A study on errors in using vocabulary in speaking of the second year english major students at hung yen university of technology and education

HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

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GRADUATION PAPER
FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS

A STUDY ON ERRORS IN USING VOCABULARY IN
SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH
MAJOR STUDENTS AT HUNG YEN OF EDUCATION
AND TECHNOLOGY
(NGHIÊN CỨU CÁC LỖI SỬ DỤNG TỪ VỰNG TRONG
KỸ NĂNG NĨI CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ HAI
CHUN NGÀNH NGƠN NGỮ ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI
HỌC SƯ PHẠM KỸ THUẬT HƯNG YÊN )
Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Van, MA.
Student: Ngo Thuy Trang
Student number: 11317139

Hai Duong - 2021


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HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

---------------------------------------

GRADUATION PAPER

FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS

A STUDY ON ERRORS IN USING VOCABULARY IN
SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH
MAJOR STUDENTS AT HUNG YEN OF EDUCATION
AND TECHNOLOGY
(NGHIÊN CỨU CÁC LỖI SỬ DỤNG TỪ VỰNG TRONG
KỸ NĂNG NĨI CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ HAI
CHUN NGÀNH NGƠN NGỮ ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI
HỌC SƯ PHẠM KỸ THUẬT HƯNG YÊN )
Student: Ngo Thuy Trang
Student number: 11317139
Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Van, MA.
(ký tên)

Hung Yen – 2020


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DECLARATION
I certify my authorship of the thesis entitled “A study on errors in using vocabulary in
speaking of the second-year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology
and Education”
This graduation paper is the result of my own research and the substance of this thesis has
not been submitted for a degree to any other university or institution and that if this declaration
is found to be false, disciplinary measures and penalties can be taken and imposed in accordance
with university policies and rules.

Hai Duong, June 2021

Ngo Thuy Trang


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researcher is so glad to have a good opportunity of doing this graduation paper. It
helped me collect and classify knowledge which I have studied. During the process of writing
this graduation paper, I have received many necessary assistance, precious ideals and timely
encouragements from my teachers, family and friends. I would like to express my gratitude to
all of them.
First of all, I would like to express my appreciation to all the teachers of Faculty of Foreign
Language, UTEHY for teaching me to be a well-educated student. I have learnt so many things
from what they taught me. They have made favorable conditions for me to study at school during
my precious four years here.
Secondly, I would like to give special thanks to my supervisor, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Bich Van,
who has always been willing to give me the most valuable advices, experienced guidance and
suggestions in order that the research can complete this study successfully.
Besides, I also would like to thank my friends and my classmates for sharing ideas and
checking some mistakes for my study.
Last but not least, I would like to give my sincere thanks to my family who have
encouraged and supported me a lot.


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ABSTRACT

The study aims at investigating the students’ and teachers’ opinion about the errors in using
vocabulary in speaking of the second-year English major students at English Department, Hung
Yen University of Technology and Education, finding out the solutions to help students avoid
mistakes in using vocabulary in speaking of the second-year English major students at Hung
Yen University of Technology and Education
In order to achieve the objectives mentioned above, the researcher combined both
qualitative, quantitative methods, survey questionnaire. The research was carried out survey
questionnaire delivered to 87 second-year English major students and 6 English teachers at
Department of Foreign Languages, UTEHY to get direct opinions.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ......................................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..........................................................................................................ii
ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................................. iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................vii
LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS ....................................................................................... viii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION................................................................................................ 1
1.1. The rationale for the research ........................................................................................................1
1.2. The aims of the research ................................................................................................................2
1.3. The research questions ...................................................................................................................2
1.4. Method of the study ........................................................................................................................2
1.5. Subjects of the study .......................................................................................................................3
1.6. Scope of the study ...........................................................................................................................3
1.7. Design of the study .........................................................................................................................3
CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………………4
2.1. Overview of speaking skill ............................................................................................................4
2.1.1. Definitions of speaking ...............................................................................................................4

