Even though it is recognized as the macro-language skill most strongly correlated with the rapid development of foreign language skills, listening is reported to be the most under-researched and the most neglected by foreign language teachers. Motivated by our will to improve as L2 listening teachers, we embarked on an action research project aiming to develop a series of listening training approaches based on contemporary listening research. Focusing on a combination of metacognitive, top-down and bottom-up strategies, twelve English as a lingua franca-informed listening training activities were implemented at a private Japanese university. This paper provides a review of the listening training program for 147 Japanese students. It considers pre and post-program listening assessment, student perceptions of their self-efficacy as L2 listeners, teachers" observations and student reactions to the explicit training program. While the program was received favorably by students, as indicated by their positive stance towards listening and communicating in English at the end of the treatment, no improvement in listening test scores was observed.

Focusing on the teaching of listening strategies to second language (L2) learners, this study sought to revisit Renandya and Farrell’s (2011) claims that explicit listening strategy instruction for lower-proficiency learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) is a fruitless endeavor. As such, we implemented a quasi-experimental study to measure the effectiveness of a metacognitive intervention for a convenience sample of lower-proficiency (CEFR A2) Japanese university EFL learners ( n = 129). The training program focused on an explicit process-based approach, involving integrated experiential learning tasks and guided reflections, to develop learners’ L2 listening skills. Data collection consisted of TOEIC® test scores, listening comprehension tests, cloze tests, a listening self-efficacy questionnaire, and a post-treatment survey. While the training program was received favorably by students, and students displayed a slightly more confident stance towards listening in their L2, we were unable to find any strong empirical evidence that our lower-proficiency EFL learners’ listening performance improved. As such, these results provide evidence of a potential proficiency threshold for EFL learners to start to benefit from a strategy-focused metacognitive intervention.

This study explores the effectiveness of communication strategies (CSs) through pro-active listening (PAL) comprehension activities for students to actively negotiate and co-construct meaning in an English as a lingua franca (ELF)-informed pedagogy. Data was collected from fifty-three Japanese students in classes at the Center for English as a Lingua Franca (CELF) at Tamagawa University. Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. Responses to a pre-and post-questionnaire on the perceived effectiveness of CS use, transcribed speech collected during PAL comprehension activities, and written reflections by students were analyzed. The findings suggest that an ELFinformed pedagogy of explicit teaching of CSs increases students' perceived ability to use CSs effectively in PAL activities. ELF pedagogy should incorporate opportunities for students to explicitly learn and use CSs independently to become competent international communicators among other ELF speakers.The number of non-native users of English worldwide vastly exceeds that of native speakers (Graddol, 2003). This discrepancy is expected to grow, resulting in 1.2 billion non-native users (p. 163) and 433 million native speakers (p. 156) by 2050. Given this context, it is important for educators to realize that their non-native English speaking (NNES) students may find themselves in various work or social situations requiring communication with people from other countries who are not native speakers of English. English language educators should steer their approach in the direction of English as a lingua franca (ELF), defined by Seidlhofer (2011) as the "use of English among speakers of different first languages for whom English is the communicative medium of choice, and often the only option" (p. 7). Tamagawa University's Center for English as a Lingua Franca (CELF), the first such center in Japan, designed its program to promote an ELF setting, as it recognizes the potential future need

This classroom study evaluates the effectiveness of pre-teaching communication strategies before learners undertake an information-gap speaking task. A convenience sample of 67 first-year students taking mandatory English classes at a private Japanese university was subject to one of two instructional approaches. The experimental group (n=37) undertook a pre-task communication strategy awareness activity coupled with a video modeling the ensuing information-gap task and communication strategies, while the control group (n=30) received no pre-task training. An analysis of speaking times, task worksheets and audio recordings of conversations indicated that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in task accuracy and communicative efficiency. In addition, a review of experimental group conversations indicated that most participants implemented the six targeted communicative strategies multiple times throughout the speaking task. Major implications for foreign language teachers include the value of pre-task modeling and communication strategies awareness-raising to help learners overcome disconnects in communicative tasks. Further, this study demonstrates the utility of information-gap speaking tasks for: (a) practicing communicative strategies; and (b) developing learners’ communicative competencies for real-world English as a lingua franca contexts.