An investigation of English speaking problems of Chinese EFL students in Thailand

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the speaking problems of Chinese students in Thailand. The researchers employed the mix-methodology paradigm to investigate the speaking difficulties which consisted of two approaches—questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to ensure the validity and credibility of the results. The questionnaires used for data collection included an open-ended questionnaire along with five key issues: a) grammar, b) fluency, c) vocabulary, d) pronunciation, and f) self-confidence together with an open-ended question. The interviews were conducted to examine and elicit the perceptions and speaking difficulties among the students who voluntarily participated in this study as the representative participants for the quantitative data. This study employed mean and standard deviation with a descriptive data analysis presentation in the data analysis stage. The results indicated the four main difficulties were raised: a) grammar, b) vocabulary knowledge, c) pronunciation and d) fluency, respectively. Furthermore, the students confirmed that grammatical usage tends to be the main problem concerning English speaking in both active and passive voice communication among the students based on the interview results. In an aspect of vocabulary knowledge, the majority of students acknowledged that lexical knowledge was the second essential knowledge when communication occurred for effective communication with foreigners in both informal and formal situations. In the aspect of pronunciation, the main problems were found in the intonation and self-confidence criteria because the students mostly faced anxiety about accurate pronunciations.