Challenges in Teaching Listening Skills within Overcrowded Classrooms: Case Study of First-Year Pupils at Mohamed Khider Middle School, Bouira.

Abstract

This study investigates challenges in teaching listening within overcrowded classrooms at Mohamed Khider middle school in Bouira- Algeria, offers practical suggested solutions to address this problem. It is hypothesized that Algerian English teachers at middle schools encounter difficulties and face numerous obstacles while teaching listening skills in their large-size classes. To test the validity of the hypotheses, an exploratory sequential mixed method design was used withbothqualitativeandquantitativeanalysisbutthedominantonewasqualitative. Thisdetailed ThematicAnalysis(TA)ofsemi-structuredinterviewsconductedwithsixEnglishteachersatMohamed Khider Middle School in Bouira, aiming to explore the challenges of this problem. By using a frequency-based TA model, the data were organized into three main categories: teacher background,corechallenges,andsuggestedstrategies. Thefindingsrevealedarangeofobstacles, including classroom noise, lack of individual attention, limited resources, time constraints, and student disengagement, which collectively hindered effective listening instruction. Despite these constraints, teachersdemonstratedtheiradaptabilitythroughtheuseofcollaborativelearning, visual aids, multimodal strategies, and structured frameworks. A recurring theme was the institutionalgapinsupport,withteacherscallingforprofessionaldevelopment,betterinfrastructure,and smallerclasssizes. Thestudyhighlightstheneedforreformeffortsthatrecognizeandbuildupon teachers’resilienceandclassroom-basedinnovations,emphasizingthatsustainableimprovements inlisteningpedagogymustbeinformedbythelivedrealitiesofeducatorsontheground.