Dr. Willy A. Renandya is a widely published language teacher educator and TESOL specialist with a particular interest in professional educator development, TESOL pedagogy, and extensive reading and listening. For the past 20 years his work has revolved around working with pre-service and in-service English teaching professionals in the Asian…

This paper argues that we know too little of the mental processes in which a listener engages during an academic lecture; and that a better understanding of these processes would assist EAP instructors on pre-sessional courses to target their teaching more precisely. The account provides insights into listener behaviour from three possible…

This paper discusses the importance of listening comprehension in learning English as a foreign language (EFL) and argues that more emphasis should be given to listening comprehension. It cites significant research findings in second language acquisition and reviews the relationship between listening comprehension and language learning. Research…

Describes and assesses what can be achieved in the learning and testing of the receptive language skills with computer hardware now available. Provides guidelines and suggestions for the development of language learning and testing software. Defines three types of computer programs: instructional, collaborative, and facilitative. (SED)

Investigated a means for improving listening comprehension through the use of visualization. Performance on a listening comprehension test was significantly better among students who had used the visualization strategies. (Author/VWL)

Based on the assumption that recognizing the grammatical function of a phrase with the total sentence is an essential step in the comprehension process, theorizes that the isolation of tasks such as the recognition of "grammatical signals" needs to become a fundamental component of instructional materials. Suggests a strategy to do this. (SED)

Four areas relating to listening and language learning are examined: current directions in second language instruction, listening instruction in second language programs, listening as a means to an end versus listening comprehension as an end in itself, and the influence of listening research on materials development for second language…

The methods and materials used in a language lab (LL) are analyzed. The theoretical advantages of the LL are enumerated, including its ability to provide a variety of programs and activities and its provision of an opportunity for students to listen critically to their voices. In order to determine if these advantages are being used, a set of…

For spot-dictation purposes, song lyrics can be duplicated with blanks for the words or structures that are desirable to emphasize. Lyrics quite often have repetitious structures and vocabulary, and lend themselves to reinforcing new forms or concepts. This procedure can encourage general listening comprehension while highlighting one particular…

Language teachers know that even the best technology cannot provide the high degree of interaction required to acquire meaningful proficiency in a foreign language. Even the most polished packages available today cannot evaluate learner input and provide subtle shades of context-based feedback, except in the narrowest of circumstances. In this…

Discusses two questions any language-teaching approach has to consider: (1) the component of a language on which to focus; and (2) how the linguistic material can be acquired more efficiently than in the past. Five principles for efficient acquisition of 5,000 vocabulary words are outlined, and the RALEX approach is explained. (SED)

Discusses the drawbacks of using the ACTFL-ETS Provisional Proficiency Guidelines in a university foreign language department. Recommends that reading skill should be measured by depth of understanding and perhaps speed rather than by the kind and number of specific elements of language the reader has failed to "understand." (SED)

Using "image" as a central concept, offers an interpretation of the similarities and differences between oral and written comprehension based on studies of both the associative and the generative properties of human memory. The practical consequences of this interpretation on second language teaching are listed. (SED)

Outlines strategies for teaching listening comprehension which can be adapted to foreign language programs. The initial stage is to make the students aware of the skill of listening for comprehension. Then follows strategies that demand purposeful reactions from the students, including instruction activities, command activities, personal-choice…

Maintains that massive amounts of authentic input is the only way to approach listening comprehension in a foreign language classroom. Suggests listening exercises designed to enhance students' expectancy and to teach them to extract high-information items from a natural and redundant environment. (SED)