Dissertation (MA Linguistics)This study investigated the secondary school students’ speaking performance basing on assessing students’ ability in speaking (competence), factors affecting speaking performance as well as teachers and parents’ roles in building speaking performance to the secondary school students. The study was guided by three research objectives and employed only qualitative approach under the ‘Authentic Model’ (AM). Data were obtained through qualitative procedures; i.e. interviews, questionnaire, focus group discussions and observation at Babati District of Manyara Region in Tanzania. Content analysis was done to develop main themes and subthemes that are described as the findings of this study. The findings of the study revealed that speaking performance among the secondary school students is a serious problem. This critical situation has been due to several factors, the emotions and attitudes of the students, parenting styles, teaching approaches, traditional basis as well as the misconceptions about the teachers and parents’ roles in building students’ speaking performance. Moreover, It was recommended that, in order to enable students to improve their speaking performance; there is a need for the curriculum developers to introduce speaking performance as an independent subject that should be taught in schools rather than teaching or learning it as a sub skill within other skills and concepts. Also, students should be educated in order to monitor their attitudes for the sake of improving performance in speaking, teachers should invite speaking practices in any lesson they will be demonstrating as well as parents and the societies in general should be educated in order to know the importance of preparing their children for them to build speaking performance.