Effectiveness of Teachers’ Classroom Pedagogy in Teaching English in Tanzanian Primary Schools

Lucy Erasto Ringo
St John’s University of Tanzania, Dodoma
Email: lucyringo32@gmail.com

Abstract: This study examined the effectiveness of teachers’ classroom pedagogy in teaching English in both private English-medium and public Kiswahili-medium primary schools in Dodoma, Tanzania. Grounded in Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) as a theoretical framework, the study employed a mixed-methods approach with a convergent parallel design. Data were collected through classroom observations, interviews with Standard 3 and 6 teachers of English, focus group discussions with pupils, documentary reviews, and questionnaires administered to both pupils and teachers. Stratified random sampling was used to select 142 pupils, while purposive sampling selected two teachers from each school, totaling 150 respondents. Findings revealed that teachers largely failed to implement CLT and language-supportive pedagogy due to challenges such as inadequate teaching and learning materials, large class sizes, reliance on traditional teaching methods, limited teacher and pupil motivation, and lack of recognition for teachers’ efforts. These challenges constrained interactive learning, reduced pupil engagement, and limited opportunities to develop communicative competence in English. The study recommends targeted in-service training to enhance teachers’ pedagogical skills, provision of adequate teaching and learning materials, creation of a supportive classroom environment, strategies to boost teacher motivation, and the effective use of technology to access instructional resources. Implementing these recommendations can improve the quality of English language teaching and learning in Tanzanian primary schools.