King Saud University

Deanship of Graduate Studies

Department of English Language and Literature

Causes of EFL speaking weakness in Saudi

Secondary Schools in Al-Gunfuthah City
MA Thesis Submitted to the English Language Department in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in
Applied Linguistics

Abduh Ali Al-mashy

426121060

Supervised by:
Dr. Ibrahim Ali Haji-Hassan

1432/2011
Second Semester

426121464

3122 \ 2543

ABSTRACT
The major aim of this study is to investigate the causes of EFL speaking
weakness in Saudi secondary schools in Al-Gunfuthah City. 240 students are
selected randomly from four secondary schools in Al-Gunfuthah. 60 students
from each school participated in the study. These students were selected
randomly from three levels in each secondary school. In addition, 30 English
teachers in Al-Gunfuthah city were selected randomly to contribute to the study.
Four instruments are used in this study which are students' questionnaire,
teachers' questionnaire, students' interview and teachers' interview.
The most important findings of this study are as follows:
1. Saudi secondary school students are generally weak in speaking English.
2. Most secondary school students have a positive attitudes towards speaking in
English.
3. Speaking difficulties faced by the students are related to pronunciation,
grammar, vocabulary, and fluency.
4. There are many reasons for students' weakness in terms of speaking in
English. These reasons are associated with the English textbook used in the
secondary level, the students, and the English teachers.
Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations can be
made:
1. The Ministry of Education should recognize that secondary school students
are generally weak with regard to speaking English. Hence, they are responsible
for solving this problem and developing spoken English in the secondary
schools.
2. The results reveal that most of the students have positive attitudes towards
speaking English. So, the English teachers should make use of this factor to
improve students' speaking skills by motivating students to speak in English.

3. English class should be divided into four separate parts based on the four
skills (speaking listening reading writing), in order to guarantee teaching
all of the four skills comprehensively.
4. The use of effective teaching aids such as language laboratories, videos, and
computers to teach English.
5. Increasing the number of English contact hours (periods) in order to give the
students the enough opportunities to practice English language.



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DEDICATION

To my late father
To my mother
To my wife, Nawal
To Atheer and Ali

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to
Allah Who gave me the ability to perform this work.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Ibrahim
Ali Haji-Hassan, who helped me broaden my thinking and gave me practical
suggestions during the process of writing this thesis. I would also like to express
my deepest appreciation to all of those who have greatly supported me during
the process of this graduate program.
With much gratitude, I acknowledge the members of my committee: Prof.
Moheiddin Ali Homeidi and Prof. Abdullah Saad Al- Dobaian for their helpful
advices, comments and suggestions. I wish to extend my genuine appreciation
to Prof. Mahmoud Saleh, for all his support and words of advice; Prof. Ahmad
Kutriah, for his encouragement and time dedicated into helping me; and Prof.
Ahmad Aradat, for his most helpful assistance. My sincere gratitude also goes
to all the students and the teachers, who were the subjects of this study, for their
generous help in collecting the data.
Finally, I would like to express my special thanks to all the members of
my family, especially my mother and my wife, for their great and true
encouragement. Without their love and support none of this would have been
possible.

Table of Contents
Topic

Page

Abstract ...i
Dedication ...v
Acknowledgments ..vi
List of tables .x
Chapter I: Introduction .. xii
1.1 Significance of the study 1
1.2 Statement of the problem 1
1.3 Purpose of the study 2
1.4 Research questions .2
1.5 Limitations of the Study ..2
1.6 Definitions of some abbreviations and terms used
in this research. 3
Chapter II: Review of the Related literature ...5
2.1 Speaking skill ..5
2.1. 1 Characteristics of speaking ..5
2.1.2 Importance of speaking .7
2.1. 3 Teaching EFL speaking 8
2.1. 3.1 Using activities to improve EFL speaking 11
2.2 Students attitudes and motivation with regard to EFL/ESL
Learning, and speaking in particular ....13
11

2.3 The causes of language learners errors ....15

2.4 Previous studies on the causes of EFL speaking weakness ...16
2.4. 1Theoretical studies ..16
2.4. 2 Empirical studies 18
2.5 Conclusion ...23
Chapter III: Methodology of the study ...24
3.1 The population of the study ...24
3.2 Sample of the study 24
3.2.1 Students ..24
3.2.2 Teachers ..24
3.2.3 Schools ...25
3.3 Instruments of the study .25
3.3.1 The Questionnaires ..25
3.3.1.1 The Teachers' Questionnaire .26
3.3.1.2 The Students' Questionnaire ..27
3.3.2 The Interviews ..28
3.4 Pilot research ...28
3.5 Procedures ...29
3.6. Data Analysis ..29
3.7 Summary ...30
Chapter IV: Results .31
4.1 Results of the questionnaires .31
11

4.1.1 Results of the teachers questionnaire 31

4.1.2 Results of the students questionnaire 40
4.2 Results of the interviews ..54
4.2.1 Results of the teacher interviews ...54
4.2.2 Results of the student interviews ...56
4.3 Summary 58
Chapter V: Discussion and Conclusion ..59
5.1 Discussion 59
5.2 Pedagogical Implications ............................................................. 62
5.3 Suggestions for Further Studies 63
References 64
Appendices ..71
Appendix A Teachers' Questionnaire 72
Appendix B Students' Questionnaire (English version) 78
Appendix C Students' Questionnaire (Arabic version) .87
Appendix D Students' and Teachers'
Interview Guide (English version) 95
Appendix E Students' and Teachers'
Interview Guide (Arabic version) .96
Appendix F Official Letter 97
Appendix G Official Letter 98

12

List of Tables
Table

Page

1. Description of the teacher participants according

to their experience . 32
2. Teachers Opinions about Speaking Skills and the
Students' Speaking Difficulties 33
3. Teachers Opinions about the Factors that may Contribute to
English Speaking Weakness 36
4. Teachers' Opinions about their Students level in terms of
English Speaking Skills in the Secondary Stage .37

5. Causes of English Speaking Weakness in Saudi Secondary

Schools from the Teachers' point of view 38

6. Recommendations to Develop English Speaking in Saudi

Secondary Schools from the Teachers' point of view ..39

7. Description of the student participants according to level of study.41

8. Description of the Student Participants according to Nationality 42

9. Description of Student Participants in terms of Travel to English

Speaking countries .42
10. Students' Attitudes and Motivation towards EFL Speaking Skill .44
13

11. Students' speaking difficulties in English ...45

12. Students Feelings When they Speak English in the Classroom .46
13. Students Feelings when they Speak English outside
the Classroom 47

14. Students' Opinions about the Factors that may Contribute to

English Speaking Weakness .. 50

15. Students' Opinions about their Levels in terms of English

Speaking Skills 51

16. Causes of English Speaking Weakness in Saudi Secondary

Schools from the Students' point of view 52

17. Recommendations to Develop English Speaking in Saudi Secondary Schools from

the Students' Point of view 53

14

Chapter One
Introduction
English is an important language in the world. It has become the
international language of communication (Seidlhofer, 2005). Of the 4,000 to
5,000 living languages, English is by far the most widely used (Broughton et
al., 1978, p.1). It is considered the first language in many countries such as the
United States of America, the United Kingdom and Australia. In other
countries, English is considered a second or foreign language. In the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia, where my study takes place, English is regarded as a foreign
language and is generally treated as an academic subject in schools. In most
cases, English is not the medium of teaching and learning, and is not widely
used outside the classroom. Most English teachers concentrate on improving
reading and writing skills and do not take into account the importance of
speaking and listening skills. In other words, teaching the oral skills in Saudi
schools is mostly ignored.
There are many problems and difficulties associated with teaching English
as a foreign or second language. These problems are generally concerned with
accuracy and fluency, and most learners are not satisfied with their speaking
and listening skills.
The present study attempts to investigate the causes of weakness in
speaking English as a foreign language in secondary schools in Al-Gunfuthah
city in Saudi Arabia. It focuses on determining the significant factors that
contribute to the inability of secondary school students to speak English. In
addition, the researcher tries to present the most important speaking difficulties
that

face

secondary

school

students.

