Didaktik Volume 14, Nomor 1, April 2020 Elwin Piarawan Zebua : Why Students Encountered

WHY STUDENTS ENCOUNTERED DIFFICULTIES

IN LEARNING THE LISTENING SUBJECT?
Oleh:

Elwin Piarawan Zebua

Dosen Tetap YAPERTI Nias pada IKIP Gunungsitoli

Abstract

Listening has become an interesting yet frightening subject to most EFL students in
university. Despite its attractiveness, the subject was long proven to be a toughest subject
to be mastered. Considering that most of the 3rd semester students in English Department
of IKIP Gunungsitoli “suffered” lower score than B’s or C’s, it intrigued a demanded
descriptive study to expose the source/s of the unsatisfactory final results of the students
ability in the subject. By utilizing the observation and unstructured interviews, the study
concluded that the difficulties which students encountered were ranged in the material,
participant and physical setting.

Keywords: Listening, Students’ Difficulties, Material, Participant, Physical Setting.

INTRODUCTION their scores in middle semester test were

Listening subject for university
students is the paramount necessity, as
capability to decode the “hearing”
messages into various outcomes of
respond is undeniably significant to
ensure positive final results. Concerning
to the fact the students of English
Depatment of IKIP Gunungsitoli are also
EFL’s, embracing the technicality of
mastering and using the listening ability
is essential in their future career as the
English teachers. As the primary act,
ensuring that the students are fully
prepared to master listening ability,
learning classes, practice sessions and
examinations are the stimuli to prepare
satisfactory goal: good listening
capability to teach. These items leaves
simple question: Do the students obtain
the expected results?
Bringing up the students’ final
score in Listening subject (particularly
the Advanced Listening, 3rd semester), it
was a pity that 53% of 90 students in
class A,B and C gained lower scores,
varied between “B-” – “E” in their final
score (NA). It was a surprise also that
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varied between “A” – “B” in higher
percentages, drawing a wider distance of
the final test score they gained.
Effortlessly, this reality urged a
demanded remedial test to ensure that
the students able to pass the subject as
expected.
However, the phenomena shall not
be left uninvestigated since the similar
results are repeatedly occurred. This real
issue was examined through a case study
research to unlock the reason of
students’ difficulties in learning
listening.
REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE
Problems in Listening
Contrary to other skills, listening
might be the hardest skill to handle, even
for the L1 learners. Principally, the
ability to listen is affected on basic
knowledge of sound, distinguishing
sound and understanding the sound. The
further elements also scoped on the
knowledge of the vocabulary,
identifying the message and meaning

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and finally form comprehension into
respond outcomes (Goh, 2018). These
common problems also completed with
the inability to obtain “signals” of the
material, concentration problems and
learning habits (Underwood, 1989).
Causes of the listening difficulties
are various yet unified in similar
concept: the capabilities of the learner
himself/herself. Abdurrahman in
Nurhidayah (2019) discussed that the
listening difficulties were caused by both
developmental learning disabilities and
academic learning disabilities, which
similarly point to problems of
vocabulary mastery, the speed of
interpretation and speeches and ability to
notify unfamiliar topics (Buck, 2001). In
fact, these problems are basically the
difficulties the students of university
encountered in listening sessions, in
which most students are mostly “know”
the word of a speech, but get the wrong
meaning of the word itself. Problems in
phonetic variation such as reduction,
assimilation, elision, cliticization or
resyllabification occurred in times the
material they listen is unfamiliar (Field,
2008).
Furthermore, Chen (2005)
concluded that barriers of belief,
material, habits, information processing,
proficiency, strategic and affective
barriers are also potential problems
every students face in listening session.
Imagine a student with beginner capacity
has to listen and interpret an advanced
level material in 7 seconds; the result
will be beyond belief. Additionally,
personal capacity – psychology – of the
student apparently plays role on the
listening ability, in which the student
will not able to respond when he / she is
in the state of uncertainty to answer or
respond (Yousif, 2006).
Finally, the concept of students’
difficulties in listening subject is drawn
into factors of material/listening
text/test, tasks and activities of listening
practice (individual/group), strategic of
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Elwin Piarawan Zebua : Why Students Encountered
learning and habits, assessment and
facilities in the listening sessions.
(Hamouda, 2013; Darti, 2017, Zebua,
2019).
RESEARCH METHOD
This study used the descriptive
analysis method to reveal the true causes
of students’ difficulties in the Advanced
Listening subject. The participant were
50 selected students of class A,B and C,
3rd semester of English Department at
IKIP Gunungsitoli in 2019. The data was
collected through observation during
listening practices of the students in
language laboratory, particularly on the
middle semester examination and final
examination. The data also gained from
the interview with the samples to extract
their opinion and feelings during the
listening sessions toward the material,
learner’s and lecturer’s factors, teaching
factors, media and classroom
management. Focusing the research, the
data collection was concentrated on the
concept of Material, Participant, and
Physical Setting.
RESULT & DISCUSSION
Analysis & Interpretation of the
Observation
The obtained data from
observation revealed that the students
found out the material they had in the
practices and tests were highly difficult
and almost impossible to be dealt with.
Concerning to their level as the
Advanced Listening students, the result
was quite shocking. It was originally
expected that the students would able to
maintain their consistence on the
previous level of the listening, plus their
consistence on middle semester test
scores. The listening material –
Advanced level – was indeed completed
with numbers of unfamiliar words for
EFL’s, topics would be wider, various
and surely performed by strangers on
different accents. In fact, the “hardness”
of the listening material consequently
Didaktik Volume 14, Nomor 1, April 2020 Elwin Piarawan Zebua : Why Students Encountered

affected the students’ personal reactions
toward the tests’ practices or tests’ items.
As the material was assumed to be
difficult for their knowledge, the
students’ attitudes on the listening
sessions was revealed to be more
dynamic in positive way, even though
several items were fracturing the spirit.
The students maintained their attention
and did the exercises as instructed,
clearly uncovered the reason of gaining
scores than comprehension as well.
However, basic elements to gain better
result of any listening sessions – note
taking; using dictionary – were below
expectation. The students tended to
avoid doing these important activities to
aid them in interpreting the listening
material. The researcher notified that the
ignorant action was caused by the
inability to do since they did not familiar
with effective note takings and
dictionary usage.
Finally, the students’ ignorance on
being on time of the schedule became
other revealed problems. Due to lateness,
forgetfulness and disobedience on rules
were starting the failure, added by the
lack of applying various listening
strategies – which each student could do
– to the overlooked attitude to practice
repeatedly outside the language
laboratory. While on the brighter side,
following the schedule and utilizing
facilities were items that gained better
response, even though the percentages
were considered as normal. In fact, the
observed physical setting of the students
affixed the initial items that concerned
with the material level and participant.

Table 1
The Result of Observation on the Students

Concept Percentage Category

1. Material
Easy 10% Poor
Average 20% Poor
Hard 70% Poor

2. Participant
Pay attention 94% Very Good
Make Note 35% Poor
Use dictionary 60% Enough
Do the exercise 100% Very good

3. Physical setting
Schedule appropriateness 40% Poor
Following the schedule 70% Fair
Utilize facility 80% Good
Apply the strategy/s 10% Poor
Repeated practices 5% Very Poor

Analysis & Interpretation of the was Advanced, the students conveyed

Interviews that the material was too difficult for
As if aligned with the previous them as it completed with many
data, the interviews also commonly unfamiliar words and topics and
exposed worrying results. Since the level performed by unfamiliar/strange

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Didaktik Volume 14, Nomor 1, April 2020 Elwin Piarawan Zebua : Why Students Encountered

accents. Generally, the students of the merely a sign of normal obedience.

research site “believed” in the most
common accent: American style, in
which poorly understood on its main
root. The students also confirmed to be
confused when the vocabularies used
were field/technical terms – known as
ESP’s – which then performed in rather
faster speeches of the native speaker.
Undoubtedly, the prior knowledge of
various accents beside “American style”
was really low. As the students dealt
with other accents like Scottish, Indians,
Chinese, Malay or even Japanese, the
material would be experienced harder,
even with familiar words and topics.
Due to unfamiliar vocabularies
and accents, the students then had to
endure the loss of confidence. They
became unaware and pay less attention
to better interpretation and turned to
finish the material because of the rules
from syllabus, lecturer’s instructions or
Numbers of students eventually
expected to have easier material in their
listening sessions.
The last, the students grew several
expectation on the physical setting, such
earlier schedule on listening practice
(morning schedule is much fresher),
longer time of practice (normally 1 hour)
and more computers to aid more
students. This expectation then
compared to their confession on
frequency of their strategies application
in the listening session along with the
practice hours outside language
laboratory (personal free time of
practicing). It appeared that the simple
matter of individual practice was the
essential elements that the students
avoid, which finally brought them into
failure to gain better result of listening
practices.

Table 2
The Result of Interviews on the Students

Concept Percentage
1. Material
The material is too difficult, confusing and contained many unfamiliar
80%
words, topics and various/strange accents.
The material is average level enough, though contains lots of
20%
unfamiliar words and accents.

2. Participant
Most students were excited to listen, but apparently lost their
70%
confidence due to the material unfamiliar terms/vocabulary.
Most students expected to have easier level of the material since the
30%
advanced level is too difficult for them.

3. Physical setting
Most students preferred morning sessions. 95%
Much longer time of practice 70%
More computers 95%
Mostly unable to apply any listening strategies 90%
Mostly practice only in Language Laboratory 90%

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CONCLUSION
It is concluded clearly that the
difficulties which students encountered in
learning the listening subject were ranged
on: a) Material, concerning with kind and
level they have to learnt and deal with
which apparently unsuitable with their
level. EFL’s/L2 learners possibly able to
begin the Advanced level in listening if
they initially constantly empowered in
both Basic and Intermediate listening
material with various vocabulary range
and accents; b) Participant, where the
students ability to continue into Advanced
listening have to be well-prepared for the
very basic skill – better vocabulary
mastery and wider experience on various
accents. Exceptional “pass” in both items
is the absolute need if any university
students – particularly EFL’s/L2’s – want
to enhance their listening ability into
Advanced level; and c) Physical setting,
in which the confidence, effort to learn,
time to practice, strategies applications
and facilities are other supplements that
assist better listening ability.
SUGGESTION
It is necessary to: a) Conduct
more research on this topic to gain clearer
reasons on students difficulties in
learning listening, and b) Better systems
of qualifying students to join Advanced
Listening classes to avoid failure in the
future.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Abdurrahman, M.1999. Pendidikan
bagi Anak Berkesulitan Belajar.
Jakarta: Rineka Cipta.
2. Buck, G. 2001. Assessing Listening
Cambridge:Cambridge University.
3. Chen, Y. 2005. Barriers to acquiring
listening strategies for EFL learners
and their pedagogical implications.
TESL-EJ, 8(4), 1-23. Retrieved on
January 15th 2020.
4. Darti and Asmawati A. 2017
Analyzing students’ difficulties
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Elwin Piarawan Zebua : Why Students Encountered
toward listening comprehension.
Eternal (English, Teaching, Learning
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228DOI10.24252/Eternal.V32.2017.
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10. Zebua, Elwin Piarawan, 2019. The
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