A Free Recall Study of CET4 Listening Comprehension and Retention

摘要

This thesis reports on the use of free recall as the main research method in theinvestigation of band 4 testees' comprehension and retention of a CET4 listeningcomprehension discourse(in narrative genre). Based on psycholinguistic theories ofhuman information processing, we used free recall to elicit the propositionalrepresentation of the discourse from the testees' episodic memory And by using thetwo important theories of story grammar and text-strategic continuity, we devised aframework for the analysis of the recalls. A two-phase experiment is then carried out.In the first phase,34 recalls are investigated and the results got proved the feasibilityof the research method, moreover, the episodic structure of the recalls are alsodetected. In the second phase, 42 recalls are examined. The detailed analysis of theserecalls reveals that in comprehending CET4 narrative discourse, many of our testeesare weak in processing causal relationship and drawing local-coherence-buildinginference. On the other hand, it is also found that the poor recalls are mainly causedby the testees' weakness in processing the multiple participants.

目录

英文文摘

Acknowledgements

Chapter One Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

1.2 Organization of the Thesis

Chapter Two The Main Variables of CET4 Listening Comprehension Section B

Chapter Three Human Information Processing

3.1 The Psychological Mechanism for Information Processing

3.1.1 Basic Features of the Three Mental Structures

3.1.2 The Interrelationship among the Three in Language Processing

3.2 Discourse Comprehension

3.2.1 Discourse-the Definition and Structure

3.2.2 Theories in Discourse Comprehension

3.3 Memory for Discourse

3.3.1 Three Levels of Discourse Memory

3.3.2 Propositional Representations

3.3.3 Summary

3.4 Summarization of the Whole Chapter

Chapter Four Free Recall

4.1 Free Recall-A Brief Introduction

4.2 The Specific Approach Taken in This Free Recall Study

4.2.1 Language of the Free Recall

4.2.2 Medium of the Free Recall

4.3 Limitation of the Research Method:

Chapter Five Narrative Discoure Processing

5.1 Discourse Genres

5.2 Narrative Discourse Processing and Construction-A Theoretical Review

5.2.1 Story Grammar and Narrative Discourse Processing

5.2.2 Text Linguistic Study of Narrative Discourse

5.3 A Framework for the Analysis of Narrative Discourse Recall

5.4 An Analysis of a Narrative Discourse by Using the Framework

5.5 Rationale for the Study:

Chapter Six The Free Recall Study of Band 4 Testees' Comprehension and Retention of a CET4 Narrative listening Passage

6.1 First Phase of Experiment

6.1.1 Purpose

6.1.2 Subjects

6.1.3 Material Chosen

6.1.4 Procedures

6.1.5 Results

6.1.6 Summary of the First Phase of Experiment

6.2 Second Phase of Experiment

6.2.1 Purpose

6.2.2 Subjects

6.2.3 Material Chosen

6.2.4 Procedures

6.2.5 Results and Discussion

Chapter Seven Conclusion

7.1 Summary of the Study

7.2 Implications

7.3 Suggestions for Further Study

Appendix 1 The Seven Sub skills:

Appendix 2 Three CET4 Narrative Discourses:

Appendix 3 *An Example of Written Free Recall:

Appendix 4 The 28 “Good” Free Recalls Made by the Testees in the First Phase of Experiment

Appendix 5 The 34 “Good” Free Recalls Made by the Testees in the Second Phase of Experiment

Appendix 6 The T- test

References