Speaking Activities Research Articles

Low proficiency students: can we help them to speak confidently?

This action research was carried out to find out whether the speaking activities that were done during English lessons could encourage the low proficiency students to speak English confidently. These students admitted that they were afraid of speaking English, particularly in front of their classmates. They had very low self- confidence and felt very anxious when they were asked to speak or present in English. For this research, five speaking tasks were incorporated in the English class with the aim of building up students’ confidence and at the same time encouraging them to speak and participate in the English speaking activities. The five tasks were: self- introduction, fairy tale role-play, open mic, product advertisement campaign and group decision making. These activities were carried out individually as well as in small groups. In short, all the students were given an equal chance to speak English and actively participate as individuals and as group members. Students’ positive responses signify the speaking tasks have helped to reduce their speaking anxiety, build up their confidence in speaking English and improve their speaking skills.

Listening and Speaking for Real-World Communication: What Teachers Do and What Students Learn From Classroom Assessments

Even though standardized international communication tests have been frequently studied, very little research has explored how teachers planned listening and speaking classroom assessments or which classroom-based tests were more beneficial for teaching real-world English communication. A qualitative inquiry was undertaken to investigate these assessment issues among five English as foreign language teachers and 24 of their students through the collection and analysis of classroom observation and post assessment interview data. While teachers tended to draw on textbook listening and speaking activities to assess those skills, how they graded students focused heavily on the students’ communicative competence as listeners and speakers of English rather than on their ability to answer comprehension questions correctly in the classroom assessments. Students identified a mismatch between classroom instruction and assessments and also a mismatch between the English used in assessments and the English used in real-world communication.

Developmental research on skill-integrated speaking activities and evaluation scales: Learning English with story-retelling

Storytelling and story-retelling have the potential to be used as tools to assist with foreign language teaching and learning. Professor Akiyo Hirai, University of Tsukuba, Japan, has been interested in this concept since 2005. She is researching Second Language Acquisition and observed that students from European countries and South America learning English tended to master the language more quickly than Asian students and particularly Japanese students. This highlighted that teaching methods that are effective for one demographic may not necessarily be suited to another demographic. In order to help her Japanese students overcome the issues they were facing with learning English, Hirai experimented with combining reading a story and telling that story to others as an activity for learning and practising speaking. This led to a method of teaching English called the Story Retelling Speaking Test (SRST), which requires students to read a story and retell it using around five keywords extracted from the story and then discuss the story either alone or in pairs; an exercise that enforces all aspects of language learning. Hirai and the team have confirmed the validity, reliability and washback effect of the SRST and intend to publish their teaching materials for use in the classroom.

Speaking Anxiety in the Second Language Classroom: Learners’ Perspective

Speaking plays a vital role in the second language classroom as the ability to communicate one’s own ideas is an essential factor determining language proficiency. However, learners’ anxiety in speaking is a frequent challenge encountered by the language teacher which negatively affects the teaching-learning process. In this light, the present study attempts to investigate the factors affecting second language speaking anxiety in the perspective of learners. The sample was a group of 60 mixed-ability undergraduate students belonging to three different disciplines at a state university. They learn English language as a compulsory subject during the first two years of their study and their curriculum covers essential speaking activities required for day-to-day conversation and for academic purposes. The learners were administered a semi-structured questionnaire in order to identify their perspective on speaking anxiety in the language classroom along with the factors that cause and reduce their anxiety. The findings revealed that while the students agree that oral activities in the language classroom are beneficial, their reluctance to communicate stems from inadequate vocabulary, fear of making mistakes and testing. These concerns can be addressed by engaging the learners in adequate activities prior to testing, providing ample language input for each task and by helping them to correct their own mistakes.

Vlogs in University EFL Speaking: Student’s and Teachers’ Perceptions

The use of vlogs has increased significantly in the context of English learning, especially in the context of English as a Foreign Language education. Yet little has been reported on how university EFL students perceive vlogs for their English learning, e.g. speaking activities. Thus, this paper aimed to investigate students’ and teachers’ perceptions of vlog-mediated English speaking activities. From 99 EFL students and teachers, 49 students of the English department of a private university were recruited to participate in this study. After a week of a classroom project of vloging in speaking activities was implemented, questionnaires were distributed. Then a semi-structured interview was conducted to further explore students’ perceptions of vloging activities. The findings show that vlog-mediated EFL speaking successfully stimulated students for speaking English. Students enjoyed the vloging activities. Students’ learning motivation was also improved. Some implication of the vlog-mediated EFL speaking activities were presented and discussed. Students’ speaking engagement and challenges were also elaborated.
 Keywords: EFL speaking, learning motivation, self-directed learning, vlog-mediated speaking

