Showing papers on "Active listening published in 2014"

Listening effort and fatigue: What exactly are we measuring? A British Society of Audiology Cognition in Hearing Special Interest Group ‘white paper’

Abstract: Objective: There is growing interest in the concepts of listening effort and fatigue associated with hearing loss. However, the theoretical underpinnings and clinical meaning of these concepts are unclear. This lack of clarity reflects both the relative immaturity of the field and the fact that research studies investigating listening effort and fatigue have used a variety of methodologies including self-report, behavioural, and physiological measures. Design: This discussion paper provides working definitions for listening effort and listening-related fatigue. Using these definitions as a framework, methodologies to assess these constructs are reviewed. Results: Although each technique attempts to characterize the same construct (i.e. the clinical presentation of listening effort and fatigue), different assumptions are often made about the nature of these phenomena and their behavioural and physiological manifestations. Conclusion: We suggest that researchers consider these assumptions when inter...

Data from Paper “False-Positive Psychology: Undisclosed Flexibility in Data Collection and Analysis Allows Presenting Anything as Significant”

Abstract: The data includes measures collected for the two experiments reported in “False-Positive Psychology” [1] where listening to a randomly assigned song made people feel younger (Study 1) or actually be younger (Study 2). These data are useful because they illustrate inflations of false positive rates due to flexibility in data collection, analysis, and reporting of results. Data are useful for educational purposes.

Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Benefits of Regular Musical Activities in Early Dementia: Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract: Purpose of the study During aging, musical activities can help maintain physical and mental health and cognitive abilities, but their rehabilitative use has not been systematically explored in persons with dementia (PWDs). Our aim was to determine the efficacy of a novel music intervention based on coaching the caregivers of PWDs to use either singing or music listening regularly as a part of everyday care. Design and methods Eighty-nine PWD-caregiver dyads were randomized to a 10-week singing coaching group (n = 30), a 10-week music listening coaching group (n = 29), or a usual care control group (n = 30). The coaching sessions consisted primarily of singing/listening familiar songs coupled occasionally with vocal exercises and rhythmic movements (singing group) and reminiscence and discussions (music listening group). In addition, the intervention included regular musical exercises at home. All PWDs underwent an extensive neuropsychological assessment, which included cognitive tests, as well as mood and quality of life (QOL) scales, before and after the intervention period and 6 months later. In addition, the psychological well-being of family members was repeatedly assessed with questionnaires. Results Compared with usual care, both singing and music listening improved mood, orientation, and remote episodic memory and to a lesser extent, also attention and executive function and general cognition. Singing also enhanced short-term and working memory and caregiver well-being, whereas music listening had a positive effect on QOL. Implications Regular musical leisure activities can have long-term cognitive, emotional, and social benefits in mild/moderate dementia and could therefore be utilized in dementia care and rehabilitation.

Exploring Teachers' Knowledge of Second Language Pronunciation Techniques: Teacher Cognitions, Observed Classroom Practices, and Student Perceptions

Abstract: This study explored some of the intricate connections between the cognitions (beliefs, knowledge, perceptions, attitudes) and pedagogical practices of five English language teachers, specifically in relation to pronunciation-oriented techniques. Integral to the study was the use of semistructured interviews, classroom observations, and stimulated recall interviews with the teachers and questionnaires with students. Findings reveal that the teachers' knowledge base of pronunciation techniques consisted mainly of controlled techniques—techniques strongly manipulated by the teachers and typically considered less communicative than other techniques. Of all techniques, guided techniques (semistructured) were the least frequently used, suggesting in part that the teachers' knowledge of how to incorporate guided techniques on a consistent basis with oral communication curricula may be limited. This article also includes discussion of three sets of beliefs held by some of the teachers: (1) listening perception is essential for producing comprehensible speech, (2) kinesthetic/tactile practice is integral to phonological improvement, and (3) pronunciation instruction can be boring.

Listening to Children: Being and becoming

Abstract: Through a series of exquisite encounters with children, and through a lucid opening up of new aspects of poststructuralist theorizing, Bronwyn Davies opens up new ways of thinking about, and intra-acting with, children. This book carefully guides the reader through a wave of thought that turns the known into the unknown, and then slowly, carefully, makes new forms of thought comprehensible, opening, through all the senses, a deep understanding of our embeddedness in encounters with each other and with the material world. This book takes us into Reggio-Emilia-inspired Swedish preschools in Sweden, into the author’s own community in Australia, into poignant memories of childhood, and offers the reader insights into: new ways of thinking about children and their communities; the act of listening as emergent and alive; ourselves as mobile and multiple subjects; the importance of remaining open to the not-yet-known. Defining research as diffractive, and as experimental, Davies’ relationship to the teachers and pedagogues she worked with is one of co-experimentation. Her relationship with the children is one in which she explores the ways in which her own new thinking and being might emerge, even as old ways of thinking and being assert themselves and interfere with the unfolding of the new. She draws us into her ongoing experimentation, asking that we think hard, all the while delighting our senses with the poetry of her writing, and the stories of her encounters with children.

