An investigation into factors influencing english oral communication skills of firstyear english majors at thuongmai university

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY - - GRADUATION PAPER TOPIC AN INVESTIGATION INTO FACTORS INFLUENCING ENGLISH ORAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS OF FIRSTYEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY Supervisor : Ms Do Thi Bich Dao Student : Nguyen Ha Trang Class : K54N6 Student Code : 18D170292 Hanoi, 2022 ABSTRACT Speaking is 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 oral communication 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 proof, they have few 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 investigation into factors influencing English oral communication skills of first-year English majors at Thuongmai University and proposed solutions” 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 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Initially, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Do Thi Bich Dao, for her instruction and encouragement during my thesis period 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 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! Hanoi, 8th April, 2022 Student, Trang Nguyen Ha Trang ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v LIST OF FIGURES AND CHARTS vi CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale of the study 1.2 Previous studies 1.3 Aims of the study 1.4 Research subject 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Research methodology 1.7 Organization of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Oral communication skills 2.2 The importance of oral communication skills 2.3 Characteristics of oral communication skills 10 2.4 Factors affecting English oral communication skills 11 2.4.1 Psychological factors 12 2.4.2 Listening factors 13 2.4.3 Linguistic factors 13 2.5 Difficulties in learning oral communication skills 16 2.6 Relevant researches 18 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 20 3.1 Participants of the study 20 iii 3.2 Data collection instruments 21 3.2.1 The survey questionnaire 21 3.2.2 The interview 22 3.3 Procedure of data collection 22 3.3.1 The survey questionnaire 22 3.3.2 The interview 22 3.4 Data analysis 23 3.4.1 Results from the survey questionnaire 23 3.4.2 Results from the interview 33 3.5 Main findings and discussion 37 3.5.1 The first question: “What factors influence first-year English students’ ability to develop their oral communication skills?" 37 3.5.2 The second question: “What are certain techniques that can be used to assist students in improving their oral communication ability?” 39 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 41 4.1 Recommendations and suggestions 41 4.1.1 For students 41 4.1.2.For teachers 42 4.2 Limitations and recommendations for further studies 42 4.2.1 Limitations of the study 42 4.2.2 Recommendations for further studies 43 CONCLUSION 44 REFERENCES 45 APPENDIX I iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS No Abbreviations English meaning Vietnamese meaning Đại học Thương Mại TMU Thuongmai University EFL English as a foreign language Tiếng Anh ngoại ngữ L2 Second Language WTC EFA English For All ESC English Speaking Club Willingness Ngôn ngữ thứ hai To Communicate v Sự sẵn sàng để giao tiếp Tiếng Anh cho tất người Câu lạc Nói Tiếng Anh LIST OF FIGURES AND CHARTS Chart 3.1 Distribution of student participants by gender 21 Chart 3.2 The importance of English 23 Chart 3.3 The obstructing factors in practicing English oral communication skills 24 Chart 3.4 The cause of anxiety when practicingoral communication English 26 Chart 3.5 The cause main purposes of students of practicing English oral communication 27 Chart 3.6 Students’ assessment on the influence of pronunciation 28 Chart 3.7 Students’ assessment on the influence of vocabulary 30 Chart 3.8 Students’ assessment on the influence of grammar 31 Table 1: Solutions to improve English oral communication skills 32 vi CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale of the study 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 who wants to pursue and obtain good 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 companies with clients in various non-oral communication countries rely on English as the primary means of communication, they require bilingual employees to increase their chances of working with the best global companies As a result, companies that not speak English will lag behind their competitors due to communication barriers With that said, we can see the value of English in today's business environment Furthermore, in the age of technology 4.0, becoming proficient in listening and writing skills is essential for anyone seeking a better paying job 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 Out of these skills, oral communication is by far the old way of interaction since they pre-date the formal human writing systems by millions of years This implies that, since the dawn of humanity, oral communication and listening have been fundamental communicative methods, as well as our most basic