METACOGNITIVE LISTENING ACTIVITIES USE TO ENHANCE FIRST-YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT

Abstract

The action research project was conducted with the aim of exploring if the use of the metacognitive listening activities could improve non-English majored students’ listening comprehension and how students’ metacognitive knowledge about listening was affected. To collect data, the researchers used a questionnaire, pre-test, post-test and students’ journals. The questionnaire data showed a lack of students’ listening strategies, thus highlighting the need to conduct the action research project. In terms of the test score, students’ listening comprehension scores improved after the integration of the metacognitive listening activities. In addition, the data from students’ journals demonstrated a number of examples of broadened metacognitive knowledge about listening, which were reflected through three elements: (1) the awareness of the nature of listening (task knowledge), 2) greater motivation and better ability to work collaboratively (personal knowledge), and 3) the awareness of the importance of planning/prediction and making self-evaluation (strategy knowledge). A number of implications based on the main findings were then given to language instructors, materials developers, and others in the field of language learning and assessment.