2.1.2. The importance of speaking skill...............................................................................................5
2.1.3. Students’ difficulties in learning speaking skills .....................................................................6
2.1.3.1 Fear of Mistake ............................................................................................................... 6
2.1.3.2. Shyness……….. ............................................................................................................ 7
2.1.3.3. Anxiety………. ............................................................................................................. 9
2.1.3.4. Lack of Confidence ..................................................................................................... 10
2.1.3.5. Lack of Motivation ...................................................................................................... 11
2.1.4. Components of speaking skills ................................................................................................12
2.2. Vocabulary .....................................................................................................................................13
2.2.1. Definitions ..................................................................................................................................13
2.2.2. Characteristics of vocabulary learning....................................................................................14
2.2.3. The relationship between vocabulary and speaking skills ...................................................15


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2.3. Common errors in using vocabulary made by students in speaking skills............................15
2.3.1. Definitions of error? ..................................................................................................................15
2.3.2. Types of error .............................................................................................................................16
2.3.3. Errors in using vocabulary in learning speaking skills .........................................................18
2.3.3.1. Grammar ...................................................................................................................... 19
2.3.3.2. Vocabulary ................................................................................................................... 19
2.2.3.3. Pronunciation.. ............................................................................................................. 20
CHAPTER 3: STUDY ..................................................................................................... …….23
3.1. Methodology..................................................................................................................................23
3.1.1. Participants .................................................................................................................................23
3.1.1.1. Teachers in Faculty of Foreign Language at UTEHY ................................................. 23
3.1.1.2. Students in Faculty of Foreign Language at UTEHY.................................................. 23
3.1.1.3. The textbook ................................................................................................................ 23
3.2. Data collection instruments .........................................................................................................24

3.2.1. Survey Questionnaires ..............................................................................................................24
3.2.2 Data collection procedures ........................................................................................................24
3.3. Data analysis ..................................................................................................................................25
3.3.1. Questionnaires ............................................................................................................................25
3.3.1.1. Students and teachers’ perceptions toward Speaking skills......................................... 25
3.3.1.1.1. Teachers and students’ opinions at UTEHY about speaking skills .......................... 25
3.3.1.1.2. The biggest barrier of studying English speaking skill through students and
teachers’ views .......................................................................................................................... 26
3.3.1.1.3. The frequency of organizing and taking part in speaking activities in class of
teachers and students ................................................................................................................ 28
3.3.1.1.4. Students' speaking opportunities outside of the classroom according to teachers
and students’ opinions .............................................................................................................. 29
3.3.1.2. Common errors in using vocabulary in English speaking skill ................................... 30
3.3.1.2.1. The frequency of students committing errors in spoken English ............................. 30
3.3.1.2.2. The factors that make students have the most difficulty when learning English
speaking skill. ........................................................................................................................... 31


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3.3.1.2.3. Common mistakes that students faced while using vocabulary in English
speaking skill through students and teachers’ opinions ............................................................ 32
3.3.1.3. Solutions to help students avoid making mistakes in using vocabulary in speaking
skills. ......................................................................................................................................... 38
3.3.1.3.1. Main cause of making mistake while using vocabulary in speaking skill ................ 38
3.3.1.3.2. Solutions for students through students and teachers’ opinions ............................... 41
3.3.1.3.3. Solutions for teachers through students and teachers’ opinions ............................... 42
3.3.2. Main findings of the study........................................................................................................44
3.3.2.1. The students’ perception toward English speaking skill ............................................ 44
3.3.2.2. Error in using vocabulary in studying English speaking skills. ................................... 44

3.3.2.3. Solutions to help students avoid mistake in using vocabulary in studying English
speaking skill ............................................................................................................................ 45
3.3.3. Recommendations .....................................................................................................................46
CHAPTER IV: CONCLUTION ............................................................................................... 50
4.1 Summary of the study....................................................................................................................50
4.2. Limitation of the study .................................................................................................................51
4.3 Suggestion for further study .........................................................................................................51
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 53
APPENDICES .......................................................................................................................... 56
APPENDIX 1 ........................................................................................................................................56
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE STUDENTS .................................................................56
APPENDIX 2 ........................................................................................................................................62
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE TEACHERS ................................................................62


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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
UTEHY: Hung Yen University of Technology and Education.
FFL: Faculty of Foreign Language
EFL: English as Foreign Language


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LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