The Effectiveness of Communicative Speaking Activities on EFL UNRWA 9 graders’ Motivation from Teachers’ Perspectives

The current study attempts to investigate the influence of communicative speaking activities on motivation of the UNRWA 9th graders to learn English as a foreign language (EFL) from teachers ‘points of view. Conducting qualitative analysis, the researcher uses semi-structured interviews in order to get data of the study. The 'Behaviorism Theory' by the behaviorist P.F. Skinner is the theoretical framework of the study. Twenty EFL instructors, 10 males and 10 females, participated in the present study from five UNRWA schools in Gaza. The study finds that communicative speaking activities increase learners` motivation to learn EFL especially when the learners engaged effectively in such activities that also, according to the most majority of the interviewees, increase their level of achievement, a solid correlation between communicative speaking activities and the increase of EFL learners` motivation to learn EFL. The researcher recommends adopting various communicative activities, by EFL instructors, to motivate learners to learn EFL through the main four skills, setting up training programs, by MOE, for EFL instructors to train them how to foster learners` motivation through communicative activities and conducting further researches to investigate the impact of communicative listening, reading and/or writing activities on learners` motivation to learn EFL.

INFLUENCES OF PERSONALITY ON STUDENTS’ SPEAKING PERFORMANCE

The great demand for pair work and group work in speaking lessons at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (ULIS, VNU) and the weaknesses of first-year students in those activities have been a source of inspiration to this research paper. The research paper focuses on both influences of personality on students’ performance and possible recommendations to overcome the problems. To achieve these purposes, 52 first-year students and 2 experienced speaking teachers at Division 1, Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, ULIS, VNU have taken part in the data collection process including questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations. Afterwards, the data analysis detected that unstable-extroverted was the common trend of students’ personality. Besides, some positive and negative influences of personality types on students’ performance in pair work and group work speaking activities were found out. Based on those influences, recommendations of dividing groups and pairs as well as dividing roles and tasks for students in pair work and group work were raised to reduce the negative effects and increase positive ones.

The Intercultural Approach in Japanese Speaking Learning Activities

Abstract. The aim of the study was to get deeply the implementation intercultural approach in Japanese speaking learning activities at senior high school. The research method is qualitative using direct observation. While the process of collecting data used documentation, video record, field note, the interview is appropriate with the research setting. The result of research found that Japanese speaking activities inside and outside the classroomhave some components, namely learning method implementation, the role of teacher and students, the role of native speaker teacher, and the material of learning. It has combined the linguistics aspect and culture to increase students’ comprehension of Japanese language and culture. Keywords: Intercultural Approach, Japanese Speaking, Learning Activities

Contributing factors on students’ willingness to communicate (WTC)

One of the non-linguistics factors which is sometimes out of the teacher’s awareness during the teaching of speaking is how ready or how willing the language learners are to engage in the provided activities in which this psychological condition is then termed as Willingness to Communicate (WTC). To prepare the language learners in order to be more ready or willing is essential to take into account since a fact shows that the high WTC will increase the language learners’ frequency of using the language learned (English) in a communication. This is a descriptive qualitative research which investigated about the students’ WTC in a speaking class consisting of 29 students English Department in STKIP Muhammadiyah Kotabumi. Apart from this, this study also probed what variables influencing their WTC. An observation was done in order to collect the research data and make a conclusion. Due to the collecting data, it was found that students’ WTC is high. Further, some variables such as classroom variables (task type, topic, and interlocutor), individual variables (introversion, self-esteem, and anxiety), and communicative competence are found to contribute on students’ WTC during the speaking activity. Among others, the topic given is as the most influential variable affects students’ WTC. Whereas, it is found that interlocutor variable due to their gender and age does not affect students’ WTC. Hence, English teachers are suggested to give more attention at some variables affecting students’ WTC in order to help the students increase their WTC which leads to their speaking improvement.

FIBROUS ANKYLOSIS OF TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT: PRESENTING WITH SUDDEN ONSET COMPLETE INABILITY TO OPEN MOUTH.

The temporomandibular joint makes it possible to open and close your mouth, as involving chewing, swallowing, speaking, and yawning activity. Ankylosis of the Temporomandibular joint which includes partial or complete fusion of the joint with resulting restricted opening of mouth, restricted mandibular movements (hypomobility) with deviation to the affected side on opening of the mouth. The pathology is multifactorial and restoration of function usually involves surgical intervention and dependence on the exact pathology situated at the root of pons. It is essential to evaluate the underlying pathology, its degree for proper planning of surgery and follow-up. 3-D CT scan of facial bones provide a reliable and consistent diagnosis and evaluation for temporomandibular joint ankylosis. 
 Keywords: TMJ, ankylosis, 3-D CT scan, facial asymmetry.

