Teaching English as Foreign Language
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Item National Allegories in Selected Contemporary Anglophone African Novels (2005-2015)(Addis Ababa University, 2024-12-01) Alem Sitot; Molla FelekeNational allegories are important critical tools in the study of postcolonial literature. They serve to examine the themes and strategies of postcolonial literary writers. This study aimed to explore the socio-historical and cultural conditions of postcolonial African nations that received huge impacts from the aggression of colonialism and the spread of imperialism by interpreting novels that are written to reveal these impacts. It was also intended to investigate the visions of contemporary African literary writers about the future goals of the post-independent nations. To address these, the study designed a textual analysis approach. The novels were selected purposively based on the significant socio-historical backgrounds they reflect. Basically, the following generic criteria were used in the selection process: the prominence/influence of the writers in modern African literature, the novels’ recapturing of the African socio-political situations, the persistence of the writers in reflecting the situations, the periodic contemporaneity and the main Anglophone literature’s regional representations. There are also specific aspects that were used to identify the allegoricity of the novels. Some of these include: the parabolic nature of the novels, the presence of satire, the presence of elements of myths and symbols, the polarized views of the characters, and the inclusion of cultural and historical references in the novels. The novels were analyzed against the idea of national allegory by employing critical reading followed by analytical interpretations. Accordingly, the authors reflect the national cultures and traditions, histories and struggles of their respective countries in the novels. Ben Okri represents the Nigerian oral traditions and the history of its ancient kingdoms in his Starbook. Ngugi wa Thiong’o reveals the conditions of Kenyan culture and history in the post-independent period in his Wizard of the Crow. He also exposes the nature of the authoritarian regime in the country under the leadership of most probably Daniel Arap Moi. Zakes Mda depicts the socio-cultural and historical conditions of the amaMpondomise people in South Africa during the colonial aggression in his Little Suns. Particularly, he unveils the impacts of colonial war against the native community. Themes like loss, exile, love of culture and history, perseverance and resilience are significantly reflected.These authors use the novels to respond to the colonial narrative against the colonized subjects and histories, the patriarchal hegemony against women, the oppressions of the ruling class against the lower class, and the arrogance of an authoritarian regime. They also show the impacts of unity and division. They reflect the tension between the ethnic, cultural and social groups that resulted from the legacy of colonialism. Lastly, they indicate their future visions for the countries. They address themes of hope, regeneration, unity, perseverance and resilience, change and transformation. Importantly, building a unified national identity through mass mobilization and organization and regenerating the past socio-political complexities for the socio-historical transformations are among the keys forwarded as solutions for the persistence crises that Africans are languishing until today.Hence, examining African contemporary novels against the idea of national allegory helps to understand the trends of development in African literature thoroughly.Item A Comparative Study on Primary School English Language Teachers’ Expectations and Received Training: Kombolcha Town in Focus(Addis Ababa University, 2025-01-01) Melese Mengesha; Alemu HailuThe effectiveness of teacher education depends heavily on the competence of teacher educators and the learning experiences of student teachers. When trainees join teacher education institutions, they bring their expectations developed from experiences as teachers and observations as students. Meeting these expectations through training sustains competence among graduates as a program outcome. The effectiveness of a training program can then be measured by its capability to address these expectations. This study then explored the relationship between the training expectations of primary school English language teachers and the training they received. The results in this study are based on data collected from 47 English language teachers in nine primary schools located in Kombolcha town, 6 teacher educators of Dessie College of Teacher Education and the teacher training curriculum document that was in use. Data was collected using questionnaire, interviews, observations and document reviews. SPSS version 26 and NVivo version 11 are used by this correlational descriptive research to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The Spearman’s rho rank correlation was conducted to reveal the relationship between the training expectations of the teachers and the actual training that they received. The analysis of the data indicates that there is weak correlation between the participants’ expectations and the training they received. Some courses and/or contents were also not expected by the teachers prior their entry to college and have less contribution to teach at primary schools. On the other hand, some relevant courses to the level were found absent in the training program. The training is also deficient of practical sessions. The trainees also did not find the teaching approaches of the trainers as they expected. Hence, more relevant courses should be added. Trainees should also be engaged in more peer-teaching and reflective practice sessions so that they can improve their competence in the language. Furthermore, language teacher training programs should consider trainees’ needs. some of the courses contribute less to helping the trainees develop the required competence to teach the subject. There are also neglected but relevant courses. The findings indicate that teacher expectations should be considered when developing training plans for English language teachers, as these expectations influence their willingness to participate in the training activities and ultimately, their effectiveness as primary school English language teachers. More effort and planning are needed to meet their practical needsItem Effects of Portfolio-Based Assessment on Efl Students’ Conceptions and Approaches To Writing and Their Writing Performance(Addis Ababa University, 2024-01-12) Habtamu Gebrekidan; Assefa ZeruABSTRACT The main objective of this study was to examine the effects of Portfolio-Based Assessment (PBA) on EFL students’ conceptions and approaches to writing. To this end, a pre-test post-test control group quasi- experimental research