This research is a practical investigation of the effectiveness of the methods and modes which have been used to increase the listening comprehension skills of Chinese speakers learning English as a second language (ESL). A twelve-minute videotape, "Hawaii, Chinese Style," was chosen for the experiment because the language was authentic and the content was culturally familiar to the subjects. It was hypothesized that the audio mode, without visual representation, would be more effective than the video for learning to listen to and understand ESL. The subjects, 112 university students enrolled in a required course in ESL for students with limited English proficiency, were randomly assigned to the audio or the videotape. They were given a short introduction about the content, and were allowed to listen to the material twice. Immediate recall of information on the tape was tested by administering an objective test devised by the teachers after the second exposure to the material. An analysis of the data confirmed the working hypothesis, but it is suggested that the results be interpreted with caution because testing for proficiency via print permits some interpretation of factual information and some degree of inference. (AMH)