Listening Comprehension Strategies in Acquiring German as a Foreign Language. Analysis of the Text Book “Schritte International NEU A2”

This study shows that listening comprehension is very important in both first language acquisition and foreign language learning. Nevertheless, listening receives little attention in foreign language teaching, so it is rarely trained. Listening is a skill we possess from birth and is not learned through social interaction. While listening is a physical process, understanding is a mental one that involves attention, perception, and interpretation. In our first language, listening and understanding pose no difficulties. Here, we can grasp a statement without understanding every word. We use our prior knowledge and predictions to do so. Strategies are required to practice listening skills. These are used in the native language without realizing it, and learners must then redirect their attention to the foreign language. This paper describes strategies relevant to listening comprehension. The textbook “Schritte International Neu” covers all language levels, from A1 to B2. There are many different types of texts for listening. Listening strategies are addressed throughout the textbook and practiced through various tasks. The strategies are repeated after a few tasks and are also combined with each other. However, not all strategies known in the specialist literature are used in the textbook.