A study on difficulties in speaking english of third year students in english faculty at thuongmai university and suggested solutions

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY - - GRADUATION PAPER TOPIC: A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES IN SPEAKING ENGLISH OF THIRD-YEAR STUDENTS IN ENGLISH FACULTY AT THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY AND SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS Supervisor: Student: Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc M.A Vu Thi Thu Hien Class: K54N5 Student Code: 18D170213 HANOI - 2022 ABSTRACT  In the modern society, English is an international language and the world's primary language English is the most extensively utilized language for international business meetings and is used to conclude the majority of international trade agreements There are more than 400 million native English speakers in countries where English is the official language, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the Caribbean countries Because of this considerable using demand, it is strongly necessary for people, who are nonEnglish native speakers to improve their English ability by themselves While listening, reading, and writing abilities appear to be easier to improve, learners typically have a tough time growing their speaking ability since they not have the opportunity to practice and communicate in everyday situations Be aware of the importance and difficulties of improving this language of English learners in general as well as students in English faculty at Thuongmai university in particular, the researcher conducts an investigation of “A study on difficulties in speaking English of third-year students in English Faculty at Thuongmai University and suggested solutions” For the objectives, 156 third-year English majored students were invited to participate in this study However, the researcher only got 125 results after collecting the research results They were asked to a survey questionnaire and personal interview questions which help to identify the reality of learning English speaking skill The data and results were collected and analyzed showing that students faced up some difficulties when learning English speaking Based on the analysis and discussions, some practical solutions to improve English speaking i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS  To the Lecturers of Thuongmai University! In the process of completing this research paper, I have received a great deal of help, guidance and encouragement from many teachers, friends and family I want to dedicate this section of the paper to express my gratitude for the people who helped and supported me throughout my time completing this thesis I am extremely thankful to all teachers at Thuongmai University in general, and the teachers in the English faculty particular, who have devotedly taught and imparted to me knowledge not only about the professional field but also gave me experiences in life Besides, with deep gratitude, I would like to thank my supervisor Ms Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc - Lecturer of English Faculty of Thuongmai University for enthusiastically helping and providing useful reviews for me to complete this thesis She has been constantly engaged in all numerous drafts, all through my work and it has been a privilege to share her open-minded and sharp views Last but not least, I would like to send one of my greatest appreciation for the cooperation from 156 participants consisting of K55N1, K55N2 and K55N3 However, after collecting the results, the researcher received only 125 result Without their help, my graduation paper could not be successfully completed Despite lots of efforts, shortcomings can be unavoidable in this study I am looking forward to getting the suggestions and advice from teachers and other professionals to improve this paper Sincerely, Vu Thi Thu Hien ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vi CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Previous studies 1.2.1 Previous studies in the world 1.2.2 Previous studies in Vietnam 1.3 Aims of the study 1.4 Research subjects 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Research methodology 1.6.1 Instruments 1.6.2 Procedures 1.7 Organization of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 11 2.1 Overview of speaking 11 2.1.1 Definition of speaking 11 2.1.2 The importance of speaking 12 2.2 Types of speaking 13 2.2.1 Imitative 13 2.2.2 Intensive 13 2.2.3 Responsive 13 2.2.4 Interactive 13 2.2.5 Extensive 14 2.3 Difficulties in speaking English 14 2.3.1 Difficulty in pronouncing English words 14 2.3.2 Difficulty in grammar use 15 iii 2.3.3 Difficulty in vocabulary use 16 2.3.4 Anxiety and lack of confidence 17 2.4 Factors affecting students’ difficulties in speaking English 18 2.4.1 Poor listening skills 18 2.4.2 Lack of motivation 19 2.4.3 Mother-tongue use 20 2.5 Solutions to improve speaking English 21 2.5.1 Memorize vocabulary 21 2.5.2 Repeat pronunciation of English words 21 2.5.3 Plan to learn to speak English 22 2.5.4 Evaluate students themselves 23 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS 24 3.1 Results from the