Abstract
Though listening skills are important to language acquisition (Nord, 1981; Rost, 2002; Vandergrift, 2007), issues related to EFL listening fluency have not yet been adequately explored. This study investigates how EFL tertiary learners develop their listening fluency. The chapter begins by describing current models of language processing and how those inform research into issues of listening comprehension, then moves on to address current research into listening fluency and its shortcomings, which this study intends to address. This is followed by a description of the research methods used for this study. Finally, implications for pedagogy and future research will be addressed.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Anderson, J. R. (1995). Cognitive Psychology and its Implication (4th edn). New York: Freeman.
Bacon, S. M. (1989). Listening for real in the foreign-language classroom. Foreign Language Annals, 22, 543–551.
Berne, J. E. (1995). How does varying pre-listening activities affect second language listening comprehension? Hispania, 78, 316–329.
Brumfit, C. (1985). ‘Accuracy and fluency’: A fundamental distinction for communicative teaching methodology. In C. Brumfit (Ed.), Language and Literature Teaching: From Practice to Principle (pp. 3–32). Oxford: Pergamon.
Chang, A. C. S. (2007). The impact of vocabulary preparation on L2 listening comprehension, confidence, and strategy use. System, 35, 534–550.
Chang, A. C. S. & Read, J. (2006). The effects of listening support on the listening performance of EFL learners. TESOL Quarterly, 40, 375–397.
Chen, H. M. & Cheng, S. H. (2007). An investigation on the listening difficulties of technical college students in Taiwan. Journal of China Institute of Technology, 36, 335–361.
Chen, S. & Tsai, Y. (2012). Research on English teaching and learning: Taiwan (2004–2009). Language Teaching, 45, 180–201.
Chen, Y. (2005). Barriers to acquiring listening strategies for EFL learners and their pedagogical implications. The Electronic Journal for Teaching English as a Second Language, 8, 38–57.
Chiang, C. S. & Dunkel, P. A. (1992). The effect of speech modification, prior knowledge, and listening proficiency on EFL lecture learning. TESOL Quarterly, 26, 345–374.
Clark, L. H. & Starr, I. S. (1986). Secondary and Middle School Teaching Methods. New York: Macmillan.
Dunkel, P. A. (1986). Developing listening fluency in L2: Theoretical principles and pedagogical considerations. Modern Language Journal, 70, 99–106.
Elkhafaifi, H. (2005). The effect of prelistening activities on listening comprehension in Arabic learners. Foreign Language Annals, 38, 505–513.
Field, J. (2001). Finding one’s way in the fog: Listening strategies and second-language learners. Modern English Teacher, 9, 29–34.
Field, J. (2004). An insight into listeners’ problems: Too much bottom-up or too much top-down. System, 32, 363–377.
GEPT. (2013). General English Proficiency Test. Retrieved October 20, 2013, from: http://www.lttc.ntu.edu.tw/E_LTTC/E_GEPT/intermediate.htm.
Goh, C. C. M. (2000). A cognitive perspective on language learners’ listening comprehension problems. System, 28, 55–75.
Graham, S. & Macaro, E. (2008). Strategy instruction in listening for lower-intermediate learners of French. Language Learning, 58, 747–783.
Helgesen, M. & Brown, S. (2007). Practical English Language Teaching: Listening. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. New York: Pergamon Press.
LaBerge, D. & Samuels, S. D. (1974). Toward a theory of automatic information processing in reading. Cognitive Psychology, 6, 293–323.
Lapp, D. & Flood, J. (2002). Comprehension Plus (Level B). Parsippany, NJ: Modern Curriculum Press.
Liskin-Gasparro, J. E. & Vequez, R. A. (1990). Teaching listening comprehension through video in first-year college Spanish. IALL Journal of Language Learning Technologies, 23, 37–49.
Littlewood, W. (1996). ‘Autonomy’: An anatomy and a framework. System, 24, 427–435.
Nation, I. S. P. & Newton, J. (2008). Teaching ESL/EFL Listening and Speaking. Newcastle, UK: Routledge.
Nord, J. R. (1981). Three steps to listening fluency: A beginning. In H. Winitz (Ed.), The Comprehension Approach to Foreign Language Instruction (pp. 69–100). Rowley, MA: Newbury House.
Pan, Y. (2008). Test review: GEPT: General English Proficiency Test. Language Testing, 25, 403–408.
Rost, M. (2002). Teaching and Researching Listening. London: Longman.
Roundy, A. R. & Roundy, P. T. (2009). The effect of repeated reading on student fluency: Does practice always make perfect? International Journal of Social Sciences, 4, 54–59.
Segalowitz, N. (2003). Automaticity and second language. In C. J. Doughty & M. H. Long (Eds), The Handbook of Second Language Acquisition (pp. 382–408). Oxford: Blackwell.
Segalowitz, N. (2010). Cognitive Bases of Second Language Fluency. Newcastle, UK: Routledge.
Sherman, J. (1997). The effect of question preview in listening comprehension tests. Language Testing, 14, 185–213.
Shih, C. (2008). The General English Proficiency Test. Language Assessment Quarterly, 5, 63–76.
Siegel, S. & Castellan, N. J. (1989). Nonparametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Underwood, M. (1989). Teaching Listening. London: Longman.
Vandergrift, L. (2004). Listening to learn or learning to listen? Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24, 3–25.
Vandergrift, L. (2007). Recent developments in second and foreign language listening comprehension research. Language Teaching, 40, 191–210.
Vogely, A. J. (1998). Listening comprehension anxiety: Students’ reported sources and solutions. Foreign Language Annals, 31, 67–80.
Wagner, E. (2007). Are they watching? Test-taker viewing behavior during an L2 video listening test. Language Learning & Technology, 11, 67–86.
Weir, C. J. & Wu, J. (2006). Establishing test form and individual task comparability: A case study of a semi-direct speaking test. Language Testing, 23, 167–197.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2014 Ya-Chin Tsai
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Tsai, YC. (2014). Does Autonomous Listening Increase Fluency?. In: Muller, T., Adamson, J., Brown, P.S., Herder, S. (eds) Exploring EFL Fluency in Asia. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137449405_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137449405_19
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-49676-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-44940-5
eBook Packages: Palgrave Language & Linguistics CollectionEducation (R0)