Listening in English as a foreign language: a multiple case study of teachers’ and learners’ practices and beliefs in an Italian secondary school

This thesis explores the beliefs and practices related to listening in English as a Foreign Language of English language teachers and learners in an Italian upper secondary school. While studies on teacher and learner beliefs on various aspects of English language teaching and learning have been conducted, there is a paucity of studies investigating listening, especially in secondary schools, and no study to date in the Italian context.
Drawing on the fields of teacher cognition, learner beliefs and listening pedagogy, this research is a multiple case study of four experienced teachers and four groups of learners (84 in total). Data were collected during an academic year through classroom observations, teacher interviews (including video-stimulated recall interviews), learner questionnaires, learner interviews and document analysis.
Findings show that teachers thought of listening not as an end in itself, but as part of a broader educational approach. As such, listening was subservient to other purposes, such as learning vocabulary or developing critical thinking, and there was little evidence of focusing on developing the processes of listening. Teaching approaches varied from highly structured and coursebook-based to more emergent, content-driven teaching, showing the high degree of freedom of teachers in Italian schools. In explaining their practices, teachers articulated their beliefs about education, contextual factors, learners and listening. Tensions between these beliefs emerged, highlighting the existence of core and peripheral beliefs. Learners generally showed positive beliefs about listening, which were highly influenced by the different tasks they experienced in the classroom. A common theme emerging among learners was also that listening was perceived as a highly unpredictable activity. Teachers and learners also interpreted and misinterpreted each other’s beliefs, practices and emotions. These interpretations, as well as the teachers’ and learners’ beliefs and practices, are discussed in terms of their implications for pedagogy and teacher education.