Navigating English Medium Instruction: Insights Into Classroom Practices and Challenges in Middle-Level Schools of Wolaita Zone, South Ethiopia

Abstract

This study aims to explore teachers' pedagogical practices in using English as a Medium of Instruction, to distinguish challenges confronted by teachers while using the English medium, and to discover the coping strategies employed in dealing with these challenges at the middle-school level within Wolaita Zone, South Ethiopia Regional State. The study employed a convergent mixed methods design. The study included 240 teachers from 30 middle-level schools. The researchers collected the data through a questionnaire, focused group discussions, and classroom observations. They applied quantitative analysis, employing statistical measures like mean values and standard deviations to the data collected through a questionnaire with five Likert scales. Simultaneously, the researchers conducted a meticulous theme-based content analysis for the qualitative data. The results of this investigation revealed a dominant trend among teachers in English-medium classrooms using their mother tongue rather than the English language. The study also indicated that this tendency stems from a deficiency in teachers' competence in English language instruction. Furthermore, the study showed that while teachers employ different coping strategies to address instructional language challenges in their classrooms, most of these strategies are misapplied.