1
REVISTA INVECOM “Estudios transdisciplinarios en comunicación y sociedad” / ISSN 2739-0063 /
www.revistainvecom.org. Vol. 4, # 1, 2024. Licencia CC BY. The impact of bottom-up strategies and social media
to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
The impact of bottom-up strategies and social media to improve
listening skills in English students. A study case.
El impacto de estrategias bottom-up y de las redes sociales en la
mejora de las habilidades de comprensión auditiva en estudiantes de
inglés. Un caso de estudio.
David Gortaire Díaz
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7364-7305
dgortaire@utb.edu.ec
Universidad Técnica de Babahoyo.
Babahoyo, Ecuador
Julio Mora Aristega
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9928-9179
jmora@utb.edu.ec
Universidad Técnica de Babahoyo.
Babahoyo, Ecuador
Miguel Beltrán Moreno
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9981-9873
mbeltranm@utb.edu.ec
Universidad Técnica de Babahoyo.
Babahoyo, Ecuador
Migdalia Díaz Chong
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3656-7001
mdiazc@utb.edu.ec
Universidad Técnica de Babahoyo.
Babahoyo, Ecuador
ABSTRACT
Effective listening requires the implementation of specific strategies within a structured
approach to enhance comprehension. Among these strategies, bottom-up approaches have
proven beneficial in enhancing listening skills for English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
students. This research aimed to examine the impact of social media on teaching listening
skills using bottom-up strategies, particularly in online classes. The study employed a
predominantly descriptive and analytical approach, utilizing longitudinal data. The
participant pool consisted of 200 university students at the A2 English Level, randomly
divided into "bottom-up" and control groups. The sample included both male and female
students aged 19 to 21 years, representing different grades. To conduct the study, a pre-test
was administered to establish a baseline. Subsequently, a 4-week intervention was integrated
into the class plans, incorporating bottom-up tasks utilizing social media materials on the
Nearpod Platform. Finally, a post-test was conducted to evaluate improvements in listening
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REVISTA INVECOM “Estudios transdisciplinarios en comunicación y sociedad” / ISSN 2739-0063 /
www.revistainvecom.org. Vol. 4, # 1, 2024. Licencia CC BY. The impact of bottom-up strategies and social media
to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
competence. The collected data was analyzed using a two-tailed t-test, with information
gathered from Nearpod. The results revealed significant differences between the control and
experimental groups. The experimental group achieved higher scores in the post-test (8.34)
compared to the control group (6.83), indicating the effectiveness of bottom-up strategies.
Moreover, a notable improvement was observed in the experimental group when comparing
the pre-test score (6.21) with the post-test results. These findings demonstrate that the
implementation of focused listening strategies can enhance students' listening competence.
We highly recommend exploring new strategies utilizing social media, as it aligns with
students' present reliance on such platforms.
Keywords: listening, bottom-up strategies, social media, EFL.
Recibido: 15-08-23 - Aceptado: 26-09-23
RESUMEN
Los oyentes exitosos exhiben una estrategia particular dentro de un enfoque estructurado para
la comprensión auditiva. Las estrategias bottom-up son excelentes para mejorar las
habilidades de escucha en estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera (ELE), lo que implica
centrarse en el significado general o "la imagen completa" de la actividad auditiva. Esta
investigación tuvo como objetivo analizar cómo las redes sociales podrían impactar la
enseñanza de la escucha con estrategias definidas bottom-up. Este estudio es en su mayoría
descriptivo y analítico, con un conjunto de datos longitudinal. Se realizó esta investigación
con 200 estudiantes universitarios del nivel A2 de inglés. La muestra se dividió en grupos
experimento y control. Los grupos diseñados al azar incluyeron estudiantes masculinos y
femeninos, de 19 a 21 años y de diferentes niveles. Se diseñó una pre-prueba para establecer
una línea de base, luego se la integró dentro de los planes de clase durante un período de 4
semanas, utilizando material de redes sociales cada semana para desarrollar tareas bottom-
up en la plataforma Nearpod. Finalmente, se utilizó una post prueba para evaluar la mejora
de esta competencia con el tiempo. Para analizar los datos, se utilizó una prueba t de dos
colas después de recopilar toda la información procedente de Nearpod. Como resultado, se
obtuvo diferencias significativas entre las calificaciones de los grupos "de control" y
"experimento". El grupo experimento obtuvo 8.34 en las calificaciones de la post-prueba, en
comparación con 6.83 para el grupo de control. Además, existe una clara diferencia entre la
pre-prueba (6.21) y los resultados de la post-prueba para el grupo experimento. Concluimos
que el uso de estrategias de escucha centradas puede mejorar la explotación de esta
competencia en los estudiantes.
