The Practice of Teaching Integrated Grammar in Improving Students’ English Language Writing Skills: Qellem and Ebisa Adugna Secondary Schools Grade 10 Students in Dambi Dollo Town, In Focus

Abstract

The main concern of this study was to assess the practice of teaching integrated- grammar teaching in improving students’ English language writing skills. To this end, two schools in Dambi Dollo were purposefully selected to be the settings of the study; and all the 20 English language teachers who taught English at grade ten levels in the schools along with 50 students of grade ten in the schools were the subjects of the study. To collect the necessary data for the study, two sets of questionnaires (one for the teachers and another for the students) were employed as the main data collecting tools. Besides, document analysis (analysis of the Teacher’s Guide) was employed as supporting instruments so as to triangulate the findings of the questionnaires. Then, the collected data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis. The study revealed that the teachers had high theoretical orientations and understanding of integrated-skills teaching principles. On the other hand, it was found that the teachers lacked practical skills of implementing integrated- grammar writing skills teaching in classrooms. The study further showed that the teachers sometimes taught two language skills in integration in reading, listening, speaking and writing lessons; they hardly taught four language skills in integration in these lessons. Moreover, the teachers rarely used integrated grammar in writing activities and project work when they taught language skills in integration. The study also portrayed that most of the teachers could not effectively play their ‘managerial roles’ when they taught language skills in integration; and they hardly used various teaching aids and equipment when they taught language skills in integration. Insofar as the contribution of the new Teacher’s Guide to integrated grammar -skills teaching/ learning is concerned, the study indicated that the new Teacher’s Guide created a fertile ground for integrated-skills teaching/learning in the classroom. Similarly, the study revealed that a number of impediments which related to the schools, the students and the teachers directly or indirectly hampered integrated grammar-skills teaching/learning process in classrooms.