Teachers' and Students' Perceptions of English Speaking Skills, Classroom Practices, and Challenges in Speaking Instruction: The Case of Beshale High School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| dc.contributor.advisor | Seime Kebede | |
| dc.contributor.author | Teshome Gobeze | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-08-14T11:01:56Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-08-14T11:01:56Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2026-04-30 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This study examined teachers’ and students’ perceptions of English speaking skills, classroom practices, and challenges affecting speaking instruction at Beshale High School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It specifically aimed to explore students’ self-perceived speaking abilities, teachers’ evaluations of students’ performance, instructional practices used in speaking classes, and key challenges in teaching and learning speaking. A descriptive qualitative design was employed to obtain in-depth insights into participants’ experiences. The study involved eleven Grade 11 students and four English teachers selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using open-ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations. Thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke (2006) was used to analyze the data, and observation findings were used for triangulation. Findings showed that students generally perceived their speaking ability as weak, particularly in fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary use, and confidence. Students reported fear of making mistakes, anxiety, and peer criticism as major barriers to participation. Teachers similarly rated students’ speaking proficiency as low and attributed this to limited practice, low motivation, mother tongue interference, large class sizes, limited time, and teacher-centered instruction. Although communicative activities such as role plays, dialogues, presentations, debates, and storytelling were reported, observations revealed that classroom practice remained largely teacher-dominated with minimal student interaction. The study concludes that speaking difficulties are shaped by linguistic, psychological, instructional, and contextual factors. It identifies a mismatch between teachers’ reported practices and actual classroom implementation. The study recommends increased communicative activities, greater exposure to spoken English, establishment of English clubs, use of audio-visual materials, and creation of supportive classroom environments to enhance students’ confidence and participation. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/8869 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Addis Ababa University | |
| dc.subject | English speaking skills | |
| dc.subject | EFL learners | |
| dc.subject | classroom practices | |
| dc.subject | speaking challenges | |
| dc.subject | qualitative study | |
| dc.title | Teachers' and Students' Perceptions of English Speaking Skills, Classroom Practices, and Challenges in Speaking Instruction: The Case of Beshale High School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | |
| dc.type | Thesis |