This paper is a curriculum proposal for a mid to high beginner adult English as a Second Language class. It is hoped that this curriculum will prove to meet students’ academic needs, especially in terms of development of literacy, listening skills, and language learning strategies. In addition to this, the lessons include a critical orientation; that is, the class is structured to facilitate student engagement with social issues, namely racism and economic struggles. With these considerations in minds, two units comprising half the semester were developed and relevant extra materials are provided. / text

published_or_final_version / Speech and Hearing Sciences / Master / Master of Science in Audiology

By reviewing previous studies, this report aims to explore foreign language listening anxiety and provide a description of anxiety management strategies. There are three parts in the literature review: First, the report discusses the definition and process of listening comprehension; second, it investigates the concept and components of foreign language anxiety and its measurement and impact; finally, the literature review focuses on the importance of foreign language listening comprehension anxiety, and lists its possible sources and influences. In the pedagogical implication portion, this report lists nine listening anxiety reducing strategies developed from the findings in the literature review. By incorporating these strategies into language learning, learners can alleviate the negative influence from foreign language listening anxiety. / text

This study was an examination of timbre discrimination and labeling, with specific consideration of the soprano-brass timbres of cornets and trumpets. This study sought to determine whether instrumentalists differed in their ability to label and discriminate cornet and trumpet timbres, and whether these abilities were influenced by the instrumentalists' performing instrument and years of playing experience. Wind, brass and percussion players (n=100) from existing instrumental groups in the Tampa Bay area participated in the study. These groups were collegiate trumpet majors from a large public university school of music, a collegiate wind ensemble from a private university, and a brass band from an area Salvation Army church, composed primarily of adults and retirees. Participants from these intact ensembles were categorized by years of experience and instrument performance group. Participants were administered a timbre discrimination and identification test consisting of twenty-five items. Each test item consisted of three short musical excerpts played on cornets and trumpets. The participants' task was two-fold: to indicate which item was played on the "different" instrument (either cornet or trumpet), and to label the items correctly. Results of the study indicated that, in general, all participants were more successful at the discrimination task than the labeling task. Further analysis indicated that low and high brass players were better at the discrimination task than non-brass wind and percussion players. Performance experience was not a significant factor for either task. Since the instrumental performance background of the listener influenced outcomes on the discrimination task, further support was garnered for a constructionist model of auditory perception in which enculturation plays a role in development.

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Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) allows designers to control for rate of speech and the amount and kinds of control learners have over playback in listening comprehension exercises for second language (L2) learners. Research shows that slower rates of speech can improve listening comprehension (Chaudron, 1988; Zhao, 1997), as can pausing (Zhao, 1997). Jensen and Vinther's (2003) work suggests that, in listening comprehension training, slower speeds can help improve L2 learners' comprehension of grammatical structures.This study examined the influence of different rates of speech and learner controls in a CALL environment. The study used a pretest--training--posttest design. All subjects were pre-tested on listening comprehension on both slow (135 words per minute) and fast (180 words per minute) dialogues. They also performed a maze task as a pretest. Then the participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions for ten training sessions: A) trained on only fast dialogues, B) trained on only slow dialogues, C) given a choice of speed for the second playback during the lessons, and D) given an option to pause playback when listening the second time. Posttests followed training. Data were also collected through surveys and interviews, allowing the issues of CALL design and communication and learning strategy use to be investigated as well.The data support the previous research but also suggest that design features can affect L2 learners either positively or negatively. This study, which was done with Chilean, college-level students of English as a foreign language (EFL), has implications for CALL design and classroom teaching, as well as language testing. These are discussed, as are suggestions for future research.

