Teaching Interactive Language: The Perspectives and Approaches of EFL Teachers in High Schools and Certain Students in Particular

<p><strong>Abstract:</strong> This study aimed to investigate how high school EFL teachers and students perceived CLT and to what extent they used the principles across their entire classes in the Ethiopian high school setting. The research was carried out using a combination of techniques. Exploratory research approach was used in the study to clarify reliable participant data. 100 students and 26 English language teachers from secondary schools in the West Guji Zone participated in the study, which was carried out in a few chosen secondary schools in the zone. Purposive and random sampling approaches were applied in the sample population selection process. The observation checklist, interview, and questionnaire served as the data gathering tools. Whereas information from interviews and observations was qualitatively presented to support the quantitative data, information from questionnaires was quantitatively evaluated and interpreted in terms of percentages. Overall study results showed that a majority of teachers (80.41%) and over half of participants (62.33%) had a somewhat positive opinion of the CLT premises. The study, however, reveals a stark disparity between the way instructors and students actually use CLT in an EFL setting and how they perceive it.</p>