Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English among Thai EFL Students and Considerations for Assessment and Instruction

Abstract

Listening comprehension is widely recognized as one of the most challenging language skills for learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Thai university students often encounter various difficulties that hinder their ability to understand spoken English effectively. This study aimed to investigate the specific challenges experienced by Thai university students in English listening comprehension. The research was conducted at a university in Bangkok, Thailand, with 87 students participating through a questionnaire survey. The quantitative data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages. The findings revealed that students experienced difficulties across three key processes of listening comprehension: perception, parsing, and utilization. The major challenges identified included difficulties in recognizing syntactic structures, limitations in processing auditory information, and problems related to meaning construction and comprehension. These findings are discussed within the context of Thai EFL education, with pedagogical implications proposed for improving listening instruction and learner support. The results provide valuable insights for syllabus designers and English language teachers seeking to develop more effective assessment practices and instructional strategies to address listening comprehension difficulties among EFL learners.