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

Abstract

Abstract: This research aims to demonstrate what linguistic and/or emotional factors affect the oral communication skills of high school students in environments face-to-face educational. To this end, this study was carried out in a public school in Cuenca, Ecuador, using a mixed method approach. The sample included 24 female students and 16 first and second year high school students and two EFL teachers. The instruments of data collection consisted of a questionnaire for the student and another for the teacher, plus a observation sheet and semi-structured interviews as a technique to support the instruments. The results showed that, among the various linguistic factors considered in this study, the use of grammar and vocabulary and code-switching influence on a large scale the oral communication skills of students, while L1 preference, anxiety, and peer judgment represent the factors most influential emotions. Thus, it is concluded that -between the two factors- the Linguistics are the ones that most influence the development of oral communication skills of the students.