A survey of 20 university students of English as a Second Language in China revealed lack of understanding of the role of listening in communication. Students believed they had good understanding of English vocabulary but had difficulty understanding a speaker's main ideas. Only a minority agreed that listener feedback affects the speaker's message. This situation is attributed to the Chinese method of language teaching that emphasizes vocabulary development but neglects interpersonal communication. A need for greater emphasis on development of listening skills, particularly on the effect of cultural factors and of high and low context on interaction, is seen. A recommended strategy is to teach theoretical considerations that can enhance understanding of the listening process, focusing on general rather than specific listening skills, listening distractions (factual, semantic, mental, physical), listening distortions (need for inference, personal reflection on meaning and message, listener expectation), criteria affecting listener response (listener purpose, knowledge, skills, attitudes), and active listening techniques (listening to understand and provide feedback, avoiding strong judgments about speaker statements, listening for content and feelings, restatement to ensure understanding). It is noted that listening instruction can be incorporated in distance learning as well as classroom instruction. (Contains 14 references.) (MSE)