Distinct Techniques to Improve Listening Comprehension and Meta-Cognitive Listening Awareness

THIRD 21ST CENTURY ACADEMIC FORUM CONFERENCE AT HARVARD, Massachusetts, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri, 20 - 22 Eylül 2015, cilt.6, sa.1, ss.374-385

Listening forms a requisite role whilst communication in every aspect of linguistic studies. As for

foreign language learning, listening is of paramount significance since it yields language input. In

respect of students’ notion, listening comprehension is one of the most demanding courses (Jones,

2007). For second language instructors, fostering the students’ listening comprehension skills and

preparing them as active listeners is a massive challenge. In this manner, this paper presents

findings from a research study exploring the impact of two distinctive pre-listening techniques

(giving word bubbles and showing pictures to students) on EFL learners’ performance in listening

comprehension and on their activation of meta-cognitive listening awareness. Data were elicited

from 30 elementary level prep class students at a state university in Turkey. A comparison between

the pre-test and post-test scores demonstrated that the participants achieved significantly higher

marks after the treatment classes, but had no correlation with the questionnaire results. The findings

suggest that topic familiarity through pre-listening is a salutary predictor of improved performance.

Keywords: Topic familiarity, pre-listening, meta-cognitive awareness, listening strategy