Essay - An Examination of Second Language Acquisition Metacognitive Listening Strategies Introduction...

AN EXAMINATION OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

METACOGNITIVE LISTENING STRATEGIES

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The objective of this work is to answer the question of whether metacognitive learning strategies assist in the SLA of listening comprehension. Metacognitive listening strategies have been a source ***** recent discussion, although ***** has been historically noted *****re is a large gap in the research that focuses on the success of language learners in employing strategical metacognitive ***** to second language ***** *****. Th***** work notes ***** work ***** Vandergrift et al (2006) in their development of the 'M*****acognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire' as well as other primary *****ers in this field of study including that of Cohen and Macaro (2007, as well as others.

*****. ***** STRATEGIES AND ***** LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION

The work of Karen A. Carrier entitled: "Improving High School English Language Learners' Second ***** Listening through Strategy Instruction" reports a study in which the theoretical frame***** w***** based on "cognitive theory and strategy research." (Carrier,

***** states ***** this ***** supports the idea that the learner is "actively involved in ***** learning process." (2003) Strategies are *****e of the *****ays "***** become actively ***** in controll*****g their own learning..." (Carrier, 2003) ***** are the "...thoughts and behaviors that learners use ***** help them comprehend, learn, or retain information." (Carrier, *****) ***** relates that the work of Pressley, Forrest-*****, Elliot-Faust and Miller (1985) linked strategies to cognitive processes and "define strategies as 'composed of cognitive operations over and above the processes that ***** a n*****tural consequence ***** carrying out a task...Strategies are used ***** achieve cognitive purposes ***** ***** potentially conscious and controllable activities." (Carrier, 2003) In other words, the learner that is an active learner makes a conscious choice to utilize str*****tegies in order to better ***** perform*****ce of a task. ***** is a critical aspect of the second ***** learn*****g process and has further ***** *****d as "an active process during which the l*****tener constructs meaning from oral input." (Carrier, 2003) ***** additionally ***** of ***** knowledge ***** it is "...underst*****ing when and where to apply strategies and the gains produced by strategies when used" and cites the work of McCormick & Pressley (1997).

The work ***** V*****ergrift entitled: "Facilitating Second Language Listening Comprehension: Acquiring Successful Strategies" states that listening comprehension 'is anything but a passive activity' indeed, according to Vandergrift, it is a "complex, ********** ***** in ***** the listener must discrim*****ate between sounds, understand vocabulary and grammatical structure, interpret stress ***** in*****nation, ***** what was ga*****red in all of the above, and interpret ***** within ***** immediate as well ***** the ********** sociocultural context of the utterance." (1999) The coordination of all of this in inclusive of mental activity to a great extent on the listener's part. Since ***** is hard *****, Vandergrift stated that it "deserves more analysis and support." (1999) Vandergrift states that learning comprehensi*****."..as a sep*****rate and important component of language ***** only came into focus after significant debate about ********** validity." V*****ergrift notes the work of Gary (1975) who, in