Self-regulated pedagogical guidance for out-of-class listening practice: an empirical study of Japanese EFL learners

ABSTRACT

Purpose

This study proposed a metacognition-inclusive self-regulated learning (SRL) approach to out-of-class listening practice and explored its impact on learners’ listening performance and their reported use of self-regulatory listening strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants comprised 45 students learning English at a university in Japan. They were drawn from two intact classes and assigned to intervention (IG) and comparison (CG) groups. They engaged in out-of-class listening practice for eight weeks. Only the IG received instruction to employ strategies that focused on metacognitive dimension of self-regulatory listening processes. Listening performance was measured using listening tests before and after the intervention. Strategy use was assessed via a questionnaire at the beginning of the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and nine weeks after the intervention.

Findings

Both groups made significant gains in the listening tests, and the advantage of the IG over the CG on the listening tests was not significant. However, the IG, but not the CG, demonstrated significant changes in the reported use of strategies over time. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the intervention seemed to depend on learners’ proficiency levels. The results suggest that learners, particularly those with higher proficiency, may engage in more metacognitive SRL processes in an independent listening context through a pedagogical intervention.

Originality/value

This study demonstrated the efficacy of the newly introduced SRL approach to listening pedagogy, thereby contributing further insight into pedagogical approaches to cultivate self-regulated listeners in independent learning settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Listening pedagogy
• listening strategies
• self-regulated learning
• EFL learners
• independent learning settings

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to the editors and anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback on the earlier versions of this article. The author is also thankful to Professor Maiko Ikeda of Kansai University for her thought-provoking discussion and suggestions regarding strategy instruction.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tomoko Yabukoshi

Tomoko Yabukoshi, Ph.D. in Foreign Language Education, is Associate Professor of English Language Education at College of Economics, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan. Her research interests include language learning strategies, autonomy in language learning, and self-regulated language learning.