Metacognition defined as the knowledge and ability to monitor and control cognitive conditions in the learning process. Listening is the most important skill of the four language skills in both learning and teaching and plays an important role in our daily life. Although nowadays there is a deeper perception of listening, it needs more attention and research. The present study investigates the relationship between the Metacognitive awareness and listening performance of English as foreign language learners. The participants were 50 Iranian male students of English language institutes. They completed Metacognitive Awareness Listing Questionnaire (MALQ) and listening section of the final exam. First the listening section were of the final exam was applied to the participants at classrooms by the teacher. Immediately after the administration of the examination, the MALQ were conducted. The analysis exposed a weak positive relationship between learners` Metacognitive awareness scores and listening performance. Although correlation was not high, still there is more correlation in problem solving, directed attention and planning evaluation than others.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Significance of the Study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
2. Methodology
2.1 Setting
2.2 Participants
2.3 Data Collection Instruments
2.3.1 The Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ)
2.3.2 Listening Section of the final exam
2.4 Data Collection Procedures
2.5 Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1 Quantitative data results:
4. Discussion
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives & Core Themes
This study aims to explore the relationship between the metacognitive awareness of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners and their performance in listening comprehension, specifically identifying how various metacognitive strategies influence listening proficiency.
- Metacognitive awareness and its role in language learning
- Listening comprehension as a primary academic skill
- Application of the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ)
- The impact of strategy training on EFL listening performance
- Quantitative analysis of correlations between cognitive monitoring and listening success
Excerpt from the Book
Introduction
Learning languages is the process of dealing with 4 skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing and in order learns to all skills perfectly we should use proper learning/teaching strategies. Among these four skills, Listening is the skill of understanding spoken language and it is an important skill; perform as a reflection of other life activities (Lindsay & Knight, 2006). In another view according to Bueno (2006), listening is a psychological phenomenon, happens in people minds. It acts as a social phenomenon in order to scaffolding the elements. Listening is an essential skill which develops faster than speaking and often affects the development of reading and writing abilities in learning a new language (TafarojiYeganeh, 2013).
Listening is one of the core skills in our daily life and we spend about 45% of our communication in listening (Adler & Rosenfeld, 2001). Listening is our first exposure to language (Palmer, 1921). Therefore, teaching and learning the skills of listening can help us to make a big progress. Listening is the most important, irreplaceable factor in starting SLL (Rost & Candlin, 2014) but in some cases regardless of this fact, listening is not considered as a primary or superior skill in some language learning centers (Valizadeh & Alavinia, 2013) or could not totally understand by learners. According to Abu-Rabia and Lanir, (2010), some students are not good at listening because of three barriers: weak of attention control, limitation of working memory, and poor verbal/ sequential memory.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides the theoretical background of language learning skills and establishes the importance of listening comprehension in EFL contexts.
Methodology: Details the research design, participant demographics (50 Iranian male students), and the instruments used, specifically the MALQ and a listening proficiency test.
Results: Presents the statistical data gathered from the study, demonstrating a positive correlation between metacognitive strategy use and listening performance.
Discussion: Interprets the findings by linking them to existing literature on metacognitive instruction and identifies pedagogical implications for curriculum design.
Conclusion: Summarizes the study’s core findings and suggests that embedding strategy training into listening courses significantly benefits EFL learners.
Keywords
Metacognition, Awareness, Listening, Males, EFL learners, Language Strategies, Listening Comprehension, Cognitive Monitoring, Problem-Solving, Self-Efficacy, Pedagogy, Second Language Acquisition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The work focuses on the intersection of metacognitive awareness and listening comprehension among male Iranian EFL learners, seeking to determine how awareness of internal mental processes impacts language proficiency.
What are the main thematic areas covered?
The study covers metacognitive theory, listening as a complex language skill, the application of MALQ to assess students, and the role of teachers in promoting effective strategy usage.
What is the main research question?
The primary research question asks whether there is a significant relationship between metacognitive awareness and the listening performance of Iranian male EFL learners.
Which methodology was employed in this study?
The researcher used a quantitative approach, utilizing the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ) and a specific listening exam section to perform a Pearson product-moment correlation analysis.
What does the main body of the work address?
The main body examines the statistical correlation between five specific metacognitive subscales—planning/evaluation, problem-solving, mental translation, directed attention, and person knowledge—and students' listening scores.
Which keywords define this work?
The work is defined by terms such as Metacognition, Listening performance, EFL learners, Strategy awareness, and Self-regulation.
How do "problem-solving" strategies specifically impact learners?
Problem-solving strategies allow learners to infer the meanings of unknown words or phrases using context and prior knowledge, which is essential for maintaining comprehension during difficult listening tasks.
What is the significance of the "mental translation" subscale?
The study notes that mental translation is often used by lower-proficiency learners, and while effective to a degree, the author suggests that advanced learners should avoid relying on it to improve their listening fluency.
What recommendations does the author make for teachers?
The author recommends that instructors explicitly teach what metacognition is, integrate collaborative activities like peer reflection, and use checklists to help students plan and evaluate their listening performance.
- Citation du texte
- Ismail Baniadam (Auteur), 2018, EFL Learners’ Metacognitive Awareness in Listening Performance, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/437710
