Investigating the Effects of Metacognitive Instruction in Listening for EFL Learners

This study investigated the effects of metacognitive instruction in listening for EFL learners over a semester. Participants (N = 48) were sampled from TOEIC classes in a private university in the western part of Japan where the researcher had been working as an English instructor. They were sophomores whose majors were not English. The experimental group (n = 26) received metacognitive instruction in listening (i.e., they were taught how to listen to texts and how to improve listening skills through metacognitive processes as well as activities such as planning, monitoring, and reflecting). The contrast group (n = 22), taught by the same teacher, did not receive metacognitive instruction although they listened to the same listening materials and received more listening input. Results of the questionnaire (SRLLQ, the Self-Regulated Learning in Listening Questionnaire, Kobayashi, 2017a) showed that students in both groups became more self-regulated learners, but it was also found that the experimental group made greater gains in listening proficiency and regulation of cognition. Moreover, it was verified that learners with low listening proficiency in the experimental group benefited the most from such metacognitive instruction.