This study aimed to explore Chinese and Korean EFL learners? perceptions with regards to the use of listening strategies. The purpose is to learn whether Chinese and Korean students achieve academic listening comprehension through specific listening strategies. The data were collected from first and second year students currently studying abroad in the US. Although they are immersed in an English speaking environment, the use of listening strategies still affects their development of academic listening comprehension based on what they have learned in their home countries. For this reason, this study provides a corpus for understanding Chinese and Korean EFL students' listening behavior and what constrains their English listening comprehension. The research design is one hundred and sixty-six college level students from three public universities in Texas who completed web-based questionnaires. Skilled and less-skilled groups were differentiated according to their TOEFL listening scores. If the student had a score of more than 570, he/she was categorized into the skilled listeners group; below 570, they belonged to the less-skilled listeners group. In terms of the need for additional research on the different factors that affect developmental outcomes in L2 listening comprehension, the following research questions were investigated: 1) Is there a statistically significant relationship between the self-reported use of listening strategies and self-reported listening comprehension scores on the TOEFL? 2) Is there a difference between skilled and less-skilled non-native English speakers in the self-reported use of four categories of listening strategies (memory, cognitive, meta-cognitive, and socio-affective)? 3) What factors influence the use of self-reported listening strategies? The findings show that students in this sample tended to employ memory strategies as a means of achieving listening comprehension. In theory, cognitive and metacognitive strategies are more difficult than memory strategies, prompting a lack of sophisticated strategies for Chinese and Korean students. In addition, students? listening skills are not mature. The pedagogical implications of this study for EFL education are that teachers, while teaching listening, should be alert to spot such phenomena and, specifically, instruct students to reach listening maturity via cognitive and metacognitive strategies.

Listening is the most common skill we use in communication with others, even though it might be the most difficult skill to learn. Recent research shows that pupils receive most information in school by listening, and other research shows that it is relatively common that pupils, instead of using strategies while listening, just listen for specific words. This essay aims to examine pupils´ listening-strategies in English as a second language. By interviews with both pupils and teachers in two different schools, and observations I have investigated listening-strategies. The results of this study show that children at the age of eleven and twelve do apply listening strategies. Some pupils are aware of their comprehension skills in listening, while others do not exactly know what they are doing, but they actually have a strategy for listening. Even though there is little research about this topic, there is developmental work in Sweden which we need to be aware of. Teachers play a role in teaching and developing listening strategies, and this study investigates particularly the importance of metacognitive strategies. In a future perspective listening strategies are very important for language learners.

Listening is one of the key skills needed to be proficient in a second language (L2). Some L2 teachers support the development of L2 learners' listening skills by providing input in a different sensory mode (e.g., reading). Nevertheless, developing L2 listening skills using more than one sensory mode, may lead to cognitive overload. In order to provide effective L2 listening instruction, teachers need to know what learning strategies will help students improve their listening skills. This quasi-experimental study examined the benefits of reading a text while listening to it and the effect that reading-while-listening (RWL) has on an L2 learner's listening comprehension. The study was done with intermediate-level, English as a Second Language (ESL) students in two pre-existing classes at the English Language Center (ELC) in Provo, Utah, with one class using a teaching method that included reading and listening together and one class that did no reading, just listening. The results of this study showed that both the control group and treatment group significantly improved their listening comprehension skills over the course of 14 weeks. For the treatment group which had used RWL, however, their listening scores were not significantly different from those of the control group. The pedagogical implications of the findings for second language teachers teaching listening skills are also discussed.

The purpose of this paper was to investigate how some teachers interpret, teach and assess listening strategies. Our investigation was based on interviews and a questionnaire answered by some year 9 English teachers. Furthermore, the aim was to study whether awareness and teaching of listening strategies are important for teachers in their everyday practice. The results indicate that the teachers interpret listening strategies as purposes for listening, such as listening for detail or the whole. The teachers do not explicitly teach listening strategies, and they do not assess them. For these teachers the main focus is placed on listening comprehension and not on the listening strategies.Key concepts: EFL, secondary school, interpretations, teaching, assessment, listening strategies.

