The Importance of Metacognitive Listening Strategy in English Listening Improvement: A Review

The metacognitive listening strategy has an important role in the process of enhancing English listening comprehension. This article reviewed six empirical studies related to the impact of metacognitive listening strategy use while learners tried to improve their listening comprehension in different environments. The findings showed that learners used some metacognitive listening strategies to help them to comprehend the listening text tasks. It also indicated that various factors affect learners’ successful learning on their listening comprehension improvement. It can be concluded that the metacognitive listening strategy has had a positive impact while they are used regularly in the language learning process.

Strategy Preference in Listening: A Profile of EFL Students to Answer TOEFL Test

ABSTRACTMeasuring students’ English ability in most universities would be counted from their passing grade on the Test of English as A Foreign Language (TOEFL). Listening to natives is considered a complicated section to answer among the three sections. Thus, EFL learners should focus on attainment strategies to answer the TOEFL preparation test. The current study examines students’ profile of attainment strategy use and how usage of this strategy differs by gender. The sixth English semester students, faculty of education at Universitas Islam Malang, were required to fill out the questionnaire of strategies used to answer the TOEFL. Utilizing the descriptive and independent t-test, the findings reveal that students deployed the strategies at a moderate level. Further, female students used all the strategies more often and significantly differently than their counterparts. This implies that the use of strategies could ease them in obtaining good scores in listening.ABSTRAKMengukur ketrampilan bahasa Inggris mahasiswa di sebagian besar universitas akan dihitung dari nilai kelulusan mereka pada tes TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Diantara ketiga bagian pada tes TOEFL, tes pada bagian I (Listening) dianggap sebagai tes yang sulit untuk dijawab. Sehingga, mahasiswa diharapkan bisa fokus dan bisa menggunakan strategi tepat ketika menjawab tes TOEFL. Penelitian ini ditujukan untuk mengetahui bagaimana profil penggunaan strategi menjawab tes TOEFL dan mengidentifikasi perbedaan penggunaaan oleh mahasiswa laki-laki dan perempuan. Mahasiswa semester enam jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Fakultas Pendidikan, Universitas Islam Malang dilibatkan dalam penelitian ini dan mereka diminta mengisi kuesioner strategi menjawab tes TOEFL. Dengan menggunakan analisis dan Uji T-tes, temuan menunjukkan bahwa mahasiswa menggunakan strategi dalam kategori sedang. Hasil selanjutnya mengindikasikan bahwa mahasiswa perempuan sering menggunakan strategi dan berbeda secara signifikan dari mahasiswa laki-laki. Hal ini berarti bahwa penggunaan strategi dapat memudahkan mahasiswa tersebut untuk mendapatkan nilai bagus.

Exploring coaching and follow-up supports in community-implemented caregiver-mediated JASPER intervention

Although a growing number of caregiver-mediated intervention models for families with children with autism are being examined in efficacy trials, few have been transferred to community implementation. Furthermore, little testing has explored implementation strategies to support caregivers’ strategy use with their children. In partnership with a publicly funded intervention agency in Canada, this pilot project explored intervention implementation strategies and follow-up supports. Dyads were randomized at entry to coaching or observe then add coaching and at intervention exit to individual or group follow-up booster. The caregiver-mediated Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement and Regulation intervention was provided by agency staff to a diverse community sample of families with young children awaiting or diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Independent agency staff delivered assessments and recorded a caregiver–child interaction. Blinded raters scored children’s initiations of joint attention, play actions, joint engagement, and caregivers’ strategy implementation. Practitioners implemented the intervention and coaching strategies well ( M = 83%). Overall, caregivers made significant gains in strategy use and children showed significant growth in joint engagement, play diversity, and joint attention across conditions through public caregiver-mediated intervention services. Caregivers’ strategy use supported gains in children’s joint engagement. Lay abstract The next step for communication interventions for young children with autism include coaching/teaching for caregivers that have been tested in university clinics and testing these interventions in real world systems with early intervention providers who serve children and families in their communities. However, there are few projects that have tested how well the intervention can be transferred to community providers and what types of progress children and caregivers make in these services. This project took place in partnership with a community early intervention agency in the province of Ontario, Canada. The agency provided government-funded public health services. The agency was funded to take part in a pilot program to try out one of four early intervention models that included coaching for caregivers and was designed to support children’s social engagement, play, and communication skills. The team decided to test two ways to start the intervention: (a) begin with observation of the practitioner for 4 weeks and then start coached practice with the child and (b) start coaching immediately. The team also tested two ways to support families for 3 months after intervention: (a) group booster sessions and (b) individual visits. The practitioners delivered the intervention well ( M = 83%), and overall, caregivers and children made significant gains by the end of intervention in both observation + coaching and coaching. Attendance for follow-up boosters was variable with fewer families attending groups. More research is needed to test different strategies and roles to individualize interventions for caregivers with a range of goals and learning styles.