Finally,

recommendations aimed at improving students' oral skill

15

the

study

provides

1.1 Significance of the study

The significance of this study stems from the following considerations:
1. The findings of this study will hopefully help EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia
in general, and in Al-Gunfuthah city in particular, in terms of diagnosing
speaking difficulties and remedying them.
2. This study will hopefully help EFL curriculum designers to produce books
that are particularly applicable for teaching speaking skills.
3. This study will offer recommendations that will hopefully help teachers
and students to overcome problems related to the speaking of English.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Teaching English in Saudi Arabia started in the late 1950s. Currently,
Saudi students begin to study English when they reach fifth grade of the
elementary level. According to Mofarreh (2005), the goal of teaching speaking
is to improve the students' ability to communicate. This is necessary in order
for the students to be able to express themselves, communicate with English
speakers, and to improve their understanding and respect for the culture of other
nations. Moreover, Dosari (1992) says that EFL is taught in order to enable
students to communicate with other English speakers and to offer them a
window on the world. However, by the time they are at secondary schools,
students still have many problems with regard to learning English in general,
and in speaking English in particular. They cannot speak English accurately and
fluently. The student is likely to take about 1100 hours of English in public
schools and still not be able to utter even a few correct sentences
(Sheshsha,1982, p.14). Such a problem is a major concern for teachers of
English at the secondary school level. These teachers may ignore teaching
speaking skills, either because they do not know how to teach this skill or

16

because they do not know the causes of weakness in speaking. Hence, they do
not focus on speaking as they should.

1.3 Purpose of the study

This study has three main purposes as follows:
1. To investigate the speaking difficulties that face EFL secondary school
students.
2. To investigate the factors that cause speaking weakness.
3. To offer recommendations that might help teachers and students to overcome
and reduce these speaking difficulties.

1.4 Research questions

This study aims to investigate the reasons for the weakness associated with
speaking English as a foreign language in Saudi secondary schools in AlGunfuthah city. Thus, the study is an attempt to answer the following questions:

1. What are the attitude of secondary school students with regard to

speaking in English?
2. What are the difficulties which students face when they attempt to speak
English?
3. What are the causes of the students' speaking weakness in English?

1.5 Limitations of the study

In conducting the present study, a few limitations are set as shown below.

1. The study sample is taken from Al-Gunfuthah city. Therefore, results

might be generalizable only to Al-Gunfuthah city.

17

2. The study is conducted in secondary schools. Thus, results cannot be

generalizable to all levels of school or higher educational institutions.
3. The study is conducted with EFL students whose mother tongue is
Arabic.

4. The study focuses on male students.

1.6 Definitions of some abbreviations and terms used in this
research
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners and Teachers: These are
people who learn or teach English while living in a community where English is
not spoken as a first language (Tanveer, 2007).

English as a Second Language (ESL) Learners and Teachers: These are

people who learn and teach English while living in a community where English
is spoken as a first language (Tanveer, 2007).

Speaking: An interactive productive process of receiving, constructing and

conveying meanings embedded in spoken words (McDonough & Shaw, 1993).

Speaking skills: This phrase refers to the sub-skills of speaking such as

pronunciation and fluency (Brown, 1994 as cited in Florez & Ann, 1999).

Speaking difficulty: This refers to an inability to speak accurately and fluently

(AbuGhararah, 1992).

Accuracy: This is the use of correct forms, where utterances do not contain
errors affecting the phonological, syntactic, semantic, and discourse features of
a language (Bryne, 1986).
18

Fluency: This refers to the ability to get across communicative intent without
too much hesitation and too many pauses which might cause a barrier or a
breakdown in communication (Bryne, 1986).

19

Chapter Two
Review of the Related Literature

This chapter reviews the literature related to speaking skills in English. It

explains the main characteristics of speaking, the importance of speaking, the
teaching of EFL speaking, and the use of activities to improve EFL speaking.
The review aims to discover the literature related to the causes of weakness in
speaking English as a foreign language. The review of the literature covers the
most recent theoretical studies as well as empirical ones. In addition, it provides
useful information about students attitudes and motivation with regard to EFL
speaking. Such a review will function as the theoretical foundation of the study.

2.1 Speaking skills

2.1. 1 Characteristics of speaking
Speaking skill is necessary to communicate with others. Speaking is "the
process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and nonverbal symbols, in a variety of contexts" (Chaney & Burk,

1998, p.13).

According to Florez & Ann (1999), the form and the meaning of speech are
dependent on the context in which it occurs, including the participants
themselves, their collective experiences, the physical environment, and the
purposes of speaking. He adds that speaking is often spontaneous, open-ended,
and evolving.
There are many sub-skills under the heading of speaking skill such as
pronunciation and fluency. In fact, Brown (1994 as cited in Florez & Ann,
1999) suggests that speaking might include the following skills:

21

1. Producing the sounds, stress patterns, rhythmic structures, and intonations of

the language.
2. Using grammar structures accurately.
3. Assessing characteristics of the target audience, including shared knowledge
or shared points of reference, status and power relations of participants, interest
levels, or differences in perspectives.
4. Selecting vocabulary that is understandable and appropriate for the audience,
the topic being discussed, and the setting in which the speech act occurs.
5. Applying strategies to enhance comprehensibility, such as emphasizing key
words, rephrasing, or checking for listener comprehension.
6. Using gestures or body language.
7. Paying attention to the success of the interaction and adjusting components of
speech such as vocabulary, rate of speech, and complexity of grammatical
structures to maximize listener comprehension and involvement.
Levelt (1989) suggests four main processes of speech production. These
are conceptualization, formulation, articulation, and self-monitoring. In
addition, Zuraidah (2008, p.1) says that Speaking is a productive skill which
requires a lot of back-up factors like knowledge, confidence, self esteem and
enthusiasm. Furthermore, Richards and Schmidt (2002) discuss the
characteristics of an effective speech act. They say that an effective speech act
should involve a combination of four competencies: grammatical competence
(grammar, vocabulary, phonology, and semantics), sociolinguistic competence
(appropriateness, pragmatics, and role relationship), discourse competence
(speech events, cohesion, and coherence), and strategic competence (knowledge
of strategic competence to compensate weakness).
21

From the researcher's experience as a teachingassistant, teaching speaking

can be said to be relatively ignored in Al-Gunfuthah secondary schools. Most of
teachers seem to focus more on written skills rather than on oral ones. Most of
the time students are silent in class, and they are rarely active in oral activities.
In most cases, and when they want to participate, they use Arabic in English
classes. Such classroom behavior seems to be due to the fact that students are
afraid of making mistakes when speaking.
Moreover, AbuGhararah supports the idea that teaching speaking is
ignored in schools. According to AbuGhararah (1998, p.33), Speaking is
generally discouraged in schools and classrooms. Speech in class is used only
when learners are called upon to repeat or answer a question.

2.1. 2 Importance of speaking

The human being has many characteristics. One of the main
characteristics is his ability to communicate. Communication between people
involves the passing of different types of messages and information. The
exchange of this information between people occurs by sensory stimulation or
by auditory and visual stimulation. Thus, speaking is one of the main features of
humans (Gimson, 1980, pp.1-2).
There are four important language skills. These are reading, writing,
speaking, and listening. These skills can be divided into productive skills and
receptive skills. Productive skills include speaking and writing. On the other
hand, reading and listening are considered to be receptive skills. According to
Allen and Corder (1975, p.26), Speech is the primary medium in that it is older
and more widespread than writing, and children always learn to speak before
they learn to write.