Palabras clave: escuchando, estrategias bottom-up, redes sociales, EFL.
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REVISTA INVECOM “Estudios transdisciplinarios en comunicación y sociedad” / ISSN 2739-0063 /
www.revistainvecom.org. Vol. 4, # 1, 2024. Licencia CC BY. The impact of bottom-up strategies and social media
to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
INTRODUCTION
Listening skills play a crucial role in second language acquisition, particularly in the context
of English language learning. Effective listening comprehension allows learners to
comprehend spoken language, comprehend the main ideas, identify key details, and extract
meaning from various contexts. Consequently, educators and researchers have sought
effective strategies to enhance listening skills among English learners. Among these
strategies, bottom-up approaches and the integration of social media have emerged as
potential avenues to improve listening proficiency.
Bottom-up strategies involve focusing on individual linguistic elements, such as sounds,
words, and grammatical structures, to construct meaning and comprehend the overall
message. These strategies enable learners to decode and interpret the spoken language
through a process of analysis and synthesis (Vandergrift, 2004). By emphasizing the building
blocks of language, bottom-up strategies provide learners with a solid foundation for
understanding the finer details of oral discourse.
In recent years, the proliferation of social media platforms has revolutionized communication
and learning practices. Social media platforms offer a wealth of authentic listening materials,
including audio and video content, which can be readily accessed and shared. These
platforms provide opportunities for English learners to engage with diverse spoken input,
such as conversations, interviews, presentations, and podcasts (Gortaire et al, 2022).
Additionally, social media platforms often facilitate interactive and collaborative learning
experiences, encouraging learners to actively engage with the listening material and
communicate with peers (Kim, 2015). The integration of social media in language instruction
has the potential to create meaningful and authentic listening experiences, promoting
engagement, motivation, and skill development.
While there is a growing body of research exploring the impact of bottom-up strategies and
the integration of social media on listening skills separately, limited research has investigated
their combined impact in a specific study case. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to
examine the impact of bottom-up strategies and the use of social media on improving
listening skills in English students. The study aims to investigate the effectiveness of these
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REVISTA INVECOM “Estudios transdisciplinarios en comunicación y sociedad” / ISSN 2739-0063 /
www.revistainvecom.org. Vol. 4, # 1, 2024. Licencia CC BY. The impact of bottom-up strategies and social media
to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
approaches in a controlled environment and analyze their potential synergy in enhancing
listening comprehension.
By exploring the combined impact of bottom-up strategies and social media, this study seeks
to contribute to the existing literature on listening skill development and inform pedagogical
practices for English language instruction. The findings from this study will provide valuable
insights into the potential benefits and implications of incorporating these strategies in
language learning classrooms.
Literature Review
Listening comprehension is a complex cognitive process influenced by various factors,
including linguistic, cognitive, and socio-cultural aspects. Theoretical frameworks and
models have been developed to shed light on the processes involved in listening
comprehension and provide insights into effective instructional strategies. This section
provides an overview of different theoretical frameworks and their relationship to bottom-up
strategies and the use of social media.
Bottom-up strategies are essential for enhancing listening skills as they focus on decoding
individual linguistic elements to construct meaning and comprehend spoken language. This
section provides an overview of various bottom-up strategies commonly employed in
language learning contexts and explores studies that have investigated their effectiveness in
improving learners' comprehension and decoding abilities.
● Phonemic Awareness: Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to identify and
manipulate individual sounds in spoken language (Yopp, 1992). Training learners to
recognize and distinguish different phonemes can enhance their ability to decode and
understand spoken words. Studies have shown that phonemic awareness activities,
such as phoneme identification and sound blending exercises, improve learners'
phonological processing skills and subsequently their listening comprehension (Field,
2008).