Esu chorinio dainavimo mokyklos „Liepaitės“ muzikos istorijos mokytoja, mano mokinės 11-15 metų paauglės. Pati vesdama pamokas, atradau, kad didžiausia kliūtis pažinti klasikinę muziką – mokinių nedėmesingumas skambant muzikai. Pasidomėjus muzikos klausymo veiksena paaiškėjo, kad ši problema aktuali ir kitiems Lietuvos muzikos pedagogams. Pasirinkau Kokybinį veiklos tyrimą. Tyrimas vyko Vilniaus Chorinio dainavimo mokykloje „Liepaitės“, 2009 12, 2010 03 – 05 ir 2011 01 - 03. Tyrime dalyvavo trys 6 klasės grupės (po 13, 12, 13 mokinių ), pakartotinai – dvi 6 klasės grupės (po 13, 11 mokinių). Organizuotos 35 pamokos, – 7 pamokos su 5 grupėmis. Išnagrinėjus dėmesio savybes, dalyvaujančias mokymo procese ir būdingas paaugliams, paaiškėjo, kad paauglių dėmesingumas yra nepastovus ir lengvai pažeidžiamas, todėl svarbu jį kontroliuoti. Mokinių dėmesį gali palaikyti įvairūs dirgikliai: emocinės asociacijos, vaizdinės priemonės, fizinė veikla, mokinio interesai, poreikiai, veikla, reikalaujanti mąstymo, samprotavimų. Naudodama interviu, stebėjimo, anketinės apklausos tyrimo metodus, siekiau įvertinti pamokų metu naudotų muzikos klausymo metodikų veiksmingumą. Rezultatai parodė, kad siekiant pagerinti mokinių dėmesingumą muzikos klausymo metu, svarbu taikyti skirtingas mokymo priemones, kaip antai: muzikograma; improvizacinis šokis; užduotys, nukreiptos į emocinį kūrinio pažinimą; ritminės užduotys; lyginimo užduotys; muzikos klausymo užduotys, susietos su kūrybine... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / I am a music history teacher at a choir singing school “Liepaitės.“ My pupils are 11-15 years old teenagers. During lessons I noticed that the main obsacle to acknowledge classical music is pupils’ lack of attention when the music is being played. After investigations about the process of music listening it appeared that this problem is relevant also to other Lithuanian music pedagogues. This qualitative action research study took place in Vilnius at the “Liepaitės: choir singing school in December, 2009, March-May, 2010 and January-March, 2011. Three groups from the 6th grade (13, 12 and 13 pupils) participated in the study. When the research was repeated – two groups of the 6th grade (13 and 11 pupils) participated. There were 35 lessons (7 lessons with 5 groups). After studying the qualities of attention involved in the teaching process and typical of teenagers, it appeared that teenagers’ attention is variable and easily susceptible to distraction, so it is important to control it. Pupils’ attention can be preserved with various stimuli: emotional associations, visual implements, physical activity, pupil’s interests and needs, as well as activity, requiring intellectual effort and reasoning. Applying research methods of interview, observation and questionnaire I strove to evaluate the efficiency of music listening methodology used in lessons. The results showed that trying to improve pupils’ attention while listening to music, it is important to apply different... [to full text]

Daina Grinčukienė. Kalbėjimo ir klausymosi ypatumai 5 – 6 metų amžiuje. Ikimokyklinio ugdymo šakos / magistratūros studijų baigiamasis darbas / mokslinė vadovė doc. dr. Aldona Mazolevskienė, Vilniaus edukologijos universitetas, Vaikystės studijų katedra. – Vilnius, 2012 – 85 psl. Pagrindinė tyrimo problema – kalbėjimo ir klausymosi ypatumai 5 – 6 metų amžiuje. Tiriant kalbėjimo ir klausymosi ypatumus kyla klausimai: kokia yra šių ypatumų struktūra, kuria remiantis būtų galima tiksliai apibrėžti kalbėjimo ir klausymosi būdus. Efektyvus kalbėjimas ir klausymasis yra tuomet, kai pedagogas kuria kalbėjimui ir klausymui palankią aplinką, nori ir stengiasi būti vaikui sektinu pavyzdžiu, siekia su juo lygiavertės sąveikos, lanksčiai reaguoja į spontaniškas kylančias situacijas grupėje, skiria didelį dėmesį vaiko kalbėjimo ir klausymosi poreikiams. Pedagogas sukuria intensyvaus, įvairiapusio poveikio vaikui sistemą ir dažniausiai renkasi tuos kalbėjimo ir klausymosi būdus, kurie kartojasi monotoniškai kasdieninės veiklos metu, todėl jų rūšių nėra daug. Tyrimo problema: kalbėjimo ir klausymosi ypatumai 5 – 6 metų amžiuje. Tyrimo objektas: kalbėjimo ir klausymosi ypatumai 5 – 6 metų amžiuje. Tyrimo tikslas: ištirti kalbėjimo ir klausymosi ypatumus 5 – 6 metų amžiuje. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 6. Išanalizuoti teorinę literatūrą ir išskirti svarbiausius kalbėjimo ir klausymosi ypatumus 5 – 6 metų amžiuje. 7. Išsiaiškinti žodinius ir nežodinius kalbėjimo būdus, kontakto užmezgimo ir palaikymo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The issue of the research - the peculiarities of speaking and listening in the age of 5-6 years. The study of the peculiarities of speaking and listening raises the following questions: what is the structure of these characteristics, based on which would be possible to define clearly the ways of speaking and listening. Effective speaking and listening is when the teacher creates a supportive environment for speaking and listening, wants and tries to be a role model for a child, tries to achieve the equivalence of interaction with a child, responds flexibly to spontaneously emerging situations in the group, attaches great importance to the child's speaking and listening needs. A teacher creates the system of an intense, diverse influence on the child, and usually prefers the ways of speaking and listening that repeat themselves monotonously in activities of daily living, therefore there are not so many of them. The problem of the research: the peculiarities of speaking and listening in the age of 5-6 years. The object of the research: the peculiarities of speaking and listening in the age of 5-6 years. The aim of the research: to explore the features of speaking and listening in the age of 5-6 years. The tasks of the research: 1. To analyze the theoretical literature and identify key features of speaking and listening in the age of 5-6 years. 2. To find out the patterns of verbal and non-verbal speech while making and maintaining the contact, (teacher interacting with the... [to full text]

