AN INVESTIGATION IN TO THE AWARENESS, PRACTICE AND CHALLENGES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE INTEGRATED SKILLS TEACHING APPROACH OF EFL TEACHERS (A CASE OF DEBARK AND MILLENNIUM HIGH SCHOOLS)

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness teachers had and the implementation of integrated language skills teaching with reference to grade 11 in Debark and Millennium secondary schools in Debark Woreda. To this end, the study employed descriptive research design, which involves both quantitative and qualitative data gathering tools. Accordingly, Debark and Millennium secondary schools were selected to be the area of the study through convenience sampling technique, and all the 6 EFL teachers who taught English at grade 11 level in the schools were selected comprehensively. whereas 240 students were selected by using simple random sampling (lottery). Three data collection instruments were employed to collect the data, namely, questionnaires (for teachers and students), classroom observations and document analysis (text book). Also, descriptive statistics like frequency and mean, and inferential statistics such as Independent T-Test were used to analyze the quantitative data. The findings of the study indicated that the teachers had better conceptual understanding of integrated-skills teaching approach. Moreover, the teachers rarely used communicative activities and project work when they taught language skills in integration. and they hardly used various teaching aids and equipment when they taught language skills in integration. Statistically, it was found out that there was no significant mean difference between EFL teachers’ awareness and practice of language skills integration. As a result, based on the findings, many of the teachers were not able to employ integrated skills teaching approach properly even though they have good awareness about the approach. The results of the study also recommended educational institutions had better refresh teachers’ ways of teaching concerning to English language teaching skills. What is more, according to the findings the researcher forwarded some recommendations with the hope that the use of variety, interesting and communicative activities would contribute to the implementation integrated language skills teaching.