A Correlational Study Between Listening Anxiety And Listening Strategies Of English Majors In Private College

Generally, Chinese college students experience psychological anxiety in foreign language learning, especially in listening learning. Many empirical studies proved that a higher degree of listening anxiety indeed exists during listening process, and that foreign language learners do not know how to use efficient listening strategies to lessen their anxiety. Nowadays, few studies have been made on the correlations between listening anxiety and listening strategy use of Chinese English majors. As to those in private college, there is hardly one. Therefore, this survey focuses primarily on the state of their listening anxiety level and listening strategy use, as well as the correlation between them.The author randomly chose 200 students, in grade two or grade three, as subjects, who are from a private college---Shijiazhuang Foreign Language Translation Vocational College. The major instruments are two questionnaires: FLLAS and ELCSS. The author delivered the questionnaires on the spot, and then recollected them thirty minutes later. And there are 185 questionnaires available, apart from those invalid ones. The research questions are written as followed:(1) What is the state of the listening comprehension anxiety of the English majors coming from a private college, as well as the state of FLA and DLA?(2) What is the state of the employment of listening strategies of the subjects of private college?(3) Is there any significant correlation between listening anxiety level and their English listening proficiency?(4) Is there any significant correlation between listening strategy and listening proficiency?(5) What is the relationship between listening anxiety level and listening strategies use among students?(6) Is there significant difference in employment of listening strategy between the students of higher level of listening anxiety and those of lower level of listening anxiety? Employing the software SPSS13.0, the author adopted correlation analysis and independent sample T-test to analyze the data. The statistical results are:1) The majority of students have a higher or moderate degree of facilitating listening anxiety, and less than half have a high degree of debilitating listening anxiety.2) Students prefer to the meaning-focused strategy mostly, which is followed by social/affective strategy, and then mother-tongue-reliance strategy, form-focused strategy, and the bottom one is meta-cognitive strategy.3) FLA is positively related to listening proficiency, while DLA works otherwise.4) Each kind of listening strategy has some correlations with listening proficiency, with social/affective strategy ranking first and meaning-focused strategy second.5) FLA is positively related to such kinds of listening strategy, which are social/affective strategy, meta-cognitive strategy, grammar strategy, and meaning-focused strategy; DLA is positively related to mother-tongue-reliance strategy and new-word strategy, but is negatively related to social/affective strategy.6) There is significant difference between the higher group and the lower group, primarily in the employment of meta-cognitive strategy, grammar strategy, mother-tongue-reliance strategy, social/affective strategy.The investigation results require English teachers to create a favorable environment with amenity, in order to help students increase FLA and decrease DLA. And English teachers should train students to employ efficient listening strategies to improve listening performance. And it is suggested that some further studies should be made to explore the factors that cause listening anxiety, the purpose of which is to look for a way to lessen students'listening anxiety.