The Impact of Task Complexity on Iranian EFL Learners‟ Listening Comprehension across Anxiety and Proficiency Levels

This study reports a pre-experimental research on the impact of metacognitive instruction on EFL learners’ metacognitive awareness and their listening performance. To obtain the goal of the study, a group of 30 Iranian intermediate EFL learners, including 14 males and 16 females, were selected randomly. Their ages range from 20 to 24. The participants took part in 16 weeks’ intervention program based on metacognitive pedagogical sequence consisted of five stages. The metacognitive awareness listening questionnaire (MALQ), and a listening test were also used to find changes in metacognitive awareness and listening performance before and after the treatment. The results of comparing pre and posttests scores revealed that metacognitive instruction raised the learners’ metacognitive awareness and helped them improve their listening comprehension ability.

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Captions and reduced forms instruction: The impact on EFL students’ listening comprehension

ReCALL ◽

10.1017/s0958344013000219 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 44-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Jie Chi Yang ◽

Peichin Chang

Keyword(s):

Language Learners ◽

Listening Comprehension ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Limited Capacity ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Efl Students ◽

The Impact ◽

Reduced Forms

AbstractFor many EFL learners, listening poses a grave challenge. The difficulty in segmenting a stream of speech and limited capacity in short-term memory are common weaknesses for language learners. Specifically, reduced forms, which frequently appear in authentic informal conversations, compound the challenges in listening comprehension. Numerous interventions have been implemented to assist EFL language learners, and of these, the application of captions has been found highly effective in promoting learning. Few studies have examined how different modes of captions may enhance listening comprehension. This study proposes three modes of captions: full, keyword-only, and annotated keyword captions and investigates their contribution to the learning of reduced forms and overall listening comprehension. Forty-four EFL university students participated in the study and were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. The results revealed that all three groups exhibited improvement on the pre-test while the annotated keyword caption group exhibited the best performance with the highest mean score. Comparing performances between groups, the annotated keyword caption group also emulated both the full caption and the keyword-only caption groups, particularly in the ability to recognize reduced forms. The study sheds light on the potential of annotated keyword captions in enhancing reduced forms learning and overall listening comprehension.

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The interplay of oral corrective feedback and L2 willingness to communicate across proficiency levels

Language Teaching Research ◽

10.1177/1362168820928967 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 136216882092896

Author(s):

Mostafa Zare ◽

Zohreh Gooniband Shooshtari ◽

Alireza Jalilifar

Keyword(s):

Corrective Feedback ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Willingness To Communicate ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Feedback Type ◽

Proficiency Levels ◽

Proficiency Level ◽

High Preference ◽

Oral Corrective Feedback ◽

The Impact

This study aims to explore the impact of oral corrective feedback types on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ willingness to communicate across proficiency levels. It also investigates how EFL learners view different types of feedback in relation to their willingness to communicate. Sixty Iranian EFL learners were tracked in four proficiency levels. Initially, the participants filled in a questionnaire to measure their attitudes to oral CF and their willingness to communicate. Subsequent to the teachers’ employment of explicit correction, recasts, and prompts, the learners’ willingness to communicate was measured anew. A semi-structured interview was also conducted. The results revealed learners’ high preference for prompts. A two-way mixed between-within ANOVA demonstrated a significant effect for both oral corrective feedback and proficiency level on willingness to communicate. Furthermore, elicitative types of feedback were ranked as the most contributory feedback type to L2 willingness to communicate.

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The Effect of Task Complexity on Iranian EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension across Aptitude

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.422 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 98 ◽

pp. 314-323 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Somayye Attarzade ◽

Elham Farahani

Keyword(s):

Listening Comprehension ◽

Task Complexity ◽

Efl Learners

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The Impact of Task Complexity on EFL Learners' Writing Production across Gender

International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology - Regular Issue ◽

10.35940/ijeat.e1172.0585c19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (5C) ◽

pp. 1218-1220

Keyword(s):

Task Complexity ◽

Task Planning ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Study Task ◽

The Impact ◽

Significant Support

Thе currеnt study invеstigatеs thе impact of task complеxity on ЕFL lеarnеrs' writing production across gеndеr. Task complеxity is thе inhеrеnt cognitivе dеmands of thе tasks imposеd on thе lеarnеrs by thе structurе of thе tasks. In this study, task complеxity is invеstigatеd along thе rеsourcе-dispеrsing variablеs of prе-task planning timе, post-task еditing timе and prior knowlеdgе across gеndеr. This study triеs to intеrtwinе thе concеpts of task complеxity and sociolinguistics (i.е. gеndеr diffеrеncеs). This study was aimеd to find out thе еffеct of task complеxity across thе variablе of gеndеr of ЕFL lеarnеrs' writing production which has bееn mеasurеd in tеrms of CAF i.е. complеxity, accuracy and fluеncy. Thеrеforе, thе linguistics propеrtiеs of 160 еssays from ЕFL lеarnеrs (80 malеs & 80 fеmalеs) wеrе analyzеd on thе CAF. Thе participants wеrе sеlеctеd from a homogеnous group of ЕFL lеarnеrs. A wеb-basеd syntactical/lеxical tеxt analysis softwarе was еmployеd to mеasurе thе CAF of thе ЕFL lеarnеrs’ еssays. This can providе usеful information in fiеld of forеign languagе lеarning for languagе plannеrs, curricula dеsignеrs, and tеachеrs. Should this bе donе, it can contributе to improving ЕFL undеrgraduatе studеnts’ ability to a lеvеl of writing compеtеncе that is morе likеly to bе satisfactory. Thе findings of thе study indicatеd statistically significant support for Robinsons’ Hypothеsis. Incrеasing rеsourcе-dispеrsing complеxity by rеmoving planning timе, еditing timе and prior knowlеdgе nеgativеly affеctеd thе CAF of writing of both gеndеrs, malе and fеmalе. In tеrms of gеndеr, fеmalе groups significantly outpеrformеd thеir malе countеrparts in most of thе ovеrall CAF writing scorеs along rеsourcе-dispеrsing of prе-task planning timе, post-task еditing timе and prior knowlеdgе in both low complеxity and high complеxity writing tasks.

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