design was adopted. The design embraced both quantitative and qualitative data in which the qualitative data were intended to play a complementing role within the broader quantitative design. The participants of this study were first year Natural Science Stream students at Wollo University, Dessie campus in 2022 academic year. Two sections were randomly chosen and assigned as control and experimental group by using simple lottery method. From the two groups, totally 60 students were chosen randomly to be the participants of this quasi experimental study,and four types of data collection instruments namely; conceptions of writing scale, essay writing tests, interviews and reflection sheets were designed and employed to collect pertinent data from students.Examining the context of teaching writing skills at Wollo University was also the focus of this study to confirm the relevance of the intervention from a broader perspective. Accordingly, teachers’ conceptions of teaching writing and their practices of assessment were thoroughly examined. Consequently, from 25 EFL teachers working at Dessie campus, 21 teachers having the experiences of teaching first year students were taken as sample to fill the questionnaire designed for teachers. However,16 teachers were chosen purposively forsemistructured interview.All the instruments were pilot tested, and the validity and reliability of the instruments were checkedbefore collecting data for the main study.During the intervention that stayed for 14 weeks, the students in experimental group were assessed by writing portfolios. The students in control group, however, were assessed using conventional assessment schemes, such as individual and group writing assignments, tests and in class writings. Both quantitative and qualitative data were meticulously collected and analyzed in accordance with stipulated schemes in the research methodology. Accordlngly, the quantitative data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, one sample t-test, independent samples t-test and paired samples t-test. On the other hand, the qualitative data collected from teachers and students were analyzed using phenomenography and thematic analysisrespectively. These analysis schemes were chosen on the basis of their importance to probe into participants conceptions.As the findings revealed, the context of teaching writing was found to foster surface conceptions of teaching writing. Accordingly, teachers conceptions of teaching writing and their practices of assessment in EFL writing classes was found to promote surface conceptins of teacing writing. Additionally, the preintervention measures confirmed the existence of a problem to foster deep conceptions of writing. After the PBA intervention, significant changes in students’ conceptions of writing andwriting performances were observed between participants in experimental and control groups. The findings suggest that PBA influences EFL students’ deep and meaningful conceptions of writing by way of supporting their independent and out-of class learning endeavor. Moreover, the findings hold implications for using PBA to boost EFL students’ writing self-efficacy beliefs and concern for reflection and revision.This study suggests implications to use PBA in EFL writing classes where students are grappled with unsupported learning environmentItem Research on Learning Motivation and Influencing Factors of Ethiopian Chinese Learners(Addis Ababa University, 2024-06-02) Gugssa Redae; Masfiin WadaajooAs China's influence on the global stage continues to grow, learning Chinese has become an important choice for people around the world. Chinese is not only a tool for communication, but also the key to understand China’s rich history, philosophy and artistic traditions. Learning Chinese can help people have a deeper appreciation of Chinese literature, movies, music and other cultural expressions, and it also facilitates international business cooperation. However, different individuals have different motivations for learning Chinese, and this diversity is the core concern of this study. This study focuses on Ethiopian Chinese language learners and aims to explore their learning motivations and influencing factors. The study adopted a quantitative method, based on the second language acquisition motivation theory proposed by Dörnyei and Ottó (2001), and conducted an in-depth analysis of the motivation types of Ethiopian Chinese learners and the challenges they encountered in learning and working through questionnaire surveys. The research results show that the main motivation of Ethiopian Chinese language learners is instrumental motivation that is for career development and business opportunities. At the same time, their strong interest in Chinese culture and history is also an important factor in stimulating their learning motivation. It is worth noting that most of the questionnaire respondents are non-Chinese majors, generally they attach great importance to the HSK test and regard it as an important criterion for measuring their Chinese proficiency. The study also found that the appropriate use of English or Ethiopian’s official language which is Amharic for explanations in Chinese teaching, as well as the use of mixed teaching methods in the classroom has a positive impact on learners. The same time, this language mixing also extends to the workplace and may cause some learners to take classes less frequently once they have reached a certain level of Chinese proficiency because they are able to communicate with Chinese people using mixing language method. Respondents generally believe that the biggest challenge in learning Chinese is the lack of opportunities to practice with native speakers, and the lack of time that results in the inability to fully practice and complete assignments. Most of the research questionnaire respondents support the integration of Chinese language learning into the Ethiopian primary and secondary education system, this will be beneficial to the language learning and personal development of the younger generation. The findings of this study provide an important reference for formulating targeted Chinese learning plans, which help to meet the specific needs of learners and adapt to their personalized learning characteristics. The study is divided into five chapters, which comprehensively cover the research introduction, literature review, research design, data analysis, and conclusions & suggestions.Item Investigating EFL Students’ and Teachers’ Attitude and Practice of Code-switching: Mekelle University in Focus(Addis Ababa University, 2025-04-02) Gebrewahid Tsige; Hailom BanteyergaWhether or not to code-switch in the teaching and learning process of EFL classes is one of the controversial issues. This dissertation is, thus, conducted to investigate EFL students‟ and teachers‟ attitude towards code-switching and their practice. To achieve this objective, data were collected from 109 students