Table of Contents

Chapter One.....................................................................................................................................1

Introduction......................................................................................................................................1

1.1 Background of the study......................................................................................................1

1.2. Statements of the Problem....................................................................................................2

1.3. Objectives of the study..........................................................................................................3

1.3.1. General Objective...........................................................................................................3

1.3.2. Specific Objectives.......................................................................................................3

1.4. Research Questions...............................................................................................................4

1.5. Significance of the study.......................................................................................................4

1.6. Delimitation of the study.......................................................................................................5

1.7 Organization of the Study......................................................................................................5

Chapter two......................................................................................................................................6

Literature review..............................................................................................................................6

2.1 The Concept of Communication............................................................................................6

2.2 Speaking.................................................................................................................................6

2.3 The Importance of Speaking Skills........................................................................................7

2.4 Speaking and its Place in Language Teaching.......................................................................8

2.5. Current Challenges of speaking English Language in Ethiopia...........................................9

2.5.1 Low Level of Language Awareness................................................................................9

2.5.2. Lack of English Language Socialization......................................................................10

2.5.3. A Fixed Mind-Set for Learning and Using English.....................................................11

2.5.4. The Socio-Cultural Context..........................................................................................12

2.5.5. Problems in English Language education....................................................................12

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 2.5 Factors Affecting Speaking Skills........................................................................................15

CHAPTER THREE.......................................................................................................................18

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..................................................................................................18

3.1. Study design and period......................................................................................................18

3.2 Sources and Study population..............................................................................................18

3.2.1 Source population..........................................................................................................18

3.2.2 Study population............................................................................................................18

3.3 Sampling technique and sampling size................................................................................18

3.4 Data collection method........................................................................................................19

3.4.1 Qualitative data collection.............................................................................................19

3.4.2 Quantitative data collection...........................................................................................19

3.5 Data analysis........................................................................................................................19

4. Budget and Action Plan of the Study........................................................................................20

References......................................................................................................................................22

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 Chapter One

Introduction

1.1 Background of the study

Speaking is the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-
verbal symbols. He also states that it is a crucial part of second language learning and teaching.
Despite it is importance for many years teaching speaking has been undervalued and English
language teachers have continued to teach speaking just as a repetition of drills or memorizations
of dialogues. However, today’s world requires that the goals of teaching speaking should
improve student’s communicative skills because only in that way students can express
themselves and learn how to follow the social and cultural rules appropriate in each
communicative circumstances (Gilakjani and Ahmadi, 2011).

English language was introduced to Ethiopia along with the emergence of modern education
and it has a long history in Ethiopia than in most African countries that are now using it as
an official language. It is largely recognized as the language of education in the country
since it has very limited applications outside the educational setting. Michael Daniel
Ambachew (2013) points out that though English has been used in Ethiopia as much as it
has been used in Nigeria and Ghana, what is recognized as an Ethiopian variety or
“Ethiopian English” doesn’t exist. Ambachew indicates that the only observable account in
Ethiopian English language use is a performance variety that results from mother tongue
interference.

More importantly, English language has become the language of international affairs.
English has become the language that links the world all together. It is the medium through
which technological, social, political and cultural information has been transmitted. In the
Ethiopian educational system, the learning of English begins at the elementary level and it
gives different functions at various organizations. A document from the Federal Ministry of
Education (2015) also demonstrates that English is a corner stone in the development of
Ethiopia’s commerce, communication systems, technology and education.

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In the past few years, some studies have tried to address linguistic issues and the
multifaceted problems challenging the teaching and use of English language in Ethiopia. For
instance, Cohen (2017) claims that students’ poor English language use in Ethiopia is
inherited from teachers. Cohen implies that improving teachers English language use has a
direct bearing on students’ English language learning.

Speaking is an active and productive skill and it plays a great role in our day to day
activities. However, it seems that foreign language learners are not able to communicate
fluently and accurately because they do not have enough knowledge in this field (Leong
&Ahmadi, 2017). If the students do not have good background experience, they will not
develop their communicative skills, particularly speaking skills. Therefore, students’
background affects teaching speaking skills.

These study therefore, believes that students are expected to improve their speaking skills by
using English language in English classroom for various interactions and they have to get
exposures out of the classroom and in order to use English in their day to day communication
purposes. Nonetheless, learners‟ speaking performance is influenced by factors like performance
conditions, affective factors, listening skill, and feedback during speaking tasks (Tuan & Mai,
2015).If teachers want to help learners overcome their difficulties in learning speaking skill, and
they should identify some factors that influence their speaking performance.

