Process Of Listening Comprehension Research Articles

Evaluation of L2 Listening Comprehension: In Pursuit of New Measurement Units

Purpose. Second language (L2) listening comprehension remains one of the most under researched problems in field largely due to the corresponding methodological difficulties. This study focuses on the development of such a measurement unit that considers the actual grammatical completeness and does not distort the factual semantics of the perceived text – listening comprehension unit.
 Methods and procedure of research. The concept of listening comprehension unit is developed based on a structural-ontological approach, which is a tool for systemic description of the multidisciplinary subject matter fields. To validate listening comprehension units, a study was carried out on a sample of 38 English L2 learners. Study participants were grouped according to their IELTS results, and listening comprehension unit scores were compared with idea unit ones.
 Results. The obtained empirical data were processed with One-way ANOVA test and proper results support the following conclusions. First, listening comprehension units can be used to measure and differentiate levels of L2 listening comprehension of short texts. Secondly, the study demonstrates a higher differential sensitivity of listening comprehension units compared to idea units in L2 listening comprehension levels diagnostics.
 Conclusions. First, listening comprehension units can be used to measure and differentiate levels of L2 listening comprehension of short texts. Secondly, our study demonstrates a higher differential sensitivity of listening comprehension units compared to idea units in L2 listening comprehension levels diagnostics. In our opinion, another advantage of using listening comprehension units is that this tool also allows one to look differently at the semantic structure of the listening comprehension process. In turn, this might open new psycholinguistic, pedagogical and didactic perspectives in the field.

Instructional Strategy for Comprehensible Meaning-Focused Input: Backward Learning Instruction

Backward Learning Instruction (BLI) is a recommended instructional practice to apply for an extensive reading and listening program to become comprehensible meaning-focused input as an initial idea from the flipped-learning model and backward design. This study explored how backward learning instruction as an instructional strategy applies in the learning process; and how students perceive backward learning instruction for comprehensible meaning-focused input. The author used a mixed method, with the descriptive and statistical description of 45 students from the law department at the Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Hukum Pengayoman Bone, which was selected using purposive sampling. A study of the document was conducted to compile the BLI model, and a Guttman scale questionnaire was provided to gain firm and precise answers on BLI implementation. Then, the data were analyzed. The result presented the BLI model within three steps: 1) Preparing class, 2) Backward learning instruction, and 3) Knowledge enrichment. This study also found that BLI as an instructional strategy for comprehensible meaning-focused input showed a high agreement among students with high and very high categories converted by the students' propensity to respond to a scale. As an implication, BLI has contributed to providing solutions for learning the reading and listening comprehension process in distance, blended, and autonomous learning. EFL teachers, learners, and material developers must consider BLI as learning instruction due to its positive impact on students' self-faced learning.

Exploring the Effects of Metacognitive Strategy on EFL Students’ Listening Performance in Indonesia

This study aims to describe the effects of metacognitive strategy on students’ listening performance. The quasi-experimental design was employed. The participants were Indonesian undergraduate learners majoring in English education programs. Listening tests and close-response questionnaires were used for collecting the data. The results revealed a significant effect on listening performance after being tutored by using a metacognitive strategy. It also revealed that seven factors affecting students’ difficulties in the listening comprehension process covered comprehension process, linguistic features, psychology, lack of concentration, listeners’ problem, speakers’ problem, and environmental factors. Findings underlined that metacognitive strategy effectively increased EFL students’ listening performance.

The Effects of the Physical Setting on Students’ Listening Comprehension

Since the physical setting in the listening comprehension process has been proven to be one of the troublesome issues for EFL learners, The current study looks into the possibility that the physical environment impacts students' listening comprehension process. The study aims to find out problems with hearing due to the physical environment. To do this, a questionnaire survey was prepared to serve the aim of the study. The sample of this study consists of 87 participants. Eighteen males and sixty-nine females from 2nd year English department students of the College of Basic Education, University of Duhok, took part in the study. The results of this study show that due to a noisy physical setting (or learning environment) and listening aids, materials, or equipment with volume or sound quality issues, students frequently or often have difficulty listening to aurally presented texts. Finally, according to the literature review, the current study's findings are consistent with those of other studies.

