The English listening ability of Taiwanese university students is receiving increasing attention these days, as it is the most important skill they will use in taking the TOEFL test (Shiue & Roebl, 2002). The bilingual survey included five parameters: 1.)the percentage of class time their English teacher spoke to them in English; 2.)the percentage of their English lesson time they listened to English on audio tape, radio,, or videotape; 3.)how often they listened to English on televison, radio, or movies outside of school; 4.)how often they were tested on their English listening ability while in high school; and 5.)what their greatest current motivation is for improving their English ability. Results suggest why the listening ability of so many Taiwanese high school graduates is poor. The sample size was quite large (515),so the results should be fairly representative of freshmen students at the university the surveyed students attend.
