The reality of english speaking skills of the final year english majored students at thuongmai university during their internship at import export environment

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY GRADUATION PAPER Topic THE REALITY OF ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS OF FINAL YEAR ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS AT THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY DURING THEIR INTERSHIP IN THE IMPORT &[.]

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY

IN THE IMPORT & EXPORT ENVIRONMENT

Class: K54N1 Student Code: 18D170012

HANOI - 2022

Last but not least, I'd like to express my gratitude to our parents, who havebeen emotionally and financially supportive of our decision to study English atThuongmai University I might not be here to finish this study if it weren't for theirassistance.

I sincerely thank you!

Hanoi, March 20 th , 2022

Student

Luu Thu Hang

Speaking skills are thought to be the crucial skill of the learning skill in ansecond language, and their significance is huge for learners of any language.Speaking skills limitations can reduce learners' self-confidence, limit socialinteractions, and negatively influence guesstimates of a speaker's credibility andstrengths

The purpose of this research is to look into the reality of English speakingskills of final-year English major students at Thuongmai University during theirinternship at import & export environment In other words, to identify thedifficulties that students face and the factors that contribute to these difficulties.Then, the research looks for techniques that will assist final-year English majorstudents at Thuongmai University in improving their English speaking skills,particularly during their internship period The method of research used isquantitative Interviews and a structured questionnaire were used to collectinformation The information gathered was analyzed both descriptive statistical andartistically

The goals of this paper are to recognize the reality of speaking skills, explainfactors that influence the learning of speaking skills, and provide ways to help final-year English major students at Thuongmai University improve their speaking

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i

ABSTRACT ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v

TABLE OF TABLE, CHART vi

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Previous studies 2

1.3 Aims of the study 4

1.4 Scope of the study 4

1.5 5

1.6 Organization of the study 5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 7

2.1 Definitions of speaking skill 7

2.1.1 The concepts of skill: 7

2.1.2 The definitions of speaking skill: 7

2.2 Types of speaking 9

2.3 Speaking process 9

2.4 Purposes of speaking: 10

2.5 The importance of speaking skill: 11

2.6 Factors influencing student’s English speaking skill 12

2.6.1 Lack of motivation 12

2.6.2 Listening comprehension 13

2.6.3 Vocabulary 14

2.6.4 Grammar 14

2.6.5 Pronunciation 15

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS 17

3.1 Research overview 17

3.1.1 Participants of the study 17

Chart 3.1 Distribution of the student participants 17

3.1.2 Method of the study 17

3.1.3 Instruments 18

3.1.3.1 The survey questionnaire 18

3.2 Data analysis 19

3.2.1 Results from the questionnaire 19

3.2.2 Results from personal interview 28

3.3 Some discussion on the reality of learning English speaking skill of the final-year English majored students 30

CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 31

4.1 Major findings of the study 31

4.2 Limitation of the study and suggestion for further study 33

4.3 Pedagogical implications from the findings 33

4.4 Future Research Recommendations 35

CONCLUSION 36

REFERENCES 38

APPENDIX 41

APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE 41

APPENDIX 2: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 44

TABLE OF TABLE, CHART

Chart 3.1 Distribution of the student participants 17

Table 3.1 Students’ English learning background 19

Chart 3.2: The importance of English skills in the import and export working environment 20

Table 3.2: Students’ attitudes towards leaning English speaking skill 21

22

Chart 3.3: Student’s attitudes toward the importance of speaking skills 22

Table 3.3: Students’ feeling in speaking English 23

Chart 3.4: Students’ participation in speaking class 23

Table 3.4: Students’ evaluation their level of speaking 24

Chart 3.5: Factors that influence English Speaking skills 25

Chart 3.6: Student’s difficulties and problems faced in speaking English 26

Chart 3.7: Student’s solutions to overcome and improve their English speaking skill .27

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY

This chapter explains the study's rationale as well as the earlier studies.Furthermore, it includes some of the most essential elements of the research, whichare the aims and investigations subjects of the study, followed by the scope of thisresearch and the research methods, all of which are highly commandeered Finally,the study's institution will highlight the study's structure

Speaking is one of the fundamental language skills that English foreignerlearners must master due to its importance and utility in communication It iscritical to be able to speak English because it is the most widely accepted language

in the globalized society, and those who understand it will benefit not only fromimproving their basic understanding but also from obtaining a good job They willcommunicate face to face and interact with people from all over the world if theyspeak English fluently

