Holistic Approach and Language Teaching: Listening-speaking Development and Self-efficacy in Focus
DOR: 20.1001.1.23223898.2021.9.36.9.5

Subject Areas :

Ameneh Nejabat ¹ , Masoud Tajadini ² , Neda Fatehi Rad ³

1 - Department of English Language, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran
2 - Department of English Language, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran
3 - Department of English Language, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran

Received: 2020-08-08 Accepted : 2020-12-11 Published : 2021-07-01

Keywords: Self-efficacy, Oral skills, holistic teaching, listening-speaking activities,

Abstract :

The purpose of holistic language teaching is the development of the learners’ ability to handle both their language oral skills as well as maximizing their life skills. This study aimed to fulfill these objectives through a mixed-methods design, using holistic teaching procedures. The participants of the study comprised 60 Iranian EFL pre-intermediate learners homogenized through Cambridge Placement Test, from a population of 78 students who had been selected by simple random sampling. They were divided into two experimental and control groups (30 students in each group) who received the treatment--a holistic and sequenced series of listening-speaking activities, and traditional teaching instruction, respectively. Four instruments were used to collect the data for analysis: Cambridge Placement Test, a comprehensive test of speaking and listening used as pretest and posttest, a questionnaire to estimate the learners’ self-efficacy and finally, an unstructured interview. The findings of the study proved that the experimental group that was exposed to the holistic teaching procedures outperformed the control group, meaning that the participants in this group performed more satisfactorily in both listening and speaking. Moreover, their self-efficacy improved to an acceptable level as they expressed in the interview their satisfaction with the use of holistic teaching procedures. These findings have some implications for both teachers and students concerning the enhancement of language interaction in and outside the English classes.

References:

Al-batayneh, Z. (2004). The Effect of Holistic Program to Teach Fluency, Literature and Criticism on the Achievement and Aesthetic Appreciation in Literal Comprehension Texts for the First Secondary Class. Amman Arab University for Graduate Studies, Amman, Jordan, Ph.D.

Alashhab, W. (2000). Effect of Holistic Comprehension Strategy on the Achievement of      Ninth Graders in Arabic Syntax in Public Schools. Unpublished M. A. .Algods University, Palastine,

Azzitawi, S. (2005). Impact of Using Holistic Approach on Teaching Reading Comprehension Passages to Improve Higher Thinking Skills for Seventh Graders in Ramtha Governorate. , Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan.

Bavaqar, S. (2019). The Relationship between Self-Efficacy Perception of Iranian ‎Intermediate EFL Learners’ Speaking and Oral Ability. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 6(2), 133-139. 

Bonyadi, A., Gholami, J., & Nasiri, S. (2012). A contrastive study of hedging in environmental sciences research articles. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 3(6), 1186-1193.

Burns, N., & Groves, K. (1997). Practice of nursing research. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders company.

Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: The theory in practice. New York City, NY: Basic Books.

Goh, C. C. M., Goh, C., & Burns, A. (2012). Teaching speaking: Ernst Klett Sprachen.

Harmer, J. (2007). The practice of English language teaching. Harlow: Pearson Longman.

Liu, M., & Huang, W. (2011). An exploration of foreign language anxiety and English learning motivation. Education Research International, 2011.

Mahmoudi, S., Jafari, E., Nasrabadi, H. A., & Liaghatdar, M. J. (2012). Holistic education: An approach for 21 century. International Education Studies, 5(2), 178-186.

Martínez, L. Q., Lome-Maldonado, C., Ott, G., Gschwendtner, A., Gredler, E., Angeles-Angeles, A., ... & Fend, F. (1998). Primary intestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Epstein-Barr virus: high frequency of EBV-infection in T-cell lymphomas of Mexican origin. Leukemia & lymphoma, 30(1-2), 111-121.

Miller, R. (1992). What Are Schools For? Holistic Education in American Culture. Revised. Holistic Education Press, 39 Pearl Street, Brandon, VT 05733-0328.

Nimr, A. (2008). Effect of an Instructional Program Based on Holistic Approach on Improving Listening Comprehension Skills for Female Eighth Grade Students. Jordan, Amman, Jordan, M. A.

Todorova, N., & Todorova, A. (2018). Globalization and the Role of the English Language. Міжнародні зв’язки України: наукові пошуки і знахідки, (27).

Wikeley, F., Bullock, K., Muschamp, Y., & Ridge, T. (2007). Educational relationships outside school. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Zhang, X. S. &  Ardasheva, Y. (2019). Building Assessments for Self-Efficacy in English Public Speaking in China.The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher 28 (5):411-420.