Listening for Democracy: Recognition, Representation, Reconciliation

Abstract: Introduction 1. Why Listening? 2. Learning about Listening 3. Listening and Democracy 4. Deliberative and Dialogic Democracy 5. Listening to Whom? Listening for What? 6. Institutionalizing Listening

Exploring the relationship between metacognitive awareness and listening performance with questionnaire data

Abstract: This study sought to provide a nuanced understanding of the relationship between metacognitive awareness and listening performance by eliciting from 113 English-as-a-second-language (ESL) Chinese learners their metacognitive awareness with regard to knowledge of listening strategies used and perceptions of difficulty and anxiety following a listening lesson. Data were collected through the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ) and an official sample IELTS listening test. Responses were examined for how different aspects of metacognitive awareness represented by the MALQ factors related to listening performance and for individual differences in metacognitive awareness across these factors. The results showed a significant positive relationship between learners’ metacognitive awareness scores and listening performance and that their metacognitive awareness accounted for 22% of the variance in listening performance. Analysis of individual factors showed a significant relationship between lis...

Listening effort and accented speech

Abstract: Understanding spoken language requires mapping acoustic input onto stored phonological and lexical representations. Speech tokens, however, are notoriously variable: they fluctuate within speakers, across speakers, and in different acoustic environments. As listeners, we must therefore perceive speech in a manner flexible enough to accommodate acoustic signals that imperfectly match our expectations. When these mismatches are small, comprehension can proceed with minimal effort; when acoustic variations are more substantial, additional cognitive resources are required to process the signal. A schematic model of speech comprehension is shown in Figure ​Figure1,1, emphasizing that different degrees of acoustic mismatch will require varying levels of cognitive recruitment. Recent research increasingly supports a critical role for executive processes—such as verbal working memory and cognitive control—in understanding degraded speech (Wingfield et al., 2005; Eckert et al., 2008; Ronnberg et al., 2013). However, to date, the literature has focused on sources of increased acoustic challenge that originate in the listener (hearing loss) or in the listening environment (background noise). Largely unexplored are the cognitive effects of accented speech (i.e., speech produced by a speaker who does not share a native language or dialect with the listener), a ubiquitous source of variability in speech intelligibility. Here we argue that accented speech must also be considered within a framework of listening effort. Figure 1 (A) Speech signals that match listeners' perceptual expectations are processed relatively automatically, but when acoustic match is reduced (for example, due to noise or unfamiliar accents), additional executive resources are needed to compensate. (B) ...

The effect of hearing aid noise reduction on listening effort in hearing-impaired adults.

Abstract: Objectives The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a noise-reduction (NR) algorithm on the listening effort hearing-impaired participants expend on a speech in noise task. Design Twelve hearing-impaired listeners fitted with behind-the-ear hearing aids with a fast-acting modulation-based NR algorithm participated in this study. A dual-task paradigm was used to measure listening effort with and without the NR enabled in the hearing aid. The primary task was a sentence-in-noise task presented at fixed overall speech performance levels of 76% (moderate listening condition) and 50% (difficult listening condition) correct performance, and the secondary task was a visual-tracking test. Participants also completed measures of working memory (Reading Span test), and processing speed (Digit Symbol Substitution Test) ability. Results Participants' speech recognition in noise scores did not significantly change with the NR algorithm activated in the hearing aid in either listening condition. The NR algorithm significantly decreased listening effort, but only in the more difficult listening condition. Last, there was a tendency for participants with faster processing speeds to expend less listening effort with the NR algorithm when listening to speech in background noise in the difficult listening condition. Conclusions The NR algorithm reduced the listening effort adults with hearing loss must expend to understand speech in noise.

The effect of proficiency on CLIL benefits in Engineering students in Spain

Abstract: This paper reports on a follow-up study of a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) pilot experience with bilingual postgraduate engineering students at a Spanish university. It aimed at examining learners' gains in listening and grammar skills after a CLIL course in English for a semester, in particular whether students' listening and grammar skills were affected similarly and whether participants' proficiency level played a role. Paired-sampled t-tests showed the difference between the mean scores in the pre-and post-listening test was significant but it was not for the pre-and post grammar tests. When students were distributed into three groups on the basis of their pre-test scores, a repeated measures ANOVA showed that less proficient students obtained higher gains in listening and grammar skills than more proficient students.

