Effect of Using Colloquial versus Standard English to Teach EFL Listening Comprehension

Abstract

Listening skill functions as a foundation without which communication will be quite difficult, if not impossible. This skill is one of the most problematic areas in second language learning and using traditional methods to teach the skill has further compounded the problem. Although many studies have been conducted concerning the skill, working on the relationship between colloquial form of English language and listening skill is rare in the literature. Hence, the purpose of the current study was to see whether teaching colloquial English positively affects EFL learners’ listening comprehension or not. To this end, 40 freshmen EFL learners were randomly assigned to experimental (colloquial English) and control (standard English) groups. Before the treatment, a listening pretest was taken. After the process of intervention, a parallel listening posttest was administered to the groups. Data were analyzed and the results indicated that teaching colloquial English had significant impact on listening comprehension of the learners. Pedagogically, the results of the study encourage EFL teachers, learners, material developers, and course designers to use colloquial language for listening skills instruction in EFL courses.