Effects of listening strategy instruction on news videotext comprehension

Developments in broadcast and multimedia technology have generated a readily available and vast supply of videotexts for use in second and foreign language learning contexts. However, without pedagogical direction learners are unlikely to be able to deal with the complexities of this authentic listening resource, and strategy instruction may be one route to augmenting comprehension. This quasi-experimental, classroom-based study investigated the impact of listening strategy instruction on advanced-level, adult, Japanese, EFL (English as a foreign language) learners' comprehension of BBC news videotexts. An experimental group received 12 hours of listening strategy instruction consisting of the presentation, practice, and review of listening strategies, while a comparison group did not receive any explicit strategy instruction. Results indicated a significant improvement for the experimental group, although a significant effect in favour of the experimental group with respect to the comparison group was not evident as the comparison group also made significant gains. Possible reasons for findings are outlined and recommendations for future research presented.

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