How Do EFL Students Improve Their Listening Skills Independently? A Self-Regulated Learning Perspective

Abstract

This study looks at how English as a Foreign Language students improve their listening abilities on their own by using self-regulated learning and being driven by their own interest and enjoyment. As digital media offer more chances for self-directed language learning, it's becoming more important to understand how students use listening on their own, especially in Indonesian English as a Foreign Language settings. This study used a quantitative descriptive approach and sent out an online survey to undergraduate students in the English Education Department. The data that was gathered was looked at using basic statistical methods like counting how often things happened, finding percentages, and calculating average scores.This helped find out what students' listening habits were, the learning strategies they used on their own, how motivated they felt towards listening, and the difficulties they faced while listening. The results show that digital media, especially YouTube, podcasts, and English songs, are very helpful for people who want to practice listening on their own. The findings also indicate that students with higher level of self-regulated learning are more inclined to engage in listening activities autonomously. If students are internally motivated, they have a better chance of continuing to listen regularly, even if they face obstacles along the way such as unfamiliar words or various forms of English. These findings imply that promoting student autonomy and catering for the development of genuine interest in learning English can support Indonesian students in becoming more independent and persevering in their listening learning. This research is beneficial for English teachers in that it encourages them to incorporate listening exercises that students can perform independently by means of digital tools at times outside of the regular class schedule.