A Study On The Application Of Blended Learning Instruction To English Listening Teaching In Secondary Vocational Schools

Listening skill is a very important skill for the language learners,but facing with the contradiction between the social high demand for students’ English listening & speaking ability and the secondary vocational students’ poor English levels & the particularly present unsatisfying situation of vocational English listening teaching,the thesis proposes a new teaching method of English listening based on blended learning theories(which combines the traditional face-to-face teaching method and self-learning with different kinds of technology-based instruction)for secondary vocational school students.Based on the second language acquisition theories and blended learning theory,the research aims to investigate the effects of blended learning approach in teaching practical English listening and the students’ perceptions of blended learning approach in practicing practical English listening by carrying out the teaching experiment in the author’s vocational school by answering two research questions: 1)Can the B-learning Instructionbe more effective in improving students’ the scores of the listening test in the Practical English Test for Secondary Vocational Schools? 2)What is the students’ attitude towardsthe B-learning Instruction?The subjects were first-year students from the experimental class(EC)and the control class(CC)(who both study practical English for vocational schools)of vocational school in Qinghai.EC learned and practiced the target practical English listening items throughthe B-learning Instructionwhile CC learned and practiced the same practical English listening items through the traditional teacher-centered English listening method.Before and after the teaching experimental period,two paper-based listening tests(pre-test and post-test)were administered to both of two classes.To collect the qualitative data,pre-questionnaire & post-questionnaire and interviews were used in EC to identify students’ perception on blended learning.After 15 weeks’ teaching research,all data in the teaching experiment were collected and the dada of post-test & pre-test were analyzed with SPSS 22.0.The major findings are presented as follows:Firstly,compared with the traditional teacher-centered English listening method,the B-learning Instruction can significantly improve the students’ scores of the listening test in the Practical English Test for Vocational Schools.With the help of the APP(Ke Ke English),students can be supplied with a lot of English listening materials and the way to practice English listening skill effectively after class.Secondly,students are more willing to practice English listening after class.They are more confidence and willing toparticipate in the listening class activities.because they have finished listening tasks on Mobile APP(Ke Ke English)before the class.What’s more,the teacher can carry out more effective English listening class activities.By well designing the teaching content and the teaching process after class and during class,the teacher can also monitor the students’ self-learning more effectively to ensure that students are able to participated in the class activities designed by the teacher.The results have some implications on English teaching in secondary vocational school: first,based on blended learning theory,students can practice and acquire other English skills besides listening;teachers should try to apply blended learning instruction to English speaking course,English reading course and English writing course through well designed teaching process and careful choice of self-learning medium.Second,teachers should also change their ideas and roles in teaching,update their teaching theory gradually,and carry out the teaching innovation to search the more effective teaching methods constantly.