Furthermore, as Vietnam has become a member of many internationalorganizations, it is critical for Vietnamese English students to have good Englishspeaking skills in ability to adjust to the increased supply for integration into theglobal economy and cultural exchange with other countries As a result, learningEnglish as a second language is a massive benefit for Vietnamese students

Learning English speaking is one of the mandatory subjects at ThuongmaiUniversity's Faculty of English However, when the final year students of theEnglish department came to practice and had to communicate in English, they hadmany difficulties in speaking English This has a number of negative consequences

for them during their internships and subsequent employment It is critical todiscover the reality of learning English speaking skill as well as solutions to thisproblem in order to improve English speaking skill for final-year English majoredstudents at the Faculty of English, Thuongmai University.

For those reasons, “The reality of English speaking skills of the final-year English majored students at Thuongmai University during their internship at import & export environment” was carried out in order to identify the realities of

learning English speaking skill and to offer solutions to assist them in improvingtheir English speaking skill

Secondary, the research of Parupalli Srinivasrao in King Faisal Universityabout “The importance of speaking skills in English classroom” In this study, theauthor clearly stated the importance of speaking skills in English, stating thatspeaking skills are the process of receiving information of two skills of listening andreading, listening and reading are passive but they are the foundation for formingthe initiative of speaking skills, in addition to commas, he also stated why inuniversities, special attention should be paid to the teaching of English speaking

skills, whether teachers or students Teachers must provide unique circumstancesfor students to develop their English communication reflexes in the greatest waypossible.

Thirdly, a research paper on English communication skills of final yearstudents at Thai Nguyen University The current situation and solutions to applyteachers Vu Kieu Hanh (2020) The author conducts a practical survey bydistributing questionnaires survey interview questions for 350 fourth-year students

of three universities affiliated to Thai Nguyen University about the status of theirEnglish communication skills The results show that most of the surveyed studentsare Being aware of the importance of English communication skills in their futurework, the author has also pointed out some situations that these students face whilechoosing a future career and given appropriate optimal solutions to solve as well asimprove speaking skills of final- year students

Finally, Urrutia and Vega completed an action study project on theunderstanding and activities made to increase speaking skill through gaming at apublic school named "Federico Garcia Lorca" in Columbia (2006) This researchincluded twenty females and twenty boys ranging in age from 14 to 18 years In thisresearch, questions, teacher's notebooks, and camera footage were utilized to collectdata The study's findings indicated that the number of learners believed thatspeaking English was the most difficult skill to master; the researcher saw thatstudents occasionally talked English, but the majority of the respondents did notspeak fluent English during English class-time

All of the previous studies, both domestic and international, indicate the value

of English speaking abilities as well as student status; nevertheless, I find that all ofthese studies are There are no specific study subjects to be final year universitystudents, particularly during their internship time, as my studies will demonstrate

“The reality of English speaking skill of final-year English majored students at Thuongmai University during their intership in the import & export environment” which aims at gaining more knowledge, seeking out difficulties and

suggesting some solutions to improve students’ speaking skills

1.3 Aims of the study

In fact, clearly defining the research objectives will serve as a guideline forcarrying out a study in the proper manner Finding out and comprehending researchobjectives will assist me in not becoming confused about what we are doing, and willprovide guiding directions to achieve that goal Understanding and appreciating thesignificance of the study's objectives, the researcher established four main goals

Firstly, the study's goal is to investigate the attitudes of final-year Englishmajor students toward English speaking skills The researcher is going to look intotheir attitude and motivation toward their public speaking abilities

Second, the researcher investigates some of the most common speaking issuesthat final-year English major students face during their internship After more thanthree years of study at the English Faculty, the researcher discovered some of themost common speaking errors encountered by students

Thirdly, the study also aimed at finding factors affecting students’ speakingskills learning

Last but not least, the researcher will suggest some solutions for improvingEnglish speaking skills learning and assisting students in becoming more confident

in speaking English Specifically, the researcher intends to answer the followingfour research questions:

1 What are the importance of the English speaking skills?

2 What are the common speaking errors of final-year English major students

in English speaking during their internship?

3 What factors affect English speaking of final-year English major studentswhen they become intern in import & export company?

4 What solutions can be proposed to improve English speaking skillslearning?

1.4 Scope of the study

To begin, the researcher would want to investigate the elements that influenceEnglish speaking skills; so, the study only focused on student attitudes and thecauses that cause English speaking skills hurdles, as well as potential remedies forthem The report would not examine or explain the relationship between students'

speaking skills and all skills Furthermore, due to time and experience constraints,the researcher did not investigate other areas such as the benefits of good speakingskills, the obstacles that final-year English major students at Thuongmai Universityface in English speaking skill during their internship at import & exportenvironment.

