TOPIC FAMILIARITY AND ITS INFLUENCE ON LISTENING COMPREHENSION

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a study on the impact of topic familiarity on listening comprehension. The study addresses two major questions. It investigates the effect of topic familiarity on listening comprehension and how far certain aspects of the language are likely to be influenced by topic familiarity. Data were elicited from thirty four intermediate level students who were majoring in Business Studies at a private tertiary institution. A comparison between the pretest and posttest scores showed that the subjects achieved significantly higher marks after the treatment lessons. The findings of this study indicate that topic familiarity has an influence on listening comprehension.