An Investigation of English as a Foreign Language Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties while Using Authentic Materials

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.