Abstract:
The main objective of this study is to examine strategies teachers employ in teaching speaking
skill, their perceptions of the strategies and the challenges they face and the relationship among
perception and their use of the strategies. Hence, descriptive research design and both qualitative
and quantitative survey method were used. The study was conducted at Mole Mandara secondary
school of grade 11 students. From total students of 498 participants were randomly selected and
seven EFL teachers from the selected school and the others EFL teachers from other schools
were purposely selected and participated in the study. Three data collection instruments:
Questionnaires, Interview, and class room observation were employed. The findings of the study
showed that as teachers perceived most of the classes in the school at the secondary level are
overcrowded and unmanageable and the students get very little time for speaking practice.
Although, teachers perceived that, teaching speaking skill is too much boring due to both internal
and external factors that related with lack of teaching materials available in the schools, poor
student‟s attitudes towards learning speaking skill due to fear and frustration of making mistakes,
the poorly organized of the student‟s text book in which most of the portions are very vulnerable
for grammar and vocabulary than leaflet on speaking skills. In addition to these, the use of
mother tongue in English language lessons by teachers and students devalue the use of English
for communication, sacrifice valuable opportunities for English language use and learners see it
as language used for oral drills and dialogues which are not important. Therefore, it was
concluded that they use the adopted lecture method, explanation, question and answer which are
mainly teacher-centered teaching methods. This was resulted that students‟ participation was low
as most learners were passive.
