Chủ đề 13:

With the following research topic:

Difficulties facing first-year English major students in practising speaking skills at Hanoi
Pedagogical University 2.
- Write an abstract (150 - 250 words) for this topic.
- Write a partial report (4-6 pages) including the two following sections: introduction,
literature review
Abstract
Associated with the demands of globalization and integration, speaking English
competence is of great importance for Vietnamese students to international
communication. Especially, English – freshmen speaking skill are trained right from the
start to have firm foundation. However, it also poses challenges for English first-year
specialized English students to gain the fluency and proficiency in this skill by virtue of
both subjective and objective factors. Moreover, while there are several studies
examining the challenges teaching or learning speaking English skills, few studies have
investigated the problems that English freshmen tackle with when they practice this skill,
particularly in the environment of tertiary education. Therefore, this study is to
investigate the current situation and the difficulties that HPU2 (Ha Noi pedagogical
university 2) freshmen majoring in English face during their study. The information was
gathered through a survey given to 125 first-year students, one-on-one conversations with
professors, and classroom observation at HPU2. The results indicate that English-
speaking freshmen experienced both internal issues (self-confidence, low motivation,
shyness, laziness and the limitation of basic knowledge) and external problems (practical
environment, and the lack of opportunities for practicing extracurricular activities).
According to the findings, university students generally need extra assistance to improve
their English-speaking skill. As a result, the study provides students with suggestions to
assist to address their problems and enhance their speaking skill.
 1. Introduction
In the context of development of global integration, English become a significant part of
communication and connection over the world. Vietnam enhanced the integration and
also affirmed their role in the region and the world. According to Ur (1996), speaking is
considered the most important skill among four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and
writing) because speakers of a language are those who are fluent in that language. This
proves that utilizing a language is more essential than simply understanding it since
“there is no point knowing a lot about language if you can’t use it” (Scrivener,2005,
p.146). Consequently, the majority of universities in Vietnam emphasize on English
speaking skill and the attainment of this skill is concerned by English majored students.
Nevertheless, many English language undergraduates still face difficulties to properly
develop and practice speaking abilities, particularly first-year students at Ha Noi
pedagogical university 2 (HPU2) in Vietnam. There have also not been many studies
specifically looking into this issue in this context. One study of Al-Abri (2008) asserted
that the absence of oral activities in textbooks is a major contributing factor to students'
speaking difficulties. As a result, he suggested including some oral activities, such as
songs, rhymes, and simple stories as well as more conversational language, to help
students enjoy learning and have more fun while practicing their speaking abilities.
Another study Al-Lawati (1995) investigated difficulties Omani students have producing
oral English and discovered that the linguistic sector—which includes vocabulary,
grammar, pronunciation, and discourse—represents the most serious area of difficulty.
According to teachers, this is because the learners have not yet reached a sufficient level
in the language's fundamental skills. They attribute this to the curriculum's lack of
opportunities for learning and using new and varied vocabulary, as well as its lack of
sufficient variation in assignments involving grammar. However, several prior research
have not had intensive study in the hurricanes that university students must overcome
subjectively and objectively. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the current
situation of teaching and learning English speaking of English-majoring freshmen at
HPU2 in terms of internal and external challenges faced by these EFL freshmen during
practicing and potential solutions to such issues to aid freshmen with an interest in
improving their ability to communicate in English effectively.
The study was explicitly summarized by the two research questions below:
1. What language learning challenges do HPU2 freshman majoring in English face?
2. What are the most practical measures to these problems?
3. Literature review
3.1. Background of speaking skill
Speaking is a complicated interactive process between speakers and listeners that uses
verbal and non-verbal symbols to produce, decipher, and receive messages. Speaking is a
skill that allows speakers to communicate organized, developed ideas to listeners in a
clear, efficient, and accurate manner.
Speaking competence involves 2 main aspects, fluency and accuracy. Mazouzi (2013)
asserts that learners' activities should be created using an equivalence between fluency
and accuracy. As a result, accuracy and fluency are both crucial components of
communication skills.
Fluency, according to Hedge (2000), is the capacity to respond coherently by linking
words and phrases together, clearly articulating sounds, and applying emphasis and
intonation. Byrne (1986:9–10) defines fluency is the capacity to explain oneself
coherently, sensibly, accurately, and without excessive hesitancy. Thus, fluency is a
crucial key to achieve an efficient conversation. The more inarticulate the speech is, the
harder for the speaker and the listener to have a successful and effortless discussion.
Accuracy involves to learner's use of the language system, including their grammar,
pronunciation, and vocabulary. Grammar indicates to the correct usage of grammatical
structures by learners depends on the complexity, and length of the utterances as well as
the clarity of the clause structure. Vocabulary is a significant part of accuracy in speaking
because the speakers must choose appropriate words for appropriate settings. Learners
occasionally use synonymous phrases or expressions in circumstances where they do not
have the suitable meaning. Therefore, students should be able to correctly use words and
expressions. Pronunciation is less focused on by students though it plays an important
role in speaking. When you speak, make the right sounds so that people can understand
what you're trying to say. Even if you have excellent grammar and a wide vocabulary,
smooth pronunciation will make you easier for others to hear and understand.
Consequently, speaking English skill requires a lot of practicing for English learners to
become accuracy and fluency in target language.
3.2.

