Challenges of students discipline in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes: A case of primary schools in Dembi Dollo and Nekemte towns of Oromia Region, Ethiopia

In many cultures in the world, discipline is a very important quality of students in schools. Thus, the prime objective of this study was to explore major factors contributing to students’ discipline problems in some primary schools of Dambi Dollo and Nekemte Towns in Ethiopia. To achieve the objective, basic research questions were developed, related literatures were reviewed and different methodologies were designed to gather the necessary data. Fourteen male and nineteen female teachers and seven male students, totally forty people were selected as participants of the study. The sample selection was made purposely on the basis of the subjects concerns and commitments to deal with students’ managements in the schools. Information was collected from the respondents by using different instruments such as Questionnaires, Interviews and focus group discussion (FGD). After the analysis was made, the following findings were found: English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers have knowledge and skills gaps in properly teaching and handling their students in class, they do not collaborate in students’ management systems, schools also declined to consistently manage students by applying school laws, and students were dissatisfied by classroom instructional processes. Other causes of students’ discipline problems were peer influences, hatred towards English language, automatic promotion, and classroom physical conditions.   Key words: Parents-teacher association (PTA), focus group discussion (FGD), behavior, discipline, disciplinary/behavioral problems, automatic promotion.