TEACHING ENGLISH USING CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION (CBI) IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILL (A Classroom Action Research in the Second Grade Students of PoltekparLombok)

This study examines the improvement of student speaking skill through content-based students’ English speaking skill. More specificly, this study : (1) finding to what extent content-based instruction improved the students’ speaking skill; and (2) to describe the teaching and learning situation when content-based instruction was applied in the speaking class. This study applied action research technique to conduct the research which is consisted of two cycles, with four meetings in each cycle; while each cycle consists planning, action, observation, and reflection. The research was conducted at Poltekpar Lombok Praya; the subjects of the research were the university students of second grade in the Academic year of 2018-2019. This study reveals that the teaching using CBI was effective in two aspects: (1) in improving students’ speaking ability: students’ speaking level increased; students could answer the teacher’s questions; students could fluently communicate with their friends by using correct grammatical forms and appropriate vocabulary with good pronunciation; the use of mother tongue was reduced; (2) in improving class situation: the atmosphere in the whole class became alive; students enjoyed the speaking activities; there were many chances for students to practice their speaking skill; students had great motivation to learn speaking; speaking became easy and fun to the students. This study futher showed that CBI was effective and beneficial to improve the students’ speaking competency and the classroom situation.

A Survey of the Speaking Components of an ESP Course: The Students’ Mindset

This investigation focused on the speaking-skills component of the syllabi of Technical English I and II (Regulation 2013) at Anna University in Chennai, India. It was meant to formulate strategies for effective schemes to develop the English-speaking skills of engineering students in the colleges affiliated to the University. The major research tools consisted of data collected from: (1) A questionnaire for the students' survey, and (2) Focus group interviews with students. The interpretation of the students' survey was sub-divided into: (1) The learners' background and their comprehension of spoken English, (2) The learners' participation in the speaking activities, (3) The learners' problems with the speaking activities, and (4) The learners' expectations of their teachers and teaching. The focus group interviews were conducted after analyzing the responses to the questions in the students' survey. The paper concludes with recommendations to enhance the speaking-skills component of the course.

AN ANALYSIS OF SPEAKING ACTIVITIES ON ENGLISH TEXTBOOK BASED ON 2013 CURRICULUM

The aims of this research are to find out the compatibility of English Textbook with the scientific approach principles of 2013 curriculum and criteria of good English textbook. This research was focused on speaking activities in the textbook for senior high school. This research uses qualitative research by using document analysis. The results show that (1) the compatibility of the scientific approach 2013 Curriculum fulfilled 90 point of the qualifications of the existing criteria (2) and the assessment for good English textbook by the expert, fulfilled 85 point compatibility with the existing criteria. Based on the analysis, it was found that the speaking activities of the textbook is adequate for teacher to use this textbook. It means that the speaking activities of the textbook fulfill the criteria based on the scientific approach of 2013 Curriculum and also fulfill the criteria of good English textbook by the expert opinion. Key words: Speaking, Analysis, Compatible, Textbook, 2013 Curriculum.

Assessing Practice and Challenges of Group Work in English Speaking Classroom in Dawro Zone: In the Case of Dali Secondary School

The English language plays significant roles in various fields. This study was conducted in Dawro Zone Southwest Ethiopia with assessing the practice and challenges of group work in English-speaking classrooms in Dawro Zone with particular reference to Dali Secondary School. The school was selected through purposive sampling technique. To achieve the purpose of this study, a descriptive research design was employed. Moreover, both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to report the findings of the study. Similarly, grade 9 and 10 classes were selected through the purposive sampling method. Then, students were selected through simple random sampling of the lottery method, while English language teachers were chosen through comprehensive sampling technique. A total of 222 students and 3 English teachers were selected for this study. To gather relevant data for the study, open and close-ended questionnaires were prepared and used to collect primary data from the respondents. The findings of this study indicated that English teachers did not give clear instruction, motivate, encourage, and give their students appropriate speaking activities as well as they rarely use group work to teach English speaking which in turn impede the practice group work in English speaking classrooms. Moreover, the study reported that students lack confidence, worry to speak in the target language freely and to express their ideas in the language and the opportunity given them to practice English speaking in the group was insufficient and they frequently taught in the teacher-centered method. The suggested solutions were focused on allowing students to speak in class, providing necessary guidance along with immediate feedback for their students after speaking tasks, minimizing students’ nervousness by advising students not to fear of any mistakes since mistakes are learning opportunities, supplying of necessary authentic materials, allocating sufficient time for speaking activities, helping their students overcome shyness by having friendly, helpful and cooperative behaviors to make students feel comfortable when speaking in the class.

