SIGNIFICANCE OF LISTENING COMPREHENSION IN GERMAN AT THE G.C.E. ADVANCED LEVEL EXAMINATION OF SRI LANKA

Abstract

Listening comprehension is a receptive skill, which ought to be developed methodically with specific strategies. The progress of methods of teaching German as a foreign language for many decades shows significant attention to the development of listening comprehension skills in the foreign language classroom. A close examination of the teaching and evaluation process of German in Sri Lanka shows certain discrepancies in teaching and testing listening comprehension at the school level. In-depth observation of the schools teaching German in Sri Lanka discloses many problematic areas in the teaching-learning environment, as well as demotivation in developing the listening skill, as it is not tested at state-level examinations. Empirical research on this matter revealed that apart from a lack of training and technical support at schools the evaluation system has a lacuna with regard to testing listening comprehension at state-run university entrance examinations at the GCE advanced level. Through the outcome of the research, suggestions are made to make the teaching staff of German aware of the significance of listening comprehension, a revision is made to the German curriculum, and a component to test listening is included in the state examinations in German with the adoption of the teaching and evaluation principles adopted by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).