Listening Comprehension Strategies

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INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF TEACHING LISTENING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF LISTENING COMPREHENSION ABILITY OF IRANIAN EFL LEARNERS

Ali Taghinezhad1
1Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, Shiraz University, Iran
Sayed Javad Tabaeifard2
2PhD Candidate in TEFL, University of Tehran, Iran
Zahra Bazyar3
3Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Iran

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the influence of teaching listening comprehension strategies on the improvement of listening comprehension ability of Iranian EFL learners. In doing so, 80 upper-intermediate students were chosen to take Interchange Placement Test. The students were divided equally into two groups: …show more content…

Several factor might affect the choice of language learning strategies such as gender, learning styles, cultural background, tolerance of ambiguity, attitudes and beliefs, degree of awareness, type of task, personality traits, and nationality (Oxford, 1990).

How to Teach Strategies in the Classroom:

Oxford (1990) makes a comprehensive view of learning strategies. The strategies are classified into two groups: direct or cognitive strategies, which learners use directly to the language itself. And indirect or metacognitive strategies, in which learners manage their own learning process.

The following three different approaches can be found to be applicable in teaching strategies in language classrooms.

Frameworks for teaching strategies

The first framework, developed by Chamot and O 'Malley (1994), is useful after students have had practice in using a wide range of strategies in different contexts. Their approach to helping students complete language learning tasks can be described as a four-stage problem-solving process.

(1) Planning. Students plan ways to approach a learning …show more content…

However, language learning strategies are used to improve learner knowledge of a given language, and they comprise affective strategies, cognitive strategies, meta-cognitive strategies, and social strategies.

3. Method

Participants:

The participants in this study were 80 EFL learners between 18 to 30 years of age in Navid Language Institute in Shiraz, Iran. The students took Interchange Placement Test devised by Lesley Hansen, and Zukowski-Faust (2005). The students were divided into experimental and control groups, with forty students in each group.

Instruments

The three questionnaires used in this study were Listening Comprehension Strategy Inventory (LCSI), Interchange Placement Test, and the Listening Task Battery. Students were asked to take Interchange Placement Test in order to specify their proficiency level. Then, they were asked to fill in the LCSI devised by Gerchek (2000).This questionnaire is comprised of twelve listening comprehension