In the present study, the factors affecting speaking skill of English language use in Grade
nine students of Wondrayd school of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

1.2. Statements of the Problem

The overall state of English language use in Ethiopia displays a mixed picture of
complexities and confusing paradoxes. It is used, along with Amharic, in government,
commerce (i.e. air transport, banking, international hotels, tele communication services, and
tourism), entertainment and various forms of media outlets. Yet, it is not common to see
people using English for interpersonal communication. English language is being taught as a
subject starting from grade one. It is also the medium of instruction at secondary level and
higher education. However, the majority of students fail to attain adequate English language
skills for basic communication. For Ethiopians, English does not bring negative memories

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associated with colonial expansion and influence. So, negative attitude towards the
expansion of English (as a form of post-colonial reaction to ‘linguistic imperialism’)
explains very little about Ethiopians’ indifference to English.

Ethiopians learners have serious problems in English speaking due to the fact that schools pay
more attention to English grammar, reading and vocabulary. Speaking skills are not important
parts of many course books or curricula and teachers do not seem to pay attention to these skills
while designing their lessons. Most teachers take it for granted and believe that it will develop
naturally within the process of language learning. Persulessy (2016:50) states that one of the
reasons for the opinion that speaking is a skill that tends to be neglected is the feeling among
language teachers that this skill is automatically acquired by the learner as he learns to speak the
language. Most teachers also assume speaking is synonymous to breathing automatic (Ina
Thomas and Brian Dyer, 2007). Another reason why this skill is not given serious attention is the
fact that incompetence in it is easy to hide through nodding and shaking of the head, which may
give the impression of understanding, even there is none. Still another reason is that audio-
lingual courses give the impression that they are teaching speaking when in fact they are
teaching other skills.

The purpose of this paper is to substantiate data on the factors affecting speaking skill of
English language use in Grade nine students of Wondrayd school of Addis Ababa, in
Ethiopia and suggest ways of improving the status of the language in the country. The study
will be employed a substantive theory analysis based on data obtained from interviews with
English language professionals. Perspectives gained from the interview will be combined
with a synthesis of other theoretical constructs will provide answers to the following
fundamental research questions.

1.3. Objectives of the study

1.3.1. General Objective

The General objective of this study is to assess factors affecting speaking skill of English
language use in Grade nine students of Wondrayd school of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia.

1.3.2. Specific Objectives

Specifically, the study has the following specific objectives:

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 Identifying the students’ view on the importance of studying speaking skill.
 Knowing how and when the students have the opportunity to speaking to English.
 Explore challenges of speaking English language use in students of selected school
 Suggest solutions to improve speaking English language use in students.

1.4. Research Questions

The present seeks to answer the following research questions:
 How can students’ view on the importance of studying speaking English?
 How and when do they have the opportunity to speak English?
 What are the challenges of speaking English language use in students of selected
school?
 How can the teacher help your students overcome these speaking problems?

1.5. Significance of the study

This study points out the speaking problems encountered by English students at
selected school. Awareness of the factors that contribute to the problems of learners
encounter in speaking will benefit the following groups:
 Teachers to have a better understanding of their students’ speaking difficulties
and examine their own teaching methods to improve students’ speaking
comprehension. Knowing why some of the problems occur will naturally place
teachers in a better position to guide their learners in ways of overcoming some
of their speaking difficulties. It is also hoped that the findings about students’
speaking difficulties can provide English teachers with some guidelines for
material evaluation and selection.
 Learners to identify their difficulties of speaking comprehension to ascertain
what further learning strategies are necessary. Learners need to be aware of the
factors which contribute to their difficulties in speaking; when listeners know
something about their own problems, they will be able to improve their
speaking practices and become better listeners.
 Researchers who are interested in classroom research to use the findings as a
basis for further study in the area.

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1.6. Delimitation of the study
This research work will be delimited to Grade seven students of Wondirad school of Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia, as it is convenient for the researcher and the researcher got permission from
the school. The research also delimited to grade nine students since this level student has less
maturity and low academic level for practicing speaking skills. Hence, the problem of speaking
is more common problem in secondary school.

