Exploring the Relationship between Top-Down and Bottom-Up Strategies in Listening

Abstract

One of the fundamental abilities that someone uses on a daily basis while interacting with another is listening. Despite being considered as a crucial component of language learning, listening comprehension is seldom given much attention. Therefore, this study was conducted based on three research questions; 1) How do learners perceive the use of bottom-up strategies in listening?, 2) How do learners perceive the use of top-down strategies in listening? and 3) Is there a relationship between bottom-up and top-down strategies in listening? This study adopted a quantitative research approach to answer the research questions. A purposive sampling was conducted with a total of 151 learners who enrolled for a diploma listening course from a local university. The findings of this study show that learners perceived bottom-up listening strategies to clarify words or phrases, show limited use of fluency-making tactics despite focusing on intonation and rhythm, and demonstrate positive attitudes toward word-oriented strategies that emphasise individual word recognition. Then, it was found that the importance of identifying the speaker's main point using scanning strategies, value comprehending the overall listening context for GIST, rely heavily on non-verbal strategies while listening, and focus primarily on understanding difficult words when using less-active-listener strategies. It was also found that there was a positive relationship between bottom-up and top-down listening strategies on learners' listening skills. Future research could be explored qualitatively on the effectiveness of combining top-down and bottom-up listening strategies in improving learners' listening skills.