22

In language teaching, speaking is the most used skill in the classroom. It is

used as part of teaching reading, writing, and listening. So, teaching speaking
skills should be considered an essential part of language courses in schools
since it is essential as a means of developing classroom interaction.
One of the primary sub-skills of speaking is pronunciation because it
facilitates classroom communication. Indeed, Harper (2004) observes that
beginners have the most difficulty in learning a new sound system, and that
good pronunciation helps students to communicate effectively in classroom
activities. The student will be more confident if his pronunciation is excellent.
Thus, good pronunciation will help develop effective interaction in the
classroom.
Speaking is considered to be important in the development of other
language skills. Cayer, Green and Baker (1971) focused on the relationship
between learning speaking and learning other language skills. They discovered
that learning speaking can improve reading and writing skills.
However, it is obvious that teaching speaking is ignored. Egan (1999,
p.277), claims that "Speaking is the heart of second language learning
Despite its importantspeaking was until recently largely ignored in schools
and universities."

2.1. 3 Teaching EFL speaking

One of the important issues in teaching English is the issue of teaching EFL
speaking. Teaching EFL speaking skills is not an easy task. Such a claim is
substantiated by the argument that teaching speaking is meant to help students
improve their communicative ability. Indeed, Bygate (1987 as cited in Wang,
2006, p.47) makes a distinction between knowledge about a language, and skill
in using it. He offers an analogy of knowing the controls of the car and using

23

the skill to drive the car. Thus, teaching speaking means to train the learner to
speak, rather than to teach him about speaking.
According to Nunan, teaching speaking is to teach EFL / ESL students to
produce the English speech sounds and sound patterns, to use word and
sentence stress, to select appropriate words and sentences according to the
proper social setting, audience, situation and subject matter, to organize their
thoughts in a meaningful and logical sequence, to use language as a means of
expressing values and judgments, and to use the language quickly and
confidently with few unnatural pauses, which is called as fluency (Nunan,
2003 as cited in Kayi, 2006, p.1).
Hence, teachers should pay a great deal of attention to teaching speaking.
They should realize that teaching speaking is different from teaching other
language skills such as writing and reading. In this regard, Kayi (2006, p.4)
offered some important recommendations for teachers with regard to teaching
speaking:
1. Provide maximum opportunity to students to speak the target language by
providing a rich environment that contains collaborative work and authentic
materials.
2. Try to involve each student in every speaking activity and practice different
ways of student participation.
3. Reduce teacher speaking time in class while increasing student speaking
time.
4. Indicate positive signs when commenting on a student's response.

5. Ask eliciting questions such as "What do you mean?" in order to prompt

students to speak more and more.
24

6. Provide written feedback which includes positive comments.

7. Do not correct students' pronunciation mistakes very often while they are
speaking.
8. Correction should not distract student from his or her speech.
9. Involve the students in speaking activities, not only in class, but also outside
the classroom.
10. Circulate around the classroom to ensure that students are on the right track
and to see whether they need your help while they work in groups or pairs.
11. Provide the vocabulary beforehand that students need in speaking activities.
12. Diagnose problems faced by students who have difficulty in expressing
themselves in the target language, and provide more opportunities to practice
the spoken language.
Furthermore, AbuGhararah (1998, p.36) suggests important procedures
for teachers to follow while teaching speaking:
1. Say the model sentence two or three times orally and select sentences which
are short and easy to say.
2. Say the sentence at normal speed without exaggeration of lip movements
when pronouncing the words.
3. Ask good students to speak before asking the weaker ones to give the latter a
chance to practice the responses correctly.
4. Ask students to act as both listener and speaker.
5. Use various interesting oral exercises and techniques to reduce classroom
tension and boredom.
25

6. Correct your students speech gently, and do not correct every mistake a
student might make.
In teaching EFL speaking, teachers should focus on both accuracy and
fluency. They should provide practice in pronunciation, stress and intonation, as
well as fluency. Moreover, Cotter (2007) suggests that teachers should work
towards maintaining a balance between fluency (getting the words out) and
accuracy (using grammar and vocabulary correctly).
Yan (2007) observes that since the target of learning English is to
communicate with others, it is important to help the learners build confidence in
the skill of speaking in order to encourage them to be more willing to exchange
their ideas in the target language. Thus, he concludes that accuracy and fluency
should be integrated within classroom activities.
2.1. 3.1 Using activities to improve EFL speaking

As suggested by Harmer (1998), speaking activities enable students to

practice discussions which take place outside the classrooms in the form of free
discussions. He maintains that speaking activities provide feedback for both
teacher and student in the sense that the teacher can assess the strengths and
weakness of the students, while the students can realize what a particular kind
of speaking activity is, and what they might need to do to improve their
speaking competence.
Speaking activities can be divided into three important types: (a)
controlled activities, (b) guided activities and (c) free activities. Controlled and
guided activities are important with regard to improving accuracy. In contrast,
free activities are essential for enhancing fluency. Repetition drills are examples
of controlled activities, guided conversation is an example of guided activities,
and storytelling is a type of free activity (Stephen, 2004).
26

Budden (2002) proposes some activities for teaching EFL speaking. These
activities includes interesting and motivating topics, such as press conferences,
discussions, fashion statements, talking about the past, one word stories,
conversational English, consequences role play, shopping role plays, food
flashcards, telephone role-plays, shop service role plays, storytelling grid, and
chain storytelling.
Kayi (2006, p.2) suggests that ESL teachers should create a classroom
environment where students have real-life communication, authentic activities,
and meaningful tasks that promote oral language. These classroom activities
which can be used to teach speaking include role plays, simulations,
information gaps, storytelling, interviews, story completion, reporting, playing
cards, picture narrating, and picture describing.
However, speaking activities should be suitable and useful for the
learners. In designing these activities, the teacher should bear in mind the level
of the students and the purpose of the activities. Lim (1993, p.1) presents the
following ideas that should be kept in mind when planning speaking activities:
1. Content: the content should be practical and functional in terms of real-life
situations, without too much new vocabulary or grammar, and should focus on
speaking by using the language which the students have.
2. Correcting Errors: the teacher should provide appropriate feedback and
correction, but should not interrupt the flow of communication. He should take
notes while pairs or groups are talking, and address problems to the class after
the activity without embarrassing the student who made the error. The teacher
can write the error on the board and ask for volunteers to correct it.

27

3. Quantity vs. Quality: the teacher should concentrate on both fluency and
accuracy.
4. Conversation Strategies: the teachers should encourage strategies such as
asking for clarification, paraphrasing, gestures, and initiating.
5. Teacher Intervention: the teacher should ask more discussion questions, and
should clarify instructions.

2. 2 Students attitudes and motivation toward EFL/ESL

learning, and speaking in particular
Speaking English is a main ambition of many EFL students. However,
since some EFL students cannot make noticeable progress in oral skills, they
simply find no point in putting any effort in speaking accurately and fluently.
This failure could be due to the learners attitudes and motivation with regard to
the target language.
Carrillo (1976) defines attitude as the predisposition to act either
favorably or unfavorably toward some group, institution, or object (as cited in
Musallam, 2008, p.11). Motivation, however, refers to the internal derive that
encourages somebody to pursue a course of action (Harmer, 1983, p.3).
Rivers (1983) argued that developing stimulating students motivation in
the classroom should be the responsibility of the teacher, in order to increase the
students' learning. Rivers suggested that using interesting activities could
enhance students motivation.
Motivation is usually divided into two types: (a) extrinsic motivation and
(b) intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation refers to factors outside the
classroom, while intrinsic motivation refers to what takes place in the
classroom. In learning a second or a foreign language, students have two types
28

of goals in the form of integrative motivation and instrumental motivation.

