Teaching speaking skills: Challenges of using integrated approach in secondary schools in Kenya

Abstract

The integrated approach to teaching English language in secondary schools in Kenya was introduced in 1986 with the inception of the 8-4-4 system of education. One of the aims of this approach in Kenya was to address the problem of poor oral skills among form four school leavers. However, evaluation of the challenges teachers face in using this approach to teach has not been adequately done. Thus a study was carried out in 2010 to identify and suggest solutions to these challenges to teaching speaking skills in English in secondary schools. This study was important because English as used in real life situation is integrated. Additionally, speaking skill is key to effective communication. When one has control of language he/she feels confident and comfortable when talking to other people. Communication is important in any carrier. A descriptive survey was carried out in secondary schools in Eldoret Municipality. This paper is, therefore, an overview of the results obtained from the study. A total of 7 secondary schools, selected using multiple sampling techniques made up the study population. Fourteen Form Three teachers of English language responded to the questionnaires, while fourteen speaking skill lessons were observed and tape-recorded. The study adopted a mixed methods approach and subsequently analyzed the data using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that all schools, irrespective of their category, faced similar challenges in the use of the integrated approach in teaching speaking skills. The major challenge for the integration of language and literature in teaching speaking skills was its demanding nature in terms of preparation and time requirements. Other challenges included shortage of teaching time, large number of students in the classroom hampering the use of more effective approaches in teaching, and mother tongue interference. From these findings, teachers would want to see the need to organize skill-based workshops and seminars to give teachers necessary capacity on how to integrate the approach in the classroom activities among other solutions. The study makes recommendations to the Ministry of Education to ensure that all schools have adequate human and non-human resources for teaching speaking skills.