Using listening journals to raise awareness of Global Englishes in ELT

Abstract: With the increasing use of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), it is no longer appropriate to associate English purely with �native-speaking� nations, but with a global community of users. This article reports on the use of listening journals in ELT to expose students to global Englishes (GE), a field that reflects the current global use of English. These journals served as a pedagogical task, and as a research instrument that involved the analysis of 108 journals consisting of 1,092 reflections on GE exposure. The results highlighted students� current use of English, the impetus behind the selection of material for the listening journal, and their reflections on this exposure. The study not only shows a benefit in using listening journals to raise awareness of GE but also highlights limitations, including the reinforcement of stereotypes and a tendency to reflect on attitudes towards different varieties of English rather than how successful ELF communication is achieved.

The Relative Effectiveness of Active Listening in Initial Interactions

Abstract: Although active listening is considered an important communication skill in a variety of occupational and therapeutic fields, few experiments compare dyadic partners' perceptions of active listenin

Use of a digital assistant in communications

Abstract: A digital assistant operating on a device is configured to be engaged as an active participant in communications between local and remote parties by listening to voice and video calls and participating in messaging sessions. The digital assistant typically can be initiated by voice using a key word or phrase and then be requested to perform tasks, provide information and services, etc. using voice or gestures. The digital assistant can respond to the request and take appropriate actions. In voice and video calls, the interactions with the digital assistant (i.e., the request, response, and actions) can be heard by both parties to the call as if the digital assistant was a third party on the call. In a messaging session, messages are generated and displayed to each participant so that they can see the interactions with the digital assistant as if it was a participant.

Understanding and Developing Student Engagement

Abstract: 1. Clarifying the Concept of Student Engagement Colin Bryson SECTION I - Students Engaging - perspectives from researchers 2. Nottingham Tales: Diverse Student Journeys through their Undergraduate Degrees Colin Bryson and Christine Hardy 3. The Listening Project: Physiotherapy Students' Narratives of their Higher Education Experiences Claire Hamshire and Christopher Wibberley 4. Engagement as Dynamic and Relational: Students' Accounts and Achievements over Time Julie Wintrup SECTION II - Students Engaging - perspectives from students 5. Experiences of Engagement: The Successes and Issues from a Student Perspective Ruth Furlonger, Daniel Johnson and Beth Parker 6. Music to Listen to while Writing: Ludovico Einaudi or Amazing Piano Music Sue Lund 7. Auto-ethnographic Writing and Student Engagement Practices: A Personal and Critical Reflection Zoe Sarah Baker 8. People Can Make or Break Student Engagement Emma Chadwyck 9. Students as Researchers: Personal Reflections by Students of their Engagement in a Research Project Viola Borsos, Christopher Demirjian, Ji Kim, Nga Wun Mok, Oliver Worsley, Christine Hardy and Sean Prince 10. Cross-Cultural Experiences: Exploring Engagement as an International Postgraduate Shanna Saubert 11. The NTSU Outstanding Teaching Awards: Student Perspectives on Engagement Ed Foster and Jo Southwell-Sander 12. The Impact of Co-Curricular Activity on Student Engagement Sarah Johnson, Rebecca Murphy and Sarah Parnham SECTION III - Engaging Students 13. 'What Matters in the End is to Act Well': Student Engagement and Ethics Carol Taylor and Carol Robinson 14. Academic Engagement: Engaging Who and to What End? Sam Elkington 15. Using Student Engagement Research to Improve the First Year Experience at a UK University Ed Foster, Michaela Borg, Sarah Lawther, Jane McNeil & Ellie Kennedy 16. Engaging Experienced Students as Academic Mentors in Support of the First Year Experience: The Epistemic Apprenticeship Project Kay Sambell and Linda Graham 17. Enriching the Student Experience: Engaging Students and Staff Andrea Jackson and Katie Livesey 18. Reflections and Considerations about the Future of Student Engagement Colin Bryson

Listening text comprehension in preschoolers: a longitudinal study on the role of semantic components

