THE ROLE OF TEACHERS’ INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES ON THE TEACHING OF SPEAKING SKILLS IN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Rehabeam K. Shapaka

Abstract


Using a qualitative multiple case study research design that emanates from a constructivist worldview, this study explores the role of teachers’ instructional strategies on the teaching of speaking skills in English as a second language. Data were collected through an interview schedule and field notes, in which the criterion-based purposive sampling technique was used to select 40 teachers from 40 schools. Data analysis was conducted using thematic, typological and content analyses, with Atlas.ti and MAXQDA. The study found that teachers' instructional strategies play an important role in teaching speaking skills, resulting in both positive and negative effects. Teachers should study and learn the application of instructional strategies, apply strategies to optimise their success and enhance the teaching of speaking skills. Teachers should integrate instructional strategies to support the teaching of speaking skills. Teachers’ instructional strategies enhance and promote the teaching of speaking skills in English as a second language.

Keywords


teachers’ instructional strategies, teaching speaking skills

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abad, M. (2023). EFL Teachers’ beliefs about listening and their actual listening instructional practices. Profile Issues in Teachers` Professional Development, 25(1), 113-127. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v25n1.98510

Abahussain, M. O. (2016). Implementing communicative language teaching method in Saudi Arabia: Challenges faced by formative year teachers in state schools. Unpublished Doctoral dissertation. Stirling, UK.

Abdelgawad, A. S., & Selim, S. I. (2022). The effect of using video-based teaching on developing EFL listening comprehension skills among preparatory stage pupils. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(7), 2730-2743. Retrieved from https://www.journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/download/11850/7679/14104

Abdullah, G., Arifin, A., Saro’i, M., & Uhai, S. (2024). Assessing the influence of learning styles, instructional strategies, and assessment methods on student engagement in college-level science courses. International Education Trend Issues, 2(2), 142-150. https://doi.org/10.56442/ieti.v2i2.466

Almadani, W. (2025). An exploratory study on the use of the communicative approach in the EFL grammar classes in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 106, 1-7. Retrieved from https://iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JLLL/article/view/63194

Alqahtani, S. (2019). Teaching English in Saudi Arabia. In C. Moskovsky & M. Picard (Eds.), English as a foreign language in Saudi Arabia new insights into teaching and learning English. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315688466-6

Anh, M. T. N., & Toan, T. V. (2025). Factors influencing intention to use artificial intelligence in learning listening and speaking skills: A study of Chinese studies students at Thai Nguyen University of science. European Journal of Foreign Language teaching, 9(3), 57-68. http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v9i3.6095

Arfanti, Y., & Risnawaty, H. (2021). English teachers’ strategies in teaching listening comprehension for senior high school in MAN Serdang Bedagai. Indonesian Journal of ELT and Applied Linguistics (IJEAL), 1(1), 47-52. https://doi.org/10.32696/ijeal.v1i1.1060

Arjuna, G., & Rozimela, Y. (2020). The use of information gap technique in improving students’ speaking skill. Advances in social science, education and humanities research, (579). Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on English Language and Teaching (ICOELT). Atlantis Press SARL. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210914.041

Arochman, T., Jabbar, S., Hutabarat, P., & Pitaloka, N. (2023). Infographics as a tool to facilitate English learning activities: Students’ perceptions. English Franca: Academic Journal of English Language and Education, 7(2), 369–386. https://doi.org/10.29240/ef.v7i2.7508

Assalahi, H. (2013). Why is the grammar-translation method still alive in the Arab world? Teachers’ beliefs and its implications for EFL teacher education. TPLS Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(4), 589-599. Retrieved from https://www.academypublication.com/issues/past/tpls/vol03/04/06.pdf

Bahumaid, S. A. (2013). The communicative approach in EFL contexts revisited. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity IJSSH, 446-448. https://doi.org/10.7763/IJSSH.2012.V2.143

Baillo, M., Pradia, M., Encarnacion, F. A., & Fernandez, E. (2025). Using task-based language teaching to enhance the oral communication skills of grade 11 students. European Journal of Literature, Language and Linguistics Studies, 9(2), 36-52. http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejlll.v9i2.618

Bežilová, V. (2024). Enhancing EFL vocabulary acquisition through storytelling. University of Prešove, Slovakia. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/386243455_ENHANCING_EFL_VOCABULARY_ACQUISITION_THROUGH_STORYTELLING_ENHANCING_EFL_VOCABULARY_ACQUISITION_THROUGH_STORYTELLING

Billah, M. (2020). The role of grammar in communicative language teaching. Retrieved from https://bdeduarticle.com/communicative-language-teaching/

