Lyssnande för att lära eller lärande för attlyssna : – Strategier för lyssnande i engelska

Listening is the most common skill we use in communication with others, even though it might be the most difficult skill to learn. Recent research shows that pupils receive most information in school by listening, and other research shows that it is relatively common that pupils, instead of using strategies while listening, just listen for specific words. This essay aims to examine pupils´ listening-strategies in English as a second language. By interviews with both pupils and teachers in two different schools, and observations I have investigated listening-strategies. The results of this study show that children at the age of eleven and twelve do apply listening strategies. Some pupils are aware of their comprehension skills in listening, while others do not exactly know what they are doing, but they actually have a strategy for listening. Even though there is little research about this topic, there is developmental work in Sweden which we need to be aware of. Teachers play a role in teaching and developing listening strategies, and this study investigates particularly the importance of metacognitive strategies. In a future perspective listening strategies are very important for language learners