survey questionnaire 24 3.1.1 Students' English learning background information 24 3.1.2 Difficulties in speaking English 28 3.1.3 Factors affecting students’ difficulties in speaking English 36 3.1.4 Solutions to improve student’s English speaking 41 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 43 4.1 Recommendations 43 4.1.1 Practice listening skills 43 4.1.2 Improve vocabulary 43 4.1.3 Practice communicating in English with friends and teachers 44 4.1.4 Attend English centers specializing in teaching English communication 44 4.1.5 Record when practicing speaking 45 4.2 Limitations and suggestions 46 4.2.1 Limitations of the research 46 4.2.2 Some suggestions for further studies 46 CONCLUSION 47 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………… I APPENDIX……………………………………………………………………….III iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS  EFL: English as a Foreign Language IELTS: International English Language Testing System TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication ESL: English as Second Language CNN: Cable News Network VOA: Voice of America BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES  List of Tables Table 3.1 Student’s awareness of the importance of speaking English 24 Table 3.2 Difficulty in pronouncing English words 29 Table 3.3 Difficulty in grammar use 31 Table 3.4 Lack of vocabulary mastery 32 Table 3.5 Anxiety and lack of confidence 35 Table 3.6 Poor listening skills 36 Table 3.7 Lack of motivation 38 Table 3.8 Mother- tongue use 40 List of Figures Figure 3.1 Year of students’ learning English 25 Figure 3.2 Students' opinions about speaking English 25 Figure 3.3 Students' feeling in speaking English 26 Figure 3.4 The amount of time per day students practice speaking English 27 Figure 3.5 Students' participant in speaking class 28 Figure 3.6 Solutions to improve student’s English speaking 42 vi CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY Overview of the study provides an introduction to the study which includes the reason for choosing the study rationale, previous studies, aims of the study, research subjects, scope of the study, research methodology, and organization of the study It shows some general information about the study so that readers could have an overview of the entire study 1.1 Rationale Nowadays, English is the official language of more than 53 countries and territories, the second language of nearly 100 countries and the common language of more than 400 million people around the world In the industrial era 4.0, almost all professions of commerce, healthcare, media, tourism, etc use English At most meetings, forums and exchanges of work, knowledge and experiences around the world, this international language is used as a bridge English is a passport, a gateway to the modern world, connecting with many people, and indispensable for anyone who wishes to assert themselves in the current era of globalization now and in the future With fully equipped with both knowledge and communication skills, people who are good at English can quickly integrate into a multicultural environment, taking on many different positions depending on their interests and forte Working in international companies and businesses is the dream of many people, especially young people, because they have both an attractive salary, high professionalism, and many opportunities for advancement However, getting to work in such an environment is not easy Because foreign businesses have high requirements, besides professional requirements, it is necessary to know how to use foreign languages fluently, specifically English Speaking is often recognized as an important and essential skill in the process of learning foreign languages in general and English in particular However, not all learners are aware of the importance of speaking skills and actively practice this skill Speaking skill is the ability to express verbally Speaking skill is different from other skills such as reading, writing, and listening in that it is a combination of many factors to produce speech This is a special kind of human skill; it is neither inherited nor innate It is formed and developed in the process of communication, learners master and perform different communication behaviors Therefore, students need to hone their communication skills to be able to meet the strict requirements of employers Along with the need for global integration, learning foreign languages for international communication has become increasingly important for Vietnamese students Therefore, English speaking skill is an indispensable subject in the English curriculum at university level However, speaking skill is not easy for everyone including students Students not only have to learn grammar or vocabulary system but also have to improve four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing Of the four skills, improving speaking is acknowledged by most students as the hardest Many Vietnamese students have the common problem that even after six or seven years of studying English at school, they cannot pronounce English sentences correctly, and they are not confident enough to communicate in this language In fact, although being a third-year