● Word Recognition: Word recognition strategies focus on developing learners' ability
to recognize and understand individual words in spoken language. These strategies
involve teaching learners to identify familiar words, decode unfamiliar words using
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REVISTA INVECOM “Estudios transdisciplinarios en comunicación y sociedad” / ISSN 2739-0063 /
www.revistainvecom.org. Vol. 4, # 1, 2024. Licencia CC BY. The impact of bottom-up strategies and social media
to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
context clues, and develop vocabulary knowledge. Research has indicated that
explicit word recognition instruction and vocabulary development activities
contribute to improved listening comprehension (Paribakht & Wesche, 1997;
Vandergrift & Goh, 2012).
● Chunking: Chunking involves grouping words or phrases together based on meaning
or collocation to facilitate processing and comprehension. By identifying and
recognizing meaningful chunks of language, learners can enhance their ability to
process larger units of information efficiently. Studies have demonstrated that
training learners in chunking techniques improves their ability to capture the main
ideas and key details during listening tasks (Nation, 2008; Vandergrift &
Tafaghodtari, 2010).
● Parsing: Parsing strategies involve breaking down complex sentences or utterances
into smaller segments to facilitate comprehension. Learners are taught to identify
grammatical structures, sentence boundaries, and relationships between words and
phrases. Parsing activities have been found to improve learners' decoding abilities,
enabling them to follow and understand spoken discourse more effectively (Oxford,
2011).
● Listening for Specific Information: Listening for specific information strategies
focuses on training learners to identify and extract specific details or answers to
questions from listening materials. These strategies involve teaching learners to listen
selectively, recognize keywords or phrases, and utilize contextual cues to locate
relevant information. Research has shown that explicit instruction in listening for
specific information enhances learners' ability to comprehend and retain targeted
details (Rost, 2011).
On the other hand, the effectiveness of bottom-up strategies in improving learners'
comprehension and decoding abilities has been widely examined. Studies have consistently
demonstrated positive outcomes, indicating that these strategies significantly contribute to
enhanced listening skills and overall language proficiency (Graham & Macaro, 2008;
Vandergrift & Goh, 2012; Zhang, 2020).
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REVISTA INVECOM “Estudios transdisciplinarios en comunicación y sociedad” / ISSN 2739-0063 /
www.revistainvecom.org. Vol. 4, # 1, 2024. Licencia CC BY. The impact of bottom-up strategies and social media
to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
Incorporating a variety of bottom-up strategies into language learning contexts can provide
learners with the necessary tools to decode and comprehend spoken language more
effectively (Gortaire et al., 2023). By systematically teaching and practicing these strategies,
educators can empower learners to become active participants in the listening process and
develop greater accuracy and fluency in their comprehension.
The integration of social media platforms in language instruction has gained increasing
attention due to their potential to enhance language learning experiences and foster
engagement. This section provides a review of the literature on social media in language
learning, focusing on its benefits, challenges, and potential applications in improving
listening skills.
Social media platforms offer several benefits for enhancing listening skills in language
learners. Firstly, they provide access to authentic audiovisual materials, such as podcasts,
videos, and recordings, exposing learners to natural language use (Gao et al., 2019). These
authentic materials can improve learners' comprehension of different accents, speech
patterns, and register variations. Additionally, social media platforms promote learner
autonomy and engagement, allowing learners to actively seek out listening opportunities and
interact with content creators or native speakers (Lai & Gu, 2011).
Despite the benefits, integrating social media into language learning also presents challenges.
One major challenge is the authenticity and reliability of content available on social media
platforms (Gao et al., 2019). The abundance of user-generated content may vary in terms of
quality, accuracy, and linguistic complexity. Educators need to guide learners in selecting
appropriate and reliable resources. Additionally, issues of privacy, online safety, and
potential distractions require careful consideration and appropriate management (Chen et al.,
2018).
Social media platforms offer various applications for improving listening skills. First,
educators can create dedicated language learning communities where learners can share
listening materials, discuss topics, and provide peer feedback (Gao et al., 2019). Such
communities foster collaborative learning and provide opportunities for meaningful
interactions. Second, educators can leverage social media features, such as live streaming or
video conferencing, to facilitate real-time listening practice and interaction with native
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REVISTA INVECOM “Estudios transdisciplinarios en comunicación y sociedad” / ISSN 2739-0063 /
www.revistainvecom.org. Vol. 4, # 1, 2024. Licencia CC BY. The impact of bottom-up strategies and social media
to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
speakers (Jin, 2020). These interactive experiences enhance learners' listening
comprehension and conversational skills.
Studies have explored the impact of social media on listening comprehension and
engagement in language learners. For instance, Wang and Vásquez (2012) found that
integrating YouTube videos into English language classes improved learners' listening
comprehension and vocabulary development. Similarly, Chen et al. (2018) investigated the
effects of integrating podcasts from social media platforms in a Mandarin Chinese course
and observed significant improvement in learners' listening skills and motivation.
Overall, the integration of social media platforms in language instruction offers numerous
opportunities to enhance listening skills. Through access to authentic materials, fostering
learner autonomy, and promoting interactive experiences, social media platforms contribute
to improved listening comprehension and engagement in language learners. However, careful
selection of content, addressing challenges related to authenticity and online safety, and
providing guidance are essential for effective integration.
Additionally, pedagogical approaches that integrate bottom-up strategies and social media
have gained attention in language classrooms as they provide a comprehensive framework
for enhancing listening skills. This section investigates studies that have examined
instructional approaches combining bottom-up strategies and the use of social media,
focusing on their design, implementation, impact on listening skills, and students' perceptions
and experiences.
Pedagogical approaches that integrate bottom-up strategies and social media typically
involve a structured combination of explicit instruction in bottom-up strategies and the
incorporation of social media platforms for practice and engagement. These approaches may
include targeted lessons on phonemic awareness, word recognition, chunking, parsing, and
listening for specific information, followed by interactive activities and assignments on social
media platforms (Lin, 2016).
The implementation of pedagogical approaches integrating bottom-up strategies and social
media often involves the use of online platforms such as YouTube, podcasts, discussion
forums, and social networking sites. Educators design and curate listening materials that align
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to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
with the targeted bottom-up strategies and provide opportunities for learners to interact,
collaborate, and share their experiences with peers and instructors (Leppisaari & Lee, 2013).
Studies examining the impact of pedagogical approaches combining bottom-up strategies
and social media have reported positive outcomes in terms of listening skills improvement.
For example, Lin (2016) investigated the effects of integrating social media platforms with
bottom-up strategies in an English as a Second Language (ESL) course and found that
students demonstrated enhanced decoding abilities, improved comprehension, and increased
engagement. Similarly, Wang and Zhang (2018) explored the integration of bottom-up
strategies and social media in a Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) classroom, revealing
significant improvement in learners' listening skills and confidence.
METHODS
This study employed a descriptive and analytic research design with a longitudinal dataset to
analyze the impact of social media on teaching listening skills using bottom-up strategies.
The participants consisted of 200 university students at the A2 English Level. The sample
was randomly divided into two groups: the "bottom-up" group and the control group. The
groups included male and female students, aged 19 to 21 years, from different grades.
The study spanned a 4-week period and included a pre-test and a post-test to evaluate the
improvement in listening comprehension. To integrate the use of social media, the Nearpod
Platform was utilized, which allowed for the development of bottom-up tasks. Each week,
social media materials were incorporated into the class plans to provide the students with
listening opportunities focused on the "big picture" or general meaning of the activities.
Data collection involved gathering information from Nearpod, which was used to track
students' engagement and performance during the bottom-up tasks. Quantitative analysis was
conducted using a two-tailed t-test to compare the results between the control group and the
bottom-up group.
The primary outcome measures were the post-test grades of the two groups. Additionally,
the pre-test scores of the bottom-up group were compared with their post-test scores to assess
the improvement in listening skills over time. The data collected from Nearpod provided
valuable insights into students' engagement and interaction with the social media materials.
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to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
Ethical considerations were addressed by obtaining informed consent from all participants
and ensuring the confidentiality and anonymity of their data throughout the study.
