A study on factors influencing the speaking skill of first year students at English Faculty, Thuongmai University and some recommended solutions to boost their communication ability

A study on factors influencing the speaking skill of first year students at English Faculty, Thuongmai University and some recommended solutions to boost their communication ability A study on factors influencing the speaking skill of first year students at English Faculty, Thuongmai University and some recommended solutions to boost their communication ability A study on factors influencing the speaking skill of first year students at English Faculty, Thuongmai University and some recommended solutions to boost their communication ability A study on factors influencing the speaking skill of first year students at English Faculty, Thuongmai University and some recommended solutions to boost their communication ability A study on factors influencing the speaking skill of first year students at English Faculty, Thuongmai University and some recommended solutions to boost their communication ability A study on factors influencing the speaking skill of first year students at English Faculty, Thuongmai University and some recommended solutions to boost their communication ability A study on factors influencing the speaking skill of first year students at English Faculty, Thuongmai University and some recommended solutions to boost their communication ability A study on factors influencing the speaking skill of first year students at English Faculty, Thuongmai University and some recommended solutions to boost their communication ability A study on factors influencing the speaking skill of first year students at English Faculty, Thuongmai University and some recommended solutions to boost their communication ability

ABSTRACT Speech skills are regarded as the most significant of the four English skills When you learn a language, your goal is to be able to speak instinctively and fluently with native people You may have excellent writing skills because you understand grammar and vocabulary well, but your reflection is bad Fear of communicating, a lack of training atmosphere, a lack of vocabulary, poor grammar, and other factors are typical among Vietnamese people who have trouble speaking English English is also used in the elementary school curriculum In fact, you are often taught by passive methods under the supervision of teachers As a result, from grade to grade 12, you study English with the aim of completing a written examination in school and college exams Students study grammar and vocabulary and practice reading passages from novels As a result, they have less opportunities to practice communicating Currently, a number of secondary and high schools are shifting certain subjects, including English, from written to oral exams Students, on the other hand, are more concerned with rote learning without knowing something The condition continued until university, resulting in poor English language skills Most first-year students struggle to communicate in English due to a lack of comprehensive instruction in speech skills For the above factors, an analysis of the challenges that first-year English students face when learning English language skills at Thuong Mai University is being carried out This research seeks to identify certain challenges and strategies to help students develop their speech skills, allowing them to engage effectively in class, as well as in everyday life and future jobs ii1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Initially, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Han Thi Bich Ngoc, for her instruction and encouragement during my thesis period With many years of experiences in the teaching profession and interacting with many different types of students, she has assisted me complete my subject perfectly Furthermore, I would like to show my appreciation to the students spending their time to my survey which helps me a lot in gathering data This study will not be finished if not for their assistance Additionally, I would like to acknowledge my thanks to all the writers, authors of the books, researchers, and the other materials as helpful references for conducting my thesis Besides, I would like to thank my parents and the other members of my family for their support during the time I did this paper With a lot of meaningful things, good lessons as well as a convenient condition to learn and grow that motivates me to study and beat all the disadvantages in my life Lastly, I would especially like to express my sincere gratitude to the lecturers of English faculty, Thuongmai University for their wholeheartedness and support During nearly four years of studying at university, I have gained a lot of useful knowledge from experienced teachers and that is a valuable achievement for me to be able to complete this paper as well as find a suitable job in the time coming I look forward to obtaining the comments and feedback of teachers that could make my research more perfect Sincerely thanks! , 2021 Student Nguyen Tra My TABLE OF CONTENTS ii2 ii3 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS No Abbreviations TMU EFL English meaning Thuongmai University English as a foreign language ii4 Vietnamese meaning Đại học Thương Mại Tiếng Anh ngoại ngữ LIST OF FIGURES AND CHARTS ii5 CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale In the current globalization period, English has become an indispensable language in every country in the world because of its effect on our life and social development As a result, being able to master a language like English is the most effective way for one who wants to pursue and obtain further job