1.7 Organization of the Study

This study will be organized in five chapters. The first chapter deals with background of the
study, statement of the problem, scope of the study, objective of the study, significance of the
study and limitation of the study. The second chapter includes various literatures reviews.
Chapter three will be focused on methodology. The fourth chapter deals with results and
discussion. Finally the fifth chapter presents the conclusions and recommendations.

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 Chapter two

Literature review

2.1 The Concept of Communication

The word communication is derived from the Latin terms ‘cummunis’ (to make common) and
‘communicare’ (to share). Hence, communication is defined as the exchange of information,
thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Communication is complex. As a result, scholars and linguists
defined it differently. For instance, Hybels and Weaver (2010) state that communication is any
process in which people share information, ideas, and feelings to construct, establish relations
and build understanding. Halliday (2008) remarks that communication is more than an exchange
of words. Communication is viewed as the process of understanding and sharing meaning.
Communication composes sets of activities that operate in the perception, interpretation and
comprehension of meaning of verbal and nonverbal behavior of individuals (Pearson and Nelson,
2010).

Rahman (2010) (as cited in ESP, Vol. 9 No. 27) defines communication as a dynamic, interactive
process that involves the effective transmission of facts, ideas, thoughts, feelings and values.
Therefore, communication is understood as a dynamic and systematic process of sharing
meaning and understanding meaning through verbal and nonverbal exchange between
individuals in interaction within a given context (Platter, 2011).

2.2 Speaking
Speaking, as Karen (2014) defines it, it is an expressive language skill in which the speaker
uses verbal symbols to communicate. When we speak, we are composing with language by
constructing meaning. Speaking allows us to develop new thoughts as we create ideas.
Spoken language production, or learning to speak in the foreign language is often considered
to be one of the most difficult aspects of language learning for the teachers to help the
students with. The practical problems are obvious. In written production, each writer writes
without disturbing the rest of the class at his own speed; whereas, in the production of
speech, each speaker speaks, in the meantime this speaker requires to be listen in
besides, When he/she speaks, he/she makes a noise which will disturb other students

6
unless they are participating in the overall interaction with the actual speaker (Brown &
Yule, 2019).

However, compared to the teaching of other skills, speaking is more demanding on the role of
the teacher than the effort other skills require (Brown &Yule, 1989). In relation to this
idea, Nunan (2013) said speaking is a very important part of second language learning
because; the ability to communicate in a second language clearly and efficiently contributes to
the success of the learner in school and later in life.

Beside the fact that speaking is a skill, which deserves attention like other skills, both in first
and second languages, learners often need to be able to speak with confidence and carry out
many of their basic transactions. They may make or lose their friends because of lack of
speaking skill. It is the medium part excellence social solidarity, social ranking, of
professional advancement and of business. It is also a medium through which much language is
learned and which particularly conductive for learning, perhaps, then the teaching of
speaking merits more thought (Bygate, 1987). Students learn to speak by speaking (Rivers,
2011). However, the teaching of oral language skills was traditionally considered as the most
difficult task; because in the past, written language was given more attention than speaking.

Speaking a language is different for foreign language learners because effective oral
communication requires the ability to use the language appropriately in social interactions
(Shumin, 2007). Whilst the speaking ability of students and making them use speech
pattern of language they learn, and activities they are supposed to undertake must be
selected carefully. Moreover, students should be encouraged to go under intensive oral
exercises that are basically designed for communication purposes. Such activities according to
Bygate, (2017) give students both confidence and motivation for oral practice.

2.3 The Importance of Speaking Skills

Language is a tool for communication. We communicate with others, to express our ideas,
and to know others‟ ideas as well. Communication takes place, where there is speech.
Without speech we cannot communicate with one another. The importance of speaking skill,
hence is enormous for the learners of any language. Without speech, a language is reduced
to a mere script. The use of language is an activity which takes place within the confines of

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our community. We use language in a variety of situations. People at their work places, i.e.
researchers working either in a medical laboratory or in a language laboratory, are
supposed to speak correctly and effectively in-order to communicate well with one another.
Any gap in commutation results in misunderstandings and problems.

On the other hand, for a smooth running of any system, the speakers of a language need to be
especially and purposefully trained in the skill of speaking. In-order to become a well
rounded communicator one needs to be proficient in each of the four language skills
viz., listening, speaking, reading and writing, but the ability to speak skillfully, provides the
speaker with several distinct advantages. The capacity to express one’s thoughts, opinions
and feelings, in the form of words put together in a meaningful way, provides the speaker
with these advantages. The joy of sharing one’s ideas with others is immense. An effective
speaker can gain the attention of the audience and hold it till the completion of his
message. Speaking skills are important for career success, but certainly not limited to one’s
professional aspirations. Speaking skills can also enhance one’s personal life.

