Exploring Ambiverted Tutor Strategies: A Narrative Inquiry into Enhancing English Speaking Skills for Young Learners

This study investigates the impact of South Amarasi folklore-based photo storytelling on young learners' English-speaking skills and cultural awareness in under-resourced educational settings. Conducted in Sahraen Village, South Amarasi—specifically at Rumah Singgah Sore Oetepas (a non-formal learning center) and SD Inpres Sahraen (a formal elementary school)—this research employs a qualitative approach supported by descriptive statistics. It evaluates how incorporating local folklore into English lessons can enhance language acquisition and student engagement. The study explores several key questions: How effectively is South Amarasi folklore improving English skills among young learners? What factors influence students' progress through photo storytelling, including prior knowledge and classroom dynamics? How do teachers perceive the integration of local folklore in teaching, particularly regarding its impact on language skills and cultural awareness? These questions are thoroughly addressed through classroom observations, interviews, and pre- and post-test assessments. Findings reveal that folklore-based photo storytelling significantly boosts students' English-speaking abilities and engagement, particularly in environments with limited resources. This research contributes to the broader discourse on culturally responsive teaching, highlighting the value of local content in language education and curriculum development

This article examines and compares the requirements for the development of English-speaking skills of the young learners in Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey.According to the requirements of the state standards for teaching English in these countries, the author analyzes the effectiveness of using multimedia applications for teaching foreign languages in primary school.The comparison of curricula and state standards of these 4 countries revealed the similar requirements for teaching English at the initial stage, such as the use of new technologies and non-traditional methods in the teaching process.The analysis is carried out on the basis of a questionnaire survey of English language teachers, the young learners and their parents in order to identify the most effective activities that motivate and increase the interest of primary school children in learning English.The survey results show that not only teachers and the young learners, but also their parents are interested in using the multimedia applications in language learning, as their children enjoy learning the language through games, as well as songs, videos, animations and interactive activities.

This study investigates out-of-Java students’ perceptions of their self-efficacy in English-speaking skills. To figure out their perceptions, the researchers formulated two research questions: (1) To what extent do out-of-Java students’ educational backgrounds impact their perceptions of self-efficacy in English speaking skills? (2) How do students cope with the challenges of speaking English? Participants in this study were the third-semester students from English Language Education Study Program. Written reflections and semi-structured interviews were chosen as the primary data collection methods. In analyzing the data, Thematic Analysis was employed in this study. The researchers described the participants’ self-reflections and transcribed their interviews. This study revealed two important results. First, there was an influence of participants' educational backgrounds on their perception of self-efficacy in English-speaking skills. Second, the participants had their strategies in overcoming the difficulties that they experienced in speaking. The results of the study showed that out-of-Java students have high self-efficacy beliefs which increase with their time at university and can improve their English-speaking skills by applying some learning strategies.

This study focuses on the application of dynamic assessment (DA) for pedagogical purposes. It is aimed at investigating how the students' English speaking skill could be improved through DA, which is grounded in Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD). The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate to what extent DA assists EFL undergraduate students to improve their English speaking skill, (2) to explore the students' perceived self-efficacy in their English speaking skill through DA, and (3) to examine the students' attitudes toward DA. The participants of the study were 10 university students who studied in an EFL classroom of Foundation English I (ENG 101). Both qualitative and quantitative research instruments were employed in this study. As for the qualitative instruments, the participants' verbal report, semi-structured interviews, and diaries were adopted. The quantitative instruments employed in this study were the three tests (pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest), a self-efficacy questionnaire, and an attitude questionnaire. The results of the study revealed that through the test-train-retest design, DA improved the students' English speaking skills and their perceived self-efficacy toward English speaking skills. The data from qualitative instruments showed that the participants gained meaningful learning experiences through DA procedures. All participants expressed positive attitudes toward DA. The results of this study indicated that DA encouraged the students to construct a sense of ownership in their own learning and to become actively engaged in the test tasks. Thus, this study has shed light on the possible application of DA for a remedial classroom in an EFL context.

Speaking English skill is crucial and advantageous for Vietnamese undergraduate students. Speaking English accurately and fluently, however, has proven difficult for these students due to limited English speaking environments, resulting in their insufficient language proficiency and unwillingness to speak. While artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are recommended as effective tools in foreign language education for their flexibility, interactivity, and learner-centeredness, enhancing students’ oral communication, little research has considered using an AI voice chatbot to improve students’ English speaking skills in Vietnam. Therefore, there are still gaps for this study to be conducted. An 8-week quasi-experiment was conducted with 30 Vietnamese undergraduate students. The participants were informed of research purposes, implementation, and confidentiality. They practiced English speaking with an AI voice chatbot in two class sessions per week, completed a pre-experiment and post-experiment speaking test, responded to a questionnaire, and participated in a semi-structured interview at the end. The results revealed students’ significant improvement in English speaking skills after using an AI voice chatbot to practice speaking with p < 0.05. The students also agreed that their English speaking skills improved after the intervention because they could speak English better by using suitable hedging words, grammar structures, and vocabulary. The findings pose positive ways for teachers to integrate the AI voice chatbot into their lesson plans for teaching and learning activities. Some limitations were found related to sample size and technological issues. The study brings about a new English learning environment to the Vietnamese EFL undergraduate.

