Listening Comprehension for “Business English” Students: Obstacles, Needs, and Strategies

Abstract

This study is carried out with business English freshmen at the faculty of Economics in Meknes, Morocco, with the aim of exploring their needs as regards listening. To this end, a questionnaire was administered to 153 first-year “business English” students. The study reveals that listening still remains a neglected skill in the Moroccan formal learning context. As a result, students face many difficulties to get the proper meaning of the listening input. Accordingly, the paper puts forward some teaching strategies and stresses the importance of authentic materials that would help boost students’ listening skills. It also underscores the importance of the listening skill during academic learning as well as in professional career, especially in relation to international business. Ultimately, an intercultural listening course is highly recommended to help students communicate with English-speaking people from different cultures.