In the master’s work “Creative assignments for encouraging music listening in lower school” possibilities of the realization of students’ linking for music listening during the lesson are analyzed. The contemporary pedagogy and artistic training refer to the spread of student’s experience, educators’ competence in varying methods and collaborating. Music listening is a special assumption of a person musical culture’s training, therefore, its stimulation is essential. Starting in the early training, music listening should be encouraged during the lesson and also in socio-cultural environment. For such music listening encouragement an experimental model of creative assignments was used. The aim of the work is to explore the possibilities of music listening encouragement by using creative assignments in lower school. The research shows that the creative assignment model is effective and the assumption of music listening encouragement is potential if creative assignments will be used while music listening. Novelty of the work. The possibilities of music listening encouragement in the lesson and socio-cultural environment by applying creative assignments are shown. The creative assignment model signally changes the efficiency of musical training and influences the student’s musical culture. The creative assignment model in music listening is concerted with E Velicka’s musical training program. Creative assignments in music listening activate students’ expression, give freedom... [to full text]

To date, very few studies have been conducted focusing on ratings of music and music listening experience of hearing aid (HA) users. This study aimed to collect more detailed and descriptive information via a questionnaire, on the music listening experience and ratings of musical sounds from postlingually deafened adults. The following hypotheses were posed: (i) ratings for music from HA users who have been assessed for a cochlear implant (HA-CI group) will be worse than those who have not been assessed for a CI (HA-NCI group); and (ii) HA users with a moderate or worse hearing loss (Moderate+ subgroup) will provide lower ratings for music than those with a mild hearing loss (Mild subgroup). A questionnaire by She (2008), was modified for this study, and subsequently called the University of Canterbury Music Listening Questionnaire – HA version (UCMLQ_HA). The questionnaire was divided into the following seven sections: music listening and music background, sound quality ratings, music styles, music preferences, music recognition, factors affecting music listening enjoyment, and a music training programme. Thirteen HA-CI recipients and 98 HA-NCI recipients returned the questionnaire. The HA-NCI group was divided into two subgroups: mild hearing loss (n = 51), and moderate or worse hearing loss (Moderate+; n = 47). Essentially findings were consistent with hypothesis one, but only partially consistent with hypothesis two. The HA-CI group provided lower ratings for ‘pleasantness’ and ‘naturalness’ of instruments (p = 0.007), and found music styles to be less ‘pleasant’ (p < 0.001) than the HA-NCI group. For musical styles, the HA-CI group preferred solo performers whereas the HA-NCI group preferred groups of performers. In addition to ratings of music, the HA-CI group provided significantly lower ratings for music listening (p = 0.001), and overall music enjoyment (p = 0.021) than the HA-NCI group. For the comparisons between the Mild and Moderate+ subgroups, the Mild subgroup found Instruments to sound significantly ‘less noisy’ (p < 0.001) and ‘less sharp’ (p < 0.001) than the Moderate+ subgroup. The Moderate+ subgroup provided higher ratings for overall enjoyment of listening to music with HAs than the Mild subgroup (p = 0.044). Both subgroups rated the drum kit (the lowest rated Instrument) to be significantly less pleasant and less natural than all other Instruments. It was also found that all musical styles were significantly more pleasant than Pop/Rock. There were similarities between the groups for music preferences; the male singer was significantly preferred over female singers (p = 0.021), and low-pitched instruments were significantly preferred over high-pitched instruments (p = 0.04). Classical music was also selected as the style that sounded the best with their HAs and listened to the most often. Almost all of the respondents indicated that they would like music in general to sound it would to those with normal hearing (97.1%). Close to 30% indicated that they would be interested in an MTP and would like it to focus on a wide range of music and feature commonly known tunes. In addition, training sessions should consist of two 30 minute sessions per week. Overall this study indicates that ratings of music differ with level of hearing loss to some degree. The general consensus was that music did not sound as they would expect it to sound to a person with normal hearing, and that respondents would like to enjoy listening to music more.