Exploring Teachers’ Perceptions of English Teaching Method Preferences and Learning Styles in Selected Secondary Schools of Morogoro Municipality

This study explored teachers’ perceptions of English teaching method preferences and learning styles in selected secondary schools of Morogoro Municipality by finding their impacts on teaching and learning styles and the challenges of matching English teaching method preferences and learning styles in secondary schools. The study used an exploratory case study design under a qualitative approach where five teachers from five selected schools consisting of four males and one female were selected purposely and voluntarily to be interviewed using semi-structured questions. The results indicate that three teaching methods are mostly preferred by teachers: learner-centred, engagement style


INTRODUCTION
The Tanzanian government has made significant investments in human resource development to raise the standard of classroom instructions and learning methodologies.
Despite the Tanzanian government's efforts to support effective teaching in schools by providing quality resources like infrastructure materials, qualified personnel, physical facilities, expatriate teachers, and financial assistance, a sizable percentage of students still fail the final grade examinations, particularly in the English subject (Mapunda, 2018).A driving force in the 21st century is the demand for efficient teaching and learning.According to Kim (2019), a variety of competencies, including critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, metacognition, communication, digital and technology literacy, civic responsibility, and global awareness, are considered to be part of the 21st-century talents.Teachers must, therefore concentrate on educational strategies that give all students the knowledge and skills they need to participate in a global society.
The challenge for the teacher is not only to recognize and gain mastery of specific teaching methods and behaviours that are recognized as effective practices but also to build the capacity to successfully match these methods and behaviours, at the right time, to specific student populations and teaching contexts that are related to the teacher's desired student learning outcomes (Tazi et al., 2019).It is the responsibility of teachers to support students' learning by conveying knowledge to them and creating an environment in which they can and will do so.Everyone involved in education is particularly interested in the topic of what makes a teacher effective (Chong et al., 2018).
A multidisciplinary research approach is necessary to identify the qualities that, in a complex of many interrelated variables, define a good teacher.These traits are made up of several underlying components, such as socio-affective skills, pedagogical expertise, and subject-matter knowledge (Birgili et al., 2016).Language learning styles have been regarded as the cornerstone of learners' accomplishments together with the everincreasing focus on the learners and learning.According to this supposition, studies frequently concur that tailoring teaching methods to students' preferred learning styles and accounting for their unique variations in language classes can enhance teaching (Tazi et al., 2019).Therefore, teachers must be aware of their student's learning styles and adapt the class activities and assignments accordingly.In this context, it is important to look at how teachers prefer to teach English in their classes and how students prefer to study (Husin, 2017).
According to Zaman et al. (2022), learning styles are a mixture of intricate cognitive, affective, and psychological traits that indicate how a learner would interpret the material.It is an individual's inherent and distinctive style of securing and receiving information (Zaman et al.,2022).The learning styles of students are influenced by environmental adaptations, personality development, and genetic coding.The conflict between preferred teaching methods and learning styles, on the other hand, makes it challenging for a student to perform well in learning.
Teaching method preferences can affect how teachers present information, interact with students and supervise their work.For instance, Razzak et al. (2019) pointed out that teaching preferences are vital for providing students with good learning experiences and enhancing students' academic outcomes.Wandera (2012) points out that the most popular teaching methods for English subjects are lectures, role-playing, reading, homework, smallgroup discussions, and writing.The agents who carry out learning are teachers.Without learning, teaching is merely talking.Ismail and Rahman (2014) discovered that classroom evaluation places a greater emphasis on teachers and students monitoring and improving learning than on observing and improving teaching.
A teacher must have the capacity to plan and organize all necessary tasks to be completed within the prearranged time frame and with the necessary resources to achieve the established educational goals (Wandera 2012).Teaching method preferences are a well-planned procedure that guides the direction in undertaking a learning activity.The use of teaching methods produces a variety of results; it may be strong and effective in one case, weak and harmful and still be in another case.Students learn to obtain more knowledge about the various scenarios and challenges in daily life through the methods and strategies employed by the teachers in the classroom (Gutiérrez et al., 2010).The government's decision to utilize the English language as a medium of instruction in secondary schools and higher education institutions in Tanzania has made it mandatory for people to study the language (Mtallo, 2015).This status first emerged during the expansion of colonial power and its dominance.Tanzania likewise recognizes English as its official language and lingua franca (Yogi, 2017).
Since the majority of Tanzanians speak ethnic community languages (ECLs) as their first language and Kiswahili as their second language, English is used as a language of diplomacy, international communication, and for the more modern way of life.English is being taught as a third language, which is a foreign language.Except for Kiswahili, which is taught as a single subject in secondary schools, all other subjects are taught in English, and the English language of instruction is also taught as a separate subject.The learning of English varies depending on the educational level in Tanzania.As a result, code-switching and code-mixing are a common part of teaching and learning English in Tanzania, which has led to a variety of preferred teaching methods and learning styles (Mapunda, 2018).