3.3. The difficulties of practicing speaking English

Several problems that impede EFL learners' speaking performance have been examined
regarding both internal and external issues.
3.3.1. Internal issues
Regarding the internal aspect, Littlewood (1984) concerns this with lack of motivation in
speaking English. Sharing this view, Ur (1996) indicates other three possible challenges
to learners’ speaking skills, namely learners’ worries of making mistakes, which lead to
their fearful of criticism, learners’ low or uneven participation, or learners’ fear of other
good learners’ domination. Furthermore, Le (2011), Ngo (2011), and Izadi (2015)
emphasize other related internal factors, such as vocabulary, grammatical structure, and
sentence formation limitations that force people to speak in their mother tongue rather
than the target language. Therefore, internal reasons originally caused several problems in
practicing speaking English such as background knowledge, vocabulary, motivation, fear
of criticism and worries of making mistakes.
Background knowledge
Background knowledge is a critical factor in determining a student’s comprehension in a
language. Regarding speaking skill, Baker and Westrup (2003) investigated that many
students find it challenging to reply when their teachers ask them to speak in English
because they may not know what the other said, what to say, what vocabulary to use, or
how to use the language effectively This indicates that individuals lack the fundamental
language abilities and knowledge is necessary to listen, respond to what is said about
certain subjects, and use the language appropriately and accurately at the level of sounds,
syllables, syntax, vocabulary, texts, and discourse.
Vocabulary
Milton (2013; Nation, 2013) acknowledged that knowledge of vocabulary and its
acquisition can predict language proficiency and use. Learning new vocabulary is
considered a crucial part for fluency in spoken communication. However, being able to
use vocabulary when speaking will help you remember more quickly and for a longer
time than with other skills. Increase reflexes and thinking skills in English by using
vocabulary in many different situations. However, memorization and application in
communication are not applied in parallel in the student's learning process, so that
learning vocabulary is a difficult problem for many students. It takes a lot of effort to
build a solid vocabulary base and use it effectively when speaking English.
Motivation
Learning a foreign language is a long process and requires dedication and perseverance
of students. Consequently, motivation is a crucial element in encouraging and
maintaining effort in each student. McDonough (1983) also confirmed that “motivation of
the students is one of the most important factors influencing their success or failure in
learning the language”. Motivation is an abstract conception that we cannot see; instead,
we see effort, interest, attitude, and desire. For speaking, competence must come first,
followed by performance. Because it's crucial to establish motivation for both short- and
long-term goals when learning English. Numerous students are confused, and over time,
the desire to keep learning English also wanes. Everyone will have different motivation;
therefore, it is essential to know yourself and identify a goal to work toward.
Fearness
One of the biggest challenges for English learners is .When speaking in English in front
of public or even with other people in foreign language , many students feel anxious, fear
and shy. When preparing for exams or job interviews, tertiary students encounter many
difficulties. Fear makes it very difficult for students to succeed academically and
professionally. Moreover, it can be denied that that pupils' timidity and nervousness cause
them to have many pronunciation issues. It is necessary to have daily speaking practice
both inside and outside of the classroom that can help them overcome their nervousness
and advance their speaking abilities.
3.3.2. External issue
Practical environment and realistic speaking activities is considered an important
element in learning English, especially speaking skill.