The Role of Test Taking Strategies in Improving Omani Students’ Listening Comprehension

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study investigated the effect of using test taking strategies on Omani grade 11 students’ performance in listening comprehension tests. It also documented the perceptions of the students regarding the importance of the test taking strategies in listening comprehension tests and their employment of these strategies in general. The sample of the study included two groups, one control and one experimental, from grade 11 students from a government school in the school year 2016-2017. Two research instruments were used to collect data: a listening comprehension test and a student perceptions questionnaire. Data analysis revealed that the students in the experimental group outperformed their counterparts in the control group in the listening comprehension test. Furthermore, the students in the experimental group perceived using the test taking strategies in the listening comprehension tests as being very important. Also, the results of the questionnaire showed that the students’ use of the various kinds of cognitive, metacognitive, and affective strategies for: before, during, and after the listening ranged from “high” to “very high” degrees of use.