THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A SUGGESTED PROGRAMME FOR DEVELOPING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LISTENING SKILLS OF FOURTH YEAR PRIMARY PUPILS IN FRENCH LANGUAGE SCHOOLS

Abstract

The term " listening " is used all the time without giving it much thought. Yet listening is a vital mental capacity by which we understand and take part in the surrounding world. Although the rise of electronic communication has emphasized the importance of visual media and computer, our capacity to use spoken language remains the foundation of our ability to communicate. Oral language has an interior quality in reflecting our thoughts and an exterior quality in helping us to communicate with others. So, we must be able to speak and listen to exploit the power of oral language very well. Studies of classroom interaction show that children spend a large part of their time listening to the teacher, to each other or to pre- recorded material. Some psycholinguists have estimated that learners spend at least SO% of classroom time listening ( Rost, 1994 ). Problems are likely to arise if teachers do not teach children how to listen. Each time the teacher uses English to explain something, tell a story or to give instruction, he or she makes listening demands on the pupils. Problems are likely to arise if teachers do not teach pupils how to listen to compete with these demands.