本個案研究旨在探討實施聽力策略教學對四位台灣國中生的影響與衝擊。 不同於以往傳統認知取向的策略教學，本文採用維高斯基（Vygotsky）社會文化取向理論來分析學生的學習；相信策略教學與學習應該考量到學生與外界環境及人際間的互動，而非只探討教學本身的成效。因此本研究在個案對策略學習及自主學習的觀感和態度上多所著墨。文獻回顧內容則涵蓋聽力策略的理論及聽力策略教學實施情形及成效的研究。 　　本研究對象針對37位八年級的學生實施為期18週的聽力教學。但重心放在四位個案身上。研究方法採用質化的學生訪談及學生學習日記的分析輔以量化的聽力策略問卷。實施的步驟分為準備期、診斷期、教學期、練習期、及評估期。在教學開始前，學生們先通過全民英檢初級的聽力測試以評估其聽力能力並篩選個案。然後，實施聽力策略問卷調查以觀察學生平時使用的策略。之後，學生們接受六項聽力策略的教導，包含：猜測、分類、類推、記筆記、選擇性專注、及詢問。在教學實施期間，個案被要求寫學習日記，記錄對所學策略的感想及使用情形。學習日記及訪談是分析個案學習情形的主要資料。 第四章則著重於探討四位個案的家庭背景，學校表現，及對自主學習的態度和想法。目的是希望完整呈現四位個案不同的人格及學習特質，及之所以他們會如此學習的原因。第五章記錄了研究的兩樣重大發現： 1. 聽力能力較高的同學顯然比聽力較弱的學生更能夠有效率的交互使用「由上而下」 及「由下而上」的聽力策略。而聽力較弱的同學則傾向於過度依靠直接翻譯」策略。 2. 原本一向被傳統認知學習策略所忽略的情意方面的因素，反而似乎是影響學生策略學習的主因。這些情意方面的因素包括了：學生如何控制自己的脾氣，學習態度，及情緒。更重要的是，學生似乎都傾向於需要找到生命中的重要他人，並依靠這些較有能力的大人來提供他們踏出學習第一步時必要的安全感，知識，能力，方法及學習的動力。 因此，本研究的發現，回應了維高斯基的社會文化取向理論。唯有先透過人際間的互動與學習，才有可能回歸自我，反求諸己，達到內省與自發的境界。本研究希望能藉由教育現場的真實互動情形，喚醒策略學習及教學研究者對社會文化取向的學習理論，以及學生情意態度影響學習成效的重視。 / The purpose of this case study was to investigate four Taiwanese junior high school learners’ listening strategy use when receiving listening strategy instruction. Different from conventional quantitative SLA strategy studies, this present qualitative case study, adopting sociocultural perspectives, grounded on the conception that the issues of strategy learning should not be understood only in terms of direct instruction and its effectiveness. Instead, exploring the learning processes in which learners and the external environment are necessary. Therefore, this case study focused on the discussion of four learners’ attitude toward learning and their perspectives toward listening strategy instruction. The participants of this study were 37 students in a Taiwanese junior high school in the Taipei city. Yet, the focus was on four cases, Natalie, Tom, Jasmine and Jin Pin. Three major data collection instruments were adopted including the quantitative questionnaire, qualitative interviews and learning journals kept by the four cases. The instructional procedure was divided into five stages-- preparation, diagnosis, instruction, practice, and evaluation. A sample GEPT listening comprehension test was given to the students to pretest their proficiency in the diagnosis stage. Then the instruction on six listening strategies--guessing, grouping, inferencing, note-taking, selective attention, and asking for clarification was provided for 18 weeks. The Listening Comprehension Strategy Questionnaire based on Wang (2000) was conducted to identify the learners’ listening strategy use. Their learning journals were evaluated to explore their ongoing problems and perceptions toward learning the strategies. In Chapter Four, the profiles of the four cases were illustrated including their family background, school performance, and attitude toward learning autonomously to give a full picture of their learning habits. In Chapter Five, major findings are summarized. First, the case study echoed the previous finding that more skillful listeners seem to use both the ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ strategies more effectively while less skillful listeners rely too much on direct translation. Second, some salient issues previously not emphasized were found including learners’ affective concerns and their ability to control emotions, turned out to powerfully influence the learners’ learning. The learners needed to be assisted first by some adult surrogates and their significant others and to gain enough guidance, assurance, sense of security and control over the emotions before they can move on to self-regulated learning. If not, their learning tends to be subject to their own emotions, which are mostly controlled by the interaction between the learners and the external environment or the others. This finding consisted with the sociocultural perspective in that learning is a collaborative process between the learners and their social contexts. Only through interaction with others can learners achieve a new level of autonomy. To foster learner autonomy, strategy training needs to account for a more interactive view of learning. It also suggests that more efforts should be paid to explore the impact of learners’ affective and social concerns on their language learning toward autonomy.