student of the English Department of Thuongmai University, they are exposed to and use English regularly to communicate and present, they still face a lot of difficulties Therefore, I decided to carry out the study: “A study on difficulties in speaking English of third-year students in English Faculty at Thuongmai University and suggested solutions” 1.2 Previous studies In this section, the researcher will discuss a selection of previously published studies that share the same perspectives and interests pertinent to the researcher's topics The purpose of this is to help the researcher and the reader acquire further insight into the critical aspects of the topic under discussion The researcher has researched and consulted both studies in Vietnam and in the world to comprehensively and diversely understand the issues related to the research topic 1.2.1 Previous studies in the world According to Samira Al Hosni (2015) in “Speaking Difficulties Encountered by Young EFL Learners” This study uses three instruments which are lesson observations, interviews, and curriculum analysis in order to find more about the speaking difficulties that are encountered by grade students in the actual classroom situation The findings of this study demonstrate that many issues related to teaching strategies, program of study, extracurricular activities Besides, students are unable to speak in English owing to lack of the essential vocabulary items and grammar structures They also lack sentence formation skills, which result in using the mother tongue Students also think of making mistakes in speaking in front of those around very embarrassing, which leads to prefer not to speak to avoid such situations Eissa, Misbah, and Najat (1988) conducted research on the problems of using English as a teaching and communication tool The findings of this study revealed that learners had a lot of difficulty using English as a medium of instruction Many participants claimed that their students have a limited command of the English language The findings have revealed that many learners had significant difficulty interpreting the content of the lectures without reading or using L1 to deliver the content of the lectures The study on "Communication skills among university students" was carried out by Ihmeideh, Ahmad Dababneh and Cleland in 2010 of the School of Language Studies and Linguistics, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, they found that a positive communication environment has a major impact on improving speaking and thus, having good skills provides many opportunities for students to be better prepared for their future careers after graduating Students not only get to develop their communication skills through discussions and presentations in class, but also get to familiarize with communication situations in the real world 1.2.2 Previous studies in Vietnam Besides the studies on English speaking of many researchers in the world, there were also a number of studies on the speaking ability of researchers in Vietnam Another study of the researcher Nguyen Thi Le Nguyen (2001) showed the importance of learning English for the non - English majored students with the research “How to motivate non – English majored students in Vietnamese University of education to learn English” The researcher confirmed the importance of learning English nowadays It not only supports study at university but also helps Degree of Frequency No Mother- Totally tongue use Disagree Due to natural instinct Disagree Neutral Agree Totally Agree N % N % N % N % N % 2.4 0.8 4.8 34 27.2 82 65.6 1.6 0 2.4 77 61.6 43 34.4 Translate word by word from Vietnamese into English Table 3.8 Mother- tongue use The table above illustrated that most students encountered problems with mother-tongue in learning English-speaking skill The researcher has found two main reasons that students often encounter due to "Due to natural instinct" and "Translate word by word from Vietnamese into English" Looking at the table, it can be seen that both of these factors are highly valued by students The researcher is also a student of the university's English department, so he completely understands the problems that students face when speaking English The factor “Due to natural instinct” is the second factor with the students completely agreeing the most (65.6%) and 34 participants agreeing, accounting for 27.2% As you know, your ‘mother language’, or ‘mother tongue’, is the language you spoke from early childhood UNESCO considers mother languages to be an essential part of culture and identity, and carriers of values and knowledge They are vital to the preservation and transmission of traditions, expressions, songs, jokes and rituals, which make all our lives richer When learning a second language, specifically English, learners will have the habit of using their mother tongue when communicating in English This is easy to understand because their mother tongue is the language they have used for a longtime, it is very difficult to change This problem occurs more often when learners are exposed to a topic of discussion that they have little knowledge or understanding so they have no words to express 40 Therefore, students