Goh, Christine Chuen Meng

Teacher knowledge, as an important cognitive basis of teaching, has attracted tremendous attention in educational research in the last few decades. This study examines whether teachers’ self-perceived knowledge about oral English teaching differs with regard to their professional profiles in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context in China. A sample of 527 teachers from 56 universities in 29 cities across the country responded to a self-report questionnaire. Thirty teachers were interviewed. Teachers’ self-perceived knowledge was assessed by two factors: pedagogical content knowledge about oral English teaching (PCK) and knowledge of students’ oral English characteristics (KOS). The reliability and validity of the instrument are tested and presented. Results showed that EFL teachers generally reported having insufficient PCK and KOS. ANOVA and t-tests revealed no significant knowledge difference among teachers with different teaching experiences, training and overseas exposure. However, teachers’ learning experiences, self-perceived speaking ability and familiarity with teaching methodologies were found to influence teacher knowledge in a significant way. The findings highlight the need for the development of teacher knowledge about oral English teaching in the EFL contexts. Suggestions for further research are provided.

In this paper, I discuss the development of oracy in learning environments that focus heavily on the teaching of reading and writing. Working from Wilkinson’s (1965) concept of oracy and extended contexts of oracy (e.g. Barnes 1988, 1992; Haworth, 2001; Norman, 1992), I review the contribution of speaking and listening to language and cognitive development, and learning in schools. I will also discuss the implications of students’ oracy development for engagement with the world and wider communication. I consider the interrelatedness of oracy and literacy, and argue that these two sets of language abilities have mutually supportive roles in school students’ language learning and use. Drawing on a study recently completed, I show evidence of the continual privileging of reading and writing in English lessons in Singapore’s schools, often at the expense of the spoken language. I conclude by asserting the importance of developing oracy competence in English lessons and its relation to successful learning across the curriculum.

This chapter presents a brief overview of the process of listening comprehension and some of the learner factors affecting the outcome of this process, highlighting many of the mental processes that occur in language listeners. It will help teachers understand the complexities involved in listening and be more sensitive to the diverse learning needs of their learners, offering a theoretical framework for teaching the processes of listening. It further highlights some of the learner factors that appear to be related to L2 listening ability and the need to further explore potential causal relationships between learner variables and L2 listening comprehension.

Chapter 20 discusses the importance of good speaking skills and strategies, and its authors present the findings about what a good language teacher does to draw on pedagogical content knowledge for speaking instruction.

The role of self-regulation in general learning has been investigated for some time now. Its significance and contribution to second language (L2) listening, however, has yet to be discussed extensively with empirical support. This article reports a case study involving four college EFL students in China over a six-month period of self-regulated learning (SRL) in developing their listening in independent settings. The study examined how the achievement and metacognitive awareness of four high-achieving and low-achieving listeners may have been affected by strategies they used for self-regulating extensive listening activities. It also examined the learners’ engagement during four phases of self-regulated listening, namely, task definition, goal setting and planning, strategy enactment, and metacognitive adaptation. Findings revealed substantial differences in the two groups’ metacognitive engagement in three SRL phases. The article argues that the achievements of the respective learners in listening development were affected by these differences. Pedagogical implications of a self-regulated learning approach in extensive listening for L2 listening development are discussed.

Listening comprehension is the least visible process in second language teaching and learning. Teachers find it difficult to teach listening and listening activities used in language classrooms tend to be just practice activities. To make the teaching and learning of listening explicit, teachers should consider the concept of metacognition. Commonly referred to as thinking about thinking, metacognition enables teachers to help learners reflect on, analyze, critique, and evaluate cognitive, social, and affective processes involved in the learning of second language listening. The components of knowledge, strategy, and experience within the construct of metacognition provide teachers with a principled and comprehensive approach to planning listening lessons and guiding learners in their in and out-of-class listening development.