Listening with comprehension, one of the basic language skills, is an essential part of teaching Czech as a foreign language. Even though this skill is very important, it is usually not given sufficient attention. This master thesis examines how listening is processed in selected popular textbooks which are, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Language, designed for basic users on level A1 and A2. Based on a critical analysis of textbooks, the output this thesis is the design of several types of listening tasks created with the support of theoretical knowledge based on the literature processed in the introductory part of the thesis. At the same time, it seeks to fill in the gaps in existing listening tasks which are presented in current teaching materials.

This study aims to investigate how the choice of media form, i.e. printed format, audiobook or reading and audio combined, affect the ability of ESL students to achieve comprehension, and how different ways of asking questions can affect their comprehension ability. Lastly, the study aims to investigate the relationship between comprehension and students’ proficiency levels in their L2. To answer this question, 155 students were recruited and divided into three groups and assigned one type of media form. The quantitative data was collected through an online comprehension test and analysed. The results showed a significant difference between the media forms and revealed that printed reading was superior. However, a printed and audio combination was the most time efficient way for students to achieve comprehension, which indicates that the inclusion of audio does not impede student learning. Previous research in the same field shows that the results are inconclusive, but shares one common conclusion, that students enjoy the audio format. As a result, the educational system should make every effort to media choices for students to choose their preferred media, and more research in the field needs to be done, as students enjoyment leads to increased learning.

The dissertation thesis deals with the skill of listening comprehension and using multimedia for its support in the French language teaching process. The issue is studied within the context of Czech curricular documents. It classifies language skills from the point of view of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The process of listening comprehension is described in linguo-didactics from the historical point of view and as a process of language communication. Attention is paid especially to listening comprehension in foreign language teaching. The thesis focuses also on methodical procedures when developing and reinforcing this language skill. Integration of multimedia with respect to varied learning styles and strategies is described. Styles according to the perception preferences and listening learning strategies are focused on. The aim of the thesis is to find out what is the position of the listening comprehension skill in the French language teaching process at upper-secondary schools, what is the success rate of the students in the process of comprehension of the spoken language, whether multimedia can contribute to successful comprehension of the spoken language in a foreign language. The issue is viewed from the perspective of the students as well as the teachers....

本論文目的在於調查大學生修習「商用英語聽力訓練」之動機及需求，並對教師的教學活動及學習者之策略習得進行深入探討。該課程係以專業英語（English for Specific Purposes）之理論為依據，設計為應用於商業場合之課程。本研究以國立政治大學商學院學生為受試者進行個案研究，藉以探討「商用英語聽力訓練」課程現況及可供改進之方向。 受試者修習「商用英語聽力訓練」之動機與需求係由期初、期末兩次問卷填答得知，並經由英語程度不同之學習者反映出其不同之學習需求，可提供授課教師作為規畫課程及選擇教材時之參考重點，藉以提高學習者之學習興趣，達到有效學習的目標。 本論文的另一重點在於「商用英語聽力訓練」中聽力策略之訓練與習得，聽力策略的分類乃依Oxford（1990）提出之理論為根據，探討有助於該課程之聽力策略及技巧為何。本研究藉由二十八小時之課堂觀察，進而分析授課教師如何進行策略訓練；另外，經由問卷、測驗兩方法測知受試者對於該課程中策略訓練的反應及策略習得之實際情況。由此結果歸納出可提高學生學習效果的聽力策略。 由以上的研究結果，本論文針對於學習需求及策略訓練方法歸納出改進「商用英語聽力訓練」課程之具體建議，以期日後對相關課程之學習者及授課教師都能有所助益。 / This thesis aims to explore the current situation of an “English Lab Course for Occupational Purposes” in college and to provide suggestions for further improvement. This study focuses on two aspects：one is the motivations and needs analysis of the students who take this course; the other is the training and acquiring of listening strategies in this course. This course is based on the theory of “English for Specific Purposes” and is designed for Business majors. All the subjects of this research are sophomores and seniors of the College of Commerce at NCCU. The subjects’motivations and needs are investigated through a questionnaire survey at the beginning and the end of the semester. This research reveals the different motivations and needs for efficient and less-efficient learners. The results may provide some helpful perspectives to assist teachers in selecting effective teaching materials and designing appropriate courses. The other emphasis of this study is on the training and acquiring of listening strategies in this course. The definitions and categories of listening strategies are based on Oxford’s theory (1990). The author sits in on the classes for 28 hours to observe and record the actual teaching and learning situations. In addition, both questionnaires and tests (pre-test & post-test) are utilized to examine the actual strategies the subjects employ. With reference to the results of the observation, questionnaires and tests, the author presents the most effective listening strategies of this course. Based on the conclusions of this thesis, some possible applications are proposed for an “English Lab Course for Occupational Purposes”. The author hopes these suggestions can enhance the development of relevant courses in the future.