Libyan EFL Students’ Listening Comprehension Problems in Listening to Connected Speech

Listening skill is one of the challenging skills in a foreign language learning context where exposure to native connected speech is restricted. EFL learners encounter various listening comprehension issues which affect their mastering of the targeted language. Therefore, this study investigates the listening comprehension issues in listening to connected speech among a group of Libyan EFL learners. It examined the learners’ perception on the problems they encounter during listening to connected speech, with the goal of improving their perceptual and listening comprehension skills in the future. Data was collected from a total of 62 Libyan intermediate level learners using a Listening Comprehension Processing Problems Questionnaire. The difficulty levels experienced by the participants while listening to connected discourse ranged from moderate to high. These challenges occurred in all the three categories of listening comprehension; utilisation, perception, and parsing. Additionally, a strong positive and significant correlation was detected between the three categories of listening processing problems. The study also has pedagogical implications. These findings could be used by teachers, researchers, syllabus designers, and material developers to address the challenges associated with listening comprehension among EFL learners, and how including connected speech in the learning and teaching materials became an excessive necessity.

Embedding L2 Listening Homework in Metacognitive Intervention: Listening Comprehension Development

A review of the various approaches to L2 listening instruction suggests that they were more of text- or communication-oriented approaches and less of learner-oriented ones. More recently, the focus has shifted to engage L2 listeners in their own listening comprehension process through strategy instruction inside the classroom and strategy use outside the classroom. In this regard, Vandergrift and Goh suggested a metacognitive approach to L2 listening instruction in which listening homework is assigned to L2 listeners as an extensive listening activity. Thus, the present article reports on a qualitative study that explores the role of embedding listening homework in metacognitive intervention in the case of English as Foreign Language listening comprehension and the problems learners encounter during listening. A group of intermediate-level male and female learners (N = 25) speaking Persian as the first language participated in embedded listening tasks. As part of a metacognitive intervention, the learners were given listening homework for which they were requested to view five news programs drawn from the BBC website for 5 weeks and complete diaries with a self-directed listening guide before, during, and after watching the programs. Totally, 116 diary entries were analyzed and data about factors influencing their listening comprehension processes and the actual notes they took during planning, monitoring, and evaluating stages of listening comprehension were collected. To categorize and analyze the diary entries, Goh’s framework was used as the analytical framework. Results indicated that diaries with a self-directed listening guide served pedagogical purposes by raising the learners’ metacognitive knowledge and providing them with opportunities to plan, monitor, and evaluate their unseen listening processes. It helped listeners to reflect on their listening homework, find the gap, take action to resolve their listening problems, and experience a sense of achievement and confidence. Possible reasons for findings are outlined and recommendations for future research are presented.

Effects of Explicit Connected Speech Instruction on Libyan EFL Learners’ Perceptions of Listening Comprehension Problems in Speech Recognition, Parsing and Utilisation

This quasi-experimental study examined the effects of explicit connected speech instruction in reducing EFL learners’ listening comprehension problems associated with speech recognition, parsing and utilization. Sixty-two (N = 62) Libyan intermediate-level EFL learners, aged 19 to 21, served as the subjects. They were randomly assigned to either the treatment (n = 32) or control group (n = 30). The treatment subjects were exposed to explicit instruction on the features of connected speech for one term (i.e., 12 weeks). An adapted Listening Comprehension Processing Problems questionnaire was administered to both groups before and after the treatment in order to investigate the problems they encountered in comprehending connected speech. The questionnaire contained items measuring language comprehension difficulties in three categories, i.e., speech recognition, parsing, and utilisation. Following the 12-week intervention, the treatment group showed a significant improvement in their report of comprehension problems, while the control group remained constant or unchanged in their perception of the problems. The effect sizes of the differences between the treatment and control group were large, ranging between d = 1.14 (parsing) and d =1.19 (recognition). The findings highlight the necessity to teach connected speech recognition in the EFL curriculum to improve learners’ listening comprehension ability.

A Study On Media In Listening Comprehension At Second Year Students Of English Language Education Program

There were two findings in this research. First, media that helped the students in understanding Listening Comprehension materials and second, the students’ reasons in choosing the media seen from two aspects: (1) how the media helped the students to master the micro and macro skill of listening and (2) how the media helped the students to understand the listening comprehension process. The first finding showed 74.13% of students selected audio visual media that helped them in understanding Listening Comprehension, while 25.175% and 0.695% of them preferred audio and visual media respectively. The second finding showed to improve to the macro skills of listening, 61.73% of the students argued that they were helped by audio visual media, while 38.26% of them were helped by audio media. On the other hand, 53.35% of the students aired their opinion that their micro skills of listening were improved through the use of audio visual media and 46.64% of them stated that they are helped with the audio media use. Film, television, video, computer, gadget, games and song accommodated all of the eight listening comprehension processes. Therefore, the researcher suggests that the teacher should use audio media to help the students in mastering the micro skill of listening and audio visual media to assist the students in understanding the macro skill of listening. In addition, film, television, video, computer, gadget, games and song should be used to support the students in comprehending the listening comprehension process.