This study investigates the challenges faced by secondary level English teachers in teaching speaking and listening skills in rural areas of Nepal. The research was carried out in Geruwa Rural Municipality, Bardiya District. A phenomenological research design was used and data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 11 English teachers. The findings revealed six main challenges: inadequate lesson planning, low teacher language proficiency, limited awareness of the curriculum, lack of resources and infrastructure, limited professional development opportunities and lack of collaborative support. Teachers reported struggling with time management due to administrative tasks which affected their ability to plan effective lessons. Many teachers lacked confidence in their English speaking skills. This impacted their teaching. Moreover, inadequate teaching resources and poor infrastructure hindered effective learning. The study suggests the need for more resources, better curriculum training and professional development programs to support teachers. This research highlights the systemic issues that affect English teaching in rural areas.

This study focused on Saudi female English as a foreign language (EFL) learners, second-year level, English Department, College of Arts, Bisha University. Most the learners are exposed to the English language at a late stage, which is one of the challenges they encounter. The main objective of this study was to identify the main challenges faced by the Saudi female EFL learners in English-speaking skills. Main question of this research was what are the Saudi EFL learners’ main challenges in English-speaking skills in and outside the classroom? The significance of this study was to get a benefit both learners and teachers. This study contributed to finding solutions to the challenges encounter the Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in the English-speaking skills. This study used only one of the academic research methods, which was the students’ questionnaire. The study concluded that the Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL) learners need enough time to practice English-speaking skills in the classroom and they should be motivated to speak English with anyone in and outside the classroom. The syllabus and teaching materials of the English-speaking skills courses need development to match the needs of the learners in their daily lives and to meet the demands of the labor market. The recommendations and solutions would help to tackle the current status and challenges in learning English-speaking skills.

This study investigates the factors affecting the English speaking skills of non-native speakers - English learners, the typical research subjects here are first-year students of the English Language Department at Dong Nai University in Vietnam. English as a supporting tool of communication in the era of industrialization and modernization today, means that the ability to speak English is becoming more and more important for each person's job opportunities. English teaching methods are increasingly well developed through continuous reforms and updates, but many English learners at Dong Nai University still have difficulty in using English speaking skills fluently. This study determines the purpose of investigating how external and internal factors affect the English speaking ability of Dong Nai University students. The research method in this study is a combination of surveying one hundred-one first-year students of the Faculty of Foreign Language Department (FLD) by using a questionnaire and an interviewing English teachers for an in-depth interview to compare with the results of a student survey to determine the factors that influence students' English speaking skills. Motivation factors, studying environment, teaching methodologies, emotional factors, and a new factor group such are the results of the study that have shown a great impact on the English communication ability of the students. Suggestions for improving and developing English teaching methods as well as setting up classes at Dong Nai University are given based on these findings. This study adds to the existing knowledge in the Vietnamese educational environment about studying English and makes suggestions for improving and developing the English speaking skills of English learners.

The objective of this research is to investigate what problems are encountered by EFL learners. English speaking skill is one of the most important skills in English. Then Speaking skill is not easy to learn. Several literature reviews show the learners’ problems with English speaking skills. This Systematic Literature Review analyzes 20 articles related to the problems encountered by EFL learners in English speaking skills. The result of this research showed that the learners' problems in English speaking skills covered linguistic problems and non-linguistic problems. Problems encountered by learners showed that linguistic problems involve a lack of vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, and grammar. Then non-linguistic problems encountered by learners, showed that there are so many non-linguistic problems, but the most common and often found non-linguistic problems are felt not confidence, fear of mistakes, shyness, nervousness, anxiety, lack of motivation, afraid negative response, mother tongue, insecurity, uneven participant, never practice, nothing to say.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the Cake Mobile Application might be used as a tool for improving English-speaking skills. The cake mobile application is a smartphone-based application created specifically to make learning English easier. The Cake mobile application has features for learning English to students, such as voice recognition and speech recognition. This study included a review of the literature. A literature study is a method for gathering data that involves researching books, articles, documents, and reports related to problems resolved. The results show that the cake mobile app has many benefits for learning speaking skills, especially for young learners. It can be a way to help young learners get better at speaking in front of others and get their attention. Several suggestions can be made based on the research findings to improve the English language proficiency of young learners through the use of the Cake mobile app: (1) stressing the importance of learning through authentic language use and real-life scenarios to enhance speaking proficiency in real-world situations; (2) integrating speech recognition and AI-driven feedback mechanisms to provide prompt and accurate speaking proficiency assessments; and (3) regularly reviewing and updating app content to ensure that it is relevant and effective in achieving learning goals.

