A Study of EFL Listening Difficulties and Strategies of Taiwanese College Freshmen

• Main Authors: Wang-Jung Tsai, 蔡宛蓉
• Other Authors: Ching-Ying Lin
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/19870311718575482065

碩士 === 國立屏東商業技術學院 === 應用英語系(所) === 100 === The purpose of this study was to compare different majors and educational systems of perceived use of listening strategies and encountered listening difficulties of EFL college freshmen in Taiwan. Finally, the pedagogic implications arising from this study are also discussed. There were 189 freshmen from two southern colleges in Taiwan participating in this study, comprised 87 English majors and 102 non-English majors. Among these subjects 29 freshmen who graduated from regular high schools, and 160 students from vocational high schools. All of the participants were required to take a GEPT intermediate listening comprehension test, and were asked to fill out a questionnaire. The results showed that English majors applied more listening strategies during the whole listening process than non-English majors, and that students graduated from regular high schools used more listening strategies than the vocational high schools group did. English majors had less listening difficulties than those from non-English majors did. Furthermore, regular high school group had less listening difficulties than the vocational high school group did. In addition, there was a positive relationship between listening strategies and listening comprehension, and a negative connection between listening comprehension and listening difficulties. It is strongly suggested that teachers need to understand the direction taken by the different majors in their use of listening strategies and the listening difficulties they encountered in order to support the learners and improve their method of instruction.