Active Listening Strategies of Academically Successful University Students

Abstract

Problem Statement:In formal educational environments, the quality of student listening affects learning considerably. Students who areuninterested in a lesson listen reluctantly, wanting time to pass quickly andthe classto end as soon as possible. In such situations, students become passive and, thoughappearing to be listening, will not use listening strategies that promote productive and permanent learning. By contrast, when students willingly participate in lessonsby listening to instructors, asking questions, andholding discussions, they practiceactive listening that allows them toachieve more productive and more permanent learning.

Purpose of Study: The aim of this studywas to identify active listening skills that academically successful university students use in classes and to analyze these students’ opinions on active listening skills.

Methods: This qualitative research involved acase studyby which academically successful university students were observed in a classroom environment and their thoughts on active listening skills examined. According to the model, participants were evaluated without any intervention by researchers inthe classroom environment.

Findings:Findingsfrom observations and interviews were organized under three subheadings: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor-based strategies.Cognitive strategies included paying attention, taking notes, making associations and analogies, asking questions, integrating information, making inferences, getting the main idea, and setting an objective; affective strategies included attending class on time, being motivated, staying calm, and enjoying the lesson; and psychomotor-based strategies included being close to the board, following along with boththe head and eyes, making eye contact, generating feedback, sitting up straight, and paying attention to gestures, facial expressions,tone of voice, and stresses in speech.

Conclusion and Recommendations: According to data collected during the study, academically successful university students used different cognitive, affective, and psychomotor-based strategies in practicing active listening.

Keywords:Active listening, university students, academic success, listening strategy

Keywords

• Active listening, university students, academic success, listening strategy

Kaynakça

1. Akyol, H. (2006). Yeni programa uygun türkçe öğretim yöntemleri[Turkishteaching methodsappropriateto the new program]. Ankara: Kök Yayıncılık.
2. Akyol, H. (2012). Programa uygun türkçe öğretim yöntemleri[Turkishteaching methodsappropriateto the program]. Ankara: Pegem Akademi Yayıncılılık.
3. Devito, J. A. (1995). The interpersonal communication book. New York, NY: Harper Collins CollegePublishers.
4. Doğan, Y. (2008). İlköğretim yedinci sınıf öğrencilerinin dinleme becerilerini geliştirmede etkinlik temelli çalışmaların etkililiği [Efficacy of activity-based studies on improvıng the listening skills of seventh-grade students].Türk Eğitim BilimleriDergisi, 6(2), 261–286.
5. Ergin, A.,& Birol, C. (2005). Eğitimde iletişim[Communicationin education]. Ankara: Anı Yayıncılık.
6. Güneş, F. (2007). Türkçe öğretimi ve zihinsel yapılandırma[Turkish educationandmentalconfiguration]. Ankara: Nobel Yayınları.
7. Hunsaker,R.A.(1990).Understandinganddevelopingtheskillsoforalcommunication:Speakingandlistening(2nded.). Englewood, CO: J. Morton Press.
8. Karadüz, A. (2010). Türkçe ve sınıf öğretmeni adaylarının dinleme stratejilerinin değerlendirilmesi [The evaluation of listening strategies of Turkish-language and primary student teachers].Erciyes Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 29, 39–55.

9. Karasar, N. (2000). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemi[Researchmethodology](12th ed.). Ankara: Nobel Yayın Dağıtım.
10. Moore, K. D.(1999). Öğretim becerileri [Classroom Teaching Skills](Ersin Altıntaş,Ed., N. Kaya,Trans.). Ankara: Nobel Yayıncılık.
11. Omololu, C.B. (1984). Communication behaviours ofundergraduate medical students before and after training.BritishJournal of Medical Psychology, 57, 97–100.
12. Özbay, M. (2001). Türkçe öğretiminde dinleme becerisini geliştirme yolları [Ways to improvelistening skillsin teaching Turkish]. Türk Dili Dergisi, 589, s. 9–15.
13. Özbay, M. (2005). Bir dil becerisi olarak dinleme eğitimi [Listening training as a language skill]Ankara: Akçağ Yayınları.
14. Petress,C.K.(1999). Listening: A vital skill. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 26(4), 261–262.
15. Stone, J. (1994).Cooperative learning and language arts. San Clemente, CA: Kagan.
16. Strauss, A.,& Corbin, J. (1990). Basicsof qualitative research: grounded theory procedures and technique.London: Sage.
17. Umagan, S. (2007). Dinleme eğitimi [Listening training].H. Akyol& H. Kırkkılıç (Eds.), İlköğretimde Türkçe öğretimi[Teaching Turkish in elementary school]. Ankara: Pegema Yayıncılık.
18. Worthington,D.(2008).Exploringtherelationshipbetweenlisteningstyleand need for cognition. International Journal of Listening, 22, 46–58.
19. Yıldırım, A.,&Şimşek, H. (2011). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri [Qualitative research methodsin the social sciences] (8th ed.).Ankara: Seçkin Yayınevi.
20. Yıldız, C., Okur, A., Arı, G.,&Yılmaz, Y.(2008). Yeni öğretim programına göre kuramdan uygulamaya türkçe öğretimi [Turkisheducationfromtheoryinto practiceaccording to thenew curriculum]. Ankara: Pegema Yayınlar