Difficulties facing vnuas first year advanced programmes students in speaking lessons

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled DIFFICULTIES FACING VNUA‟S FIRST-YEAR ADVANCED PROGRAMMES STUDENTS IN SPEA

Student: NGUYEN THI THUONG THUONG

Student code: 621277

Major: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS

Supervisor: NGUYEN THI LAN ANH, M.A

Hanoi – 2021

Major: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS

Supervisor: NGUYEN THI LAN ANH, M.A

Hanoi – 2021

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled DIFFICULTIES FACING VNUA‟S FIRST-YEAR ADVANCED PROGRAMMES STUDENTS IN SPEAKING LESSONS submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor in English Language Except where the reference is indicated, no other person‟s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis

Hanoi, 2021

Nguyen Thi Thuong Thuong

Approved by SUPERVISOR

Date: ………

ABSTRACT

The focal point this thesis is to find out the difficulties facing the first year advanced programmes students‟ English speaking performance, with the objectives focusing on some suggestions to improve their English skills in general and English speaking skill in particular 80 students of VNUA‟s first-year advanced programmes participated in completing the questionnaires and eight out of eighty students were interviewed to get to know more about their problems in speaking English class, the causes and efforts they have made to improve their English speaking performance

The initial results revealed that the main cause of the students facing difficulties were two kinds of problems namely linguistic problems and non-linguistic problems Based on the finding, the hypothesis of the study was formed: Practice make perfect, encouraging the students to speak English, giving them a great deal of chances to speak, using English in class, asking them

to make English speaking environment and applying solutions studied The evaluation of the action plan revealed that the student motivation significantly improved after the action plan implementation Based on this finding, further recommendation and deeper implications are provided

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

During the process of doing this graduation paper, I have received many necessary assistances, precious ideas and timely encouragements from my teachers, family and friends This paper could not have been completed without the help, encouragement and support from a number of people who all deserve

my sincerest gratitude and appreciation

First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor – Mrs Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, the English teacher of English Department, who has always been willing to give me valuable advices and suggestions in order that I can complete successfully this study

I would also like to express my great gratitude to all the teachers at Vietnam national university of agriculture (VNUA) for their devoted teaching and for giving me new knowledge and studying methods Their teaching not only helps me gain valuable knowledge during the four years at this university but also lays the foundation for me in the future

Last but not least, I wish to extend my special thanks to my family and my friends for their assistance and encouragement in the making of this report

Hanoi, July, 2021 Nguyen Thi Thuong Thuong

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i

ABSTRACT ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATION vi

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii

PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY 1

2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 2

3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 2

4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 3

5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 3

6 DESIGN OF THE STUDY 3

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT 5

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

1.1 REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS STUDIES (AT HOME & ABROAD) 5

1.2 REVIEW OF THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 8

1.2.1 Definition of speaking 8

1.2.2 Types of speaking 8

1.2.3 General outline of a speaking lesson 9

1.2.4 The importance of English speaking skill 10

1.2.5 Factors affecting the English speaking 13

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 16

2.1 RESEARCH GOVERNING ORIENTATION 16

2.2 RESEARCH METHODS 18

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS 21

3.1 THE SURVEY RESULTS FROM QUESTIONNAIRE 21

3.2 RESULTS FROM THE INTERVIEW 26

3.2.1 The students‟ s assessment of learning speaking skill 26

3.2.2 Kinds of Student‟s Difficulties in Speaking 27

3.2.3 Kinds of Student‟s Efforts in Speaking 34

3.2.4 Suggestions on improving the students‟ English speaking performance 37 3.3 Summary 40

Part 3: CONCLUSION 42

1 RECAPITULATION 42

2 CONCLUDING REMARKS 43

3 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY 43

4 RECOMMENDATIONS/ SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY 44

REFERENCES 45

APPENDIXES 48

LIST OF ABBREVIATION

VNUA: Vietnam National university of agriculture EFL : English as a Foreign Language

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

Table 2.1 Difficulties facing the VNUA‟s first-year advanced programmes students in learning English speaking from their own perspective 21 Table 2.2: The students‟ assessment of difficulty inlearning speaking skill 27

Chart 2.1: The chart shows the percentage of the students‟ s assessment in learning speaking skill 26 Chart 2.2: The chart shows the number of students facing difficulties related to linguistic problems in speaking skill 28 Chart 2.3: The chart shows the number of students facing difficulties related to non-linguistic problems 29