will tend to use their mother tongue to communicate instinctively to express their views and thoughts The factor “Translate word by word from Vietnamese into English” is also a problem that students often encounter It showed the highest figure of agreeing and the lowest figure of disagreeing To be specific, 96% of participants responded positively in which 34.4% totally agree and 61.6% agree However, the totally disagreeable only took up 1.6% of them while none of students disapproved to this problem Thus, if you translate word by word, it doesn't have the right meaning, the wrong context leads to using the wrong word The communicator does not understand the problem you want to express, causing confusion and confusion for both listeners and speakers, even poor communication efficiency In fact, there are many examples of learners' habit of using word by word translation from Vietnamese to English leading to many confusing problems This is because learners misunderstand the meaning of words, and in some cases because they have not had enough exposure to the foreign language to understand the special phrases in some of its communicative situations For example, young people in England often have words that they cannot translate word by word such as “no have spend” means “no problem”, “ugly tiger” means “shame” Therefore, the use of mother tongue in English communication is a very common mistake that most students encounter 3.1.4 Solutions to improve student’s English speaking Table 3.6 shows that, Oxford (1990) gave four solutions to improve English speaking ability: (1) Memory vocabulary, (2) Repeat pronunciation of English words, (3) Plan to learn to speak English, (4) Evaluate students themselves Solution (2) and (4) showed the same figure, which were 64 and 59.2 percent respectively Most students choose the solution (2) by choosing to listen to English news, movies, music and English conversation in different fields Learning English does not become boring because learners can both study and be entertained Often, learners imitate the lines and intonation of characters in movies or news, this helps learners build a habit of speaking English, pronunciation, and intonation of native speakers In addition, listening to news, movies also help students expand their understanding of culture as well as events Ranked second was solution 4, taking up 41 59.2 percent Learners can choose to record audio when practicing speaking They use their phones, computers, or hand-held recorders to record what they say Then when there is time or listen again to note the mistakes and correct them, the English speaking ability of students will improve a lot Solution ranks third with 49 students choosing, accounting for 39.2 percent Vocabulary is very important to improve speaking English The students practice their English speaking ability by regularly writing down difficult vocabulary words and practicing their word memory and pronunciation skills In addition, students often re-learn to memorize in the brain, supplement vocabulary, improve speaking English Solution accounted for the lowest rate at 21.6% This shows that students rarely plan and aim for learning and developing English speaking skills This shows that this solution is not suitable for learners and is chosen by very few students Figure 3.6 Solutions to improve student’s English speaking Also, according to Nguyen Phuong Hoa, class K55N2: “I have applied many solutions to improve my best friend's English speaking ability However, the solution of listening to English through my favorite TV programs, the daily news in English many times and repeating according to their words made me improve my pronunciation a lot, my intonation also gradually improved improved” This solution is very effective, does not put pressure on learners, and is entertaining If learners persevere over a long period of time, regular practice will improve speaking skills amazingly 42 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS Recommendations and suggestions includes limitations, recommendations for further research, and some recommendations to help students improve their English speaking 4.1 Recommendations 4.1.1 Practice listening skills Practicing listening skills is one of the important solutions to improve students' English speaking skills The students should listen to the radio, listen to the News, listen to music or listen to anything else in English that interests them It is necessary for the students to try to create a habit of regular listening in English Students not only enhance their listening and speaking skills by listening every day, but they also gain more background knowledge about elements or subjects that are relevant to them, such as economics, politics, education Listening to music in English and singing along is another way to improve listening skills Music is one of the best tools for learning intonation and pronunciation The best way to enhance their listening skill is to practice listening through dictation Students can choose any channel or sources which they love to practice this skill There are many useful channels on the Internet such as CNN News, VOA learning English Through these channels, the