Relationship Between Listening Comprehension in English and Perceived Competence in English : Differences Between Developmental Stages of Fourth and Fifth Graders

Abstract

Elementary school English activities place great importance on listening and speaking in order to develop children's motivation for studying English. This paper aims to examine the relationship between students' performances in listening comprehension. The participants were 72 fourth graders (45 boys and 27 girls) and 85 fifth graders (41 boys and 44 girls) of an elementary school. According to the results of a path analysis, it was found that the path of fourth graders was simpler than that of fifth graders. It could also be observed that a positive effect on perceived competence in fifth graders indicated performance in the listening test, but the positive effect on perceived competence could not be found for fourth graders. It is probable that fostering enjoyment of, and interest in, English is an appropriate part of a teaching methodology for fourth graders. However, it is likely that, for fifth graders, a sound method of instruction which improves listening comprehension skills leads to greater self-confidence in English.