The Effect of Authentic Oral Texts on Student Listening Comprehension in the Foreign Language Classroom

TLDR

The study examined how authentic, unedited radio features affect listening skills in intermediate French learners. Twenty‑three intermediate French students in two identical classes were assigned to a control or experimental group, the latter receiving regular supplementation with the unedited Champs‑Elyseés radio program. Students exposed to the authentic radio program achieved higher listening comprehension scores on two aural tests, confirming that increased exposure to authentic speech improves skills, and suggesting that adjusting speech levels may not be necessary for intermediate learners.

Abstract

ABSTRACT The current study determined the effect of authentic, unedited radio features on student listening skills in the foreign language classroom. Twenty‐three students in two classes of intermediate French participated in the research. The basic instructional approach and materials for the two classes of students were identical. The groups differed only in that classwork, in the experimental condition, was regularly supplemented with Champs‐Elyseés, an unedited radio program produced in Paris. Student listening comprehension skills at the end of the fifteen‐week semester were superior in the experimental condition as measured on two different aural tests of unedited native speech. Results confirmed that listening comprehension improves with increased exposure to authentic speech. The current study suggests that adjusting levels of speech (speed, content, and form) to students' developing comprehension, while perhaps helpful to the intermediate‐level foreign language student, might not be essential to improvement of listening skills.