An investigation into challenges and solutions for teaching “communication” section in English textbook “English 8 - Global Success” at some lower secondary schools in Quang Ngai City

At present, the textbook “English 8 - Global Success” is used to promote the 8th graders’ English communicative competence. The year 2023-2024 is the first school year this English textbook was used in lower secondary schools in Quang Ngai. Therefore, teachers and students face some challenges, especially the ones related to "Communication" section. This study utilized a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the answers to the questionnaire closed-ended questions. The analysis was employed to find and examine themes in the qualitative data gathered from interviews and classroom observations. The subjects include eight teachers and ninety students at three lower secondary schools. The findings revealed the teachers’ appreciation of the "Communication" section and challenges such as teachers’ lack of proper training, insufficient guidance, supplementary resources and time constraints. Suggestions were provided for improving the quality of teaching “Communication” section.