Listening strategy use, test anxiety and test performance of intermediate and advanced Iranian EFL learners

Abstract

Learning a foreign language has been related with some kind of knowledge of language <br />learning strategies on the one hand, and some level of (test-taking) apprehension or tension <br />on the other although a small amount of anxiety is normally expected as a natural warning <br />symptom. The current study aimed at investigating the relationship between listening <br />strategy use, test anxiety, and listening test performance of Iranian intermediate and <br />advanced EFL learners. To this end, eighty (40 intermediate and 40 advanced) Iranian EFL <br />learners took part in the study by completing Lee's (1997) Listening Comprehension <br />Strategy Questionnaire, Sarason's (1975) Test Anxiety Scale (TAS), and two monologues <br />of Listening test performance selected from Listening part of TOEFL. The results of <br />Pearson product moment correlation analyses revealed a significant negative correlation <br />between test anxiety and listening test performance, but a significant positive association <br />between listening strategy use and listening test performance. Furthermore, the results of <br />multiple regression analyses indicated listening strategy use was a stronger predictor of <br />listening test performance. Additionally, the results of independent samples t-test showed a <br />significant difference between Iranian intermediate and advanced EFL learners regarding <br />both their listening strategy use and level of test anxiety.