RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

AN ANALYSIS OF FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE LACK OF

SPEAKING SKILL IN STUDENTS OF TENTH GRADE

Research Objectives:

1. To understand students' views about factors that affect the confidence of some students who

can speak English in the classroom

2. Explore what students do to overcome challenges and improve their speaking skills.

Research Questions:

1. What are the factors that affect the ability to speak English?

2. How do factors that affect the ability to speak English?

3. What students do to overcome challenges and improve their speaking skills?

Research Methodology:

This research follows a mixed method approach. In qualitative approach we observe students and

teachers in the classroom to know the problem. In quantitative approach we try to find the

problem through surveys and questionnaires.

Research Population:

Population in this study was 100 major English students in private school of Gujranwala.

Research Sample:

Sample of this study was 2 sections of 50 students.

Research Tools:

The research tools employed to collect data for this study were questionnaires, interview and

classroom observation.

Limitations:

If this study included other schools in Gujranwala, it would have been more thorough and

meaningful. In addition, over time, the depth of this study was limited to assess factors that affect

speaking skills in school.

INTRODUCTION

Speaking is an interaction process that constructs meaning; it involves producing receiving and

processing information. English is an important language in the world mostly used in

international countries due to this reason it is likely to introduce intellectual, economic, social

commercial and even diplomatic relations with the other countries. They stop interact with

people because they face psychological obstacles or cannot find the appropriate words and

expressions.

Speaking is one of the most skills crucial to be developed and intensify as means of useful

communication. Speaking skill is considering one of the most difficult skills of language

learning. Various language learners find it difficult to express them in speak language. They are

usually facing problems to use the foreign language to express their opinions well.

The development of communicative skill is one of the most common problem in students they

are facing to learn the English language due to some factors, such as the fear of making mistakes

in front of the classmates and teachers other problems students face during a communicative

situation are the lack of vocabulary to speak and not to speak the words in a good accent.

Considering the knowledge of English for our individual and professional life it is necessary to

examine the main factors interfering in students’ performance in the classroom to develop

students’ involvement when they perform the different tasks in all the speaking tasks so they

gain the importance of the language to speak.

Definition of Speaking:

There are many definitions of the word "speaking" that researchers have suggested in language

learning. According to Chaney (1998), speaking is the process of making and sharing meaning

by using verbal and non-verbal symbols in different contexts. Brown (1994) and Burns and

Joyce (1997) defined speaking as an interactive process of making meaning that includes

producing, receiving, and processing information.

Importance of Speaking:

The importance of speaking is indicated by the integration of the other language skills.

Discussion helps learners develop their vocabulary and grammar skills and then develop their

writing skill. Students can express their feelings, thoughts; tell stories; application; speak,

discuss, and demonstrate the various language activities. Discussion is very important outside the

classroom. This means that through the practice of speaking English, you gain new vocabulary,

grammar, or functional language: greetings, introductions (introduce yourself and introduce

others) to gain valuable skills that will help you communicate every day.

People are programmed to talk before they learn to read and write. In anything, mankind spends

much more time interacting orally with language than using it in its written form.
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Speaking is the most important skill as this is one of the abilities needed to make conversation.

English is not an easy task as speakers should be familiar with many important components such

as pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Learners should have

sufficient English language ability to communicate easily and effectively with others.
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LITERTURE REVIEW

Previous studies agree that people cannot learn a language without many opportunities for

meaningful repetition. Oral language interaction and the opportunity to bring the language to

fulfillment in meaningful activities provide the practice that is very important for the

introduction of the language.

Richards and Rodgers (2001) stated that speaking skills were ignored in classrooms that focused

on speaking and writing skills in a traditional way. For example, reading and writing were

important skills in grammar translation, and speaking and listening skills were not so important.

In four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, the very important thing for

effective communication is speaking.

Ali Dincer and Savas Yesilyurt (2013) conducted a study of teachers' beliefs about speaking

skills based on motivational orientation. The results showed that although teachers had various

motivational directions for speaking English, they were not used to verbal communication. Their

findings showed that teachers believed that speaking skills meant a lot, but they had negative

opinions about speaking education. The results showed that although teachers had various

motivational directions for speaking English, they were not used to verbal communication.

.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Eissa, Misbah and Najat (1988) conducted a study on the difficulties of using English as a means

of instruction and communication. The results of this study showed that learners had many

difficulties in using English.as a means of instruction. Many participants reported that their

learners did not speak English well. The results indicated that many learners faced serious

difficulties in understanding the content of lectures without translating or apply L1 to broadcast

the content of the lectures.