Statement of the Problem
Several researches have been conducted to look at various aspects of teaching method preferences and learning styles to shed light on the complex nature of the teaching and learning process.The effectiveness of teaching in a classroom has been the subject of some of these studies like Blazar and Kraft (2017), Kaced and Kahil (2018), Andriyant et al. (2020), andOkechukwu (2021), while learning styles and learners' perceptions have been the subject of others like Almasa et al. (2005), Wilson (2012, Chong et al. (2018), and Fajriah et al. (2019).The problem is the lack of attention placed on teachers' perceptions of their preferred teaching methods and learning styles.By ignoring this component, it may be more difficult to understand the dynamics of the teaching and learning process and may provide a constrained picture of teachers' educational foundations.As a result, when learning English, students may experience hardships and even go through physical and psychological torment (Rubagumya, 2010).Thus, to shed more light on the key hazards connected with the relationship between the two, this study aimed to explore teachers' perception of English teaching method preferences and learning styles in the selected secondary schools in Morogoro Municipality

General Objective
The objective of this study is to explore teachers' perceptions of English teaching methods, preferences and learning styles in the selected secondary schools in Morogoro Municipality.

Specific Objectives
• To find out teaching method preferences in English classes in selected secondary schools.
• To identify the impacts of matching teaching methods preferences and students' learning styles in English classes in selected secondary schools.
• To examine the challenges of English teaching method preferences and learning styles in secondary schools.

Research Questions
• What are the English teaching methods preferences in selected secondary schools?
• How do English teaching method preferences affect the English teaching process and learning styles in selected secondary schools?
• What are the challenges faced by teachers in matching their teaching preferences with students' learning styles in English classes in selected secondary schools?

LITERATURE REVIEW
This section covers two parts.The first part is about theoretical review, which explains the theory that guided the study.The second part reviews different relevant literature related to the study under investigation.

Theoretical Review
The theory used in this study is the communicative language teaching approach (CLT), which Aggarwal and Dave (2011) described as a method for teaching a second language or foreign language.It emphasizes learners' interaction, whether as a means of acquisition or as the end result.The theory served as the foundation for this study.The theory was employed because it helps the researcher explain the focused study on secondary school teachers' perceptions of preferred English teaching methods and learning styles.The communicative language approach shows the essence of teachers to get room for having preferred methods of teaching and learning the English language in Secondary schools.Hymes (1972) improved the theory above Chomsky's work from 1965.According to Hymes, to be communicatively competent, a person must acquire information and the ability to use language while taking into account four different categories of knowledge: whether something is formally conceivable, practical, suitable, and really done.
The theory is used in the study to deal with the output of teaching methods as it has been favoured by English language teachers in their respective classes, the way it helps them in achieving the teaching and learning goal of the targeted subject.
According to Larsen-Freeman (2003), the communicative language teaching strategy includes teaching tactics including role-playing, real resources, language games, and scrambled sentences.These aspects assist the teachers' influence over students' preferences for teaching methodologies.
The teacher's position in CLT is that of a facilitator, advisor, analyst, independent participant, and manager of learners' actions, it promotes interaction between teachers and students as well as cooperative partnerships among students Madata (2012).