Chanratana, C., Channyalin, D., Sievmei, S., Monyneath, N., & Sovann, L. (2024). EFL students’ perception of listening skills in core English and IELTS subjects: A study at a State University in Battambang. Journal of English for Specific Purposes in Indonesia, 3(2),125-134. https://doi.org/10.33369/espindonesia.v3i2.36183

Chowdhury, M. H. (2014). Teaching grammar in the English language classroom in Saudi universities. Express, 1(1), 1-9. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/9196420/Teaching_Grammar_in_the_English_Language_Classroom_in_Saudi_Universities_by_MD_Mahmud_Hasan_Chowdhury_Lecturer_in_English_Jazan_University_Jizan_KSA

Chung, E. (2023). Enhancing vocabulary acquisition through visual learning aids in EFL classrooms. Asian EFL Journal, 30(2), 180–195.

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (Fifth Edition). SAGE Publications, Inc. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/research-design/book270550

Dawadi, S., Shrestha, S., & Giri, R. A. (2021). Mixed-methods research: A discussion on its types, challenges, and criticisms. Journal of Practical Studies in Education, 2(2), 25-36. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349663713_Mixed-Methods_Research_A_Discussion_on_its_Types_Challenges_and_Criticisms

Dereje, A. (2021). EFL Teachers’ practices and implementations of speaking activities in Ethiopian English textbooks. In Y. S. Wang (Ed.), Education Research International.

Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education. The Macmillan Company. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/8696278

Dey, I. (2003). Qualitative data analysis: A user-friendly guide for social scientists. Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.routledge.com/Qualitative-Data-Analysis-A-User-Friendly-Guide-for-Social-Scientists/Dey/p/book/9780415058520

Ejajo, A. (2025). Instructional opportunities that promote of teaching speaking skills via communicative language teaching (CLT) method in EFL classroom: The case of Kindo Koysha Woreda secondary schools. Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 104, 8-18. Retrieved from https://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JLLL/article/view/62891

Eragamreddy, N. (2024). Enhancing fluency: The role of listening strategies in English language learning. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 5(1), 13-26. Retrieved from https://jim.teknokrat.ac.id/index.php/english-language-teaching/article/view/5440/1125

Esayas, T. T. (2019). The practice of teaching speaking skills: The case of three secondary schools in Gedeo zone, Ethiopia. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 24(3), 40-46. https://doi.org/10.9790/0837-2403034047

Estrada, J. R., Quirante, A. L. E., Reyes, J. P. L., & Napil, J. S. C. (2025). Defeating language barriers: Exploring elementary teachers’ strategies to improve communication skills. European Journal of English Language Teaching, 10(2), 49-86. http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v10i2.6132

Fekadu, D., & Hussen, K. (2019). Current issues of English language teaching in Ethiopia: A system loop-evaluation of the current English language teaching in Ethiopia. International Journal of Research Publications, 40(1). https://dx.doi.org/100401112019794

Fenyi, K., Ivy Jones-Mensah, I., Tabiri, M. O., Owusu, E. (2021). Teaching listening skills in senior high schools in Ghana: Issues and directions. JEE Journal of English Education, 7(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.30606/jee

Hamuda, M. A., Selamat, S., & Ismail, H. (2023). Factors that influence students' listening comprehension at Misurata preparatory schools, Libya. International Journal of Education Humanities and Social Science, 69(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.54922/IJEHSS.2023.0468

Hiver P., & Yamazaki, J. S. (2025). Language learner engagement. In H. Nesi & P. Milin (Eds.), International encyclopaedia of language and linguistics (3rd ed.). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95504-1.00299-4

Hoang, T. T., & Yen, T. H. P. (2024). The effect of metacognitive strategy instruction on listening comprehension performance: A case study of English-majoring freshmen at Ba Ria-Vung Tau University, Vietnam. International Journal of Current Science Research and Innovation 7(5), 3336-3341. Retrieved from https://ijcsrr.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/90-2905-2024.pdf

Just, M. A., & Carpenter, P. A. (1992). A capacity theory of comprehension: Individual differences in working memory. Psychological Review, 99, 1, 122-149. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.99.1.122

Kassu, J. S. (2019). Research design and methodology. Reviewed: March 8th 2019. Retrieved from https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/68505

Kersey, C., Di Eugenio, B., Jordan, P., & Katz, S. (2023). Knowledge co-construction and initiative in peer learning interactions. University of Illinois, Chicago. Retrieved from https://nlp-lab.red.uic.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/314/2018/06/Knowledge-Co-construction.pdf

Khalil, L., & Kholofelo, B. (2020). Appropriate teaching methods for general English and English for specific purposes from teachers' perspectives. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 11(1), 253-269. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no1.19

