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A Survey on the Factors Influencing Lower-Level l2 Listeners’ Strategies Use and Proficiency Level

Received: 3 May 2013     Published: 20 July 2013
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Abstract

This paper aims to identify the factors that cause EFL learners’ lower listening proficiency level and how these factors influence students’ performance in their listening process. Questionnaire and interview questions were designed to investigate 33 non-English majors and other EFL learners’ strategy use and proficiency levels from four aspects: the learners, the language, the language environment and the teacher. Interviews were conducted and long-term observations carried out for further information. Results show that learners themselves are the main factor that influences their listening proficiency level, personality, language and the teachers’ way of teaching also can have a negative influence on their proficiency level of listening. Thus teaching of English listening not only needs to take the training of the learners’ listening strategies into serious consideration, but also requires teachers’ modification of their teaching to suit the special requirements of students in various levels. The results may have pedagogical implications to facilitate both the college English teachers’ teaching of listening and to improve the EFL learners’ proficiency levels in listening.

Published in Education Journal (Volume 2, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.edu.20130204.19
Page(s) 163-168
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2013. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

EFL Learners, Listening Proficiency, Lower Level, Influencing Factors

References
[1] Oxford, Rebecca L. "Research update on Teaching L2 Listening" [J]. System, 1993, 21:210.
[2] Tinkler, T. "Learning to teach listening comprehension". ELT Journal, 1980. 35(1), 28-35.
[3] Boyle, J.P. "Factors affecting listening comprehension" [J]. EFL Journal, 1984. 38: 205-211.
[4] Flowerdew, J, Miller, L.. "Student perceptions, problems and strategies in L2 letures. RELC Journal, 1992, 23:60-80.
[5] Markham, P., Latham, M.. "The influence of religion-specific background knowledge on the listening comprehension of adult second language students". Language Learning, 1987, 37:157-170.
[6] Long, D. R.. "What you don’t know can’t help you: an exploratory study of background knowledge and second language listening comprehension". Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 1990, 12: 65-80.
[7] Goh, C.. "A cognitive perspective on language learners’ listening comprehension problems." System, 2000.
[8] Flowerdew, John & Lindsay Miller. Second Language Listening: Theory and Practice [M]. Cambridge University Press, 2005/2006(2nd ed.).
[9] Zhou, Qijia. "Influence of Learning Strategies upon English Listening Comprehension---An Investigation on the Learning Strategies of English Listening and the Analysis of Its Results" [J]. Journal of PLA University of Foreign Languages, 2000 (3).
[10] Wang, Yu. "A survey on the non-English majors’ listening strategies" [J]. Foreign Language World, 2002, (6), serial No. 92.
[11] Wen, Qiufang. Applied Linguistics: Research Methods and Thesis Writing [M]. Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2004.
[12] Wang, Jialing. "The Relationship Between Learners' Personality Traits and EFL Learning" [J]. Journal of Xi’an International Studies University, 2007 (2).
[13] Gardner, R. and W. Lambert. 1972. Attitudes and Motivation in Second Language Learning. Rowley, Mass.: Newbury House.
[14] Borkowski, J.G., M. Carr, E. Rellinger, & M. Pressley. Self-regulated Cognition: Interdependence of Metacogntion, Attributions, and Self-esteem. In Jones, B.F. & Idol, L. (eds), Dimensions of Thinking and Cognitive Instruction, 1990, 53-92. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
[15] Vandergrift, L. "The Comprehension Strategies of Second Language (French) Listeners: A Descriptive Study". Foreign Language Annals, 1997. 30, 3: 387–409.
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  • APA Style

    Jing Xie. (2013). A Survey on the Factors Influencing Lower-Level l2 Listeners’ Strategies Use and Proficiency Level. Education Journal, 2(4), 163-168. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20130204.19

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    ACS Style

    Jing Xie. A Survey on the Factors Influencing Lower-Level l2 Listeners’ Strategies Use and Proficiency Level. Educ. J. 2013, 2(4), 163-168. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20130204.19

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    AMA Style

    Jing Xie. A Survey on the Factors Influencing Lower-Level l2 Listeners’ Strategies Use and Proficiency Level. Educ J. 2013;2(4):163-168. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20130204.19

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  • @article{10.11648/j.edu.20130204.19,
      author = {Jing Xie},
      title = {A Survey on the Factors Influencing Lower-Level l2 Listeners’ Strategies Use and Proficiency Level},
      journal = {Education Journal},
      volume = {2},
      number = {4},
      pages = {163-168},
      doi = {10.11648/j.edu.20130204.19},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20130204.19},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20130204.19},
      abstract = {This paper aims to identify the factors that cause EFL learners’ lower listening proficiency level and how these factors influence students’ performance in their listening process. Questionnaire and interview questions were designed to investigate 33 non-English majors and other EFL learners’ strategy use and proficiency levels from four aspects: the learners, the language, the language environment and the teacher. Interviews were conducted and long-term observations carried out for further information. Results show that learners themselves are the main factor that influences their listening proficiency level, personality, language and the teachers’ way of teaching also can have a negative influence on their proficiency level of listening. Thus teaching of English listening not only needs to take the training of the learners’ listening strategies into serious consideration, but also requires teachers’ modification of their teaching to suit the special requirements of students in various levels. The results may have pedagogical implications to facilitate both the college English teachers’ teaching of listening and to improve the EFL learners’ proficiency levels in listening.},
     year = {2013}
    }
    

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    AB  - This paper aims to identify the factors that cause EFL learners’ lower listening proficiency level and how these factors influence students’ performance in their listening process. Questionnaire and interview questions were designed to investigate 33 non-English majors and other EFL learners’ strategy use and proficiency levels from four aspects: the learners, the language, the language environment and the teacher. Interviews were conducted and long-term observations carried out for further information. Results show that learners themselves are the main factor that influences their listening proficiency level, personality, language and the teachers’ way of teaching also can have a negative influence on their proficiency level of listening. Thus teaching of English listening not only needs to take the training of the learners’ listening strategies into serious consideration, but also requires teachers’ modification of their teaching to suit the special requirements of students in various levels. The results may have pedagogical implications to facilitate both the college English teachers’ teaching of listening and to improve the EFL learners’ proficiency levels in listening.
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Author Information
  • College of Foreign Languages, China Three Gorges University, Yichang of Hubei Province, China

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