Listening difficulties faced by EFL students and inter-relations between listening activities and tests

Abstract

This study shows an attempt to investigate the listening problems encountered by English-major students from Vinh university and then explored whether there exist inter-relations between English listening activities and English listening tests. A questionnaire is administered and sent out to 193 English-major students and the follow-up interviews are conducted to specify the findings. The results indicate that the students struggled with listening skills due to three main sources: speakers, listeners and materials. In addition, the findings also reveal that English listening activities are mostly aligned with given English listening test items. Finally, pedagogical implications are proposed to help EFL students enhance their listening skills and teachers to adjust their teaching methods appropriately.