opportunities It is undoubtedly that many companies and employees in developing countries like Vietnam, who can gain a lot from partnering with international firms or those searching for seeking better career prospects in the countries using English as a mother language Because these businesses who have clients in various non- speaking countries rely on English as the main way to communicate so they need bilingual staff to promote their chances in working with the best global companies Therefore, companies that not speak English will fall behind their competitors due to barriers in communication and culture With that being said, we can see the importance of English in the current business environment For example, most businesses use English in many activities from writing emails, exchanging, negotiating, training resources to organizing meetings with native staff, etc Moreover, in the era of technology 4.0, becoming proficient in listening and writing skills is essential for anyone who wants a better job with a high income such as a translator, marketing consultant or teacher Being good at English is a great advantage for everyone, but to this, it takes a great deal of effort How students train well for learning English through four main skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing? Out of these skills, speaking is by far the old way of interaction since they pre-date the formal human writing systems by millions of years This indicates that speaking and listening have been fundamental communicative methods from the dawn of humanity, and have been our most basic and fundamental means of transmitting messages However, researchers have demonstrated that when we have conversations, we spend around 35-45% of our time listening, 24-30% speaking, 10-18% reading, and only 10% writing Despite this, many students have not yet given the requisite importance to ii6 these listening and speaking parts It could be said that the reason why many Vietnamese students have very weak hearing and speaking abilities is because they not have much chance to practice and exposure to that language The curriculum is too heavy in grammar, while the reflex and communication practice is not focused Students can master English grammar, but cannot turn them into tools for communication Grammar is just the foundation to practice other skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing like "learning with practice" As William John Bennett, a politician claims that ‘Our common language is English And our common task is to ensure that our non-English-speaking children learn this common language.’ Learning a language is how to be able to hear, understand and communicate like our second language It is considered the general purpose of the freshman of the English Faculty of Thuongmai University Most of them often have difficulties in learning subjects related to speaking English regularly such as translations and interpretations For those reasons, I have taken the decision to select a research “A study on factors influencing the speaking skill of first year students at English Faculty, Thuongmai University and some recommended solutions to boost their communication ability.” This research is carried out in the intention that it would be a valuable guide to help students develop their speaking skills As a result, it will enable students to provide an effective learning approach to achieve the best outcome 1.2 Aims of the study The below are the study's objectives: To indicate the current situations for first-year English students at TMU in terms of acquiring English speaking skills To analyze the factors influencing first-year students' speaking abilities at English Faculty, Thuong Mai University To provide several learning techniques focused on the recently acquired data in the hope of assisting students in enhancing their speaking proficiency In order to meet the aim of the study, the following research questions are conducted: ii7 What are the real situations for first-year English students at TMU in terms of acquiring English speaking skills? What factors influence first-year English students’ ability to develop their speaking skills? What are certain techniques that can be used to assist students in improving their speaking ability? 1.3 Research subject This study's subjects are first-year English students at With the participation of 80 first-year students studying English in Business, the study focuses on their challenges in learning speaking skills 1.4 Scope of the study The research reflects on the difficulties that first-year students at English Faculty, Thuong Mai University often encounter when communicating These issues are intensified by a variety of causes that have an effect on students' ability to communicate This research cannot address the whole problem of speaking ability due to time and experience restrictions, as well as a lack of reference materials As a result, it just focuses on the most basic challenges that students face when practicing English speaking skills Furthermore, the research could not include all TMU students Its subjects just cover 100 first-year students from English Department of TMU 1.5 Research methodology The study uses questionnaires as the main method which is one of the most popular tools implemented by the researchers The questionnaire is usually a series of questions; the researchers send it to the individuals and request them to complete the questionnaires' requirements The researchers can use two types of questionnaires: choosing and giving ideas One is that each student can choose one (or more) answer(s) from the list suggested by the researchers The other kind of questionnaire is one in which participants