An Investigation Into Efl Students’ Difficulties In Speaking Skill. A Case Study Of Second Year Students At Mohamed Boudiaf University Of M’sila

Résumé: ABSTRACT The overall aim of this descriptive study is to investigate some hitches that influence EFL second year EFL students in speaking skill and to propose some activities that may be helpful to overcome them. The study took place at the department of English, at Mohammed Boudiaf university of M‟sila. Out of 120 students, our sample of 40 students was randomly selectd. We attempt to diagnose the most common speaking difficulties, besides to suggest some recommendations to overcome their problems and promote their ability in speaking. The obtained data of both questionnaires revealed that fear of making grammatical and pronunciation mistakes, lack of self-confidence, lack of motivation and lack of comfort, shyness, and anxiety were the most common obstacles that hinder the students from developing their speaking proficiency. To overcome those hindrances, we proposed some techniques, strategies, and activities that EFL students need to promote their capacity in speaking skill; most students need to be motivated to be more confident to take part in the classroom through creating an active, pleasant supportive classroom atmosphere where teachers should be selective when chosing the appropriate strategies to improve their students‟ skill providing them with positive feedback avoiding negative criticism since positive feedback rises the sense of learning and practice in learners and boosts their motivation and fosters their speaking skill. This study stays open for future research, for instance, an experiment on speaking difficulties and the effects of strategies and activities on students' speaking proficiency.

Publié dans la revue: