Introvert EFL learners’ listening comprehension and metacognitive awareness: A mixed-method study

Abstract

Listening is regarded as an essential skill for language learning, and metacognitive intervention has been utilized widely to facilitate this skill for learners in recent years. Besides metacognitive factors, the impact of personality traits such as introversion/extroversion has been emphasized in the field of language teaching. This study investigated the effect of the metacognitive intervention on upper-intermediate introvert English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ listening comprehension and metacognitive awareness. Upper-intermediate introvert EFL learners ( N = 59) were randomly assigned to an experimental ( N = 29) and a control group ( N = 30). The experimental group received metacognitive intervention through a pedagogical cycle for eight sessions, while the control group followed their conventional approach without a pedagogical cycle. Participants in both groups took International English Language Testing System (IELTS) listening tests and completed a Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ) before and after the intervention. Subsequently, 20 learners from the experimental group were randomly chosen and interviewed to decode their attitudes toward the intervention. Results suggested that metacognitive intervention led to a significant improvement in introvert EFL learners’ listening comprehension and metacognitive awareness. The results of the qualitative data analysis also revealed that the learners benefited from the metacognitive intervention in various areas, such as improvement in listening comprehension, becoming able to identify their strengths and weaknesses, decreasing anxiety, and increasing concentration, self-confidence, and motivation.