Perspectives of EFL Students’ Difficulties in Speaking: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

This descriptive study aimed to determine students’ difficulties in speaking. This study was carried out in a public high school in Ventanas, Ecuador. In this descriptive study, quantitative and qualitative data was analyzed. The instruments included a demographic survey to gather information from 70 participants and a speaking survey was applied. It had a Likert scale format which included 47 statements that measured students’ difficulties, activities, and perspectives towards pair work in speaking. The surveys were sent via Google Forms, and the data were analyzed through SPSS program. Findings showed that the main challenges in students are to have the correct pronunciation and also, the lack of vocabulary that prevents students from speaking since they feel afraid of making mistakes. The study confirms that the use of pair-work activities helps students to develop their speaking skill. These results could be of interest to EFL teachers who try to overcome speaking difficulties in students.