Investigating an Experienced Efl Teacher’s Strategies in Teaching Speaking Skills to Senior High School Students

Abstract

Speaking is an important skill in English learning because it helps students communicate their ideas effectively. Therefore, teachers need to apply appropriate strategies to support students in developing their speaking skills. This study aimed to investigate the speaking instruction strategies used by an experienced EFL teacher, describe how the teacher implemented the strategies, and identify the reasons for choosing them. This study employed a qualitative descriptive design. The participant was an experienced EFL teacher at a senior high school in Banyuwangi. The data were collected through classroom observations, a semi-structured interview, and document analysis. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed four speaking instruction strategies used by the teacher, namely dialogue, speaking cards, role play, and presentation. The teacher implemented these strategies by preparing students with vocabulary and useful expressions before speaking, providing opportunities to practice in pairs, groups, and individually, monitoring students during the activities, and giving feedback after the speaking performance. The teacher chose these strategies because they helped students become more confident, accommodated different ability levels, encouraged active participation, and provided meaningful opportunities to practice speaking. Overall, the findings show that the teacher adjusted the speaking instruction strategies based on students' needs, ability levels, and classroom conditions to support students' speaking development.