Investigating Factors Affecting Grade 9 Students English Language Classroom Oral Interaction: The Case Of Haro Dumal Secondary School, Bale Zone, Oromiya Regional State

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate factors affecting students’ English classroom oral interaction. The main objective of the study was to identify and explain factors that hindered students’ classroom interaction during their English. The method employed in the study was descriptive. To achieve this, questionnaire, interview and classroom observation were used for data collection. The subjects of the study were 119 students and 5 English teachers. Questionnaire was employed to get data form students and the interview was both teachers and students. Classroom observation checklist was the other data gathering used. The result of the study shows that most grade nine students of Haro Dumal secondary school did not practice oral interaction in learning English. This is mainly because their teacher did not motivate and encourage them during the lesson. The teachers did not use valuable language teaching material and teaching aids. They mostly correct students’ error. In addition they did not employ oral test to evaluate students’ oral interaction. The other factors that negatively affected students’ oral interaction in the target language are the students’ experience, using L1 in English class, shortage of text books, and other reference material in the school library.