The Relationship between Motivation Types and Metacognitive Listening Strategies: The Case of Adult EFL Students in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Research indicates that students across the globe consider listening to be the most challenging language skill to deal with. Liu and Huang (2011) investigating Chinese students learning English found that the reason behind their struggle is that they lack motivation. Few studies have investigated the relationship between students' motivation and their use of metacognitive listening strategies in the EFL classroom. However, no previous research has examined this relationship among Saudi EFL students. Therefore, the present study attempted to investigate the motivation types of male Saudi students (N = 80), their frequently used metacognitive listening strategies, and the relationship between these two areas. The participants completed two surveys that were designed to elicit their motivation toward learning English and the metacognitive listening strategies they use while listening. Results of this study indicated that the participants were integratively motivated, a new finding among Saudi EFL students, and that they mostly used problem-solving strategies while listening. Also, all motivation types correlated positively and significantly with all metacognitive listening strategies, suggesting a strong relationship between motivation and metacognitive listening strategies among Saudi EFL learners. The findings present a preliminary understanding of how Saudi students tackle listening in the classroom and suggest some instructional implications for Saudi teachers to teach metacognitive listening strategies to bolster students' motivation.