A Study On The Application Of Task-based Language Teaching To English Listening Teaching In Junior High School

As a vital part of English learning,listening teaching plays a significant role in English teaching of junior high school,but it hasn’t got enough attention in junior high school and many front-line teachers still adopt the traditional method of “listen-answer-check” in listening teaching.Under the mode of the traditional teaching method,the boring learning atmosphere couldn’t contribute to developing students’ listening skills together with improving their comprehensive language proficiency.Since task-based language teaching was advocated in the Compulsory Education English Curriculum Standards in 2011,its effects on English learning have always been explored.However,there are not many empirical studies or samples on the application of TBLT in listening teaching,especially in junior high school.This study aims to explore the influence of applying TBLT in listening teaching of Grade 8 in junior high school in Shantou,Guangdong.It endeavors to figure out the effective ways to enhance students’ listening skills and interests.The listening teaching samples are also provided.This study was conducted to answer the following three questions:(1)Does the implementation of TBLT in English listening teaching help promote the students’ listening skills?(2)What are the effects of applying TBLT in English listening classes on students’ listening grades and learning initiative?(3)How does the implementation influence students’ learning interests and learning motivations in English listening teaching? This study was carried out in two classes of Grade 8 in Mingguang Middle School.Class 1 was the experimental class using TBLT in listening teaching,while Class 2 was the controlled class adopting traditional listening teaching method.The experiment lasted for four months.Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in the study.The data analysis was made through the combination of students’ scores of both pre-listening test and post-listening test in two classes.The questionnaires and the semi-interview on students’ interests and listening skills in experimental class were also analyzed.After four months of experiment,the results of both qualitative and quantitative researches demonstrate the following major findings:(1)The results of the questionnaires and interview declare that the implementation of TBLT can help promote the listening skills of the students in the experimental class.(2)The results of listening tests show that TBLT can improve students’ listening grades more effectively than the traditional listening teaching method.Meanwhile,the results of the questionnaires also point out that students are more willing to learn and practice listening.Their learning endeavors,learning interests and learning efficacy have also improved.(3)The three phases of teaching greatly influence students’ interests and motivations,especially the while-listening phase and post-listening phase.In the while-listening phase,students could cooperate and discuss their answers with their classmates,which creates an active learning atmosphere.In the post-listening phase,thanks to the listening extension tasks and group competitions that demand teamwork greatly,students need to work together to win and get the prize.Therefore,the motivations and interests of students have also been improved to a great deal,especially the students of the middle level according to the result of the interview.All in all,it can be concluded that TBLT can help promote students’ listening learning,learning motivations and interests to a certain degree and more English teachers should be advocated to apply it to English teaching.At last,the limitations of the study,pedagogical implications and suggestions for the further study are also pointed out.