Exploring Students’ Strategies in Dealing with Unfamiliar Vocabulary during a Listening Task in Higher Education

Amiruddin Amiruddin 1 Indonesia , Satriani Satriani 1 Indonesia , Syamsul Bahri 1 Indonesia , Fadel Muslaini 2 Indonesia
1 Islamic University of As’adiyah Sengkang
2 Ujung Pandang State Polytecnic
Link Copied!
Published 2025-12-12
Vol. 5 No. 1 (2025) PAGES 347-358
DOI 10.51574/ijrer.v5i1.4177
Views / Downloads 668 220

Vocabulary is an essential component in listening comprehension. However, learners are often confronted with unfamiliar words that can hinder their overall understanding. This research aims to explore the strategies used by English as a foreign language (EFL) learners when they encounter unfamiliar vocabulary during listening tasks in the first semester of the English education department at Islamic University of As’adiyah, Sengkang. This qualitative research with a case study approach involved 13 first-semester students from the English Education study program. Data was gathered using a combination of think-aloud protocols (where students verbalized their thoughts while completing the task), listening to task recordings, and semi-structured interviews. Students listened to three authentic audio texts with varying levels of difficulty and challenging vocabulary. Thematic analysis revealed five main strategies used by students: (1) Contextual Inference (using clues from surrounding sentences or paragraphs), (2) Focus on Familiar Elements (ignoring unfamiliar words and concentrating on understood words/sentences), (3) Utilizing World Knowledge (connecting the content to their background knowledge), (4) Recording Keywords (writing down words that are thought to be important for later analysis), and (5) Searching for Phonological Cues (identifying words that sound similar to their native language or English that they know). Although contextual inference is the most common strategy, its effectiveness varies greatly depending on the language proficiency of the learners and the clarity of the context provided.

Amiruddin, A., Satriani, S., Bahri, S., & Muslaini, F. (2025). Exploring Students’ Strategies in Dealing with Unfamiliar Vocabulary during a Listening Task in Higher Education. ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review , 5(1), 347–358. https://doi.org/10.51574/ijrer.v5i1.4177
More Citation Formats
Download Citation

