Metacognitive and Social Strategies to Promote EFL learners’ Lecture Comprehension
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7596/taksad.v8i1.2056Keywords:
Lecture listening comprehension, Content courses, Metacognitive strategies, Social strategies, EFL students.Abstract
This study attempts to explore the challenges that influence academic lecture listening comprehension of Saudi EFL students. Seventy-five students majoring in English participated in the diagnostic stage. In the next stage, 15 students underwent some intervention for 6 weeks where metacognitive and social strategies in teaching were incorporated. Later, the participants were interviewed in a semi-structured setting where they were asked to reflect on the experiment. The major findings of the study indicate that the factors that affect students’ listening comprehension pertain to teachers and teaching, students themselves, content of the courses and the program itself. The study recommends a paradigm shift in the teaching methods that focus on metacognitive and social strategies as suggested in the experiment. Furthermore, students' linguistic and communication proficiency should be given special care. Moreover, training the EFL students in academic lecture listening comprehension strategies is highly recommended to be incorporated into the program design.
References
References
Anderson, N. J. (2002), The role of metacognition in second language teaching and learning. ERIC Digest EDO. Washington, OC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics,
Bamford, J. (2002). Are economists guilty of anti-economic linguistic behaviour? Repetition and reformulation in economics lectures. In M. L. Bisgnami, G. Iamartino & C. Pagetti, (Eds.), The economy principle in English linguistic, literary and cultural perspectives (pp. 63-76). Milano: Edizioni Unicopli.
Bashtovaya, T. (2013). Academic lectures in an EFL context: An exploration of student and lecturer perceptions [M.A. Thesis]. Famagusta, North Cyprus: Eastern Mediterranean University, Institute of Graduate Studies and Research, Dept. of English Language Teaching (ELT).
Benson, M. (1994). Lecture listening in an ethnographic perspective. In J. Flowedew (Ed.), Academic Listening: Research Perspectives (pp. 181-198). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chen, Y. (2005). Barriers to acquiring listening strategies for EFL learners and their pedagogical implications. TESL-EJ, 8(4), 1-22.
Derwing, T. M. & Munro, M. J. (2001). What speaking rates do nonnative listeners prefer? Applied Linguistics, 22, 324-337.
Dunkel, P. (1991). Listening in the native and second/foreign language: Toward an integration of research and practice. TESOL Quarterly, 25(3), 431-457.
Flowedew, J. (1994). Research of relevance to second language lecture comprehension: An overview. In J. Flowerdew (Ed.), Academic Listening: Research perspectives (pp. 7-29). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ferris, D. & Tagg, T. (1996). Academic listening/speaking tasks for ESL students: Problems, suggestions, and implications. TESOL Quarterly, 30, 297-320.
Flowedew, J. & Miller, L. (1997). The teaching of academic listening comprehension and the question of authenticity. English for Academic Purposes, 16(1), 27-46.
Flowedew, J. & Miller, L. (1996). Student perceptions, problems and strategies in second language lecture comprehension. RELC Journal, 23(2), 60-80.
Flowedew, J. & Miller, L. (1995). On the notion of culture in L2 lectures. TESOL Quarterly, 29(2), 345-373.
Flowerdew, J. & Miller, L. (1992). Student perceptions, problems and strategies in second language lectures. RELC Journal, 23(2), 60-80.
Griffiths, R. (1990). Speech rate and NNS comprehension: A preliminary study in time benefit analysis. 40, 311-336.
Gilakjani, P. & Ahmadi, R. (2011). A Study of Factors Affecting EFL Learners' English Listening Comprehension and the Strategies for Improvement. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2(5), 977-988.
Hamouda, A. (2013). An inverstigation of listening comprehension problems encountered by Saudi students in the EL listening classroom. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 2(2), 113-155. Retrieved July 3, 2015, from http://www.hrmars.com/admin/pics/1882.pdf
Huang, J. & Finn, A. (2009). Academic listening tests for ESOL students: Availability, concerns, and solutions. International Journal of Applied Educational Studies, 6, 46-55.
Jeon, J. (2007). A study of listening comprehension of academic lectures within the construction-integration model. Unpublished dissertation, Graduate School of the Ohio State University.
Johnson, D. W.; Maruyama, G.; Johnson, R. T.; Nelson, D. & Skon, L. (1981). Effects of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic goal structures on achievement: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 89, 47-62.