Teaching Methods Preferences
The recommended methods are those that allow the learner to master the English language abilities and teachers to properly teach and achieve the goal.As the instructor's or the teacher's classroom behaviour is related to the teaching views of an instructor and is not always limited to a single teaching method or style, different bodies of literature showed varied concepts about teaching preferences (Cooper, 2001).According to Cooper, teaching methods are some of the instructional activities, approaches, and tactics used by teachers in the classroom.Palos and Maricutoiu (2006) defined teaching methods as the techniques teachers employ to prepare and deliver material to their students.Just like learning styles, teaching methods are not completely concrete and can be modified with the understanding of the teachers to provide the best education for the students.If teachers apply some activities that can support learning, as Kumar and Sailaja (2015) assert, then teaching English to students must be successful.The introduction of various teaching tools, such as language laboratories that can accommodate both native and non-native speakers, may also lead to successful learners.
Since there are several ways to teach a second language, different methods have been suggested for teaching English effectively.Sajjad (2003) conducted a study to ascertain the efficacy of various teaching methods employed for teaching graduate learners at the University of Karachi.They spoke with 220 undergraduate learners on what they believed to be the most efficient and effective methods and why.The study's findings revealed that, due to greater learner participation, most learners evaluated the lecture method as the best method and the group discussion method as the second-best method.The lecturing method is used because it gives learners complete knowledge of the subject, saves time, and allows them to take notes.Nora et al. (2011) conducted a study in JEC (Jamiyan Education Centre) to examine the teaching methodologies mostly used by Islamic education teachers and mostly favoured by learners.The survey method was employed in this study, and three hundred and two students were the sample.A set of questionnaires was also used to gather data.This study revealed that the teaching methodology that is frequently employed by the JEC teachers is the method of lecture.It also indicated that the most preferred teaching method by the students is the use of humour.

Students' Learning Style
According to Vaseghi et al. (2012), several teaching and learning styles can be used in learning the English language.He points out that the styles include visual, auditory, reading and writing, and kinaesthetic.Each style can be preferred by different students depending on the different factors they encounter.Mulyana (2022) pointed out that experts in other styles of learning found various factors influencing the learning styles of students: environmental, sociological, emotional, and physical.Based on the mentioned factors, students like different learning styles.

Visual Learning Style
Being a visual learner entails thinking in pictures rather than in words.Visual learners learn best by utilizing graphs, tables, charts, maps, colours, and diagrams.They also tend to learn holistically instead of sequentially or in parts.One of the benefits of being a visual learner is easily seeing the big picture.Also, visual learners can easily visualize objects and have a great sense of balance and alignment.Again, they are very colour-oriented and can effortlessly envision imagery.

Auditory Learning Style
This means that a student learns most effectively by listening.They would prefer listening to a lecture over reading a textbook or hearing the instructions for a project instead of figuring it out.Students who are auditory learners often love music and can remember the words to songs they hear.