are asked to share their thoughts about a certain situation The researchers must plan the questions, but others are not permitted to encourage participants to select certain options; therefore, they must ii8 write down their thoughts and recommendations in their own language This is a good way to gather feedback from students Today, more and more researchers are using this approach to gather data because it is quick and fast to implement Since researchers can actually obtain information from the objects, this is a very effective way of getting actual information And, as a result of their real-world interactions, analysts would find it easier to interpret data, resulting in more trustworthy data Here is how the study applies this method: First, 100 freshmen are chosen at random to respond to a questionnaire intended to evaluate the factors which could have an effect on their ability to develop their speech skills These are the students at English Faculty of Thuongmai University in their first year of study who have not had much experience in speaking English fluently This research gathers data by encouraging students to fill in a survey to collect valuable information on the major elements that affect their speaking ability The survey includes three parts, the first part of which is intended to show more about their mindset towards the four major skills in general and their ability to speak in particular The second section discusses the current state of speaking practice among students and the causes of these outcomes The final section consists of concerns on their perspectives on the challenges of speaking English In short, all the data will be analysed to demonstrate the final figures With these findings, certain techniques and approaches may be equipped to help students enhance their skills more efficiently 1.6 Organization of the study The thesis consists of five chapters as following: Chapter 1: Overview of the study This chapter is a brief outline of the research that contains general knowledge about it It includes six parts: rationale, aims of the study, research subjects, scope of the study, research methodology, and organization of the study Chapter 2: Literature review ii9 This chapter gives an overview on skills focusing on speaking skills like definition, importance, strategies and theories on communication ability Chapter 3: Research findings and Discussion This chapter is entitled “Findings and discussions” which provides data for analyzing the results of the questionnaires and gives the assessment on the factors affecting students’ speaking skill Chapter 4: Recommendations and suggestions The final chapter is titled "Suggestions," and it gives certain ideas to help students solve challenges in speaking lessons and develop their communication ability This segment also contains a description of the study's key points This chapter of the study also contains proposals for further study The report concludes with the "References" section, which describes all of the documents and sources of knowledge used in the report 10 ii10 The first is how to improve the psychological factor The psychological factor of each person is different and it seems that the way they are affected when speaking English is different So I offer some solutions for students to change themselves • Practice speaking alone or standing in front of a mirror to practice the feeling of pressure when staring: This method seems to be nothing special but it is quite effective This helps the student no longer fear, when you practice speaking in front of a mirror, you will have the feeling that someone is staring at you This creates a habit for you when you are observed by someone, you will no longer be afraid, worried or afraid Practicing speaking alone makes you fluent in your speech • Set short-term goals so that you can practice correctly For example, after how long it is possible to talk to foreigners, one day learn how many new words Short-term goals not make you feel depressed but also motivate you to implement them The second is the semantic element In this element, I offer solutions to help students improve their vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar Some solutions I offer are: • Learn vocabulary and grammar through movies, TV, news, radio: These are available and quite abundant sources, students can search easily and follow them There's no place to learn to speak English with native speakers So through these sources, students can cultivate new words and grammar they use Since then, improving the bad factors • Practice speaking English with native speakers via apps like HiNative and Siri etc When you have the opportunity to talk to them, you will practice both listening and speaking skills When you say wrong, the person opposite you will correct it This is an advantage when talking to foreigners • Think by English: this is actually a strange but realistic thought Vietnamese people tend to speak English in the way: think in their head is Vietnamese, then translate that sentence into English The problem is, your Vietnamese sentence is too long but only one sentence is right So the practice of thinking in English will make your English speaking much easier In summary, through chapter 3, I was able to answer the initial two questions that were aimed at improving students' speaking skills I have found the difficulties that students encounter, the importance of problems Since then, I have come up with corresponding solutions to overcome those difficulties 34 ii34 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 4.1 Some recommendations Currently, learning English is increasingly necessary, it is the most important language that every student needs to