| The purpose of this study was, firstly, to examine whether gender, major, extracurricular practice, personal expectations, self-confidence, and/or anxiety relate to college students' motivation for learning English and practicing English listening. Secondly, the study examined whether college students' motivation for practicing English listening relates to their English Listening Comprehension scores.; The 480 respondents in this research included art, medical technology, and science technology majors from a technology college, a technology university, and two regular universities in southern Taiwan. The instruments used in this study to examine students' motivation for learning English and practicing English listening were the English Listening Comprehension Motivation Scale (ELCMS), the English Listening Comprehension Practice Survey (ELCPS), and a part of the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB).; In this research, more females than males had a higher motivation for practicing English listening, and more art majors had a higher motivation for practicing English listening than the medical technology and the science technology majors. However, when examining the relationship between motivation and gender by major, male art majors received higher motivation scores in practicing English listening than female art majors or any other gender by major combination. Students with high motivation tended to be more active and interested in practicing English listening. Students who had a higher motivation for practicing English listening spent time on extracurricular practice. Students with high self-confidence, high personal expectations, and low anxiety had a higher motivation for practicing English listening. Students with high motivation created more opportunities, spent more time, and paid more attention to developing and enhancing their English listening comprehension. They were more capable of understanding the main ideas of the content they were listening to and received higher scores on English Listening Comprehension tests. High motivation heightened students' sensitivity and promoted greater understanding of the content. Self-confidence, personal expectations, and anxiety were the three most important factors that affected students' motivation for practicing English listening.; The issue of motivation for practicing English listening is complex and multifaceted for non-native English speakers. It is not easy for teachers to understand the underlying problems that students have in practicing English listening. This study provided EFL teachers and researchers with a better understanding of what college students' perspectives are concerning English listening comprehension. Hopefully, the present study provided information for those who are interested in non-native English speakers' motivation for practicing English listening comprehension. |
