Portfolio-work and its effects on listening comprehension of very young learners

Abstract

At elementary school the focus often lies on listening and speaking. While listening comprehension is the basis for learning a new language, children often feel differently about that. Many measure their success in their ability to speak. Some become frustrated, because they initially are not able to express much, not noticing how much they understand already. In my research I tried to find a way to help such children appreciate more what they have achieved so far. Through portfolio-work (self-evaluation and reflection) I wanted them to see what is 'unseen', as well as get them to think about strategies that improve listening comprehension, as the following study report shows.