Improvement of critical listening skills of 8th grade students

Listening skill is of great importance in communication and education. On the other hand, it is named as a "neglected" and "forgotten" language skill in the literature.The increasing spread of visual and audial tools in all aspects of life particularly requires an effective critical listening education. The aim of this study is to develop the critical listening skills of 8th grade students through the activities prepared. In the study, typical case sampling was used from mixed research model and purposeful sampling methods. Accordingly, a total of 20 students, 10 girls and 10 boys, who are in the 8th grade in Uşak province, formed the study group. The study was conducted as a single subject research model. The cognitive structures of the students were tried to be determined by using the Word Association Test first in the application. Critical Listening Skills Assessment Form was used to evaluate the students' listening skills. Then, critical listening activities were carried out. The effect of the activities on students was measured by evaluation papers prepared by taking expert opinions for each activity. After the activity applications, the students' conceptual changes were determined by reapplying the Word Association Test to the students whose general improvements were detected with the final test. After the application, individual interviews were conducted in which students' and their branch teachers', who attend their lessons, opinions were taken about the application. Frequency tables were created and conceptual networks were drawn in the Word Association Test. The sentences that the students formed about key concepts were examined by descriptive analysis. SPSS program was utilized in the statistical analysis of the data obtained from Critical Listening Skills Assessment Form used for preliminary test and final test. In data analysis, Paired Sample Group t-Test, Unpaired Sample Group t-Test, One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Correlation Analysis were used. The data were examined according to the variables, such as gender, mother's educational status, father's educational status, mother's professional status, father's professional status, number of the book pages read, number of siblings. SPSS program was also used in the analysis of the data obtained from critical listening activities. As a result of the study, it was seen that the activities used developed the 8th grade students' critical listening skills. It was observed that the number and quality of the words given by students as an answer about key concepts had increased. At the end of the study, the increase in the sentences of the students containing scientific knowledge and the decrease in the sentences containing misconceptions, have revealed the improvement of the students' cognitive structures. It has been observed that their cognitive structures especially regarding the concept of criticism have changed positively. Correlatively, the fact that the students' achievement in the final test is significantly higher than the preliminary test indicates that the applied critical listening activities contribute to the critical listening skills of the students. In compliance with the results of the study, the students' critical listening skills do not differentiate statistically according to the mother's educational status, father's educational status, mother's professional status, father's professional status, the number of the book pages the students read and the number of the siblings; but differentiate according to the gender. In the final test, the achievements of female students are statistically significantly higher than male students. The remarks of the students in the study group and the branch teachers, who attend their lessons, about the application confirm the success of the study.