The Effectiveness of Using Multimedia in Developing the English Language Listening Skills of Intermediate Female Students

                                     کلیة التربیة

        کلیة معتمدة من الهیئة القومیة لضمان جودة التعلیم

        إدارة: البحوث والنشر العلمی ( المجلة العلمیة)

                       =======

The Effectiveness of Using Multimedia in Developing the English Language Listening Skills of Intermediate Female Students

By

Jihan Humayyed Muhammad Al-Swat Al-Otaibi

EFL Teacher

Supervisor

Dr. Mahmoud Mohammed Mohasseb

Associate Professor of Curricula and Methods of Teaching English,

Taif University

}     المجلد الخامس والثلاثون–العدد الثانى عشر–جزء ثانى-دیسمبر2019م {

http://www.aun.edu.eg/faculty_education/arabic

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of using multimedia             ) i.e. animations with subtitles ) in developing the English language listening skills of Saudi intermediate female students. The study adopted the non-equivalent group design employing two groups: experimental group (two intact classes, N=39) and control group (one intact class, N=33). After the experiment, both groups were examined using the listening skills achievement test.

     Results from ANCOVA tests indicated that multimedia is highly effective in developing the listening skills of intermediate students in comparison with the audio recordings.

Key words: Multimedia, animation, subtitle, English language skills, listening skills, Intermediate students.

Introduction

     The language that appeared to the international scene with colonization has undoubtedly become the dominant language in the world. Today, English has various situations to be used in such as international communication, politics, international business, science, technology, computers, internet, aviation and tourism. Despite the fact that English is the mother tongue of nearly 320 million people, more than 200 million people are using it as second language (Patel & Jain, 2008).  Moreover, by 2015, it has been forecasted that half of the world’s population will be proficient English speakers (Graddol, 2006).

  Of all the four language skills, listening has been regarded as the most important (Gu, HU & Zhang, 2009; Nunan, 2002).  It was considered as the most widely used language skill in normal daily life (Flowerdew & Miller, 2010; Martínez-Flor & Usó-Juan, 2006). For example , Burley-Allen (1995) argued that  “ More than 40 percent of our daily communication time is spent  on listening, 35 percent on speaking,16 percent on reading, and only 9 percent on writing ” ( As cited in Flowerdew & Miller, 2010, p.159).

    Moreover, Martínez-Flor and Usó-Juan (2006) stated that listening involves     a complex process that allows students to comprehend spoken messages in real time by making use of a variety of sources either phonetics, phonological, lexical, syntactic or semantic. As a result, it plays a vital role in students’ language acquisition, development and learning (Gu et al. , 2009; Shumin, 2002).  Also, it plays a key role in developing students’ communicative ability (Martínez-Flor & Usó-Juan, 2006).

However, listening has the least attention in research area.  For instance ,    “ only three  research paper reports had been published on listening  by 1948, although over  3000 studies had been published on reading ” (Pinnell & Jaggar, 2003,p.885). Even though, reading and listening skills were traditionally regarded as ‘receptive skills’.  In fact, it was not until the early 1970s that “second language listening research developed its own agenda” (Flowerdew & Miller, 2010, p.159).  Moreover, little research on listening has been conducted since 2001 (Janusik, 2010).     

  Recently, however, the fundamental role of listening in language acquisition has got tremendous acceptance.  Most language methodologists are placing an increased emphasis on new ways to promote the development of listening   skill.  Among all these is the use of technological aids, especially multimedia which has become widely used to help students obtain the most out of the language input they are receiving.

   Multimedia is an ‘ umbrella term’ used to describe a computer program that combines multiple mediums including diagrams, texts, videos, animations, drawings, Images and sounds(Collins, Hammond & Wellington, 1997; Vaughan, 2008). It has been perceived as an effective tool to enhance students’ learning and to fulfil their needs, learning styles, learning abilities and interests (Brown, 2007; Hii & Fong, 2010).  It has the advantage of the combination of various receptive senses due to its ability to integrate sounds, diagrams, texts, videos, animations, drawings and images. As a result, it has the ability to motivate the   students and focus their attention more efficiently on the task on hand                         (Collins et al., 1997; Hii & Fong, 2010).

and attentions as it depends on creative employment of graphics and animation. Furthermore, it provides a dynamic learning environment that can enhance students’ learning. Consequently, it reduces the burden of both the teachers and the students to great extent.