Students are attracted by the culture and the people of the target language when
they have integrative motivation in learning the target language. Students are
instrumentally motivated when they study the target language in order to get a
job or position (Harmer, 1983).
Many studies have been undertaken to explore the role of attitudes and
motivation in improving foreign or second language learning. Kiziltepe (2004)
studied the attitudes and motivation of Turkish EFL students towards second
language learning. The results of this research revealed that students are highly
motivated instrumentally, as well as integratively. Moreover, Young (2006)
investigated the attitudes toward English among university students in Macao.
Young found that students had a strong motivation to learn English and to use it
as a medium of instruction.
In addition, an important study investigated the role of attitudes and
motivation in improving foreign or second language speaking. Skld (2008)
explored students attitudes towards spoken English, and how these attitudes
appear to be related to their oral communication in the classroom. The result of
this study revealed that "motivation and anxiety are psychological factors that
play a significant role in the learning process. Attitudes, both towards the target
language and towards their own production, affect pupils willingness to
communicate, and consequently their oral production in different tasks (p.1).
In general, attitudes and motivation emerge as two crucial factors that have
a strong effect on success or failure in language learning. A learner with a high
level of motivation and a positive attitude towards the target language can learn
and speak the target language easily and successfully, while those with the
opposite in terms of motivation and attitude will have problems.

29

2.3 The causes of language learners errors

Generally, learners make mistakes when they learn any language. These
mistakes or errors arise for different reasons. Accordingly, Norrish (1983,
pp.21-39) identified many possible causes of language learners errors such as
the following:
1. Carelessness: Carelessness is one of the important causes of error in language
learning and it is related to a lack of motivation.
2. First language interference: Learning a first or a foreign language is a matter
of habit formation. Thus, if language is a set of habits and when the learner
learns new habits the old ones will interfere with the new ones. So, interference
between learning the first language and learning the second or foreign language
may cause language learning problems.
3. Translation: Errors due to translation may occur when the learner translates
words from the first language to the target language literally.
4. Overgeneralization: Errors can occur when the learner overgeneralizes rules.
5. Material-induced errors: There are two types of errors which may be induced
by teaching materials. These are the ignorance of rule restrictions and false
concepts. For example, the use of the present continuous tense in the wrong
situation is an example of an error that occurs as a result of a false concept.
6. Errors as part of language creativity: Learners may make mistakes when they
create new sentences, since they have limited experience in the target language.
7. Foreign language errors: Learning the target language as a foreign language
indicates that the learner learns the language mainly in the classroom. Learners
of a foreign language may make a number of different mistakes. These mistakes
are concerned with the formation of interlanguage. In addition, FL learners
errors may happen as a result of weakness in the textbook or on the part of the
teacher who may, for example, mispronounce words or make grammatical
mistakes.
31

8. Second language errors: Second language learning means learning the

language in an environment where the language is in regular use outside the
classroom. Second language learners may make errors because there are
different varieties of the target language that are used for communication
purposes outside the classroom.

2.4 Previous studies on the causes of EFL speaking weakness

2.4. 1Theoretical studies
There have been many theoretical studies that have discussed EFL/ESL
speaking problems. I have collected the most recent ones on this issue. There
are many differences between my study and these studies as will be noted.
Fallaj (1998) mentions different factors that can cause weakness in terms of
English proficiency in Saudi schools. These factors include (a) insufficient
English contact hours (periods) in that typically, English is only taught for 2-4
hours a week, (b) the absence of teaching aids, (c) the use of traditional
teaching methods such as grammar and vocabulary translation and audio-lingual
methods. Wang (2006) studied the problems that exist with regard to the
teaching and learning of oral English. He said that there are many unresolved
problems in teaching and learning oral English. He maintains that additional
studies in this area may provide more helpful experiences to support ESL/EFL
speakers to produce fluent and accurate speech. However, he does not provide
any practical suggestions with regard to improving teaching and learning oral
English and to solving speaking problems.
Rababh (2002) discusses the communication problems that face Arab
learners of English and how to solve these problems. He refers to the language
problems faced by English majors in Arab Universities. Rababh believes that
the weakness of EFL learners is caused by different factors such as, the
31

inadequacy of school and English department curricula and teaching

methodology, the lack of the target language environment, and the learners
lack of motivation (p.184).
In Japan, Matsuya (2003) investigated the problems of teaching English.
He observed that the reasons for the poor speaking and listening skills on the
part of Japanese students was the traditional focus on grammatical skills and the
lack of teaching communication skills.
Moreover, Maniruzzaman (2008) studied the major linguistic problems and
possible solutions in learning EFL by Bengali learners. He discovered that most
of the linguistic problems that are encountered by EFL Bengali learners are due
to the differences between the two languages in terms of phonology.
Awang and Begawan (2007) noticed that students' performance in English
medium subjects were weak and a cause for concern, despite the rise in the total
percentage of students passing the exam in order to enter secondary school.
They said that students cannot speak English because they use their native
language in and outside the classroom for communication purposes.
In view of the fact that English is a foreign language, Arab students have
many problems with the English pronunciation system. Arab students have
different dialects, so their difficulties may vary from one student to another.
Avery & Ehrlich (1992) presented the following examples of common
pronunciation problems for most Arab learners of English:
1- /p/ vs. /b/: Arabic does not have /p/, and students may substitute /b/ for
/p/.
2- /v/ vs. /f/: Arabic does not have /v/, and students may substitute /f/ for
/v/.
3- /r/: may be pronounced as trill.
Avery & Ehrlich maintained that Arabic learners of English have many
problems when dealing with English vowels, since English has a different

32

number of vowels. Arabic learners cannot distinguish between some vowels as

in the following:
1- / e / vs. / I /: Arabic students cannot distinguish between set and sit.
In addition, AbuSeileek (2007, p.3) asserted that "Arabic speaking learners
of English have difficulty in producing stress patterns. While stress in Arabic is
predictable, stress in English is not."

2.4. 2 Empirical studies

There are many empirical studies that have focused on EFL speaking
difficulties and the reasons for these difficulties. AbuGhararah (1992) studied
the factors contributing to Taibah University students' English speaking
inability. He concluded that the students majoring in English at the college of
education in Madinah Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia, failed to converse in English
accurately and fluently. The students tended to make several errors in their daily
utterances. Moreover, they were hesitant to speak the target language because
they were unable to keep the utterances flowing (p.1). In this study, the
subjects were 6 language teachers who taught English as a foreign language,
and 71 students majoring in English at the Department of Foreign Languages at
the College of Education in Medina Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia. The
instruments used in this study consisted of a survey containing open-ended
questions, and two structured interviews. The open-ended questions included
the following two questions:

1.

What are the reasons leading to your English speaking inability at the
Department of Foreign Languages?

2.

What are your proposed solutions for this problem?

This study identified many causes of speaking inability in terms of EFL.

The teachers negative attitudes towards speaking English, the learners
33

negative attitudes towards speaking English, the lack of opportunities for peerinteraction in the EFL classroom, and the inadequacy of the Department of
English with regard to teaching English as a spoken foreign language are
examples of the causes of inability in terms of speaking in English.
AbuGhararah (1992) observed that the more the student was engaged in
speaking, the greater opportunity to develop this skill (p.8). In addition, he
provided many suggestions with regard to developing speaking skills, such as
increasing the hours of teaching speaking in English Departments and using
English both in and outside the classroom. However, AbuGhararah did not
specify the types of speaking weakness that students demonstrated. He did not
determine whether the students were weak in pronunciation, in grammar, in
fluency, or in all of them. In contrast, my study will explore the causes of
speaking weakness in Saudi secondary schools, particularly in Al-Gunfuthah
city. It will determine the kinds of speaking difficulties that EFL secondary
school students encounter.
Yan-hua (2007) studied an overseas Chinese student in U.K. with the
purpose of investigating the difficulties in speaking English for academic
purposes. This study was a case study of a Chinese student studying at the
University of York. Yan-hua found that speaking difficulties for academic
purposes are related to cross-cultural problems, learning strategies, and
linguistic causes.
In Saudi Arabia, Harbi (2005) studied the English spoken by Saudis at
King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia. The aim of this
study was to identify the main characteristics of the English spoken by some
Saudi young men at King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
(p.111). She used a questionnaire and recording as instruments of her study.
The results revealed that Saudi staff at King Fahd Specialist Hospital made
some mistakes in speaking. Harbi (p.112) mentioned some reasons for these
mistakes as follows:
34

1.

