Effects of Listening Supports on Listening Performance of Thai First-Year University Students

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of three forms of listening supports on the listening performance of Thai first-year students at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi. The subjects were 180 first-year students at KMUTT. They were divided into three groups of high and low English ability. There were, therefore, six groups, i.e. three groups for each ability level, namely three groups for 1) High Question Preview, 2) Low Question Preview, 3) High Vocabulary Preview, 4) Low Vocabulary Preview, 5) High Repeated Input, and 6) Low Repeated Input. 3x2 ANOVA was employed to analyze the data. The findings revealed that 1) listening supports significantly affected the listening performance of Thai first-year students. Repeated Input is the most effective listening support and Vocabulary Preview is the least effective; 2) the levels of English ability also significantly affected the listening performance of the students; 3) however, no interaction effect was found. The findings suggest that providing listening supports has an effect on students’ performance. The opportunity to listen to the listening text more than once enhances the listening performance of students, but providing vocabulary support would not produce immediate effects on test-takers’ listening performance.