Pie chart 1: Students’ opinions about speaking skills ............................................................... 25
Pie chart 2: Teachers’ opinions about speaking skills .............................................................. 26
Chart 3: The biggest barrier of studying English speaking skill through students and teachers’

views ......................................................................................................................................... 27
Pie chart 4: The frequency of students taking part in speaking activities in class .................... 28
Pie chart 5: Frequency of teachers organizing speaking activities in class .............................. 28
Pie chart 6: Students' speaking opportunities outside of the classroom according to students’
opinions ..................................................................................................................................... 29
Pie chart 7: Students' speaking opportunities outside of the classroom according to teacher’
opinions ..................................................................................................................................... 29
Pie chart 8: The frequency of students committing errors in spoken English due to students'
answers...................................................................................................................................... 30
Pie chart 9: The frequency of students committing errors in spoken English due to teachers'
answers...................................................................................................................................... 30
Table 1: The factors that make students have the most difficulty when learning English speaking
skill according to students and teachers’ answers .................................................................... 31
Table 2: Common mistakes that students faced while using vocabulary in English speaking skill
through students and teachers’ opinions ................................................................................... 32
Pie chart 10: Errors deal with parts of speech that students make the most based on students’
opinions ..................................................................................................................................... 33
Pie chart 11: Errors deal with parts of speech that students make the most based on teachers’
opinions ..................................................................................................................................... 33
Pie chart 12: Most difficult syntax errors for students according to students’ opinions .......... 34
Pie chart 13: Most difficult syntax errors for students according to teachers’ opinions .......... 34
Table 3: Frequency of students using the wrong word forms based on students’ opinions ..... 35
Table 4: Frequency of students using the wrong word forms based on teachers’ opinions ..... 36


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Pie chart 14: How often students use relative pronouns, conditionals, and passive forms in their
speech based on students’ answers ........................................................................................... 37
Pie chart 15: Teachers' opinions on the difficulty of using relative pronouns, conditionals,

passive forms in students .......................................................................................................... 37
Table 5: Main causes of making mistake while using vocabulary in speaking skill according to
students’ opinions ..................................................................................................................... 39
Table 6: Main causes of making mistake while using vocabulary in speaking skill according to
teachers’ opinions ..................................................................................................................... 41
Table 7: Solutions for students through students and teachers’ opinions ................................. 42
Table 8: Solutions for teachers through students and teachers’ opinions ................................. 43


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CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

The rationale for the research
Speaking skills are often identified as an important and essential skill in the process of
learning foreign languages in general and English in particular. However, not all learners are
aware of the importance of speaking skills and actively practice this skill. The fact that when
you work in an English-demanding environment, employers always set the standard of whether
you can speak English fluently, not how many awards or achievement you've won in English.
English has been taught and learnt in every country of the world. Many people realize that they
won't be able to reach their ideal job without knowing English. English is the most commonly
used language in the world, that why it is a factor that cannot be taken lightly in the process of
world integration for a developing country like Vietnam. People learn English because of many
purposes, such as working or studying abroad. Due to these important reasons, teaching and
learning English becomes one of the essential problems for education in Viet Nam.
Therefore, ministry of education and training pays attention to teaching methods at all
schools from primary school to universities or colleges. So, basically English teaching methods
are applied to four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Among these four skills,
learners always have difficulty in speaking skill. Each of the students at the faculty of English,
Hung Yen University of Technology and Education also has problems in learning this skill.

They confirm that it will be a big challenge when they want to work at many well- known
companies after graduating from universities if they aren’t good at speaking skill though their
major is very excellent. At Hung Yen University of Technology and Education (UTEHY), the
second- year students at the faculty of English students must pass an English test to exam their
English level and this test is one of the basic conditions for their graduating university. This test
consists of 4 parts: listening, speaking, reading and writing. In this test, they supposed to spend
1-2 minutes to take note some ideas to talk about a random topic which is prepared by the
lecture, furthermore, they must answer some extra questions about themselves like their


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studying, their future plans, … But the lack of vocabulary as well as lack of practical in speaking
skills, so this skill score is somewhat less competitive than the other 3 skills.
Therefore, with the aims to find the obstacles and give some solutions, the researcher conducted
a study entitled " A study on errors in using vocabulary in speaking skill of second- year
English major students at UTEHY ". The researcher hopes that this study is useful for the
second- year students at the faculty of English.
The aims of the research
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Investigate the students’ perceptions toward learning English speaking skill of the
second-year English major students at the faculty of English.