and 50 teachers of English major at Mekelle University. The participants were chosen using available sampling. In this study, the descriptive research design was employed. Data for this study were gathered using classroom observation audio records, questionnaires, and interviews. The gathered data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative data were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, Kruskal Wallis H test, Mann Whitney U test, and ordinal logistic regression. The results indicate that the teachers‟ attitude towards code-switching was more positive than their students, and the difference was significant. It is also found that the teachers code-switched more frequently than the students though the difference was not significant. The results disclose that the students‟ code-switching practice increased as their class year increased. Regarding the dominant pattern of code-switching, first year students employed intra-sentential while both second year and third year students practiced inter-sentential pattern of code-switching. The teachers of all class years, too, frequented inter-sentential pattern of code-switching more dominantly. Besides, the obtained results show that students of all class years and their teachers used code-switching for curriculum access purposes dominantly. The results also disclose that there existed a statistically significant relationship between students‟ demographic factors such as class year, mother tongue, type of school, parents‟ educational status, Amharic language speaking skill, and attitude towards code-switching and their code-switching practice. Furthermore, a statistically significant relationship was found between teachers‟ code-switching and their demographic factors like educational status, teaching experience, multilingualism, training on code-switching, and attitude towards code-switching. Based on the findings, it is concluded that the students‟ and teachers‟ code-switching usage was excessive. An excessive usage is abhorrent in multilingual classes where there are students who know little or no Amharic. Therefore, though a cautious and judicious use of code-switching has a lot of advantages, an over use of it diminishes students‟ practice and exposure to the foreign language. This leads both students and teachers to be less competent in English language. In light of the findings of the study and the conclusions reached, recommendations to EFL students, EFL teachers, language policy planners, universities, the Ministry of Education, and researchers are madeItem Research on the Design of Local Chinese Teaching Materials for Ethiopians(Addis Ababa University, 2024-10-02) Kbrom mahamed; Masfiin Wadaajoo (PhD)Ethiopia stands as one of the oldest countries in the world boasting a rich history that spans thousands of years .The nation proudly maintains its own writing system known as Ge’ez, which stands as one of the oldest alphabets still in use today notably Ethiopia is one of only two African countries that managed to evade colonization by a European power this proud nation is characterized by its multiculturalism and multilingualism with over 80 languages spoken within its borders while the teaching of foreign languages in Ethiopia began in the early 20th century concurrent with the introduction of the Chinese language commenced much earlier the Confucius institute for instance was established in Ethiopia in the year 2010 but even before its inception there were informal lessons in the Chinese language offered by some privately owned language teaching centers The purpose of this extensive and in-depth research is to thoroughly examine and identify the current landscape of Chinese language teaching materials in Ethiopia it aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the types of materials being used extensively evaluate their advantages and disadvantages and delve into the intricacies of the demand for local Chinese teaching materials the research also seeks to undertake a meticulous analysis of the required content and various other crucial aspects that contribute to the efficacy of these teaching material s to achieve these objectives the research employed a multifaceted approach utilizing various research methodologies ,these mythologies include an extensive literature review the distribution of carefully crafted questionnaires and the conducting of insightful phone interviews with local Chinese language teachers who provided invaluable firsthand perspectives and experiences the collected data from the questionnaire respondents was meticulously analyzed using the powerful and sophisticated data mining application software SPSS. The findings of this comprehensive research revealed several compelling insights firstly it was uncovered that imported Chinese language textbooks are prepared in English however surprisingly the imported textbooks do not significantly conflict with Ethiopian culture and traditions offering an intriguing juxtaposition of challenges and compatibility in stark contrast the research brought to light the scarcity of scientifically revised local Chinese language teaching materials in Ethiopia particularly those based on the curriculum instead only a few dictionary like materials were found to be available indicating a noticeable gap that needs to be addressed despite this scarcity the research identified a high demand for local Chinese language textbooks particularly among learners who struggle with English ,as these materials play a pivotal role in overcoming language durries . Moreover the research has put forth a strong recommendation that Ethiopian local Chinese language teaching materials should primarily forces on the construction manufacturing and trading sectors. This strategic alignment is justified by the fact that the majority of Chinese activities in Ethiopia revolve arolve these sectors highlighting the practical and industry-specific focus that should underpin the development of local Chinese language teaching materialsItem Investigating EFL Students’ and Teachers’ Attitude and Practice of Code-switching: Mekelle University in Focus(Addis Ababa University, 2025-08-01) Gebrewahid Tsige; Hailom Banteyerga (PhD)Whether or not to code-switch in the teaching and learning process of EFL classes is one of the controversial issues. This dissertation is, thus, conducted to investigate EFL students‟ and teachers‟ attitude towards code-switching and their practice. To achieve this objective, data were collected from 109 students and 50 teachers of English major at Mekelle University. The participants were chosen using available sampling. In this study, the descriptive research design was employed. Data for this study were gathered using classroom observation audio records, questionnaires, and interviews. The gathered data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative data were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, Kruskal Wallis H test, Mann Whitney