مشخصات پژوهش

Second language (L2) listening comprehension is a complex skill that requires the integration of linguistic, cognitive, and perceptual processes (Bialystok et al, 2012). Among these, prosodic sensitivity—the ability to perceive and interpret variations in pitch, stress, rhythm, and intonation—plays a crucial role in understanding spoken language (Cummings et al, 2015). Prosody not only conveys meaning beyond the lexical level but also provides cues for parsing speech into comprehensible units, aiding listeners in distinguishing sentence boundaries, emphasis, and speaker intent (Cutler, 2012; Wennerstrom, 2001). For L2 learners, developing prosodic sensitivity is particularly critical due to the challenges posed by unfamiliar sound patterns and prosodic systems of the target language. In addition to prosodic sensitivity, executive functions (EF) serve as a key mediator in the relationship between prosodic processing and listening comprehension. EFs encompass cognitive processes such as inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory, all of which are essential for managing the demands of real-time language processing (Miyake et al., 2000). For instance, inhibitory control helps suppress irrelevant auditory input, cognitive flexibility allows learners to adapt to varying prosodic patterns, and working memory facilitates the retention and integration of prosodic and lexical information (Baddeley, 2003; Bialystok, 2009). While existing research highlights the importance of EFs and prosodic sensitivity independently, their combined impact on L2 listening comprehension remains underexplored. In developing L2, listening comprehension poses significant challenges for Iraqi EFL learners, who often struggle to decode and interpret spoken English effectively. Traditional teaching methods tend to emphasize vocabulary and grammar at the expense of suprasegmental features like prosody, leaving learners ill-equipped to process the nuanced aspects of spoken language.