Assessing The Practices And Challenges Of Using Visual Supports In The Teaching Of Speaking Skill: Focus On Grade 9 English Language Teachers Of Dire Secondary School

Abstract

New technologies have opened new possibilities in order to integrate the utilization of visual supports in the language classroom, but these aids are not being fully exploited. The aim of this paper is to assess the practices and challenges of using visual support in the teaching of speaking skill: focus on Grade 9 English language teachers of Dire Secondary School. To achieve the objectives of the study, questionnaires, interview and classroom observation were used. 80 students were selected by Alert scale and by random sampling techniques. Five language teachers were selected by purposive sampling to interview. Because the select teachers were expected to give adequate information included. Observation of classroom activity held by teacher was observed by the researcher. Data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The results showed that teachers did not use varieties of visual supports in speaking classroom due to timing issues. The data collected from the teachers showed that they had positive perception about visual support. Some of different factors that affect teachers use of visual supports were: focal person of pedagogical center is not assigned, lack of enough time, lack of adequate resources, lack of in-service training of teachers, lack of clear guidance from the top management, budget problem, lack of encouragement from school principal, some teachers assume that, using visual support consumes time, high teaching workload, the problem of reference materials, students’ weaknesses, lack of support from schools and curriculum designers. The school and concerned bodies should provide adequate funds to buy varieties of visual supports as many of the teachers had not access of using available variety of visual supports in the school’s pedagogical center