Problems and Challenges Faced by EFL Students of Saudi Arabia during COVID-19 Pandemic

The teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is very interesting but at the same time is considered difficult particularly for those students who have read most of the subjects of their courses in their mother tongue. The four skills viz, Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing are necessary for learning a foreign language and an imbalance in any skill can hamper the whole process. All the skills are important but during present pandemic situation listening skill is considered as a problematic skill particularly in a foreign language context where practice opportunities are limited because of the world pandemic COVID-19 that hampered all our teaching and learning process. This study aimed to explore the problems and challenges faced by EFL students because of the limited resources. An online survey method was followed to collect data from a group of Saudi EFL students (n = 100) using the Listening Comprehension Processing Problems Questionnaire. The results indicated that these students experienced moderate to high levels of difficulty in all the skills particularly in ‘Listening’ because of limited resources. The findings are expected to have useful implications for teachers who intend to address these problems of EFL learners. Analysis of the findings revealed that most of the students encountered problems in listening most of the times during online classes sometimes because of physical and sometimes other barriers. Discussion and implications of these findings are presented.

Conceptualizing feedback in computer-based L2 language listening

This paper reports the results of three independent qualitative case studies that examined interactions with feedback as L2 listeners worked in self-regulated environments. Data on high-intermediate learners of English were collected from case studies conducted in Australia, Colombia and Chile. Results show that L2 listeners across case studies used feedback to assess performance, to ease task completion, and to regulate listening comprehension processes. We discuss reasons along with integrated data and propose a three-level preliminary framework for conceptualizing feedback in computer-based L2 listening.

MOODLE ЯК ЗАСІБ ДИСТАНЦІЙНОГО НАВЧАННЯ МАЙБУТНІХ ПЕРЕКЛАДАЧІВ АУДІЮВАННЯ АНГЛІЙСЬКОЮ МОВОЮ

У статті розглянуто питання методики організації дистанційного навчання майбутніх перекладачів заочної форми навчання англомовного аудіювання засобами віртуального навчального середовища Moodle. Виокремлено особливості ТВ-технологій, кейс-технологій, Інтернет-технологій, а також характеристики технологічної платформи щодо створення віртуального навчального середовища Moodle та його структурних компонентів (мотиваційного, програмно-методичного, інформаційно-діяльнісного, комунікаційного, контрольно-оцінювального і технологічного). Описано використання інформаційних, навчально-діяльнісних, комунікативних, контрольних та адміністративних інструментів Moodle, визначено поняття «електронний навчальний курс». Охарактеризовано функції і формат-структуру електронного навчального курсу у віртуальному навчальному середовищі Moodle; подано приклади модулів авторського електронного навчального курсу для навчання аудіювання майбутніх перекладачів заочної форми навчання, зокрема таких інструментів Moodle, як «Веб-сторінка», «Завдання», «Профіль користувача», «Тест», «Налаштування журналу оцінок», «Текстова сторінка»; діяльності «Listening Landscape»; прихованого і відкритого блоків електронного навчального курсу у віртуальному навчальному середовищі Moodle; ресурсу «Зовнішня URL-адреса»; оцінювання діяльностей «Завдання» і «Тест», загальний звіт оцінювання відповідей студентів. Описано складові електронного курсу для навчання аудіювання: жанри аудіотекстів (оголошення, інтерв'ю, новини, лекції), завдання щодо навчання різних видів аудіювання відповідно до жанру, кількість годин для самостійної роботи з аудіювання в межах електронного навчального курсу. Розкрито особливості організації навчання аудіювання майбутніх перекладачів в умовах заочної форми навчання, а саме: стимуляція автономії студентів, мотивація навчання аудіювання, необхідність ознайомлення студентів із технічними можливостями Moodle. Надано рекомендації для викладачів щодо організації та проведення дистанційного навчання аудіювання, які допомагають оптимізувати процес формування в майбутніх перекладачів англомовної компетентності в аудіюванні. Описано форми контролю викладача і самоконтролю майбутніх перекладачів заочної форми щодо процесу навчання аудіювання текстів різних жанрів.