-

Identify the errors in using vocabulary of second-year English major students in their
speaking English.

-

Recommend some solutions to help students avoid making mistakes in using vocabulary
in speaking skills.
The research questions

To reach the goal of this research, we need to figure out the answers to the following
questions:
-

What are the perceptions of the second-year English major students towards learning
speaking skill?

-

What common errors do the second- year students at the faculty of English make in using
vocabulary in speaking skill?

-

What should be done to avoid mistakes in using vocabulary in speaking skill for the
students?
Methods of the study

To collect the data for researching, the author used both quantitative and qualitative methods
such as survey questionnaire and classroom observation. The survey questionnaire design and
all the classroom observation activities were based on the main aims of the study.


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Subjects of the study
Second-year English major students of Hung Yen University of Technology and Education.
Scope of the study
Due to the fact that this topic is very broad as well as time constraints, the study will be
focusing on exploit vocabulary errors in the second-year English major students of Hung Yen
University of Education and Technology.
Design of the study
This study consists of three parts:
Chapter One: Introduction presents the rationale, aims, research questions, methods, subjects,
scopes and designation of the study.
Chapter Two: Literature Review provides a theoretical basis for the study
Chapter Three: Methodology includes an overview of speaking skills, vocabulary and errors in
using vocabulary of the second-year English major students in their speaking English.
Findings and Discussion reports the findings of the study and discusses the prominent aspects.
Chapter Four: Conclusion presents the conclusions of major findings, recommendations,
limitations for the study, and suggestions for further studies.


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CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature review will focus on vocabulary errors in speaking skills. It will be covered
in one chapter. After the introduction, the theoretical assumptions as well as findings from
previous empirical research will be reviewed to discuss methods to help students avoid making
mistakes in using vocabulary in speaking skills. The next section discusses the overall view of
the errors. Followed by a summary of documentation related to error correction to see what the
appropriate correction strategies are in the said lessons. Finally, the chapter summary concludes
the document overview.
2.1. Overview of speaking skill
Definitions of speaking

Speaking is one of the most important in our lives, because speaking or oral
communication is necessary to use in daily activities. And it’s generally done in face-to-face
interaction, and communication. Through speaking, the people can express their think and
communicate with others.
Based on an article by Peter Lucantony (Published 17 May 2017) on the Cambridge
University Press. He mentioned about the views of some experts on the Speaking skill teaching
and learning context in Saudi Arabia before he come to a conclusion: “Learners tend to be fairly
fluent in basic spoken English, but they often lack accuracy”. Let’s take a look at some of the
theories:
Jack Richards (2002): “The ability to speak a second … language well is a very
complex task”. He concerned if we had set a goal that was too out of reach for the learners, so
that we unintentionally put too much pressure on them. His view is supported by Paul Seligson
(1997) who says that: “Very few students will become fluent speakers but they can probably
speak more than they do now and they can easily be made to feel more comfortable”. So, it can
be said that in order to increase learners' receptive ability, we, especially teachers, need to push
back our unrealistic high expectations of the learners, not to set the standards and let that absurd
measure becomes a hindrance to their progressive learning path.


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Another theory by Chris Candlin (1990): “Getting students to talk is the major and one of
the most difficult tasks confronting any teacher”. His point is about the common situation
among learners when they want to develop their speaking skills, it is: Lack of confident. In his
opinion, the majority of people who are asked to speak or give opinions in public tend to be
hesitant, confused or fearful (probably due to a fear of making mistakes and being corrected in
front of others). They let their fear overwhelm themselves, afraid they will speak the wrong
grammar. They do not realize that confidently speaking out their opinion, accepting their
shortcomings is the only way for them to track and improve the quality of their output and
thereby gradually correct and improve themselves. This has also been pointed out by Kang

