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Investigating Factors Affecting Chinese Listening Comprehension
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Investigating Factors Affecting Chinese Listening Comprehension
Wei Cai
Department of Germanic, Slavic and East Asian Studies
University of Calgary
The purpose of this project is to investigate the relationships among linguistic competence, strategic competence and second language (L2) listening proficiency and to determine whether the relationships remain the same for heritage and non-heritage Chinese learners. Linguistic competence refers to elements of the linguistic system, such as phonology, vocabulary and grammar; strategic competence involves the use of effective communication and learning strategies which allow listeners to understand the oral input. In this study, linguistic competence is confined to sound discrimination skill, word segmentation skill and word recognition speed; in examining strategic competence, the focus is particularly on the metacognitive aspect.
The rationale for conducting this research project is as follows. First, little research has been conducted to gather quantitative data on the relationships among various linguistic skills, metacognition and overall L2 listening proficiency. This research project aims to fill this gap. Findings of this study will inform the listening comprehension model. Secondly, there exists a conflicting view on whether a strategy-based approach (which “teaches learners how to listen by instructing them in the use of strategies” (Mendelsohn, 1995:134)) or “skill-based” approach (which focuses on learners’ linguistic ability (Field, 1998)) takes primacy in teaching L2 listening. This study will help language instructors to focus their teaching. Thirdly, with the increasing number of immigrants from China, there are more and more Chinese heritage learners in North America. Consequently, some universities have developed the two-track (heritage and non-heritage) Chinese language curriculum. By exploring language heritage as a factor, this study provides some basis for developing differentiated listening instruction approaches for heritage and non-heritage Chinese learners.
Specifically, this project answers the following two questions:
1)
What are the contributions of sound discrimination skill, lexical segmentation skill, word recognition speed and metacognitive knowledge to Chinese listening proficiency?
2)
Are the contributions of sound discrimination skill, lexical segmentation skill, word recognition speed and metacognitive knowledge to Chinese listening proficiency the same for heritage and non-heritage Chinese learners?
100 subjects are expected to participate in this study. 50 of them are Chinese heritage learners; 50 are non-heritage learners. They will perform five tasks and respond to a questionnaire. The data will be entered and analyzed in SPSS software. Statistical analyses will be run to examine the relationships among the various factors and listening proficiency.
Data will be collected soon. The results of the analysis should be available by the time the annual CLTA conference convenes in November 2008. In the proposed paper, the author will introduce the research questions, describe methodology used and report on the results of the analysis and discuss pedagogical implications.
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Investigating Factors Affecting Chinese Listening Comprehension
Wei Cai
Department of Germanic, Slavic and East Asian Studies
University of Calgary
The purpose of this project is to investigate the relationships among linguistic competence,
strategic competence and second language (L2) listening proficiency and to determine
whether the relationships remain the same for heritage and non-heritage Chinese learners.
Linguistic competence refers to elements of the linguistic system, such as phonology,
vocabulary and grammar; strategic competence involves the use of effective communication
and learning strategies which allow listeners to understand the oral input. In this study,
linguistic competence is confined to sound discrimination skill, word segmentation skill and
word recognition speed; in examining strategic competence, the focus is particularly on the
metacognitive aspect.
The rationale for conducting this research project is as follows. First, little research has been
conducted to gather quantitative data on the relationships among various linguistic skills,
metacognition and overall L2 listening proficiency. This research project aims to fill this gap.
Findings of this study will inform the listening comprehension model. Secondly, there exists a
conflicting view on whether a strategy-based approach (which “teaches learners how to listen
by instructing them in the use of strategies” (Mendelsohn, 1995:134)) or “skill-based”
approach (which focuses on learners’ linguistic ability (Field, 1998)) takes primacy in
teaching L2 listening. This study will help language instructors to focus their teaching.
Thirdly, with the increasing number of immigrants from China, there are more and more
Chinese heritage learners in North America. Consequently, some universities have developed
the two-track (heritage and non-heritage) Chinese language curriculum. By exploring
language heritage as a factor, this study provides some basis for developing differentiated
listening instruction approaches for heritage and non-heritage Chinese learners.
Specifically, this project answers the following two questions:
1)
What are the contributions of sound discrimination skill, lexical segmentation skill, word
recognition speed and metacognitive knowledge to Chinese listening proficiency?
2)
Are the contributions of sound discrimination skill, lexical segmentation skill, word
recognition speed and metacognitive knowledge to Chinese listening proficiency the same
for heritage and non-heritage Chinese learners?
100 subjects are expected to participate in this study. 50 of them are Chinese heritage learners;
50 are non-heritage learners. They will perform five tasks and respond to a questionnaire. The
data will be entered and analyzed in SPSS software. Statistical analyses will be run to
examine the relationships among the various factors and listening proficiency.
Data will be collected soon. The results of the analysis should be available by the time the
annual CLTA conference convenes in November 2008. In the proposed paper, the author will
introduce the research questions, describe methodology used and report on the results of the
analysis and discuss pedagogical implications.
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