U test, and ordinal logistic regression. The results indicate that the teachers‟ attitude towards code-switching was more positive than their students, and the difference was significant. It is also found that the teachers code-switched more frequently than the students though the difference was not significant. The results disclose that the students‟ code-switching practice increased as their class year increased. Regarding the dominant pattern of code-switching, first year students employed intra-sentential while both second year and third year students practiced inter-sentential pattern of code-switching. The teachers of all class years, too, frequented inter-sentential pattern of code-switching more dominantly. Besides, the obtained results show that students of all class years and their teachers used code-switching for curriculum access purposes dominantly. The results also disclose that there existed a statistically significant relationship between students‟ demographic factors such as class year, mother tongue, type of school, parents‟ educational status, Amharic language speaking skill, and attitude towards code-switching and their code-switching practice. Furthermore, a statistically significant relationship was found between teachers‟ code-switching and their demographic factors like educational status, teaching experience, multilingualism, training on code-switching, and attitude towards code-switching. Based on the findings, it is concluded that the students‟ and teachers‟ code-switching usage was excessive. An excessive usage is abhorrent in multilingual classes where there are students who know little or no Amharic. Therefore, though a cautious and judicious use of code-switching has a lot of advantages, an over use of it diminishes students‟ practice and exposure to the foreign language. This leads both students and teachers to be less competent in English language. In light of the findings of the study and the conclusions reached, recommendations to EFL students, EFL teachers, language policy planners, universities, the Ministry of Education, and researchers are made.Item EFL Teachers’ Perceptions, Perceived Self-Efficacy Beliefs, and Practices of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) in Teaching Reading Skills: Selected Secondary Schools in Hawassa City in Focus(Addis Ababa University, 2024-11) Akalewold Samuel Aguye; Abebe Damtew(PhD)The endeavor to improve teacher quality and instructional quality seems to be a pressing concern in modern education. It is also becoming crucial, particularly in the realm of foreign or second language learners’ pedagogy. The present study was sought to investigate secondary school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions, perceived self-efficacy beliefs (SEB), and practices of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in the teaching of reading skills to grade nine students across selected secondary schools in Hawassa City administration. To achieve this objective, the researcher employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. In the pursuit of gathering the relevant data, the researcher employed questionnaires, a semi-structured interview, and classroom observation protocols (CROP). The teachers’ self-report questionnaire was meant for collecting pertinent data regarding English teachers’ perceptions of PCK in teaching reading. It was adapted from the standard questionnaires prepared by Janga et al. (2009). Orignally the questionnaire consisted of 28 items, but the present researcher modified and increased the number to 42 items comprising six distinct components so as to make it more comprehensive and appealing. Hence, these questionnaires were administered to (N = 70) EFL teachers to extract information about their perception of PCK. These items in teachers’ questionnaires were tested for reliability and found to be interanally consistent in that they yielded Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.952). In its other continuum, to generate teachers’ perceived self-efficacy beliefs (SEB), a self-constructed or researcher-made questionnaire containing 21 items was also administered to those same number (N = 70) of teachers. The internal consistency reliability for items of SEB in teachers’ questionnaires was Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.852). Data was also collected using a researcher-made questionnaire containing 34 items from secondary school students (N = 258) in order to capture their own perceptions regarding their teachers’ PCK performance. The items yielded Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.948), indicating strong internal consistency and reliability. Moreover, an in-depth, semi-structured interview was conducted with (N = 10) EFL teachers from the six selected secondary schools in order to capture pertinent information about teachers’ perceptions, perceived self-efficacy beliefs, and practices of PCK under the umbrella of teaching reading skills. To get insight into the implementation of pedagogical content knowledge in the context of teaching reading, the researcher employed classroom observation protocol (CROP) as a tool, which includes a structured observation checklist that consisted of 55 items, and un-structured video recorded teaching episode, and field notes during the first academic semester in 2023. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis using the grounded theory approach. The grand mean value of teachers’ perception of PCK was (M = 3.91; SD = 0.559), indicating the presence of a moderately high positive perception of PCK in teaching reading skills. Similarly, the grand mean value of teachers’ perceived self-efficacy beliefs was (M = 3.74; SD = 0.533). This indicates that these teachers were somewhat efficacious. The results from the teacher interviews corroborated the questionnaire findings. The findings from students’ perception of their teachers’ PCK (SPTPCK) revealed that students had a moderately positive perception of their teachers’ PCK (M = 3.32; SD = 0.926). The Spearman’s Rank-order Correlation Coefficient between students’ perceptions and teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs was (r = -0.027; p=0.826) suggesting a weak, negative relationship between these variables. The results from the Classroom observation protocols (CROP), both from the observation checklist and video recordings together with field notes, revealed that EFL teachers lack the required level of competence in pedagogical content iv knowledge implementation. The relationship between EFL teachers’ perception of PCK and classroom observation result was Spearman’s Rho correlation coefficient (r = -0.306; p = 0.360). This value indicates inverse proportionality and the existence of weak relationships between the two variables. This finding seems to be consistent with what was gained through video recorded data. Therefore, to mitigate these shortcomings and to bridge the existing noticeable