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY

Speaking English is considered as an important language skill and fundamental to human communication Many people around the world use English to communicate each other Being able to speak English, people can interact with others without obstacles In addition, people speak English to upgrade themselves to survive in the globalization era As a researcher, I would like to present the thesis title “A study on difficulties facing VNUA‟s first-year advanced programmes students in speaking lessons” for several reasons First of all, speaking is the most important skill in communication in the real life They are closely interdependent We are able to talk sensibly when we understand what is said to us If we fail to understand spoken language, we may miss important information and respond in a funny way Moreover, in learning a language, speaking is a useful means of providing students with comprehensible input, which is an essential component of the whole language learning process And teaching speaking skill in classroom helps students make transition from classroom English to real-life English more easily and effectively Therefore, I would like to do this research to help the students and teachers pay more attention to speaking skill Secondly, Vietnamese student, especially the 1st year advanced programmes students have a lot of difficulties in learning and practicing English speaking skill They often fall into confusion when speaking English because lack of professional knowledge, confidence, and the good learning method as well Besides, the learning passive environment from high school with the same and boring lessons without the interesting extra-activities prevent them from practicing and improving English That is the main reason they don‟t get the effective result in learning speaking in university After

studying at Vietnam national university of agriculture (VNUA), for nearly four years, I realize that the first-year students of advanced programmes still have many difficulties in their speaking skill In the hope of finding out the difficulties of speaking that they normally get, a study entitled: “Difficulties facing VNUA‟s first-year advanced programmes students in speaking lessons” has been conducted because of all above mentioned reasons

2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This study is aimed at finding out the difficulties facing the first year advanced programmes students‟ English speaking performance, with the objectives focusing on some suggestions to improve their English skills in general and English speaking skill in particular Within my reach of understanding, I would only like to go through the Literature Review of speaking, the common strategies to improve the students‟ English speaking skill, then I would like to give the methodology of the study research, which is a research survey, to find out “Difficulties facing VNUA‟s first-year advanced programmes students in speaking lessons and suggestions on improving their English speaking performance”

3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study aims at addressing the following questions:

(1) What are the difficulties facing VNUA‟s first-year advanced programmes students in learning speaking?

(2) What are the causes behind those difficulties?

(3) What are the suggestions on improving the students‟ English speaking performance?

4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Object of the study were 80 students in advanced programmes, Including class English A1 (19 students), English A2 (22 students), English A3 (25 students), English A4(14 students) and Take Away 3 syllabus with similar English proficiency for nearly 12 weeks from 12th April to July 4th, 7 credits, (3 lessons a week, 2,5 hours a lesson ) The notes taken by the researcher during eight lessons within two months are used to make up the questionnaire to ask for the students‟ opinions on difficulties facing them in speaking lessons Basing on the questionnaire results, the researcher would like to give out some suggestions on improving the students‟ English speaking performance”

5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study research into difficulties facing VNUA‟s first-year advanced programmes students is of significance Therefore, it should be beneficial as it not only pinpoints problems students have in speaking English, but also indicates the weaknesses students have in the four macro skills of English As a result, the right methods can be used to address those problems, and the course can be improved to help the students develop their English speaking skill I hope I will be able to learn how to read on line and improve a lot of skills such

as reading, doing researches, summarizing and paraphrasing I also hope that the findings of the research will really be necessary knowledge that helps me to understand more about English to improve my English language skills

6 DESIGN OF THE STUDY

The Graduation Paper is divided into 3 Parts with an introduction and a

conclusion:

Part 1: briefly introduces the background information of the study, rational for

the study, the aims, objectives of the study and the research questions

which are going to be addressed in the study The scope of study, its significance and structure are also raised in this chapter

Part 2: Development

Chapter 1: Literature review: consists of theoretical framework of teaching

speaking skills and the debate technique and previous studies related to the thesis

Chapter 2: Methodology chapter, will make it clear how the present

The study was implemented, including information about context, participants,

and procedures, instrumentation and data collection Methods of analysis will also be addressed in this chapter

Chapter 3: Analysis of a range of data collected from various sources (the survey

results from questionnaire and results from the interview) for the study will be clarified in this chapter

Part 3: Conclusion : summarizes the main issues that have been addressed in

the study, points out the limitations, draws pedagogical implications concerning the research topic and suggests several solutions