Kaplan-Dolgoy, G. (1998). The effect of teaching second Language students a combination of meta-cognitive and cognitive strategies for reading and listening. MA Linguistics Dissertation, UNISA.
Kelly, P. (1991). Lexical ignorance: The main obstacle to listening comprehension with advanced foreign language learners. IRAL, 29(2), 135-149.
Khaldi, A. (2014). Researching learners’ difficulties and strategy use in lecture comprehension: The case of first-year EFL LMD students attending lectures of linguistics at Abo Bekr Belkaid University, Tlemcen. Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of Tlemcen, Faculty of Arts and Languages, Department of foreign languages.
Khuwaleih, A. (1999). The role of chunks, phrases and body language in understanding co-ordinated academic lessons. System, 27, 249-260.
King, A. (1991a). Effects of training in strategic questioning on children's problem solving performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 83(3), 307-317.
King, A. (1991b). Improving lecture comprehension: Effects of a metacognitive strategy. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 5, 331-346.
Martinez, M. E. (2006). What is metacognition? Phi Delta Kappan, 87(9), 696-699.
Mendelsohn, D. (2002). The lecture buddy project: An experiment in EAP listening comprehension. TESL Canada Journal, 20(1), 64-73.
Moradi, K. (2012). The impact of listening strategy instruction on academic lecture comprehension: A case of Iranian EFL learners. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 70, 406-416.
Morell, T. (2004). Interactive lecture discourse for university EFL students. English for Specific Purposes, 23, 325-338.
Olsen, L. A. & Huckin, T. N. (1990). Point-driven Understanding of Engineering Lecture Comprehension. English for Specific Purposes, 9, 33-47.
O’Malley, J. M. & Chamot, A. U. (1990). Learning strategies in second language acquisition. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Oxford, R. L. (1993). Research Update on Teaching L2 Listening. System, 21(2), 205-211.
Oxford, R. L. (2003). Towards a more systematic model of L2 learner autonomy. In D. Palfreyman & R. C. Smith (Eds.), Learner autonomy across cultures: Language education perspectives (pp. 75-91). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Reis, R. (2005). How to create memorable lectures. Stanford University Newsletter14(1). Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://cgi.stanford.edu/~dept-ctl/tomprof/posting.php?ID=790
Pan, G. & Chen, Y. (2014). Research on the Use of Metacognitive Strategies of Liberal Arts and Science English Majors. International Conference on Education, Language, Art and Intercultural Communication (ICELAIC 2014) © 2014. The authors - Published by Atlantis Press 26.
Rahimirad, M. & Moini, M. R. (2015). The challenges of listening to academic lectures for EAP learners and the impact of metacognition on academic lecture listening comprehension. SAGE Open, 5(2), 2158244015590609. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2158244015590609
Rost, M. (2005). L2 listening. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research on second language teaching and learning (pp. 503-528). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Selamat, S. & Sidhu, G. K. (2011). Student perceptions of meta-cognitive strategy use in lecture listening comprehension. Language Education in Asia, 2(2), 185-198.
Selamat S. & Sidhu G. K. (2012). Enhancing Listening Comprehension: The role of Metacognitive Strategy Instruction (MetSI). Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 90, 421 – 430.
Sparks, D. (2012, October 9). Studies link students’ boredom to stress. Retrieved May 23, 2015, from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/10/10/07boredom_ep.h32.html
St. Clair, K. L. (1999). A case against compulsory class attendance policies in higher education. Innovative Higher Education, 23, 171-180.
Strauss, P. (2002). The lecturer doesn’t have a rewind button − addressing listening difficulties of mainstream L2 students at a New Zealand university. Journal for Language Teaching, 36(1), 91-98.
Vandergrifft, L. (2004). Listening to learn or learning to listen? Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24, 3-25.
Wilson, D. (2004, January 22). Training the brain to listen: A practical strategy for student learning and classroom management. Retrieved August 13, 2015, from Edutopia. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/training-the-brain-to-listen-donna-wilson
Yousif, A. (2006). Listening comprehension difficulties as perceived by EFL students. King Saud University Journal of Languages and Translation, 19(1), 35-47.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
All papers licensed under Creative Commons 4.0 CC-BY.- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
