ADVANTAGES OF TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP APPROACHES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LISTENING

Abstract

In the modern methodology of English language teaching, top-down and bottom-up approaches can frequently be heard among language teachers and researchers. Top-down and Bottom-up approaches: what is the difference? This article presents the results of investigations on the two approaches of listening. Furthermore, activities that entail top-down and bottom-up approaches are suggested. Top-down processing refers to the use of background knowledge to understand the information the listener receives. Bottom-up approach happens when the listener analyzes the sounds, words, and/or grammar of the oral speech they listen to. To improve the listening quality of the learners, the teacher and researcher needs to have an idea what these two strategies mean and in what situations to use each one.