Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to explore oral communication strategies utilized in Wolaytta
zone Damote Sore Woreda Gununo secondary school Grade nine English teachers. The
descriptive case design is used to explore oral communication strategies utilized in English
classroom, to investigate communication strategies in terms of types and number of
communication strategies. To achieve the objective of the study, seven English teachers’
classroom practices were observed and audio recorded. The data was transcribed and
strategies were identified and analyzed on the basis of Faerch and Kasper (1983) classification
model. The study revealed that teachers utilized fourteen types of communication strategies
classified under achievement and reduction strategies. such as: repetitions, using fillers
,asking for clarification , language switch, literal translation, write on black board, read from
text book, exemplification, reading aloud ,paraphrase, word coinage , foreignzing , message
abandonment and message reduction. From these strategies, language switch, using fillers
and repetition are the most frequently utilized communication strategies by all teachers in
delivering their lesson. From fourteen types of communication strategies utilized by sample
teachers, achievement strategy account for 97.64% and reduction strategies account for
2.36%. In addition to this, the study indicates that sample teachers utilized fourteen types of
communication strategies at the frequency of 791 times and types and number of
communication strategies vary across lessons teachers deliver.