and fundamental means of transmitting messages However, studies have shown that when we have conversations, we spend approximately 35-45 percent of our time listening, 24-30% oral communication, 10-18% reading, and only 10% writing Despite this, many students not place enough emphasis on listening and oral communication skills It could be argued that many Vietnamese students have poor hearing and oral communication skills because they not get enough practice and exposure to the 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 only the foundation for practicing other skills such as listening, oral communication, reading, and writing, which is known as “learning by doing” According to William John Bennett, a politician, “Our common language is English And our common task is to ensure that our non-oral English communication children learn this common language.” Learning a language is the process of becoming able to hear, understand, and communicate in a language other than our native tongue It is regarded as the general purpose of the freshman of the English Faculty of Thuongmai University The majority of them frequently struggle with learning subjects related to oral communication English on a regular basis, such as translations and interpretations For those reasons, I have taken the decision to select a research “on factors influencing English oral communication skills of first-year English majors at Thuongmai University” and some recommended solutions to boost their communication ability This research was carried out with the intention that it would be a valuable guide to help students develop their oral communication skills As a result, it would enable students to provide an effective learning approach to achieve the best outcome 1.2 Previous studies When topic “an investigation into factors influencing English oral communication skills of first-year English majors at Thuongmai University and proposed solutions” was chosen, many found previous studies related to the topic were searched and studied in the internet There are some research topics in advance of foreign and Vietnamese authors After selecting, some of the following researches were chosen as following: In the study of WTC among first language scholars (McCroskey, 1992); (McCroskey and Baer, 1985); (McCroskey and Richmond, 1987); (McCroskey and Richmond, 1990); (Zakahi & McCroskey, 1989), used this term to refer to “an individual’s general personality orientation towards talking” Willingness to communicate (WTC) is an affective variable that has an impact on L2 and/or FL acquisition (MacIntyre, Baker, Clément & Donovan, 2002; MacIntyre, Clément, Dörnyei & Neels, 1998; Yashima, Zenuk -Nishide & Shimizu, 2004) They then expanded the concept, which included personality traits and differences from WTC in different communication situations This variance is called “change in talking behavior”, MacIntyre and Charos (1996) developed a version to study second language (L2) communication through motivation, attitude Language, communication and psychosocial variables, cognitive capacity, personality traits, context, and L2 anxiety while context will directly affect L2 communication frequency During this anxiety phase, the student experiences feelings of anxiety and fear, has trouble concentrating, sweats, feels heart palpitations, and becomes absent-minded Many studies have shown that there is a negative relationship between L2 WTC and anxiety (Gardner & Macintyre, 1993; Hashimoto, 2002; MacIntyre & Clement, 1996; Yashima, 2002; Ghonsooly et al, 2012) Thus, communicative readiness is conceptualized as “an individual’s willingness to engage in speaking at a particular time with a particular person or persons, using L2” (MacIntyre et al, 1998 page 547) According to many researchers (eg, Horwitz & Cope, 1986; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1989, 1991a, 1991b), anxiety about foreign languages may be a predictor of success in foreign language learning However, a newly acquired language can also bring about changes in the local language or culture That is, every communication of each individual in L2 depends on the relationship between them For example, in a classroom where learners are gathering information about what is going on in our classroom, and by analyzing and evaluating this information, teachers can identify and discover real students’ basic beliefs and practices This can then lead to changes and improvements in student oral communicating Here, the real purpose of communication is to find information, break down barriers, talk about themselves and learn new things about different cultures with many walks of life The direct and indirect effects of communicative competence on WTC suggest that by increasing communicative competence, other predictors of WTC will shift towards an increase in students’ WTC Yashima, Zenuk-Nishide and Shimizu (2004) also suggest that students who show a willingness to communicate in different exposure situations tend to initiate communication in the classroom In addition, communication activities provide opportunities for learners to use the language with each other and with