Relationships between formal and informal input, listening motivation, and listening proficiency among young EFL learners in Hong Kong

Abstract

Increasing attention has recently been given to extramural exposure in foreign language (FL) learning. The study examined the relationships between input (extramural informal; instructional formal), listening motivation, and listening proficiency (test scores; self-rated scores) among 94 Grade-5 English-as-a-foreign-language learners in Hong Kong. Formal input was not found to be related to any of the variables investigated while informal input positively correlated with proficiency, but not motivation. Motivation was only found to be positively related to proficiency. Using hierarchical regression, informal exposure was found to significantly predict both test and self-rated listening scores. However, abundant informal (and also formal) target language input over a one-year period did not show a significant association with higher intrinsic motivation to listen to the language. Overall, these findings underscore the importance of capitalizing on extramural informal input for developing listening competence. Empirically and theoretically, the antecedents and effects of listening motivation warrant further investigation.