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1 REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS STUDIES (AT HOME & ABROAD)

Speaking is an important part of learning and teaching a second language Despite its importance, for many years, teaching speaking was undervalued and English teachers continued to teach speaking just as a repetition of exercises or memorization of conversations However, today's world demands that the goal

of learning to speak should be to improve students' communication skills, because, only in that way, can students express themselves and learn to follow the rules appropriate socio-cultural rules in each communication situation That

is why, there have been a lot of studies on English speaking skill, including A study on group works - A technique used in teaching speaking skill for the 2nd – Year English major students at HPU by Do Thi Huyen Trang aims at studying group work techniques in teaching speaking skill, to investigate the students and teachers' attitude towards speaking lesson and group work as well Besides suggesting some effective for using group work which can be applied in speaking lesson;

The effectiveness of role play techniques in teaching speaking for EFL college students by Krebt,D.M He mentioned the way of improving students speaking skill He said that teacher should find the appropriate technique of teaching speaking It means that teacher plays an important role to create interesting teaching and learning process In this research, the researcher would like to choose role play to solve the problem of speaking;

In Mustafa Mubarak Pathan (2014) research studies about " An Overview

of Major Difficulties Faced by the Libyan EFL Learners in Speaking Skill", He

pointed out several causes of difficulty in practicing speaking skills, such as: pronunciation, the use of adjective, the use of prepositions, the use of idioms, grammatical errors, semantic errors, other problems ( lack of vocabulary, fear / embarrassment while communicating, lack of interest and motivation, lack of practice, lack of environment for practice, ), influenced by mother tongue He gave the reasons for the above reasons: "Their failure to recognize this is primarily because of the failure on the part of their teachers to make them understand this fact at the very early stage of their learning And this failure on the part of the teachers is because of the facts that most of the EFL school teachers in Libya are neither trained properly for this reason nor are their skills upgraded."

How to promote speaking skills for 7th graders at Bach dang secondary school in Haiphong by Le Thi Thu Hang from Haiphong private university foreign languages department to help the 7" graders at Bach Dang secondary school improve their speaking skill through extra-activities and to prepare for them to the basic knowledge of speaking skill with higher requirement for the next graders

Finally, the study suggests some effective activities that can be applied in Bach Dang secondary to promote students speaking skill

Investigating the effect of using Role-play in teaching speaking English for grade 10 students at high school by Nguyen Huong Giang from Thai Nguyen University investigated the effect of role-play and simulation approach on Malaysian Polytechnic engineering students‟ ESL oral communication skills In addition, the study examined the students‟ perceptions of the effect of the role-play and simulation on their oral communication skills;

A study on technique to improve speaking skill for secondary student in Quang Ninh by Pham Thi Huyen Huong aims at outlining the definitions of

speaking skill and the characteristics of teaching speaking skill, the difficulties teachers cope with when teaching speaking skill - Pointing out some techniques which can be used to teach speaking skills for Secondary students in Quang Ninh Implementing the survey questionnaire to the teachers at Cam Son Secondary school to explore the real situation of teaching English-speaking skill

in Secondary student in Quang Ninh Suggesting some effective activities used

to teach speaking to secondary student at Secondary school to encourage them to speak

Ali Dincer and Savas Yesilyurt (2013) carried out a study towards teachers‟ beliefs on speaking skills based on motivational orientations The results of their study indicated that the teachers had negative opinions about speaking instruction though they believed that it was of great significance in speaking skill The results also revealed that the teachers felt unskilled in oral communication though they had various motivational orientations towards speaking English The researchers indicated that that learners have different opinions about the significance of speaking skill in English language and this difference is related with the learners‟ motivational orientations and their competent/incompetent feelings in speaking skill The results demonstrated that learners‟ self-assessment about their speaking skill was negative and they expressed themselves as incapable speakers of English Just some of them expressed that they had a good position in taking part in speaking tasks

1.2 REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS STUDIES (AT HOME & ABROAD)

1.2.1 Definition of speaking

There are a lot of definitions of the word "speaking" that have been suggested by the researchers in language learning In Webster New World Dictionary, speaking is to say words orally, to communicate as by talking, to make a request, and to make a speech

According to Sangaji, S (2019) speaking is the process of making and sharing meaning by using verbal and non-verbal symbols in different contexts

Speaking is an act of making vocal sounds We can say that speaking means to converse, or expressing one's thoughts and feelings in spoken language To speak often implies conveying information Speaking skills are the skills that give us the ability to communicate effectively (Hopkins, David 2014)

