An Empirical Study Of Using Schema Activation To Alleviate English Listening Anxiety

The present study is based on schema theory and foreign language anxiety theory. This thesis analyzes the degree of students'English listening anxiety in vocational college. Through the analysis of schema theory, the author makes a hypothesis: Schema activation can alleviate English listening anxiety.In order to testify the hypothesis made by the author, the author carried out an empirical study at Zibo Vocational College, where the author works. First, the author chose two classes in Zibo Vocational College, one ( P09 Business English Class One) being the experimental class and carried out schema activation, and the other (P09 Business English Class One) the control class. Before the experiment, the author tested the levels of the students'English listening anxiety and English listening. Through interview, the author investigated the students'opinion about English listening class and English listening anxiety. Then in the experimental class the author carried out schema activation and in the control class the author used the traditional teaching model. The empirical study had lasted four months from the end of February to June of 2010. At the end of the experiment, the author tested the students'listening anxiety and listening level. Finally, in the experimental class, the author chose some students to make interview in order to know the students'opinion about the relationship between schema activation and alleviation of English listening anxiety. By comparing the results of English listening anxiety tests and English listening tests, it is found that in the experimental class, students'listening anxiety is reduced and their English listening level is improved. The results show that schema activation can help alleviate listening anxiety and then improve the students'listening levels.Based on the results of the experiment, the study's implications are that teachers should pay more attention to students'English listening anxiety and help them analyze the factors that may hinder students from improving their listening level and give them some suggestions. Taking into account the relationship between listening anxiety and schema activation, teachers should know the related methods to activate schema and use these method in the daily teaching.Despite limitations the author hopes this study could be of some value to the future research on listening anxiety and of some help to English majors'English listening teaching in vocational colleges.