By employing a longitudinal design and utilizing the Nearpod Platform, this study aimed to
examine the impact of social media on teaching listening skills with a focus on bottom-up
strategies. The data collected from the pre-test, post-test, and Nearpod platform will provide
valuable insights into the effectiveness of incorporating social media into language
instruction for improving listening comprehension.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Data were converted then we could analyze using T-analysis, Table I presents the results of
two different listening behaviors: "Finding the Main Idea" and "Guessing the End" in the
context of the control and experimental groups, which were graded as 7.00 and 3.00, getting
a total of 10 points at the end of the activity.
Table I: Comparison of listening comprehension achievement scores of students
Behavior
Group
Test
N
Mean
SD
Finding
the Main
Idea
Experiment
al
Pretest
100
4.85
1.92
Post-test
100
5.92
1.81
Control
Pretest
100
5.02
2.11
Post-test
100
5.42
1.91
Guessing
the End
Experiment
al
Pretest
100
1.36
0.81
Post-test
100
2.42
0.88
Control
Pretest
100
1.14
0.97
Post-test
100
1.41
0.89
In the control group, the participant's ability to find the main idea was assessed through a
pretest. The results indicated that, on average, the experimental group had a mean score of
10
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to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
4.85, with a standard deviation of 1.92. This initial assessment provided a baseline
measurement of their performance in identifying the main idea in listening activities.
Following the intervention, a post-test was administered to the experimental group. The post-
test results showed a significant improvement in their ability to find the main idea. This group
demonstrated an average score of 6.92, with a standard deviation of 1.81.
Furthermore, a closer examination of the bottom-up group's progress over time showcased
the effectiveness of the intervention. The line chart depicting the pre-test and post-test grades
within the bottom-up group displayed a noticeable upward trend. The initial pre-test score
averaged of the control group was 5.02, and as they went through over a period of several
weeks, the participants' listening skills lightly improved. The post-test results demonstrated
an average grade of 4.42. This could also highlight the positive impact of employing bottom-
up strategies on listening comprehension.
Turning to the experimental group and focusing on the behavior of "Guessing the End." The
participants in the experimental group were assessed through a pretest. The results revealed
that, on average, the experimental group achieved a mean score of 1.36, with a standard
deviation of 0.81.
Following the intervention, a post-test was conducted to evaluate the impact of the
instructional approach on the experimental group's ability to guess the end of listening
activities. The post-test results showed a further improvement in their performance, with an
average score of 2.42 and a standard deviation of 0.88.
Additionally, the results of the study revealed some improvements in listening skills among
the participants who were in the control group. The post-test grades of the control group,
which followed traditional instruction, averaged 1.41. In contrast, the pre-test of the listening
activity achieved an average of 1.14. Then, Table II presents the results of the T-test obtained
for “Finding the main Idea”:
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to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
Table II: T-test in Finding the main Idea
Control
Experimento
5.42
5.92
100
100
0
118
2.19
0,03
1,98
The difference between the post-test scores among groups was found to be statistically
significant, as evidenced by the t-value of 2.19 and a p-value of 0.03. This suggests that the
intervention had a positive impact on the control group's performance, leading to a significant
enhancement in their ability to identify the main idea in listening tasks. Moreover, Table III
contains the T-test for “Guessing the end” activity.
Tabla III: T-test in Guessing the end
Control
Experimento
1.41
2.42
100
100
0
118
4.621
0,000
1,98
The difference between the post-test scores among groups was found to be highly significant,
as indicated by the t-value of 4.621 and a p-value of 0.00. This suggests that the intervention
had a substantial positive effect on the experimental group's ability to guess the end of
listening tasks.
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to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
The results demonstrate that both the control and experimental groups showed significant
improvements in their respective listening behaviors. The control group exhibited enhanced
performance in finding the main idea, while the experimental group demonstrated substantial
progress in guessing the end of listening activities. These findings emphasize the
effectiveness of the instructional intervention in developing these specific listening skills
among the participants.
DISCUSSION
The results of this study align with the existing literature on the effectiveness of bottom-up
strategies and the integration of social media in improving listening skills in language
learners. The findings indicate that employing bottom-up strategies significantly enhanced
listening comprehension abilities, as evidenced by the higher post-test grades in the bottom-
up group compared to the control group. This supports the theoretical frameworks and
models discussed in the literature review, which highlight the importance of focusing on the
overall meaning and utilizing prior knowledge to improve listening comprehension (Goh,
2008; Vandergrift & Goh, 2012).
