Learner strategies when listening to teacher talk in EMI settings

Thesis

As English Medium Instruction (EMI) is becoming widespread in both secondary and higher educational settings, listening to the teacher speaking in English becomes an everyday task for many students who are taught mainstream curriculum subjects in their second language (L2). The strategies students use during such a listening task are of importance for teaching practitioners aiming to enhance learners’ comprehension of academic content in English. This mixed-methods study looks at L2 strategies used by EMI upper-secondary students (N = 20) of B2-C2 Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) proficiency levels when listening to teacher talk. It explores which strategies learners use when they begin EMI, whether their strategies differ according to listening abilities, and whether strategies develop or change over a six-month period of EMI exposure. The data have been collected from a questionnaire, a lesson observation, and follow-up interviews at two time points. The findings show a wide variety of strategies and two most common strategy combinations deployed by the participants. No statistically significant correlation between strategy use and listening abilities has been found; however, differences in approaches to note-taking and summarisation/appropriation between participants with lower and higher listening abilities have been detected. Some development in strategy use over time has been recorded. The implications for teaching strategies are discussed.

Authors: Krivich, E

• Type of award: MSc
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: L2 listening strategies; listening strategies; listening abilities; learner strategies; self-regulation; EMI
• Subjects: English-medium instruction; Second language acquisition