Understanding Listening Comprehension Processing and Challenges Encountered: Research Perspectives

This paper investigates research done on academic listening for the past 30 years from published research articles found available online. It includes an introduction emphasizing the critical role listening skills have in academic settings. The paper then reviews the three models of listening comprehension processes, namely the bottom-up processing, the top-down processing, and the interactive model that illustrate how information is processed while language learners listen to spoken language. Key factors will also be analyzed. The linguistics factors, the cognitive factors and the affective factors greatly affect learners’ listening comprehension processing. From a deep analysis of literature review, the paper concludes with suggested research perspectives related to brain functions, stress and anxiety in listening studies as well as pedagogical implications which help researchers and teachers find the right paths for their research implementation in the future. One listening model that suits students of all levels while doing academic activities seems unworkable, the paper suggests a rhizomatic approach to help language learners construct their own rhizomatic personal learning environments to resolve any individual challenges and develop their listening skills at their own pace and for their own taste.

How Do Listening Comprehension Processes Differ by Second Language Proficiency? Top-Down and Bottom-Up Perspectives

ABSTRACT The present study aims to examine how listening comprehension processes (top-down and bottom-up) differ by second language proficiency. To investigate such differences, experiments (listening tasks) followed by questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Participants included 18 lower intermediate learners, 19 upper intermediate learners, and 23 advanced learners. Participants listened to materials under two conditions: (a) vocabulary knowledge; no background knowledge and (b) no vocabulary knowledge; background knowledge. Results showed that lower intermediate learners comprehended better in (a), whereas upper intermediate learners performed better in (b). No significant difference was observed between (a) and (b) for advanced learners.

Is anybody listening? The nature of second language listening in integrated listening-to-summarize tasks

Integrated test tasks, such as listening-to-speak or reading-to-write, are increasingly used in second language assessment despite relatively limited empirical insights into what they assess. Most research on integrated tasks has primarily focused on the productive skills involved; studies exploring the receptive skills mostly investigated tasks with reading input. Little is known about the nature of listening comprehension in integrated listening-to-write or listening-to-speak tasks. This study therefore investigates the listening construct underlying integrated tasks with oral input and its effect on summary accuracy. Eight listening-to-summarize tasks (four listening-to-speak, four listening-to-write) were administered to 72 Thai-L1, English-L2 students. Sixty participants provided their views on sources of listening difficulty through post-task questionnaires. Twelve participants produced stimulated recalls on their listening comprehension processing. The analyses of the recalls, combined with participants’ listening notes and oral/written summaries, revealed participants’ use of several cognitive listening processes and their monitoring through (meta)cognitive strategies, functioning interactively and interdependently in complex ways. The use of listening processes and strategies varied between tasks with different listening inputs, partly owing to differences in the passages’ linguistic difficulty (as perceived by the participants). However, the successful application of these processes and strategies (and their combinations) proved to be a prerequisite for producing accurate summaries.

The Effect of Listening Attitude and Listening Anxiety on Listening Comprehension: A Regression Model

Since listening is a multi-dimensional skill that involves many factors, it is very difficult to identify variables that affect the process. In the current study, it is aimed to determine whether anxiety and attitude are thought to be among the factors affecting listening affect listening comprehension process. To this end, the study employed the relational research method. The study was conducted on 187 seventh grade students attending a state middle school in the city of Kutahya in 2017- 2018 academic year. The results obtained have revealed that there is a significant and negative correlation between the students' listening comprehension and anxiety and a significant and positive correlation between their listening comprehension and listening attitude. Moreover, a significant, medium and positive correlation was found between their listening anxiety and listening attitude, and listening comprehension. It was also found that 29% of the variance in the depending variable, listening comprehension, is explained by two independent variables, listening anxiety and listening attitude.

A Think-Aloud Study: Listening Comprehension Strategies Used by Primary School Students

The purpose of this research is describing and comparing the listening-comprehension strategies used by the students who are identified as successful and less successful about listening. In the research, the case study pattern was used among the qualitative research approaches. In the study, different situations of each student within the same group were examined. The study was carried out in 2017 with four students who attend the fourth grade of the primary school at the middle socioeconomic level in Efeler district of Aydın city. The data related to the cognitive processes used by the students who are selected using sampling of maximum diversity from purposeful sampling methods, during listening were obtained through the method of think aloud, which is one of the utmost effective ways of describing the cognitive activities in the listening comprehension process and of the comprehension strategies used in this process. When the data obtained from the think-aloud method was interpreted, it has been observed that the listening-comprehension strategies used by students differed. It has been determined that students who are identified as successful listener use more strategies on their listening comprehension process. Consequently, it is possible to state that the students are unaware of using the listening comprehension strategies since they are very little. It was also concluded that students who were identified as both successful and unsuccessful listeners have reached less the level of evaluation in terms of strategies.

