Effects of the Type of Audio-visual Input and Listenability on Young L2 Learners' Listening Comprehension

Numerous studies have compared the effect of input mode (video-based vs. audio-only) on the listening comprehension of adult second language (L2) learners. However, there is a notable absence of research regarding how various types of audio-visual input in a listening test affect young learners' listening comprehension. To address this gap, this study examined the effects of audio-visual input type and text listenability on the listening comprehension performance of 50 English language learners (ELLs) in Grades 3–5 in the U.S. In this study, participants completed a computer-delivered English listening test comprising three test forms, each containing six passages. These passages included a combination of three video passages and three audio-only passages. The video passages were carefully designed to balance two key variables in a counter-balancing manner: the listenability of the text, assessed using Lexile Audio Measure, and the nature of visual elements, which encompassed speaker-only visuals, visual-only elements, and a combination of speaker-and-visuals. This study found that students performed equally well on both video-based and audio-only passages, and the type of visuals accompanying the content did not have a statistically significant impact on students' listening comprehension scores. However, the listenability of the text significantly influenced students' listening scores, especially in the context of audio-only passages. Furthermore, responses to a post-test questionnaire revealed that students had a positive perception of all three types of audio-visual input. This study contributes to our understanding of how audio-visual input types and text listenability affect the listening comprehension performance of Grades 3–5 ELLs.