Listening Comprehension in the Second and Foreign Language Acquisition

Listening Comprehension in the Second and Foreign Language Acquisition

Substantial progress in the past 30 or so years in understanding of the listening process in second or foreign language learning has been made. The study of listening comprehension process focuses on the role of individual linguistic units as well as the role of the listener's expectations, the situation and context, background knowledge and the topic. It therefore includes both top down processing and bottom up processing. The bottom-up or selective listening of language processing involves the listener playing close attention to every detail of the language input. On the other hand, the top-down or the global listening involves the listener's ability to bring prior information to bear on the task of understanding the heard language. A successful listener is not simply someone who is good at skillful use of top-down strategies, but someone who also possesses and uses form-oriented L2 listening skills effectively for bottom-up processing. The strategy instruction shows learners the clues how to get at meaning when there are gaps in their competence making this difficult. Students at all levels can benefit from direct instruction in three different kind of listening exercises: top-down, bottom-up, and interactive. The research findings suggest a set of principles for conducting listening activities in the second and foreign language classroom: (1) Increase the amount of listening time in the second and foreign language class. (2) Use listening before other activities. (3) Include both global and selective listening. (4) Activate top-level skills. (5) Work toward automaticity in processing. (6) Develop conscious listening strategies. The most effective practice and test in listening will therefore be in a purposeful context: (1) students listen for instructions which must be carried out in some practical way; (2) students listen to subject matter which must be learned and which itself will be tested; (3) students listen as part of a global act of communication, as part of a conversational interchange, which can only continue when there is comprehension; (4) students take part in a continuing activity where successive groups of students can perform their part of the activity only if they comprehended the preceding segment.