Kinaesthetic Learning Style
This is also known as tactile learning; it is the learning style that involves physical activity as noted by Montemayor et al. (2009), kinaesthetic learners are students who like better whole-body movement to process new difficult information.A kinaesthetic-tactile learning style requires that you manipulate or touch material to learn.Kinestheticstactile styles are used in combination with visual and or auditory styles, producing multi-sensory learning.The English language learning style attempts to be successful if it is also accepted by the learners themselves.It has to go hand in hand with learners' learning styles.Ismail (2021) informed that students like to learn better from the board and note-taking during the session and discourage themselves from using lecturing methods.
The learning style of language learners seems to be one of the vital issues in language learning.The style that seems to be the most adorable to the learners tends to give out positive results to some extent.Ridwan et al. (2020) explain that learners wishing to learn the English language through different or all models of learning styles should cater to all needs that enable learners to grasp what is intended for them.Mohammed et al. (2011) reveal that, in all academic classrooms, no matter what the subject matter, there will be students with multiple learning styles and students with a variety of major, minor, and negative learning styles.He suggests that an effective means of accommodating these learning styles is for teachers to change their preferences and strategies and provide a variety of activities to meet the needs of different learning styles.Then, all students will have at least some activities that appeal to them based on their learning styles, and they are more likely to be successful in these activities.
It is always helpful for the teacher to divide the students into groups by learning style and give them activities based on their learning styles.This should appeal to them because they will enjoy them and be successful.According to Buyukyavuz and Tekin (2015), students are normally group-oriented, and they learn at their best level when they interact with other students during the learning process.
Numerous studies have been carried out in the field of English as a second language and foreign language on teaching methods, preferences and learning styles.It includes studies conducted by Nora et al. (2011), Mohammed et al. (2011), Kumar and Sailaja (2015), Wong (2015), and Ridwan et al. (2020).However, these studies did not focus on how teachers perceive English teaching methods and learning styles, specifically in Tanzania.Therefore, there was a need for this study because it aimed to explore teacher's perceptions of English teaching methods preferences and learning styles in Tanzania, particularly in Morogoro Municipality.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The sample size of this study was five English language teachers from five different Secondary schools in Mororgoro Municipal.An in-depth interview was used in this study because it enable a researcher to explore the views and experiences of the researcher under a face-to-face interview with five teachers from selected schools.This study used qualitative methods in its course of conduct.In this approach, a case study design was used because a real-time phenomenon is explored with its naturally occurring context, as commented by Kaarbo and Beasley (1999).The study was conducted in Morogoro Municipality as a literature review analysis indicated that there were no past studies related to this study.The population of this study were English language teachers from both private and public secondary schools.A total of five teachers, each from a different school, were purposely selected for the fact that they were within an acceptable number of saturations in a qualitative study, as documented by Hennink and Kaiser (2022).The study used a face-to-face interview method of data collection in gathering information.
The interviewer started the interview by asking the informants the meaning of teaching preferences followed by the preferred teaching method used in their secondary school.All the informants expressed their experiences related to English teaching preference in the selected secondary schools.The thematic method was taken into use to identify themes that emerged from the study.The researcher ensured the trustworthiness of the study by considering credibility, transferability, dependability, and conformability and conducting a piloting study, while ethical considerations included having a consent letter to conduct the research and voluntary participation of the informant.The researcher decided to use pseudonyms of teachers' names to maintain their confidentiality as informants.All the informants were English teachers and used to teach English at the moment of conducting research.They were also all from selected municipal schools.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
The findings are based on the analysis of in-depth interviews with English language teachers in selected secondary schools.The illustration in this part has been given to clarify the findings.

The English Teaching Preferences
Informants' experiences revealed the first theme, "Meaning of English teaching preference".

The Concept of Teaching Methods Preference
It refers to the understanding of the informants toward teaching method preference.The informants had different views; Chad said, "It is something that a teacher prefers in the teaching process, group discussion, and lecturing method".Donly said, "English teaching method preferences are the methods used in teaching English subject, it can be group discussion, and this is my common preferred method in teaching…" Concerning Chad and Donly's explanations, the study revealed that English teachers in selected secondary schools defined English teaching methods preferences as the way they use in their classes and how they succeed with the teaching methods they prefer.The study is in line with that of Kiziltepe and Seggie (2016) as they document that cooperative teaching involves collaboration with students for a shared purpose.
Furthermore, Elius had a different understanding of the concept of teaching method preference.He said: "Teaching method preferences is the situation of selecting the best ways for teaching students to make sure that they understand".Anney said, "ahhh, mmhh!The technique you prefer in the teaching process includes learner-centred method, collaborative and participatory methods!" on the other hand, Baraka failed to provide the concept of teaching method preferences as he seemed to be silent after the interviewer asked him.
Regarding the information given by four out of five informants, the study reveals that English teachers in selected secondary schools understand the meaning of teaching method preferences as they perceive and see the necessity of having a preferred method in the teaching process.

Preferred English Teaching Methods
This refers to the teaching method chosen and used by the teachers (informants) to teach English learners in secondary school.The findings reveal that English teachers in selected secondary schools prefer to use different teaching methods in their teaching sessions to make teaching and learning successful.The preferred teaching methods chosen and used by teachers (as they informed) include learner-centred teaching, engagement, lecture, and group discussion methods based on the nature of the lesson.

