Freirean Participatory Approach: Developing Interactive Listening Skills in the English as a Second Language (ESL) Classroom

Abstract

Drawing on Paulo Freire’s participatory approach, this paper aims to analyze learning and teaching strategies that foster student motivation and English as a Second Language (ESL) listening to enhance ESL learning. This approach allows students to critically think about their educational goals and identify their strengths and weaknesses in the production of knowledge. Empirical studies from 1992 to 2013 were collected and analyzed guided by content analysis approach. This paper demonstrates that cooperative learning promotes a non-threatening environment conducive for learning. Findings confirm that lecturer talk and lecturers’ questions elicit students’ use of ESL through speech production. The findings suggest that the use of student questions to promote communication from diverse perspectives is a significant motivational tool. Finally, after demonstrating the implications of learning and teaching strategies, this paper offers a set of recommendations to help lecturers and researchers in promoting student motivation and developing ESL listening.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n11p101