Investigating classroom practices: development of learners’ social and emotional oracy skills. a case of one secondary school in Iringa District – Tanzania

Schools represent the first interactional environment after home. Teachers signify a point of reference for learners and impact their social and emotional development through the way teachers display social and emotional skills in the classroom, encourage student-teacher interaction, and manage and organise the classroom. The main objective of this study was to investigate how teachers develop social and emotional oracy skills in a Form One classroom. Specifically, the study investigated teachers’ perceptions on the social and emotional oracy skills, factors that facilitate the development of learners’ social and emotional oracy skills in the classroom, strategies teachers use to develop students’ social and emotional oracy skills in the classroom, and challenges teachers face in developing students’ social and emotional oracy skills in the classroom. The study used a qualitative approach with a case study as a research design. Data was collected through interviews, observations, and documentary reviews. Data were analysed by the use of content analysis. The findings indicated different display rules of teachers when it came to social and emotional oracy skills development. Factors that facilitate the development of learners’ social and emotional oracy skills included language of instruction, teacher social and emotional competence, teaching, and learning approach. Strategies for learners’ development of social and emotional oracy skills included collaboration among students in learning, teachers’ emotional support, and the question-answers method. Findings indicated some challenges like the opposite proportion between teaching approach and student assessment, insufficient availability of teaching and learning facilities, and teacher employment & teacher training. other challenges included the geographical position of the school, nature of students, environmental (exposure), and student-teacher-parent cooperation. Based on the findings and conclusion, it was recommended that teachers should be given training for teaching Form One on how to manage and develop emotional and social oracy skills