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Volume 47
Professional Teachers' Articles
August 2010
Article 1

Article Title
Using Partial Dictation of an English Teaching
Radio Program to Enhance EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension

Author
Yihsiang Kuo
National Defence University, Taiwan
National Taiwan Ocean University,
Taiwan, China

Bio Data:
Yihsiang Kuo received her PhD in 2002 from the University of Kansas and served as a full-time associate professor at National Taiwan Ocean University for six years (August 2004~July 2010). She is currently an associate professor at the General Education Center, National Defence University, Taiwan. Her research interests include English listening instruction, vocabulary learning strategy and extensive reading.

Acknowledgements
I greatly appreciate Prof. Neil Heffernan, Associate Editor of Asian EFL Journal, and two blind reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions in developing this article.

Abstract
This paper reports pervasive decoding/listening problems of word recognition and word segmentation in connected speech at normal speed among Taiwanese university EFL students at the intermediate level. In order to resolve these serious listening problems, an activity of which integrates partial dictation with listening to an English teaching radio program appropriate to students’ English proficiency was designed by synthesizing findings, suggestions, and proposals of various FL/EFL researchers. It was then implemented in an intermediate-level Freshman English class with 31 Engineering students. A valid and reliable listening test served as pre- and post-test and two short teacher-made questionnaires were adopted to collect the necessary data. Significant results of a paired-samples t-test suggest that partial dictation of an English teaching radio program (PDETRP) can effectively improve students’ comprehension. Results of two questionnaires revealed that (a) 90% of the students needed the partial dictation handouts to facilitate their listening, (b) 87.0% viewed this listening activity as effectively enhancing their comprehension, (c) 74.2% thought difficulty level of the PDETRP appropriate, and (d) 80.6% considered amount of weekly PDETRP homework as adequate. Suggestions on practical guidelines and stepwise procedures for designing and implementing creative teaching/learning activities are provided. This paper offers a valuable and practical alternative for enhancing FL/L2 listeners’ decoding and comprehension skills.

Keywords: listening comprehension, listening difficulties; partial dictation, English teaching radio program

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