Listening and How It Is Taught

Abstract

This chapter constructs the theoretical and conceptual framework for the project by examining past and current thinking from the literature on the topic of listening, mainly from an L2 perspective. It also examines previous research on listening strategies and instruction thereof and, in doing so, establishes a gap in the research that this project aimed to address. First, however, some background literature from L1 listening is explored, which provides a basis from which to consider similarities and differences between L1 and L2 listening. The discussion moves on to theories and models of listening, which are underpinned by the notions of top-down and bottom-up processing. Next, the history of L2 listening pedagogy is reviewed, revealing various limitations at the theoretical and practical levels. The concept of process-based LSI is then introduced, and its potential contribution to the current state of L2 listening pedagogy is evaluated.