Students should have completed Lecture 3.1 before proceeding.
← Lecture 3.1 — Reading SkillsOf the four primary language skills — reading, writing, speaking, and listening — listening is the most frequently used and the least formally taught (Vandergrift & Goh, 2019, p. 1). Research indicates that tertiary-level students spend approximately 50–75% of their classroom time listening, yet most receive almost no explicit instruction in how to do it effectively (Gilakjani & Sabouri, 2021, p. 124).
The first and most important distinction to establish is that hearing and listening are not the same thing. One is physiological; the other is cognitive and purposeful (Rost, 2020, p. 7).
Not all listening situations are identical. Different academic and professional contexts call for different types of listening, each with a distinct purpose and requiring different cognitive processes (Rost, 2020, p. 14).
| Type | Purpose | Academic Context |
|---|---|---|
| Discriminative | Distinguishing between sounds, words, and phonemes — the most basic level of listening, essential for understanding spoken language at all (Vandergrift & Goh, 2019, p. 16). | Following a lecture in a second language · Understanding an unfamiliar accent |
| Comprehensive | Understanding the full message — its content, organisation, and meaning (Brownell, 2018, p. 28). | Listening to a lecture · Following instructions · Attending a seminar presentation |
| Critical | Evaluating the content for logic, credibility, evidence, and bias. The listener questions and analyses rather than merely absorbing (Rost, 2020, p. 19). | Panel discussions · Oral examinations · Listening to political or academic debates |
| Empathic | Listening to understand the speaker's feelings, perspective, and emotional state — suspending judgement to fully enter the speaker's frame of reference (Brownell, 2018, p. 34). | Counselling contexts · Group discussions where personal experiences are shared · Peer support |
| Appreciative | Listening for enjoyment, aesthetic pleasure, or entertainment. The listener is not focused on information or evaluation (Gilakjani & Sabouri, 2021, p. 127). | Listening to poetry readings · Attending a lecture by an inspiring scholar · Oral storytelling |
Academic Priority: In tertiary-level academic contexts, comprehensive and critical listening are the most important types. Comprehensive listening ensures you understand what is being communicated; critical listening ensures you can evaluate, question, and build upon it (Rost, 2020, p. 22).
Even motivated listeners regularly fail to listen effectively because of barriers — internal and external factors that interfere with the reception, processing, or retention of spoken information (Brownell, 2018, p. 44). Identifying these barriers is the first step to overcoming them.
The most powerful strategy for improving listening in academic settings is structured note-taking. Note-taking forces active engagement with the spoken content — the listener must process, select, and record information simultaneously, preventing passive or pseudo-listening (Dunkel & Pialorsi, 2018, p. 12).
There are several established note-taking methods, each suited to different types of academic listening situations (Rost, 2020, p. 48):
Key Principle: Note-taking is not transcription. A student who tries to write every word the lecturer says will always fall behind and miss the next point. The goal is to capture key ideas, evidence, and relationships — not every word (Dunkel & Pialorsi, 2018, p. 20).
For each scenario, identify the type of listening required, the barrier present, or the appropriate note-taking method. Write one sentence justifying your answer.
Listening is not a passive ability that students either have or do not have — it is an active, learnable skill that improves with deliberate practice. A student who can distinguish the types of listening, recognise the barriers that obstruct it, and apply structured note-taking will perform significantly better in lectures, seminars, oral examinations, and group discussions (Vandergrift & Goh, 2019, p. 55).
The most important shift this lecture asks of the student is from passive hearing to active listening — from sitting in a lecture hall and hoping information will lodge in the memory, to deliberately engaging, questioning, and recording what is heard (Rost, 2020, p. 60).
Lecture 3.2 — Listening Skills: Active and Critical Listening
Which of the following best distinguishes listening from hearing?
[1 mark]
Define active listening and explain why it is described as the highest form of listening. Give two specific behaviours that distinguish an active listener from a passive one.
[2 marks]
Name and briefly describe five types of listening covered in this lecture. For each, give one academic or professional context in which that type of listening is most appropriate.
[5 marks — 1 per type]
A student who appears attentive during a lecture but is mentally thinking about other things is engaging in:
[1 mark]
Distinguish between an internal and an external barrier to listening. Give two examples of each and suggest one practical strategy for overcoming each barrier you name.
[2 marks]
The Cornell note-taking method is best described as:
[1 mark]
Explain why note-taking is described as a listening strategy rather than merely a recording tool. What cognitive processes does note-taking activate that improve listening comprehension?
[2 marks]
A lecture compares the economic policies of three West African nations across five consistent categories. Which note-taking method is most appropriate, and why? Sketch the basic structure of the method you recommend.
[2 marks]
Which type of listening is most relevant when attending a panel discussion and evaluating the logical strength of each speaker's arguments?
[1 mark]
In a paragraph of 6–8 sentences, explain the relationship between listening skill and academic success at the tertiary level. Use at least two specific types of listening and one note-taking strategy to support your argument.
[3 marks]
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