A Study On College English Listening Comprehension Based On The Metacognitive Strategy

Metacognitive strategies are management steps taken by learners to ensure successful language learning. They are also called self-control learning strategies. Among all the learning strategies, metacognitive strategies are higher-order executive skills including centering one's learning, arranging and planning one's learning as well as evaluating one's learning (Oxford, 1990). Metacognitive strategies guide students to be good autonomous English learners and they are regarded as the key factors in cultivating students' English learning autonomy. Involving metacognitive elements into listening instruction can effectively promote listening proficiency.A research is made in this thesis to study the application and effects of metacognitive strategy-based training on the listening performance of non-English major freshmen. The author divided metacognitive strategy training in listening instruction into three stages: pre-listening strategy training, while-listening strategy training and post-listening strategy training. The author carried out one-semester-long teaching program based on metacognitive strategies among the Experimental Group and the Control Group. The whole research process will be carried out in the following stages: In the first stage, a questionnaire concerning listeners' metacognitive awareness was conducted to all the subjects from the Experimental Group. In the second stage, all the subjects from both Experimental Group and Control Group were administrated a listening test (Pre-Test). In the third stage, all the subjects in the Experimental Group received one-term-long metacognitive-based strategy training in listening, while the Control Group received regular instruction without metacognitive elements. In the fourth stage, students from both Experimental Group and Control Group were administrated a listening test for the second time (Post-Test). The form and level of difficulty of this test is similar with the previous one. In the fifth stage, immediately after the listening test, students in the Experimental Group were administrated Questionnaire on Metacognitive Strategies in Listening once again to research whether they had increased metacognitive awareness. In the sixth stage, all the data were coded into computer and analyzed through the statistical package SPSS.Data from the analyses suggested that: there is a correlation between metacognitive strategies application and listening achievements and students receiving metacognitive-based strategy training out-performed those without metacognitive-based strategy training. Through enhancing students' metacognitive awareness, they consciously apply learning strategies into study. Metacognitive-based strategy training instruction equipped students with scientific and systematical way to learn autonomously. The study implicated that integrating metacognitive strategy training into the classroom instructional plan to urge students to assume "executive control" of the learning experience had a direct payoff on students' outcomes.