This article provides a theoretical analysis of the psycholinguistic and pedagogical essence of listening comprehension skills. Listening comprehension is defined as a receptive type of speech activity, and its nature as an active cognitive process is examined through the perspectives of leading scholars such as J. Field and M. Rost. The article analyzes internal and external factors influencing the success of the listening process, as well as psychological mechanisms (attention, memory, perception, anticipation). A detailed discussion is provided on G. Buck's two-level model (identification and comprehension levels) and the three-stage pedagogical model (pre-listening, while-listening, and post-listening stages) developed by J. Wilson, J. Flowerdew, and L. Miller. The article substantiates the importance of a stage-by-stage approach, the use of metacognitive strategies, and the consideration of psychological factors in developing listening comprehension skills among higher education students.