cultivate while in school Therefore, students need to improve their English speaking ability to be able to achieve success in school and life In this chapter four, the author will give some suggestions to improve their English speaking skills based on the difficulties students encounter in the learning process From there, students can be more confident in learning and speaking English 4.1.1 Speaking Problems Related to Psychological Factors According to research, psychological aspects have a detrimental impact on students' abilities to speak English because they have strong English grammar and vocabulary but lack trust in speaking English This will bring anxiety and lack of confidence in students There are some solutions for psychological factors that affect students directly First is motivation One of the ways to be motivated to learn English is to feel the benefits of being good at English Here are the advantages that students can gain from speaking English well: easy to graduate and find good jobs with high wages; have an opportunity to work with a foreign partner who is willing to pay you a lot of money; to study abroad sponsored by the company, more confident when traveling abroad; watch any of your favorite English programs without subtitles, etc Students feel great when they are good at English and imagine in their mind the moment when using English well and achieving those great things Every student should remember that and feel it every day The second is confidence How students communicate confidently in English? To begin with, don't worry too hard on tough grammar because it just helps to pass tests with good grades When speaking, don't overthink grammar and be free to express yourself Furthermore, the more practice students have, the better it is to speak English; they can chat to anybody, including peers, professors, and coworkers Students may also use this time to practice speaking English in the 35 ii35 classroom Finally, students can begin thinking in English right away, and their ability to speak in English would increase as a result The third is anxiety When you have to say, not just English, this is very understandable According to some of the explanations I gave you earlier, it may be due to a lack of planning, students failing to articulate their thoughts, students being scared of speaking in public, and so on You can find yourself practical answers if you can identify why you fear every time you talk I may recommend the following solutions: Lack of planning and practice: First and foremost, students should devote more time to practicing their speeches or be able to practice speaking on various subjects on their own For example, if you are required to make presentations in English in class, you must be attentive and detailed, then read over and over again to ensure that you understand what you are doing It is important to note that memorizing is never a good idea because being in front of an audience makes it difficult to recall what you have heard Learning and voicing your will, as well as practicing speaking alone, will provide you with the best practice You should even practice by yourself when you have less practice and not chat often: You should practice with friends, with foreigners, or by yourself; this will provide you with a healthy atmosphere in which to speak English and will help you develop your speaking skills Being afraid to say something wrong: in truth, your fear of being incorrect stems from your inability to communicate often When you practice communicating a lot and chat a lot, you will see where you are going wrong and where you are going right When you interact frequently with people around you, they will be able to fix any errors you are making Furthermore, if you have the wrong mindset and not dare to talk, your English speaking abilities would suffer because no one will be successful at the start; those who excel so because they know how to recover from their mistakes When you understand where you went wrong, you can change and talk more effectively Unable to express ideas when speaking: This occurs when you get used to thought in Vietnamese, but the English expression is diametrically opposed to the 36 ii36 Vietnamese expression Those topics normally take longer to articulate in Vietnamese However, when voicing sentences in English, you can so in a simple, rather than a verbose, manner As a result, you can train your mind to think in English in order to speak more effectively If you've developed this habit, you might find that speaking English isn't as difficult as you expect This way of thinking in English allows you to feel more relaxed and less stressed while speaking English At that time, speaking English will be much softer because you simply convey from thinking to speaking 4.1.2 Speaking Problems Related to Linguistics Factors This is a consideration that is related to English grammar, phonology, and vocabulary The linguistic factor could be better than the psychological factor Students may learn by learning in class or at a center, as well as by self-study, to strengthen these causes The first is pronunciation Students should practice listening to English every day because good listening leads to good speaking which is one of the essential things to develop English pronunciation Surely the time you spend practicing English listening will be directly proportional to your English pronunciation improvement Therefore, students should practice listening for about 30-60 minutes a day with appropriate listening aids such as Podcasts, videos on youtube, etc Besides, students need to focus on tones and intonation if they want to enhance standard English pronunciation like a native speaker Students