ASSESSING THE CHALLENGES FACED BY ENGLISH TEACHERS IN TESTING STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS: A CASE STUDY AT ADAMA BOSET SECONDARY SCHOOL

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the challenges English teachers faced in testing students’ speaking skills at Adama Bosat Secondary School. To achieve this purpose, seven English teachers, and seven classrooms were sampled using proportional stratified sampling and available sampling. To gather relevant data, semi-structured interview, classroom observation and document review were used. The qualitative interview data was analyzed using thematic analysis technique. However, the qualitative data from the classroom observation and document review were quanticized or changed to quantitative data to suit the data analysis. Finding of the study showed that the challenges teachers faced in assessing students’ speaking skills were related to students’ and teachers. According to the finding, challenges related to students include psychological problems, English language background problems as well as lack of motivation to take speaking tests. But teacher related problems were shortage of time and lack of efforts to prepare adequate speaking tests as well as encouraging and motivating students to do speaking tests. Finding of the study also showed that the extent to which speaking test given was only once in a semester. In conclusion, based on the finding of the study, possible suggestions were recommended to teachers, to English department and to the school administration thereby to minimize challenges of testing speaking skill in the study setting.