Abstract:
This study aimed at investigating the practice of communicative grammar teaching in grade 10 at
Dapo Gacho High School in Ilu Aba Bora Zone. It investigated if the teachers teach grammar
communicatively and what they think about grammar teaching in general. It also explored what
challenges the teachers encounter in teaching grammar in this grade. In addition, it identified if the
teachers give feedback, and in what manners they give. To achieve these objectives, English teachers
and students of grade 10 were used as a population of the study. The teachers were observed and video
recorded during their actual classroom teaching. Nine grammar lessons were observed with the
guidance of observation checklist and transcribed. The ways the teachers teach grammar were
identified during the observation. Focus group discussion was conducted with teachers to identify their
beliefs about grammar teaching. Sampled students were also used for group discussion to identify what
the students feel about the ways their teachers teach them grammar contents in general. For both
groups (teachers and students), discussion guides were used. English textbook of grade 10 was also
analyzed in terms of the ways grammar activities have been designed. The purpose was to see if the
book has impacts on the teachers’ practices of communicative grammar teaching. The data was all
analyzed thematically. The results of the study indicated that the teachers are not teaching grammar
communicatively. It was also identified that there are different factors affecting the teachers’ practices
of grammar teaching. Depending on the findings of this study, different recommendations have been
made. Teachers should make their maximum effort to teach grammar communicatively than altering
rule-oriented ways because of other challenges. This will help the learners develop both linguistic
competence and communicative competence simultaneously
