Process of modifying the listening behavior of junior high school students

Abstract

The present study examined the process of modifying the listening behavior of junior high school students via learning to listen. The intervention was focused especially on the students' recognition of listening; it was hypothesized that this would improve their listening behavior. The participants were 30 junior high school students (15 males, 15 females), each of whom had four 60-minute listening sessions. Of those students, 14 who had taken part in all 4 sessions were interviewed individually after the final session. Analysis of the interview results, based on a Modified Grounded Theory Approach, revealed 11 concepts and 6 categories, and showed 3 types of hypothetical processes that depended on the experiences of listening to others, being listened to by others, and observing others' listening behavior. Being listened to by others increased the students' awareness of the meaning of listening much more than did listening to others or observing others' listening behavior. Furthermore, changes in the participants' listening behavior resulted in other changes in their recognition of listening and in their developing positive relationships with their peers.