Libyan EFL Students’ Listening Comprehension Problems in Listening to Connected Speech
Author: Najma Moftah Momen Omar
Abstract: Listening skill is one of the challenging skills in a foreign language learning context where exposure to native connected speech is restricted. EFL learners encounter various listening comprehension issues which affect their mastering of the targeted language. Therefore, this study investigates the listening comprehension issues in listening to connected speech among a group of Libyan EFL learners. It examined the learners’ perception on the problems they encounter during listening to connected speech, with the goal of improving their perceptual and listening comprehension skills in the future. Data was collected from a total of 62 Libyan intermediate level learners using a Listening Comprehension Processing Problems Questionnaire. The difficulty levels experienced by the participants while listening to connected discourse ranged from moderate to high. These challenges occurred in all the three categories of listening comprehension; utilisation, perception, and parsing. Additionally, a strong positive and significant correlation was detected between the three categories of listening processing problems. The study also has pedagogical implications. These findings could be used by teachers, researchers, syllabus designers, and material developers to address the challenges associated with listening comprehension among EFL learners, and how including connected speech in the learning and teaching materials became an excessive necessity. Keywords: EFL language teaching, EFL language learning, Connected speech, Listening comprehension problems, Listening skills Download PDF |
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Academic Journal of Research and Scientific Publishing