Language Learning Methods Of Listening - 3137 Words

Running head: LISTENING COMPREHENSION IN COGNITIVIST, METACOGNITIVIST AND BEHAVIORISTIC BASED LANGUAGE LEARNING METHODS Listening Comprehension in Cognitivist, Meta-Cognitivist and Behavioristic Based Language Learning Methods Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch Khonein University Professor: Dr. Rajabi December 14, 2011 Abstract The study tried to show the role of listening comprehension in cognitivist, meta-cognitivist and behavioristic based language learning methods. Reviewing the literature it was found that listening has different roles in the methods. It was found that behaviorism limits listening to grammar and pronunciation drills and does not pay much attention to listening as an active skill. It was†¦show more content†¦Listeners must discriminate between sounds, understand vocabulary and grammatical structures, interpret stress and intention, retain and interpret this within the immediate as well as the larger socio-cultural context of the utterance (Wipf, 1984). Listeners use both bottom-up processers and top-down processes to comprehend (Guo and Wills ,1999). Listening comprehension has different roles in different language learning theories. Behaviorism emphasizes changes in behaviors due to the influence and control of the external environment, rather than the internal thought process of the subject (Merriam and Caffarella, 1999). Anderson (2002) mentioned that metacognition can be defined simply as thinking about thinking. He also mentioned that Cognitivism focuses more on more complex cognitive processes such as thinking, problem solving, language, concept formation and information processing. Listening plays a crucial role in students’ language development. Krashen (1985) argues that people acquire language by understanding the linguistic information they hear. Thus language acquisition is achieved mainly through receiving understandable input and listening ability is the critical component in achieving understandable language input. Given the importance of listening in language learning and teaching, this research tries to investigate the role of listening