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

Abstract

Speaking is the ability to express their opinion by oral communication and it is a skill which should be developed in EFL learners. It can be huge challenge for most of the students. This study aimed to explore what causes English speaking difficulties in EFL learners. A Likertscale questionnaire was conducted to anonymously investigate 70 high school students at a private institution in Guayaquil. A mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) was used to obtain data. The results indicate learners are having affective difficulties (e.g.: anxiety, nervousness, fear of making mistakes), linguistics difficulties (e.g.: correct use of grammar, pronunciation, and fluency), and social difficulties (e.g.: lack of confidence during speaking activities) which affect their oral performance. Most of the students agreed is very advisable to practice English speaking by working in pairs. Some pupils do not consider themselves good enough in case they work with higher level of English partners. In addition, these findings are significant for teachers, coordinators of English area, and principal of high school to update the curriculum to improve the development of speaking English skill.