Listening Strategies of L2 Learners With Varied Test Tasks

Abstract

This article investigates the strategies that EFL students used and how they adjusted these strategies in response to various listening test tasks. The test tasks involved four forms of listening support: previewing questions, repeated input, background information preparation, and vocabulary instruction. Twenty-two participants were enlisted and interviewed from a sample of 160 business major students based on their listening anxiety levels. Overall results showed that various listening tasks influenced test takers’ listening strategies by varying degrees, with previewing test questions tending to have a greater effect on strategy use than other types of support. This study also found that both anxious and non-anxious students knew how to use the available information before taking a test; however, while doing the task, many students lacked competence to employ the strategies they intended to use. Finally, the article discusses some subtle problems reported by the interviewees and also provides cope for future research.