Second, due to time, funding, facility, and experience constraints, the studyfocused on the 60 final-year English major students in classes N1, N2 and N4 atThuongmai University during the final school year 2021-2022

1.5 Research methodology

The research applies both qualitative and quantitative data collection, it tookroughly two months to complete First, the researcher selected a topic and gatheredrelevant past studies and material via the internet, reference books, and othersources that will be beneficial and supportive of the researcher during theinvestigation Following that, 60 TMU final-year English majors created andconducted a questionnaire and personal interview relating to the thesis Finally, thestudy was completed to determine the reality of acquiring English speaking skill byfinal–year students at the Faculty of English, as well as the challenges and possibleanswers

1.6 Organization of the study

This research was organized into four main chapters:

Chapter 1: Overview of the study: This chapter offers an overview of theresearch It comprises the reason for the investigation, the objectives of the study,and some past studies connected to the current research Following that are researchtopics, the scope of the study, and the research technique The final step is toorganize the research

Chapter 2: Literature review: this part lays the foundation for the research.This chapter reviews the terms and concepts related to speaking skill, theimportance of speaking skill, problems in learning English speaking as well as somefactors influencing student’s speaking skill And the last is some strategies toimprove English speaking skill

Chapter 3: Research findings: it presents the results of the study, discussion ofthe results and summary of major findings.

Chapter 4: Recommendations and suggestions: in this chapter, somerecommendations are suggested to help students improve their English speakingskill along with some recommendations for further study

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter presents a literature study that ensures a thorough understanding

of the concept of English speaking skills, the characteristics of English speakingabilities, and the significance of good English speaking skills More specifically, allelements influencing English speaking skills would be highlighted

2.1 Definitions of speaking skill

2.1.1 The concepts of skill:

The terms "skill" and "speaking" have several meanings A "skill," according

to the business vocabulary, is an ability and capacity gained through deliberate,systematic, and continuous effort to carry out complex activities or job obligationsinvolving concepts (cognitive skills), things (technical skills), and/or people(interpersonal skills) If skill is a countable noun in the Collins dictionary, it isdescribed as a job or activity that require specialist training and knowledge Incontrast, skill is the knowledge and ability that allows you to accomplish somethingwell if it is an unlimited term Skill is developed by practice using a combination ofsensory input and output

2.1.2 The definitions of speaking skill:

As previously stated, there are several meanings of speaking Speaking isdefined as the provision of language through the mouth To talk, we use severalseparate bits of our bodies to make sounds, including our lungs, vocal tracts, vocalcords, tongue, teeth, and lips

According to Widdowson (1994), speaking is the most crucial active skill forlearning a foreign language According to Rodriques (2000:32), speaking is theproduction of utterances with the purpose of transmitting messages It begins at anearly age and progresses through childhood to adulthood (Levelt, 1989: 2), howeverAbdel Salam (2002) characterized speaking as a set of micro-skills that comprisesyntax, grammar, morphology, pragmatics or social language, semantics, andphonology According to Burns & Joyce (1997), speaking is defined as aninteractive process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving andprocessing information Its form and meaning depend on the context in which it

occurs, the participants and the purposes of speaking Therefore, speaking skill isn'tonly producing the utterances, but it is the complete process of constructingmeanings, 38 producing utterances and receiving and processing information(Brown, 1994) with confidence (Bygate,1987).

Speaking is crucial in second language acquisition Because of its significance,speaking has been disregarded in schools and universities for a variety of reasons,including a concentration on grammar and poor teacher-student ratios Speaking hasbeen excluded from testing due to the difficulty in measuring it fairly and the timerequired to conduct speaking exams (Clifford, 1987) Speaking is a skill that should

be emphasized in both first and second languages The capacity to have aconversation in the language is the most crucial component of process of learning aforeign language, and progress is judged based on this ability (Nunan, 1995)

Speaking, according to Webster New World Dictionary, is to pronounce wordsorally, to converse as though by talking, to make a request, and to make a speech(Nunan, 1995) Speaking, according to Chaney (1998), is the process of creatingand communicating meaning via the use of verbal and nonverbal symbols in variouscircumstances Bygate (1987) defined speaking as the generation of auditory signals

in order to elicit a variety of verbal replies from listeners It is viewed assystematically blending sounds to make meaningful phrases Eckard and Kearny(1981), Florez (1999), Howarth (2001), and Abd El Fattah Torky (2006) describedspeaking as a two–way activity that includes authentic transmission of views, facts,

or emotions This top-down perspective sees spoken words as the cooperation oftwo or more people in a shared moment and environment

