Metacognitive awareness in English listening: A study of Taiwanese non-English majors

Abstract

This paper reports on the findings of an investigation into the metacognitive awareness held by 213 non-English majors aged 16-18 years regarding listening comprehension in English and the difficulties they perceive and the strategies they use. The data in this study was obtained through questionnaires (MALQ, Vandergrift et al, 2006) and follow-up interviews conducted with students. The results of the study indicate that three metacognitive awarenesses, namely ”problem-solving”, ”directed attention”, and ”person knowledge”, are positive factors affecting EFL listening while ”mental translation” is negative. The findings of the study also show that EFL learners experience a range of listening problems. Students identified a number of factors that contribute to difficulties in listening comprehension: listening text issues, the speaker, matter of motivation and interest, presentation of the spoken text, and factors relating to student themselves. Furthermore, most learners attributed their difficulties in listening to their own supposed low ability in the skill and to the difficulty of the texts set, with little awareness shown regarding the role played by ineffective listening strategies or skill application. To overcome them, various techniques which help learners to utilize effective strategies to confront problems of listening comprehension are discussed and the pedagogic implications are stated.