THE CHALLENGES OF SPOKEN ENGLISH FACED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL OF A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY
Keywords:
Classroom Environment, ESL, Motivation, Speaking Anxiety, Spoken EnglishAbstract
In both personal and professional settings, speaking is considered a crucial skill, helping to communicate clearly and influence others. However, undergraduates struggle when it comes to developing proficiency in a second language. In this study, major hurdles that affect speaking proficiency in the English language were identified and categorized. This study has a quantitative research design consisting of surveys of structured questionnaires. The population consisted of 500 undergraduate students from different departments, of whom 50 participated in this study. To analyze the collected data, IBM SPSS Statistics software was used. The challenges reported by the participants were categorized into four different areas, namely speaking anxiety and confidence, motivation and engagement, challenges related to language skills, classroom environment, and opportunities. Speaking anxiety and confidence, along with language skills such as vocabulary and grammar, were identified as major factors influencing proficiency in a second language. Moreover, some other challenges like lack of motivation and engagement and as well as limited practice opportunities, were also highlighted by the participants. To improve English-speaking language outcomes, this study sheds light on specific areas that need attention and improvement related to English language-speaking practices.
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