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Chinese ESL learners' metacognitive awareness and strategy use in L2 listening
Author
Wang, Xiaoyan
Supervisor
Hu, Guangwei
Abstract
This is a primary study designed to probe Chinese ESL learners’ metacognitive awareness and on-line use of listening strategies in L2 listening. It focuses on a) the relationship between Chinese ESL learners’ metacognitive awareness and language proficiency and b) the differences in the use of listening strategies between successful listeners and weak listeners. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies have been adopted for the fulfillment of the research purposes.
The instruments for quantitative data collection include a standardized listening proficiency test and the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ). Qualitative data were collected from six listeners by means of think-aloud interviews. Independent-samples t-test was used to analyze differences between high- and low-proficiency listeners’ MALQ scores to provide statistical evidence of the relationships between metacognitive awareness and listening proficiency. A strategy taxonomy was developed on the basis of previous research to code the six participants’ use of strategies and the coded strategies were analyzed qualitatively.
Both quantitative and qualitative analyses have converged on the following findings concerning the Chinese ESL learners’ use of listening strategies. First, the Chinese ESL learners’ use of metacognitive strategies was closely related to their language proficiency. Higher-proficiency listeners reported using more metacognitive strategies or using the same strategies more frequently than did their low-proficient counterparts for most of the subscales of the MALQ and the overall scale. The differences were pronounced especially in the MALQ sub-scales of Directed Attention, Person Knowledge and Problem Solving.
Second, qualitative analyses of this study show that proficient listeners differed greatly from weak listeners in the specific use of various listening strategies. The analyses show that although both proficient and weak listeners used a wide range of listening strategies, successful listeners demonstrated a flexible and integrated use of both metacognitive and cognitive strategies, showing a dynamic interaction of both top-down and bottom-up processing, and their patterns of strategy use were evident of skillful orchestration of specific strategies. The analyses also reveal that the proficient listeners were more metacognitively aware of their deployment of various strategies and that their strategies helped them interact with the text at a deep discourse level. By contrast, the weak listeners were characterized by inflexible and rigid use of listening strategies, depending heavily on bottom-up processing strategies. They showed little metacognitive awareness in their use of all strategies, and their use of strategies was detached and not accompanied by any strategic follow-ups, showing a surface-level interaction with the text.
Thirdly, the study has yielded a number of findings not given much attention in the literature: two new strategies— critical responding and logic elaboration, different use of socio-affective strategies by successful and weak listeners, and individual learning approaches of successful listeners on evidence in the personal preference in strategy choice and combination.
The findings of this study contribute to our growing understanding of L2 listening comprehension and development of effective L2 listening pedagogy.
The instruments for quantitative data collection include a standardized listening proficiency test and the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ). Qualitative data were collected from six listeners by means of think-aloud interviews. Independent-samples t-test was used to analyze differences between high- and low-proficiency listeners’ MALQ scores to provide statistical evidence of the relationships between metacognitive awareness and listening proficiency. A strategy taxonomy was developed on the basis of previous research to code the six participants’ use of strategies and the coded strategies were analyzed qualitatively.
Both quantitative and qualitative analyses have converged on the following findings concerning the Chinese ESL learners’ use of listening strategies. First, the Chinese ESL learners’ use of metacognitive strategies was closely related to their language proficiency. Higher-proficiency listeners reported using more metacognitive strategies or using the same strategies more frequently than did their low-proficient counterparts for most of the subscales of the MALQ and the overall scale. The differences were pronounced especially in the MALQ sub-scales of Directed Attention, Person Knowledge and Problem Solving.
Second, qualitative analyses of this study show that proficient listeners differed greatly from weak listeners in the specific use of various listening strategies. The analyses show that although both proficient and weak listeners used a wide range of listening strategies, successful listeners demonstrated a flexible and integrated use of both metacognitive and cognitive strategies, showing a dynamic interaction of both top-down and bottom-up processing, and their patterns of strategy use were evident of skillful orchestration of specific strategies. The analyses also reveal that the proficient listeners were more metacognitively aware of their deployment of various strategies and that their strategies helped them interact with the text at a deep discourse level. By contrast, the weak listeners were characterized by inflexible and rigid use of listening strategies, depending heavily on bottom-up processing strategies. They showed little metacognitive awareness in their use of all strategies, and their use of strategies was detached and not accompanied by any strategic follow-ups, showing a surface-level interaction with the text.
Thirdly, the study has yielded a number of findings not given much attention in the literature: two new strategies— critical responding and logic elaboration, different use of socio-affective strategies by successful and weak listeners, and individual learning approaches of successful listeners on evidence in the personal preference in strategy choice and combination.
The findings of this study contribute to our growing understanding of L2 listening comprehension and development of effective L2 listening pedagogy.
Date Issued
2008
Call Number
PE1128 Wan
Date Submitted
2008