Linguistic, cognitive, and affective components of L2 listening comprehension: A multidimensional model

There has been a growing interest in listening comprehension in English as a foreign language (L2 listening) concerning the contributing factors. Previous studies mainly focused on how certain variables influence L2 listening, neglecting how the variables interact with each other. Adopting a componential approach, this study aimed to investigate how grammar and vocabulary knowledge, anxiety, and willingness to listen in L2, working memory, and metacognitive awareness interact with overall L2 listening comprehension and each other. A group of 212 students with intermediate to upper-intermediate proficiency in English enrolled at two Turkish state universities during 2020-2021 calendar participated in the study. The participants completed listening, vocabulary, grammar, and digit-span tests, anxiety and willingness scales, and metacognitive awareness questionnaire over a three-week period. The relationship between the components and L2 listening was measured through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using maximum likelihood estimation. After analyses, a statistically and theoretically sound model was introduced. The model underscores the significant impact of these components on L2 listening comprehension and displays their complex interplay with each other. Within this intricate web, vocabulary and grammar emerge as pivotal components, substantially influencing L2 comprehension as well as interacting with and shaping the other variables.