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

Abstract

Abstract: The current study titled Factors that influence high school students' English oral communication skills in Ecuadorian face-to-face learning environments aims to determine the linguistic and emotional factors that mostly influence the oral communication skills in English of high school students in face-to-face learning environments. This investigation was carried out in a public urban institution located in the city of Ambato, which utilized an English laboratory provided by the institution to teach English for 10 hours per week. The participants consisted of 50 students, 36 males, 14 females as well as two EFL teachers. This study followed a mixed - method approach with both qualitative and quantitative methods. The data collection instruments applied were observation checklist, questionnaires, and interviews. The findings indicate that the linguistic factors such as vocabulary, grammar, and fluency mostly influence learners oral communication skills. Furthermore, the statistical analysis also reveals that the emotional factors such as, learners being worried about grammar, and being afraid of making mistakes mostly influence in learners speaking abilities.