Teachers were not native speakers of English.

2.

Teachers did not concentrate on communication skills in the classroom.

3.

The students did not learn English in the early stages of their schooling.

She also made a number of different suggestions to improve the students

speaking skills. However, this study was limited to the characteristics of the
English spoken by employees at King Fahd Specialist Hospital. As noted
above, the author used recordings and a 22-item questionnaire as the
instruments for her study. However, she did not use interviews in order to
collect data. Moreover, the 22-item questionnaire was concerned only with the
speaking difficulties. In my study, I use both questionnaires and interviews to
elicit students and teachers responses with regard to speaking difficulties, the
reasons contributing to these difficulties, and their recommendations in terms
of enhancing speaking skills.
Contrastive and error analysis play a major role in identifying learners'
errors. Braik (1982) investigated the sound systems of Arabic and English. He
claimed that there were similarities and differences between Arabic and
English sound systems. As he suggested, When learning English, Arabic
speakers face some difficulties in mastering the English pronunciation. These
difficulties are due to the differences in the sound system of both languages
(p.91).
According to Daffa (1983, p.1), Listening, speaking, and pronunciation
instructions are not getting enough attention in the 7th grade EFL class syllabus
of Saudi Arabian junior high schools. Daffa explored the learning outcomes of
Saudi seventh grade students after incorporating a special EFL unit on the
sound-structure of English into their EFL class syllabus. He found that students
who studied with the experimental EFL unit showed improvement in their
pronunciation.

35

Dana and Tracy (1996) studied college or university professors' views on

ESL students' difficulties with regard to listening and speaking tasks. They
discovered that students had great difficulty with class participation, asking and
responding to questions, and general listening comprehension. They provided
many ideas for improving ESL students listening and speaking skills, such as
giving students opportunities to practice listening to real lectures by a variety of
speakers, and speaking with native speakers.
In Malaysia, Lan (1994) investigated the need for developing speaking
skills among EFL learners. He discovered that students were weak in both
accuracy and fluency because they used their native language in communication
both in and outside the classroom.
Dooey (2006) stated that there were many listening and speaking
difficulties faced by students from different language backgrounds studying in
Australia. She said that international students could not participate and ask
questions because they were weak in terms of speaking and listening. Dooey
identified the listening and speaking needs of international students in Australia.
She provided several recommendations aimed at developing listening and
speaking skills.
In China, Na (2007) studied the anxiety associated with the English learning
of high school students. He concluded that high anxiety could play a major role
in language learning. In the same way, Tanveer (2007) investigated the factors
that cause language anxiety for ESL/EFL learners in learning speaking skills,
and the influence it had on communication in the target language. The
researcher used semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions as
instruments of the study. The results revealed that language anxiety can
originate from learners own sense of self, their self-related cognitions,
language learning difficulties, differences in learners and target language
cultures, differences in social status of the speakers and interlocutors, and from
the fear of losing self-identity (p.iii). Tanveer found that feelings of anxiety,
36

apprehension and nervousness had a negative and harmful effect on

communication and speaking in the target language. He concluded that
students anxieties should be reduced in order to improve their speaking
abilities.
Similarly, Lindy (2008) found that high anxiety might hinder learning a
second language. Lindy studied the relationship between anxiety and speaking
English as a second language. According to Lindy, the most common source of
anxiety was interaction with native speakers. This study supported Tanveer's
(2007) conclusion that anxiety should be low in order to encourage students to
speak easily in the target language.
Concerning pronunciation, Barros (2003) studied the pronunciation
difficulties that Arabic speakers may encounter when learning English
consonants after the age of puberty. She found that Arabic speakers had
difficulties with regard to pronouncing eight English consonants which were //,
/p/, /v/, /d/, //, //, //, and /r/. As noted by Barros, differences between
English and Arabic lead to these pronunciation problems. However, I do not
agree with Barros that Arabic speakers had difficulties with regard to
pronouncing these eight English consonants.
Amry (2005) investigated the methods and the procedures that have been
used to evaluate spoken English in Saudi secondary schools. He discovered that
lack of knowledge in evaluating speaking skills in Saudi schools was one of the
causes of speaking weakness in such schools. He maintained that we should
evaluate students speaking skill in order to improve speaking.

37

2.5 Conclusion
The above reviewed studies shed light on speaking skills. It discussed the
techniques associated with teaching speaking as a foreign language.
Furthermore, the review examined students attitudes and motivation towards
learning English as a foreign language, and towards EFL speaking in particular.
The reviewed studies suggest many reasons for EFL speaking weakness: (a)
anxiety, (b) absence of authentic materials, (c) absence of communication with
native speakers, (d) weakness of English language departments, and (e)
ignorance of teaching speaking effectively. Most of the writers have offered
suggestions and recommendations aimed at improving speaking skills.
From the previous review, one can see that there have been many studies
that have investigated the causes of EFL/ESL speaking weakness. However,
none of these studies specifically aimed to investigate the causes of EFL/ESL
speaking weakness in Saudi secondary schools. This study fills this gap in our
knowledge by investigating the causes of weakness in EFL speaking in Saudi
secondary schools in Al-Gunfuthah city.

38

Chapter Three
Methodology of the study
This chapter explains the methodology and the design of the study. It
gives information about the population, the sample, the instruments, as well as
the statistical procedures that were used in the study.

3.1 The population of the study

In this study, the population consists of male secondary school students,
who study in Saudi public schools in Al-Gunfuthah city. Their ages range from
16 to 19.

3.2 Sample of the study

3.2.1 Students
240 students were selected randomly from four secondary schools in AlGunfuthah. 60 students from each school participated in the study. These
students were selected randomly from the three levels in each secondary school
as follows:

1. First secondary level: 20 students

2. Second secondary level: 20 students
3. Third secondary level: 20 students

3.2.2 Teachers
There are many English language teachers in the secondary schools in AlGunfuthah. However, I chose 30 English teachers at random to contribute to the
study.

39

3.2.3 Schools
Al-Gunfuthah is a big city which has a large number of schools. However,
I used a random sample of four schools which proportionally covered the whole
city.

3.3 Instruments of the study

There were two types of instruments used to explore the causes of
weakness in speaking English in Saudi secondary schools in Al-Gunfuthah city.
Since questionnaires and interviews were the most appropriate instruments for
collecting qualitative and quantitative information, I decided to make use of
these instruments in my study. According to Wallace (2003), questionnaires and
interviews are useful research techniques when it comes to eliciting factual data,
opinions, ideas and experiences. He maintains that these techniques are helpful
with big samples. The following is a brief illustration of the data collection
instruments.

3.3.1 The Questionnaires

The study consists of two questionnaires: (1) a teacher questionnaire and
(2) a student questionnaire. Some of the questionnaire items are based on items
selected from previous studies such as those of Abu-Ghararah (1992) and
Gardner (1985).
In the students' questionnaire, items 2,3,10,11,12,13,14,16,20,22,23,25
and 52 are taken from Gardner (1985). Moreover, items 46, 47,59 and 60 are
taken from Abu-Ghararah (1992). In the teachers' questionnaire, items 1,4,5,6,
and 7 are taken from Gardner (1985). Also, items 19, 20, and 36 are taken from
Abu-Ghararah (1992). However, some modifications are made in the selected
items to suit the purpose of this study. For example, items 46 and 47 are used as
questions in structured interview in Abu-Ghararah (1992), but I use these items
as questionnaire items in the students' questionnaire.
41

The students questionnaire is presented in Arabic to avoid any

misunderstanding and difficulties with the English language. The responses
from the students questionnaire are then translated into English. In addition,
four instructors who had PhDs in applied linguistics and TEFL were asked to
examine each item of the two questionnaires. Indeed, they have provided
important suggestions which allowed the researcher to develop the two
questionnaires.

