The Effect of Accompanying Listening Teaching Activities and Previous Achievement in Arabic on the Development of Imagination of Sixth Graders

Abstract

This study aimed at exploring the effect of accompanying
listening teaching activities in Arabic lessons on the development of
the learners' imagination. The study sample consisted of 59 sixth
grade male students in two groups chosen randomly from the
Yarmouk University Model School. The experimental group received
instruction of listening skills using drawing, kinetic representation
and cognitive activities. The control group received post-listening
instruction in the conventional method by answering the after
listening text questions included in the textbook . The experiment was
conducted for 10 weeks in the 2nd semester 2008. To measure the
effect of the experiment, the researcher used a three- part test which
measured the dimensions of the imaginative ability of children, the
first part of the test aimed at assessing the drawing effect on the
development of the learners imagination; the second aimed at
developing the cognitive responses; and the third part focused on the
effect of kinetic representation on the learners' imagination while
listening to the teacher. The test was administered before and after the
experiment. The reliability of the test was calculated by test retest and
found to be 0.82 for the 1st part (drawing), 0.85 for the second part
(cognitive response) and 0.74 for the kinetic representation activities
comprising a total 0.87. It was found that there were significant
statistical differences at (0.05=α) in favor of the experimental group
on the three dimensions. Besides, it was found that there was no
interaction between the tested teaching activities and the students’
previous achievement levels in Arabic subject concerning the
imaginative ability, which indicates that all students benefited from
the teaching of the listening activities regardless of their previous
different levels.