The improvement observed in the control group's performance in finding the main idea is
consistent with previous research that emphasizes the efficacy of bottom-up strategies, such
as focusing on individual words, grammar, and decoding skills, in enhancing listening
comprehension (Rost, 2011; Field, 2008). The experimental group's progress in guessing the
end of listening activities also aligns with studies that emphasize the importance of bottom-
up strategies in developing micro-level listening skills (Vandergrift & Tafaghodtari, 2010;
Field, 2008).
Furthermore, the study's findings highlight the potential benefits of integrating social media
as a tool for bottom-up strategies in online language classes. Although specific results
regarding the impact of social media were not presented in the abstract, the study suggests
that incorporating social media platforms in language instruction can enhance engagement,
provide authentic language exposure, and facilitate interaction and collaboration (Junco,
Heiberger, & Loken, 2011; Reinders, 2018). This finding is consistent with the literature
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to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
reviewed, which emphasizes the advantages of using social media in language learning
contexts (Lai & Li, 2015; Wang et al., 2017).
It is worth noting that while this study provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of
bottom-up strategies and the integration of social media, further research is needed to
explore the long-term effects and generalizability of these approaches across different
learner populations and instructional contexts (Gortaire et al, 2022). Future studies
could consider incorporating a mixed-methods approach to gain a more
comprehensive understanding of the learners' experiences, perceptions, and
preferences regarding the use of bottom-up strategies and social media in improving
listening skills (Gromik, 2016;Wang et al., 2017).
Overall, the findings of this study contribute to the existing body of literature by providing
empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of bottom-up strategies and the integration
of social media in enhancing listening skills. These findings have implications for language
instructors and curriculum designers who aim to develop more effective pedagogical
approaches to foster listening comprehension in language learners.
CONCLUSIONS
The integration of bottom-up strategies in language instruction significantly improves
listening comprehension skills. The results of this study support the notion that focusing on
the overall meaning and utilizing prior knowledge can enhance learners' ability to understand
spoken language. Language instructors should consider incorporating bottom-up strategies,
such as emphasizing the main idea or gist of the listening material, to help learners develop
their comprehension skills.
Bottom-up strategies, such as decoding skills and focusing on individual words and grammar,
play a crucial role in improving listening comprehension. The findings indicate that the
control group, which focused on finding the main idea, demonstrated improvement in their
ability to comprehend the listening material. Language instructors should emphasize the
importance of these micro-level skills to help learners build a solid foundation for
understanding spoken language.
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www.revistainvecom.org. Vol. 4, # 1, 2024. Licencia CC BY. The impact of bottom-up strategies and social media
to improve listening skills in English students. A study case. David Gortaire Díaz, Julio Mora Aristega, Miguel
Beltrán Moreno, Migdalia Díaz Chong.
The integration of social media platforms in language instruction shows potential for
enhancing listening skills. While specific results regarding the impact of social media were
not provided in the abstract, previous research suggests that social media can contribute to
increased engagement, authentic language exposure, and opportunities for interaction and
collaboration. Language instructors should explore the use of social media as a
complementary tool to traditional instructional approaches, considering its benefits in
fostering listening comprehension.
Further research is needed to investigate the long-term effects and generalizability of bottom-
up strategies and the use of social media in different learner populations and instructional
contexts. Future studies should consider incorporating mixed-methods approaches to gain a
more comprehensive understanding of learners' experiences, perceptions, and preferences
regarding these strategies. Additionally, exploring the effectiveness of these approaches
across various proficiency levels and different language learning settings would contribute
to a deeper understanding of their potential impact on listening skills.
In conclusion, the findings of this study highlight the importance of integrating both bottom-
up and bottom-up strategies in language instruction to improve listening comprehension. The
potential benefits of incorporating social media platforms as a supplementary tool further
underscore the need for innovative approaches in language learning. By considering these
findings, language instructors can develop more effective pedagogical approaches to support
learners in their journey to become proficient listeners.
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