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

Abstract

Abstract: The present study investigated the factors that influence high school students English oral communication skills in Ecuadorian face-to-face learning environments. Forty EFL students and an EFL teacher from a public high school in Urdaneta, Ecuador, participated in this research. To gather data, a mixed-method approach was applied in this study; thus, qualitative and quantitative research data were collected and analyzed. For this purpose, students questionnaires, class observations, and interviews were used as means to obtain information. The data underwent examination through a comparison with the findings of the research instruments and the literature review. The results showed that even though most learners feel confident and comfortable speaking English in the classroom, they find it challenging due to linguistics factors such as to the lack of English knowledge of vocabulary, verbal tenses, and grammar structures, as well as the interference of their native language when pronouncing words in English. Similarly, findings revealed that emotional factors also influence the students attitudes and motivation to perform oral activities to increase their English speaking skills.