Literacy Practices of English Teachers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

It is often assumed that English teachers read. However, one cannot be certain. This research tried to find out whether English teachers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, read or not. English is a foreign language in Ethiopia and teachers are expected to teach English well so teachers¿ proficiency is often taken for granted. Obviously, reading, especially in L2, creates exposure to the language. This study analyses thirty questionnaires and many themes emerge from the data. These include the importance of setting up a reading circle, how parents and teachers inspire people to read, how more reading leads to even more reading and most importantly the fact that people read what they are interested in. The findings show that these English teachers read both in their first language and their second, English. Also, they believe that what they read helps them to improve their knowledge of English in particular and their teaching in general.