The Application Of Task-based Approach In English Listening Teaching In Senior High Schools

The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of Task-based approach in English listening teaching.The theories on which this study was based are the basic models and the basic principles of the task-based approach.The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of task-based teaching on English listening teaching in ordinary senior high schools in our country,specifically to explore whether Task-based approach teaching method can greatly improve the learners’ listening level,improve the learners’ emotional state of English listening learning,and help them better overcome listening difficulties.To this end,the following research questions（RQ）are raised:1.What are the major difficulties to overcome in the teaching of English listening in senior high schools?2.What are the teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the application of task-based approach in English listening teaching?3.What are the effects of task-based approach in English listening teaching in terms of senior high school students?To seek answers to the above three questions,two survey questionnaires and an experiment have been conducted.First,the participants for the first questionnaire are 152 students from three different high schools in Lianyungang.These three schools are on different levels.Therefore,students in these three high schools represent different levels of students in Lianyungang.The data were collected by the researcher from an investigation and questionnaires.Second,the participants for the second questionnaire are 100 students and 8 teachers in Haizhou High School.The researcher conducted a questionnaire survey of one hundred students and conducted in-depth interviews with eight teachers for 15 to 20 minutes each.Third,the participants for the experiment consist of 100 students from two parallel classes of Grade One at at Haizhou High School.The reasons why they are selected are that they are taught by the researcher,that they have similar English background and English level,and that they are cooperative.One class is treated with Task-based approach,and the other with 3P method.The data were collected by the researcher from pre-test and post-test.Under the theoretical framework of task-based approach and via the research methods of questionnaires,interviews of the 8 teachers and experiment,this study has generated the following three major findings:First,according to two questionnaires,there are several problems in the current high school listening teaching:students lack the motivation;teachings focus too much on the results of listening while ignoring the process of listening;and teaching activities lack interaction.Secondly,on the one hand,the task-based approach can basically improve learners’emotional state of listening learning.Compared with the control class,the students in the experimental class were more engaged in listening learning in this semester and were more interested in the listening class,and their mood during the listening test was more stable.On the other hand,five of the eight teachers have the opinion that Task-based approach had a positive effect on students’ listening.Thirdly,the task-based approach can greatly improve learners’ listening comprehension level.The experimental class was not only significantly higher than the control class in the post-test listening scores,but also showed a trend from weak to strong during the whole experiment,and the gap between the two in listening level widened at the end of the experiment（The average listening score of the two classes varied from 0.2 at the beginning to 4.7 at the end of the experiment.）.Correspondingly,the students in the experimental class were also better than the control class in evaluating their own listening level and development.Task-based listening teaching is effective for English listening teaching in ordinary senior high schools in our country.It not only helps learners improve their listening comprehension level as a whole,but also improves their emotional state for listening teaching and overcomes different factors listening difficulties caused.This conclusion is basically consistent with the conclusions of many related studies at home and abroad,and it once again proves the efficacy of task-based listening teaching.At the same time,this research also makes us see that task-based listening teaching itself does not exclude the rational elements of traditional teaching methods,especially its emphasis on continuous input of language materials,which should be absorbed into task-based listening teaching.