CRITICAL EVALUATION OF LISTENING COMPREHENSION COMPETENCY IN HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOLS: EVIDENCE FROM QUETTA, BALUCHISTAN, PAKISTAN

Listening Skill of any language is the key to all effective communication (Amir & Kang, 2018a; Amir & Kang, 2018b). Listening means the ability to receive and interpret the spoken text accurately and this fact makes it the one communication skill that a language learner should master. Considering the importance of the English language in Pakistan’s educational system, and that of Listening comprehension in the communication system, this study critically evaluates listening competency making a comparison between various groups of Higher Secondary School students of the provincial capital Quetta. The purpose of the study is to identify problems and hurdles that students face while listening to the English language and recommend the remedial steps required to be taken by the subject specialists i.e. teachers of English. The study evaluated the performance of Higher Secondary Students in listening comprehension through the conduct of Listening Comprehension Test/Tests in the classrooms while Questionnaires were used to identify problems of listening comprehension, teaching strategies, listening habits, and other variables. The data collected was analyzed quantitatively to determine the significant differences and correlations between various groups and subgroups of students formed on the basis of sectors and gender. The study was expected to help the teachers and students in better academic performance and concluded with findings and subsequent recommendations for teachers and students to improve listening comprehension of English with respect to the Educational system prevailing in the province of Baluchistan.