A linguistic examination of engineering students’ listening comprehension skill

The paper titled "A Linguistic Examination of Engineering Students' Listening Comprehension Skill" by Dr. Malladi Revathi Devi focuses on the challenges and proficiency levels in listening comprehension among undergraduate engineering students in India. The primary research question investigates the specific linguistic obstacles these students encounter while developing their English language listening skills.

The study aims to identify the performance gaps and areas of concern in listening comprehension among engineering students and suggests remedial measures to enhance their communicative competence. The research is designed to evaluate students' proficiency in listening through pre-tests and post-tests, with a focus on phonological, morphological, syntactic, and lexical levels of comprehension.

The methodology involves a sample size of 60 engineering students, who were tested before and after a 30-hour instructional period. The study utilizes various strategies to assess and improve listening comprehension, focusing on how these students recognize and process spoken language at different linguistic levels.

Key findings indicate that students struggle with phonological recognition, syntactic structure complexity, and lexical ambiguity, all of which hinder their overall listening comprehension. The study reveals that these challenges significantly impact the students' ability to understand and engage with spoken English, particularly in technical and professional contexts.

The study concludes that targeted remedial measures are necessary to address these linguistic challenges. The author emphasizes the importance of developing listening skills as foundational to enhancing overall communicative competence, which is critical for the students' future careers in engineering and technology. The paper suggests that a focused approach to improving listening comprehension can lead to better performance in other areas of language learning, ultimately preparing students more effectively for the global job market.