Mother Tongue Interference and Teachers’ Strategies to Minimize Learners’ English Speaking Problem: The Case of Tarcha Secondary School grade nine Dawurotsuwa Native Speaking Students

Abstract

This study is aimed at investigating mother tongue interference and strategies to minimize English speaking problem. To achieve the objective, descriptive survey research design with mixed research methods was used. The study focused up on Tarcha Secondary School grade nine Dawurotsuwa native students and English teachers in the school. The researcher selected the school due to its accesibility. Also, the researcher believed that selected grade nine because the grade is where the students begin to learn all subjects in Enlish and the sections (A, C & E) were selected purposively to conduct the study because the sections were on oposit shipt and suitable to collect the data without intrupting learning and teaching process. The population was 201. From this population, 6 were teachers and 195 were grade nine students. In the sample, 6 teachers (100%) and 140 students were involved. From 140 students, 110 students were selected by using simple random technique for questionnaire and 30 students were selected from clustered as higher, medium and lower achievers randomly for pronunciation and speaking test. Pronunciation test was given to test phonological interference, and speaking test was to test grammatical interferences. In addition, questionnaire was given to check the students’ perception on the difference between Dawurotsuwa and English sounds and grammatical structures. Interview was given to teachers to obtain farther data. The data obtained from the pronunciation test, speaking test, questionnaire and interview were presented and analyzed independently. Then, all the results of the items from the four tools were triangulated at the discussion section. The finding points out that Dawurotsuwa native students were interfered phonologically was due to the sound /v/, /f/, /r/, /Ʒ/, /ʤ/, /s/, /ɵ/ and /ð/ and the diphthongs such as: /ɪə/, /eɪ/, /eə/, /ɔɪ/, /ʊə/, /aʊ/, /aɪ/,/ əʊ/, and /ɔɪ/. The cause for grammatical interference was using MT grammar rules for English. The phonological interference was occurred in three ways: changing, replacing and adding sounds. The most revealed grammatical errors were tense, word order, articles and agreement. Lack of the students’ speaking practice, the teachers’ less attention to make students practice English speaking, lack of teaching aids like videos and audio to to show practically the sounds’ pronunciation and correct English grammar forms were the main pronunciation and grammatical related problems, and it is recommended that it’s adviable the student to distinguish the sounds in early grades; differentiate the difference between the languages’ sound pronunciation and grammatical structures of both phrases and clauses.