The main reason of learning English language is to be able to speak it, and that is because
the world is becoming smaller nowadays. More and more people are using English language as
a common way to communicate with each other due to the development of the
technologies (the internet) and so the global economy, which lead companies and large
businesses to employ people who can speak more than their own native language. English
language is now officially considered as an international language, which the primary
benefits of learning it is the resulting job, advance education and travel opportunities. Baker and
Westrup (2013 ) stated that a student who can speak English well may have greater
chance for further education, of finding employment and gaining promotion. However, the
main goal of teaching speaking in a language context is to enhance (the improvement of) the
learners’ communicative skills or competencies efficiency, by helping them to be fluent,
accurate and more communicatively competent.

2.4 Speaking and its Place in Language Teaching

Speaking a foreign language correctly is perhaps the most difficult of all skills. When
speaking, not only is a speaker required to put words together in an understandable way,
but also he/she has to speak them in an intelligible fashion (Jones, 1993). Moreover, when, for
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example, conversing with someone, an instant reaction or thought is called for. If, on the
other hand, we take writing, there could be perhaps enough time to think about and to
look up the words and expressions we are using in dictionaries, and at the same time, there
could be time for second thoughts for going through what has been written again and again.

However, speaking, despite its being the most difficult compared to the other skills, has
been given little or no recognition in educational thinking and certainly. It has not been
considered as a vehicle of learning (Haliday, 2008). It has been in many ways an undervalued
skill which could perhaps be because we can almost all speak compared to writing and
reading and so take the skill too much for granted, or due to the fact that speaking is
transient and improvised, and can therefore be viewed as facile, superficial, or glib (Bygate
2013).

Nevertheless, despite the little recognition given to it in educational thinking, the

dynamic changes and developments in methods of language teaching throughout history
reflect recognition of changes in the kind of proficiency learners need, such as a move
toward oral proficiency rather than reading comprehension, for example, as the only goal of
language study (Richards et al 2009). Speaking is a means of increasing the students‟
confidence, building a warm, uninhibited, confident, sympathetic relationship among the
students and between the teacher and students. It is a means by which the students can see
the practical and tangible value or use of the language as they speak and interact through
it (Brown et al. 1989). It gives life to the classroom teaching learning process.

2.5. Current Challenges of speaking English Language in Ethiopia

2.5.1 Low Level of Language Awareness

One of the conceptual categories emerged from the coded data was the absence of language
awareness. Participants’ interview response constitutes a clear statement indicating the need to
incorporate language awareness component in Ethiopian language teaching context. One of the
participants shared his perspective in this way:

English is now the tool for interacting with the globalized world of the 21st century. We need it
to keep ourselves abreast of the latest happenings around the world and access the global
knowledge. It is like a requirement. A similar idea was also given by this participant.

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In our case, the main obstacle to enjoy this kind of bilingual advantage is lack of curiosity to
learn a second or foreign language and lack of awareness about the value of using English.
Language awareness is defined as “explicit knowledge about language, and conscious perception
and sensitivity in language learning, language teaching and language use” (ALA, 2012). It is an
individual's sensitivity to a conscious awareness of the nature of language and its role in human
life (Donmall, 2015).

In the eyes of many researchers and learners of English, listening is a complex and active mental
process that involves perception, attention, cognition, and memory. During the process of
listening comprehension, various factors may affect learner listening ability. Lists of general
factors have been identified (Hayati, 2010; Flowerdew and Miller, 2012) while the role of
specific factors has also been examined. Some factors that have been the focus of research
include speech rate phonological features and background knowledge. Other issues have also
been related to listener difficulties. These range from text structure and syntax to personal factors
such as insufficient exposure to the target language, and a lack of interest and motivation. Brown
(2015) acknowledged the relevance of all these issues, and further argued that listener difficulties
are also related to the levels of cognitive demands made by the content of the texts.

2.5.2. Lack of English Language Socialization

One area of limitation in learning and using English language in the Ethiopian context is lack of
interaction and communication with others in school and outside of school. This conceptual
category emerged from the data more frequently than any other concept. Many of the
participants indicated that English language learners in Ethiopia tend to interact less in English
both in classrooms and outside classrooms. One of the participants clearly points out:

With respect to socialization, interviewees have also indicated that English language learners
experience anxieties of using the language in public. One of such anxieties is related to society’s
stigma towards those who try to speak English.

