Faster, normal or slower?: the effects of speech rates on high-intermediate ESL learners' listening comprehension of academic lectures

This article analyses the factors influencing the process of input-intake conversion and focuses on the effect of “reduced forms” on English as a Second Language (ESL) learners’ listening comprehension. The Input Hypothesis, the Noticing Hypothesis, the input-intake relationship, and the factors influencing the input-intake relationship are critically reviewed and analyzed. The empirical study of Brown and Hilferty [1] is reviewed and discussed to show reduced forms’ influence on ESL learners’ listening comprehension. The results prove that integrating reduced forms into ESL lessons is both necessary and meaningful for improving students’ listening comprehension ability.

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Improving ESL Learners’ Comprehension through Motivational Synergy

sjesr ◽

10.36902/sjesr-vol4-iss2-2021(181-190) ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 181-190

Author(s):

Marya Sarwar ◽

Dr. Rubina Masum ◽

Sadia Gondal

Keyword(s):

Listening Comprehension ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Language Instruction ◽

Survey Method ◽

Top Down ◽

Adult Esl ◽

The University ◽

English Program ◽

Esl Learners

The present study focuses on the use of Motivational Synergy as means to ameliorate the comprehension of ESL Learners at various campuses of the University of Education. The study is correlational. The survey method was adopted to carry out the research. A convenient purposive sampling technique was used to collect the sample which is comprised of 100 public sector university students including 33% males and 67% females studying in the M.A. English program. This study focused on reading comprehension and listening comprehension. The results show that bottom-up training had a negative impact on comprehension. In contrast, top-down training positively affected fluency but had no impact on comprehension. Further, the results do suggest that fast-paced reading may potentially lead to improved comprehension. These findings have implications for the type of language instruction used in classrooms and, therefore, for teachers of adult ESL learners.

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How much vocabulary is needed to use English? Replication of van Zeeland & Schmitt (2012), Nation (2006) and Cobb (2007)

Language Teaching ◽

10.1017/s0261444815000075 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 212-226 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Norbert Schmitt ◽

Tom Cobb ◽

Marlise Horst ◽

Diane Schmitt

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Listening Comprehension ◽

Learning Opportunities ◽

Vocabulary Knowledge ◽

Word Knowledge ◽

Word Families ◽

Written Texts ◽

L2 Learners ◽

Knowledge Requirements ◽

Esl Learners

There is current research consensus that second language (L2) learners are able to adequately comprehend general English written texts if they know 98% of the words that occur in the materials. This important finding prompts an important question: How much English vocabulary do English as a second language (ESL) learners need to know to achieve this crucial level of known-word coverage? A landmark paper by Nation (2006) provides a rather daunting answer. His exploration of the 98% figure through a variety of spoken and written corpora showed that knowledge of around 8,000–9,000 word families is needed for reading and 6,000–7,000 for listening. But is this the definitive picture? A recent study by van Zeeland & Schmitt (2012) suggests that 95% coverage may be sufficient for listening comprehension, and that this can be reached with 2,000–3,000 word families, which is much more manageable. Getting these figures right for a variety of text modalities, genres and conditions of reading and listening is essential. Teachers and learners need to be able to set goals, and as Cobb's study of learning opportunities (2007) has shown, coverage percentages and their associated vocabulary knowledge requirements have important implications for the acquisition of new word knowledge through exposure to comprehensible L2 input. This article proposes approximate replications of Nation (2006), van Zeeland & Schmitt (2012), and Cobb (2007), in order to clarify these key coverage and size figures.

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Validation of ‘Self-perception of ESL Learners’ Listening Comprehension Problems and Metacognitive Listening Strategy Use’ Questionnaire

Advances in Language and Literary Studies ◽

10.7575/aiac.alls.v.9n.6p.158 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 158

Author(s):

Seyedehsima Sadatmir ◽

Vahid Nimehchisalem ◽

Ain Nazdimah Abdullah

Keyword(s):

Field Test ◽

Listening Comprehension ◽

Strategy Use ◽

Self Perception ◽

Cronbach’S Alpha ◽

Internal Reliability ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Cronbach's Alpha ◽

New Instrument ◽

Esl Learners

According to the literature, listening comprehension problems mostly relate to the shortage of learners’ metacognition in listening. Through reviewing the developed instruments on listening comprehension problems and metacognitive listening strategy use, some shortcomings can be detected in available instruments. This paper adapts the previous instruments and seeks to explore their shortcomings by adding supplementary sections and items to them. It also aims to validate the new instrument. The adapted questionnaires are Listening Comprehension Problems Questionnaire (LCPQ) and Metacognitive Listening Strategy Questionnaire (MLSQ). The adapted instrument is validated by a panel of experts (n= 3) and a Field- Test (n= 28). The changes are presented in this paper. Results show 9 items of LCPQ and 6 items of MLSQ have been revised by the experts. The modified questionnaires were tested for their internal reliability and the Cronbach’s alpha values were greater than 0.7. According to the Field- Test’s results, 2 items are added to LCPQ and 1 item is added to MLSQ. Moreover, 1 item of LCPQ and 1 item of MLSQ are changed by applying participant’s comments. The developed instrument named ‘Self- perception of LCP (Listening Comprehension Problems) and MLSU (Metacognitive Listening Strategy Use)’ is predicted to be effective for researchers who are concerned with the same area in different contexts. The new instrument will help researchers to identify the perceived metacognitive listening strategy use and listening comprehension problems among ESL/EFL learners with different listening comprehension abilities. Future surveys would validate the effectiveness of the current instrument.

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Teaching listening comprehension through online academic lectures

IOP Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering ◽

10.1088/1757-899x/940/1/012139 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 940 ◽

pp. 012139

Author(s):

O D Medvedeva ◽

S S Andreeva ◽

T N Krepkaia

Keyword(s):

Listening Comprehension ◽

Academic Lectures

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A Study of Probable Reasons for Saudi Learners’ Weakness in Listening Comprehension

International Journal of English Linguistics ◽

10.5539/ijel.v7n4p166 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 166

Author(s):

Sultan Samah A. Almjlad

Keyword(s):

Listening Comprehension ◽

Postgraduate Students ◽

Remarkable Effect ◽

Saudi Students ◽

Academic Level ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Academic Lectures ◽

The Uk ◽

The University ◽

Saudi Male

This study investigates the listening comprehension problems of Saudi students. Forty Saudi postgraduate students from both genders (24 males and 16 females) participated in the study and all participants were postgraduate students at the University of Essex in the UK. The questionnaire was the only instrument used to collect data. The main findings of the study discovered were related to listeners first. Secondly, the study showed a significant difference between the academic lectures or seminars in five problems related to both listener and text, while thirdly the study showed a non-significant difference between the Saudi male and female students in terms of listening comprehension. Fourthly, the study discovered that the LC problems vary based on the learners’ academic levels as the LC problems get fewer when the academic level gets higher, confirming negative correlations between academic level and LC problems. After applying aggression analysis on some variables, the study also demonstrated that the length of studying English has a remarkable effect on the LC for Saudi students.

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