ASSESSING THE PRACTICE OF ORAL CLASSROOM INTERACTION IN EFL CLASSES: THE CASE OF GUNA YETAGAYOCH METASEBIYA SECONDARY SCHOOL

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the practice of oral classroom interaction in EFL classes. The study was conducted at Guna Yetagayoch Metasebiya secondary school. To achieve the purpose of the study, a descriptive survey design with mixed method was employed. For this, 218 grade10 students and all four English language teachers were involved. The students were selected by using simple random sampling technique whereas; all four English language teachers were selected compressively. The instruments used to collect the data were classroom observation, questionnaire and semi- structured interview. Classroom observation was designed to observe classrooms while English teachers were teaching practical oral lessons. Questionnaire was developed to collect data from the students. Moreover, a semi-structured interview was used to collect the required data from the English language teachers. The interview data were analyzed qualitatively by triangulating with classroom observation data and the finding of the questionnaire. The data gathered through questionnaire were analyzed by number, frequency, and percentage by quantitatively. As a result, the findings of the study revealed that not keen to participate during oral tasks, anxiety, fear of making mistakes, lack of vocabulary were related to students factors that hinder oral classroom interaction during EFL classes. The study further raveled that unsuitable seating arrangement for oral practice, scarcity of supplementary practical oral texts; unfamiliar oral topics presented in the text books were the general challenges that hinder effective oral classroom interaction in EFL classes. Finally, based on the implication of the findings, recommendations were made for English language teachers, students and concerned bodies.