TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING LISTENING IN ESL CLASSROOMS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY THROUGH THE BELIEF–INFRASTRUCTURE–TECHNOLOGY FRAMEWORK

Abstract

Listening is a foundational yet persistently marginalized skill in English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms, particularly in multilingual educational contexts. Although contemporary second language acquisition (SLA) research emphasizes listening as an active, strategic, and teachable skill, classroom practices often fail to reflect this understanding. This study investigates secondary school English teachers’ perceptions of teaching listening and examines how these perceptions interact with teachers’ learning histories, institutional environments, and access to technological resources. Using questionnaire data and informal interviews with teachers from government, aided, and private schools, the study provides a detailed descriptive and analytical account of listening pedagogy in practice. Based on the empirical findings, the paper proposes the Belief–Infrastructure–Technology (BIT) Framework, an original conceptual model explaining why listening instruction remains limited despite widespread awareness of its importance. The study contributes to ESL pedagogy by offering a data-driven, context-sensitive explanation of listening instruction and by suggesting directions for teacher education and institutional reform.