This research aimed to determine the effect of the implementation of Problem-based Learning on improving students' speaking skills in the English for Personality Development course. This research was qualitative research supported by quantitative data, involving 28 students of the Ganesha University of Education. The data were collected using pretest and posttest, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and observation sheets. This research used one group pre-test post-test, to determine the effect of PBL on students’ speaking skills. Meanwhile, qualitative data were obtained from observation sheets, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with students regarding their perceptions of the PBL learning model. Based on the results obtained from statistical data, questionnaires, and observations, it can be concluded that the PBL model influences on improving students' English-speaking skills in the English for Personality Development course. The average score of the pretest and post-test shows a significant difference (Sig. <0.005). This is also supported by the result of the questionnaire and observation data where students responded positively to the PBL model in class in improving their speaking skills. This means that there is an influence of the PBL model in improving students’ English-speaking skills

Teaching English for young learners in Indonesia still invites the controversies among the educators and psycholinguists that concern on learners’ development in thinking and communication. Because teaching English for young learners in Indonesia seems to force them in knowing the rule and forms of the sentence. In addition, some of the teachers who teach English for young learners have not the appropriate educational background that can teach the younger as well as the objective wish. Actually, there is not any regulation or decisions that obligate the school to teach English to young learners. It only depends on the school itself. In this paper, the writer would like to describe the teaching English to young learners in Indonesia in the side of its implementation and also the pros and cons based on the second language acquisition experts.

Second-language learners of English try to master and improve their English-speaking skills. This study investigated female Saudi university students’ attitudes towards the following: a) speaking English in general; and b) speaking English with native speakers vs. non-native speakers. It can be vital to understand students’ attitudes to help them improve their ability to communicate effectively and express their thoughts clearly and easily. Data was collected from 112 female Saudi students at Taif University, using a closed-ended questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The participants were asked about (a) their attitudes towards English speaking skills in general; (b) their attitudes to speaking English with native speakers; (c) their attitudes to speaking English with non-native speakers; and (d) how they felt about improving their English-speaking skills. Data collected by the questionnaire indicated that they were optimistic about the importance of English-speaking skills; b) had positive attitudes towards speaking with native speakers, which was not the case when they considered speaking with non-native speakers; c) felt nervous towards speaking with non-native speakers, who tended to be critical of their language skills; and d) preferred English activities to be with native rather than non-native speakers.

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the roles of anxiety and motivation in EFL Learning in the junior high school classroom. Statistical analyses were employed to determine (1) whether young EFL learners feel any anxiety in the English classroom, (2) whether both language anxiety and learning motivation are significantly related to young learners' English reading proficiency, (3) whether both language anxiety and learning motivation are significantly related to young learners' English vocabulary knowledge, and (4) whether years of taking English lessons, including extracurricular ones outside the regular English classroom, have any significant relation to both students' language anxiety and motivation. The findings supported the prevalence of certain learner anxiety among the studied junior high school students. Also, students who had more English learning experience were less likely to feel anxiety in learning the foreign language. Although these young learners tended to be susceptible to apprehension over negative evaluation from their peers and to have low confidence in their own ability, learner anxiety did not seem to affect their learning motivation and language performance. Only motivation was found to be significantly correlated with both English reading proficiency and vocabulary knowledge. A high and positive correlation was found between intrinsic motivation and student language achievement among these young adolescents.

Building self-confidence is essential for developing effective speaking skills in English as a Foreign Language (EFL). This study explores the strategies of an EFL learner to enhance his self-confidence in speaking and examines the challenges he faces in the process. The participant was an Indonesian graduate student from Gadjah Mada University, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews to provide qualitative insights. Narrative inquiry was used to analyze the responses, while thematic analysis was applied to identify key patterns. The findings revealed that memory strategy, prepared talk, and extramural English exposure were particularly effective in building self-confidence in speaking. Of these, extramural English exposure played a significant role in boosting the participant's speaking confidence. However, challenges such as limited vocabulary, comprehension difficulties, and inconsistent language practice were noted. A major barrier was the lack of vocabulary, which undermined the participant's confidence in speaking. This study provides valuable insights for language learners aiming to improve their speaking confidence and offers implications for teachers in refining their teaching methods to support learners' needs.