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

Abstract

Abstract: The research analyzes in depth the linguistic and emotional factors that affect significantly the oral communication skills in English of students high school Ecuadorians. The exhaustive mixed study was carried out with 40 students from first year of high school and 3 experienced teachers in the English area, using detailed questionnaires, in-depth interviews and extensive classroom observations to collect critical data. The main results were that the limited knowledge of vocabulary and grammar, the interference of Spanish, anxiety, fear of mistakes and lack of confidence impacted oral communication in English. Specifically, the Students had difficulties with vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency and think first in Spanish before speaking English. In addition to this, anxiety, fear Mistakes and lack of confidence caused emotional barriers to practicing and participating in oral English. It is concluded that specific strategies must be applied to address these linguistic and emotional factors, such as contextual reading, explicit teaching of grammar, contrastive analysis between English and Spanish, supportive environment, feedback constructive and creative use of technology.