College of Languages and Translation
This study, "Prioritizing information over grammar: a behavioral investigation of information density and rhetorical discourse effects on EFL listening comprehension," investigates how information density affects the cognitive processing strategies of learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) during listening comprehension. Conducted by Mohamed A. Mekheimer and A. I. Fageeh, the research employed a quasi-experimental within-subjects design involving 26 college-level junior students enrolled in an intermediate-level listening and speaking course at a Middle Eastern university.
Participants were exposed to two types of audio passages—an information-rich passage containing dense, factual information presented clearly and directly, and a rhetorical passage featuring complex grammatical structures and figurative language. The researchers aimed to determine if higher information density led listeners to prioritize semantic meaning over grammar, and conversely, if rhetorical complexity increased the focus on grammatical parsing at the expense of meaning comprehension.
Findings indicated significant differences in comprehension scores and processing times between the two passage types. Participants exhibited higher comprehension accuracy (96% vs. 44.3%) and faster response times when listening to the information-rich passage compared to the rhetorical passage. Additionally, participants reported higher enjoyment and engagement when processing informative content, while rhetorical content increased their attention to grammatical accuracy and decreased tolerance for ungrammatical elements.
Further analysis using multiple regression showed that semantic comprehensibility significantly predicted higher comprehension performance, whereas a stronger focus on grammatical accuracy and rhetorical complexity negatively impacted comprehension. The results highlighted that EFL listeners strategically adjust their cognitive processing priorities depending on the discourse type, favoring semantic meaning extraction in information-rich contexts and focusing more on grammatical parsing when presented with rhetorical complexity.
The authors acknowledged limitations, including a small sample size, potential influences of text selection, and a lack of longitudinal perspective, suggesting that future research should explore these variables more comprehensively. Practical implications for language instruction emphasize incorporating a balance of both informative and rhetorical texts in teaching materials and explicitly training learners to apply effective semantic processing strategies.
Overall, this study contributes nuanced insights into how discourse characteristics influence the cognitive prioritization of meaning and grammatical structure during L2 listening comprehension, highlighting the importance of discourse context in language learning and instruction.