Khuong, L. Q., & Thi, L. N. B. (2025). Lexical complexity of IELTS academic writing task 2model answers at band score 6. Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 119-126. https://doi.org/10.32996/jeltal.2025.7.2.13

Kodirovna, T. M. (2024). Using authentic material to improve the students' listening skill in primary school. American Journal of Language, Literacy and Learning in STEM Education, 2(6), 2993-2769. https://grnjournal.us/index.php/STEM/article/view/5463

Latupono, L., & Nikijuluw, R. C. G. V. (2022). The importance of teaching listening strategies in the English language context, Matai. International Journal of Language Education, 3(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.30598/matail.v2i2.5935

Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2023). Practical research: Planning and design. Pearson. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Practical_Research_Planning_and_Design_G.html?id=nvKGEAAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y

Lehtinen, A., Kostiainen, E., & N¨aykki, P. (2023). Co-construction of knowledge and socioemotional interaction in pre-service teachers’ video-based online collaborative learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 1-15. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0742051X23002871

Ling, P., & Ling, L. (2017). Methods and paradigms in education research: Employing paradigms in education research. In L. Ling & P. Ling (Eds.), The Power of the Paradigm: Methods and Paradigms in Education Research (pp. 19-41). IGI Global. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-1738-2.ch02

Mart, C. T. (2019). A comparison of form-focused, content-based and mixed approaches to literature-based instruction to develop learners’ speaking skills. Cogent Education, 6(1). https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1660526

Maulina, M., Muthmainnah, A., Asrifan, A., & Apriiani, E. (2021). Teaching communicative grammar: A literature review. An International Multidisciplinary Double-Blinded Peer-reviewed Research Journal, 3(2), 63-67. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355077987_Teaching_Communicative_Grammar_A_Literature_Review

Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture. (2024). End of the year 2023 examination statistics. Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, Windhoek, Namibia.

Moskovsky, C. (2019). EFL teaching and learning in Saudi Arabia: 25 years of research. In C. Moskovsky & M. Picard (Eds.), English as a foreign language in Saudi Arabia: New insights into teaching and learning English, 4–69. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315688466-2

Muhammad, H., & Batubara, F. (2023). Students’ obstacles in listening comprehension in English learning. Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Language Teaching (JLLLT), 3(1), 8-14. https://doi.org/10.37249/jlllt.v3i1.508

Nalliveettil, G. M. (2014). Assessing EFL undergraduates in a communicative language teaching classroom. Arab World English Journal, 5(2), 24-37. Retrieved from https://awej.org/assessing-efl-undergraduates-in-communicative-language-teaching-classroom/

Namaziandost, E., Hashemifardnia, A., & Shafiee, S. (2019). The impact of opinion-gap, reasoning gap, and information-gap tasks on EFL learners’ speaking fluency. Cogent Social Sciences, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2019.1630150

Octaviani, R. P., Jannah, L. M., Sebrina, M., & Arochman, T. (2024). The impact of first language on students English pronunciation. International Journal of Indonesian Education and Teaching, 8(1), 164-173. https://doi.org/10.24071/ijiet.v8i1.6758

Ortega, M. A. S., & Contreras, O. R. (2021). Integrating authentic materials into strategy-based-instruction to improve listening comprehension. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 10(7), 1143-1152. Retrieved from https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR21708001943

Ratnasari, D. (2019). Behaviourism, innatism, and interactionism in English teaching and learning. The Journal of English Literacy Education the Teaching and Learning of English as a Foreign Language 6(1):42-50. https://doi.org/10.36706/jele.v6i1.9990

Roeder, R., Araujo-Jones, D., & Miller, E. (2020). Grammar in communicative language teaching: Teacher beliefs about theory versus practice. International Journal of English Language Teaching, 8(4), 45-64. Retrieved from https://eajournals.org/ijelt/vol-8-issue-4-june-2020/grammar-in-communicative-language-teaching-teacher-beliefs-about-theory-versus-practice/

Saeedi, M. (2023). Effects of repeating tasks of different complexity levels on EFL learners’ oral production. Teaching English Language, 17(2), 391-415. https://10.22132/tel.2024.377408.1418

Saleh, A. M., & Althaqafi, A. S. A. (2022). The Effect of Using Educational Games as a Tool in Teaching English Vocabulary to Arab Young Children: A Quasi-Experimental Study in a Kindergarten School in Saudi Arabia. SAGE Open 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221079806

Shapaka, R. K. (2024a). The effect of advisory teachers’ instructional strategies on implementation of the revised curriculum for English as a second language. International Journal of Novel Research in Education and Learning, 11(6), 76-89. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14582001