Shumin (2002): “Learning to speak a foreign language requires more than knowing its
grammatical and semantic rules.
From all of the opinion above, it can be concluded that speaking is a productive skill,
and the ability to express the communication with other. Because the main purpose of speaking
is to communicate in order to express thoughts in effective, it help the students to understand
the meaning of everything and trying to communicate.
The importance of speaking skill
According to Zuliati (2013) Speaking is an important language skills, in which
communications take an important role in the world of information, speaking is a spoken
language that is taught in the era of globalization. Because of speaking, students can
communicate with other students in our country or different countries, we can share ideas and
opinions. There are some people who see the skills of the student based on their speaking skills
and not of language skills. Students can effectively use speaking skills.
In other study of Parupalli Srinivas Rao – an English lecture about THE IMPORTANCE
OF SPEAKING SKILLS IN ENGLISH CLASSROOMS (March 2019), he once mentioned
about the important of speaking skill. The role of speaking skill is sharply portrayed by him
through the fact that today good communication is an indispensable skill in achieving success
in all fields. He also emphasized about the important of speaking skill in English classes:
"Speaking skill is the most important skill to acquire foreign or second language learning.


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Among the four key language skills, speaking is deemed to be the most important skill in
learning a foreign or second language". Follow this point, Brown and Yuke (1983) said,
"Speaking is a skill in which students will be most valued in real-world situations." But even so
there is the sad fact that the teaching of speaking is still undervalued, almost all teachers have
followed a path by continuing to teach speaking skills by having students memorize the
dialogues or repetitions of exercises. They forget that in this modern world, communication
skills are required learners and English teachers teach students the skills they need to improve

high ability to speak and perform well in real situations.
According to Richard (2008:19) asserts that the mastery of speaking skill in English is
priority for many language learners. It can be concluded that the function of speaking is to enable
students to communicate in real communication and situation. In addition, according to Chaney
(1998:13), speaking is the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal
and non-verbal symbols in a variety of contexts. From the definitions, it means that speaking
should improve communicative skill of students, because only in that way the students can
express

themselves.

The use of English has become popular nowadays. English can make the students communicate
with strangers in the world. When someone makes a trip abroad, English language is also very
useful because it is accepted as an international language. In Indonesia, many schools which
develop into the International schools based on standards that use English as the instructional
language in all subjects. Therefore, speaking is a very important skill to get to the carrier and
education. (Ridyani: 2009)
Students’ difficulties in learning speaking skills
2.1.3.1.Fear of Mistake
A.

Definitions
As argued by many theorists, fear of mistake becomes one of the main factors of students’
reluctance to speak in English in the classroom (Tsui in Nunan, 1999; Yi Htwe, 2007; Robby,
2010). With respect to the fear of making mistake issue, Aftat, (2008) adds that this fear is linked
to the issue of correction and negative evaluation. In addition, this is also much influenced by


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the students’ fear of being laughed at by other students or being criticized by the teacher. As a
result, students commonly stop participating in the speaking activity (Hieu, 2011). Therefore, it
is important for teachers to convince their students that making mistakes is not a wrong or bad
thing because students can learn from their mistakes.
B. Causes of fear of mistake
The primary reason of fear of mistake is that students are afraid of looking foolish in front
of other people and they are concerned about how other will see them (Kurtus, 2001). In
addition, Hieu (2011) and Zang (2006) cited in He and Chen (2010) explain that students feel
afraid of the idea of making mistakes as they are worried that their friends will laugh at them
and receive negative evaluations from their peers if they make mistake in speaking English.
Students’ fear of making mistakes in speaking English has been a common issue especially inan
EFL context like in Indonesia. As argued by Middleton (2009), most EFL students are afraid to
try and to speak in a foreign language they learn. In this context, as he adds, students do not
want to look foolish in front of the class. In some other cases, they also worry about how they
will sound, and are scared of sounding silly and so on.
C. Solutions
In terms of possible solution to overcome students’ fear of mistakes, Zua (2008) gives
several suggestions. First, she suggests that emotional bonds between students and teachers
should be build. This way, the students are expected to feel comfort with their teacher and
believe that the teacher will help them if they make mistake. Second, Zua further states that the
teacher should improve the students' concentration when learning English. This can be done, as
she suggests, by creating a supporting learning atmosphere. Finally, the last suggestion is that
the teacher creates a harmonious atmosphere that can reduce students’ nervousness. In this
context, how to deal with errors in conversational English of students is worth discussing and
emphasizes that mistakes in communication are keys to carry out a communication.

