INVESTIGATING LISTENING STRATEGIES AND DIFFICULTIES AMONG FIRST YEAR EFL STUDENTS AT TLEMCEN UNIVERSITY

Abstract

The present research revolves around an assessment of EFL students’ difficulties and the strategies they use when listening to their lecture, in English Department at Abou Bakr Belkaid University, Tlemcen. Different research instruments were administered to first year EFL students and some of their teachers. After analyzing the gathered data quantitatively and qualitatively, the main findings indicate that the listening is the most complex and difficult skill in comparison with the other skills. The results also indicate that first year EFL students encounter a number of difficulties; the teachers’ pronunciation, the lack of knowledge related to the topic of listening, the length of the listening texts, and other difficulties which require them to use appropriate strategies to enhance their comprehension.