Effects of Listening Test Tasks on English Language Listening Performance Among Iranian Introvert and Extrovert EFL Students and Their Perspectives

Roghaye Moharramalian ¹ ( )
Mohammadreza Khodareza ² ( )
Shaban Najafi Karimi ³ ( )

Submited date : 2025-05-11 Accepted date : 2025-07-14

Keywords: EFL Students, Extraversion, Introversion, Listening Test Task Supports,

Abstract :

This explanatory mixed-method study investigated the effects of listening test task supports (LTTS) on the listening performance of Iranian intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) students. Eighty female English translation students at Islamic Azad University of Tonekabon, Iran, were conveniently selected, divided into four groups based on the Cambridge B1 test and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), and randomly assigned to two experimental and two control groups. After a pretest and 16 sessions with listening task supports, participants completed a posttest. Paired samples t-tests demonstrated that the experimental groups significantly outperformed the control groups. A one-way ANOVA comparing the mean scores of the groups revealed a statistically significant difference, F (3, 76) = 4.27, p = .008, indicating that improvements varied depending on group membership. Post-hoc Tukey tests further showed that both introverted and extroverted experimental groups achieved significantly greater listening gains than the introverted control group, while differences involving the extroverted control group were not statistically significant. In the qualitative phase, five students from the experimental groups participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews revealed distinct perspectives between introverted and extroverted students regarding the advantages and challenges of using LTTS, reflecting their individual learning preferences and styles. The study implies that EFL educators and assessment designers should implement personalized, multifaceted listening supports to enhance comprehension, lower anxiety, and ensure fair testing.

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