Teaching Oral Comprehension to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners: Perceptions of Ivorian Secondary School Teachers

The aim of this study is to identify and to analyze teachers perceptions of the constraints on improving learners oral comprehension skills in Ivorian secondary schools. A Likert-type questionnaire was administered to 23 teachers with differing characteristics. The data gathered was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results indicated that for most teachers, oral comprehension is essential in learning English as a foreign language. But oral comprehension instruction is made laborious by teachers insufficient competences, the need to cover the curriculum, and the lack of resources. Also, teachers believed that anxiety, lack of interest, and lack of strategies are the major student-related constraints. Against all expectations, however, no curriculum-related constraint was found.