Differences between the relationship of L1 learners’ performance in integrated writing with both independent listening and independent reading cognitive skills

In recent decades, integrated language competence has been highlighted in the language curricula taught in schools and institutions, and the relationship between test-takers’ performance on integrated tasks and comprehension sources has been much studied. The current study employed the frameworks of reading and listening comprehension processes to examine the difference between the effects of reading competence and listening competence on integrated writing performance. A total of 152 Secondary 5 students from five local schools in Hong Kong responded to three tasks, including an independent listening task, an independent reading task and an integrated writing task. The reading cognitive skills contributed more towards the performance of the integrated writing task than the listening cognitive skills did. Furthermore, the interaction between the relationships of reading and listening to the integrated writing performance was significant. Three subskills each for both listening and reading that belong to higher-order thinking skills—Elaborating, Evaluating and Creating—had significant correlation with integrated writing performance. Implications for the teaching of integrated writing were also discussed.

System of exercises for listening comprehension competence formation in English for prospective interpreters in distance learning

Introduction. The importance of creating a system of exercises for listening comprehension competence formation in English for prospective interpreters in distance learning is significant. It can help the interpreters organize their individual studies on a listening comprehension process and improve their listening skills on comprehending the news, interviews, lectures and announcements, obtain essential information on listening strategies and strategic actions. Purpose. To present a system of exercises for listening comprehension competence formation in English for prospective interpreters in distance learning. Methods. Study of a free Open Source software package Moodle, empirical research, study of the scientific publications, sites and podcasts for developing listening comprehension skills and listening strategies have been used to develop a system of exercises for listening comprehension competence formation in English for prospective interpreters in distance learning. Results. The suggested system contains exercises for acquiring knowledge on different genres of audio texts, on various kinds of strategies and strategic actions for overcoming listening comprehension difficulties, for acquiring phonetic, lexical and grammar listening skills of audio texts of different genres, for the elaborating on such types of listening as understanding gist, understanding details, identifying specific information, understanding attitude, for improving specific interpreting abilities on listening, for developing the strategies aimed at overcoming listening comprehension difficulties. The process of teaching listening such genres as the news, interviews, lectures and announcements should be realized on the initial, basic and advanced stages. Conclusion. Scientific research has proven that the suggested system of exercises for listening comprehension competence formation in English for prospective interpreters can be implemented into practice via a model of organization of a distance listening comprehension course aimed at prospective interpreters.

L2 Listening Comprehension: Is it a Language Problem or Listening Problem?

In a foreign language environment, students typically have limited exposure to the language outside formal classrooms. Therefore, their ability to comprehend spoken English may be limited. To add to this problem, L2 learners often regard listening as the most difficult language skill to learn. On the other hand, it is noticeable that L2 listening remains the least researched of all four language skills. Accordingly, the present study is based on the commonly believed premises that (1) investigating the listening comprehension process can provide useful insights into teaching listening and (2) learners who learn to control their listening process can enhance their comprehension, and their overall proficiency may be highly developed.The present study reports on the results of an empirical study on forty-six L2 learners of English. The subjects were equally divided into two groups. The first group (N=23) represents first year students (Beginners) in the Department of English at the Faculty of Education, Menufia University, Egypt. The second group (N=23) represents fourth year students (Advanced) in the same department. The major question that this study attempts to answer is “whether listening comprehension a language problem or listening problem?” The instruments of this study consist of five tasks: pre-test, questionnaire, classroom instruction sessions, post-test, and interviews. The data analysis had a quantitative and a qualitative part. Results were obtained and conclusions were made.

The Significance of Listening Comprehension in English Language Teaching

Listening is a significant language skill to develop in second language learning. Despite its importance, language learners consider listening as the most difficult language skill to learn. Since the role of listening comprehension in language teaching has been repeatedly emphasized, many teachers do not pay enough attention to its importance in their classes. In this paper, the researchers review some important issues concerning listening comprehension to provide a basis for developing listening skill in English language teaching. It starts with a definition of listening and listening comprehension, a brief discussion of reasons for listening, followed by reviewing listening comprehension process, the importance of listening, teachers’ roles in listening comprehension, and discuss strategies, techniques, and goals of listening. The review of literature indicated that learners can improve their listening comprehension through the help of teachers, using suitable materials and activities, and practicing a lot.