Impacts of the Test of English Listening Comprehension on students' English learning expectations in Taiwan

Abstract

In Taiwan, English language learning in senior high school has predominantly focused on reading, with a heavy emphasis on memorising vocabulary and grammar rules. English listening has been marginalised and is not officially taught until the first year of university. In 2012, the Joint Board of College Recruitment Commission in Taiwan passed legislation that made the new Test of English Listening Comprehension (TELC) a requirement for university application and a part of the College Entrance Examination for senior high school students. The implementation of this new English listening test policy is likely to have unpredictable impacts on its major stakeholders, particularly the students. The present study explored the extent to which the TELC affected Taiwanese senior high school students’ language learning and their expectations about the teaching of listening in English classes. The findings revealed that the TELC had a general influence on the participants overall and that certain components of the TELC resulted in more significant differences in students’ perceived English listening proficiency than did their subject specialisation. These results suggest that the introduction of this new listening test might serve as leverage for change in the English language teaching in Taiwanese secondary schools in the future.