From a theoretical point of view, listening comprehension(LC) is interpreted as a highly integrative skill which demands an active process of "analysis by synthesis," rather than receptive decoding. This paper investigates LC empirically: first, by correlations between LC and overall language proficiency, second, by correlations between LC and other language skills, and finally, by correlations among different types of test items designed to measure LC. The so-called "integrative approach" to testing, in contrast to the "discrete-point approach," provides a useful means of measuring overall language proficiency through "doze tests,""noise tests," and dictation. Present research is based on students' performance in the entrance examination and on a LC test. The result (correlation 0.51) suggests that common factors are involved in both entrance and LC tests on the level of linguistic elements, whereas differences can be detected on the higher level of integrative skills. Various studies of the relationship between LC and other language skills have shown that although LC involves basic linguistic features common to all skills, it also exhibits inherent qualities found in more specific skills. This paper discusses experiments in three different English courses: reading, composition, and LL. It demonstrates that the generally low correlations were due mainly to reliance on achievement rather than proficiency, a reflection of student attitudes toward learning. It is generally recognized that different tests measuring a particular skill reveal varying results, even from the same subjects. The very low correlation obtained here between a phoneme discrimination test and an LC test implies that the former cannot be used to measure LC; otherwise, its testing validity would be lost. After investigating four sub-tests of the LL term examination, the paper concludes that the four test items are appropriate on two grounds: (1) they manifest a contributory/distinctive power with their similar high correlations to the total score, and (2) they demonstrate rather low intercorrelations among themselves, which facilitate the validity and reliability of the total examination.