Learner-Centred Method
This method was revealed by one informant, Anney, who explained that; 'the most common method to me is learner-centred teaching method'.The informant stressed that she normally uses the learner-centred approach to ensure the success of the teaching pace in her English class.The study concurs with Nunan (as mentioned in Benson, 2012), who asserts that learner-centred teaching is a broad educational paradigm that emerged in significant shifts in thinking about curriculum design and pedagogy in the 1970s and 1980s.These can best be described as a shift in the emphasis of language education, research, and practice away from language learners and language learning, which started in the 1960s with the development of psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics and continued through the 1970s and 1980s with the emergence of second language acquisition as the primary research concept in the field (Darsih, 2018).

Engagement Style
Engagement style is the preferred teaching method used by English teachers in selected secondary schools.Teachers revealed the essence of using the method as it gives students a great chance to participate in the learning process.For instance, Baraka indicated that the method he prefers in his teaching is the engagement style, as it gives students a great chance to participate in the learning process.The study corresponds to that of Kiziltepe and Seggie (2016), who note that cooperative teaching involves collaboration with students for a shared purpose.

Multiple Styles
Due to the occurrence of many teaching methods in English classes and the availability of chance to choose them for the teachers, multiple styles of teaching were revealed as the preferred method used by English teachers in selected secondary schools.Two English teachers from different schools showed that they prefer multiple styles depending on the nature of the students they deal with.Chad said, 'There are many teaching methods.Ahh, I use the group discussion method; sometimes I use the lecturing method, and all these two methods depend on the nature of the students that I teach'.Ellis said, 'I use paired discussion or paired conversation, group discussion, and random movement…' He added, 'I also like to use teaching aids as my teaching method to simplify my working processes.
Based on the informants' experiences above, it shows that all informants have different preferred teaching methods that they apply in teaching the English Language in their schools.For them, as long as it suits their students' learning, they will utilize it.
The study concurs with Felder and Brent (2001) that the reason for this increase is the method's adaptability to all age levels, in all subjects and courses, and at all levels of classes.In addition to organizing the group, Yildiz (1999) emphasized that the teacher must communicate academic tasks, work, and procedures to the pupils.

Effects of Teaching Methods Preferences in Teaching and Learning Styles
Referring to the interview conducted by the researcher, informants happened to give out their views regarding the effects of English teaching methods preferences in English classes, as to the explanation given on the previous theme in research question one whereby informants ought to say that there are some methods they prefer in common, the necessity to show the impact of the used methods had no way to be escaped in research.The informants' experiences revealed that teaching method preferences bring effectiveness to the teaching process in English classes as it helps learners to be more independent.Teachers always want to have effective teaching in classes with good and helpful teaching methods to contribute to the English teaching and learning process.Thus, the preferred teaching methods used by English teachers happen to have positive impacts on the teaching process, as some of the informants revealed.

Impacts of Teaching Methods Preferences in Teaching
The informants in this study reflect the positive contribution attained by teachers in the whole process of teaching.The effects include the following;

Helping in Facilitating Teacher's Tasks
Anney commented that 'the teacher is there just as a facilitator and not the one who imparts knowledge to the students'.Baraka said that it facilitates the teacher's task during the teaching process.For example, the teacher can decide to engage students in the teaching and learning process as we know students are not like tabula rasa'.This research supports the findings of Young (cited by Andriyant et al., 2019), who concluded that the shift from facilitator to knowledge builder necessitates the instructor acting in the practice community, which calls for cooperation between participants and supporting leadership.Also, Kaced and Kahil (2018) state that the teacher facilitator can promote student interactions by creating interactive and communicative tasks and activities and encouraging students to participate in group and partner work.

Helps a Lot
Anney said, 'English teaching method preference helps a lot'.Chad commented that 'the preferred method is good and helpful for sure it helps to get what I intended in the teaching process'.Donley informed that 'the preferences of teaching methods helped a lot towards effective teaching in English language classes'.
The study supports Birgili et al. (2016) assertion that physical factors, including classroom temperature, desk temperature, and the presence or absence of electronic equipment, play a significant effect on teachers' preferences.
Hence, teaching methods preferences are said to be good and helpful simply because they give teachers chances to do and get what they intend in the whole process of teaching and learning; as well as being helpful as teachers can have the means to switch from one method to another once any challenge occurs.
Based on the informants' experiences above, it shows that all informants have different ways to get effective teaching in their classes.For them, as long as the student understands and enjoys the class, they will utilize it.

