The Effect of Age on Iranian EFL Learners’ Listening Perception Regarding Different Varieties of English

It goes without saying that noticeable expanse of English as the most common means of communication all over the world leads to existence of different varieties of English. Therefore, getting familiar with these varieties will be of paramount importance. This study investigated the effect of different varieties of English on Iranian EFL learners’ listening perception. Also, it elaborated one of the effective factors age and its probable impacts on listening perception. To do so, 50 female Iranian EFL learners in Pooyesh Language School were selected as the participants and by applying IELTS listening tests the required data were gathered and analyzed utilizing matched t test. To identify the effect of age, one-way ANOVA was used. The findings of the study showed incapability of Iranian EFL learners in comprehending different varieties of English. No significant effect for age was found. The study suggests that awareness raising and inclusion of different varieties of English in the syllabi offered to Iranian EFL learners can improve the quality of language teaching and learning process. Keywords: Age, Effective factors, Language learning process, Listening comprehension, Varieties of English