The study investigates the effects of speakers' accents and visual cues, such as gestures and facial expressions, on listening comprehension in second-language (L2) learners. Using a mixed-methods approach, it examines how 120 Arab university students respond to recorded lectures by both native (L1 American English) and non-native (L2 Vietnamese-accented) speakers across three conditions: audio-visual with gestures and facial cues, audio-visual with only facial cues, and audio-only. Listening proficiency scores were controlled, revealing that higher proficiency students achieved better comprehension and rated L1 speakers’ accents as more nativelike. However, proficiency did not significantly influence ratings of comprehensibility between accents.
L1 speakers’ gestures increased comprehensibility ratings, whereas L2 gestures were perceived as indicating a stronger nonnative accent, leading to frustration among listeners. Despite a general preference for visual cues in communication, gestures from the L2 speaker were not perceived as helpful in this context. Thematic analysis highlighted that visual cues vary in effectiveness, familiarity with accents and topics is crucial, and strategies are necessary to manage unfamiliar accents. The findings suggest the need to increase learners’ exposure to diverse accents and gesture patterns for enhanced comprehension in real-world scenarios.