people in the sentence structure or anything else will prevent your communication from becoming unsuccessful 3.5.2 The second question: “What are certain techniques that can be used to assist students in improving their oral communication ability?” According to the results I obtained from the questionnaires and surveys, the solutions I gave students almost agreed to in 80% -90% In the solution part, I focus on clarifying the following issues: 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 oral communication English is different So I offer some solutions for students to change themselves  Practice oral communication 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 oral communication 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 oral communication 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 39  Practice oral communication 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 oral communication 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 oral communication much easier In summary, through chapter 3, I was able to answer the initial two questions that were aimed at improving students' oral communication 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 40 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 4.1 Recommendations and suggestions Based on previous research results, we find that WTC is one of the important factors for students, it helps them improve their English quickly Although students face a variety of problems in speaking, WTC is one measure of student effort In addition, it is also very useful for the work, and life of the students later Accordingly, the researcher made the following recommendations: 4.1.1 For students As mentioned above, WTC is not easy to improve in a short time However, nothing is impossible if the students have enough efforts, and determination Students want to be appreciated for both awareness, and knowledge, they must be willing to give constructive speech, which also helps them speak better Students themselves must their best to get rid of bad habits, timid personalities, and improve their background knowledge Nowadays, the way to train yourself to improve self-confidence is to watch videos on Youtube or attend English soft skills classes The activities students before speaking, during, and after speaking will affect their WTC, so they should practice some of the following good habits: They should be well prepared for the activities Before giving a speech, prepare the full content of the talk, and importantly, read more documents to gain more knowledge for the implementation of the content In addition, in the speaking program, students must have soft skills to attract listeners, for example, students need to pay more attention to pronunciation, stress, and rhythm in their speech In addition, interacting with the listener is also essential such as eye contact or body language, maybe during the speaking process, ask a question to get the listener involved in the conversation At the end of the talk, students should greet, and thank the audience for listening attentively to what just happened, then absorb the teacher's input, and correct the mistakes made You can practice this topic over, and over again These are good ways to expand their knowledge, and improve their WTC 41 In addition, researchers encourage students to participate in many extracurricular activities, English clubs of the faculty such as EFA or ESC at TMU This is one of the fastest, most cost-effective, and effective ways to help children improve their WTC as well as their English in general 4.1.2 For teachers Based on the information about the students’ WTC, teachers should design more relevant, and engaging lessons, and assignments teachers give students enough time to prepare before asking them to speak up The students surveyed said they would be more confident, and comfortable speaking English in class with their notes The most important thing is to create a meaningful, friendly classroom environment, which is extremely important Many students say that they are not willing to communicate because they feel nervous or afraid of making mistakes Teachers who can be tolerant, and gentle with students’ mistakes is essential to encourage them to be more confident when voicing their opinions In addition, teachers can also give students incentives for learning it can be a motivation for them to raise their hands to speak more constructively, this contributes positively to building a learning movement, accumulating competitiveness, and creating good habits for students This researcher believes that it is an effective method to stimulate students' WTC 4.2 Limitations and recommendations for further studies 4.2.1 Limitations of the study Despite the researcher’s best efforts, there are still some notable limitations to the present study One obvious limitation is the results from a small sample of interviewees Interview data represent a sample of only eight people, so it is not possible to fully address research questions except as they relate to these learners or to generalize findings to a larger population As a result, further studies incorporating