2.1.3.2. Shyness
A. Definitions

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Shyness is an emotional thing that many students suffer from at some time when they
are required to speak in English class. This indicates that shyness could be a source of problem
in students’ learning activities in the classroom especially in the class of speaking. Therefore,
paying attention on this aspect is also quite important in order to help the students do their best
in their speaking performance in the classroom (Gebhard, 2000). In line with this, Baldwin
(2011) further explains that speaking in front of people is one of the more common phobias that
students encounter and feeling of shyness makes their mind go blank or that they will forget
what to say. This theory is also supported by the result of this research in which most students
fail to perform the speaking performance at their best. As they say, their inability to show their
ability in speaking is also influenced much by their feeling of shyness. In other words, it can be
said that shyness plays an important role in speaking performance done by the students.
B. Causes of shyness
With regard to the cause of shyness, Bowen (2005) and Robby (2010) argue that some shy
learners are caused by their nature that they are very quiet. In this case, the students are not very
confident and tend to be shy because most of them find it very intimidating when speaking
English in front of their friends and teacher. In addition, Saurik (2011) identifies that most of
English students feel shy when they speak the language because they think they will make
mistakes when they talk. They are also afraid of being laughed at by their peers. This fact is also
found in the data of this study that students’ shyness is their perception on their own ability. In
this sense, they are afraid of being laughed at by their friends due to their low ability in speaking
English.
C. Solutions
In terms of possible solution to overcome shyness, Pesce (2011) says that it is urgent that
teacher creates a friendly and open classroom environment. By doing this, shy students are
hoped to feel fine of making mistakes in their learning. This way, students will not worry of
their imperfect pronunciation and grammar. As a result, they dare to speak in their speaking
class. Solving the shyness problem, Chinmoy (2007) suggests that in order to help students to
be more confident in their speaking that convince students to look upon shyness as a thing to

overcome and do not fear failure or success. The above solutions to reduce shyness are worth


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doing. As said by students involved in this study, their feeling of shyness needs to be solved. In
this case, they need guidance from.
2.1.3.3. Anxiety
A. Definitions
Anxiety is a feeling of tension, apprehension and nervousness associated with the
situation of learning a foreign language (Horwitz et all cited in Nascente, 2001). Further
Nascente writes that, among other affective variables, anxiety stands out as one of the main
blocking factors for effective language learning. In other words, anxiety influences students in
learning language. Therefore, paying attention to this factor of learning should also betaken into
consideration. The fact that anxiety plays an important role in students’ learning is also shared
by other researchers like Horwitz (1991) as cited in Sylvia and Tiono (2004). He believes that
anxiety about speaking a certain language can affect students’ performance. It can influence the
quality of oral language production and make individuals appear less fluent than they really are.
This explanation suggests that teachers should make an attempt to create a learning atmosphere
which gives students more comfortable situations in their learning activity.
B. Causes of Anxiety
Regarding the causes of anxiety, Horwitz and Cope (1986, in Zhao Na, 2007) based on
the findings of their study, found out three main causes of students’ anxiety i.e communication
apprehension, test anxiety and fear of negative evaluation. The communication apprehension
refers to the students’ ability to communicate in the target language. Their low ability in this
aspect, in many cases, causes anxious feeling among many students. The second cause which is
test anxiety deals with students’ fear of being tested. The last cause has to do with other students’
evaluation. In this case, as mentioned above, very often that other students ‘evaluation causes
anxiety among students themselves. In addition, fear of being evaluated by their teachers is also
another factor affecting students’ anxiety (Liu, 2007; Zhou, et all 2004). All these show that

understanding students better and being skillful in managing classroom should be part of the
teachers’ concern. As suggested by Harmer (2007), to reduce this anxiety feeling, teachers need