One of the four language skills is speaking (reading, writing, listening andspeaking) It is the technique through which students interact with others in order toattain certain aims or to convey their thoughts, intentions, aspirations, and points ofview Furthermore, persons who understand a language are referred to a 'speakers'

of that language Furthermore, speaking is the most commonly utilized languageability in practically any situation According to Rivers (1981), speech is employedtwice as frequently in human communication as reading and writing It has beendivided into two parts: monologue and conversation The former is concerned with

making an interrupted oral presentation, whereas the latter is concerned withengaging with other speakers (Nunan,1989: 27) Speaking can also serve one of twomajor purposes: transactional (information transfer) or interactional (socialconnection maintenance).

Partially interactive

Some speaking settings are somewhat interactive, such as making a speech infront of a live audience, when the listener is expected not to interrupt the speaker.The speaker can still see the audience and determine whether or not he or she isbeing understood based on the expressions on their faces and body language

in the speaking process:

- The sender tried to convey an idea by encoding it into a message

- The message travels through a channel from the sender to receiver

- The receiver decodes the message

- The receivers prove the feedback

- The process gives the frame of reference of the sender and the receiver

- The process provides the context of the receiver

Some experts pointed out four different stages of speaking as follows:

- Ideation: It is the stage in which an idea is formed or messages are chosen,which can be either rational or emotive Such message categorization determinessubsequently "what" to transmit (Rizvi, 2005: 5).

- Encoding: This is the step at which the sender changes the concept into amessage by employing verbal and nonverbal means of communication in the form

of spoken words, gestures, symbols, signs, or bodily movements (Shafaei, 2011:510) by selecting the right channel of communication (Guffey & Loewy,2010: 15) Many filters are utilized while sending and receiving messages, includingthe communicators' socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, as well as theirthoughts, beliefs, and sentiments (Konar, 2011: 161) Communication at this levelalso includes the right timing, location, and manner of transmitting and receiving(DuBoff & Krages, 2005: 10)

- Decoding: it involves the translation or conversion of the received stimulusinto thoughts so that one can understand the message (Talloo, 2008: 154)

- Response: It refers to the action or reaction that demonstrates that themessage was comprehended by the receiver (Leonard, 2012: 85) It also informs thesender that the message was successfully transferred, which is known as feedback

a speech on a new infection), do a new activity, or enhance their abilities (e.g., how

to swing a golf club, how to assemble a layer cake) The most crucial feature ofinstructive subjects is that the objective is to learn something new It is important tonote that the purpose is not to persuade individuals to apply their knowledge in anycertain way

• To persuade

The second general goal for which individuals can talk is to persuade That isthe ability to persuade listeners to accept a point of view or engage in conduct thatthey would not have done otherwise A persuasive speech differs from aninformational speech in that it involves a call to action for the audience to alter theirbehavior or thinking

• To entertain

In ordinary life, entertaining speeches are fairly prevalent The primarypurpose of an entertaining speech is to entertain the audience, which can takeseveral forms Speeches that are entertaining might be humorous or serious.Entertaining speeches are not intended to provide an audience with a profoundgrasp of life, but rather to distract an audience's attention away from their daily livesfor a brief amount of time This is not to imply that an entertaining speech cannotcontain genuine information that is extremely instructive or compelling;nonetheless, the objective of the speech is primarily to entertain rather than toenlighten or persuade

2.5 The importance of speaking skill:

According to Celce-Murcia (2001), sincerity is critical when students areexpected to communicate The themes should pique the learners' attention, with afocus on meanings, values, teamwork, social growth, and the supply of a richsetting

Speaking is a communication technique that may be used to convert ideas(Conrad & Dunek, 2012: 74), communicate sentiments (Bar-On, 2004: 246),explain discoveries, research findings, and conversations, and reply to others

Mastering speaking skills transforms the speaker into a well-roundedcommunicator who is fluent in all four languages Such ability gives the speakerwith various different advantages, allowing them to enjoy expressing thoughts withothers while also understanding and respecting their own self (Ranson, 2000).Mastering speaking abilities enables the speaker to capture the audience's attentionand keep it until the end of his or her speech

Speaking abilities are necessary for professional success Speaking improvesone's personal life by opening doors to chances for travel, advancement,scholarships, or attendance at conferences, international meetings, or representingorganizations at international events.

Speaking is a cross-cultural communication system whose goal is to controlconsensus about cross-cultural identity recognition and the coordination of anation's political, economic, and social activities with other nations (Cushman &Cahn, 1985: 13)

Speaking is very important for individuals to engage, according to Efrizal(2012) and Pourhosein Gilakjani (2016) Speaking is the process of verballytransmitting thoughts and information If we want to encourage kids tocommunicate in English, we should utilize it in real-life situations and invite them

Language acquisition components may both impact and be influenced bymotivation According to Merisuo-Storm (2007), an integrative and welcomingattitude toward the people whose language is being learnt sensitizes learners to theaudio-lingual components of language and makes them more sensitive to languagepronunciation and accent If learners develop a negative attitude toward thelanguage, they will not make significant progress in mastering the many elements oflanguage Learners will not be able to achieve their goal of speaking unless theyhave favorable views concerning their performance

Motivation is an ongoing process It is a tool that assists us in achieving ourobjectives To begin, we are thrilled and have set targets to attain it Then we strive

to keep our enthusiasm and make an effort to achieve those goals This method is

quite beneficial while learning a language In general, Slavin (1997,345)characterizes this process as follows: " motivation is what helps you move,decides where you're attempting to go."

In language lessons, both teachers and students struggle with a lack of desire.Timmins (1999) uses psychology in the classroom to identify some causes forstudents' lack of motivation As a result, it is critical for teachers to consideremotional issues Students' motivation is lost when they have poor self-esteem andself-esteem, as well as strong anxiety and inhibitions Negative learning motivation

is influenced by a lack of consolidation, student approbation, and instructor praise.Dörnyei (1998) expands on the significance of motivation by stating thatmotivation provides learners with the primary sensory input for initiating secondlanguage learning, and later motivation becomes the driving force for learners topersevere in the tedious learning process, so that they may be able to completelengthy goals if there is ample reason As a result, one of the decisive variables inimproving second language learning is motivation Motivation, in particular,appears to be particularly crucial in the development of speaking competence.Someone with a high level of motivation may participate in public speaking It may

be deduced that one may talk effectively in English as a result of motivation tospeak As a result, motivation plays a significant influence in determiningsomeone's capacity to talk A person with great speaking motivation, for example,will practice and train himself to talk fluently and precisely in order to become abetter speaker On the other hand, someone who is unmotivated to talk will seldompractice and teach himself to communicate smoothly and properly As a result, alack of drive may cause his speaking skill to remain stable or even deteriorate

2.6.2 Listening comprehension

According to Doff (1998), learners cannot enhance their speaking skill untilthey strengthen their listening capacity In order to have an effective discourse,learners must understand what is spoken to them Shumin (1997) demonstrated thatwhen students speak, the other pupils respond by listening Speakers play both theroles of listeners and speakers It may be inferred that pupils are unable to respond

if they do not understand what is being stated That is to say, speaking and listeningare inextricably linked

2.6.3 Vocabulary

All other abilities, like as reading comprehension, listening comprehension,speaking, writing, spelling, and pronunciation, are built on a strong foundation ofvocabulary Vocabulary is a useful tool for students who want to speak Englishfluently

In fact, students frequently learn that it is difficult to speak English effectivelysimply because they lack the essential vocabulary to convey their message, and as aresult, they are unable to maintain the conversation Other students reportedforgetting terms after the teacher indicated their meaning or after looking them up inthe dictionary

According to Cardenas (2001), vocabulary is utilized to determine a student'sdegree of competency in the oral setting It is thought that vocabulary is animportant factor in determining how many pupils are successful communicators.Vocabulary acquisition is critical for students learning English as a foreignlanguage The extensive vocabulary might help students converse and communicatewith outsiders

2.6.4 Grammar

Grammar, according to Merriam Webster, is "the study of the kinds of words,their forms, and their roles and connections in the sentence." According to Canaleand Swain (1980), communicative competence encompasses grammaticalcompetence, discourse competence, sociolinguistic competence, and strategiccompetence As a result, grammatical norms are one of the most important parts ofspeaking ability Scacella and Oxford (1992, p.141) state: “Grammaticalcompetence is an umbrella concept that includes increasing expertise in grammar(morphology, syntax), vocabulary, and mechanics with regard to speaking, the termmechanics refers to basic sounds of letters and syllables, pronunciation of words,intonation, and stress.” This suggests that in order to become fluent in English,learners must correctly comprehend English language structures Swan (1998)argued that understanding how to develop and use specific structures makes itpossible to successfully express common sorts of meaning It is impossible toconstruct understandable sentences without these elements He claimed that in some

social circumstances, major violations of native-speaker standards might delayintegration and generate prejudice- a person who communicates poorly may bethought illiterate or unintelligent.

