Auditory information processing, or listening in oral discourse, can be carried out in various ways since its underlying goals are not per se clearly defined and depend on the listening context. A strategy is a global representation of the means of reaching a goal. The concern of the current study was placed on the strategy level rather than on the skills level. The investigation tested the efficiency of metacognitive strategies in authentic listening situations to ensure the ecological validity of the results. Using a highly structured self-observation scheme which was to be administered stepwise, the amount of intrusion by the self-observation task should be controlled. A total of 42 education students participated. During class sessions, participants were informed about listening strategies and asked to apply them in two authentic listening situations. They obtained self-observation logs which guided them through the listening situation, collecting comparative data for the perception of the listening process in the neutral and the treatment condition. Interest monitoring, asking pre-questions, and elaborate techniques were found to substantially facilitate listening. Listeners reported that they processed the material more open-mindedly and more comprehensively. They also made the point that these strategies supported allocating and sustaining attention, intensified understanding, and improved information retention. Findings suggest that the perceived qualities of auditory information processing can be enriched by strategic mental activities which are tied into the listening process. (Contains 13 tables of data and 55 references; a self-observation log is attached.) (NKA)