Perception of Listening Comprehension Needs: Difference Among ESL Students, Their Friends, and Their Teachers

This study attempted to find out what kinds of listening activities ESL students perceive that they need and what kind of listening exercises they consider useful. In addition this study attempted to determine what kind of listening activities native speakers (roommates/friends and teachers) think ESL students need and what kind of listening exercises these friends and teachers think are important to the learners. Finally the answers of the three groups were compared to determine if there were any significant differences in perceptions concerning the important needs and useful activities for ESL listening comprehension. Questionnaires were administered to ESL students, their friends/roommates, and their teachers. The results showed that ESL students’ favorite listening activities were everyday conversations followed by entertainment programs on the radio and TV. In listening exercises students rated as most helpful minimal pairs at the word level, dictation at the sentence level and commercials/news on the passage/dialog level. There was no significant difference found between the teachers’ and students’ perceptions with regard to listening needs. However, the groups had different opinions about certain listening exercises. Friends/roommates perceived listening skills differently than the teachers did.

Thesis Author: Tsuda, Nobuo

Year Completed: 1987

Thesis Chair: Cheryl Brown