Self-efficacy and academic listening
Highlights
► I explore the role of self-efficacy in second language listening comprehension. ► I discuss studies that have investigated ways of improving self-efficacy in listening. ► I draw out the implications of self-efficacy theory and measures to improve self-efficacy for academic listening.
Introduction
The argument that effective listening does not develop on its own but needs to be fostered explicitly is not a new one (see, for example, Mendelsohn, 1994), with recent contributions to the debate emphasising in particular the importance of listening strategy instruction in this process (Vandergrift & Tafaghodtari, 2010). An argument less frequently made, however, is that effective listening also depends on learners’ self-efficacy for listening, on their confidence in their ability to make sense of the input to which they are exposed. This paper considers the role of self-efficacy in listening in a variety of learning contexts and argues that its development is both central to effective listening and an integral part of listening strategy instruction. It then applies the concept to the particular case of the EAP learner.
Section snippets
Listening difficulty
While a high level of listening skills is widely acknowledged to be vital for success in a number of language learning contexts, including in EAP settings (Ferris & Tagg, 1996), such effective listening skills do not develop easily. Vandergrift (n.d.) comments that listening is a ‘complex, active process of interpretation’, far more than just ‘extracting meaning from incoming speech’. Furthermore, a range of studies (e.g. Arnold, 2000, Goh, 2000, Hasan, 2000) indicate that across instructional
Self-efficacy
The student quotation just given reflects a low sense of self-efficacy for listening, a lack of belief in the ability to succeed or improve. Self-efficacy (Bandura, 1993) is an important ‘subtheory’ (Dörnyei & Ottó, 1998, p.44) within an expectancy-value framework of motivation (as outlined in the work of Eccles and co-authors, e.g. Wigfield & Eccles, 2000). The concept relates to individuals’ belief in their capacity to achieve specific tasks, which is held to have a strong influence on levels
The role of classroom methodology
It is possible that low levels of self-efficacy for listening are exacerbated by the way in which listening is taught. Indeed, it has been noted by a number of commentators (Chambers, 2007, Field, 2008, Graham, 2006, Graham et al., in press) that in many language classrooms, listening takes the form of an activity to be ‘delivered’ rather than a skill to develop in its own right. Teachers interviewed in two studies conducted in UK secondary school contexts (reported in Graham, Santos &
Boosting self-efficacy
We thus have a rather negative picture of listening comprehension and self-efficacy. It is important to note, however, that several studies have indicated that self-efficacy for listening, as well as listening performance, is amenable to development, through the explicit teaching of listening strategies, within a model of strategy instruction which has a strong emphasis on scaffolding of learning and learner reflection. Such strategy instruction aims at increasing learners’ sense of control and
Concluding discussion and implications for EAP pedagogy
Research into the role of self-efficacy in listening thus seems to underline its importance in terms of listening performance. Within an EAP context, self-efficacy would seem to have particular relevance. Nothing can fully prepare a second-language student for the experience of listening to a full-length lecture or participating in a rapid exchange of views in a seminar. However, it is important to ensure that these experiences do not give rise to the kind of listening anxiety that forces the
Suzanne Graham is Professor of Language and Education at the University of Reading, Institute of Education. Her research interests include language learner strategies, second language listening comprehension and motivation for language learning.
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Suzanne Graham is Professor of Language and Education at the University of Reading, Institute of Education. Her research interests include language learner strategies, second language listening comprehension and motivation for language learning.