EFL Speaking Practice in Distance Learning during the Coronavirus Pandemic 2020-2021

Students at languages and translation departments at Saudi universities take listening and speaking courses. Before the pandemic, the students used to complete the activities in the textbooks which required them to engage in many real-life, face-to-face individual and/or collaborative small-group activities in the classroom such as role-playing, dramatization, inviting a guest, conducting interviews and others. However, due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, there was an emergency shift to distance learning at Saudi universities starting March 2020 onwards, where all courses are being delivered online. Several platforms are being usedin distance educationsuch asBlackboard, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and others. The current study explores the types of online speaking activities that a sample of college instructors at some language and translation departments are currently using in distance education and how they engage students online in the absence of face-to-face activities, interaction, and communication. Survey results showed that EFL college instructors are using a variety of online speaking activities such as: (i) assigning a topic which the students research and prepare at home and then give an online oral presentation about it online through the platform; (ii) using online debates about some issues;(iii) answering problem-solving questions;(iv) student-created podcast on a topic of their choice and publishing them in a Speaking Center on Twitter; (v) combining listening and speaking activities; (vi) using Vicaroo, a free online audio recording creator to record conversations and presentations; (vii) using the Kahoot app and others. Students and instructors’ views on the effects of the online speaking activities on students’ speaking skill development in the distance learning environment are reported.

Research on Writing Tasks for International Students

As the number of international students increased, liberal arts classes at local universities for their own people were reorganized. In particular, the role and importance of liberal arts Korean language has been expanded as a foundation for students to improve their Korean language skills and acquire knowledge of their majors. In order to come up with a level-based education plan that considers learners' academic abilities in various ways, the professor in charge of liberal arts first worked to list reading materials that can stimulate learners' interest and to step up the writing process so that students could complete their writing. Most important of all, it is that students find the topic of writing on their own and solve the problem of writing on their own. For this purpose, he noted finding various writing topics related to the multinational experience of overseas Korean students. It also created and provided various notices to help students carry out their assignments. These guides were used as reference books for students to easily understand the theory of writing. This writing assignment was completed with team speaking activities (comrade correction) and professors' correction. The professor was a guide to learning, and had the students perform complete and convergent tasks. In doing this task, students can develop a sense of cooperation in solving writing problems, along with an active attitude in selecting topics on their own.

Bridging the Language-Literature Divide via Integrated Performance Assessments in an Introductory Hispanic Literature Course

Research on the language-literature divide in undergraduate second language programs documents the challenge of engaging literature learners in classroom discourse which is conducive to their developing interpersonal speaking skills as measured on the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Scale. In this study, Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) were implemented to assess interpersonal speaking along with development of literary analysis skills in an undergraduate introductory Hispanic literature course. Learners were pre-assessed for their oral proficiency level, then they participated in four recorded in-class interpersonal speaking activities and two out-of-class co-constructed feedback sessions with the researchers and completed a post-study questionnaire to document their experiences with the IPA approach. The findings showed that all learners were able to engage in literature-based interpersonal speaking activities at their current oral proficiency level and in some cases slightly above. Some learners improved in multiple assessment categories throughout the semester. The learners had an overall positive outlook on the use of IPAs in the literature class. Based on findings, implications for future research and pedagogy are shared.

Collaborating with Industry to Improve Undergraduate Real Estate Education: Recommendations to Enhance Guest Speaking Activities

Collaborating with Industry to Improve Undergraduate Real Estate Education: Recommendations to Enhance Guest Speaking Activities

Effects of Primary ELLs' Affective Factors and Satisfaction through AI-based Speaking Activity

Effects of Primary ELLs' Affective Factors and Satisfaction through AI-based Speaking Activity

Improving Student’s Speaking Skill Using Role Play Method at SMA Negeri 3 Malang

Students need to master the speaking skill because it is one of the four language skills. There are so many factors influence the speaking skill of the students. Some factors come from the teacher and some others come from the student itself. Many teachers find the difficulties how to attract student speak English naturally. Besides, almost of students in Senior High School are shy and afraid to speak. We try to offer the role play technique in teaching speaking. By using role play technique, we hope students can join the activity learning well. Role play can result in repetition of speaking activity by providing a change. In short, role play covers a wide range of possibilities because in this technique students have to enter into many different situations. Moreover, it can help students to achieve maximum communication.