Challenges and Strategies to Improve Listening Skills in Students

This report discusses the challenges faced by students in developing listening skills and strategies that teachers can adopt to improve their listening skills. It covers topics such as false start, repetition, use of technical terms, abbreviation and acronyms, and more. The report also provides strategies such as preparing for lecture by reading pre-lecture handouts, listening for essential factual information, reprocessing information from lecture using notes, listening for association as well as evaluation. Subject: Study Skills, Course Code: NA, Course Name: NA, College/University: NA

Study skills

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
TASK...............................................................................................................................................3
Discussion of listening challenges..............................................................................................3
Strategies to be adopted by teachers to help students to improve their listening skills..............4
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Listening refers to ability of a person to receive information accurately and interpret
message in process of communication. Listening is part of effective communication without
ability of listening, a person cannot listening message easily (Bae and Kwon, 2021). Listening is
one of skills which helps to build positive relationship with human and also promote team work
among individual. Listening is important in teaching as it helps students to understand
information shared by teachers in right way. It also helps teachers to understand problems faced
by students related to topic discussed in class. This project report includes discussion of various
challenges occur in life of an individual. It also includes discussion of various strategies to be
adopted by teachers in order to improve listening skills of their students.
TASK
Discussion of listening challenges
Listening is one of important skill in academic which also student to concentrate in class
and also improve their knowledge and learning. Student require listening skills in order to
interpret information shared by other people in different academic situation (Cegielski and Jones‐
Farmer, 2016). For instance, a person is able to understand content of lecture at delivery speed of
lecture. Listening is also required for presentation same as seminars as students in this situation
are expected to listen and understand as well as build contribution of other people. There are
different event which includes discussion, meeting, tutorials, group project as well as informal
interaction where listening is required. This skills is also needed to interact with administration
staff and it also allow student to discuss, exchange as well as apply critical thinking. There are
various challenges occurred in profess of listening which create barrier in effective listening of
students. Some of challenges occurred in process of listening are as follows:
False start and repetition: False start is considered as major challenge which make
message or information boring or unattractive for listener. Due to this, sender fails to gain
attention of listener. False start also create bad impression about speaker in minds of listener and
due to which listener does not take in interest in listening sender. Repetition of word is again a
problems which create challenge in listening process. Repetition of words in information make
information inappropriate and also does not create values for others. False start and repetition of
work does not allow listener to focus on information.

Unnecessary words: Use of unnecessary words in information or message results in
irrelevant information. Using these words make message long which does not make any sense
and create challenges for listener as they are not able concentrate on information (de Bruin,
2018). Using unnecessary word in information change meaning of message and also make
information irrelevant. Unnecessary work make message long which fails to gain attention of
people as it is important for a person to not use irrelevant and unnecessary words.
Technical terms: Technical terms is another challenge in listening process as it is not
used in general purpose and use for specific term which can be understandable by individual who
has specialisation in that field. Technical terms are complex and it is no easy to understand, spell,
hear and pronounce these words ad also sometimes lead to confusion among people. These
technical terms can be used by people who has knowledge about them and cannot be used in
general conversation. Individual does not know about these terms may find wrong meaning of
these words which may lead to misunderstanding and confusion.
Complex structure: Complex structure of information share is also create barrier in
listening process as listener face difficulty in understanding information in right ways. Complex
structure of information does not allow listener to listen and read information and may lead to
confusion and misinterpretation (Gekara and Thanh Nguyen, 2018). Listener avoid information
which is complex as it is important for teacher to make information easy which can be easily
grab by their students. Due to this complex structure, Listener take information in wrong way
which change whole meaning of information or sometimes important part of information may be
ignored by listener. Sometimes it also results in conflict in organisation while sharing
information with complex structure.
Abbreviation and Acronyms: Abbreviation is shortened form of a word as well as
phrases and is used for representing while work like Prof. or Dr. Acronym on the other hand
contain initial letter from different phrase which is used from another word. Acronyms and
abbreviation can be used interchangeably yet they are different. Abbreviation is a series of letters
which acronyms are used in order to create new word. Both of these terms create confusion for
user as sometimes these terms can be misinterpret by listener.
Strategies to be adopted by teachers to help students to improve their listening skills
Listening is one of important skills in life of a students as it is used in different academic
situation which allow them to concentrate on information and knowledge provided by professor.

