TEACHING LISTENING SKILLS IN EFL CLASSES AT TERTIARY LEVEL. A CASE STUDY OF THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA
Lulzime Kamberi
University of Tetovo – Tetovo, Republic of North Macedonia
Abstract
According to research on teaching methodology, student and teacher perceptions regarding teaching and learning should be aligned. Depending on circumstances such as the culture of the individuals, the facilities, their beliefs and expectations, as well as rapid technological developments, these differences seem to be increasingly present at all levels of education. The present study focuses on perceptions of the teaching of listening skills. To assess the value of listening as a major learning skill, this paper reports initial results from a study on the application of listening in foreign language instruction within English Language courses at the Faculty of Philology, University of Tetovo, Republic of North Macedonia (FYR). Applying content analysis (Silverman 2005) to identify themes, biases and meaning, the study investigated students’ perceptions, as opposed to teachers’ perceptions, about the importance of listening skills in English language learning. Convenience sampling of students enrolled in their eighth semester identified a non-random sample of 32 students representing 49% of the possible cohort. The teacher sample comprised six teachers out of the 19 who responded to the questionnaire. An initial quantitative analysis of the questionnaire, applying frequency statistics, established a basis for the qualitative data of the semi-structured interviews. Content analytical procedures were then applied to semi-structured interviews to confirm the frequency statistics from the questionnaire. Initial results from the quantitative section of this study suggested only minor differences between teacher and student perceptions regarding the importance of listening as the main skill, as opposed to other skills. However, content analysis suggests that student attitudes and expectations of teaching listening skills differ substantially from teacher perceptions on what should be taught, how it should be taught and the effect of varying techniques. In conclusion, this paper argues that research design involving an extended period and with a larger sample, including primary- and secondary-level learners will be needed to confirm these results.
Keywords: EFL; Listening skills; Tertiary education; Perceptions; Language learning; Language teaching.
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How to cite this article: Kamberi, L. (2019). Teaching listening skills in EFL classes at tertiary level. A case study of the Republic of North Macedonia. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 12(2), 79-80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2019.12.2.6
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