a similar design, and larger sample size would be valuable 42 This study only used questionnaires, and interviews as data collection tools The findings are therefore based on self-reported student surveys It is unclear whether their self-reported accurately reflect their actual participation in verbal communication in English in the classroom This issue may affect both the reliability, and validity of this study Despite this shortcoming, the findings of the study provide some useful information about the need to design communication tasks at a student’s level of proficiency, and create a learning environment safety in the classroom These can assist students in increasing their WTC Classroom observations and student diaries are needed, which helps future research to achieve better reliability, and validity 4.2.2 Recommendations for further studies Due to the limitations, this study could not cover all of aspects of the study Besides, the study only focuses on factors affecting the willingness to English verbal communication of first-year English-majored students at Thuongmai Unitersity in order to help them improve their willingness to English verbal communication Moreover, for the further studies, to get better results, the researcher should invite more participants, and the data collection method Using survey questionnaires, and interviews, observation is also necessary to get more persuasive conclusions In conclusion, inspite of the limitations, the research has been completed under the guiding of the supervisor, and self-effort Any comments, and criticism will be highly appreciated for better further study 43 CONCLUSION In comparison to the initial target, the study has discovered the difficulties that first-year students majoring in Business English at Thuongmai University face while studying English oral communication skills Moreover, the 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 oral communication practice so that students can have a specific view and more experience with this subject 44 REFERENCES I Books Aftat, Mokhtar, (2008), Motivation and Genuine learning Bialystok, E (1983), Some factors in the selections and implementation of communicative strategies, in Faerch Burns, A., & Joyce, H (1997) Focus on Oral communication Sydney: National Center for English Language Teaching and Research C & Kasper, G (1983), Strategies in interlanguage communication, London and New 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Communicative Performance, ELT Journal 38, pp.39-44 13 Gardner, R.C (2001) Language Learning Motivation: the Student, the Teacher, and the Researcher Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education, 6, 1-18 45 14 Hafizoah Kassim and Fatimah Ali (2010), English Communicative Events and Skills Needed at the Workplace: Feedback from the Industry (English for Specific Purpose Vol 29(3)), pp 168 -182 15 Hinkel, Eli 2005 Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning London: Seattle University 16 Hornby, 1990 Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language London: Cambridge University Press 17 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 18 Javed, Muhammad et al (2013) Comparative Study of the Pakistani and Indonesian Student’s Anxiety Towards the English Language Learning Middle-East Journal of Acientific Research 18(11) IDOSI Publications ISSN 1990-9233 19 Lanerfeldt, M Talängslan A part of: Rudberg, L (1992), (Red.), Barns taloch språksvårigheter Lund: Studentlitteratur 20 Littlewood, W (1981) Communicative language teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 21 Lukitasari, N (2003) Students’ Strategies in Overcoming Oral communication Problems in Oral communication Class University of Muhammadiyah Malang 22 Mahripah, S (2014) Exploring Factors Affecting EFL Learners’ Oral communication 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 23 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 46 24 McPherson, B (1998), Student Perceptions about Business Communication in their Careers (Business communication Quarterly, Vol 6(21)), pp.68-79 25 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 26 Nasiri, A., & Pourhossein Gilakjani, A (2016) A Review of EFL Learners’ Oral communication Skill and the Strategies for Improvement Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods (MJLTM), 6(9), 53-59 27 Nauli, H (2014) Oral communication practice problems: an investigation of last semester students’ perspective in a public university Jambi University 28 Parsons, L (2004) Grammarama! Innovative Exercises, Creative Activities, Models From Reading, Sentence Combining, Updated Rules, and More! Ontario: Pembroke Publishers 29 Polack Wahl, J.A (2000), It is time to stand up and communicate Proceedings 30th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Educ Conf., Kansas City, USA, F1G – 16 - F1G - 21 30 Rabab’ah, G (2005) Communication problems facing Arab learners of English.Journal of Language and Learning, 3(1), ISSN 1740-4983 31 Richmond, V., and McCroskey, J C (1995), Communication Apprehension, Avoidance, and Effectiveness (4th ed.), Scottsdale, AZ: Gorsuch Scarisbrick 32 Sprague, J