Shapaka, R. K. (2024b). The effect of teachers’ instructional strategies on the teaching of reading comprehension in English as a second language. European Journal of English Language Teaching, 9(4), 46-63. http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v9i4.5601

Shapaka, R. K. (2025a). The effect of teachers’ instructional strategies on the teaching of vocabulary learning in English as a second language. European Journal of Business and Management, 17(1), 61-73. http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v9i4.5601

Shapaka, R. K. (2025b). The role of teachers’ instructional strategies on the teaching of listening comprehension in English as a second language. European Journal of English Language Teaching, 10(3), 50-72. http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v10i3.6249

Skripsi, A. (2024). An analysis of teachers’ listening teaching strategies: A case study of English teachers in SMPN2 Cibinong. State Islamic University of Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. Retrieved from https://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/handle/123456789/77392

Stathi, E., & Mastrothanasis, K. (2025). Drama-based interventions for the psychosocial recovery of children and adolescents in times of crisis. European Journal of Education Studies, 12(9), 32-49. http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v12i9.6151

Sulis, G., & Mercer, S. (2026). Engagement with English beyond the classroom: A qualitative study with middle school Austrian students. System 139, 1-12.

Sun, B., & Révész, A. (2021). The effects of task repetition on child EFL learners’ oral performance. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, Special Issue, 24(2), 30-47. https://doi.org/10.37213/cjal.2021.31382

Tracy, D. H., & Morrow, M. I. (2017). Lenses on reading: An introduction to theory and models (3rd ed.). The Guildford Publication. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Lenses_on_Reading.html?id=iskLEQAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y

Tran, L. T. T., & Thu, N, H. H. (2025). Perspective of English majors at Can Tho University on the importance of pragmatic competence in effective English communication. European Journal of English Language Teaching, 10(2), 119-134. http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v10i2.6144

Trang, N. M. (2025). Professional development in listening and speaking skills for secondary school teachers of English: Rhizomatic education. European Journal of Education Studies, 12(9), 1-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v12i9.6150

Umida, A. (2023). Integrating grammar into contextual learning. The Multidisciplinary Journal of Science and Technology, 4(12), 100-102. Retrieved from https://mjstjournal.com/index.php/mjst/article/view/2118

United Nations Children’s Fund. (2015). UNICEF annual report for Namibia 2015.

Waluyo, B., & Wangdi, T. (2024). Task-based language teaching in academic English higher education: A case of low-proficiency learners in Thailand. 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature® The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 30(3), 182-195. http://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2024-3003-17

Wang, J. (2013). Is the communicative language teaching approach more effective than the grammar translation method at teaching the Ba-Construction in Mandarin Chinese to American undergraduate students? (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Kansas, KS. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Is-the-Communicative-Language-Teaching-Approach-the-Wang/1a9be3d91ce634a0521f096122d2b00cb8d8b95b

Wang, Q. (2023). Memorisation strategy and foreign language learning: A narrative literature review. Front. Psychol, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1261220

Williams, A. (2024). Delivering Effective Student Feedback in Higher Education: An Evaluation of the Challenges and Best Practice. International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 10(2), 473-501. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.3404

Woymo, T. H., Bachore, M. M., & Jobo, M. M. (2024). The effects of form- focused communicative grammar instruction on students’ pronunciation and grammar in speaking. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 13(1), 61. https://doi.org/10.5430/jct.v13n1p61

Wu, Y., Kanji, M., & Ou, G. (2025). From socialisation to internalisation: tracing knowledge co-construction through sequential discourse interaction acts in high school English learning. Front. Educ. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1664093

Xu, J., Fan J., & Luo, K. (2021). Exploring L2 listening instruction, self-efficacy, and strategy use: A mediation analysis. Front. Psychol. 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.758757

Yenkimaleki, M., & Van Heuven, V.J. (2019). Prosody instruction for interpreter trainer trainees: Does methodology make a deference? Across Languages and Cultures 20(2), 115–131. https://doi.org/10.1556/084.2019.20.1.6

Yenkimaleki, M. & Van Heuven, V. J. (2022). Comparing the nativeness vs. intelligibility approach in prosody instruction for developing speaking skills by interpreter trainees: An experimental study. Speech Communication, 137, 92–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.specom.2022.01.007

Zare, M., Bagheri, M.S., Sadighi, F., & Rassaei, E. (2021). An investigation of the linguistic complexity of IELTS writing topics based on the levels of discourse representation and the degree of meaning coding. Cogent Education, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2020.1868235




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v10i1.6760

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright © 2015 - 2026. European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching (ISSN 2537-1754) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing GroupAll rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms.

All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).