need to combine the rise and fall and the correct stress of the word This will make the English voice most engaging and natural One of the best English pronunciation experiences is that students should practice reading as loud and clear as possible, so that the sound becomes clearer In addition, you will not be able to pronounce English effectively if you not remember how to read the sounds in the IPA phonetic table Therefore, only when you master this phonemic system, learning English pronunciation and vocabulary recognition becomes extremely easy for you Furthermore, listening to English news and movies will help you improve your pronunciation This will assist you in 37 ii37 becoming accustomed to pronunciation as well as how to emphasize their sentences, allowing you to develop your best pronunciation The second is vocabulary Watching international films and reading English books are two ways to develop your vocabulary Furthermore, students will practice each new word taught on a daily basis by asking sentences and writing paragraphs to get used to how to use them You can also use vocabulary as much as possible in English speaking classes Your brain can consciously memorize words as a result of this repetition Grammar is also important to remember while acquiring vocabulary You would not be able to speak or write English well if you not use grammar As a result, students can study vocabulary as well as grammar to connect into a full sentence, and then the expression or essay would be highly valued Finally, it is grammar Reading and listening to English often can help you use proper English grammar without having to wonder about or memorize complicated grammar formulas On the one hand, you understand how to use taught grammar as well as how it is used in nature On the other hand, you are familiar with several new grammatical systems that you were previously unaware of Read any English content that interests you, such as comic books, websites, photographs, books, or magazines Furthermore, writing English would be the most efficient and reliable way for you to master the structures that you have mastered Not just that, but you can learn the language and use it more freely All of the measures I provide are specific to the various difficulties that students face I am hoping that these ideas will help students develop their English learning To achieve the above results, these steps are suggested and referenced by the students' inputs during the interview period 4.2 Some suggestions for further research According to the poll, communication is the most concentrated skill of the four core skills This demonstrates that students not place a high value on their reading and writing abilities While reading is an ability that students practice from the beginning of their English studies, writing is the most underutilized skill Writing is regarded as the most difficult to master, as well as their lowest talent This may imply that the majority of students had avoided writing due to intrinsic 38 ii38 difficulties As a result, I recommend conducting some research to identify the issues and challenges that students at Thuongmai University face while attempting to improve their writing skills I am hopeful that future studies will transcend and fill the gaps in my research The subsequent research will look at problems and answers in a more objective manner to help TMU University students develop their speech skills Furthermore, I hope that these studies will enable students to compare and apply proposed solutions to help them study better 39 ii39 CONCLUSION In comparison to the initial target, the study has accomplished the following: • Research has discovered the difficulties that first-year students majoring in Business English at Thuongmai University face while studying English speaking skills • Research has provided some solutions to these difficulties Based on research on challenges and proposed solutions, the author hopes that students will be able to resolve their shortcomings and implement some appropriate solutions As a result, students can develop their speech abilities and be able to relate effectively in school and in life According to the study findings, specific problems and remedies for TMU students have been listed Due to time constraints, the thesis only included 80 students When conducted by a larger number of pupils, research findings will be more objective Moreover, future experiments will most likely use the findings of this study to improve further to have reliable results; I hope the subsequent studies will complement the shortcomings and encourage better The author expects that the following studies will study more carefully about the difficulties that students face in English speaking practice so that students can have a specific view and more experience with this subject 40 ii40 REFERENCES I Books Aftat, Mokhtar, (2008), Motivation and Genuine learning Bachman, L., & Palmer, A S (1996) Language Testing in Practice Oxford: Oxford University Press Bashir, M., Azeem, M., & Dogar, A H (2011) Factor Effecting Students’ English Speaking Skills British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 2(1), 34-50 Brown, H D (1994) Teaching by Principles-An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy Prentice Hall Regents Brown, H.D (2001) Teaching by Principles New York : Wendy Wolf Brown, H.D (2004) Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy New York: Pearson Education Burns, A., & Joyce, H (1997) Focus on Speaking Sydney: National Center for English Language Teaching and Research Bygate, M (1987) Speaking Oxford: Oxford University Press Celce-Muria, M., Brinton, D & Goodwin, J (1996) Teaching Pronunciation: A Reference