Purpose of the study and research questions
The primary purpose of the current research was to assess if listening strategies that have been utilized for a long time in different studies are correctly collated to measure the use of language be the English learners. The research questions comprised of the following;
- Whether the listening strategies utilized by the university students at the department at the department if English Language Teaching, Mersin University exhibit any differences with regards to proficiency levels.
- Which are the primary listening strategies utilized by Turkish EFL students.
- Whether listening strategies utilized by the university students at the department if English Language Teaching, Mersin University exhibit any differences with regards to proficiency sex.
Participant
The subjects utilized in this research study comprised of close to 294 students; 218 female and 76 male Turkish EFL students pursuing their studies at department if English Language Teaching, Mersin University at various study levels during the academic year 2010/2011. Apart from differences in levels of studies, the participants differed in ages whereby they comprised of students aged 18 to 27 years of age. The consent of the participants to partake in the study was sought from them whereby they were informed on the various issues regarding the research. There English proficiency levels were categorised as intermediate or advanced. Worth noting is the fact that most of the participant with advanced proficiency were seniors whereas those with intermediate proficiency levels comprised of freshmen, and junior cadre students.
Sampling method
Evidently, the study utilized purposive random sampling whereby the primary targeted subjects were Turkish EFL students enrolled for English studies at the department if English Language Teaching, Mersin University. The main reason why the study focused on this sample aligns with the fact that the study aimed at examining the compounding factors that influence the acquisition of English language by the Turkish EFL students.
Study design
Evidently, the current study utilized a descriptive research design and not an observational design. This is notable by the fact that various issues influencing the use of listening strategies are described based on the deductions made while interacting with the participants. Notably, the cause and effect relationships can be drawn from this study in that the factors that influence proficiency in English language amongst Turkish EFL students are clearly indicated. In fact, listening strategies is the substantive indicate or causative factor that influences or effects English proficiency amongst Turkish EFL students. It is also imperative to note that authors of this study portrayed the cause effect relationship in the findings and discussions within the text. In fact, the language utilized in describing the research outcomes shows a cause-effect relationship as it showcases the effects if listening strategies on English acquisition amongst the subjects.
Data collection tool
The method of date collection utilized in the current study is a developed inventory. Speaking of a developed inventory, this connotes to a systematically devised a form of questionnaire whereby participants are required to answer questions based on the choices indicated in the developed inventory. This method is certainly not preferable because the participant’s responses are skewed towards certain responses. As such, it does not accommodate the varying responses held by the participant, which might not be reflected in the developed inventory. As such, an alternative data collection would have been key informant interviews, whereby the participants would have been interviewed and allowed to offer their own response. This would certainly portray a true picture of the situation.
Internal validity
The threat of internal validity of this study aligns with the fact that the results obtained from the study cannot be replicated amongst non-Turkish students enrolled for English studies at Mersin University. To minimize this, study should have randomly selected participants as long as they are English learning students. This would have given a true picture on the influence of listening strategies English learning amongst English students at Mersin University.
External validity
On a similar note, the external validity of this study aligns with the fact that the finding from this study cannot be replicable at other English learning institutions because the study was skewed towards English learning students of Turkish descent at Mersin University.
Findings
In a nutshell, the findings from this study indicate that there is an increased preference for scanning, word oriented, and nonverbal strategies of learning amongst Turkish EFL students irrespective of sex and level of study. However, Turkish EFL students ta an advanced level sought to have a deeper understanding of these strategies when compared to intermediate students, who had a lesser regard for these strategies.
Alternative scenarios that would have affected the findings
An alternative scenario that would have affected the findings is the one whereby the female and male Turkish EFL students were taught differently with the use of different strategies. Certainly, each category would have offered a differing strategy that they deemed to be effective for their learning.
Conclusions
Work Cited
Tezi, Lisans. Listening Strategies Used by Turkish Students Learning English as a Foreign Language: The Development of “Listening Strategy Inventory.” Thesis, Mersin University, 2011.
