L2 listeners' use of transcripts: From reasons to practice

Transcripts, or the written representations of spoken texts, tend to be neglected in the language classroom. This exploratory qualitative study sought to investigate what prompted learners of English to use the transcripts provided in a computer-based L2 listening platform with the aim of shedding light on activities that could be used with listeners at low and intermediate proficiencies. Twenty-six first-year students enrolled on an initial English teacher education programme in Chile interacted individually with six different talks and associated exercises, and were then interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. Data were transcribed, coded, and themes were identified. We present the results with data integrated into three themes-relevance, recovery, and challenge-and the contributory factors for each of these themes. Pedagogical implications along with suggested activities addressing the themes and factors are provided.