Abstract: A longitudinal study analyzed (a) which lower- and higher-level semantic components uniquely predicted listening text comprehension and (b) the nature of the relation (i.e., direct and indirect) between the predictors and listening text comprehension in preschoolers. One-hundred and fifty-two children participated in the present study (68 females; mean age = 4;10 years/months and 5;5 years/months at Time 1 and Time 2, respectively). Participants were administered measures to evaluate listening text comprehension (Time 1 and Time 2) and (a) expressive and receptive word knowledge (lower-level semantic components), and (b) inferential skills and the ability to use context (higher-level semantic components) (Time 1). Verbal short-term and working memory were also included as control variables. Data were analyzed using path analysis models. Results showed that both types of semantic components (a) accounted for unique variance in listening text comprehension at Time 2, with lower-level semantic components explaining a larger proportion of variance than higher-level semantic components; (b) were related to later listening text comprehension through direct and indirect relations. Memory resources did not significantly contribute to listening text comprehension. The results are discussed in light of their theoretical relevance and educational/practical implications.

Bringing back the body into the mind: gestures enhance word learning in foreign language

Abstract: Foreign language education in the 21st century still teaches vocabulary mainly through reading and listening activities. This is due to the link between teaching practice and traditional philosophy of language, where language is considered to be an abstract phenomenon of the mind. However, a number of studies have shown that accompanying words or phrases of a foreign language with gestures leads to better memory results. In this paper, I review behavioral research on the positive effects of gestures on memory. Then I move to the factors that have been addressed as contributing to the effect, and I embed the reviewed evidence in the theoretical framework of embodiment. Finally, I argue that gestures accompanying foreign language vocabulary learning create embodied representations of those words. I conclude by advocating the use of gestures in future language education as a learning tool that enhances learning the mind.

The effect of extensive listening on developing L2 listening fluency: some hard evidence

Abstract: This study looks at the effect of developing L2 listening fluency through extensive listening to audio graded readers. A large bank of listening fluency development questions (2,064 items) was constructed based on ten Level 1 graded readers. Three groups of L2 students were engaged in one of three different input modes while studying ten graded readers over a 13-week period: reading only, reading while listening, and listening only. All participants were given one pre-test (60 items) before the intervention and one post-test consisting of three texts (180 items) after the intervention. All the passages were delivered at the same speech rate, and the participants were allowed to listen only once. The post-test results demonstrate that the reading plus listening group produced the most consistent and significant outcome compared with the reading-only and listening-only groups. The results have some implications for developing L2 listening fluency.

Effect of Using Video Materials in the Teaching of Listening Skills for University Students

Abstract: The purposes of this study were 1) to develop the listening skills of university students studying English with the use of video materials and 2) to evaluate students’ attitudes towards the use of video materials in teaching listening skills. The sample of the student population for this study was 41 first-year English major students in the second semester of the academic year 2012 at Thaksin University, Thailand. They were selected by simple random sampling. The study was conducted over 20 teaching periods. The one - group pretest - posttest design was implemented in this study. The instruments used in this study were 1) lesson plans 2) English comprehension tests (pretest and posttest) and 3) a questionnaire of the students’ attitude. Regarding the data analysis, mean, percentage and t-test scores for the dependent sample were employed. The result indicated that 1) the students’ English listening comprehension ability increased significantly after learning with videos and 2) students had positive attitudes towards using videos in teaching listening skills.

On the importance of listening comprehension

Abstract: The simple view of reading highlights the importance of two primary components which account for individual differences in reading comprehension across development: word recognition (i.e., decoding) and listening comprehension. While assessments and interventions for decoding have been the focus of pedagogy in the past several decades, the importance of listening comprehension has received less attention. This paper reviews evidence showing that listening comprehension becomes the dominating influence on reading comprehension starting even in the elementary grades. It also highlights a growing number of children who fail to develop adequate reading comprehension skills, primarily due to deficient listening comprehension skills (i.e., poor comprehenders). Finally we discuss key language influences on listening comprehension for consideration during assessment and treatment of reading disabilities.

#nowplaying Music Dataset: Extracting Listening Behavior from Twitter

Abstract: The extraction of information from online social networks has become popular in both industry and academia as these data sources allow for innovative applications. However, in the area of music recommender systems and music information retrieval, respective data is hardly exploited. In this paper, we present the #nowplaying dataset, which leverages social media for the creation of a diverse and constantly updated dataset, which describes the music listening behavior of users. For the creation of the dataset, we rely on Twitter, which is frequently facilitated for posting which music the respective user is currently listening to. From such tweets, we extract track and artist information and further metadata. The dataset currently comprises 49 million listening events, 144,011 artists, 1,346,203 tracks and 4,150,615 users which makes it considerably larger than existing datasets.

