Factors that influence high school students' English oral communication skills in Ecuadorian face-to-face learning environment

Abstract

Abstract:The study was developed to analyze the influence of linguistic factors and emotional effects on oral communication skills in EFL students. The sample considered 56 first-year students of a public secondary institution in the city from Santa Rosa, El Oro, Ecuador. The mixed method was applied, which involves approaches quantitative and qualitative. The instruments used for data collection were the application of questionnaires for students and for the English teacher whose purpose was collecting their perceptions about English language difficulties, semi-structured interviews to obtain student opinions about their experiences using the second language, and classroom observations to analyze information and compare it with the applied instruments. Finally, the results indicated that linguistic factors such as lack of vocabulary, influence of the Spanish language, problems related to pronunciation and grammar were the main factors affecting students' knowledge. Also, the study revealed that the emotional factors affecting students' oral skills were fear, nervousness, and worry about grammatical knowledge.