The Impact of Culture on Listening Assessment

Abstract

Culture permeates our understanding of the world and things around us, affecting our psyche, our
cognition, and our social interaction. To what degree does it affect our comprehension of utterances in a
language other than our mother tongue? To what degree is the assessment of that comprehension shaped by
our cultural worldview? This study synthesizes and pulls together research from Geert Hofstede’s (2024)
dimensions of culture, TED Talks about communication and listening, and studies in assessment to propose a
method of instruction and qualitative assessment then applies it for a descriptive analysis of seven students’
performance on a listening test. Implications are considered that would boost English language listening
proficiency among Hungarian students in SZTE’s Institute of English and American Studies.