An overview of the literature of listening illustrates the lack of sufficient research in this area. A 1955 survey of curriculum guidebooks and bulletins for the inclusion of listening demonstrates the effect of limited research: most documents devoted anywhere from two to six pages to listening in elementary through secondary school levels. In another survey of 7,762 curriculum documents included in the ERIC datafiles, only 4.5% mentioned listening for various grade level clusters, and a close inspection of curricular materials housed at the 1980 Curriculum Development Library reveals considerable differences between the treatment of listening and the treatment of the other language arts. The attitudes underlying these differences may be reflected in the documents themselves. For example, the inclusion of listening appeared to be an afterthought in some of the material. Many documents also treated listening in vaguer terms than other language arts. In a final example of the lack of attention given to listening, several documents included the significance of listening in their philosophy statement, but few visibly reinforced this goal. Because research indicates that listening comprehension augments reading comprehension, it is becoming increasingly important for professional educators to incorporate listening skill development into the curriculum. (HOD)