The first thing that that came to my mind when the first interviewee spoke about the role of
English language in Ethiopia is how it is perceived. In a recent blog post, an English woman
named Debi descried her experience during her voyage into Benishangul Gumuz region of
Ethiopia. She wrote that in the region she visited English is found no where outside of the

10
classroom. It unlikely to find people who use it in everyday life. She noticed how speaking
English on the street or in public is socially condemned and is considered as an act of
appearing showing a sense of superiority to people. She points out that this is one of the
reasons people don’t speak it or practice it and then vehemently testify the difficulty of
forcing students to succeed learning it to the level of mastery.

2.5.3. A Fixed Mind-Set for Learning and Using English

Conceptual category emerged from the coded data as participants’ frequently made
references to practices and beliefs of Ethiopians about their English language learning
ability. Participants have mentioned beliefs inherent in the group of people they observe in
relation to English language learning. This type of incident is observed on students at all
levels of education across the country. High school students for instance, largely avoid
reading for fear of dealing with the English in textbooks and reference guides. They are
easily discouraged by the difficulties of figuring out the meaning of texts, so avoidance
becomes the option instead of struggling with it.

Molden and Dweck(2016) define mind set as a concept representing a set of core beliefs
about the nature of ability and its role in the formation of “a larger system of allied beliefs
and goals”. In the context of foreign or second language learning, mindset refers to beliefs
that learners hold about their language learning ability and overall effectiveness.
Researchers propose that a particular learner belongs to one of the two types of language
learning mindsets: fixed language learning mindset and a growth language learning mindset.
A growth mindset situates the learner as an agent of his or her own learning. It is likely to
produce effective language learners in classroom settings given that they are likely to
welcome feedback, be willing to learn from mistakes and persistent in the face of difficulties
(Ryan and Mercer, 2011). On the other hand, fixed language learning mindset is constructed
around a view of language learning in which success is largely determined by one’s innate
talent for languages (Mercer and Ryan, 2010). This dimension of mindset is likely to lead to
largely maladaptive learning behavior, such as avoiding challenges, giving up easily and
being discouraged by mistakes.

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2.5.4. The Socio-Cultural Context
Points referring to the socio-cultural context of Ethiopia have also been mentioned by
participants interviewed. One of the interviewee uniquely identifies child rearing culture
among the Ethiopian society as having a detrimental effect on children’s intro version.

The empirical evidence around the world indicates that the socio cultural context in which
English language education occurs plays a significant role in the learning and use of the
English language. The social variables such as religious, culture, identity, ethnic, economic
power, and social status greatly influence the society’s view of education in general and
English language education in particular. Light bown and Spada (2011) say that it is
expected that societal factors and social context affect language learning and its processes.

In recent years, the proliferation of mother-tongue education has caused more harm than
good to the endusers (students) because mother tongues took the driver’s seat and English
went on the back seat depriving the learners of learning and mastering English to an optimal
level (Jha, 2013).

2.5.5. Problems in English Language education

Many of the problems that respondents indicated are consistent with the findings of existing
researches undertaken in the country. For example, an expatriate English language teacher
Sanjay Kumar Jha conducted studies in eastern Ethiopia in order to know why English in
Ethiopia is learnt to the level of mastery. His findings indicate that a combination of
linguistic and non-linguistic impediments responsible for the situation. According to Jha
(2013), linguistic impediments that are hindering students mastery of English include: faulty
methodological approaches, a sloppy curriculum with less authentic and less interactive
grammar and vocabulary activities, frequently changing of text books that breaks the natural
sequence of course components, perception of English as a medium of obstruction rather
than as a language of instruction, absence of audio-Visual teaching, teachers’ lack
communicative and pedagogic competence, exam anxiety and lack of performance based
assessment, lack of exposure to English outside the classroom, teaching English as a subject
rather than a language and mother tongue obsession. The non-linguistic impediments Jha
(2013) identified include problems related to time–place-manpower constraints, poor
treatment and reward causing teachers’ reluctance to teach, ego war among teachers,

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disrespect towards the teaching profession, alien control of EFL classroom and lack of
motivation and professional vision of teachers.