In recent years, multimedia has established a powerful presence in foreign language classes to improve the quality of instruction as well as the educational outcomes.  In Saudi Arabia, computer-based in­struction will play a vital role in the language classroom in the future. In 2004, the Saudi government launched King Abdullah Project for General Education Development (Tatweer), which has been planed to be completed by 2014, to address many issues. Among these issues are updating  the educational system with new technology, creating a high-tech learning environment, training the teachers to use a technologically advanced teaching styles like multimedia presentations, providing all the students with laptop computers and displaying the educational content electronically             (U.S.-Saudi Arabia Business Council, 2009).

On the other hand, non-linear multimedia allows the students to control what elements are delivered and when. Examples of non-linear multimedia could be an interactive video games, interactive drills on basic skills or any computer based learning applications (ISRD, 2006; Walker, 2010).  Under this categorization, it would make sense to examine carefully the research  that have been done on multimedia use.

     Many researchers have provided strong evidence that linear multimedia   such as video and films have beneficial effects on English as foreign language learning , on vocabulary learning , grammar learning and on improving listening skills (Arkana & Tarafb, 2010 ; Hernandez,2004; Hwang, 2003; Kuo, 2009; Park,2004; Tsai ,2010). Results of other studies showed that the use of interactive multimedia improves students’ language performance in reading, listening comprehension, speaking skill and vocabulary learning                            (Abdo, 2008; Abraham, 2001; Chen, 2006; Fuqha, 2002; Soman, 2006; Sahloul, 2009;  Shih-Chieh, 2006).  However, from the present literature, there is no definite answer which is better a linear multimedia or a non- linear multimedia.

   A brief review of research in the field also reflects that the most precious gift multimedia presents to listening is the combination of various media in a single interface.  Hence, in the discussion of multimedia, several components can be put into considerations, such as sounds, visual displays or animations and the texts.               

      Audio tapes are the simplest and cheapest way to provide listening practice for students in classroom (Flowerdew & Miller, 2005). Many researchers encouraged the use of sounds such as textbook audiotapes and authentic aural materials to develop listening skills (Abu Hatab, 2010; Al-Awad, 2007;Thanajaro; 2000). This seems logical since the listening practice should be based on sounds. However, Ur (1984) indicated that the use of audio tapes has mainly two disadvantages. Firstly, the language used in the audio tapes is      very difficult for young learners. Secondly, it is very difficult for the students to understand unfamiliar vocabulary and pronunciations and to identify the different voices because they can’t see the speakers and their prior knowledge of the material is very low.

There are some research  that seem to support the multimedia principle. For example, Sahloul (2009) indicated that animations with spoken words are        an effective way to develop the English language reading and writing skills of primary students.  Abdo (2008) also stated that using chosen animations with classical Arabic narrations are an efficient method to enhance the Arabic language listening and speaking skills of primary students.

   Beside, Champoux (2000) indicated that animation can be used effectively in the teaching process for many reasons. Firstly, the visualization of animation creates strong, lasting images of concepts. Secondly, it offers alternatives to live-action scenes that can increase the variety that one brings to the classroom. Thirdly, exaggeration in animation helps link abstract concepts to visual symbols and to the minds of the students.

     Additionally, Mayer (2009) pointed that according to learning   preferences hypothesis, adding on –screen texts is a useful way to improve students understanding of narrated animations. He stated that using many mediums such as spoken texts, animations and printed texts help the students focus on their preferred learning styles since they learn in different ways.

       All the three mediums mentioned above are important components of multimedia. They are also important in developing listening skills. Yet, no studies examined the effectiveness of those mediums altogether on developing the listening skills. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of multimedia which is a combination of   sounds, animations and subtitles on developing the listening skills of intermediate students and it is a kind of hope that the present findings can enrich the research field.