student can improve their listening skill as well as broaden their mind about many interesting fields In addition, students can choose a famous person whose accent they admire, record their speech, listen again, and imitate the way he or she speaks When they listen again, they can evaluate their own pronunciation and notices areas where they need to improve 4.1.2 Improve vocabulary Whether you are trying to strengthen and broaden your vocabulary for learning school or personal growth, the key is a commitment to regularly learning new words You should work hard to read books to expand your vocabulary The more you read - especially novels and literary works, but also magazines and newspapers - the more words you'll be exposed to As you read and uncover new 43 words, use a combination of attempting to derive meaning from the context of the sentence as well as from looking up the definition in a dictionary You can keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy Use whatever versions you prefer - in print, software, or online When you uncover a new word, look it up in the dictionary to get both its pronunciation and its meaning(s) Next, go to the thesaurus and find similar words and phrases - and their opposites (synonyms and antonyms, respectively) - and learn the nuances among the words Besides, you can learn a word a day Using a word-a-day calendar or Website - or developing your own list of words to learn - is a great technique many people use to learn new words 4.1.3 Practice communicating in English with friends and teachers Students can use the solution to practice English communication regularly with friends and teachers to improve their speaking skills When learning speaking skills, practice is very important to help learners improve quickly and effectively Friends and teachers are regular communicators with learners Learners can actively communicate in English with friends in English through daily stories to create habits Thereby, friends will show each other mistakes in pronunciation as well as misused words This solution will be more successful if students can find friends who are native speakers to practice with Because when communicating with foreigners, learners are required to use English entirely Practicing speaking English with native speakers will help you imitate the intonation, to speak English in the most natural way Therefore, your reflexes as well as your ability to remember new words will be enhanced In addition, students should actively participate in interactions with teachers through classroom lectures From there, students will train themselves to become more confident in front of the crowd, exchange their ideas with friends and teachers In this way, the teacher will help you make comments on the ability to learn, the accuracy of the answers can especially be edited for learners of pronunciation 4.1.4 Attend English centers specializing in teaching English communication In fact, taking part in learning at centers teaching language communication is also an effective solution This is a great environment for learners to find places to 44 practice English At that time, learners will have many opportunities to practice communicating in English with friends who have the same purpose of learning English in class as well as improve their ability to express their opinions in front of a crowd At centers with native teachers, people will hear the foreigner's voice directly, not just through video and audio That will help you get used to how native speakers actually speak and their accents It is important that the teachers at the center are fully equipped with knowledge and understanding to help students improve their communication skills quickly Students will be enthusiastically taught by teachers at the center to practice pronunciation with American accent standards for each student in the class with the opportunity to improve English knowledge in many fields, practice English communication reflexes, and apply in all situations, so students will feel confident when communicating with foreigners practice English communication reflexes applied in all situations 4.1.5 Record when practicing speaking If learners are someone who likes to review themselves to check their progress and listen for mistakes, they should definitely try using a voice recording app They can use this to record themselves reciting a speech, singing a song, or reciting a poem, but they can also use it to record their thoughts Similar to the dictation method, they can give learners the goal of recording themselves every day for five minutes, and then listen to their recording to check for mistakes and write them down If you have an Apple device, they can use the free "Voice Memo" app that is available to you, and if you have an Android device, you can use the free app "Easy Voice Recorder" Recording your voice will help learners listen again and recognize mistakes in pronunciation and grammar, thereby correcting intonation accordingly You can record your voice while reading or speaking and listen to it later This will help you to see what your weaknesses are and where you’ve made mistakes If you want to test your pronunciation even further, you can choose