ABSTRACT
Upon entering university, students encounter many aspects of academic life to which they may have been previously unaccustomed, not least of which is the language specific to the context. For those students who are language learners (LLs) studying abroad, this can be especially challenging because academic English may be different from their previous experience with the language (Hyland 2009), and they must quickly become proficient in the production and comprehension of academic discourse across all four language skills to be successful in their studies. However, comprehension of academic spoken English, such as that found in lectures, may be one of the most challenging aspects of studying at English-medium universities (Dang and Webb 2014; Flowerdew 1994). Moreover, academic listening comprehension is vital because so much of what university students need to understand and learn is conveyed through the lecture (Hyland 2009). Although LLs will likely have previously developed their listening skills and knowledge of the spoken form of the language through the study of English for academic purposes (EAP), at university they face the daunting task of concentrating on and understanding long stretches of academic spoken English from lecturers who do not make allowances for the L2 listeners in the class (Field 2011).
