Teaching purposefully: Considering the perspectives of foreign language learners in language skill development

Reading, writing, speaking, and listening are the four foundational skills in language learning. In language learning classrooms, students are guided to achieve proficiency in all or some of these skills in order to be able to use language effectively. Using a qualitative approach, the study investigates the perspectives of some students of Swahili, a Less Commonly Taught Language (LCTL), about their language skills. Specifically, the study investigates the goals of the students regarding the development of their language skills, how the students develop their language skills, and the challenges they face in honing their language skills. The study revealed that the purposes for which students enroll in the language class and the challenges they face with the development of their language skills influence their perspectives on the various language skills. Thus, the findings confirmed existing research that students have diverse reasons for learning a language. The study encourages teachers of Swahili-as-a-foreign-language (SFL) to purposefully guide students in developing their language skills by considering the students’ perspectives.