gap, tailor-made continuous professional development training schemes should be organized by concerned inistitutions. Such type of trainings should be given to EFL teachers, as they might play pivotal roles in enhancing teacher quality, instructional quality, and again gains in students’ reading skills achievement.Item Elt Instructors’ Curriculum Implementation Approaches in Teaching Freshman English at Ethiopian Public Universities’ Context: Debre Tabor University in Focus(Addis Ababa University, 2025-03) Baye Ashebir Anteneh; Alemu Hailu Anshu (PhD) (Associate Professor)The study aimed to investigate the curriculum implementation approaches of ELT instructors, utilizing the frameworks of fidelity, (mutual) adaptation, and enactment, each rooted in positivism, post-positivism, and constructivism philosophical paradigms. In addition, the study explored the motives that influenced instructors to follow a particular approach over the other. It also examined instructors’ fidelity of implementation using the adherence and exposure dimensions of the fidelity measurement. To meet the purpose, using more than a single approach was imperative. As a result, the study used a case-study mixed-methods design (CS-MM) that integrated the qualitative and quantitative approaches. However, the study treated the case study as the parent study and the mixed method as supportive data. The study also employed a concurrent data collection strategy in which one method did not wait the completion of the data collection using another method. The qualitative and quantitative data were merged in the data analysis stage of the study. The study employed purposive, random, and proportional-stage sampling to obtain participants and respondents involved in it. Interviews, observations and post-observation interviews were used to collect data from ELT instructors, and questionnaires were used to collect data from student respondents. The qualitative data were analyzed after employing open coding, axial coding, and selective coding in categorizing the data based on themes. Moreover, descriptive statistics (percentages, mean, aggregate mean, and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (one-sample t-test) were employed in the analysis of the quantitative data. The data gathered from both instructors and students revealed that ELT instructors adhered to the fidelity approach to curriculum implementation, albeit the use of the skipping strategy disrupted their fidelity. Instructors followed the order or sequence of activities unit by unit, page by page and activity by activity except in areas where instructors skipped activities. Hence, instructors followed predictable procedures even if they knew the activities did not suit the context. Student-related, institutional (environmental), and instructor or personal motives all play significant roles in influencing ELT instructors’ curriculum implementation approaches though participants gave weight to institutional motives. Furthermore, the study revealed instructors’ fidelity of implementation fell at a medium adherence score that came as a result of skipping, not as a result of using other adaptation strategies. Furthermore, the study also demonstrated that students were not adequately exposed, particularly in the areas of writing and listening. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that ELT instructors often adhere to the VII prescribed curriculum contents, which in turn restricts them from fulfilling their professional roles and using their professional judgments in classroom curriculum development. Therefore, it would be crucial to provide in-service training to instructors and work towards reducing institutional impediments. This in turn would enable ELT instructors to use the approaches in a balanced manner, thereby meeting student needs without neglecting the needs of the institution.Item A Study of English Teachers’ Perception of Preparedness and Practice of Teaching Early Grade Reading(Addis Ababa University, 2024-12) Endrias Yisihak Ukumo; Abebe Damtew(PhD)The purpose of this study was to investigate English teachers’ perception of preparedness and practice of teaching early grade reading. The context of this study was randomly selected public primary schools in Hawassa City Administration, Sidama National Regional State, Ethiopia. To achieve its objectives, this study chose a descriptive research design of mixed methods. Quantitative data were gathered from 125 English teacher of 20 randomly selected schools through questionnaire of closed ended items of four scales adapted from (Salinger et al, 2010; Nyguyen, 2013) and knowledge assessment test of 40 multiple choice items; qualitative data were gathered through unstructured classroom observation of 60 video recorded lessons, two focus group discussions, 15 writtenclassroom assessment activities and semistructured interviews.The data gathered through knowledge assessment test and questionnaires were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Scieneces (SPSS Version 25.0). The qualitative data from focus group discussions and interviews were coded by using grounded theory techniques, and categories were identified for interpretation and discussion. It has been learnt from the teachers’ responses that teaching early grade reading got little emphasis of coursework and practicum of primary English teacher preparation. As result, the teachers are not completely sure how to use the strategies and activities with students in all early grades and at all reading levels. Moreover,the results have revealed that early grades English teachers have serious knowledge limitations of early grade reading instruction; the average knowledge assessment test score is 36.4%; 113 (90.4%) teachers scored below 50%. and 57.5% of the items were answered incorrectly. The results of classroom observations also reveal that participant English teachers are not properly employing the strategies for effective early grade reading instruction. The participant English teachers are not systematically assessing and recording students’ progress of learning to read; some of the classroom assessment activities have been repeatedly used with no relevance to language and literacy skills development; instead such repeated and irrelevant assessments may have detrimental effects. That is, teachers are inadequately prepared and are teaching and assessing inappropriately. Therefore, due attention should be paid to revising primary school English teacher preparation curriculum with particular focus on teaching early grade reading and providing systematic, explicit and hands-on training to teachers on early grade reading instruction and assessment techniques. However, the implementation of curricular revision of primary English teacher preparation and professional development activities would be effective if the trend of attracting potential teachers of poor academic performance and low interest to the profession is improved.Item