Listening helps students in development of different skills and prepare them for future in order to
get benefits to various opportunities. Listening skills helps to share information effectively and
also allow listener to share feedback in information. There are various strategies which can be
adopted by teachers to improve listening skills of their students as it helps them to improve their
learning. Some of strategies to be adopted by teachers to improve listening skills are mentioned
below:
Preparing for lecture by reading pre lecture handout lecture: For improving listening
skills, it essential for teachers to read pre lecture handouts as it provide information related to
topic which is to be discussed in class (Gillett, O'Neill and Bloomfield, 2016). It allow teacher to
revise content which is important in teaching. This pre lecture handout provide clarity to
procession which helps them to share information in negative ways and improve their knowledge
as well as learning. It is also important in boosting confidence among students and teachers
which allow them to prepare for academic module and also for answering various question to be
raised by student.
Listening for essential factual information: Another strategies to improve listening
skills is listen to essential factual information which is based on facts rather than theories and
interpretation. Factual information is important in academic life of a students as it helps to
improve learning of students. It helps to boost understanding capacity and knowledge of a
person. It also helps to develop different skills of understanding data as well as fact that provide
different opportunity.
Academic language: Academic language is another strategy which is important for a
person that allow them to focus on lecture provided by teachers. In includes degree of certainty,
speculation as well as language of association (Putri and Sarwanto, 2019). Teachers improve
academic language of their students which helps them to understand information and content
shared by sender. Professor can adopt different strategies to help students in improving their
language which helps them to share information in right ways and also understand information in
right way. Academic language is important in academic life of student as it allow them to get
good grades and also get opportunities in life.
Listening for association and evaluation in lecture: Listening for association as well as
evaluation in lecture is another strategy which is adopted by teachers to improve listening skills
of students. Teachers can evaluation skills of students by asking various situation to students and

it allow teachers to understand problem faced by students in listening process. It allow students
to listen yo teachers attentively in class. It also allow them to develop various necessary skills as
well as knowledge in student. It also helps to improve verbal communication of students.
Reprocessing information from lecture using notes: Reprocessing of information from
lecture using notes is another strategy which can be adopted by teacher (Vu, and Shah, 2016). It
helps them to recall information which can further shared by them to students. It helps them to
recall all information to be shared in lecture which is important in order to improve their
knowledge and learning.
CONCLUSION
From above mentioned project report, it can be concluded that listening skills is one of
important skills in academic life of a students as it allow them to concentrate on information
shared by teacher in class. It also helps them to improve their knowledge and provide
opportunity to develop different skills in their life. There are various challenges occurred in life
of a person including false start, repetition, use of technical term, abbreviation and acronyms and
many more. In order to overcome of these challenges and problems, teachers can adopt various
strategies. It includes preparing for lecture by reading pre-lecture handout, listening for essential
factual information, reprocessing information from lecture using notes, listening for association
as well as evaluation.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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Cegielski, C.G. and Jones‐Farmer, L.A., 2016. Knowledge, skills, and abilities for entry‐level
business analytics positions: A multi‐method study. Decision Sciences Journal of
Innovative Education, 14(1), pp.91-118.
de Bruin, L.R., 2018. Evolving regulatory processes used by students and experts in the
acquiring of improvisational skills: A qualitative study. Journal of Research in Music
Education, 65(4), pp.483-507.
ECORYS (Firm), 2016. Digital skills for the UK economy.
Gekara, V.O. and Thanh Nguyen, V.X., 2018. New technologies and the transformation of work
and skills: a study of computerisation and automation of Australian container
terminals. New Technology, Work and Employment, 33(3), pp.219-233.
Gillett, K., O'Neill, B. and Bloomfield, J.G., 2016. Factors influencing the development of end-
of-life communication skills: a focus group study of nursing and medical
students. Nurse education today, 36, pp.395-400.
Putri, Z.M.C. and Sarwanto, H., 2019. The Development of Guided Inquiry-Based on Physics
Modules At Static Fluid Material to Improve Critical Thinking Skills. In ICONECT
2019: Proceeding of the 2nd International Conference Education Culture and
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Vu, H.Y. and Shah, M., 2016. Vietnamese students’ self-direction in learning English listening
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