The Effect of Shadowing Technique on Students' Listening Ability in Word Recognition

Abstract

This research aimed to obtain empirical evidence about the effect of the shadowing technique on students' listening ability in word recognition at the second grade of SMP Negeri 1 Wundulako. A quasi-experimental, control-group design was used, involving two intact classes selected through purposive sampling: an experimental class (VIII.3, n = 26) taught using the shadowing technique across four treatment meetings, and a control class (VIII.2, n = 25) taught using a conventional method. Both classes were given a pre-test and post-test using a 25-item fill-in-the-blank listening test. Results showed the experimental class's mean score rose from 71.00 (pre-test) to 80.77 (post-test), while the control class's mean score rose from 73.32 to 78.62. Paired-sample t-tests showed both improvements were statistically significant: t = 10.519 (df = 25) for the experimental class and t = 8.527 (df = 24) for the control class, both exceeding their respective t-table values at the 5% significance level, leading to rejection of the null hypothesis. The experimental class's post-test mean was higher than the control class's, and its pre-to-post gain was also larger. It is concluded that the shadowing technique had a positive effect on students' listening ability in word recognition and can be recommended as an alternative technique for teaching listening.