AN INVESTIGATION IN TO THE TEACHING OF THE SPEAKING SKILL USING COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES IN SECONDARY SCHOO LEVEL IN MOYALE DISTRICT, BORENA ZONE

Abstract The purpose of the study was to explore the teaching of oral skills in English through communicative activities employed particularly in Moyale Secondary School and Jatani Ali Secondary School. Specifically, the objectives of the study aimed at assessing teachers’ theoretical orientation and practical application of the teaching of oral skills; investigating students’ attitudes towards the use of communicative activities in the classroom; and finding out the main factors that affect their oral communication. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, a descriptive survey method was used and the data was gathered through questionnaires, classroom observation, and interviews. Open-ended and close-ended questionnaires were distributed to the sample students, and semi-structured interview questions were employed with the available English teachers and purposefully selected students. Observations were also held based on checklists and chosen criteria in accordance with the objective of the study. Based on the information gathered through the above instruments and its analysis and interpretation, the findings of the study revealed that teachers and students did not play their roles as stated by modern methods such as communicative language learning and teaching. The study further revealed that teachers’ method of teaching, lack of background knowledge, students’ fear of making mistakes, and a lack of authentic communicative activities were the major factors that inhibit students’ oral communication. The study recommend that (1) Teachers should provide maximum opportunity to students to speak the target language by providing the rich environment that promote collaborative work, task and shared knowledge. (2) Teachers should diagnose problem students faced by their students who have difficult in expressing themselves in the target language and provide more opportunity to practice the spoken language.(3) School administrators and language teachers should prepare a organized program outside of the normal schedule such that students can practice the target language in real-life situations