Exploring Listening Strategies Employed by EFL Learners in Question and Response Tasks

Abstract

This study aimed to explore listening strategies EFL learners use when completing mock TOEIC listening tests; investigate listening strategies that lead to success in answering the test questions; and find out how differently high-, intermediate-, and low-proficiency learners use listening strategies in four different task types. A total of 23 participants were selected for stimulated recall protocol interviews. Verbal reports from each participant were coded using taxonomy, and each strategy participants used was grouped according to listening task type. The results from the stimulated recall protocol interviews revealed that participants employed identification of words and chunks, hypothesis formation, monitoring against the question, and matching lexis heard to lexis in the question strategies to help them arrive at the answers in the question and response part. Learners with the three levels of proficiency employed similar strategies in their listening test. However, the frequency and quality of the strategies used to help them arrive at their answers were completely different. Learners whose linguistic knowledge was limited struggled to apply listening strategies to solve listening problems, whereas learners whose linguistic knowledge was automatic were able to comprehend the listening passage and apply appropriate strategies synchronously to solve listening problems.