ABSTRACT
Second language (L2) listening is a skill that learners find particularly challenging. In order to comprehend an utterance, L2 listeners must simultaneously process both non-linguistic and linguistic information in real time under considerable time constraints. Accordingly, contemporary approaches to teaching L2 listening are influenced by the idea that successful listening is facilitated through parallel processing involving both top-down and bottom-up components. Top-down processes importantly involve the application of metacognitive knowledge, which involves the listener’s awareness of the cognitive processes engaged during listening, and the capacity to exert executive control over these processes (Vandergrift & Goh 2012: 2). Bottom-up processes entail the application of linguistic knowledge to recognise the sequences of meaning bearing units within the speech stream, most importantly words.
