OnImprovingListeningSkills.doc

PAGE   PAGE 4 On Improving Listening Ability: From the Perspective of the listening Anxiety 1. Introduction English is well-established as a world language. As is known, language learning consists of four basic skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. But now, it is generally recognized that listening is a highly integrative skill. As Rivers and Temperly put it, for the language used in social practice, 45% of that is done through listening. It shows that listening plays an important role, facilitating the emergence of other language skills. But at the same time, some statistics show that nearly 50% students regard listening as the most difficult part. So the training of listening ability takes up a very important position and it is also a technical barrier difficult to break down. 2. The classification and demonstration of the listening anxiety Anxiety is almost impossible to define in a simple sentence. Brown puts, it is associated with feelings of uneasiness, frustration, self-doubt or worry. It has been proved that the anxiety has a negative effect on language learning, and it is considered to be an important factor affecting listening comprehension. Kreshen puts it, all the other factors may fail to encourage listening comprehension when students are inclined to be anxious. 2.1 The classification In listening comprehension, the anxiety can be divided into two kinds. The first is called “the facilitating anxiety”, which can be transformed into the study power. It will help students build up the confidence, meet the new study challenge, focus their attention, urge them to endeavor toward the target spontaneously, and facilitate them to make greater progress. But the second one, “the debilitating anxiety”, which can be used to promote listening comprehension only through students can first overcome it, because it will hinder the process of language learning and the possibility of students’ contacting the new study, hurt students’ confidence,