Background of the Problem

As mentioned above, listening is a fundamental language skill which underpins the development and understanding of any language.  Therefore, poor listening skills affect the students’ ability to learn since it is a primary medium through which students gain a large portion of their education.  It also plays an essential role in educating individuals for their personal and social responsibilities.  In addition, it has a key role in the development of intellectual skills, career success and all professional settings (Brownell & Wolvin, 2008).

Being aware of the importance of English, the Saudi government  decided to start teaching English to elementary all through the intermediate   and secondary stages.  In the intermediate English language courses, listening skill receives special attention. In these courses, it is stated that: “Listening is considered the first skill  in language acquisition. Therefore, it receives special   attention” (Al-Sourogi, 2010, p.G).

Similarly, Brown (1995) affirmed that listening is difficult for foreign language learners simply because they do not understand the unfamiliar pronunciation, grammar or vocabulary.  In addition, many personal factors like motivation and interest affect the students’ ability to listen.  Brown (2007) added that the situation looks worse for students with attention problems who have to deal with boring, useless and too difficult material.

In addition to the above, the researcher’s discussion with the students indicated that they have several problems which include, for example: fast rate speech, unfamiliar vocabulary and inability to see the speakers in the tape recorded materials. Also, they have decreased attention and motivation for the spoken texts, difficulty with sounds discrimination, limited listening comprehension, and deficiencies in getting the gist of the sentences as well as in selecting the specific information and details from the spoken texts.

Statement of the Problem

  The intermediate students seem to have poor listening skills which may be due to inappropriate listening materials that lack visual              support. The problem of the present study is re-stated in the following major question:

How effective is multimedia in developing the English language listening skills of Saudi intermediate female students?

This major question is discussed through answering the following sub-questions:

1. What are the English language listening skills required for Saudi intermediate students?
2. How to redevelop a multimedia enhanced sample materials to develop   the listening skills of Saudi intermediate students?
3. How effective is the multimedia-enhanced materials in developing listening skills of Saudi intermediate female students?

Research Aims: This study aimed at:

1. Identifying the most important listening skills required for intermediate students.
2. Redeveloping a multimedia enhanced sample materials for intermediate students.
3. Investigating the effectiveness of multimedia on developing listening skills of Saudi intermediate female students.

Research Significance : -  This study attempted at:

1. Providing EFL courses’ developers with practical evidence on the feasibility of the instructional advantages of multimedia.
2. Providing the intermediate students in Saudi Arabia with interesting and motivating learning environment which invest the positive aspect of multimedia.
3. Increasing the awareness of the intermediate English language supervisors, teachers and course developers towards the benefits of using multimedia in the classroom.
4. Providing courses’ developers with practical suggestion on testing listening skills.
5. Encouraging further research on similar areas of foreign language education.

Research Hypotheses

1. There are no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group and those of the control group on the post-course listening skills test with regard to its total scores.
2. There are no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group and those of the control group on the post-course listening skills test with regard to its dimensions.
   1. There are no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group on the pre-course listening skills test and their mean scores on the post- course listening skills test with regard to its total scores.
   2. There are no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group on the pre-course listening skills test and their mean scores on the post- course listening skills test with regard to its dimensions.

Research Methodology

• § Research Design: The present study adopted a quasi-experimental design: a pre/ post- test non-equivalent control group design to achieve its purposes.
• § Participants:  The present research incorporated 72 students divided into two groups: experimental group (N= 39) and the control group (N=33).

Research Instrument:   

A listening achievement test was developed by the researcher and administered to assess the effectiveness of multimedia on developing the listening skills of the study sample.

Limitations of the study:   The present study was limited to:

1. A sample of second year intermediate female-students in Taif city.
2. Listening texts of second year intermediate course book of the first term of the academic year 2011-2012.
3. Listening skills tested by the achievement test prepared by the researcher.