According to Corbet (2009), English learners and teachers define grammarand its properties in various ways Grammar is an important guideline for Englishlearners because it allows them to effortlessly construct sentences and converse withothers Grammar is used as a tool to construct meaning Teachers, on the otherhand, define grammar as what they should and should not say, as well as themethods they can use to teach English The primary purpose of teaching is toachieve integrated goals, allow for restructuring, focus on correctness, and developfluency

According to Runmei Yu and Suzhen Ren (n d., p 54), "grammar, on the onehand, appears not to be so appealing to foreign language learners, because wheneverthe word "grammar" is always mentioned, the learners will associate it with thecomplex sets of laws, which are tedious and require a great deal of memorization."

It has, on the other hand, always been the most important worry in the process oflearning English Grammar is regarded as one of the most important aspects oflanguage." Batstone (1994, p 3) also underlined the significance of grammar,claiming that without grammar, language would be chaotic, leaving us severelydisadvantaged

2.6.5 Pronunciation

When it comes to mastering English speaking skills, pronunciation is regarded

as the most crucial aspect that English learners must acquire According to Penny

Ur (2001), Jack C Richard (2002), pronunciation is the sound of language, orphonology; tension and rhythm; and intonation, and each sound, segment, andultrasound can be inserted

Learners who are fluent in English pronunciation can comprehend what othersare saying even if they make mistakes in other areas When you speak to someone

in person, they may not notice your restricted vocabulary or grammatical errors.They will, however, detect if your pronunciation is good or awful soon away Theywill remember you as the guy/girl who talks awful English if your pronunciation is

weak, and strong grammar and vocabulary will not assist you! As a result,pronunciation is the most critical skill that students must learn in order to speakeffectively and accurately.

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS

This chapter deals with the collected data and analysis of the statisticsimplemented on the responses to the survey questionnaire as well as the personalinterviews of the target students in order to find out the reality of learning Englishspeaking skill of the final-year English majored students, difficulties they havefaced and also some ways that they have used to overcome and improve theirspeaking skill

3.1 Research overview

3.1.1 Participants of the study

The research included 60 final-year students from the Faculty of English whowere chosen randomly They are conducting internships at businesses and putting theirEnglish abilities to use There were three men and 57 females among them Theinformation about the students who took part in this study is depicted in chart below

Chart 3.1 Distribution of the student participants

3.1.2 Method of the study

To complete this research, the following approaches were evaluated andchosen:

- Reference materials, such as reference books and prior studies, werecarefully selected, investigated, and assessed

95%

Female

Male

5%

- To gather information for this thesis, final-year students at the Faculty ofEnglish completed a survey questionnaire and a personal interview.

3.1.3 Instruments

The researcher was set to gather data on the reality of English speakingcapability of final-year students at Faculty of English (Thuongmai University)during their internship using a questionnaire and personal interviews, with the hope

of ensuring the study's dependability

3.1.3.1 The survey questionnaire

In this study, the survey questionnaire included 15 questions which are closed,multiple choices and open-ended questions with the following purposes:

• Investigating and getting information about the student’s difficulties andproblems in English speaking skills when they work as an intern in the company

• Knowing the student’s frequency in using English to speak and their level

• Knowing the ways students used to improve their English speaking skill

3.1.3.2 Personal interview

The interview was conducted with a group of students who were chosen fromthe participants The questions in the interview were open-ended questions to getand gather information about the student’s opinions on improving their Englishspeaking skill as well as some difficulties students faced when learning Englishspeaking skill of the final-year students at Faculty of English (TMU) In addition, apersonal interview provided an opportunity for the researcher and participants toshare their own ideas about English speaking skills

3.1.3.3 Data collection procedures

There are different methods for gathering data In this study, there wereexactly two processes performed to collect data The first step was to gatherinformation from the survey questionnaire The second was data collection from thepersonal interview

Procedures for conducting the questionnaire:

The questionnaire was created in Google Forms and a link was provided toparticipants to complete it At the same time, a large number of questionnaires wereprinted and distributed to participants When the survey questionnaire was finished,the researcher collected and examined the results