Explaining listening comprehension among L2 learners of English: The contribution of general language proficiency, vocabulary knowledge and metacognitive awareness

Abstract

Listening comprehension constitutes a major problem for second language learners but little is known about the relative contribution of different factors to listening comprehension. Since there are still only very few studies in this area by comparison with studies focusing on the relationship between reading and vocabulary, there is a need for studies which can fill the gap in our knowledge about the specific contribution of generic and discrete-point measures of language ability to explaining listening. In the present study among 151 non-English major students at a university in Northwest China we explore what proportion of the variance in listening comprehension is explained by general language proficiency, vocabulary size and metacognitive awareness. Our results show that vocabulary size is the strongest predictor, followed by general language proficiency, while metacognitive awareness is less important. We discuss implications for the componential structure of the notion language ability, theories of listening and pedagogical practice in L2 classrooms.

Relating Lexical and Syntactic Knowledge to Academic English Listening: The Importance of Construct Representation

“…Another issue raised in the literature review is construct confounding, which reduces the relevance of results from Oh (2016) and Wang and Treffers-Daller (2017) to the issue under consideration in this study. The relative importance of lexical and syntactic processes in L2 listening was not distinguished in Oh's (2016) results, while lexical knowledge was intertwined with general language proficiency in Wang and Treffers-Daller (2017). It is a pity that these studies do not provide further evidence for examining the theoretical relationship between lexical knowledge, syntactic knowledge, and L2 listening.…”

“…It is not uncommon for researchers to report different or even contradictory findings when they try to address the same issue in second language (L2) studies. A case in point is the relative importance of lexical and syntactic knowledge in L2 listening comprehension, where mixed findings have been reported, some alluding to the sole significance of lexical knowledge while downplaying or masking the role of syntactic knowledge (Mecartty, 2000;Staehr, 2009;Vandergrift and Baker, 2015;Cheng and Matthews, 2018;Matthews, 2018), others rendering the relative importance unclear (Oh, 2016;Wang and Treffers-Daller, 2017) or resorting to the more general construct of linguistic knowledge and avoiding the distinction between lexical and syntactic knowledge (Andringa et al, 2012).…”

Relationships of International Students’ L2 Vocabulary, Receptive Skills, and Strategy Use: A Pathway College Context

“…Skilled listeners and readers not only reply on language knowledge e.g., vocabulary, they also integrate contextual knowledge and general knowledge about the world into their understanding of speech or writing (Wang & Treffers-Daller, 2017). Learners focusing too much on decoding the incoming speech signal "deprive themselves of the opportunity to compensate for lack of linguistic knowledge through the use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies" (Stahr, 2009, p. 581).…”

“…However, the significance was not consistent among the groups e.g., in the metacognitive strategies, advanced learners and lower intermediate learners differed significantly from one another, but not from upper intermediate learners. Wang and Treffers-Daller (2017) studied, among 151 non-English major university students in China, what proportion of the variance in listening comprehension was explained by general language proficiency, vocabulary size and metacognitive awareness. The results showed that vocabulary size was the strongest predictor followed by general language proficiency and metacognitive awareness was less important.…”

Investigating the Relationship Between Vocabulary Knowledge and FL Speaking Performance

“…The commonsense view of vocabulary assessment is to address this knowledge in the four separate skills, i.e., reading and listening (receptive skills) and writing and speaking (productive skills) (Fitzpatrick & Clenton, 2017). Many L2 vocabulary researchers have highlighted the potential relationship between vocabulary knowledge and the ability to read, write and listen in the target language (e.g., Alharthi, 2018Alharthi, , 2019Laufer & Aviad-Levitzky, 2017;Staehr, 2009;Wang & Treffers-Daller, 2017). With the exception of De Jong, Steinel, Florijn, Schoonen, and Hulstijn (2012), Koizumi and In'nami (2013), Milton, Wade, and Hopkins (2010) and Uchihara and Clenton (2018), it is almost certain that no study has attempted to examine the association between vocabulary knowledge and ability to speak in a Saudi setting.…”