for Teachers of English to Speakers of Languages London: Cambridge University Press 10 Chaney, A (1998) Teaching Oral Communication in Grades K-8 USA A Viacom Company 11 Conrad, C & Dunek, L (2012) Cultivating Inquiry-Driven Learners: A College Education for the Twenty-First Century Maryland: JHU Press 12 Cook, V (1996) Second Language Learning and Language Teaching London: Arnold 13 Cushman, D & Cahn, D (1985) Communication in Interpersonal Relationships New York: SUNY Press 14 Dornyei, Z (2001) Motivational strategies in the language classroom Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 15 Efrizal, D (2012) Improving Students’ Speaking through Communicative Language Teaching Method at Mts Jaalhaq, Sentot Ali Basa Islamic Boarding School of Bengkulu, Indonesia International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2(20), 127-134 16 Gardner, R.C (2001) Language Learning Motivation: the Student, the Teacher, and the Researcher Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education, 6, 1-18 17 Hetrakul, K.(1995) The Second Language http://eserver.org/courses/spring95/76100g/KavinHetrakul.html (Accessed on March 06, 2015) 41 ii41 18 Hinkel, Eli 2005 Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning London: Seattle University 19 Hornby, 1990 Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language London: Cambridge University Press 20 Horwitz, Elaine K., & Horwitz, Michael B (1986) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Joann Cope Source: The Modern Language Journal, Vol 70, No (Summer, 1986), pp 125-130 21 Javed, Muhammad et al (2013) Comparative Study of the Pakistani and Indonesian Student’s Anxiety Towards the English Language Learning MiddleEast Journal of Acientific Research 18(11) IDOSI Publications ISSN 1990-9233 22 Lanerfeldt, M Talängslan A part of: Rudberg, L (1992), (Red.), Barns tal- och språksvårigheter Lund: Studentlitteratur 23 Latha, B M (2012) Teaching English as a Second Language: Factors Affecting Learning Speaking Skills International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT), 1(7), 1-6 24 Lawtie 2004 Biodiesel and Speech Difficulties available at: z.mortonjones@worc.ac.ukhttp:/www.scips.worc.ac.uk/subjects_and_challenges/bi osciences/b iosci_speech viewed on: 15th November 2014 25 Learners’ Oral Performance A Case Study of Sudan University of Science Retrieved on 20 June, 2016 26 Lightbown, P., & Spada, N (1999) How languages are learned (2nd ed.) New York: Oxford University Press W (1981).Communicative 27 Littlewood, language teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 28 Littlewood, W., 1984 Foreign and second language learning Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 113 pages 29 Lukitasari, N (2003) Students’ Strategies in Overcoming Speaking Problems in Speaking Class University of Muhammadiyah Malang 30 Mahripah, S (2014) Exploring Factors Affecting EFL Learners’ Speaking Performance: from Theories into Practices Proceedings of the 3rd UAD TEFL International Conference 2014 “Materials Development in Asia and Beyond: Directions, Issues, and Challenges.” English Education Department, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 42 ii42 31 Mazouzi, S (2013) Analysis of Some Factors Affecting Learners’ Oral Performance A Case Study: 3rd Year Pupils of Menaa’s Middle Schools M A Dissertation, Department of Foreign Languages, English Division, Faculty of Letters and Languages, Mohamed Khider University of Biskra, People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria 32 Middleton, Frank, (2009), Overcome Your Fear Of Speaking Foreign Languages [Online] Available: http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/language/index.pl? page=2;read=1071 (March 17, 2010) 33 Mustafa, Elhadi Nasr Elhadi (2015) Psychological Factors Affecting Sudanese EFL Learners’ Oral Performance A Case Study of Sudan University of Science and Technology A thesis of M.A Degree Sudan University of Science and Technology 34 Nasiri, A., & Pourhossein Gilakjani, A (2016) A Review of EFL Learners’ Speaking Skill and the Strategies for Improvement Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods (MJLTM), 6(9), 53-59 35 Nauli, H (2014) Speaking practice problems: an investigation of last semester students’ perspective in a public university Jambi University 36 Ortega, Lourdes (2009) Understanding Second Language Acquisition London: HODDER EDUCATION: AN HACHETTE UK COMPANY 37 Parsons, L (2004) Grammarama! Innovative Exercises, Creative Activities, Models From Reading, Sentence Combining, Updated Rules, and More! Ontario: Pembroke Publishers (2005) 38 Rabab’ah,G Communication problems facing Arab learners of English.Journal of Language and Learning, 3(1),ISSN 1740-4983 39 Ranson, S (2000) Recognizing the Pedagogy of Voice in a Learning Community Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 28 (3), pp 263-279 40 Shafaei, A & Nejati, M (Eds.) (2009) Annals of Language and Learning: Proceedings of the 2009 International Online Language Conference (IOLC 2009) Florida: Universal Publishers 41 Thornbury, S (2005) How to Teach Speaking Harmer, J (Ed) London: Longman 42 Tiono, Nani I and Sylvia, A (2004) The Types of Communication Strategies Used by Speaking Class Students with Different Communication Apprehension Levels in English Department of Petra Christian University, Surabaya A Thesis, Petra Christian University 43 Tomita, H (1996) Recent Advances in Parsing Technology New York: Springer 43 ii43 44 Trouvain, J., & Gut, U (Eds.) (2007) Non-native prosody: Phonetic description and teaching practice Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter 45 Ur, P (1996) A course in language teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 