Research Procedures: The study proceeded as follows:

1. Review of the related literature with special reference to teaching listening skills and multimedia.
2. Identification of the listening skills needed for intermediate stage.
3. Preparation and validation of listening skills’ test.
4. Preparation and validation of the experimental material.
5. Selection and classification of research sample.
6. Pre course administration of the listening achievement test.
7. Teaching the experimental materials to the experimental group.
8. Post course administration of listening achievement test.
9. Analysis, interpretation and discussing the research results.
10. Presenting recommendations and suggestions for further research.

Definition of Terms Listening

     The International Listening Association (ILA) (1995) defined listening as “the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages” (ILA, 1995, p.4).

      Brownell (2002) defined Listening as “hearing, understanding, remembering, interpreting, evaluating, and responding” (as cited in Janusik, 2010, p.205).

In this study, listening is defined as an active process in which a student receives speech sounds and tries to attach meaning to the spoken words in an  attempt to understand the intended message of the spoken words to fulfil the while listening tasks. The following listening sub- skills are the most important for intermediate students.

1. Intonation Patterns Recognition
2.   Sound Discrimination
3.   Speaker Identification
4. Speech Retention
5. Stress Patterns Recognition
   1. Inference Making
      1. Getting the Gist of the Sentence
      2. Word Recognition
      3.   Contracted Form Recognition
      4.  Grammatical Tense Recognition

Multimedia : - Multimedia is “a woven combination of digitally manipulated text, photographs, graphic art, sound, animation, and video elements”(Vaughan, 2008, p.2).

       In this study the multimedia is a linear presentation of animations, sounds and subtitles. They are short, hand-drawing animated videos with subtitles for computer screen, featuring 2^nd  intermediate dialogues.

Subtitles :- Subtitles are “straight transcriptions or translations of the dialogue” (Taylor, 2004, p59). 

In this study, subtitles are the straight transcriptions of the 2^nd intermediate dialogues presented at the bottom of the screen. In other words, it is a verbatim transcription which appears at the bottom of the screen during the same period the words are being spoken.

Review of Related Literature

The present chapter reviews the related literature and research on listening skills and multimedia with special reference to:  listening pedagogy; the  nature of listening ; skills involved in successful listening ; types of listening performance, techniques and strategies to teach listening  ; stages and activities of listening lesson ; the instructional  role of multimedia in  teaching listening and testing listening skills.

 Definitions of Listening

      Janusik (2010) stated that there is no single definition or model of listening universally accepted. Also, there is a disagreement as to what constitutes listening. Therefore, Over 50 definitions and models for listening have been proposed (Brownell & Wolvin, 2008; Janusik, 2010).

      In 1948, Ralph Nichols, described listening behaviour as “an activity that included inference-making, listening for main ideas, identifying the organizational plan and concentration” (as cited in Brownell & Wolvin, 2008.p.104).

Models of Listening

     Many theorists have offered a variety of models of listening. Janusik (2010) differentiates between cognitive and behavioral models of listening. Cognitive models address what goes on inside the listener’s mind during the process of listening.

Figure 1. Taylor’s Listening Model. Adapted from ((Brownell& Wolvin, 2008,P.10

Figure 2.Barker’s Listening Model. Adapted from (Brownell& Wolvin, 2008,P.106).

Figure 3.Brownell’s Listening Model. Adapted from (Brownell& Wolvin, 2008,P.107).

Figure 4. Steil et al. Listening Model. Adapted from (Brownell& Wolvin, 2008,P.107).

Teaching Listening

     Several methods and approaches to language teaching have emerged e.g. the Grammar-Translation, the Direct-Method, the Audio-Lingual, Total Physical Response, the Communicative Approach, the Task-Based and the Integrated Approach. When Grammar Translation Method dominated European and foreign language teaching, listening was completely ignored. There were no Learning goals related to listening. Listening was limited to a description of the rules in the ‘native language’ (Flowerdew& Miller, 2005; Richards & Rodgers, 1986).

Audio-lingual method, on the other hand, stressed the practice of listening by engaging learners in a series of exercises that focus on pronunciation stimulus-response drills, memorization of prefabricated patterns and imitation of dialogues .Students are encouraged to listen carefully to a dialogue either read by teacher or on tape and repeat parts of the dialogue. The idea behind such a technique is that it helps the learners to create good habit (Flowerdew& Miller, 2005; Martínez-Flor & Usó-Juan, 2006; Richards & Rodgers, 1986).

Listening Comprehension

        There are two types of knowledge involved in listening comprehension: linguistic knowledge and non-linguistic knowledge .The linguistic knowledge

 used in listening includes phonology, lexis, syntax, semantics and discourse structure. The non-linguistic knowledge used in listening comprehension stresses the role of the topic, the context, and general knowledge about the world and how it works (Buck, 2001).

Listening Sub-Skills

    Listening is a complex process .Therefore, there are different taxonomies of listening sub-skills to clarify the complex nature of what is involved in this process. However, there is no complete description of listening sub-skills (Buck, 2001; Martínez-Flor & Usó-Juan, 2006). According to Buck (2001), listening is used for many different purposes such as conversational listening, academic listening, listening for information and listening for pleasure and each of these different purposes for listening required different list of sub-skills. The analysis of listening processes and features of spoken discourse suggests that micro and macro skills such as the following are required for conversational listening (Brown, 2007; Brown, 2003; Buck, 2001).

Developing Listening Skills

Listening Performance Types,  Reactive Listening Performance, Intensive Listening Performance, Responsive Listening Performance,     Selective Listening Performance, Extensive Listening Performance and    Interactive Listening Performance

Strategies to Develop Listening Skills

• looking for key words
• looking for nonverbal cues to meaning
•  predicting a speaker's purpose by the context of the spoken discourse
• associating information with one's existing cognitive structure (activating background information)
• guessing at meanings
• seeking clarification
• listening for the general gist

Activities of Listening Lesson

Pre-listening Activities

Pre-teaching of all important new vocabulary in the passage.

Intra- Listening Activities

Extensive listening; intensive listening; selective listening; gist listening, sequencing.

Post-listening Activities

Analysis of the language in the text (Why did the speaker use the present perfect?); Listen and repeat: teacher pauses the tape, learners repeat words.

       However, Field (2002) affirmed that pre-teaching of vocabulary at pre-listening phase has now largely been discontinued since in real life unfamiliar words can not be explained in advance; instead, students have to learn to cope with situations where part of what is heard will not be familiar. Also, he asserted that examining the grammar of the listening text; and using 'listen and-repeat' activities have been dropped from the post-listening stage. He recommended the following as the activities of a good listening lesson which differs considerably from that of many decades ago:

Pre-listening Activities

Set context. Create motivation.

Intra-Listening Activities

Extensive listening (followed by questions on context, attitude).

Preset task/Preset questions.

Intensive listening.

Checking answers.

Post-listening Activities

Examining functional language.

Inferring vocabulary meaning.

Principles that should underlie listening courses

      Mendelssohn (2006) listed the essential principles of listening courses among them the following.

• There should be an initial needs analysis.
• Linguistic proficiency features such as sound discrimination, understanding the role of stress and intonation, etc., must be taught.
•  There should be a lot of listening practice.
• The material should be spoken English.
• The content should be appropriate.
• Attitude and motivation should be considered.
• The level of difficulty should be carefully set.
• The delivery (recording) should be natural.
• The material should be video not audio.
• The course should cover different kinds of listening.
• There should be a recognition of the importance of prior knowledge.
• Pre-listening should precede the listening.
• Students should know what they are listening for.
• Post listening should follow the listening.
• The course should teach, not test.

Research on Listening Skills

Ozaki(2000) conducted a study to examine the effects of advance organizers on the listening comprehension of Japanese college students learning English as a foreign language (EFL). 177 students (seventy three students were males and 104 were females) at a private college in Japan participated in the study. The subjects consisted of 23 freshmen, 145 sophomores, 6 juniors, and 3 seniors. The subjects listened to two passages and wrote recall protocols after they heard each passage. The results of a 2 (treatment: advance organizer or No advance organizer) x 3 (proficiency level: High, Intermediate, or Low) two- way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and follow-up analyses indicated  that the use of advance organizers  was  a useful technique to enhance EFL learners’ listening comprehension and to remember important information.

Hamid (2001) examined the effect of listening skill on improving eighth grade students’ written performance. 112 students from four government schools participated in the study. The students were divided into two groups: experimental group consisted of 45 students ( 11 female students and 34 male students) and control group consisted of 67 male students . Two Pre-tests used in the study. Then, the experimental group was taught by the communicative approach.  On the other hand, the control group was taught by the traditional method. The result indicated that listening improves students’ writing skill.

Abdelhafez (2006) investigated the effect of a suggested training program in some metacognitive language learning strategies on developing listening and reading comprehension of university EFL students. 80 students from the first year  participated in the study. The subjects were randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group. Each one of the two groups included 40 students (22female and 18 male). The experimental group was trained in some metacognitive language learning strategies embodied in listening and reading comprehension tasks, while the control group completed the tasks without any metacognitive training. Both groups were exposed to pre-post tests. A listening comprehension test, a reading comprehension test and an English proficiency examination were used to measure the effect of the metacognitive-based programme on developing listening and reading skills. The result indicated that   metacognitive strategies developed EFL students’ listening and reading skills and raised their language proficiency levels.

Al-Omary (2008) investigated the effect of cognitive listening strategy instruction on the upper basic stage students’ achievement in EFL listening comprehension and their attitudes towards listening. 72 students from seventh grade participated in the study. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups: experimental group consisted of 35 male students and control group consisted of 37 male students. Both groups took a pre-test to measure their achievement in listening comprehension and their attitudes towards listening before applying the program. After the treatment, a post-test was assigned to both groups to investigate the effect of cognitive listening strategy on students’ listening comprehension and attitude. The result indicated that cognitive listening strategies improved students’ listening achievement but they did not have positive effect on students’ attitude toward listening.

Yalcinkaya, Muluk, and Ashin (2009) investigated the effects of listening ability on speaking, writing and reading skills of children who was suspected of auditory processing difficulty. Sixty- seven students from first and second grade of primary school were participated in the study. The researchers divided the participants into two groups: control group and experimental group. The control group consisted of 41students without auditory processing difficulty. On the other hand, the experimental group consisted of 26 with auditory processing difficulty. Listening, speaking, reading and writing skills were evaluated by Observational Rating Scale. The result indicated that listening ability strongly influences speaking, reading and writing ability. It was also found that, the main effect of listening skills was on speaking in normal children, and on writing ability in children with auditory processing difficulty.

     On the basis of the above research, researchers have found that improvement in listening skill has a positive effect on other language skills: reading, writing and speaking (Hamid, 2001; Yalcnkaya et al, 2009). This means that EFL students’ spelling, reading, writing and speaking difficulties may be due to poor listening skills. Thus, many research have reported several teaching approach (Al-Twairish, 2009), instructional strategies (Abdulhafez, 2006; Al-Omary, 2008) , teaching activities ( Yang,2009) which can be adopted for developing students’ listening skills. Researchers also encouraged the use of audio tapes and authentic materials to develop listening skills (Abu Hatab, 2010;                Al-Awad,2007; Ozaki,2000; Reid, 2003;Thanajaro,2000) 

Multimedia

Definitions of Multimedia : - The term multimedia is a combination of two words — multi (i.e. multiple), and media (i.e. method of communication) (Isrd, 2006). More recently the word media started to convey the sense ‘intermediary’. Multimedia therefore means ‘multiple intermediaries’ or ‘multiple means’ (Parekh, 2006).

The delivery- media view :- In this view multimedia means the presentation of material using two or more delivery devices such as computer screens, amplified speakers, projectors, video recorders, black boards and human voice boxes (Mayer, 2009).

