OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF GROUP DISCUSSION IN SPEAKING LESSONS OF TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AT SENDAFA SECONDARY SCHOOL IN OROMIA REGION

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess opportunities and challenges of group discussion in speaking lessons of Teaching English as a foreign Language at Sendafa Secondary School, particularly in grade 10. To assess the opportunities and challenges of group discussion in speaking lessons, descriptive survey study was employed. Data were gathered from 150 students, 21.52% of the total population in three randomly selected classrooms, and four English language teachers The results of the study revealed that both students and teachers perceive group discussion positively. As a result, the majority of students and all of the teachers responded that group discussion creates conducive environment for learning, motivates learners to learn from each other, make students feel free to speak with their friends without fear, enhances equal opportunity for members to practice in the language and helps to develop tolerance and respect of different ideas. However, the followings were found to be the main challenges encountered during group discussion. Both teachers and students confirmed that the nature of the activities which does not motivate students to actively participate in group discussion is one of the challenges of group discussion .Since students were not given orientations about their roles in- group discussion, they did not play their expected roles, some students came with poor educational background and low language proficiency ;consequently, they intended to use their L1 or they become careless to take part in activities, group activities were conducted intermittently and the time given for group discussion was not sufficient and teachers did not play their roles properly and they didn‟t use group discussion regularly. Therefore, possible recommendations were forwarded to the concerned bodies (school principals, teachers and students) to play their roles properly and alleviate the existing problems as well as to use the recommendations forwarded by the study as an input in improving student‟s participation in group discussion of speaking lessons by the study.