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LANGUAGE IN INDIA Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow Volume 12 : 8 August 2012 ISSN 1930-2940 Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D. Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D. Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D. B. A. Sharada, Ph.D. A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D. Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D. Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D. S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D. G. Baskaran, Ph.D. L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D. Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A. Contents List Listening Comprehension Problems - Voices from the Classroom ... 1-49 Arafat Hamouda, Ph.D. Second Language Learning Anxiety and Its Effect on Achievement in the Language ... Anupama Chakrabarti, M.A. English, M.Ed. and Madhumala Sengupta, Ph.D. 50-78 Communication Strategies in the Discourse of Commercial Transaction in Jordan: A Study of Spoken Language Performed between Customers and Shop Assistants ... 79-107 Asim Khresheh, M.A. in Applied Linguistics and Areej Saraiyreh, B.A. in English-Education Origin and Evolution of Human Language - A Brief Survey of Some Theories and Approaches ... Mohammad Nehal and Mohammad Afzal 108-122 Loss of Civilization and Innocence in Lord of the Flies ... Fatima Anjum, M.A., Ms. Sana Nawaz, M. Phil. and Muhammad Ramzan, M.A. 123-130 Theorising Canadian Literature: A Reading of Margaret Atwood’s Survival ... B. C. Anish Krishnan Nayar, Ph.D. Scholar and J. G. Duresh, Ph.D. 131-144 Conflict of Modernity and Tradition in Twentieth Century Persian Poetry ... Jawad Hamedani, Ph.D. and Muhammad Safeer Awan, Ph.D. 145-159 Language in India www.languageinindia.com 12 : 8 August 2012 Contents List i How Physical Health Affects the Performance of the Students - An Experimental Study ... Sarfraz Ahmad, M.Phil. (Education), Ishtiaq Hussain, Ph.D. Maqsood Ahmed, M.Phil. (Education), Tasneem Sadiq, Ph.D. and Qamar ud Din M.Phil. (Education) Scholar 160-166 Images in Tagore’s Gitanjali ... T. Latha, M.A. M.Phil., SLET., Ph.D. Scholar 167-173 Microfinance and Women Empowerment in the Rural Areas of Cuddalore District of Tamilnadu ... S. Malathi, M.Com., M.B.A., M.Phil. and K. Vijayarani, Ph.D. 174-182 Lai Quoted and Reported Speech ... Roland Siang Nawl, M. Div. and George Bedell, Ph. D. 183-194 Self-Discovery Through Nature in Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing ... S. Ramya Niranjani, M.A., M.Phil. 195-203 Effect of Online Education on Distance Learner's Achievement at AIOU ... 204-217 Madiha Islam, Ph.D. Scholar (Education), Muhammad Javed Iqbal, Ph.D. Mian Baqar Hussain Qureshi, Ph.D. Scholar (Education) and Nuzhat Kalsoom Shahzadi, Ph.D. Scholar (Education) Economics of Ageing: A Study in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu ... S. Pichaipillai, M.A., B.Ed., M.Phil. and T.S. Kalyani, Ph.D. 218-242 English Language Teaching in Pakistan from the Perspective of English as a Globalised Language ... Mian Shah Bacha, Ph.D. Scholar (Linguistics) 243-296 Depiction of Unusual Women - A Study of Gloria Naylor's The Women of Brewster Place ... Preetha. C., M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. Scholar 297-303 Attitude of Teachers towards Professional Development Trainings ... Misbah Muzaffar, M.S. Research Scholar and Samina Yasmin Malik, Ph.D. 304-322 “Why am I what I am?”: Hoja’s Impatience at Turkish Identity in Orhan Pamuk’s The White Castle ... Abdur Rahman Shahin, M.A. in English 323-334 A Study of the Teaching of English Pronunciation in Indian High Schools ... Rohit S. Kawale, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. 335-352 Semantics of the Dative Case in Malayalam ... Ravi Sankar S. Nair, Ph.D. 353-360 Language in India www.languageinindia.com 12 : 8 August 2012 Contents List ii Beginning Teaching ... Runa Shajeev, M.A. (English), S.E.T. 361-369 The Quest for Climatic Sanity: Re-Reading of Akan Creation Myth ... Samuel Kwesi Nkansah 370-384 An Evaluation of Learners Journals as Tool for Learning and Assessment ... Shamim Ali, Ph.D. 385-394 Teaching Speaking Skills through Communicative Activities A Classroom Report ... Sandip J. Nikam, M.A., B.Ed., SET., Ph.D. Candidate 395-402 Platonic Dialogue in Cyber Age - Implications for Higher Education ... Wasima Shehzad, Ph.D. and Safeer Awan, Ph.D. 403-414 Application of NLP in Indian Languages in Information Retrieval ... B. A. Sharada, Ph.D. 415-428 Integrating Translation into Task-Based Activities – A New Direction for ESL Teachers ... Shamim Ali, Ph.D. 429-440 From Nature Writing to Ecocriticism – An Evolutionary Outline of Ecocritical Writing ... Shoba. K.N., M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. 