Writing and Speaking Difficulties of Students in One Chinese Middle School

Abstract

Writing and speaking difficulties are prevalent among middle school students, posing significant challenges to their academic success and overall communication abilities. This study aimed to evaluate the writing and speaking difficulties of selected middle school students in China. This descriptive study was participated by middle school students. It made use of an adopted questionnaire as its primary data gathering instrument. This study aimed to determine the relationship between writing and speaking difficulties of students in a selected middle school in China. Specifically, the study sought to: describe  the profile of the respondents in terms of sex, level, and kind of community; determine the respondents’ writing difficulties in terms of organization of ideas, content and focus, style, and mechanics; assess the speaking difficulties of the respondents with regards to organization of ideas, content and focus, diction, and spontaneity; test the significant difference of the responses when grouped according to their profile; test the significant relationship between writing difficulties and speaking difficulties; and  propose a Language Proficiency Program for Middle Schools. The study found that majority of the respondents were male, under the junior middle school, and are living at the urban community. Middle school students rarely encountered writing difficulties and speaking difficulties Male, senior middle school students, and are living in the rural areas experienced greater writing and speaking difficulties. Writing difficulties and speaking difficulties are highly related with each other which implies that the more students experience difficulty in writing, the more they experience difficulty in speaking. A proposed Language Proficiency Program was devised for Middle Schools for an enhanced English program in their curricula. Future researchers may further explore on the cognitive, linguistic, and social factors that contribute to writing and speaking difficulties.