Bygate (1987) defined speaking as the production of auditory signals to produce different responses in listeners It is regarded as combining sounds systematically to form meaningful sentences

From above definition, we can define speaking is expressing ideas, opinions, feelings to others by using words or sounds of articulations in order to inform, to persuade, and to entertain that can be learnt by using some teaching learning methodologies

1.2.2 Types of speaking

According to the study of Indian linguist Miss.Truptishinde:

There are 3 kinds of speaking situations in which we find ourselves:

- Interactive:

• Interactive speaking situations include face-to-face conversations and telephone calls, in which we are speaking and listening, and in which we have a

chance to ask for clarification, repetition, or slower speech from our conversation partner

-Partially interactive:

• Some speaking situations are partially interactive, such as when giving a speech to a live audience, where the convention is that the audience does not interrupt the speech The speaker nevertheless can see the audience and judge from the expressions on their faces and bodies language whether or not he or she

is being understood

-Non –interactive:

• Few speaking situations may be totally non-interactive, such as when recording

a speech for a radio broadcast

In short It can be seen easily that the variety in types of speaking helps ourselves to choose as well as approach easily and effectively

1.2.3 General outline of a speaking lesson

Speaking lessons can follow the usual pattern of preparation, presentation, practice, evaluation, and extension The teacher can use the preparation step to establish a context for the speaking task (where, when, why, and with whom it will occur) and to initiate awareness of the speaking skill to be targeted (asking for clarification, stressing key words, using reduced forms of words) In presentation, the teacher can provide learners with a preproduction model that furthers learner comprehension and helps them become more attentive observers

of language use Practice involves learners in reproducing the targeted structure, usually in a controlled or highly supported manner Evaluation involves directing attention to the skill being examined and asking learners to monitor and assess their own progress

Finally, extension consists of activities that ask learners to use the strategy

or skill in a different context or authentic communicative situation, or to integrate use of the new skill or strategy with previously acquired

1.2.4 The importance of English speaking skill

Humans are programmed to speak before they learn to read and write In any given circumstances, human beings spend much more time interacting orally with language rather than using it in its written form Speaking is the most important skill because it is one of the abilities that are needed to perform a conversation English speaking is not an easy task because speakers should know many significant comments like pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension Learners should have enough English speaking ability in order to communicate easily and effectively with other people Rivers (1981) studied the use of language outside the classroom situation and understood that speaking is used twice as much as reading and writing combined

Efrizal (2012) Pourhosein Gilak jani (2016) expressed that speaking is of great significance for the people interaction where they speak everywhere and every day Speaking is the way of communicating ideas and messages orally

we want to encourage students to communicate in English, we should use the language in real communication and ask them to do the same process

In the traditional methods, the speaking skill was ignored in the classrooms where the emphasis was on reading and writing skills For example,

in The Grammar-Translation method, reading and writing were the important skills and speaking and listening skills were not of great significance According

to Ur (2000), of all the four language skills called speaking, speaking, reading, and writing, speaking is the most important one that is very necessary for the effective communication The significance speaking is indicated with the integration of the other language s kills Speaking helps leaners develop their vocabulary and grammar skills and then better their writing skill Students can

express their emotions, ideas; say stories; request; talk, discuss, and show the various functions of language Speaking is of vital importance outside the classroom Therefore language speakers have more opportunities to find jobs in different organizations and companies These statements have been supported by Baker and Westrup (2003) who said that learners who speak English very well can have greater chance for better education finding good jobs, and getting promotion

Previous researches approve that persons cannot learn a language without many opportunities for meaningful repetition Oral language interactions and the opportunity to produce the language in meaning full tasks provide the practice that is very important to internalize zing the language Asher (2003) supports the idea that very soon after teachers model the language learners like to imitate what have been said Krashen (1988) examined the relation between speaking and listening skills He stated that when students speak, their speaking provides evidence that they have acquired the language This idea led some teachers to jump quickly from speaking teaching to reading and writing teaching

The four language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing are all interconnected Proficiency in each skill is necessary to become a well-rounded communicator, but the ability to speak skillfully provides the speaker with several distinct advantages The capacity to put words together in a meaningful way to reflect thoughts, opinions, and feelings provides the speaker with these important advantages:

• Ability to inform, persuade, and direct Business managers, educators, military leaders, lawyers, and politicians, among others, seek to develop their speaking skills to such a level that they are transformed into master communicators Speaking clearly and confidently can gain the attention of an audience, providing the golden opportunity for the speaker to make the message known Wise is the speaker who gains and then holds the attention of an

audience, with well-chosen words in a well-delivered presentation, forming a message that is effective, informative, and understood

• Ability to stand out from the rest When one thinks of speaking skills, one tends to think of it as a common skill Think again The ability to stand before others and speak effectively is not an ordinary ability Many people are deathly afraid of public speaking; others have little ability to form thoughts into sentences and then deliver those words in a believable way The bad news is that

at any given moment the world has precious few with the speaking talents of, say, Winston Churchill or John F Kennedy The good news is that a speaker whose skills are honed and developed with constant application and hard work can stand out

• Ability to benefit derivatively Well-developed verbal skills can increase one‟s negotiation skills Self-confidence is improved A growing sense of comfort comes from speaking in front of larger and larger audiences A reputation for excellence in speaking can accrue over time, thereby imparting a certain credibility to the speaker

• Career enhancement Employers have always valued the ability to speak well It is, and always will be, an important skill, and well worth the effort in fully developing

According to Florez,M.C (1999), of all the four language skills called speaking, speaking, reading, and writing speaking is the most important one that is very necessary for the effective communication The significance of speaking is indicated with the integration of the other language skills Speaking helps leaners develop their vocabulary and grammar skills and then better their writing skill Students can express their emotions, ideas; say stories; request; talk, discuss, and show the various functions of language Speaking is of vital importance outside the classroom Therefore language speakers have more

opportunities to find jobs in different organizations and companies These statements have been supported by Baker and Westrup (2003) who said that learners who speak English very well can have greater chance for better education, finding good jobs, and getting promotion

After all, the most effective way to communicate is through speech Thus, speaking skills are a vitally important method of communication The four language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing are all interconnected When one thinks of speaking skills, one tends to think of it as

a common skill While a picture may be worth a thousand words, those words will no doubt come in handy if the picture is distorted or poorly understood After all, the most effective way to communicate is through speech Thus, speaking skills are a vitally important method of communication

1.2.5 Factors effecting the English speaking

• Grammar and vocabulary

Before developing their conversational skills and managing rapid communication, learners need to acquire the knowledge of grammar and vocabulary Likewise, pronunciation is one of the basic linguistic features that is practiced in EFL classrooms and at the same time the cause of the most prominent issues

On one hand, drilling students with pronunciation exercises and forcing them to repeat the same word over and over again can be tedious On the other hand, students will be grateful since it will help them to avoid fossilization Another relevant point that teachers should consider is the distinction between accuracy and fluency Throughout the history of language acquisition and instruction, the emphasis has been put on accuracy, meaning the use of correct grammar Additionally, it is still important to motivate your students to use the

proper grammatical structures and utterances But the focus should be put on producing meaningful phrases

• Accuracy and Fluency

Students must manage to combine accuracy and fluency in order to speak spontaneously and negotiate meanings There is a great number of students who lack the confidence to express themselves because they are afraid of making mistakes In order to reduce this anxiety trying to create a warm and supportive environment in which students can feel comfortable to speak despite their mistakes

• Colloquial speech and Contracted forms

For instance, students were unable to understand teacher's questions if the teacher used contracted forms, elisions or reduced vowels It is necessary to familiarize EFL students with these forms as they are part of everyday speech and they will certainly encounter them in real conversational situations

Secondly, teacher gradually include parts of colloquial language such as idioms, different expressions and phrases This provides them with guided input that focuses on specific type of discourse that will be useful outside of the classroom

• A demanding task

Teaching speaking is a demanding task that requires patience and a lot of practice The task is to inform students about the targeted features of speech they need to develop further, as well as guide them through speaking tasks, encouraging them to freely express their thoughts Finally, teachers should not forget sensitive nature of each individual and be careful when it comes to feedback and error-correction

• Student's motivation

When a teacher is in classroom, there will be some problems or conditions need Lobe accomplished Teacher will see some of the students are very motivated, or even feeling ignored in studying English The leaners who have contacted with English will find that some features are quite easy and extremely difficult One of the more complicated problems of second or foreign languages learning and teaching has been to define and apply the construct of motivation in the classroom

For speaking it is important first to give competence and then performance Competence is more likely to the extent motivated to be so Motivation is the extent which a communicator is drawn then performed

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

2.1 RESEARCH GOVERNING ORIENTATION

The survey questionnaire is used to answer the first research question:

“What are the difficulties facing the VNUA‟s first-year advanced programmes students in learning speaking?” The questionnaire was analyzed quantitatively with a percentage

The interview was conducted to answer the 4 questions:

(1) How do you evaluate the difficulty of speaking English ?

