Abstract

Listening is an essential skill for English as a Foreign Language learners studying in English-speaking universities to succeed in various fields of study. To comprehend subject material and improve listening effectiveness, learners are generally advised to develop strategies which help them process the target language in specific contexts. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate what strategies were adopted to listen to general and subject-specific English material. Furthermore, the study examined the process of listening comprehension in relation to the effectiveness of strategy use. The study was carried out with 92 Taiwanese final-year university students taking EAP courses. Questionnaires, listening comprehension questions, and retrospective interviews were used. The results showed that strategy use varied markedly between the two types of listening materials. The effectiveness of certain strategy adoption was influenced by topical familiarity and personal experience.

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