3.3.1.1 The Teachers' Questionnaire

As shown in Appendix (A), the teachers' questionnaire consisted of 36
items. These items are structured into four parts. The first part contains four
items designed to gather personal information about the teachers who took part.
The second part of the teachers' questionnaire contains 33 items. In these items,
the teachers are asked to select from the following choices: (1) strongly agree,
(2) agree, (3) disagree and (4) strongly disagree. In addition, these items were
divided into two sections: (a) teachers opinions about speaking skills and the
students' speaking difficulties and (b) teachers' opinions about the factors that
may contribute to weakness with regard to English speaking. The third part
contained one multiple-choice item designed to elicit the teachers opinions
about their students' level in terms of English speaking skills. The fourth part
contained the following two open-ended items:

(1) What are the causes of English speaking weakness in Saudi secondary
schools from your point of view?
(2) What are your recommendations with regard to developing English
speaking in Saudi secondary schools?

41

In general, the teachers' questionnaire is similar to the students'

questionnaire. However, there are some items which existed in the students'
questionnaire and did not exist in the teachers' questionnaire, and vice versa.

3.3.1.2 The Students' Questionnaire

As shown in Appendix (B), the students' questionnaire consists of 60
items which are structured into four parts. The first part consists of seven items
designed to obtain personal information about the students. The second part
contains 57 items. In these items, the students are asked to select from the
following choices: (1) strongly agree, (2) agree, (3) disagree and (4) strongly
disagree. These items are divided into five sections: (a) students' attitudes and
motivation in terms of EFL speaking skills, (b) students' speaking difficulties,
(c) students' feelings when they speak English in the classroom, (d) students'
feelings when they speak English outside the classroom, and (e) students'
opinions about the factors that may contribute to their English speaking
weakness. The third part contains one multiple-choice question designed to
elicit the students' opinions about their level in terms of English speaking skills
in the secondary school. As with the teachers' questionnaire, the fourth part of
the students' questionnaire contains the following two open-ended items:

(1) What are the causes of English speaking weakness in Saudi secondary
schools from your point of view?
(2) What are your recommendations with regard to developing English
speaking in Saudi secondary schools?

Unlike the teachers questionnaire, the students questionnaire is translated

into Arabic to avoid any misunderstanding or difficulties (see Appendix C). The
students questionnaire is translated by the researcher then revised by three
experts in translation.
42

3.3.2 The Interviews

In the present study, the interviews are conducted with a representative
sample of both students and teachers. Twelve teachers and twenty four students
are selected randomly to participate in the interview. Moreover, students
interviews are presented in Arabic in order to enable the students to express
their ideas without difficulty. The researcher then translated the students
responses to English. Both samples of interviewee are given the same questions.
These questions are:
1. What are the students speaking difficulties?
2. What are the causes of speaking difficulties from your point of view?
3. What recommendations would you make to develop the speaking of English?

3.4 Pilot research

The aim of the pilot study is to know to what extent the questionnaire
items were clear. Moreover, this piloting helped the researcher to estimate the
time required to answer the questionnaire items. Thirty students were selected
randomly from one of the secondary schools in Al-Gunfuthah, ten from each of
the three secondary years. Also, ten English teachers were selected to
participate in the pilot study. The results of the piloting show that most of the
questionnaire items were clear. However, some changes were made.
Cronbanch's Alpha test was used to test the reliability of the teachers' and the
students' questionnaires. In the teachers' questionnaire, the Cronbanch's Alpha
test produced a high alpha coefficient of (0.663). Moreover, the Cronbanch's
Alpha test produced a high alpha coefficient of (0.785) with regard to the
students' questionnaire.

43

3.5 Procedures
The data collection procedures took about forty days. The data were
collected at the beginning of the second semester 2010. First, a letter of request
for permission to collect the data for this study was sent from the Dean of the
College of Arts at King Saud University to the general Directorate of Education
in Al-Gunfuthah (see Appendix F). Then, a letter of request was sent to each
secondary school in Al-Gunfuthah to inform them about the nature of the study
(see Appendix G). After that, four secondary schools were selected randomly.
Then, the researcher visited these four schools and met the English teachers
there to explain the required information and to discuss the appropriate time for
collecting the data. In addition, the students were informed by their teachers.
After that, the teachers' and the students' questionnaires were administrated by
me personally. The students were given 35 minutes to complete the
questionnaire, while the teachers were given five days. Fortunately, all of the
questionnaires were returned.
Twenty four students were selected randomly to participate in the
interview process, two students from each class. The student interviews were
conducted in Arabic and every interview took less than fifteen minutes. On the
other hand, twelve teachers were selected randomly to participate in the
interview process. The teacher interviews were mostly conducted in English,
but sometimes the teachers preferred to speak in Arabic. The teachers' and the
students' interviews were audio-recorded in order to be transcribed and analyzed
later.

3.6 Data Analysis

In the present study, a range of statistical techniques such as frequencies,
percentages, standard deviation, and means is used. In addition, SPSS V15 is
used for analytical purposes.
44

3.7 Summary
This chapter describes the methodology required to answer the research
questions related to the causes of EFL speaking weakness in Saudi secondary
schools in Al-Gunfuthah city.
The chapter explains the population, the sample, the instruments, the
procedures as well as the analyses of the data. It described the main four
instruments used in the study: (a) students' questionnaire, (b) teachers'
questionnaire, (c) students' interview and (d) teachers' interview.

45

Chapter Four
Results
The findings of this research will be presented in this chapter according to
the research instruments used to collect the data. This chapter describes the
results of both the questionnaires and the interviews with the teachers and the
students. The SPSS V15 for Windows was used to analyze the collected data.
The results will be discussed in the next chapter.

4.1 Results of the questionnaires

The study consists of two questionnaires: (1) a student questionnaire and
(2) a teacher questionnaire. The aim of these questionnaires is to collect data
about

speaking

difficulties,

the

causes

of

these

difficulties,

and

recommendations for developing spoken English in Saudi secondary schools.

The results of the teachers' and the students' questionnaires are administrated
and analyzed as follows:

4.1.1 Results of the teachers questionnaire:

The teachers questionnaire is given to 30 English language teachers in
randomly selected secondary schools in Al-Gunfuthah. The teachers are also
randomly selected, regardless of their academic degrees or experience. All of
the 30 questionnaires are returned. The questionnaire consists of 36 items which
are structured into several parts as follows:
Part One:
The first part of the teachers questionnaire has four items intended to elicit
personal information about the selected teachers. The results showed that all the
subjects of the sample were Saudi English teachers. It was found that 96.7% of
them had Bachelors degree and the rest had Master's degrees. 3.3% of the
46

sample had been teaching English for one year, 50% of them had been teaching
English for 2 to 5 years and the remainder for more than 6 years (see Table 1).
Table (1)
Description of the teacher participants according to their experience
Frequency

1 year

3.3

2-5 years

15

50.0

6-10 years

10

33.3

- More than 10 years

10.0

Missing information

3.3

Sum

30

100%

Part Two:
The second part of the teachers questionnaire consists of 33 items, with
each item having four choices: (1) strongly agree (2) agree (3) disagree and (4)
strongly disagree. These items are divided into two sections: (a) teachers
opinions about speaking skills and the students' speaking difficulties and (b)
teachers' opinions about the factors that may contribute to weakness with regard
to speaking English.
A. Teachers opinions about speaking skills and the students' speaking difficulties