a dialogue that someone else, an actor or a singer, has recorded and imitate it You can record your voice and then compare the audios, both of which should sound as similar as possible 45 4.2 Limitations and suggestions 4.2.1 Limitations of the research Despite the fact that the researcher has paid special heed to explore difficulties and solutions for the research problem, it is inevitable that the researcher's affected by time limits and the lack of knowledge As the research topic focuses on student's difficulties in learning English speaking skills, aspects related to other English skills such as listening, reading and writing skills are not covered and addressed Thus, it does not provide in-depth results on other aspects of the English language And the participants just focused on the third-year English majored students, so the results were not remarkable, it also cannot analyze the difficulties of learning English of non-majored English students 4.2.2 Some suggestions for further studies Due to limitations, this report was unable to address all aspects of the study Furthermore, the thesis only focuses on the difficulties of third-year English majored students at Thuongmai University in order to assist them in improving their speaking skills Furthermore, to achieve better outcomes in future experiments, the researcher should invite more participants and enhance the data collection process In addition to sample questionnaires and interviews, observation is needed to draw more convincing conclusions Overall, despite the study's limitations, the thesis was conducted with the supervision's guidance and self-effort Any comments or criticism would be greatly valued in order to improve future research 46 CONCLUSION  With more than 1.8 billion speakers around the world, English is the most popular language in human history As the world becomes more globalized, having English language skills is no longer an option, it is a must for many job opportunities in the future Moreover, speaking is a very essential skill used for communication It involves a variety of different aspects that make it a complex process This study was conducted to find out difficulties in speaking English of thirdyear students in English Faculty at Thuongmai University and suggested solutions Two research instruments were employed in the study including survey questionnaire and interview The research findings show that the third-year students in English Faculty of Thuongmai University found it difficult in improving English speaking skills Solutions were also proposed to help students overcome these difficulties such as This study was hoped to be useful in two sides which are theoretical and practical side Throughout this study, the author tried to consult or examine some of the theoretical aspects that concern foreign language speaking skills For theoretical significance, this study is supposed to provide information about the difficulties in improving English speaking skills faced by third-year students in English Faculty at Thuongmai University As a productive skill, speaking has many functions The mastery of speaking skills in English is a priority for many second and foreign language learners because speaking is a communicative skill that has to be mastered to build interaction with other people 47 REFERENCES  Ha Van Thuy and Luong Van Van (2012), A study of methods to improve English speaking skills in Son La College's K46 English pedagogy class Nguyen Thi Le Nguyen (2001), “How to motivate non -English majored students in Vietnamese University of education to learn English” Phuong Hoang Yen, Vo Phuong Quyen and Tran Mai Hien “Factors predicting the English proficiency development of learners” Bygate, M (1987), Speaking, Oxford: Oxford University Press Burns, A and Joyce (1997), Focus on Speaking National Centre for English Language teaching and Research, Sydney Baker and Westrup (2000), The English Language Teacher's Handbook How to teach large classes with few resources Baker and Westrup (2003), An Analysis of Factors Influencing Learners’ English Speaking Skill Brown (2004, p.141-142), Types of speaking discuss micro and macro skills of speaking outline numerous tasks for assessing speaking 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 10 Eissa, Misbah, and Najat (1988), An Analysis of Factors Influencing Learners' English Speaking Skill 11 Emma Pathare (1995), Difficulties in speaking English and the possible solutions 12 Elgort et al (2018), Contextual word learning during reading in a second language: An eye-movement study 13 Foster, C D (1976), Teaching and Learning in the Elementary School New York: Macmillan Publishing Co 14 Harmer (1991), The Practice of English Language Teaching: New Edition New York: Longman I 15 Hetrakul (1995), Problems and Difficulties of Speaking That Encounter English Language Students English at Al Quds Open University 16 Ihmeideh, Ahmad Dababneh and Cleland in 2010, Communication skills among university students 17 Nasser Oroujlou, Dr Majid Vahedi (2011), Motivation, attitude, and language learning, International Conference on Education and Educational Psychology (ICEEPSY 2011), Payame Noor University, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 