Is Listening All About One’s Own Effort? A Comparison Study

Sharing the same theoretical basis of extensive reading, extensive listening refers to learner exposure to a great deal of comprehensible spoken input. While the effectiveness of extensive reading has been widely acknowledged in many countries, empirical support of extensive listening is limited. This small-scale study adopted a mixed-method approach to compare the effects of teacher-guided listening instruction and extensive listening on EFL learners’ listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. Twenty-six EFL adult learners were divided into 2 groups. One group received teacher-guided listening instruction (n =14), whereas the other practiced extensive listening (n = 12). All participants were tested on listening comprehension and vocabulary knowledge before, immediately after, and 3 months after the training period; 4 of them were interviewed after the training. The quantitative findings suggested that both approaches are effective in enhancing EFL learners’ listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. The interview data revealed that teacher-guided listening instruction is helpful but needs to be complemented by extensive individual listening practice. Based on the results, a new pedagogical model, which blends teacherguided instruction and extensive listening practice, is proposed, and specific modifications tailored for ESL students are discussed.