Listening-thinking tasks in selected language arts materials

The purpose of this study was to answer the following two questions: (l) In what frequencies were the thinking processes of literal comprehension, inferential comprehension, evaluation, and appreciation found in the listening tasks as described in selected language arts teachers' guidebooks for kindergarten through grade two? (2) What kinds of directions did prospective teachers receive in selected elementary language arts methods courses in planning listening tasks for children in kindergarten through grade two which involve the thinking processes of literal comprehension, inferential comprehension, evaluation, and appreciation?

To answer the first question, teachers' guidebooks to commonly used textbooks or kits for kindergarten, first, and second grades were reviewed. Using three forms developed for the study, the twelve selected sources were reviewed for frequencies of tasks, for distribution of tasks in the various thinking categories, for order of emphasis in the categories, and for harmony of findings with introductory statements describing the materials. The results were reported in terms of findings and comparisons of each grade level and of series across grades one and two.

To answer question two, a questionnaire was sent to sixteen language arts instructors in ten state universities in Tennessee. Eight methods textbooks identified on the questionnaire were reviewed using the same form for analyzing the elementary teachers' guidebooks. In addition, instructors' responses to other questionnaire items were used to determine the attention given to the teaching of listening, such as types of materials presented to students, the amount of class time devoted to the teaching of listening, requirements of students, and ratings of the amount of emphasis placed on the thinking processes of literal comprehension, inferential comprehension, evaluation, and appreciation.

There were two conclusions drawn from the study. One, teachers who follow guidebooks in designing listeningthinking tasks are asking children to think primarily at the lowest level thought process of literal comprehension; two prospective elementary teachers receive more instruction in language arts methods courses in planning listening-thinking tasks which call for literal comprehension than for inferent inferential comprehension, evaluation, or appreciation.

The following recommendations were made for educators' implementation: (l) Classroom teachers must provide more listening tasks which involve the thinking processes of inferential comprehension, evaluation, and appreciation than offered in teachers' guidebooks; (2) Since methods books stress literal comprehension, elementary language arts instructors must provide prospective teachers with more

materials and presentations on the higher-level thinking processes. (3) Educators must assess their textbooks and make selections which stress the higher-level thought processes. The tool developed for use in this study can be a helpful one for assessing textbooks.