EFL Teachers’ Practices and Implementations of Speaking Activities in Ethiopian English Textbooks

Speaking activities are educational procedures used to motivate learners through experience and exposure. Therefore, this research investigated EFL teachers’ practices and implementations of speaking skill activities in the Ethiopian grade 10 English textbooks. To achieve this objective, 72 grade 10 students, using simple random sampling techniques, were selected to fill in a questionnaire, and 4 EFL teachers were taken using comprehensive sampling techniques for classroom observations and interviews. A descriptive case study research design with mixed methods of data collection and analysis was applied. In order to gather relevant data, one-month observations were carried out by the use of a checklist. Next, a questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale was administered to students. Finally, an interview was also conducted with EFL teachers. The data revealed that EFL teachers rarely present speaking skill activities, and even when they present, they did not motivate students and did not provide clear instructions. Moreover, they mostly used students’ mother tongue (L1) by ignoring the target language, and they were limited only to some common activities and failed to use all or various techniques of presenting speaking skill activities. Therefore, EFL teachers are strongly recommended to follow the four stages of presenting the speaking skill activities.