(2) What were you facing the difficulties in speaking lessons?

(3) What were the causes of difficulties and problems?

(4) What efforts have you made to overcome the difficulties and problems you have had?

Interviews data were synthesized and sorted by quantity and percentage

 Research types

This study involved both quantitative and qualitative approaches because it would give a better understanding of the complicated issue In particular, the quantitative and qualitative approaches allowed the study's scope to expand and become more comprehensive The quantitative data were collected first in this investigation After that, the qualitative data were gathered to explore and explain the quantitative data with more details to understand the situation better Examples of the quantitative aspects of this research were the questionnaire investigating the current situation of using multimedia in learning speaking skills, while the qualitative interview clarifies the problem in detail, thereby providing an effective solution

 Data analysis method

From the information collected through survey questionnaires and interviews, data were synthesized and sorted Then, data were analyzed in different themes concerning different aims of the study Finally, the results were presented in the form of tables and charts These forms of presenting information help to compare different points of view of students on the research problems

The procedure of data analysis is as follows:

First, the researcher piloted the questionnaire to 80 students advanced programmes to ask for their own opinions about the difficulties facing the VNUA‟s first year advanced programmes students in learning speaking and the causes The researcher chose 8 out of 80 for the interview

Following the interview, the information was gathered and organized into three categories: problems, causes, and recommendations The data was then evaluated to determine the relationship between the problems, causes, and efforts to fix the problems based on the student's challenges in speaking, the causes of difficulty, and the student's efforts to improve speaking The data in this study was validated using two approaches The first is the involvement of the researcher in the research including preparation of the study, data collection, data analysis, and data interpretation The second is triangulation In this case, the researcher compared the data taken from questionnaire, interview Based on these findings about the students‟ difficulties and problems in English speaking performance, the causes and their efforts to overcome those difficulties and problems the researcher would like to give out some suggestions, helping the students to overcome those obstacles and develop their English speaking skill

2.2 RESEARCH METHODS

In order to write about the chosen topic, I used the materials that I found or searched on the Internet (see References) I searched for the materials on webpages, read, analyzed, summarized and paraphrased as doing a survey with the materials A survey questionnaire was made to ask for the students‟ opinions

on the difficulties facing the VNUA‟s first-year advanced programmes students

in learning English speaking All of them agreed to help the researcher helpfully and comfortably Then an interview was conducted to find out more about the problem they have, the student‟s assessment of learning the speaking skill and the efforts they have made to overcome the difficulties After the interview, the researcher based on the interview results to analyze the data The interview results were recorded carefully The interview data analysis was presented with the collected data from the questionnaire in each part

- In order to collect information about the issues of learning English speaking skill, first of all, 80 copies of survey questionnaires were handed out offline to students:

+ Class English A1: on Tuesday, 27th April, starting the first lesson about 7.00 am in A104 and collected in the end of lesson

+ Class English A2: on Wednesday, 28th April, starting the sixth lesson about 12.40 am in C202 and collected in the end of lesson

+ Class English A3: Tuesday, 27th April, starting the sixth lesson about 12.40 am in A203 and collected in the end of lesson

+ Class English A4: on Friday, 23rd April, starting the first lesson about 7.00 am in A103 and collected in the end of lesson

Questionnaire table:

The difficulties… Strongly

- In addition, Because covid-19 epidemic happened suddenly in the beginning of May, 8 students advanced programmes were also invited for the interview online instead (including 2 students in each Class 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively) The researcher interviewed 8 students on Sunday, 6th June, 2021 through Skype When the data collection was accomplished, the data analysis was initiated The results of survey questionnaires revealed students' techniques they use in speaking skill

The interview was conducted to answer the 4 questions:

(1) How do you evaluate the difficulty of speaking English ?

• Very difficult • Difficult

• Normal • Easy

(2) What were you facing the difficulties in speaking lessons?

(3) What were the causes of difficulties and problems?

(4) What efforts have you made to overcome the difficulties and problems you have had?