I research second language listening comprehension within an academic context. I am particularly interested in analysing the academic listening needs of English Language and Literature students in a Saudi Arabian university to help with the selection or development of English for specific academic purposes (ESAP) courses and test materials. The analysis will identify the cognitive listening processes needed for real-life target situations (particularly academic oral lectures). Additionally, the linguistic characteristics of spoken discourse in this target context will be studied. A sequential mixed-method approach will be used to gather and analyse these data.