the supervision;and QQ communication platform can help solve problems in the autonomous learning,indirectly promoting students’ ELSAL abilities.