Synthesis of Listening Articles in English Teaching over the Past 50 Years

Abstract

This research aims to review and analyse articles on listening comprehension published in English Teaching over the past 50 years. A total of 71 such research articles were published from 1965 to 2015 in the journal, and they were analysed from the following five perspectives: I) historical trends in listening research, 2) main topic areas of the papers, 3) research subjects' levels, and 4) research methodology. The results of this review study are as follows. First, the volume of listening research gradually increased over the first 40 years ofthe journal's history, but it has dropped drastically over the past decade. Second, 'listening strategies' and 'evaluation' were researchers' favoured topics, while listening research on pronunciation has been actively conducted in recent years. Third, research with university students outnumbered research done with elementary and secondary students. Finally, research using quantitative methods dominated the research methodology. A sharp decline in the number of articles on listening research in recent years and unbalanced research in terms of its topic, subjects' levels, and research methodology are noteworthy.