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to pay attention to each students’ strengths and weaknesses so that they can create a learning
method which accommodates all students in the classroom.
C. Solutions
In order to overcome anxiety, Koichi Sato (2003) on his research about improving
students’ speaking skills suggests that teachers should be more careful about anxiety which can
be intense in students and find techniques that allow students to participate more in oral
activities. In addition, providing students with positive reinforcement (Keramida, 2009),
motivating students (Christophel, 1990; Frymier, 1993 cited in Keramida,2009) and creating an
ease environment in class are important to be noticed by the teacher since it can lower students’
anxiety, increase their confidence, and encourage their willingness to communicate (Chan, 2002
cited in Noon-ura, 2008). Dealing with anxiety in students’ learning, Tsui (in Nunan, 1999)
explains that to deal with the reluctant students, teachers should accept a variety of answers.
This way, the students can feel more confident in answering the teacher questions and
participating in every activities of the class.
2.1.3.4. Lack of Confidence
A. Definitions
Lack of Confidence It is commonly understood that students’ lack of confidence usually
occurs when students realize that their conversation partners have not understood them or when
they do not understand other speakers. In this situation, they would rather keep silent while
others do talking showing that the students are lack of confidence to communicate. In response
to this, Tsui cited Nunan (1999) says that student who lack of confidence about themselves and
their English necessarily suffer from communication apprehension. This shows that building
students’ confidence is an important part of teacher’s focus of attention. This means that the
teacher should also learn from both theories and practical experience on how to build the

students’ confidence.
B. Causes of Lack of Confidence
He and Chen (2010) state the main cause of students’ confidence is their low ability in
speaking English. In this case, as they add, many students think that their English is bad and feel


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that they cannot speak English well. The other cause of students’ lack of confidence also deals
with the lack of encouragement from the teacher (Brown,2001). In this context, many teachers
do not think that convincing students that they are able to speak English is important. As a result,
as Brown adds, students find the learning demotivating rather than motivating. This suggests
that encouragement becomes a vital thing in order to build the students’ confidence. Therefore,
giving students encouragement and showing that they will be able to communicate well in
English plays a role in students’ success of learning.
C. Solutions
With regard to possible solution to overcome the students’ lack of confidence, Ye Htwe
(2007) shares the strategy to build students’ confidence. He says that maximizing students’
exposure to English is a good way to build the students’ confidence. In line with this, Kubo
(2009) adds that to build students’ confidence to speak English, teachers can provide regular
opportunities to practice proper pronunciation and intonation, and to converse freely. By doing
this, students will experience a greater sense of ability to speak English. Therefore, teacher
should create a comfortable atmosphere in which learners are encouraged to talk in English and
are praised for talking.
2.1.3.5. Lack of Motivation
A. Definitions
It is mentioned in the literature that motivation is a key to students’ learning success
(Songsiri, 2007). With regard to the issue of motivation in learning, Nunan (1999) stresses that
motivation is important to notice in that it can affect students’ reluctance to speak in English. In
this sense, motivation is a key consideration in determining the preparedness of learners to

communicate. Zua (2008) further adds that motivation is an inner energy. She says that no matter
what kinds of motivation the learners possess it will enhance their study interest. It has been
proven in many studies that students with a strong motivation to succeed can persist in learning
and gain better scores than those who have weaker motivation of success showing that building
students motivation to learn is urgent for every teacher.
B. Causes of Lack of Motivation


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With respect to the causes of lack of motivation, Gardner in Nunan (1999) elaborates the
causes of the students ‘lack of motivation e.g. uninspired teaching, boredom, lack of perceived
relevance of materials and lack of knowledge about the goals of the instructional program. These
four, as he further says, very often become source of students’ motivation. Uninspired teaching,
for example, affects students’ motivation to learn. In this context, monotonous teaching, in many
cases, reduces the students’ motivation due to their feeling of boredom. This shows that paying
attention to those four factors is vital. In response to the issue of motivation, Babu (2010) argues
that lack of motivation in learning causes students’ hesitation to speak English in the classroom.
He says that the background of this situation is that students are not motivated by the teachers
towards the communication in English. In line with what Babu says, Siegel (2004, in Aftat,
2008) believes that motivation is Problems And Difficulties of Speaking That Encounter English
Language Students At Al Quds Open.. www.ijhssi.org 104 | Page a product of good teaching.
In his further explanation, Aftat emphasizes that to motivate students to learn well and actively
communicate in English, teachers should have passion, creativity and interest in their students.
In other words, students’ motivation is really influenced by the teachers’ teaching performance.
Therefore, it is important that teachers also show enthusiasm in their teaching performance.
C. Solutions
Aftat (2008) suggests that to encourage students’ motivation, teachers should provide
constant encouragement and support as well ask questions that reveal the basis of a students’
problems. Doing this becomes very important because encouragement also gives students a

feeling of secure and welcome in their learning. Other suggestions to increase students’
motivation are shared by Liu and Huang (2010). They say that to overcome students’ lack of
motivation, teachers can do activities like promoting students’ awareness of the importance of
English, enhancing students’ interest in English, and developing their self-confidence
Components of speaking skills
Among the four skills, speaking skill is a difficult one to assess with precision, because
speaking is a complex skill to acquire. Lado (1977) says that four or five components are
generally recognized in analysis of speech process as the follows:10


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(1) Pronunciation
Pronunciation is the way for students to produce clearer language when they speak. It
deals with the phonological process that refers to the component of a grammar made up of the
elements and principles that determine how sounds vary and pattern in a language.
(2) Grammar
It is needed for students to arrange a correct sentence in conversation. It is in line with
explanation suggested by Heaton (1978) that students’ ability to manipulate structure and to
distinguish appropriate grammatical from in appropriate ones. The unity of grammar also
learns the correct way to gain expertise in a language in oral in oral and written form.
(3) Vocabulary
One cannot conduct communication effectively or express their ideas both oral and
written form if they do not have sufficient vocabulary. So, vocabulary means the appropriate
diction which is used in communication.
(4) Fluency
Fluency can be defined as the ability to speak fluently and accurately. Fluency included
a reasonably fast speed of speaking and only a small number of pauses and “ums” or “errs”.
These signs indicate that speakers do not have spent a lot of time searching or the language
items needed to express the message.

2.2.

Vocabulary

2.2.1. Definitions
According to Richard Nordquist – an English and Rhetoric Professor (November 04,
2019), vocabulary (the Latin word for "name", also known as compound words, vocabulary and
vocabulary) refers to all words in a language understood by a particular person or group of
people. There are two main types of vocabulary: active and passive. The active vocabulary
includes the words we understand and use in everyday writing and speaking. Passive vocabulary
is made up of words that we can recognize but often do not use in normal communication.
Experts have proposed some terms about vocabulary. According to Richards and Renandya
(2002: 255), vocabulary is a core component of language proficiency and provides much of the


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basis for how learners speak, listen, read and write. Without an extensive vocabulary and
strategies for acquiring new vocabulary, learners often achieve their potential and may be
discouraged from making use of language learning opportunities around them such as listening
to the radio, listening to the native speaker, using language in different context, reading or
watching television.
The other definition of vocabulary states from Hatch and Brown (1995: 1), they say that
vocabulary refers to a list or set of words for a particular language or a list or set of words that
individual speakers of language might use. Hatch and Brown (1995:1) also state that vocabulary
is the only system involved of alphabetical order.
In addition, Brown (2001: 377) views vocabulary items as a boring list of words that must
be defined and memorized by the students, lexical forms are seen in their central role in
contextualized, meaningful language. Richard in Schmitt (1997: 241) also states that knowing
a word meaning knowing how often it occurs, the company it keeps, its appropriateness in

different situations, its syntactic behavior, its underlying form and derivations, its word
associations, and its semantic features.
Based on those statements, it can be assumed that vocabulary is a list of words as a basic
component of language proficiency which has a form or expression and contains of aspects, they
are meaning, use of word, form (pronunciation and spelling).
2.2.2. Characteristics of vocabulary learning
Zaremba (2006) pointed out that while reading and listening are considered to be two
receptive skills in learning and using language, writing and speaking are two other useful skills
needed to be integrated into the development process, efficiently communicate. Of all four
English skills, speaking seems to be the most important skill needed to communicate.
Zaremba (2006) also explains that speaking or communication skills are often placed
before work experience, motivation, and education certificate as criteria for new recruiting into
employment. It is worth mentioning that speaking skills tend to help learners benefit more with
some specific advantages. The ability to express thoughts, feelings, emotions and so on can give
learners the following advantages.