Higgins (2015) studied Omani students’ problems in listening comprehension and found that the
factors which facilitate or hinder listening are speech rate, vocabulary, and pronunciation.

After examining Arabic speakers learning English as a foreign language for academic purposes
and their perceived LC problems, a study conducted by Hasan (2000) shows that ‘unfamiliar
words’, ‘difficult grammatical structures’, and ‘the length of the spoken text’ are the most
important message factors for listening problems. In terms of speaker factor, it was revealed that
‘clarity’ was the main cause of EFL listening difficulties. As to listener factor, ‘lack of interest’
‘the demand for full and complete answers to listening comprehension questions’ were the two
main difficulties encountered by EFL students. Yagang (2014) attributes the difficulty of
listening comprehension to four sources: the message, the speaker, the listener and the physical
setting.

Boyle (2014) also classified the factors influencing listening comprehension and directly related
to EFL listening into four inter-relating categories: listener, speaker, medium and environment
factors. Aside from these, Chang, Chang, &Kuo (2015) discovered five major listening
difficulties: speed, a cluster of sounds difficult for segmentation, obsession with the Chinese
translation, association of sounds with words and meanings, and idiomatic expressions. Teng
(2012) identified four listening factors, which were similar to Boyle’s (2014) classification; they
were listener factors, speaker factors, stimulus factors, and context factors. She indicated that
“EFL proficiency” was the most important listener factor for EFL listening problems. It implies
that students’ difficulties may directly result from their deficient linguistic knowledge. However,
Goh (2000) indicated that the most common problem was “quickly forget what is heard
(parsing).” Similarly, in Sun’s study (2012), the most difficulty in listening for Taiwan’s students
was “forget the meaning of the word (perception).”

Theoretical explanations of listening comprehension provide us with clues about the problems
which learners face when they listen to a spoken text. These insights cannot, however, account
for exhaustive explanation of these problems. As Vogely (20155: 41) states, ‘We still need
research that documents empirically the relationship between what theory says and what learners

13
actually know and more importantly do’. To locate the sources of listening comprehension, we
need to consider the discourse itself in the context of the classroom. The evidence that shows
why listening is difficult comes mainly from four sources: the message to be listened to, the
speaker, the listener, and the physical setting.

The Message Content

Many learners find it more difficult to listen to a taped message than to read
the same message on a piece of paper, since the listening passage comes into the ear in the
twinkling of an eye, whereas reading material can be read as long as the reader likes. The
listening material may deal with almost any area of life. It might include street gossip, proverbs,
new products, and situations unfamiliar to the student. Also, in a spontaneous conversation
speakers frequently change topics. The content is usually not well organized.

In many cases listeners cannot predict what speakers are going to say, whether it is a news report
on the radio, an interviewer’s questions, an everyday conversation, etc. Messages on the radio or
recorded on tape cannot be listened to at a slower speed. Even in conversation it is impossible to
ask the speaker to repeat something as many times as the interlocutor might like. They are used
to seeing words written as discrete entities in their textbooks. If listening materials are made up
of everyday conversation, they may contain a lot of colloquial words and expressions, such as
stuff for material, guy for man, etc., as well as slang. Students who have been exposed mainly to
formal or bookish English may not be familiar with these expressions.

In spontaneous conversations people sometimes use ungrammatical sentences because of

nervousness or hesitation. They may omit elements of sentences or add something redundant.
This may make it difficult for the listener to understand the meaning.

The Speaker
Ur (2014) points out that “in ordinary conversation or even in much extempore speech-making or
lecturing we actually say a good deal more than would appear to be necessary in order to convey
our message. Redundant utterances may take the form of repetitions, false starts, re-phrasings,
self-corrections, elaborations, tautologies, and apparently meaningless additions such as I mean
or you know.” This redundancy is a natural feature of speech and may be either a help or a
hindrance, depending on the students’ level. It may make it more difficult for beginners to

14
understand what the speaker is saying; on the other hand, it may give advanced students more
time to “tune in” to the speaker’s voice and speech style. Learners tend to be used to their
teacher’s accent or to the standard variety of British or American English.

They find it hard to understand speakers with other accents. Spoken prose, as in news
broadcasting and reading aloud written texts, is characterized by an even pace, volume, pitch,
and intonation. Natural dialogues, on the other hand, are full of hesitations, pauses, and uneven
intonation. Students used to the former kinds of listening material may sometimes find the latter
difficult to understand.

