Factors affecting EFL students´ oral communication skills

Abstract

Abstract:The present research report with the title Factors affecting EFL students´ oral communication skills identified the pedagogical and individual factors that influence the oral communication proficiency of EFL students. The sample consisted of five qualified EFL teachers and 30 high school students from the province of Manabí in Ecuador. For the study, there was used a mixed research approach that included quantitative and qualitative methods. These consisted of the application of four research instruments: a teachers´ survey, a students´ survey, a teachers´ interview, and five class observations. The data of the surveys were presented in two four-pointed Likert-scale tables and supported as well as contrasted with the findings of the interviews and class observations. The results of this study demonstrated that the factors of class planning and monitoring, as well as the students´ motivation, have a positive impact on the development of the students´ speaking skill, whereas the applied teaching methods, teaching activities and the students´ anxiety, among others, interfere with the successful acquisition of this skill.