An Exploration into Efl Teachers’ Perceptions, Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Practices of Critical Thinking Skills in Teaching Reading(Addis Ababa University, 2024-12) Michael Amale Kirko; Abebe Gebretsadik(PhD)The purpose of this study is to explore teachers’ perceptions, self-efficacy beliefs and instructional practices regarding critical thinking skills in the teaching reading. The study employed a descriptive survey design that utilized mixed_ methods approaches. Specifically, it utilized the sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, which involves initially gathering quantitative data, followed by the collection of qualitative data, to provide additional insights and elaboration on the quantitative findings. To achieve this, the researcher employed multiple data collection methods: surveys, interviews, document analysis and non-participant classroom observations. The study sample consisted of forty university teachers and sixty second- year English major students who completed the survey. Besides, seven experienced instructors who taught reading courses at the university were purposively selected for interviews, while two instructors who were offering reading skills courses, were observed in their classrooms. Additionally, for document analysis, three texts were randomly selected from six texts the teachers selected for the classroom practices to examine how they infused critical thinking skills in the activities. And the passages that teachers used for reading skills tests were analyzed to assess how the teachers integrated the critical thinking skills into them. The teachers’ perceptions about critical thinking skills was strong (m=3.59). However, the participants’ classroom practices of integrating critical thinking skills in the reading activities and tests were insufficient. Moreover, the teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs for critical thinking strategies was moderate (m=3.33); this contradicts the result of students’ survey that revealed the implementation of critical thinking strategies was insufficient (m=2.91). Similarly, the classroom observation revealed that the teachers’ use of critical thinking strategies in the reading classroom was inadequate (m=2.24). Furthermore, teachers perceived that student-related factors (m=3.76) influenced the practices of critical thinking skills in the reading classroom more than the teacher-related ones (m=3.64). In conclusion, teachers who possess a high level of self-confidence are more likely to excel in integrating critical thinking skills into reading activities and assessments, as well as implementing strategies that enhance students' reading comprehension. However, the teachers’ strong level of perceptions of critical thinking skills alone may not guarantee to implement them. Therefore, it is imperative to train teachers in the integration of critical thinking skills in an interactive reading curriculum to motivate and engage students and help them comprehend reading skills in greater depth. The research contributes to the theoretical and practical awareness for teachers to integrate critical thinking skills in reading instruction. Further research is also needed to explore how the integration of critical thinking skills impacts students' reading comprehension.Item Assessing the Effectiveness of Teaching and Learning English Language Grammar at Kilinto No.2 High School: Grade 9 Students in Focus(Addis Ababa University, 2024-08) Motuma Diriba; Taye Regassa (PhD)This study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of teaching and learning English language grammar at kilinto no.2 high school grade 9 in focus. The study was conducted at kilinto no.2 secondary school as a sample. The questionnaires were distributed to 228 selected students and interviews were made with 7 teachers of grade 9 English language teachers in the school. In addition, three grade 9 English classes were observed for three consecutive periods. Moreover, interviews were also conducted to know the effectiveness of English grammar teaching and learning in classroom. During this study, descriptive survey research was used through both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The results of the study revealed that the participants recognize the teaching learning English language grammar is not effectively taught and learned in classroom. And also the findings of the study indicated that teachers still teach grammar following structural approach which has been criticized as traditional, teacher-centered and focus on accuracy or grammatical correctness.. English language teachers should not only know grammar well enough to explain to their students, but they should also use different techniques when they present grammar in their classes. Hence, the overall finding of this study throws light on the positive aspects and effectiveness of grammar teaching and learning integrated the form and meaning during English classroom.Item Perceptions and practices of activelearning Ineflclasses of Senbete General Secondary School.(Addis Ababa University, 2024-08) Dawit Fentahun; Dr.Hailom BanteyrgaThepurposeofthisstudywastoinvestigateperceptionsandpracticesofactivelearning,toassesshowtheperceptionsofteachersandstudentsinfluencetheirpracticesofactivelearningandtoidentifyfactorsaffecting the implementation ofactivelearning. To conductthe study,qualitative methodwasemployed.The studywasconductedin Senbete General Secondary and Preparatory schooland the data werecollectedfrom60 studentsand6 teachersofthe school. In the selection ofthe sample population purposive and systematicsamplingwereused.The maininstrumentofdata collectionwas.The datawereanalyzedusingpercentage,meanandgrandmean.The findingsofthestudyrevealedthatthemainimplementersofactivelearning(teachersandstudents)havepereceivedactivelearningpositively.Inspiteoftheirgoodperceptions,theirpracticesfactivelearningwerelow.Amongthefactoraffectingtheeffectiveimplementationofactivelearning;teachers’andstudents’tendencytotraditional/lecturemethod,lackofstudent’sinterest,shortageoftime,lackofinstructionalmaterialandlargeclasssizewerethemajorones.Finally,recommendationswereforwardedbasedonthemajorfindingssoasto minimizeproblemsencountered andmaximizethe implementationofactivelearning.Item Effects of Teacher Mediation on Students' Locus of Control, Self Efficacy Belief and Oral English Performance(Addis Ababa University, 2010-07) Negari, Wogari; Kebede, Seime (PhD)The objective of this study is to assess the effects of teacher mediation on students' self efficacy belieD SEB, locus of controll LOC, and oral English perfolmance/ OEP of Addis Ababa preparatory-I students. To this end, an experimental study was carried out. For the experiment, two schools: Bole and Wondrad were selected and 40 students were drawn from each and participated in the contro::~J and mediated oral English lessons, which were conducted by two teachers for four months. Moreover, preparatory-I