The Practice of Teaching English Speaking Skills: Grazmach Pawlos Secondary School in Focus

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to investigate the classroom practice of teaching speaking skills in high schools, particularly in grade ten. The researcher focused mainly on the teachers’ role, students’ role, the techniques and procedures (strategies) used by the teachers, the activities, and the resources used to teach speaking skills in speaking classes. To gather information on the above main objectives various instruments were used. Those are students’ questionnaire, classroom observation and teachers’ interview. 106 students (respondents) are the sample of the questionnaire; the three English teachers are also the other sample for the interview. The data were categorized and descriptively analyzed. The findings revealed that inappropriate teaching speaking techniques and procedures were used in the mentioned grade level. Teachers were observed using the traditional way of teaching speaking which is dominated by reading model dialogues aloud asking and answering. There has been little or no time given for the current approach, teaching speaking techniques and activities. The consequences of inappropriate speaking practices use has resulted in the weak performance of the students in speaking. To that end, this research paper has recommendations that could bring about a change in the practice of teaching and learning speaking in the grade level studied so that current techniques and procedures of teaching speaking should be employed.