Effects of Working Memory Capacity and Listening Anxiety on College Students’ English Listening Comprehension

Abstract

This study aims to explore the influence of working memory capacity and listening anxiety on college students’ English listening comprehension and their interaction. Through the Oxford English Proficiency Test, Working Memory Capacity Test, Listening Anxiety Questionnaire and Listening Comprehension Test, 60 college students with medium English Proficiency were analyzed by SPSS25.0. The results show that there is a significant positive correlation between working memory capacity and English listening comprehension (r=0.65, P < 0.01). Listening anxiety is negatively correlated with listening comprehension (r=-0.58, P < 0.01). There is interaction between them, and high working memory capacity can alleviate the negative influence of high anxiety on listening comprehension. Based on this, this paper puts forward some targeted teaching suggestions to provide reference for improving college students’ English listening comprehension ability.