Mutilated transcriptions: An effective aid for increasing low-achievers’ listening comprehension

 

Somaiyeh Shahri^1* and Esmaeil Mahdavi Soghondikolaei²

¹Mrs., Adib Mazandaran Institute of Higher Education, Iran, somaiyeh_shahri1980@yahoo.com

²Mr., Imam Reza International University, Iran, e_mhdv@yahoo.com

*Corresponding Author

 

Abstract

Listening is an important skill, yet it is very demanding and challenging for the learners to master. Mostly, there is a huge gap between the needs of the learners and their real ability. The present study compared the effects of three kinds of instruction directed at listening comprehension for low-achievers. Three parallel homogeneous groups of learners were exposed to three different conditions of presenting listening skill. In the first group, language learners were presented by c-tests, cloze tests, and mutilated transcriptions (blanks were not based on c-test or cloze test rules but problematic words). The second group benefited the oral elicitation and the third group was provided multiple-choice items to check their comprehension.  The obtained data from a pre-test and a post-test subjected to one-way ANOVA showed that students who enjoyed ‘mutilated transcriptions treatment’ outperformed the other groups. Moreover, the second group which benefited oral elicitation outperformed the third group. As a secondary goal of the research the statistics showed that the first group outperformed the other two groups in incidental vocabulary learning.

Keywords: Mutilated transcriptions, C-test, Cloze test, teaching listening