EFL TEACHERS' EXPERIENCES IN DEVELOPING L2 PROFICIENCY THROUGH EXTENSIVE LISTENING

Abstract

Although efforts have been made to investigate the primacy of extensive listening (EL) in developing students' L2 proficiency, the personal experiences of EFL teachers who have successfully developed their L2 through the practice of EL are rarely documented. As this can be a source of inspiration for those struggling to achieve a high L2 proficiency, this study purports to explore how EFL teachers experience the development of their L2 by practicing EL for a considerable amount of time. A Google-form questionnaire with open and closed-ended questions was initially sent to several international groups of EFL teachers via Facebook. In total, 27 participants from six different countries responded to the questionnaire. After a closer look at the initial data, two participants were then selected to provide further insights into their experiences of practicing EL as a means of developing their L2 proficiency. The findings revealed that both teachers used EL because of their joy of listening to compelling listening materials. Practicing their EL routinely with their own degree of intensity, both of them enjoy listening to various audio and video materials with different choices of topics and resources. EL was said to enhance their vocabulary acquisition and help them to develop their other language skills.

Keywords

• extensive listening
• L2 proficiency
• personal experiences
• EFL teachers