Listening and Reading Proficiency Levels of College Students
Erwin Tschirner (PhD, University of California, Berkeley) is Gerhard Helbig Professor of German as a Foreign Language, Herder Institute, University of Leipzig, Germany.
Abstract
This article examines listening and reading proficiency levels of U.S. college foreign language students at major milestones throughout their undergraduate career. Data were collected from more than 3,000 participants studying seven languages at 21 universities and colleges across the United States. The results show that while listening proficiency appears to develop more slowly, Advanced levels of reading proficiency appear to be attainable for college majors at graduation. The article examines the relationship between listening and reading proficiency and suggests reasons for the apparent disconnect between listening and reading, particularly for some languages and at lower proficiency levels.
Number of times cited: 13
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