Correlations between Listening Comprehension Problems Encountered By English Majors and Their Coping Strategies

Abstract

Listening is considered one of the most significant macro skills in the process of language acquisition. In EFL classrooms, however, this skill is likely to be underemphasized, which may cause EFL learners confusion and difficulties in comprehending what people intend to express. The difference between effective listeners and ineffective listeners has been showed clearly through the employment of the learning strategies. Learners with higher level of proficiency in listening were the ones who have employed more various strategies than those who have not used the strategies very often. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the correlations between the listening problems and strategy usage among English majors at the Saigon International University. The quantitative study was conducted with the participation of 115 undergraduate students majoring in English. The quantitative data collected from the questionnaire were processed by SPSS (19.0). The study found out some positive and significant correlations between the listening problems and strategies. It is recommended that more studies on correlations between listening problems and solutions. Last but not least, the similarities and differences in perception of listening difficulties and solutions should be conducted in which different instruments should be employed for data collection.