Students' Self-Perceived Listening Competencies in the Basic Speech Communication Course

Abstract

Listening competencies are widely recognized as central for getting jobs and succeeding at jobs. The study reported in this article examined college students' self-perceived listening competencies, particularly as related to their participation in a basic speech communication course. Pre- and post-surveys of 469 students indicated that the students tended to enter a basic communication course with inflated perceptions of their listening behaviors, and end the semester with distinctly lower self-ratings of their listening behaviors. The results suggest that direct instruction in listening enhances students' awareness of their listening inadequacies, resulting in more realistic appraisals of their listening competencies. Some insignificant findings, however, indicate that the impact of a single listening unit in a basic course is limited.