The attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction model improves Chinese students’ English listening

We explored the impact of the attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) model on Chinese college students’ English listening proficiency. Participants were 76 sophomores, whom we divided between an experimental class and a control class. The experimental class was systematically taught using the ARCS model for 4 months, while the control class adhered to traditional grammar translation methods. We developed the Learning Motivation Questionnaire of English Listening and used this before and after the teaching block to measure listening motivation. We also tested listening ability. The experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant increase in total English listening motivation across all four dimensions of the ARCS-based scale, accompanied by a significant improvement in listening scores. Our newly developed and validated scale serves as a reliable tool for research purposes. Considering the significant correlations we observed between the ARCS dimensions and listening achievement, our findings have practical implications for enhancing college English listening instruction.