English Language Teaching: Historical Overview, Current Issues and Suggestions for Enhancing Speaking Proficiency in EFL Contexts

Abstract

The history of English Language Teaching (ELT) and learning in English as a Second and Foreign Language (ESL and EFL) contexts has gone through different practices. The role of memorization and repetition of English language structures has always been a dominant teaching attitude. This attitude has revealed unsuccessful results in promoting speaking proficiency among English language learners when communicating in real-world situations beyond the classroom context. Therefore, it is essential to address such practices and shed light on some of the issues that hinder English Language Learners (ELLs) from effectively using English in real-world communicative situations. This review paper focuses on ELT practices that have been unsuccessful in promoting English language learners’ speaking proficiency. Additionally, it provides implications for classroom teaching instructions that integrate authentic tasks and materials. Implementing meaningful tasks that represent real-world situations could be a promising solution for enhancing ELLs’ language competencies to enable them to transfer the language they learn to real-life situations beyond school settings. Some practical suggestions and recommendations are provided to enhance ELT in EFL contexts.