The Listener
Foreign-language students are not familiar enough with clichés and collocations in English to
predict a missing word or phrase. They cannot, for example, be expected to know that rosy often
collocates with cheeks nor to predict the last word will be something like rage when they hear
the phrase he was in a towering. This is a major problem for students. Lack of socio cultural,
factual, and contextual knowledge of the target language can present an obstacle to
comprehension because language is used to express its culture (Anderson and Lynch, 2018).
Foreign-language learners usually devote more time to reading than to listening, and so lack
exposure to different kinds of listening materials. Even our college students majoring in English
have no more than four hours’ regular training per week. Both psychological and physical factors
may have a negative effect on perception and interpretation of listening material. It is tiring for
students to concentrate on interpreting unfamiliar sounds, words, and sentences for long periods.

Physical Setting
Noise, including both background noises on the recording and environmental noises, can take the
listener’s mind off the content of the listening passage. Listening material on tape or radio lacks
visual and aural environmental clues. Not seeing the speaker’s body language and facial
expressions makes it more difficult for the listener to understand the speaker’s meaning. Unclear
sounds resulting from poor-quality equipment can interfere with the listener’s comprehension.

2.5 Factors Affecting Speaking Skills

If teachers want to help learners overcome their difficulties in learning speaking skill,
they should identify some factors that influence their speaking performance. Learners’

15
speaking performance is influenced by factors like performance conditions, affective
factors, listening skill, and feedback during speaking tasks (Tuan & Mai, 2015). The first
factor is pertinent to performance conditions. Learners carry out a speaking activity under
different conditions. Performance conditions impact speaking performance and these
conditions involve time pressure, planning, the quality of performance, and the amount of
support (Nation & Newton, 2009).

The second factor is related to affective ones. Oxford (1990) said that one of the important
factors in learning a language is the affective side of students. According to Krashen
(1982), a lot of affective variables have been connected to second language acquisition and
motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety were the three main types that have been
investigated by many researchers. Listening ability is the third factor. Doff (1998) says that
learners cannot improve their speaking ability unless they develop listening ability.
Learners should comprehend what is uttered to them in order to have a successful
dialogue. Shumin (1997) represented that when students talk, the other students answer
through the listening process. Speakers have the role of both listeners and speakers. It can be
concluded that students are not able to reply if they cannot comprehend what is told. That is
to say, speaking is very closely related to listening. Topical knowledge is the fourth
factor. Bachman and Palmer (1996) defined it as the knowledge structures in long term
memory. That is, topical knowledge is the speakers‟ knowledge of related topical
information. It enables students to apply language with respect to the world in which they
live. Bachman and Palmer (2016) assert that topical knowledge has a great impact on the
learners‟ speaking performance.

The other factor is related to the feedback during speaking activities. A lot of learners
expect their teachers to give them the necessary feedback on their speaking performance.
According to Harmer (2011), the decisions that instructors adopt towards their learners‟
performance depend on the stages of the lesson, the tasks, and the kinds of mistakes they
make. Harmer (2011) also continued that if instructors directly correct their students‟
problems, the flow of the dialogue and the aim of the speaking task will be spoiled. Baker
and Westrup (2013) supported the above statement and said that if learners are always
corrected, they will be demotivated and afraid of talking. It has been suggested that

16
instructors should always correct their learners‟ mistakes positively and give them
more support and persuasion while speaking.

According to Mahripah (2014), EFL learners‟ speaking skill is affected by

some linguistic components of language like phonology, syntax, vocabulary, and semantics
and psychological factors such as motivation and personality. Phonology is a difficult aspect
of language learning for EFL learners. As we know, English is not a phonetic language.

That is, pronunciation of English words are not similar to their spellings. Words with
similar spellings are sometimes pronounced differently because of their surrounding
contexts like tenses and phonemes that come after them. This can cause a lot of problems
for non-native speakers of English and they sometimes get confused in producing the
English words. EFL learners should have the knowledge of words and sentences. They
should comprehend how words are divided into different sounds and how sentences are
stressed in specific ways. Grammatical competence can help speakers apply and perceive
the structure of English language correctly that leads to their fluency. Native speakers say
what they want without having any problems because they are familiar with the
language. If they have problems in expressing some concepts, they try to use other ways
of telling those things. They may make certain mistakes syntactically but these
mistakes do not change the meaning of the sentences they want to express and this doesn’t
create serious problems for the listeners to comprehend them. But the mistakes non-
native speakers commit are those that change the meaning of utterances they want to convey
and can create some problems for their understanding (Mahripah, 2014). Motivation can
influence and be influenced by the components of language learning.

