A study on test-taking strategies for listening tests by English majors

Tóm tắt

Abstract: This study was conducted to explore the awareness of English majors from a university regarding their employment of test-taking strategies during listening tests and to identify their most frequently used test-taking strategies. Two hundred forty-two English majors participated in the study. The data were gathered through two main instruments: questionnaire and interview. The study's findings indicate that the majority of participants had a favorable attitude toward using test-taking strategies in four areas: test performance, listening comprehension, degree of concentration, and anxiety. It was also found that employing test-taking strategies had the most significant impact on students’ test performance among the four factors considered. Besides, metacognitive strategies were reported to be the most frequently used among the six groups of strategies that adhered to Oxford's (1996) taxonomy. However, students held an inconsistent view regarding the use of L1 during listening tests. Based on the findings of this study, some implications concerning test-taking strategies use were suggested for students taking listening tests.