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What You Don't Know Can't Help You

An Exploratory Study of Background Knowledge and Second Language Listening Comprehension

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2008

Donna Reseigh Long
Donna Reseigh Long
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University
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Abstract

A number of recent studies in L1 listening comprehension have shown that background knowledge plays a crucial role in the comprehension process. The purpose of the present article is threefold: (a) to review the literature on background knowledge, (b) to present the findings of pertinent L1 and L2 research, and (c) to report the results of a preliminary study of L2 listening comprehension and background knowledge.

Type
Articles
Information
Studies in Second Language Acquisition , Volume 12 , Issue 1 , March 1990 , pp. 65 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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