As can be seen in Table (2), the teachers answered seven 4-point Likertstyle items intended to measure their opinions about the speaking skills and the
students' difficulties with regard to speaking in English. It was found that the
teachers had a positive attitude in terms of these items because the means of
their responses were greater than the mean for the scale (2.5). The highest mean
47

was 3.6, indicating that most of the teachers (70%) strongly agreed that learning
English speaking skills was important at the secondary level. 76.6% of the
teachers strongly agreed or agreed that teaching English speaking skills was
difficult at the secondary level. The majority of the teachers agreed that the
students have many types of speaking difficulties in terms of spoken English.
Accordingly, 96.6% of the teachers strongly agreed or agreed that students have
difficulties when it comes to speaking English. Moreover, 60% of them strongly
agreed and 40% agreed that students cannot speak English fluently. When the
teachers were asked whether the students have English pronunciation
difficulties, 53.3% of them agreed and 43.3% strongly agreed that this was the
case, with a mean of 3.4. In addition, 56.7% of the teachers strongly agreed and
40% agreed that the students have grammatical difficulties when speaking
English. A mean of 3.3 revealed that 46.7% of the teachers strongly agreed and
40% agreed that the lack of an adequate vocabulary makes speaking English
difficult for the students. In general, the findings with regard to items 1 to 7 are
in agreement with the findings revealed in the literature.
Table (2)
Teachers Opinions about Speaking Skills and the Students' Speaking
Difficulties
Item

rank

Std.
Mean
Deviation

4.49827

3.6000

2
3
4
5
6
7

1
7
4
5
3
6

4.72397
4.99481
4.57450
4.56324
4.57135
4.71116

3.6000
3.1000
3.5172
3.4000
3.5333
3.3333

Strongly
disagree
%
N
3.3
10
-

48

1
3
-

Strongly
agree
% N

Disagree

Agree

3.3
13.3
3.3
3.3
3.3
13.3

40

12

60

18

1
4
1
1
1
4

23.3
33.3
43.3
53.3
40
40

7
10
13
16
12
12

70
43.3
53.3
43.3
56.7
46.7

21
13
16
13
17
14

B. Teachers opinions about the factors that may contribute to weakness in

spoken English
In Table (3), the teachers were asked to respond to twenty six 4-point
Likert-style items designed to ascertain their opinions about the factors that
contribute to weakness in spoken English. In other words, these items are
related to the teachers, the students, the teaching methods as well as the
textbook used. Generally, it was found that the teachers had negative attitudes
toward items (10 11 12 15 16 - 18 19 20 21 25 26 27 30
32 33) because the means for these items were less than the mean for the
scale (2.5). At the same time, they had positive attitudes toward items (8 9
13 14 17 22 23 24 28 29 31) because the means for these items
were greater than the mean for the scale. The highest mean, (3.46), indicated
that the majority of the teachers agreed that the English textbook used at the
secondary level emphasized written skills (reading and writing) more than oral
skills (speaking and listening).
On the other hand, the lowest mean, which was 1.53, showed that most of
the teachers disagreed that using English speaking activities in the class was a
waste of time. 93.3% of the teachers, with a high mean of 3.46, strongly agreed
or agreed that the students are weak in speaking English. Many of the teachers,
with a mean of 3.2, believed that the differences between Arabic and English
sound systems makes speaking English difficult for the students, while only
23.3% of them disagreed. 60% of the teachers agreed that students do not want
to speak English in the classroom because they are afraid of making mistakes.
36.7% of the teachers disagreed that students spoke English with them in the
classroom and 30% of them strongly disagreed. Also, 50% of the teachers
strongly disagreed that the students speak English with them outside the
classroom and 33.3% of them disagreed. In the same way, 50% of the teachers
49

strongly disagreed that the students speak English with their classmates in the
classroom and 33.3% of them disagreed. Less than half of the teachers (43.3%)
agreed that the students do not speak English in the classroom because their
classmates would laugh at them if they made a mistake. When the teachers were
asked whether the students prefer to speak Arabic in the English language
classroom, 50% of them strongly agreed. More than half (56.7%) of the teachers
strongly disagreed with the idea that students use a dictionary to identify the
correct pronunciation of English words. 46.7% of the teachers strongly
disagreed that students ask them about the correct pronunciation of English
words. The teachers reported different opinions when they were asked about
correcting students speaking mistakes. 26.7% of them disagreed, and 16.7%
agreed that they correct all of the students speaking mistakes. 56.6% of the
teachers strongly disagreed or disagreed with the idea that they encourage the
students to speak English in the classroom. In addition, 60% of the respondents
strongly disagreed or disagreed that they encourage the students to speak
English outside the classroom.
Many teachers (56.7%) strongly disagreed or disagreed that they use
different types of speaking activities while teaching English speaking. The
findings demonstrated that 66.7% of the teachers strongly agreed or agreed that
they do not give the students the chance to speak English in the classroom
because they are weak in speaking. The majority of the teachers (80%) strongly
agreed or agreed that they are not trained well enough to teach English speaking
in secondary schools. When the teachers were asked about the English textbook
used in the secondary level, 96.6% of them strongly agreed or agreed that the
textbook does not include enough speaking activities. The majority of the
teachers (96.7%) strongly disagreed or disagreed that the English textbook helps
the students to improve their speaking skill. 93.4% of the respondents strongly
51

disagreed or disagreed that the English contact hours are enough to improve
speaking skills. A mean of 3.2 indicated that most of the teachers (80%)
strongly agreed or agreed that students usually speak Arabic in the classroom.
On the other hand, 83.3% of the teachers strongly disagreed or disagreed that
the students usually speak English in the classroom. It was found that 66.7% of
the teachers strongly agreed or agreed that they speak Arabic in the classroom.
In contrast, 60% of the teachers strongly disagreed or disagreed that they speak
English in the classroom. The results revealed that the majority of the teachers
(73.4%) strongly disagreed or disagreed that they give the students oral English
tests. Generally speaking, these findings are important and helpful with regard
to diagnosing students' speaking weakness.

Table (3)
Teachers Opinions about the Factors that may Contribute to English
Speaking Weakness
Item

Rank

Std.
Mean
Deviation

Strongly
disagree
%
N

Disagree

Agree

Strongly
agree
% N

.81720

3.2333

23.3

30

46.7

14

9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23

5
17
21
22
9
4
25
19
2
15
12
13
16
10
8

.58329
.92289
.83666
.75810
.88992
.80230
.77013
1.01483
.62881
1.15669
1.18419
1.01483
1.11675
1.12495
1.06350

3.2667
2.1000
1.7000
1.6667
2.9667
3.3333
1.6000
1.9333
3.4667
2.2000
2.3333
2.2667
2.1667
2.9000
3.2000

30
50
50
6.7
3.3
56.7
46.7
36.7
33.3
26.7
40
16.7
13.3

9
15
15
2
1
17
14
11
10
8
12
5
4

6.7
36.7
33.3
33.3
20
10
26.7
20
6.7
26.7
23.3
33.3
16.7
16.7
6.7

2
11
10
10
6
3
8
6
2
8
7
10
5
5
2

60
26.7
13.3
16.7
43.3
36.7
16.7
26.7
40
16.7
20
26.7
30
26.7
26.7

18
8
4
5
13
11
5
8
12
5
6
8
9
8
8

33.3
6.7
3.3
30
50
6.7
53.3
20
23.3
13.3
13.3
40
53.3

10
2
1
9
15
2
16
6
7
4
4
12
16

51

24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33

3
24
23
26
1
6
20
11
14
18

.56324
.62146
.55605
.50742
.57135
.85836
.84486
1.10589
.99655
.92786

3.4000
1.6000
1.6333
1.5333
3.4667
3.2333
1.9000
2.8667
2.2000
1.9667

46.7
40
46.7
3.3
33.3
16.7
30
36.7

14
12
14
1
10
5
9
11

3.3
46.7
56.7
53.3
3.3
16.7
50
16.7
30
36.7

1
14
17
16
1
5
15
5
9
11

53.3
6.7
3.3
46.7
33.3
10
30
30
20

16
2
1
14
19
3
9
9
6

43.3
50
46.7
6.7
36.7
10
6.7

Part Three:
The third part had one multiple-choice item. This item was designed to
elicit the teachers opinions about their students' levels in terms of English
speaking skills in the secondary stage. In general, teacher participants believed
that students were weak when it came to speaking English, with a low mean of
1.97 (Table 4).
Table (4)
Teachers' Opinions about their Students level in terms of English
Speaking Skills in the Secondary Stage
Item Std.
Deviation
34
.85029

Mean

Poor

1.9667 %
36.7

Average

Good

11

30

33.3 10

Very
good

Excellent

% N

Part Four:
In this part, the teachers were asked two open-ended questions as follows:

1. What are the causes of English speaking weakness in Saudi

secondary schools from your own point of view?

