The disparity between attitudes towards oral interaction and classroom performances: The case of senior secondary school EFL teachers in Ethiopia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28918/erudita.v6i1.14618Abstract
Purpose — This study investigates the contradiction between senior secondary school EFL teachers’ attitudes on the significance of oral interaction in promoting students’ language proficiency and their classroom performances. It also aims to identify the challenges that prevent teachers from engaging in oral interaction as they perceive it should be.
Design/methodology/approach — To do so, a qualitative approach, case study design was used. Data were gathered from six purposefully selected teachers through observations and interviews.
Findings — The results show that senior secondary school EFL teachers have a positive attitude towards oral interaction in EFL teaching and recognize its significance. However, they do not use it during instruction due to obstructions caused by students, classroom facilities, instructional materials, and teachers.
Implications — It contributes to the emergent body of research on the deterioration of students’ oral proficiency and teachers’ methodological knowledge. Moreover, they justify the necessity of prerequisite actions worth taking to address the problems before assigning the entire responsibility to them for students’ low English language proficiency.
Originality — Its novelty lies in its investigation of the gap between what English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers believe about the importance of oral interaction and what they actually do in their classrooms.
Keywords:
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