441-453 Functions of Pronominal Affixes in Sizang ... Bobita Sarangthem, Ph. D. 454-463 Integration of Activities in Teaching English to Primary School Students ... Sumanjari. S., M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. Scholar 464-477 Postmodern Perspectives in Salman Rushdie’s Select Novels Fury and Shalimar, The Clown ... G. Surya, M.A., B.Ed., M.Phil. 478-500 Helping Students from Socially Disadvantaged Backgrounds to Develop Effective Listening Skills ... R. S. A. Susikaran, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. Candidate 501-508 Dissociation between Sound Spelling and Sight Spelling in the Writing of Bilingual Wernickes Aphasia – A Case Report ... Swapna Sebastian, Ph.D., Shyamala Chengappa, Ph.D. and Achamma Ballraj, MS., DLO 509-513 Historical Factors and Their Narratives in Amitav Ghosh’s The Shadow Lines: A Critical Study ... Mohammad Shaukat Ansari, Ph.D. 514-513 Language in India www.languageinindia.com 12 : 8 August 2012 Contents List iii Diasporic Elements in Rohinton Mistry's Tales from Firozsha Baag ... B. Tamilselvi, M.A., B.Ed., M.Phil. 531-544 No Entente Cordiale But An Entanglement: Migration Is No More Alluring in M. G. Vassanji’s No New Land 545-552 Language in India www.languageinindia.com 12 : 8 August 2012 Contents List iv LANGUAGE IN INDIA Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow Volume 12 : 8 August 2012 ISSN 1930-2940 Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D. Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D. Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D. B. A. Sharada, Ph.D. A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D. Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D. Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D. S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D. G. Baskaran, Ph.D. L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D. Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A. Listening Comprehension Problems - Voices from the Classroom Arafat Hamouda, Ph.D. ============================================ Abstract Listening ability is one of the important skills in foreign language learning. In spite of its importance, listening has long been the neglected skill in foreign language acquisition, research, teaching, and assessment. There has been little research on the listening problems that L2/Fl learners experience in learning to listen to spoken English in the classrooms. The present study attempts to investigate the listening problems encountered by a group of first year English major students of Qassim University. 60 students who took the listening course in 20011/12 were selected for the study. Data was gathered by means of questionnaires and interviews. The results of the study showed that Accent, pronunciation, speed of speech, insufficient vocabulary, different accent of speakers, lack of concentration, anxiety, and bad quality of recording were the major Language in India www.languageinindia.com 12 : 8 August 2012 Arafat Hamouda, Ph.D. Listening Comprehension Problems – Voices from the Classroom 1 listening comprehension problems encountered by EFL Saudi learners. Understanding students’ learning difficulties may enable EFL teachers to help students develop effective learning strategies and ultimately improve their English listening abilities. Suggestions are made for addressing problems regarding how teachers can help their students overcome listening comprehension problems. The results of this study may also be useful for those who are interested in this field. Key Terms: listening, listening comprehension, listening problems Introduction No one can deny the importance of listening skills in foreign language learning because the key to acquire a language is to receive language input. Krashen, Terrell, Ehrman, & Herzog (1984) claim that acquisition takes place only when students absorb enough comprehensible input. The same claim was supported by Rost (1994) who confirmed that listening is vital in language classrooms because it provides input for learners. As an input skill, listening plays a crucial role in students’ language development. Krashen (1985) argues that people acquire language by understanding the linguistic information they hear. Thus language acquisition is achieved mainly through receiving understandable input and listening ability is the critical component in achieving understandable language input. Without understanding inputs at the right level, any kind of learning simply cannot occur. Thus listening is a fundamental language skill, and as such it merits a critical priority among the four skill areas for language students. As Hasan (2000) pointed out, “listening comprehension provides the right conditions for language acquisition and development of other language skills” (p.138). Listening, therefore, is essential not only as a receptive skill but also to the development of spoken language proficiency. Listening plays an important role in communication as it is said that, of the total time spent on communicating, listening takes up 40-50%; speaking, 25-30%; reading, 11- Language in India www.languageinindia.com 12 : 8 August 2012 Arafat Hamouda, Ph.D. Listening Comprehension Problems – Voices from the Classroom 2 16%; and writing, about 9% (Gilakjani and Ahmadi, 2011). According to Goh (2000), listening is the primary means by which incoming ideas and information are taken in. Gilbert (1988), on the other hand, noted that students from kindergarten through high school were expected to listen 65-90 percent of the time. Wolvin and Coakley (1988) concluded that, both in and out of the classroom, listening consumes more of daily communication time than other forms of verbal communication. Listening is central to the lives of students throughout all levels of educational development (Coakley & Wolvin, 1997). Listening is the most frequently used language skill in the classroom (Ferris, 1998; Vogely, 1998).