Supporting the English Listening Comprehension Skill in a Costa Rica’s Rural High School: The Use of Teacher-Recorded Listening Exercises Modified with Background Noises

Abstract

his project aimed at reinforcing the English listening skill of a group of seventh students from a high school in Cartago using teacher-recorded listening exercises modified with background noises. On the day one, participants of the control and experimental group were respectively exposed to two versions of the same podcast, one without the background noises and the other with them. A pre-test followed to record the performance of both groups on day one. The exposure continued during the following days, and on day six both groups listened to an English podcast with background noises included. A post-test followed to compare the results with those of the pretest. The results of the study indicated that the participants of the experimental group which, had been exposed to the listening material modified with background noises during a week, scored higher in the posttest, and experienced a sense of more confidence while completing the task. On the other hand, the performance of the control group (which was not exposed to modified podcasts until day six) was deficient, and participants expressed discomfort and lack of familiarity with the task. The results of this study could open a new way to understand and approach the creation of listening exercises which have been traditionally deprived from noises external to the speakers’ voices.