Investigating the students’ attitudes towards using the best practices in English listening in the blended e-learning environment at al-Quds Open University

Abstract EN

This study is an action research project conducted during an English listening course at Al-Quds Open University.

The aim of this project was to investigate the students’ attitudes towards an intensive listening training course given to second year English major students.

The course is a mixture of face to face and virtual classes.

The materials used were a combination of textbooks with CDs & videos as well as various e-learning resources uploaded through the Moodle system .The course also involved training students to employ the main listening strategies and a task- based approach.

The sample of study consisted of a group of (74) students at QOU/Ramallah Branch and (18) students at Dura in Hebron District in the second semester of the academic year 2011 / 2012.

The instruments of the study included a weekly working journal which the participants were required to keep during the training to record thoughts, feelings, or comments regarding the listening tasks and strategies used in class and online practice.

A questionnaire was distributed at the end of the semester in order to investigate the students’ attitudes and reactions towards the training and the e-learning components and resources.

Based on the data obtained from classroom observations, students’ journals, and students’ responses to the questionnaire at the end of the semester, and from the students’ comments on the Moodle website of the course, students’ attitudes were analyzed.

Findings revealed positive attitudes towards the training as well as towards the use of the listening strategies introduced.

Important conclusions were suggested in the light of these findings.