English teachers were the target of the study in order to collect the data that assisted me to understand the oral English teaching! learning experiences, and played a great role in triangulating the findings. The data were col1ected tlu'ough mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative). The quantitative methods included questionnaires on MLE for both teachers and students, questionnaires on SEB and LOC scales, and OEP for students. The qualitative data were collected tlu'ough class observations, interviews and focus group discussions that were held with both students and teachers. From the quantitative fmdings, it was learned that both teachers and students underlined that MLE criteria could create a good atmosphere to practice and improve oral English. Nevertheless, differences were observed in the teachers' claims to utilize the MLE cliteria, and whal' the students reflected about their oral English teaching 'culture.' The findings of the students' LOC, SEB, and OEP indicated that MLE caused statistically significant changes. These changes were also justified from the comparisons made between mediated and unmediated students. From the qualitative findings, differences were observed in the mediated students' understanding of oral English, the way they evaluated their oral ability, and attributed their success or failure in OEP after the application ofMLE. In order to confiml the occurrence of the changes in the way they used to think about oral English and performance, their responses were compared with that of the unmediated ones, and it was apparent that MLE introduced changes to the mediated students' understanding and reasoning capacity about practices c.hal1p.llges, and possibility to improve their OEP. From the study, It was leamed that the findings have research, pedagogical implications, and recommendations that could initiate future actions in training English teachers in general and oral English teachers in particular have been drawn.Item An Exploration of Efllearners' Attitudes Towards Their Oral Errors: Gatama Secondary School Grade Nine in Focus(Addis Ababa University, 2009-06) Sura, Tesfaye; Kassaye, Mekasha (PhD)Oral errors in second/ foreign language learning are more frequ ent in that it is inevitable for the learners to commit erro rs as they experiment with the target language as is indi cated by Beebe ( 1983) and Ellis (1994) . Accordingl y, the purpose of the study was to explore grade nine learners' attitudes towards their oral errors in EFL elassroom . Thus, the spccifi c obj ectives of the study were (a) to fin d out the learners' att itudes to the ir oral errors, (b) to examine some of the factors attributed to the learners' attitudes to their oral errors, and (c) to cxplore the effects of the learners' attitudes to their oral errors on their learning to speak EFL. To this end, sixty five systematically sampled grade nine students and their respecti ve Engli sh tcachers from Gatama Secondary School in East Wall aga were in foc us. To obtain the data, questionnai re (attitude scales) to the students and interview wi th the teache rs to investigate the st udents' att itudes towards their own oral errors were employed. T'hen the data were analyzed both quantitat ively and qua litati vely: data obtained from the students' responses were ana lyzed using frequency count and percentage, whereas the data elicited from the teachers using interview was analyzed by summari zing, organi zin g and grouping the key ideas un der the ma in themes. Accordingly, the study has obtained some findings. Firstly, it was found that at least about half of the learners tend to hold more realistic attitudes because they do not worry about making oral erro rs, do not demand perfect acc urac y, and feel they learn from their oral errors whi le about half of them seem to hold erroneous attitudes towards their own oral errors because they afraid of mak ing oral errors, demand perfect acc uracy, and fe el their own oral errors are ind icators of their weakness and impede their learning to speak Engli sh. Secondl y, the study reveals a lso that some fac tors favorably influenced some of the learners' attitudes whil e still some other factors have wrongly affected the rest of the learners' attitudes. Fina lly, it indicates that a significant number of the learners are concerned with accuracy than fl uency, are anxious, fcar of taking risks of making erro rs, lacked opportuni ties whi ch cncourage thcir learning of speakin g Engli sh, and had decreased communicative competence in spoken Engli sh becausc o f their unreali stic attitudes to their own oral errors though they are ready to partic ipate in communicat ive acti viti es. As a result, in the study it was fina lly attempted to propose some practical suggestions to promote learners' learning of speaking English tak ing ri sks of making errors. In order to remove inhi bi tion and reticence, the learners should cxpose themsel ves to the practice and usc of spoken ~l1glisb 'JhQl!! fea r of making errors. S im i larIy~lwo ul d be advisable if both teachers and learners with erroneous attitudes are given adviscs and informat ion by senior teachers, counselors and learning speciali sts, or in the teacher's book and student's book that errors are natural phenomenon, cruc ial and can bc improved thro ugh practice, and should be treated properly. Besides, tcachers al so have to offer consc iousness-raising activities and advi se to enable the learners aware that errors are made by everyone every time, that they have to emphasize fl uency over accuracy, and that improvements can happen over tim e. Lastly, to identi fy the factors att ributed to some inconsistencies in the learners ' responses and a bit disparity between the teachers' responses and the learners' responses on the variables considered in the study, it seems desirable if further study is conducted .Item Satirical Elements in the Poems of Nine Post-revolution Amharic Poets(Addis Ababa University, 1993-05) Endrias, Mestin; Gessesse, Tesfaye (PhD)The purpose of thi8 study is to investigate the use of satire by nine poets who published their works during the po.t-revolution era. Although some of the poems date back to the pre-revolution era, the purpose of the study is not to show their relevance to the period. In specific term8 the research paper aims at shoving with what features of satire the themes of the selected poems are concerned with as well as the type of tones they employ. A general look at their con+.ents vividly reveals to us that they focus on social problems, particularly on pretentiousness, abuses of t~chnological discoveries and corruption. Most of the poets capitalize on the identity crisis and the pretentious behaViour of the youth, especially of the overseas educated. Some of the poets even go beyond the issues of their own country and attempt to touch on international issues. Further scrutiny shows us the frequent utilization of