Boonkit (2010) conducted a study on the factors that increase the development of students'

ability to speak. The results it represented that the use of appropriate activities for the ability to

speak can be a good strategy to reduce the anxiety of the speakers. The results also showed that

freedom of choice of subjects prompted participants to feel comfortable convinced of He speaks

English and increased confidence in speech among EFL students.

Park and Lee (2005) investigated the connection between anxiety, self-confidence and speech

performance of second language students. The researchers indicated that students have different

opinions about the meaning of the ability to speak in English language and this difference is

related to the motivational orientations of the students and their competent / incompetent feelings

in the ability to speak. The results showed that the students' self-evaluation of their ability to

speak was negative and they expressed themselves as incapable speakers of English. Just some

of them they said they had a good position to participate in the tasks of speaking.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Speaking Problems:

There are some problems with the ability to speak that teachers can find by helping students

speak in the classroom.

Shyness is the first problem that students come across in class. When they want to say something

in the classroom, they are sometimes reserved. They worry about making mistakes and fear

criticism. They are embarrassed of the other students' attention to themselves. If they want to

develop speaking skills they have to get rid of this problem. When we talk about something, it

does not mean just saying the words through mouth. It means transfer the message through the

words of mouth. Some teachers do not use this skill in classes. Learners do not have enough

chance both in their classes and outside to speak English. Unfortunately, teachers do not take

interest to speak English in classes. Learners who want to speak English they need a lot of

practice to speak. Learners can improve their speaking skill through listening and repeating.

Teachers can give their learners some tasks and ask them to repeat. Through these tasks learners

can remove their shyness.

Another major problem is that students complain that they can't think of anything to say and

have no motivation to express it. Baker and Westrup (2003) stated that it is very difficult for

students to answer when teachers are asked to say things in a foreign language because they have

little thought what to say, what vocabulary to use, or how to use grammar with accuracy.

Another problem is that the class participation is very low. In a class with a large number of

students, each student will have very little time to talk, as only one student speaks at a time and

the other students try to hear him/her. In the speaking class, some students control the whole

class, while others speak very little or never speak. So if they want to speak English they have to

participate in class like other students participates. The last problem is that some students use

mother tongue n the class because it is very easy for them. According to Harmer (1991), there

are some reasons why students use their mother tongue in their speeches. The first reason is that

teachers ask their students to discuss a topic for which they do not have enough knowledge; they

will try to use their language. Another reason is that the use of the mother tongue is very natural

for students to use. If teachers do not encourage their students to speak in English, students will

automatically use their first language to explain something to the classmates. One of the biggest

problems in using communication activities related to pairing or group work is using your native

language in a single language group. Sometimes it seems I can't or willing to participate in

English activities.
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Factors affecting English speaking skill:

One of the most difficult skills that students face in language learning is the skill of speaking.

Speaking is believed to be the most important of the four language skills. Many learners report

that they have spent so many years studying English but are unable to speak it appropriately and

intelligently. Students are unable to communicate fluently because have some factors that affect s

speaking skills which are given below

The first factor relates to working conditions. Students conduct speaking activity under different

conditions. The fear of speaking has a negative effect on speech performance. Performance

conditions affect speech performance and these conditions include time pressure, planning,

performance quality, and amount of support (Nation & Nevton, 2009).

The second factor is related to the affective side of students in language learning. Many variables

that affect the students are related to second language acquisition, motivation, confidence and

anxiety. These three main types studied by many researchers. Motivation can influence the parts

of language learning. The comprehensive and friendly vision of language learners makes

students more sensitive to the audio language aspect of the language and more sensitive to

speaking and intonation. If students are not familiar with the language, they will not make

significant progress in managing other characters.

And without motivation students cannot learn the importance of any language. In order to have

the greatest impact on student learning, teachers should combine discussion with demanding

articles, teach students effective expression skills, and expect students to use explanations. If we

want to encourage students to communicate in English they have to engage in which they have a

freedom to express their own thoughts and voice. Anxiety has a negative effect on speaking skill.

Adults are very careful not to let them say anything wrong. They believe that mistakes indicate a

lack of understanding, which may prevent them from speaking English in front of others. Spoken

language anxiety may stem from classroom conditions that have the ability of learners of

different languages.

