A Study of Spanish Students' Metacognitive Awareness in Listening Comprehension [PowerPoint presentation]

Abstract

This study reports on an investigation into the progress of listening comprehension of a group of Level 3 Spanish language undergraduate students at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. The passion for Spanish language that most undergraduate students possess comes from their Spanish heritage, from their links to a Spanish-speaking country, or from their desire to learn a second language (L2). Participants (N=35) were taught by the same teacher and listened to the same listening texts the same number of times. Listening strategy instruction to guide students' attention on their listening process was provided. Development of metacognition (planning, monitoring, evaluation, and problem solving) was tracked using an adapted version of the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ) designed by Vandergrift et al (2006). During the period of this study, students took five listening comprehension tests; after every test they completed an MALQ and responded to a self-assessment/reflection sheet. The entire group showed improvement in listening comprehension. The paper discusses the complex interplay and relationship of students' metacognition, progress in listening comprehension, and the impact of listening strategy instruction. The article concludes by suggesting the incorporation of metacognitive instruction in the L2 classroom practice as a way of raising student awareness of the L2 listening process, and of leading students to develop control over their own learning process