Rethinking the Role of Attention in Listening Theories and Practice
Abstract
Despite decades of theorizing, attention remains a central but underexamined construct in listening research. Revisiting attention as both a gate and a gradient reframes how listening is understood, measured, and taught. We propose that listening competence cannot be fully explained by attentional control alone and that pedagogical approaches should incorporate strategies for accessing and retraining intuitive listening habits, not simply intensifying rational scrutiny. The following article advocates for a more complex, integrative, dual-process framework that situates attention within broader systems of cognitive, emotional, and social processing. This framework reimagines listening as a dynamic, embodied, and contextually embedded process, operating across, rather than within, the boundary of conscious control.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Educational Philosophies and Pedagogies
Communication in Education and Healthcare
Diverse Music Education Insights
Publication details
- Journal / source
- International Journal of Listening
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 40
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 149–160
- Publication date
- 20 April 2026
- Language
- EN