Alahakoon, A.M.Y.S.Dissanayake, D.M.R.S.2021-02-182021-02-1820209789550481293http://www.erepo.lib.uwu.ac.lk/bitstream/handle/123456789/6059/proceeding_oct_08-416.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=yTeacher cognition or the pedagogical reasoning plays a vital role in ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching as it represents the self-reflections, beliefs, knowledge about teaching students, content, and awareness of problem-solving strategies related to classroom teaching. Teachers not only need to develop a knowledge base for teaching but also should be able to make reasoned decisions on classroom teaching. Therefore, it has been identified that pedagogical reasoning as an important skill which should be developed among the present-day ESL practitioners. The data for the study was collected from six (06) University level ESL practitioners employing classroom observations focused on lesson stages, activities, and interviews. Moreover, to develop a multiperspectival account of the construct of pedagogical reasoning a qualitative approach was used. The findings of the research revealed that the skill of pedagogical reasoning developed with the experience. The more experienced practitioners tend to transform content knowledge in a pedagogically strong and powerful way which facilitates the understanding of the learners while less experienced practitioners struggle to put the theory into practice. On the other hand, practitioners with more experience tend to make decisions based on traditional ELT approaches while practitioners with less experience follow the process of informed decision making. Furthermore, it can be stated that the curricula of the universities facilitate the teacher autonomy and the pedagogical reasoning of the university level ESL practitioners as it allowed them to select and design the content. The study suggests that the ESL practitioners must be given opportunities to update the knowledge of pedagogical reasoning and some teacher training courses should be implemented to address the issues related to the skill of pedagogic reasoning among ESL practitioners. Keywords: ESL practitioners, Pedagogical reasoning, Teacher cognitionenEducationHigher EducationEnglishSecond LanguageOther