Get what is Intended
Ellius said, 'I say it is effective hundred per cent because … the methods used in my teaching are according to the nature of the lesson.So, each lesson can have different students' ways of teaching'.This proves that combining various methods to learn various language skills is successful.The study concurs with the study of Okechukwu (2021) who comments that each method enhances the other in the development of different skills.Based on the informant's experiences above, it shows that all informants have different ways on how to get what they intend in their classes as long as the students understand and enjoy the class, they will utilize it.

Impacts of Teaching Preferences on Learning Styles
The informants' experiences revealed that teaching method preferences have impacts on learning styles in English classes by helping learners to be more independent, bringing about effective learning as well as serving time.Thus, the preferred teaching methods used by English language teachers happen to have positive effects, as some of the informants revealed hereunder;

It Helps to be More Independent
Anney said that 'it helps because it works more effectively than other non-cooperative techniques'.Also, she added that 'it helps students to be more independent rather than being dependent on what the teacher knows'.Baraka said that 'the preferences are useful through engaging learners in the process of teaching and learning…'.The findings of this study are consistent with those of Solak and Erdem (2016), whose participants similarly mentioned how brainstorming, multiple intelligence methods, drama games, stations, cooperative learning, learning through music, roleplaying, and chaining in their teaching practices had a positive impact on them.

It Brings About Effective Learning.
Chad informed me that it also makes students being attentive to listening, and students acquire various skills like listening and writing skills.Again, Donley commented that 'aah on my side it has a lot of impacts, for example, last year… my students scored very well in the national examination'.The study is relevant to Solak and Erdem's (2016) findings, where participants mentioned that they found brainstorming, multiple intelligence approaches, drama games, stations, cooperative learning, learning through music, role-playing, and chaining to be beneficial in their teaching process.

It Saves Time
Chad said, 'Aah, it helps students, and also, the lecturing method saves time'.The study agrees with Wandera (2012), who commented that the method is essential in the teaching and learning process as it saves time and speeds up syllabus coverage.Teaching aids are highly used in this method to make the lesson effective.Furthermore, the method has an impact on learning compared to other methods as it saves time simply because students' activities are not conducted within the learning and teaching session.

Challenges Faced by English Teachers in Applying Teaching Methods Preferences and Learning Styles
The third theme, as it is revealed by participant's experiences, is the challenges faced by English teachers in applying teaching methods preferences in English classes that contain four sub-themes.There is a shortage of teaching materials, a shortage of classroom facilities, student readiness, and communication barriers.

Shortage of Teaching Materials
This was among the challenges for teachers as it made it difficult for teachers to match them with their teaching preferences and students' learning in English classes while teaching.Informants revealed that books did not fit up with the number of students in secondary schools.For example, Anney said that 'the great challenge she faced was a shortage of teaching and learning materials, especially books'.Textbooks and resource materials are essential for efficient teaching and learning.Their insufficiency causes teachers to treat subjects abstractly, giving the impression that they are uninteresting.The study fits with Effah (2019), who noted that teaching and learning resources help students engage with the topic directly and make learning and teaching more effective.Also, teaching and learning materials (TLMs) make lessons practical and real.Therefore, in a constrained textbook environment, it is difficult for a teacher to implement effective practice.This is among the challenges faced by teachers in matching their teaching methods, preferences and learning styles in English classes.This is because students were unable to communicate the English language as a medium of communication in class.Also, students lacked confidence when communicating in the language.One of the informants mentioned that the inability to communicate in the English language became a challenge for the teachers to teach in the class.Again, Baraka said that the great problem he encountered was students' inability to communicate using English as they were from ward schools, which made the majority of teachers teach them English language skills first.Other informants mentioned that a lack of confidence in the English language also became a challenge for the teachers to teach in class.Donley said, "The main challenge he faced was students' lack of confidence to use English due to poor English language background.The study confirms Andriyant et al. (2020) comment that English is left with the sole burden of helping learners develop competence in English within a 35-min lesson because the language outside the classroom and at home is mostly Kiswahili, in towns and other local languages in rural areas.Based on the informants' experiences above, it shows that several informants feel the challenges through English language communication as it became a barrier to teachers' teaching and students' learning.