irony. Moreover the tones that are employed ia most of the satirical pieces are serious and only some of them humorousItem The Effects of Teachers' Oral Error Treatment on Students' Behaviour in Error Correction: 10+3 in Focus(Addis Ababa University, 2009-06) Bogale, Mengesha; Beriso, Ltalo (PhD)The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of teachers' oral error treatment (supportive oral error feedback) on students' behaviour in error correction in the EFL classroom. Of this, the study tries to explore the types of oral errors students made frequently in their attempt to speak in the class. In addition, this study attempts to find out the extent of supportive oral feedback (clues) teachers provided to students following their oral errors that enabled them to correct the errors themselves. An al/empt is also made to identify the effects of teachers' oral error treatment (supportive oral error feedback) on students' behaviour in error correction. To meet the objectives above, three 10+3 English language teachers and their students at General Wingate TVET College were recorded and observed while teaching and learning respectively. Completing the transcription of the recorded lessons, the types of students' oral errors were identified based on Dulay et al. (1982) categOlY of errors. The supportive oral feedback (clues) provided to students following their oral errors were found out based on Harmer (2001), and Richards and Lockhart (1994) oral feedback strategies. The effects of teachers' oral error treatment (supportive oral error feedback) on students' behaviour in error correction were also identified using questionnaire and interview for students, and teachers ' questionnaire. The results show that 102 oral errors were committed by learners and grouped under-I3 categories. Of these, errors in agreement (15.69%) are the most frequent ones. In addition, teachers provided supportive oral error feedback (clues) to students that enabled them to correct the errors themselves using repetition, statement and question which all account for 1.42% or 11 clues out of 775 number of each oral feedback used in their classes. On the provision of 2 of these supportive oral error feedback (clues) to students, only 1.96% (2) of the errors out of 102 were se!f.treated by learners themselves. As the interview ( all 4 interviewees) and questionnaire for students (79.25%) , and questionnaire for teachers ( 2 out of 3) results show, provision of teachers' supportive oral feedback (clues) to students following their oral errors had positive (encouraging) effects on students' behaviour in error correction Finally, EFL teachers are highly recommended to provide supportive oral feedback (clues) to students following their errors that enable them to correct the errors themselves rather than correcting them directly.Item Exploring the Attitudes of Grade Ten Students and Their English Language Teachers Towards Group Work(Addis Ababa University, 2009-06) Getnet, Melkam; Beriso, Ltalo (PhD)The main purpose of the study was to explore the attitudes of grade ten students and their English language teachers towards group work in Entoto Amba Secondary School in Addis Ababa. Because of shortage of time, the study was restricted to 150 students and seven English language teachers at grade ten level. An attempt was made to identify students' attitudes towards group work, find out grade ten English language teachers' attitudes towards group work, to assess the status of group work as a mode of classroom interaction in EFL classes, and to raise the awareness of English language teachers and other researchers about the role of group work in EFL classes. To do this, the data were collected through classroom observation, interviews and questionnaires. To get the necessmy data, classroom observation checklist, two seven-item interview questions- one for teachers and the other for students, two twenty-item questionnaires- one for teachers and the other for students were designed and used. To avoid or minimize data contamination, classroom observation was made first, and then interviews were conducted and lastly questionnaires were distributed to the subjects. The data obtained were then analyzed and discussed using percentages and means obtained from computations. The results reveal that both grade ten students and their English language teachers have mildly positive attitudes towards group work. It was recommended that English language teachers should be given additional training on how to effectively use group work.Item Investigating Methods of Training for Developing Students' Skills for Academic Oral Work: Focus on Social Science Students -- Addis Ababa University(Addis Ababa University, 1998-05) Disasa, Mekonnen; Michael, Haile (PhD)This study investigated methods of training second year students in the College of Social Sciences, Addis Ababa Uni versity, for academic oral work. The main objective of the investigation was how to help the students activate their already existing linguistic resources so that they could reduce their foreign language speech--related anxiety in order for them to build the contidence to improve the level of their oral performance in academic contexts. Teaching methods and techniques relevant to the development of oral competence were extracted from the literature on current foreign/second teaching. These were used as the basis for the design of new course materials for the study. The materials were taught to an experimental group of students which was contrasted with a control group. The effects of the new training on the students oral performance were examined through: (a) the trainees' reactions to the training, (b) two simulated academic oral presentations by experimental and control groups of students and (c) assessment of the confidence demonstrated by the two study groups at the end of the training. It was found that the training was positively evaluated by the trainees. The result of Oral Presentation I (pre-training) showed the two study groups were performing at the same level of oral intelligibility , while the resu lt of Oral Presentation 2 (post-training) indicated the experimental group was, on the whole, better in its oral intelligibility than the control group. The assessment of the confidence demonstrated by the study groups at the end of the training revea led there were more confident students in the experimental group than in the control group. Thus, it was concluded that the new training positively contributed to academically relevant, better oral performance by tbe trainees. This was not found to be true in the case of the control group of students who were not exposed to the same training. Based on this conclusion and other findings of the research, recommendations were made.Item A Comparative Study of Regular and Evening Students' Anxiety in Spoken English Class: Bole Community School in Focus(Addis Ababa University, 2009-06) Demissie, Lemma; Lemu, Geremew (PhD)