EFFECT OF PRE-LİSTENING RELAXATION AND SELF-AFFIRMATION EXERCISES ON L2 LISTENING COMPREHENSION TEST PERFORMANCE

Abstract

This true-experimental design research study investigated the effect of prelistening relaxation and self-affirmation exercises on the listening comprehension test scores of 70 learners of English in the English Language Teaching department of a state university in Turkey. Participants in the experimental group completed relaxation and self-affirmation exercises before six listening comprehension practice tests while those in the control group took the same tests without exposure to such exercises. The t-test results did not reveal any significant difference, indicating that pre-listening exercises had no significant effect on listening comprehension test performance. Anxiety levels were tested through the Test Influence Inventory (TII). Pre TII results did not show any relationship between participants’ self-perceived test anxiety levels and listening comprehension test scores and groups did not differ significantly in terms of anxiety levels, although there was a significant gender difference. However, post TII results using an independent samples t-test revealed a significant difference, indicating that the pre-listening relaxation and self-affirmation exercises had a positive effect on the reported test anxiety levels of learners in the experimental group. ANOVA analysis revealed a significant main effect on the anxiety levels of the time that TII was administered, that is when it was given before versus after the experiment, as well as significant effects between time and gender, time and group, and time, gender and group. Tests of between-subject effects also revealed a significant main effect of group on TII scores.