Facilitating Listening Comprehension: Acquiring Successful Strategies

Abstract

Research into the effectiveness of cognitive and metacognitive strategies has indicated that focussing attention and activating learners’ memories is necessary before they are able to internalize linguistic input. It has become evident since initial studies in learner autonomy were conducted in the 1970’s that successful learners are cognitively engaged in and meta-cognitively aware of their role in the learning process, monitor their learning, demonstrate the capacity and willingness to manage their own learning, seek to create opportunities to learn, and avail themselves of resources and opportunities for feedback. This paper will examine the application of cognitive and metacognitive strategies to the process of second language listening and suggest ways that instructors can help their students increase their comprehension of spoken English.