Exploring EFL learners Respons to Listening Strategy Instruction and Self-Efficacy in Listening Comprehension
Keywords:
Listening Comprehension, Listening Strategy Instruction, Self-Efficacy, EFL Learners, Listening StrategiesAbstract
Listening comprehension is often considered one of the most difficult skills for learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Many students struggle to understand spoken language because they have limited exposure to authentic input, restricted vocabulary, and little knowledge of effective listening strategies. Besides these cognitive challenges, affective factors such as learners’ self-efficacy also play an important role in shaping their confidence, persistence, and engagement during listening activities. This study investigates the contribution of Listening Strategy Instruction (LSI) and learners’ self-efficacy to the improvement of listening comprehension in an EFL setting. This research applied a quantitative design involving EFL students enrolled in a listening course at an Indonesian higher education institution. Data were collected using two Likert-scale questionnaires that measured students’ listening strategy use and their level of self-efficacy, supported by listening comprehension tasks. The instructional intervention introduced several strategies, including predicting content, identifying key words, note-taking, activating background knowledge, and monitoring comprehension. The findings show that explicit strategy instruction encourages students to listen more actively and strategically. Learners commonly applied note-taking, focusing on key information, and monitoring their understanding, although pre-listening strategies such as prediction and activating prior knowledge were used less frequently. In addition, students with higher self-efficacy demonstrated stronger confidence, greater persistence, and more consistent use of listening strategies when facing difficult listening materials. Overall, the study suggests that combining strategy-based instruction with efforts to strengthen learners’ self-efficacy can improve listening comprehension and support the development of more independent EFL learners.