29 (2011) 994 - 1000 18 Oxford (1990, p.68), Iranian EFL Learners’ Pattern of Language Learning Strategy Use 19 Lyons (1968: 405), University foreign language students' choice of vocabulary learning strategies as related to individual difference variables 20 Parupalli Srinivas Rao (2019), The important of speaking skills in English classrooms 21 Rachael-Anne Knight, 2003, University of Surrey-Roehampton (Understanding English Variation, Week 3) 22 Rohmatillah (2014), A study on students’ difficulties in learning vocabulary 23 Scacella Oxford (1992, tr.141), The Effect of Grammar Learning on Speaking Ability of EFL Learners 24 Stoffer, I (1995), The vocabulary learning strategies of universities EFL learners 25 Spratt, Pulverness and Williams (2005), Teaching Knowledge Test 26 Shatz and Wilkinson (2010), Language testing in practice New York: Oxford University Press 27 Samira Al Hosni (2015), Speaking Difficulties Encountered by Young EFL Learners- International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL) 28 Syed Qaiser Hussain, Dr Muhammad Fareed, and Dr Naeem Akhtar (2020), English Language Speaking Anxiety in PakistaniUniversity Students 29 Wilson's (1983: 5), Speaking, Relationship between speaker and listener II APPENDIX  APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES Dear third-year students, My name is Vu Thi Thu Hien I am a final-year student in English Department of Thuongmai University and I am writing my Graduation Paper “A study on difficulties in speaking English of third-year students in English Faculty at Thuongmai University and suggested solutions” This survey aims at finding out common difficulties in speaking English, and then give you some effective solutions I decided to conduct this questionnaire to collect information to contribute to my graduation paper Your assistance in completing this survey is highly appreciated and the data collected are used in the graduation paper only All information about your answers will kept confidential! Thank you so much for your cooperation! Part 1: Students' English learning background information Question 1: What is your awareness of the importance of English?  Not very important  Important  Very important Question 2: How long have you learnt English?  3-6 years  6-9 years  9-12 years  More than 12 years Question 3: How you rate learning to speak English?  Very easy  Easy  Normal  Difficult  Very difficult III Question 4: How you feel when you speak English?  Not confident at all  Not Confident  Normal  Confident  Very confident Question 5: How many hours per day you spend on self-practicing English speaking skill?  Less than hours  1-2 hours  2-3 hours  More than hours Question 6: What is your level of participation in class activities?  I never participate in speaking activities  I rarely participate in speaking activities  I sometimes participate in speaking activities  I often participate in speaking activities  I usually participate in speaking activities  I always participate in speaking activities Part 2: Difficulties in speaking English Question 7: Which difficulties below often encounter when you improve your English speaking according to your level of necessity (Question rated on a 5point scale have the convention: 1- Totally Disagree; 2-Disagree; 3-Neutral; 4Agree; 5- Totally Agree) Difficulty in pronouncing Totally English words Disagree Do not know how to stress word Difficulty in liaison, elision Ignore or mispronounce ending sounds IV Disagree Neutral Agree Totally Agree Difficulty in grammar use Totally Disagree Neutral Agree Totally Disagree Agree Misuse of prepositions, articles, past tense, and the third person singular English language structure Difficulty in vocabulary use Totally Disagree Neutral Agree Totally Disagree Agree Lack of vocabulary knowledge Vocabulary with many meanings Vocabulary with contextual meaning Anxiety and lack of Totally confidence Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Totally Agree Fear that the communication partner does not understand Fear of making mistakes Do not participate in speaking activities Part 3: Factors affecting students’ difficulties in speaking English Poor listening skills Totally Disagree Do not pay attention to when listening Do not recognize sounds Try to understand all the words in a sentence Do not catch keyword V Disagree Neutral Agree Totally Agree Lack of motivation Totally Disagree Neutral Agree Totally Disagree Agree Do not understand the importance of speaking skills Lack of basic knowledge of English Mother-tongue use Totally Disagree Neutral Agree Totally Disagree Agree Due to natural instinct Translate word by word from Vietnamese into English Part 4: Solutions to improve student’s English speaking Question 8: Which solutions below you often apply to improve your English speaking? (You can choose more than one)  Memory vocabulary  Repeat pronunciation of English words  Plan to learn to speak English  Self-evaluation Thank you for your cooperation! VI APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS What are difficulties you often encounter when you speak English? In your view, what is the best way to improve your English speaking? VII