‘Do we hear what children want to say?’ Ethical praxis when choosing research tools with children under five

Abstract: Over the recent years there has been a shift in the field of early childhood research to involving young children in the research process. A vast body of literature [Evans, P., & Fuller, M. (1996). Hello. Who am I speaking to? Communicating with pre-school children in educational research settings. Early Years, 17(1), 17–20; Clark, A. (2004). Listening as a way of life. London: National Children's Bureau; Clark, A., & Moss, P. (2001). Listening to young children: The mosaic approach. London: National Children's Bureau; Clark, A., & Moss, P. (2005). Spaces to play: More listening to young children using the Mosaic approach. London: National Children's Bureau; Thomson, P. (Ed.). (2008). Doing visual research with children and young people. Abingdon: Routledge; Farrell, A. (Ed.). (2005). Ethical research with children. Maidenhead: Open University Press] discusses methods to be used with young children in research by means of participatory methods and listening to children's voices. A number of researchers me...

Effects of using mobile devices on English listening diversity and speaking for EFL elementary students

Abstract: This study designed learning activities supported by a mobile learning system for students to develop listening and speaking skills in English as a foreign language (EFL). How students perceive learning activities and a mobile learning system were examined in this study. Additionally, how different practices relate to students’ language proficiency was also explored. It was found that students had positive perceptions and intentions toward learning activities; thus, students were motivated to practice English skills more when using a mobile learning system. The results demonstrated how students’ speaking and listening skills practices using mobile devices had different correlations depending on their proficiency levels. For example, listening diversity, defined as the number of other classmates a student listened to, was found to have an inverse correlation with speaking and listening proficiency. This finding does not support previous research and indicates that students who carefully selected their listening partners performed better than those who did not. It was further found that the better students performed in English learning, the fewer partners they would choose. EFL instructors can use the insights of this study to design more effective language learning activities for students using mobile devices.

Engaging Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Research Interviews.

Abstract: Accessible summary: Listening to young people with autism spectrum disorder is important. Researchers can help support young people to have their say. Each young person is different. The supports used need to match their needs. Summary: This study draws on the first author's doctoral research on the mainstream schooling experiences of young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents in Queensland, Australia. The aims are to share some of the practical strategies that were adapted and developed to engage the young people in the research and to critically reflect on what this means for future inclusive methodological approaches in this area. The key message is that diagnostic-related assumptions about impairments can lead researchers to develop strategies which exclude or restrict rather than maximise participation of disabled people in research. To enable young people with ASD to provide rich and meaningful insights researchers need to acknowledge and plan creatively and flexibly for the interactive dynamic that is unique to each individual as well as for needs which might be shared.

Attending to others’ posts in asynchronous discussions: Learners’ online “listening” and its relationship to speaking

Abstract: Theoretical models of collaborative learning through online discussions presuppose that students generally attend to others’ posts. However, a succession of studies over the last decade has shown this assumption to be unwarranted. Instead, research indicates that learners attend to others’ posts in diverse and particular ways—an activity we have conceptualized as online “listening.” In this study, we take an important step forward in developing a robust theory of online listening by examining the relationship between how learners “listen” (access existing posts) and “speak” (contribute posts) in online discussions. Ten variables indexing four dimensions of students’ listening (breadth, depth, temporal contiguity and revisitation) and five variables indexing three dimensions of students’ speaking (discursiveness, depth of content and reflectivity) were calculated for 31 students participating in 6 week-long online discussions as part of an undergraduate educational psychology course. Multi-level mixed-model linear regressions indicated that responsiveness of students’ posts was positively predicted by how often they revisited previously read peer posts, and negatively related to a greater number of posts in the discussion overall. The depth of posts’ contents was predicted by the percentage of posts viewed that students actually read (as opposed to scanned). An exploratory follow-up analysis indicated that these listening-speaking relationships manifest differently over time for distinct subsets of learners (e.g., a decrease in variable pairs versus corresponding fluctuations around stable levels). Put together, results suggest that when students take the time to read and re-read their peers’ posts there are related benefits in the quality of the posts they contribute.

Listening, Thinking, Being

Abstract: This article explores a perspective on listening, called listening being, which resides beyond the limitations of language, dualism, and conceptual thought. As a dwelling place for human being, listening being can reveal the ethical possibilities that arise when listening begins not from a speaking, but from the emptiness of awareness itself. This perhaps utopian vision of listening is not an actual state or principle, but a horizon toward which we might travel. Listening being is thus a philosophical challenge that invites us to rethink communication through the lens of listening and engage with/in a form of human communication and consciousness beyond discursive thought, to places of understanding that language cannot, as yet, reach.