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, was conducted with the aim of determining those linguistic and emotional barriers that impede students to develop their speaking skills in English. This study was executed in a public high school situated in the city of Cariamanga. The participants of this study were forty students of senior high school and an EFL teacher. This research adopted two specific methods: qualitative and quantitative. For data collection process, four instruments were implemented: students' survey, teachers' survey, students' interview, and class observations. As a result, this study found that the most prevalent linguistic y emotional factors that negatively affect the oral performance of the learners are lack of vocabulary and fear of making errors. Based on the findings, it was evidenced that the linguistic factors are the most influential issues that hinder EFL learners to enhance their oral communication skills.