The Instruction of Meta-Cognitive Listening Strategies and Its Impact on Listening Performance of High and Low-Test-Anxious Intermediate Learners

Although decisions or inferences we make based on test scores depend both on characteristics of test-takers and of testing situations, there is just little research which has been undertaken on the effects of these characteristics on test performance (e.g., In’nami, 2006). The effect of listening strategies on listening performance is also undeniable (Vandergrift, 1997). Thus, considering these two issues is the intention of the present study. This study not only investigates the effect of one of the personal characteristics of test-takers, namely test anxiety on listening test performance, but also attempts to find the relationship between instruction of listening strategies and test performance. At last, it focuses on meta-cognitive listening strategies (Vandergrift, 1997) instruction and its impact on test-anxiety. This study was conducted with 98 students who were selected from Aryanpour Institute in Tehran. After the pre-test, which was also considered as a proficiency test, the participants were instructed for 4 hours. The post-test was administered and the analysis of data revealed that there is a significant relationship between test anxiety and listening performance among Iranian EFL intermediate learners and also there is a significant relationship between meta-cognitive listening strategies and listening proficiency among Iranian EFL intermediate learners but meta-cognitive listening strategies have no differential effect on high- and low-test-anxious Iranian EFL intermediate learners. It is to say that both groups of highand low-test-anxious learners benefit the same from meta-cognitive listening strategies instruction. These findings emphasize the importance of lowering test anxiety in exam sessions as well as the importance of instructing meta-cognitive listening strategies in EFL classes.