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
  1. Bagheri, M., & East, M. (2025). Second language listening pedagogy: An examination of classroom practices in an EFL context. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 48(2), 451-475. https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.21047.bag
  2. Bailey, K. M. (2020). Teaching listening and speaking in second and foreign language contexts. Bloomsbury Academic.
  3. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative research in sport, exercise and health, 11(4), 589-597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
  4. Brooks, R., Warmington, M., & Thomson, J. (2025). Evaluating the impact of vocabulary instruction on oral vocabulary, phonemic awareness and nonword reading. Reading and Writing, 38(6), 1607-1633. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-024-10564-1
  5. Csizér, K., & Kontra, E. H. (2020). Foreign language learning characteristics of deaf and severely hard‐of‐hearing students. The Modern Language Journal, 104(1), 233-249. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12630
  6. Edele, A., & Stanat, P. (2016). The role of first-language listening comprehension in second-language reading comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 108(2), 163. https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2015-31814-001
  7. Gu, C., Nastase, S. A., Zada, Z., & Li, P. (2025). Reading comprehension in L1 and L2 readers: neurocomputational mechanisms revealed through large language models. npj Science of Learning, 10(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00337-y
  8. Han, Y., Wang, Y., Liang, F., Li, X., Ma, J., & Bai, X. (2025). Phonological decoding does not affect incidental Chinese novel word learning in Uyghur readers: evidence from eye movements. Reading and Writing, 38(4), 889-909. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-024-10535-6
  9. Jiang, Y., Chen, Y., Lu, J., & Wang, Y. (2021). The effect of the online and offline blended teaching mode on English as a foreign language learners’ listening performance in a Chinese context. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 742742. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.742742
  10. Jin, Y., Dewaele, J. M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2021). Reducing anxiety in the foreign language classroom: A positive psychology approach. System, 101, 102604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102604
  11. Kimura, H. (2017). Foreign language listening anxiety: A self-presentational view. International Journal of Listening, 31(3), 142-162. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2016.1222909
  12. Li, C. H. (2019). Using a listening vocabulary levels test to explore the effect of vocabulary knowledge on GEPT listening comprehension performance. Language Assessment Quarterly, 16(3), 328-344. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2019.1648474
  13. Li, K., Qin, X., Ji, S., & Zou, L. (2023). The effects of general listening anxiety and listening test anxiety on self-perceived listening performance among Chinese English learners. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 3541-3560. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S422030
  14. Liu, F., Lai, K. H., Wu, J., & Duan, W. (2021). Listening to online reviews: A mixed-methods investigation of customer experience in the sharing economy. Decision Support Systems, 149, 113609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2021.113609
  15. Mahdi, H. S., Alkhammash, R., & Al-Athwary, A. A. (2024). Using high variability phonetic training as a contextualized tool in the development of English consonant clusters pronunciation among Saudi EFL learners. Education and Information Technologies, 29(6), 6821-6840. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12113-9
  16. Masrai, A. (2020). Can L2 phonological vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension be developed through extensive movie viewing? The case of Arab EFL learners. International Journal of Listening, 34(1), 54-69. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2019.1582346
  17. Mekuria, A., Bushisho, E. W., & Wubshet, H. (2024). The effects of reading strategy training on students’ reading strategy use and critical reading ability in EFL reading classes. Cogent Education, 11(1), 2310444. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2310444
  18. McNamara, D. S., de Vega, M., & O’Reilly, T. (2007). Comprehension skill, inference making, and the role of knowledge. Higher level language processes in the brain: Inference and comprehension processes, 233-251.
  19. Nushi, M., & Orouji, F. (2020). Investigating EFL teachers’ views on listening difficulties among their learners: The case of Iranian context. Sage Open, 10(2), 2158244020917393. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020917393
  20. Polat, M., & Erişti, B. (2019). The effects of authentic video materials on foreign language listening skill development and foreign language listening anxiety at different levels of English proficiency. International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research, 6(1), 135-154. https://doi.org/10.33200/ijcer.567863
  21. Prior, A., Goldina, A., Shany, M., Geva, E., & Katzir, T. (2014). Lexical inference in L2: Predictive roles of vocabulary knowledge and reading skill beyond reading comprehension. Reading and Writing, 27(8), 1467-1484. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-014-9501-8
  22. Rakhimova, S. (2024). Enhancing receptive skills in foreign language learning: the interplay of reading and listening comprehension. The American Journal of Social Science and Education Innovations, 6(08), 38-56. https://doi.org/10.37547/tajssei/Volume06Issue08-04
  23. Reynolds, B. L., Xie, X., & Pham, Q. H. P. (2022). Incidental vocabulary acquisition from listening to English teacher education lectures: A case study from Macau higher education. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 993445. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.993445
  24. Rost, M. (2014). Listening in a multilingual world: The challenges of second language (L2) listening. International Journal of Listening, 28(3), 131-148. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2014.937895
  25. Siegel, J., Kuteeva, M., & Siegel, A. (2025). Making sense of non-comprehension issues while listening: A data-based coding scheme. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 4(1), 100181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2025.100181
  26. Tabassum, A., & Naveed, A. (2024). Interactive strategies for enriching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) vocabulary: A comprehensive exploration. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 11(1), 1-16. https://www.jallr.com/index.php/JALLR/article/view/1313
  27. Tai, T. Y., & Chen, H. H. J. (2024). The impact of intelligent personal assistants on adolescent EFL learners’ listening comprehension. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 37(3), 433-460. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2022.2040536
  28. Teng, F. (2018). Incidental vocabulary acquisition from reading-only and reading-while-listening: A multi-dimensional approach. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 12(3), 274-288. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2016.1203328
  29. Tonks, S. M., Magliano, J. P., Schwartz, J., & Kopatich, R. D. (2021). How situational competence beliefs and task value relate to inference strategies and comprehension during reading. Learning and Individual Differences, 90, 102036. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2021.102036
  30. Trang, N. M. (2021). Understanding listening comprehension processing and challenges encountered: Research perspectives. International Journal of English Language and Literature Studies. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.23.2020.92.63.75
  31. Uchihara, T. (2025). Vocabulary and L2 listening. The handbook of second language listening, 415-428. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394312375.ch29
  32. Wallace, M. P. (2022). Individual differences in second language listening: Examining the role of knowledge, metacognitive awareness, memory, and attention. Language learning, 72(1), 5-44. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12424
  33. Wang, Y., & Treffers-Daller, J. (2017). Explaining listening comprehension among L2 learners of English: The contribution of general language proficiency, vocabulary knowledge and metacognitive awareness. System, 65, 139-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2016.12.013
  34. Wardana, I. K., Astuti, P. T., & Sukanadi, N. L. (2022). Examining the effect of phonological awareness instruction on EFL learners’ pronunciation and motivation. Erudita: Journal of English Language Teaching, 2(2), 129-147. https://doi.org/10.28918/erudita.v2i2.6191
  35. Ye, Y., & Kaplan‐Rakowski, R. (2024). An exploratory study on practising listening comprehension skills in high‐immersion virtual reality. British Journal of Educational Technology, 55(4), 1651-1672. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13481
  36. Zhang, P., & Graham, S. (2020). Learning vocabulary through listening: The role of vocabulary knowledge and listening proficiency. Language Learning, 70(4), 1017-1053. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12411

Copyright (c) 2025 Amiruddin Amiruddin, Satriani Satriani, Syamsul Bahri, Fadel Muslaini

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 3 > >> 

Similar Articles

<< < 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Dimension Badge

Downloads

Downloads
Crossmark Badge
Crossmark Badge
Section
Articles
Keywords
Compensation Strategies EFL Learners Listening Comprehension Listening Strategies Unfamiliar Vocabulary