Listening ability is a third factor. Without listening ability, we cannot improve their speaking

skills. Students need to understand what they have been told in order to have a successful

dialogue. Shumin (1997) represented that when students talk, other students respond through the

listening process. Speakers play the role of listeners and speakers. It can be concluded that

students are unable to respond if they cannot understand what they are being told. That is, speech

is closely related to listening. Bozorgian (2012) examined the relationship between listening

skills and other language skills. The results indicate a close correlation between listening

comprehension and language skills. In other words, the higher the listening scores, the better the

speaking score. Lukitasari (2003) conducted a study of learners' strategies to overcome speaking

problems.
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The results obtained in this study show that learners are faced with speaking difficulties, such as

banning, not to speak, low involvement, and use of their native language in speaking classes.

Other results from this study show that learners did not improve their speaking skills because

they did not learn the three components of speaking: vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

The last factor is related to feedback during speaking activities. Teachers should use some tasks

such as short questions and short dialogues in the classrooms to develop their students ‘speaking

skills. Many students expect feedback from teachers on speech performance. According to

Harmer (1991), the decisions that instructors make regarding their students' performance depend

on the phases of the lecture, the tasks and the types of mistakes they make. Harmer (1991) also

went on to say that if instructors directly correct their students' problems, the flow of dialogue

and the purpose of the speaking task will be corrupted. Baker and Westrup (2003) supported the

above assertion and said that if students were always corrected, they would be demotivated and

afraid of talking. It is suggested that instructors always positively correct their students' mistakes

and give them more support and persuasion as they speak. Teacher plays an important role in the

classroom. Teachers often use familiar signals to express rejection or ignorant acceptance in a

classroom where they pay attention and pay attention.

Speaking is very important in learning a second language. Despite its importance, speak in

schools was neglected for various reasons such as stress on grammar and unfavorable teacher-

student allowances. Speaking has been absent from testing because of the difficulty in evaluating

it reasonably and the time it takes to conduct oral tests. Prieto (2007) carried out a study on

cooperative learning tasks.

The results of his study showed that a way to improve speech control is to interact with others,

to learn from others and to choose topics based on the interests of the learner in order to

encourage them.

In order for mutual discussions, explanation of ideas is necessary. Barker (2015) described four

tools that teachers can implement to encourage elaboration during discussions: use a common

anchor text; provide structured, small group talks prior to large group discussions; model

explicitly that which elaboration looks and sounds like; and facilitate talk moves that require

students to respond directly to one another.

This study examined the factors that influence students' English speaking performance. The

factors and speaking problems mentioned in this study play an important role in developing

students' speaking skills. These factors make students less confident and less comfortable in

speaking classes. The results of this study showed that students with low self-esteem, high

anxiety, and low motivation have serious difficulties in speaking skills, despite having acceptable

language skills. Research shows that students with high motivation and anxiety can speak easily

and effectively. Therefore, students should have a friendly and supportive environment that will

overcome the difficulties of oral conduct.

Based on the analysis of the factors affecting speaking skill, teachers need to understand

students’ feelings, improve students' self-confidence, and choose the best method for learning

that is involved in reactivity. Teachers should give their students enough time to talk, help them

overcome their shyness through friendly behaviors so that they feel comfortable when talking,

remembering, not worrying about mistakes, and give them proper instructions and sufficient

advice. The educator should provide more opportunities for their students to speak English with

some conversational tasks that will help them speak and push them to speak activities. Teachers

should congratulate their students for speaking English. They should build a friendly relationship

with their students, feel very happy in class and have a great feeling of enthusiasm and interest in

studying English in general and also speak English in particular.

In addition, teachers need to know when and how to correct their students' mistakes so that they

do not lose fear of making mistakes. The basic principle of meeting classroom standards is that

teachers are assigned daily class hours to engage students in discussions and use of academic

language.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

REFRENCES:

Bozorgian, H. (2012). The Relationship between Listening and Other Language Skills in

International English Language Testing System. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(4),

657-663.

Eissa, A., Misbah, & Najat, A. (1988). Problems of Using English as a Medium of Instruction

and Communication at the College of Science, Kuwait University. Educational Journal, 4(15),

47-94.

Harmer, J. (1991). The Practice of English Language Teaching. The 3th Edition. Longman:

London and New York.

Harmer, J. (1991). The Practice of English Language Teaching. The 3th Edition. Longman:

London and New York.

Lukitasari, N. (2003). Students’ Strategies in Overcoming Speaking Problems in Speaking Class.

University of Muhammadiyah Malang.

Woodrow, L. (2006). Anxiety and Speaking English as a Second Language. RELC Journal,

37(3), 308-328.

Tanveer, M. (2007). Investigation of the factors that cause language anxiety for ESL/EFL
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY