Difficulties of english public speaking skill and strategies for self study of the first year students of faculty of english at thuongmai university

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
During the process of making my graduation paper, I met a lot of difficulties
and arising matters. Luckily, I received many supports and helps from my teachers and
friends to finish tudy in the best way.
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Do Thi
Bich Dao for her precious guidance and remarks that she gave me throughout the
research. In addition, I wish to express my gratitude to all teachers from English
Faculty at Thuongmai University for their help and support. Thanks to their useful and
valuable lectures in four years learning at the university, I have had much more
experience as well as knowledge for myself so that I can finish this study.
Then, I would like to give my thanks to seventy K55 students of English
Faculty at Thuongmai University for their warm co-operation during the time I
collected data and information for my own study.
Finally, I take this opportunity to send thanks to my friends who always stand
by me and give me their motivation, supports and sincere suggestions to accomplish
this research. I also thank my parents for the unceasing encouragement, support and
attention.
This graduation paper would properly have some unexpected mistakes and
shortcomings. I would be grateful and happy to receive comments and suggestions
from teachers to better my study.

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ABSTRACT
Today, the position of English in the areas of life is increasingly important and
necessary. In order to learn English well and fluently, learners must improve their
language skills. Public-speaking which can be regarded as the most difficult skill in
learning foreign languages in general and English in particular. It is the skill that
learners face many difficulties and challenges. Students at Thuongmai University also
face many difficulties in studying English public-speaking. With the aims to help firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University improve English public-speaking skill,

this paper was conducted.
This thesis focuses on three main issues: the attitudes of first-year English
major students at Thuongmai University toward public-speaking skill, the difficulties
in public-speaking skill experienced by the first-year students of Faculty of English at
Thuong Mai University and suggested solutions to help freshman at Thuongmai
University improve their English public-speaking skill
Through that, the author would like to summarize the main issues and
recommend students and teachers some relevant suggestions. The researcher hopes
that this study could be useful to other researchers who concern about English publicspeaking skill, concurrently helps teacher enhance the quality of English speaking
lessons.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES, AND ABBREVIATIONS

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CHAPTER I: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
1.1.

Rationale of the study

English is a universal language. Although the English language does not have

the largest number of native speakers in the world, it has the widest reach of any
language spoken today. Both native and second-language speakers of English are
found on every continent, and English has become the lingua franca in many fields,
including business, politics, science, technology, and entertainment, to name a few.
English is the working language of many international organizations, like NATO and
the European Union, and it is the language of global advertising. It is also the mostused language of the internet, accounting for more than half of all websites. For many
people, learning English is a way to get access to a broader range of information,
connections, and opportunities.
The ability to speak becomes very important in our technological age, however,
students are still significantly deficient in their ability to make oral presentations
(Sayed, 2005). Delivering an oral presentation, which is a form of public speaking,
strikes fear in many students. According to Brewer (2001), public speaking is one of
the most reported fears in the American public.
Some students with weak speaking competence may have a greater challenge in
delivering oral presentations because of problems with expressive communication
skills. They often experience difficulty in determining what to say, remembering how
to say it, and saying it aloud in front of others (Nippold, Hesketh, Duthie, &
Mansfield, 2005; Scott & Windsor, 2000). Research shows that a course in public
speaking can offset this deficiency. According to Hansen (2008), many creative ways
can be used for teaching public speaking to help students learn how to speak
effectively in front of audience. Among those ways are formal lessons in each phase of
public speaking and practicing impromptu speeches in small groups. Consequently,
teachers and students must therefore work more efficiently and effectively toward the
goal of academic success.
Because of its importance, English is always highly and positively appreciated
in Vietnam. English is being taught from kindergarten to university and higher levels
as a compulsory subject. However, English education in Vietnam relies heavily on
learning grammar, writing and does not focus on speaking and communicating in
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English. In addition, the university entrance examination only tests English theories
through grammar and reading skill. That is one of the diverse reasons why students’
English speaking skill is weaker in comparison with listening, reading and writing
skills. Another situation is that although many students can speak English and
communicate with others in English, they find it difficult to express their views in
front of the crowd. The ability to communicate in English with others is important, but
if we want to succeed in both life and work, we need to have the ability to speak
English in front of many people because successful people are the ones who dare to
express personal opinions and protect it from the witness of many people.
Furthermore, the Faculty of English at Thuongmai University trains all the
major subjects in English. The method of studying in university is completely different
from that of high school. The main type of exercises are presentations, personal views
presenting before the class. Discussion points for major subjects also are evaluated
through English public-speaking skills. It requires each student in the faculty a strong
basic background of knowledge in not only English theories but also English practical
skills, especially, to the first-year students. They have to quickly adapt to a new
learning environment where they will listen to the lectures then express ideas in
English, present in English regularly at class, make assumed English conversations,
etc. Nevertheless, a majority of them have to struggle with English speaking skill that
makes them difficult in doing tasks at class. This problem seriously affects their study
results and quality of English lessons.
Moreover, there have been many researches on speaking skill of TMU students,
but very few people have studied specifically about difficulties in English publicspeaking that first-year English students have experienced. Therefore, I conducted the
research titled “Difficulties of English public-speaking skill and strategies for selfstudy of the first-year students of Faculty of English at Thuongmai University’’ with
the aim to help the students to boost public-speaking skill in particular and in general,
to enhance their English qualification.
1.2. Previous Studies
Demands of the academic disciplines as well as the versatility and
competitiveness in today's job market have prompted scholars, educators and

researchers to emphasise the importance of learners' success in handling oral
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communication skills, in general, and public speaking skills, in particular (Payne and
Carlin 1994; Yamashiro and Johnson, 1997; Lucas, 2007). There are many studies
which are done to help people to improve English public-speaking. In line with this
necessity, the investigation draws into the public speaking skills needs of the English
majors at University Sains Malaysia (USM) (2016). The study aims to identify the
forms and skills of public speaking frequently used by the students. It also explores the
students' lacks of communication apprehension in public speaking. Thirty-nine second,
third and fourth year students majoring in English at the School of Humanities, USM
participated in the study. The results indicated that besides the frequent use of a
number of preparation and delivery skills by the English majors, certain types of
speech, such as small group, informative and persuasive appeared to be among the
communicative tasks the students confront in their academic discourse discipline. The
findings also revealed that the majority of the respondents are competent enough in
performing almost all the public speaking skills.
Taylor (2011) conducted a study on the effectiveness of self and peer-review on
communication apprehension and speech performance of undergraduate students. The
purpose of this study was to determine if self- and peer-reviews affect communication
apprehension and speech performance in undergraduate students. Data were collected
from 183 participants who were registered in a public speaking course. A two-way
mixed model analysis of variance was used to compare the differences in participants'
pretest and posttest scores of the public speaking communication apprehension-Public
Speaking Subscale. The results from the data suggested the difference in the post-test
scores of the self-review and the peer-review groups were not significant. A two-way
mixed model analysis of variance was also conducted to determine if any differences
existed in the participants' speech performances on three speeches over time. Students
in the peer-review group showed significantly better scores on their speech

performance evaluations from speech 1 to speech 3 compared to students in the selfreview treatment.
Pribyl et al. (2001) conducted a study to test the effectiveness of a skills-based
program as a method for reducing anxiety during public speaking. Twenty-five
Japanese college sophomores were exposed to a systematic approach for developing a
presentation that was theoretically linked to mechanisms to reduce communication
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apprehension (CA). Students gave four presentations that were graded by both teacher
and peer evaluation. Results indicated that the experimental group reported a
significantly greater drop in public speaking anxiety than control group of 86 students
did.
Castillo (2010) conducted a study to assess the effectiveness of public speaking
instruction on students’ cognitive learning, skill development, and communication
apprehension. Participants in this study included 140 undergraduate students at a
university in the South-western United States. Hypotheses and research questions
focused on determining whether public speaking instruction makes a difference for
students who receive instruction as opposed to students who do not achieve three
outcomes: cognitive, behavioural, and affective. Results of the study were discussed.
Conclusions, limitations, and topics for further research were addressed.
Johnson (2012) conducted a study to examine the effect of previous public
speaking instruction, public speaking extra-curricular activity, gender, and self-esteem
on public speaking anxiety for students in a college-level public speaking course.
Results indicated students with prior instruction or public speaking extra-curricular
experience had lower levels of public speaking anxiety. No significant difference was
found with regard to gender and self-esteem as moderators on previous public
speaking instruction.
1.3. Aims of The Study
This graduation paper aims to find out the real current situation of English
public speaking skills and strategies for self-study for first-year English majors at

Thuongmai University ?” More specifically, this study is considered as a process to
explore the answers to the following questions:
• What are the attitudes of first-year English major students at Thuongmai
University toward public-speaking skill?
• What are difficulties in public-speaking skill experienced by the first-year
students of Faculty of English at Thuongmai University?
• What solutions can be suggested to improve public-speaking skill of the firstyear students of Faculty of English at Thuongmai University?

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1.4. Research subjects
Research subjects are freshmen, currently studying at the Faculty of English of
TMU. Public speaking is one of the most fears of freshmen, some students with weak
speaking competence may have a greater challenge in delivering oral presentations
because of problems with expressive communication skills. This research benefits
students by providing them with the basic public speaking skills to be successful in the
personal, professional, and academic areas of their lives.
Most freshmen in the English department have difficulty giving presentations in
English. Before going to college, high school students only focus on learning grammar
and vocabulary without taking time to practice language skills, especially publicspeaking practice in particular. The goal of high school students is to achieve a high
score on the university exam and the University entrance examination only tests
English theories through grammar and reading skill. If speaking lessons taken place in
classroom, they just only provide students with limited chances to practice speaking in
front of the whole class. That is one of the diverse reasons why students’ English
speaking skill is weaker, especially public speaking skills.
Some students in the city are more fortunate to be taught speaking skills, but
students can only use speaking skills at the normal level of communication. There are
very few freshmen can confidently speak in public.
Therefore, it is necessary to do a research on the subject “Difficulties of

English public-speaking skill and strategies for self-study of the first-year students
of Faculty of English at Thuong Mai University”.
1.5. Scope of The Study
The scope of this study is “English public-speaking skill” . The study focuses
on understanding and investigating the difficulties that students face and proposing
solutions for those.
Due to time and ability limitations, the researcher only concentrated on the
first-year student of TMU's English Department. This research is randomly conducted
to 70 students of first-year English major students (Course 55-K55) at Thuongmai
University. The researcher will invite participants to fill up the survey questionnaire.
The thesis did not study or interview other subjects such as teachers or parents.

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1.6. Research Methodology
1.6.1. Research Design
The selected approach for this research project is quantitative type of study. The
quantitative type of the research is designed a questionnaire consisting of smaller and
more specific questions. These questions are in closed ended format (questions are
available with answers), questions in open ended format.
1.6.2. Population and Sample of the Study
This study is conducted at Thuongmai University which is located at 79 Ho
Tung Mau Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi. The sample is 70 first-year students from
the Faculty of English.
1.6.3. Research Instruments
In order to examine the detected English speaking skill problems among firstyear students whose major is English language, questionnaires and interviews were
used in this study. Thus this study not only indicated clearly the issue but also provided
opportunities for students to talk about their experiences in their simple own words.
These questionnaires were conducted by 70 students who are freshmen at the Faculty

of English at Thuongmai University and the interviews were conducted randomly
among seventy students having done the questionnaire.
1.6.4. Data Collection
The author uses survey questionnaires to collect data and information. The
questionnaire will be divided into 4 major parts (from part I to part IV). The first part
referred to personal information. Part II contains 06 questions, understanding the
attitude of students toward learning public-speaking skill for example, “How often do
you use English public-speaking skill?; Do you like subjects related to English publicspeaking?; Do you think that it is difficult to have good English public-speaking skill?;
How do you think about the importance of English public-speaking skill?; How do you
evaluate your English public-speaking skill now?; How much are you interested in
improving your English public-speaking?”. The researcher used Likert scale to
discover the respondents’ attitudes toward learning and practicing English public speaking. Part III includes 03 questions to find the difficulties in public-speaking skill
experienced by the first-year students. The researcher listed several difficulties such
as: “Vocabulary; Pronunciation; Grammar; Mistakes in the way of talking; No
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communication environment; Do not dare to share personal views and so on. Part IV
includes 04 questions about the methods of application to improve English publicspeaking skill. The researcher included questionnaires for 70 students who were
selected in the scope of the study, then retrieved the questionnaires for results. Results
are transferred to specific number and the data are clearly analyzed.
1.6.5. Data Analysis
The author uses Microsoft Office softwares such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft
Powerpoint, etc to display the results through specific tables and charts. Thanks to that,
the author can look into English speaking problems comprehensively and figure out
the best solution.
1.7. Organization of The Study
This study includes four chapters.
Chapter 1 is “Overview of The Study”. The aim of this part is providing the
most basic concepts of “English public - speaking skill” as well as rationale of

choosing this subject; previous studies; scope of the study; the aim and methodology
of the research.
Chapter 2 is “Literature Review”. In this chapter, the theories related to the
study would be presented clearly and adequately. These theories are constructed on the
basis of the previous studies and findings to supply a sufficient review in a meaningful
manner.
Chapter 3 is “Research Findings”. It displays the results and findings of the
study in details. Data are analyzed and shown in tables, charts with specific numbers.
Chapter

4

which

is

“Recommendations

and

Suggestion”

gives

recommendations and suggestions through experience and lessons drawn above. After
collecting information and analyzing them from the above chapters, it reveals the final
answer for the question “How to improve English speaking skill for first-year majors
at Thuongmai University ?”.

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CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. English public-speaking skill
2.1.1. Definition of English public-speaking
According to Nikitina (2011), public speaking is a process, an act and an art of
making a speech before an audience. Absolutely everyone from the age of 10 to 90 has
found themselves in situations where they had had to speak publicly. However, telling
an anecdote at a corporate party, introducing yourself in class or delivering a paper at a
conference does not necessarily make you a public speaker.
It is not enough to talk in front of a group of people to be a brilliant public
speaker. Your goal should not be limited with informing or expressing your thoughts
publicly, but to changing emotions, actions, and attitudes, and to leaving your listeners
moved by the words and touched by their meaning.
“How to do it?"- has been a question which many brilliant speakers have asked
themselves.
Many tips, techniques and rules have been elaborated to find the best way to
influence, motivate, entertain and persuade people. Some of these rules go back
thousands of years, yet they have not lost their actuality and have been widely used by
such world - known speakers as Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, John F.
Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Jim Rohn and
Anthony Robbins.
There have been many authors and experts when studying the public-speaking
learning that have taken different definitions of public-speaking. Jane King (2002)
stated that oral presentation (public-speaking) is "a short talk by one person to a group
of people introducing and describing a particular subject (for example: a new product,
company figures or a proposed advertising campaign)" while Ohio Wesleyan
University, in their “Guidelines for Oral Presentations" defined oral presentations as
"brief discussions of a focused topic delivered to a group of listeners in order to impart
knowledge or to stimulate discussion. They are similar to short papers with an

introduction, main body and conclusion. The ability to give brief presentation is a
learned skill and the one that is called on frequently in the workplace". Besides, public
speaking is the exhibition or display of ideas, information, feelings and opinions by
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using the different sounds of a language. A normal speech situation is informal,
impromptu and unrehearsed. So, it is perfectly normal for one to experience some
kinds of nervousness like trembling voice, fear and heavy breathing when one is called
to present a speech publicly for the very first time. This, however, is unacceptable if
one cannot overcome such drawbacks in subsequent occasions for public or formal
speech making.
Viewing from its feature, public speaking is the process of communicating
information to an audience. It is usually done before a large audience, like in school,
the workplace and even in our personal lives. The benefits of knowing how to
communicate to an audience include sharpening critical thinking and verbal/nonverbal communication skills. Think about a time that a student had to stand in front of
a bunch of people and tell them something. Maybe it was an oral report in grade
school or a proposal at work. After gathering materials and preparing what to say, the
student arrived at the podium and started talking.
That is public speaking, and it involves communicating information before a
large audience. What makes public speaking different than just talking to a crowd of
people, is in the way information is conveyed. In public speaking, the information is
purposeful and meant to inform, influence or entertain a group of listeners.
There are five elements of public speaking, and it basically boils down to who
is saying what, to whom using what medium with what effect. In other words, who is
the source of the message. What is the message itself. Whom is the audience, while the
medium is actual delivery method and ending in the effect. Think of the effect as the
speaker's intent for the speech. The speaker all have the need to speak well in front of
an audience. Whether speaking at a wedding, addressing a team, teaching a course or
speaking to a judge, we all want to do well.

2.1.2. Standard of public-speaking skill
The art of speaking in public is not new. Its long tradition can be traced back to
Classical Greece (approximately 490-322 BC). Any young men leaving at that time
were expected to acquire and develop public speaking skills as part of their duties as
citizens. The first rules of a public speech were elaborated on over 2000 years ago by
the Greek philosopher and teacher of Alexander the Great - Aristotle.
We know them as the Three Basic Parts of Persuasion:
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• Echos (credibility or the speaker)
• Logos (logic behind any conclusions drawn by a speaker)
• Pathos (emotional appeal or ability to create connection between the speaker
and his audience)
Logic
Persuasion:

Emotions
Credibility

These key elements still lie at the base of any successful public speech.
First, in order to be asked to share their thoughts, observations and ideas
publically a speaker should possess a certain level of authority and knowledge about
the chosen topic (ethos).
To make sure that the message is received and understood correctly by the
audience, it has to be conveyed in a clear, informative and logical manner (logos).
And to capture and hold the audience's attention the speaker must first establish
an emotional connection with the listeners (pathos).
2.1.3. Features of public-speaking
According to Clark (1985) a good presentation, firstly, has content, that is it

contains information that people need. But unlike reports, which are read at the
reader's own pace, presentations must account for how much information the audience
can absorb.
Secondly, it has structure with a logical beginning, middle, and end. It must be
sequenced and paced so that the audience can understand it. While reports have
appendices and footnotes to guide the reader, the speaker must be careful not to lose
the audience when wandering from the main point of the presentation.
Thirdly, a presentation is characterized by packaging: It must be well- prepared.
A report can be reread and portions skipped over, but with a presentation, the audience
has to depend on the presenter. Finally, a good presentation has human element in it. It
will be remembered much more than a good report because it has a person attached to
it.
2.2. The importance of public-speaking skill
Almost every profession requires public speaking, but ours especially. To
enunciate well, perform professionally, and satisfy an audience, one should become
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familiar with the elements of communication and use them in one's presentations. In
early 1999, the Chronicle of Higher Education, a weekly academic publication read by
many students and scholars around the country, held an online discussion forum about
public speaking. The debate went on for several weeks, and the majority of
participants who were experts in communication studies believed that in recent years,
institutions of higher learning have paid less attention to speaking skills than in the
past. This skill has to be taught to students and needs to be honed throughout college
life and into the job market. (Parvis, 2001)
2.2.1. Public speaking in the business world
"Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively."Ford (2006). Communications in its multiple forms pervades today's business
environment. With numerous job interviews, conference calls, meetings, product
presentations, workshops, and public events, more and more leaders realize the

importance of developing good interpersonal communication skills within their
company. Yet the majority of executives and employees continue to neglect and
overlook the use of public speaking, leaving the advancements and better career
opportunities for those who take proactive steps to master the art of speaking in public.
The truth is that you might have the best products or services, years of
experience or an outstanding business idea, but if you do not communicate this to your
target audiences, you are limiting your effectiveness. All too often, the very best and
inspiring stories in organizations and companies go untold because of people's
reluctance to or fear of taking the stage.
Whether your goal is to enhance your professional growth, take your business
to the next level, or inspire, persuade and motivate other people to follow your lead,
you will have to learn how to convey your ideas in front of a group of people in a
clear, structured and captivating manner. However, becoming an effective public
speaker does not have to turn into one of the necessary, yet unpleasant goals on your
professional advancement list.
The art of public speaking holds many practical benefits that go far beyond
delivering a project presentation or holding a successful meeting.
Developing your communication skills and learning to speak in public bring a lot of
benefits such as:
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• Opens up new opportunities for career advancement
• Positions you as an authority
• Sets you apart from your competition
• Attracts the right customers to your business
• Presents technical or business information effectively
• Produces a faster sales cycle
• Allows you to effectively market your business or promote your products to
larger audiences

• Improves internal communication
• Helps you to easily assume leadership and train others
• Increases employees' productivity
• Prepares you for spontaneous speaking challenges (e.g. delivering a speech at
short notice)
• Establishes greater credibility and helps your clients' loyalty
• Motivates and persuades other people to reach and attain professional goals
• Makes you a desirable guest on local, regional and national conferences,
seminars and public speaking events
2.2.2. Personal and social benefits of public speaking
A series of psychological studies conducted at Tufts University in Medford,
Massachusetts, showed that it takes people on average three to five seconds to form an
impression about someone they meet for the first time. How well people perceive you
and the conclusions that they make about your professionalism and character will be
largely influenced by your confidence, when presenting yourself.
Improving your ability to speak in front of others and learning to talk about who
you are and what you do with natural grace and authenticity can go a long way in
expanding your social circle, building strong relationships with successful, likeminded people and making new friends.
Other personal benefits of public speaking include:
• Increased self-confidence
• Improved communication skills
• Increased organizational skills
• Greater social influence
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• Enhanced ability to listen
• Greater possibility of meeting new people
• Lesser anxiety and fear when speaking in front of others Improved memory
• Enhanced persuasion ability

• Greater control over emotions and body language
2.3. Difficulties in public-speaking skill
After consulting the literature, books and research of many authors, the
researcher found that the difficulties in English public-speaking skill were divided into
2 categories: Subjective difficulties and Objective difficulties.
2.3.1. Subjective difficulties
According to Hymes (1974), Richards & Rogers(1986), and Hedge (2000), to
learn to speak a language, one needs to have communicative competence.
Communicative competence includes linguistics competence, socio-linguistics
competence, and discourse competence. These factors determine the success of
learning to speak a language in front of many people. These factors are affected by the
subjective factors such as: psychology, linguistics.
3.3.1.1. Psychological factors
English public - speaking is a complicated psychological process. In terms of
spoken English teaching, it is quite essential for teachers and learners to take some
important psychological factors into accounts in order to achieve better results.
Obviously, psychological factors play a significant role in language learning.
Positive emotions can facilitate the language learning process and improve learners'
language performance, while negative emotions will bring barriers to language
learning and reduce learners' learning capacity. There have been many researches on
the impact of the psychological factors on learning oral presentation English such as
the research of Wu Guang, Liang Jia-xia (2011). In their research, they focused on
analyzing the psychological barriers in oral English teaching. They stated four types of
difficulties like self-abasement, pride, fear of difficulty, anxiety. From that, they found
out the causes and analyzed deeply those causes. The causes that they found out are
divided into two kinds subjective and objective. The subjective causes then further
divided into three causes: psychological factors, motivation, interest and attitude,
learners’ original ability of listening and speaking. Also studying about this problem,
17

Meng & Wang (2011) had other ideas. They believed that the psychological barriers
include anxiety, self-esteem and risk-taking. Therefore, the influences of negative
emotional factors include motivation, anxiety, low self-esteem, insecure classroom
atmosphere, lack rapport between teachers and students, etc. The following are some
of the emotional factors in details:
Motivation: Among the factors affecting public - speaking skill, motivation is
the most important one. According to Johnstone (1999, p. 146), it is a drive directed
towards a goal. Lightbrown and Spada (2001, p. 33) defined motivation as “a complex
phenomenon which can be defined in terms of two factors: learners' communicative
needs and their attitudes towards the second language community”. Research has
shown that whether second language learning is successful or not closely relates to the
four types of motivation: Integrative & instrumental motivation, Intrinsic & extrinsic
motivation (Lightbrown & Spada, 2001). Gardner and Lambert (1972) considered the
integrative motivation is the one from which learners learn language in order to take
part in the culture of its people.
Meanwhile, ones with the instrumental motivation learn the language for a
career goal or other practical reasons. Pintrich & Schuck (1996) believes that intrinsic
motivation is the motivation to engage in an activity for its own sake. Meanwhile,
extrinsic motivation is motivation to engage in an activity because it will bring back
something valuable from the outside. It is clear that learners with high and favorable
motivation for public - speaking often try to devote themselves into English speaking.
They look for the chances to practice speaking English everywhere. In English class,
they are active, and cooperate with teachers' activities positively. Out of class, they
take any opportunity for imitating, practicing and speaking English. They are of strong
volition and will, of clear learning purpose. Thereby, they easily and more proficiently
achieve success in English public - speaking.
Anxiety: Language anxiety is the fear or apprehension occurring when a learner
is expected to perform in the second or foreign language (Gardner, 1972). According
to Horwirtz et al (1986), anxiety is the subjective feeling of tension, apprehension,

nervousness, and worry associated with an arousal of the autonomic nervous systems.
From the former research, Horwitz (1986) found that "anxiety can affect the
communication strategies students employ in language class", and that "difficulty in
18


speaking in class are probably frequently cited concern of the anxious foreign
language." (p.126). Most of anxious students are afraid of being evaluated negatively
and to be less competent than the other students. They also are afraid of making
mistakes (Horwitz, 1986). Therefore, anxiety is bad for the improvement of students'
oral presentation skill. With the role of the educators, teachers should help students
reduce anxiety by paying much attention to encourage right attitude and create a free
learning environment without stress. Teachers should use effective language when
evaluate students and encourage them to study.
Panic Attacks: Panic attacks are believed to be more badly that anxiety. They
say that anywhere from 15-35% of people will experience a panic attack sometime in
life. A panic attack is like intense anxiety – shortness of breath and nausea are common
symptoms. You have probably heard about people vomiting before they need to give a
speech, which can be from a panic attack. A panic attack is sometimes described as
anxiety with immense fear. Sometimes with panic attacks people become afraid of
their anxiety and so they have these panic attacks about the anxiety that they are going
to be having in the future, or the anxiety that they are having in the moment. Panic
attacks can be very debilitating and so the people will avoid situations where they are
afraid they are going to have a panic attack or afraid they are going to have anxiety.
This is why some people who have panic attacks never leave their house. They are
scared to be put in a situation where they are going to have an attack so this is
something that is very serious. Again, it is very common when it comes to public
speaking but we are obviously looking at this very differently that we would look at
the natural stress or just the fluttering of the heart caused by nervousness.
Extroversion: Extroversion is a personal characteristic that can be observed

through behaviors. The ones who are extrovert tend to be out-going, sociable and
active. They like being with people and feeling confident in social programs. They are
not clumsy when talking with strangers Yul Iskandar (2000, p. 46). On the contrary, the
ones who are introvert seem quiet, clumsy and passive. They are afraid of meeting
people or showing their own ability. In the pedagogical perspectives, when learning
English, learners with extroversion may enjoy certain advantages when learning
public-speaking English skill. Their nature makes them easier to be successful than the
ones who are introvert. They are more active, willing to take part in speaking activities
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and social interaction. In turn, the success makes them more confident and more
extrovert.
Self-Concept: Gouws and Kruger (1994) stated that the self-concept comprises
a unique set of observations, ideas and attitudes which the individual has about himself
or herself. Burns (1979) defined self-concept as the sum total of the views that a
person has of himself or herself and entails his or her beliefs, evaluations and
behavioral tendencies. The self-concept is a person's way of perceiving himself which
may either be positive or negative. A positive self-concept is the base of the
establishment of the healthy psychological. Whether or not a student learns in the
classroom, and whether or not he or she enjoys the school experience, depends on how
student fell about himself or herself, as cited in Leonnetti (1980, p.10). A student who
feels good about himself or herself usually participates in the classroom activities
freely and with enthusiasm. Canfeild and Wells (1994, p.2) stated that an individual's
self- concept is composed of all beliefs and attitudes he has about himself. It
determines “who you are", “what you think you are", “what you do", and “what you
can become."
3.3.1.2. Linguistics factors
Language proficiency is never a single construct, but a multiple module,
comprised of various levels of abilities and domains Carrasquillo (1994, p.65). Hyme's

theory of communicative competence components (1971) entails the interaction of
grammatical, psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic, and probabilistic language components.
Grammatical competence may be visualized as an opening umbrella concept that
portrays increasing expertise in grammar (morphology, syntax), vocabulary, and
mechanics.
With respect to speaking, the term mechanics refers to the basic sounds of
letters and syllables, the proper pronunciation of words, meaningful and concise
intonation, and stress elements (Scarcella and Oxford, 1992, p.141).
In order to convey a desired meaning, learners must possess a knowledge of the
meanings of words, the four types of sentences, the complete sentence and a firm grasp
of syntax; that is, they must fully comprehend how words are segmented into various
sounds, and how sentences are stressed orally and in writing in particularly effective
ways. Thus, a solid underpinning in grammatical competence enables speakers to
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employ and fully comprehend English language structures both precisely and
unhesitatingly, which unfailingly contributes to their fluency in that language.
Besides grammatical competence, learners must develop discourse competences
which are consistent with communicative relationships. In discourse, whether formal
or informal, the rules of cohesion and coherence are applied, which aid in holding the
communication together in a meaningful and structured way. In communication, both
the message and comprehension of a language require one's ability to perceive and
process sometimes lengthy discourse, and to derive meaning based on both what was
previously stated and whatever follows. Therefore, truly effective speakers should
attempt to acquire a large repertoire of structures and discourse markers to express
ideas, show relationships of time, and indicate cause, contrast, and emphasis (Scarcella
and Oxford, 1992). With such acquired skills, learners can then more readily manage
more complex conversational exchanges.
2.2.2. Objective difficulties

When talking about the factors affecting oral presentation, apart from the
subjective factors, the objective factors are also the factors cause difficulties in
learning to speak English.
2.2.2.1. Textbook
Sheldon (1988, p237) considered textbook is “the visible heart of any ELT
(English Language Teaching) program". In English as a foreign language (EFL)
context it may even constitute the main and perhaps only source of language input that
learners receive and the basis for language practice that occurs both inside and outside
the classroom (Richards, 2005). Researchers have suggested several advantages of
using textbooks. For example, textbooks help to standardize instruction and
assessment. That is, by giving students in different classes the same textbook, teachers
can teach and test them in the same way (Richards, 2005). Textbooks also provide
syllabus for a program, thus supporting novice teachers, training them in methodology
and saving their time and effort for more worthwhile pursuits than material production
(Cunningsworth, 1995). What is more, since textbooks are always carefully tested
before being brought into the market, students tend to give them more credibility than
teacher- generated or 'inhouse' materials. Students also often expect to use a textbook
in their learning program (Sheldon, 1988). Without textbooks, they may think their
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learning is not taken seriously; thus, textbooks are psychologically essential for
students. Finally, textbooks may constitute an effective resource for learning in the
classroom and self directed learning (Cunningsworth, 1995). A learner without a
textbook might be out of focus and teacher-dependent. However, there still remain
some limitations about the textbook. One of the most prominent limitations is that the
textbooks are often implicitly prescriptive and thus might control the methods,
processes, and procedures of classroom practice (Allwright, 1982). The second
problem is that since textbooks are often written for global markets, they might not
suit all classrooms and might require adaptation to better meet students' true needs

(Richards, 2005). As a result, teachers should upgrade and adapt the materials to suit
with students’ levels
2.2.2.2. Class size
The debate on class size has taken for a long time. There have been many
different ideas about that. The old researches claimed that class size has great impact
on the student's achievement. Whereas, the new researches show that it has little
impact. (Sid Gilbert, 2005). There is another idea that “most college professors believe
small classes to be superior to larger ones in many respects" (McKeachie, 1980). The
smaller the class size is the greater number of interaction students have with their
instructors and their fellows. Obviously, it is very important for the English speaking
class to practice speaking and interacting with everyone in the class. If a student has to
study in a large class, he will lack the opportunity to participate and interact with
others and the less opportunity to stand up to speak in front of the class. Otherwise, if
he studies in a small class, he will have more chances to practice and interact with the
others.
2.2.2.3. Mixed-ability class
Ainslie (1994) defined that mixed-ability classes are the classes where students
differ greatly in ability, motivation for learning English, needs, interests, educational
background, styles of learning, anxiety, experiences and so on. Tomlinson (1999),
Berry & Williams (2002) and Shank (1995), found out that every class is multileveled.
Therefore, all teachers have to face with the challenges of mixed-ability classes.
Baker (2002) recognized that in mixed ability classes, keeping the attention of
all students become really difficult. Since, the class is divided into different levels.
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There remain active and non-active students because of the suitable levels of the
lesson with their ability. Hess (2001) believed that a mixed-ability class can seem
uncooperative, the students can get bored easily and this can cause commotion in the
classroom. To overcome this difficulty, teachers should create a relaxing and free

environment to make students of multilevel actively take part in learning activities.
Otherwise, upgrading and adapting materials to suit with students' abilities is
necessary.
2.2.2.4. Environments of language teaching and learning
Language learning environment is very important to English learners. Being in
an English speaking environment will improve learners’ English speaking skills, which
helps learners communicate more easily and effectively. Especially to public-speaking
skill, if you have no environment to practice, it will be difficult to improve and
overcome your fears. The constant listening and speaking English everyday with many
people greatly improve the oral presentation ability of learners. They can be relatives,
family or friends. By practicing, learners can significantly improve their way of
speaking, understanding and expressing language. However, it is not very easy to have
a chance to go abroad to study English in order to live in an English speaking
community. Learners should create the English learning environment themselves by
working in groups, in class or reading or listening to news, watch the presentation
program in English or sang in English. As English language teachers, teachers should
upgrade and improve the teaching method to suit with the learners' levels and the
ability. They may also create more opportunities for students to speak English in front
of class and interact with friends.

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CHAPTER III: RESEARCH FINDINGS
3.1. Students’ participation
Firstly, after completing the survey questions in the questionnaire, the
researcher selected classes to distribute the questionnaire to the students. There were
70 participants who were first-year English majors students at Thuongmai University
(K55 EMs) randomly by the questionnaire.
These participants come from five classes, consisting of: N1, N2, N3, N4 and

N5. There was a difference in the number of students participating in the survey. The
reason is that the public-speaking level of students in each class was not the same and
students with weak public-speaking skill were more enthusiastic to participate in the
survey. The number of students who have completed the survey questions in each class
is shown in the following table.
Class

Number of students

K55N1

18

K55N2

14

K55N3

10

K55N4

16

K55N5

12

Table 3.1. Number of students participated in the survey

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Secondly, the distribution of participants by numbers of years they have been
learning English is different in the following figure:
Figure 3.1. The distribution of participants by numbers of years they have
been learning English
The collected data show that there are 17 participants out of 70 participants
reveal that they have been learning English for 3 years, making up 30%. The number
of participants who have been learning English for 7 years is lower than those who
have been learning English for 3 years, making up 13%. The number of participants
who have been learning English for more than 7 years is highest making up 57%. In
sum, the majority of first-year English major students at Thuongmai University have
been learning English for more than 7 years.

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