The sensory-modality view : - Mayer (2009) stated that multimedia based on this view means that two or more sensory receptors such as the eyes and the ears are used by the learner to perceive the incoming material.

         The following discussion is an attempt to focus attention          on categories of multimedia that can support the development of     listening skills.

Categories of Multimedia :- Multimedia is often classified in two main categories on the basis of participation of user as linear and non-linear multimedia (ISRD, 2006; Walker, 2010).

Linear (Non-interactive) : - Linear multimedia is non-interactive type in which the sequence of topics remains the same every time the presentation is run, i.e. it starts and ends up in a predefined sequence (ISRD, 2006). Generally, linear multimedia content progresses as a presentation, without the requirement for the viewer to interact or navigate. Examples of linear multimedia would be movie, or televisions show(Walker, 2010).

Non-linear (Interactive) : - Non-linear multimedia is interactive category which allows the end user to control and progress through his or her own experience what elements are delivered and when (ISRD, 2006). Examples of non-linear multimedia could be an interactive video game or a computer based learning application (Walker, 2010).

Developing Listening skills Through Multimedia

Retention of language chunks in short term memory.

  Sounds discrimination.

1. Stress and intonation recognition.
2. Understand reduced speech.   
3. Process different speech styles, different rates, and performance errors.
4. Infer meaning and make predictions using personal knowledge, experiences, and strategies.

Research Methodology

     This chapter provides a detailed description about research methodology. It includes research subjects, design, instrument, procedures of preparing the multimedia-enhanced material and procedures of conducting the treatment.

Research Instruments

1- Defining the Tasks

2- Developing Table of Specifications

 3- Providing Suitable Texts

 4- Sub-Sections of the Test:

 5- Test Structure

6- Time Allotment

7- Tasks Spacing

8- Scoring Method

Research Procedures : -  The study proceeded as follows:

1. Review of the related literature with special reference to teaching listening skills and multimedia.
2. Identification of the listening skills needed for intermediate stage.
3. Preparation and validation of listening skills’ test.
4. Preparation and validation of the experimental material.
5. Selection and classification of research sample.
6. Pre course administration of the listening achievement test.
7. Teaching the experimental materials to the experimental group.
8. Post course administration of listening achievement test.
9. Analysis, interpretation and discussing the research results.

         Presenting recommendations and suggestions for further research.

Results and Discussions

This chapter presents the study findings and their discussions. The findings are presented according to the hypotheses of the study

Summary and Discussions: The results of the study can be summarized as follows:

1. There are statistically significant differences between the means scores of the experimental group and those of the control group on the post course listening skills test with regard to its total score, intonation patterns recognition, speech retention, word recognition, contracted forms recognition and grammatical systems recognition in favor of the experimental group .
2. There are no statistically significant between the means scores of the experimental group and those of the control group on the post course listening skills test with regard to sound discrimination, speaker identification, word stress recognition, inference making and getting the gist of the sentences.
3. There are statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group on the pre-course listening skills test and their mean scores on the post- course listening skills test with regard to its total scores, intonation patterns recognition, speech retention, inference making, getting the gist of the sentences, word recognition, contracted forms recognition and grammatical systems  recognition in favor of the post course administration.
4. There are no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group on the pre-course listening skills test and their mean. scores on the post- course listening skills test with regard to sound discrimination, speaker identification, word stress recognition.    

Suggestions for further studies:  The data obtained in this study may serve as the basis for further studies designed specifically to investigate:

1. The effectiveness of multimedia ( i.e. animations with subtitles) in developing English language reading skills.
2. The effectiveness of multimedia ( i.e. animations with subtitles) in developing English language speaking skills.
3. The effectiveness of multimedia ( i.e. animations with subtitles) in developing English language writing skills.
4. The effectiveness of multimedia ( i.e. animations with subtitles) in vocabulary acquisition.
5. Teachers’ Perception regarding the use of multimedia ( i.e. animations with subtitles)  in English listening class.
6. Students’ Perception regarding the use of multimedia ( i.e. animations with subtitles)  in English listening class.

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