According to Woodrow (2006), anxiety has a negative effect on the oral performance of English
speakers. Adults are very careful to making errors in whatever they tell. In their opinion,
errors show a kind of unawareness which can hinder them to speak English in front of
other people. Speaking anxiety may originate from a classroom condition with the
different abilities of language learners. Learners are divided into two groups: strong and
weak ones. The strong learners often dominate the slow and weak ones. The weak learners do
not usually want to talk in front of the strong ones which leads to their silence during the whole
class activity.

17
 CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1. Study design and period
The research method will be employed a mixed research design for it provides a free
floating space to a researcher to choose combination of methods in accordance with
the prevailing conditions. The researcher planned to take advantage of the utilization
of the mixed approach to devise appropriate but progressive data collection methods
based on the prevailing condition. The researcher took to accomplish this study four
months and to collect data and to analyze four weeks.

3.2 Sources and Study population

3.2.1 Source population

Source population for this study will students of Wondirad secondary school and
teachers of school.

3.2.2 Study population

Based on the simplicity of data, the researcher will took a study population of Grade
nine students of Womdrad school of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia students from
total1700 students of school in general. This was decided by using simple random
sampling technique.

3.3 Sampling technique and sampling size

Both direct & indirect sampling method will be used to identify the sample. A simple
random sampling technique will be employed to assure representativeness on target
students group that were fed study problem in the every part of school.
In order to collect primary data, the researcher will be used three different sample
sizes with different sampling procedures. In all cases, sample sizes determined by
considering financial, time and resource constraints.
The first sample size will designed for collection of data from student on minimizes
writing errors. For deciding this sample size and selecting samples, the researcher
was used two stages. The first stage will selecting grade from total grades of the
school based on grade level of students with higher grade. Hence, the researcher will

18
selected grade nine from total grades of the school. Secondly, the researcher will be
selected two sections that is section A and section B from four grade 9 sections and
then the researcher will be required sample size of 40 students in two section from
total 160 grade 9 students by using simple random sampling technique.

3.4 Data collection method

In this section the researcher will been used both questionnaires and interviews from
students and teachers respectively. Because, these two instruments are the most
important tool of data collections for the intended researcher study.

3.4.1 Qualitative data collection

Interview will being conducting to collect qualitative data from the Wondirad School
officers. Structured interviews will selected for teachers in order to collect the data
that can help the researcher to cross check the response of the data gained from the
questionnaires. There are about 75 teachers in selected school. From these the
researcher was selected 5 English teachers from total English teachers in school by
using purposive sampling technique.

3.4.2 Quantitative data collection

Both open ended and close ended questionnaire will be distributed to students in
order to get accurate response. The number of respondents who was assigned to
questionnaire was 40 in numbers.

3.5 Data analysis

In order to give a better report on what will be done within the study Area, a
description of the research findings will be the best examination of the actual
conditions in the study area; hence the descriptive analysis. Hence data collected
through review of documents, questionnaire and interviews will be analyzed within
the framework of the study objectives.

19
 4. Budget and Action Plan of the Study
Table 3: Budget Break Down
Budget requirement (cost of the study)

N Item Unit Quantity Birr/in Ethiopia Remar

o k
Data processing assistance 500 birr
Typist for research proposal 200 birr
Typist for research proposal after 200
Personal getting correct from adviser
2
service Typist for research review literature 100

Typist for research questionnaires 100

Typist for research 100

Sub total 1200 birr
3 Stationer 4.1 duplication paper 480 birr
y 4.2 duplicating questioner paper 100 birr
4.3 flash disc USB(4GB) 340 birr
4.4 Note book 200 birr
4.5 pen 100 birr
Sub total 1220 birr
Total cost 2420 birr

20
Table 4: Schedule of Research Activities

Major Activities of the Study Time

Identifying the problem March 2023
Preparing proposal and submitting March 2023
Correcting the comments given by advisor April 2023
Submitting the corrected proposal and defending April 2023
Collecting data from respondents May2023
Organizing, analyzing and discussing data May 2023
Presenting research progress To be arranged
Submitting the first draft of report May 2023
Correcting and submitting the second draft of report June 2023
Correcting and submitting the final draft of report June 2023
Defending the paper To be arranged

21
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