The Unveiling the Relationship between Self-Esteem and Listening Comprehension of Iraqi EFL University Students

Abstract

Although previous studies have successfully established generalizable evidence related to the relationship between EFL undergraduate students’ self-esteem and their listening comprehension, they often fail to explore the lived, nuanced experiences of learners related to the factors resulted from students’ self-esteem that influence EFL undergraduate students’ listening comprehension. Accordingly, the current study provides a contribution not only in quantifying the correlation between the two targeted variables but also delves into the qualitative "how" and "why" behind it. The current study aims at identifying and investigating the relationship between EFL university students’ self-esteem and their listening comprehension. The study also explores the factors that cultivate students’ performance in listening comprehension as they are resulted from their self-esteem. The sample of the study is represented by 80 EFL university students who were randomly selected from the Department of English-College of Education for Humanities- University of Anbar. A mixed modes explanatory correlational design was used aided by a self-esteem questionnaire, a listening comprehension test, and a semi-structured interview to gather information. Quantitative and qualitative analysis procedures were used to analyse the collected data. The findings found a statistically significant correlation between EFL university students' self-esteem and their performance in listening comprehension. As evidenced by the positive Pearson correlation coefficient between the two variables. Besides, the interview findings were also in consistent with the quantitative results as they revealed that certain factors helped in promoting students’ performance in listening comprehension due to their high level of self-esteem. These factors are; self-esteem cultivates students’ motivation and self-confidence, increases mental readiness, helps students overcome listening anxiety, and helps students’ avoid boredom and impatience.