46 Widdowson, H G 1984 Teaching Language as Communication London: Oxford University Press 47 Yunita, I (2014) Speaking problems of students non - English course and English course at one senior high school in Jambi city Jambi University II Websites http://www.eltsjournal.org/archive/value2%20issue3/10-2-3-14.pdf https://educationalresearchtechniques.com/2017/07/21/types-of-speaking-in-esl/ https://www.academia.edu/36120209/Introduction_in_Speaking_Skill https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Samira_Al_Hosni/publication/270340628_Spe aking_Difficulties_Encountered_by_Young_EFL_Learners/links/54a843470cf256bf 8bb7e177/Speaking-Difficulties-Encountered-by-Young-EFL-Learners.pdf http://oaji.net/articles/2015/1781-1426765407.pdf http://www.modares.ac.ir/uploads/Agr.Oth.Lib.17.pdf https://books.google.com.vn/books? id=icJUnNnooigC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Gillham, +2005&hl=vi&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGz7SQncjhAhVGUd4KHaKeDRIQ6AEIJz AA#v=onepage&q=Gillham%2C%202005&f=false 44 ii44 APPENDIX THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AT ENGLISH DEPARTMENT OF TMU The questionnaire was designed to investigate your English speaking ability and the factors that make it difficult to learn your English This questionnaire is only for research purposes I guarantee the data results not serve any other purpose Choose the answer that you think is the most reasonable: How you think it is important to speak English in class? A Very important B Important C Normal D Unimportant What is the motivation for you to learn English? A Certification exam ( TOEIC, IELTS, etc.) B Studying abroad C Labor (and service) export D Finding a job E Others ( Please specify): Have you ever felt anxious when you have to speak English? A Yes B No Why are you worried about speaking English? Please use (x) for these following ideas Choose the answer according to your opinion: (Answer this question if you choose option A question 3) Table : The cause of anxiety when you speaking English The causes create your anxiety Lack of preparation Lack of practice Inability to express Ideas Fear of making mistakes Fear of being focus of attention 6.Low English proficiency Agree Disagree Do you have problems pronouncing English? A Yes B No What you have trouble pronouncing English? (Answer this question if you choose option A question 5) A Not interested in stress B Difficulty with liaison C Influence of Vietnamese when speaking English (Vietnamese words are easy to remember However, this leads to false pronunciation) D Not pay attention to ending sound E Others ( Please specify): 45 What problems you encounter when learning English vocabulary? A Lack of vocabulary B Difficulty in choosing words C Some foreign slang words that you find difficult to apply D Learn single vocabulary E Others ( Please specify): How does grammar make it difficult for you to learn English? A Confuse of tenses B Wrongly arranged sentences C Divide inappropriate verbs D Choose from the wrong type E Does not apply regular grammar  lack of flexibility F Others ( Please specify): 46 You feel in the following problems, which problems make you find it difficult to learn English speaking skills? Please use (x) on the difficulty level of each problem according to the gradual 4-point scale: no problem, normal, difficult, very difficult Tablet 3: The cause of difficulties in learning English speaking skills Problems encountered when practicing English speaking skills Motivation Confidence Anxiety Pronunciation Vocabulary Grammar 10 Which of the following solutions you find effective to overcome difficulties when learning to speak English? Please check (x) for solutions that you find useful to yourself Table 4: Solutions to improve your English speaking skills Suggest solutions to overcome students' difficulties in speaking English Practice listening to news and programs in English to learn the correct pronunciation of accents and intonation Self-study pronunciation according to the table IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) Learn vocabulary by the subject, film to know the context of use of many different words Learn grammar combined with writing and speaking to master grammatical forms Practice speaking to native speakers by talking directly or through some apps like HiNative, Siri etc Practice speaking alone or standing in front of a mirror to increase selfconfidence as well as more fluency Provide criteria for each day of learning 20, 30, etc vocabulary Read newspapers and news in English to increase their vocabulary and learn their grammar Think by English helps you not to be confused when you have to say your opinion Set a specific target every day for yourself: how long to communicate fluently English, how long you speak English every day etc Agree Disagree 11 Among the stated factors (motivation, confidence, anxiety, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar), what factors you find the most difficult for you? Explain why? 12 What measures you yourself have to improve those difficulties? 47 48 ... translations and interpretations For those reasons, I have taken the decision to select a research ? ?A study on factors influencing the speaking skill of first year students at English Faculty, Thuongmai. .. indicate the current situations for first- year English students at TMU in terms of acquiring English speaking skills To analyze the factors influencing first- year students' speaking abilities at English. .. struggle to speak The issues are that students are afraid of making mistakes Another definition of speaking through an analysis of literature on speaking indicated that there are two main approaches