and Stuart, D (2003), The Speaker’s Handbook (6th ed.), Belmont CA: Thomson/Wadsworth 33 Thornbury, S (2005) How to Teach Oral communication Harmer, J (Ed) London: Longman 34 Tiono, Nani I and Sylvia, A (2004) The Types of Communication Strategies Used by Oral communication Class Students with Different Communication Apprehension Levels in English Department of Petra Christian University, Surabaya A Thesis, Petra Christian University 35 Tisdale, J J (2005), Effective Business Presentations, Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, Inc 47 36 Ur, P (1996) A course in language teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 37 Wardrope, W J (2002), Department chairs’ Perceptions of the importance of Business Communication Skills, (Business Communication Quarterly Vol 65(4)), pp.60-72 38 Widdowson, H G 1984 Teaching Language as Communication London: Oxford University Press 39 Yunita, I (2014) Oral communication problems of students non - English course and English course at one senior high school in Jambi city Jambi University II Websites https://educationalresearchtechniques.com/2017/07/21/types-of-oral communication-in-esl/ https://www.academia.edu/36120209/Introduction_in_Oral communication_Skill https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Samira_Al_Hosni/publication/270340 628_Oral_communication_Difficulties_Encountered_by_Young_EFL_Learners/lin ks/54a843470cf256bf8bb7e177/Oral-Communication-Difficulties-Encountered-byYoung-EFL-Learners.pdf 48 APPENDIX THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR FIRST-YEAR MAJORS AT ENGLISH DEPARTMENT OF TMU Dear first-year English Faculty students at Thuongmai University, I'm currently conducting a research on the following topic: "An investigation into factors influencing English oral communication skills of first-year English majors at Thuongmai University and proposed solutions." The study contains some information and substance, and I need your assistance in making the research findings more relevant and practical As a result, your contribution to my research article is critical I now guarantee that the findings of the study will be used solely for research purposes and will be kept strictly confidential I eagerly await your help Thank you kindly! PART 1: GENERAL INFORMATION Which administrative class you take? …………………… 2.Which is your gender? A Male B Female 3.Are oral communication skills important to you? A Not important B Normal C Important D Very important 4.Is oral communication practice difficult? A Not difficult B Normal C Difficult D Very difficult 5.How often you practice oral communication? I A Less than 30 minutes/day B 30 – 60 minutes/day C – hours/day D More 6.What difficulties you face while oral communication practice? A Listening B Grasping content C Lack of vocabulary D Lack of grammar E Lack of materials F Cultural barrier G Poor oral communication skills 7.Are the methods you are practicing oral communication effective? A Yes B No 8.How would you rate your oral communication skills? A Weak B Fair C Good D Excellent PART 2: THE REALITY OF LEARNING ENGLISH COMMUNICATION 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.) II ORAL 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 oral communication English? Please use (x) according to your opinion: (Answer this question if you choose option A for question 3) Table 2: The reasons of anxiety when youoral communication English The causes create your anxiety Agree Disagree Lack of preparation Lack of practice Inability to express Ideas Fear of making mistakes Fear of being focus of attention 6.Low English proficiency Do you have problems pronouncing English? A Yes B No What you have trouble pronouncing English? (Answer this question if you choose option A for question 5) A Not interested in stress B Difficulty with liaison C Influence of Vietnamese when oral communication English (Vietnamese words are easy to remember However, this leads to false pronunciation) D Not pay attention to ending sound E Others (Please specify): III 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): You feel in the following problems, which problems make you find it difficult to learn English oral communication skills? Please use (x) on the difficulty level of each problem according to the gradual 4-point scale: no problem, normal, difficult, very difficult Table 3: The cause of difficulties in learning English oral communication skills Problems encountered when practicing English oral communication 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 IV Table 4: Solutions to improve your English oral communication skills Suggest solutions to overcome students' difficulties in oral communication English Agree Disagree 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 oral communication to master grammatical forms Practice oral communication to native speakers by talking directly or through some apps like HiNative, Siri etc Practice oral communication alone or standing in front of a mirror to increase self-confidence 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 INTERVIEW 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? V