A Correlative Study on English Listening Beliefs and Strategies of Chinese High School Students—A Case in Fujian Province

Abstract

This study investigates the correlation between language learning beliefs and strategies in terms of listening comprehension. Data were collected from 94 tenth graders in a Chinese high school in Fujian Province through questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The findings show a significant and positive correlation between English listening beliefs and strategies, which influence each other to varying degrees. Specifically, the participants were reported to hold various beliefs on English listening while employing a range of strategies for listening comprehension, though the frequency of their overall strategy use was at the medium level. Furthermore, cognitive strategies were found to be the most frequently used ones, followed by socio-affective strategies and metacognitive strategies. Based on the research findings, this article suggests that high school English teachers should help learners foster positive beliefs which normally lead to effective use of learning strategies; meanwhile, learners are advised to keep aware of what beliefs they hold, what strategies they use most or least, and what alternative strategies they can select so as to enhance their metacognition level and improve their listening comprehension.