An Investigation on the Speaking Constraints and Strategies Used by College Students Studying English as EFL Learners

Abstract

Learning English is essential nowadays because of the widespread use of the language all over the world. In Indonesia, students have the opportunity to learn English language from elementary school, all the way to university. However, this does not imply that Indonesian students studying English at universities are proficient in the language, particularly when it comes to speaking English, when they often face an overwhelming number of challenges, both linguistically and psychologically. This study aimed to analyze the challenges that students experience while speaking English and to discuss the students' actions to address the difficulty. A mixed-method research was employed by collecting qualitative and quantitative data. The research's instruments were observation, questionnaires, and interviews. This study's participants include 45 second-semester English literature students at a state university in Malang, Indonesia. The findings of the study revealed that several students had psychological difficulties while speaking English, such as anxiousness, low confidence, worries about making errors, and being mocked. It was also noted that they have uncertainty about word order in English, a lack of grasp of grammar, and difficulty selecting appropriate vocabulary. Inadequate practice in speaking was considered one of the difficulties encountered by students. The students used Rebecca Oxford’s Strategies Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) learning strategies to overcome issues in speaking English.