Shortage of Classroom Facilities
This is another challenge faced by teachers in matching their teaching methods, preferences and learning styles in English classes.Among the inadequate classrooms, facilities include chairs and desks for the students to learn.Chad said that 'inadequate chairs and desks … are other challenges faced by teachers in the process of teaching method preferences in school.The study is in line with Sakibu and Kamugisha (2022), who report inadequacy of chairs and tables at schools.Additionally, Kapinga (2017) demonstrated the importance of physical amenities, including classrooms, desks, chairs, libraries, and restrooms, in influencing attendance and performance in schools.Based on the informants' experiences above, it shows that several informants feel that the shortage of classroom facilities affected the teaching and learning process between the teachers and the learners.

Students' Readiness
The last challenge faced by teachers in matching their teaching methods preferences and learning in English classes is students' readiness.This is because students have low readiness levels of learning, and the teachers need to spend extra time with students to make them understand the learning of the day.Ellius said that 'some of the students isolating themselves though some may get ready to cooperate with other students…'.This study supports Kearney and Garfield's (2022) assertion that students who attended a middle school reported less school involvement than equivalent sixth-grade friends who attended an elementary school.This indicates that school and classroom climate may have an impact on student's motivation to learn.Based on the informants' experiences above, it shows that one of the informants needs to spend extra time with the learning process to help the students gain an understanding of the lessons.

CONCLUSION
By considering the first objective of this study, teachers perceive teaching method preferences as essential ingredients in English classes.Group discussion, randomly picking, and making students understand took the position of the meaning of teaching methods preferences in teaching the English language in secondary schools.Learnercentred approach, engagement style, and multiple styles are the most preferred methods by English language teachers in selected secondary schools, which helps teachers achieve their goals of teaching the language in secondary schools and supporting students in fulfilling the objective of English language learning in secondary schools.
In attaining the second objective of this study, it was revealed that teachers perceive teaching method preferences as matching with learning styles as it provides effectiveness in teaching English language classes by facilitating teacher's tasks, helping a lot, and getting what is intended.The matching of teaching methods preferences with learning styles was revealed by the study, whereby it was found to help students to be more independent, bringing effective learning and saving time.
Apart from that, some challenges that face teachers' perceptions towards teaching methods preferences were revealed by the study.The challenges include a shortage of teaching materials like textbooks that do not match the student number in the class, English language communication inability, shortage of classroom facilities and students' readiness to learn English language subjects.
The study implies that teaching methods and learning styles in English classes are essential to be explored as they affect the way students learn in class when taught by the teachers, either in government or private secondary schools in Morogoro Municipality.Hence, teachers must be aware of other teaching methods and learning styles to be effective in teaching the English language to secondary school learners.It may help the teachers to discover some solutions to the challenges that they face when teaching.

Recommendations
• Teachers' training is essential as it will give an ample chance for to pass through the teaching requirements, including appropriate teaching methods for English subjects, whereby they will be in a position to differentiate teaching methods and teaching approaches.
• Teaching facilities should be the priority in initiating teaching and learning the English language in both government and privately owned secondary schools.
• In uplifting students' readiness and ability to speak and learn the English language in secondary schools, policy should be made by the government at large and teachers in respective schools and classes.
• It is recommended for future studies to cover a large sample of informants to see the pattern of how teachers perceive teaching methods preferences and learning styles in English classes.

Table 1 : Demographic Characteristics of the Informants Name of the informants
The table above shows pseudonyms of teachers with gender, age, school type, teaching experience, and classes handled by teachers.The table also depicts the lower and upper forms, where the lower form entails forms one and two while the upper form entails forms three and four of secondary schools in Tanzania contexts.