Abstract:
The study attempted to investigate both students’ and teachers’ perceptions about the use of
these materials in the teaching/ learning of listening skills , and to shed light on the listening
strategies used by students to overcome those difficulties. In order to achieve these aims, the
researchers opted for a quantitative approach in data collection through a questionnaire
administered for students and another one submitted to teachers. The study sample consisted
of ninety (90) third year students at the same department and six (6) teachers of the oral
expression module. The study applied a descriptive method to figure out which listening
comprehension difficulties are encountered by English as a foreign language learners while
listening to authentic materials. The findings of the study revealed that students are
experiencing serious difficulties while listening to authentic materials what hinders their
overall listening comprehension. The major causes behind students’ listening difficulties were
found to be the fast rate of delivery, unfamiliar vocabulary, and the different accents of the
speakers of English among others. The research findings also confirmed that the difficulties in
listening to authentic materials crop up because students are not exposed to the target
language sufficiently, and also due to insufficient practice and limited learning strategies. As a
conclusion, the results showed that understanding the difficulties encountered by learners and
their sources will provide insights for teachers so to be aware of these difficulties and help
them develop effective listening strategies, minimize their listening problems in listening and
improve their listening comprehension. Based on the results of the study, some pedagogical
recommendations were suggested for further research.
