The Relationship between Children’s Listening Ability, its Influencing Factors, and the Children’s Academic Ability in Science

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the relationship between children’s listening ability, its influencing factors, and the children’s academic ability in science. In the teaching matters of “listening” as indicated by the Explanation of Elementary School Course of Study (MEXT 2017), children’s listening ability is defined as “listening and understanding what the speaker wants to convey and what they want to ask, and having their own impressions and thoughts based on what they heard.” We examined whether children's listening ability and its influencing factors defined participants’ academic ability in science using correlation and path analysis. The results showed that academic ability in science was determined by children’s listening ability, kanji writing ability, and verbal working memory. The results suggest that designing lessons and curricula that focus on children’s listening ability, kanji writing ability, and verbal working memory could improve their academic ability in science.