2. What are your recommendations with regard to developing English

speaking in Saudi secondary schools?
52

13
15
14
2
11
3
2

All of the 30 teacher participants provided answers to the two open-ended

questions. They suggested many possible reasons for speaking weakness. 56.7%
of the respondents reported that students were weak in speaking English
because the English textbook depends mainly on teaching reading, writing and
grammar rather than teaching speaking. The same percentage of the teachers
asserted that students were weak in speaking English because they did not speak
English in their daily lives. Moreover, 46.7% of the respondents argued that
students were weak in speaking because their aim was only to pass the tests and
speaking was not included in such tests. The frequency and the percentage of
each cause and recommendation were calculated separately. Furthermore, all
frequencies and percentages are listed in order from responses with high
frequency and percentage to responses with low frequency and percentage. A
brief summary of the teachers opinions about the causes of English speaking
weakness is reported in Table (5).
Table (5)
Causes of English Speaking Weakness in Saudi Secondary Schools from the
Teachers' point of view
Serial

The causes

The English textbook depends mainly on teaching

reading, writing and grammar rather than teaching

17

56.7%

speaking
2

Students do not speak English in their daily lives

17

56.7%

Students focus only on passing the tests

14

46.7%

Teachers do not encourage students to speak in 11

36.7%

English
5

The English textbook does not include speaking 11

activities
53

36.7%

There are no speaking tests in the assessment 9

30%

system
7

Teachers ignore speaking skills

26.7%

There are insufficient English contact hours

20%

Schools lack language laboratories

13.3%

10

Students are usually shy

6.7%

11

Teachers would be unable to control the students in 1

3.3%

the class if they introduced speaking activities

12

Teachers do not have enough knowledge about 1

3.3%

teaching speaking

In Table (6), the teachers provided practical recommendations with regard

to improving speaking English. Half of them suggested dividing the English
class into four separate sessions based on the four skills (speaking listening
reading writing). In addition, 46.7% of the respondents recommended
designing practical textbooks which focus on improving speaking. The same
percentage suggested using effective teaching aids such as videos and
computers to teach English.
Table (6)
Recommendations to Develop English Speaking in Saudi Secondary
Schools from the Teachers' point of view
Serial
1

The recommendations

Dividing the English class into four separate

15

50%

14

46.7%

sessions based on the four skills (speaking

listening reading writing)
2

Designing practical textbooks which focus on

improving speaking
54

Using effective teaching aids such as videos

14

46.7%

12

40%

and computers
4

Giving students the opportunity to speak in

English in the classroom

Utilizing speaking activities

11

36.7%

Students should speak English in and outside

11

36.7%

26.7%

the classroom
7

Teachers should motivate students to speak in

English

English speaking skills should be tested

23.3%

Create a warm and friendly atmosphere in the

16.6%

classroom
10

Use English laboratories

13.3%

11

Students should listen more to English speakers

6.7%

3.3%

3.3%

through the media

12

Students should study English in English

speaking countries during vacations

13

Invite native English teachers from the USA or

the UK to teach English in Saudi secondary
schools

4.1.2 Results of the students questionnaire:

The students questionnaire was administered to 240 students
selected from four secondary schools in Al-Gunfuthah city. 60 students
participated from each school. As shown in Table (7), the student
participants were divided equally between the three levels of study as
follows:

55

1. First secondary level: 20 students

2. Second secondary level: 20 students
3. Third secondary level: 20 students
Table (7)
Description of the student participants according to level of study
Level

Frequency

First secondary year

80

33.3

Second secondary year

80

33.3

Third secondary year

80

33.3

240

100%

Sum

Part One:
All of the 240 questionnaires were returned. The student's questionnaire
consisted of 60 items which were ordered into different parts. The first part
contained seven items designed to elicit personal data concerning the students.
It was found that 87.2% of the sample were 18 years old or less. The remainder
were 19 years old or more. 88.8% of the sample were Saudis, while the rest
came from different countries (4 Egyptians, 6 Sudanese, 1 Somali and 1
Palestinian). A general description of the students' nationalities is provided in
Table (8) in terms of frequencies and percentages.

56

Table (8)
Description of the Student Participants
according to Nationality
Nationality

Frequency

Saudi

213

88.8

Egyptian

1.7

Somali

0.4

Sudanese

2.5

Palestinian

0.4

No information

15

6.3

240

100%

provided
Sum

The findings revealed that 95.8% of the sample did not travel to Englishspeaking countries such as the United States of America or the United Kingdom
as can be seen in Table (9).
Table (9)
Description of Student Participants in terms of Travel to English Speaking
Countries
Frequency

No

230

95.8

Yes

3.8

57

No information provided

0.4

Sum

240

100%

In addition, the fathers of 80.8% of the sample did not speak English,
while the mothers of 91.7 % of the sample did not speak English.

Part Two:
The second part of the student's questionnaire contained 57 items. Every
item had four choices: (1) strongly agree, (2) agree, (3) disagree and (4)
strongly disagree. These items were divided into five sections: (a) students'
attitudes and motivation towards EFL speaking skills, (b) students' speaking
difficulties, (c) students' feelings when they speak English in the classroom, (d)
students' feelings when they speak English outside the classroom and (e)
students' opinions about the factors that may contribute to their English
speaking weakness.

A- Students' attitudes and motivation towards EFL speaking skills.

An examination of Table (10) shows that the students were asked to respond
to ten 4-point Likert-style items intended to investigate their attitudes and
motivation with regard to English as a foreign language and towards speaking
skills. The highest mean was 3.67, indicating that the majority of the
respondents (98%) strongly agreed or agreed that speaking English is important
for them, because it will enable them to get a good job in the future. The lowest
mean was 1.77, indicating that most of the respondents (86.3%) strongly
disagreed or disagreed that speaking English is a tedious task. Indeed, 96.2% of
the respondents strongly agreed or agreed that speaking English is important for
them because it enables them to participate successfully in English speaking
58

countries. A mean of 3.63 suggests that speaking English is important for them
because it enables them to converse easily with English speakers. Moreover,
73.7% of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed that speaking English is
important for them because other people will respect them more if they speak
English fluently. It was found that 80.4% of the student participants strongly
agreed or agreed that they like the English language. Also, 88.8% of the
respondents strongly agreed or agreed that they like to speak in English. Many
students (85.4%) strongly agreed or agreed that speaking English is very
interesting. The student participants were aware of the importance of speaking
English. In fact, 92.5% of them strongly agreed or agreed that speaking English
is important at the secondary level. The results also revealed that students had
different attitudes towards speaking difficulties with regard to English. Indeed,
36.3% agreed and 18.3% strongly agreed that speaking English is difficult for
them.
In general, the findings of this part of the questionnaire show that most of
the respondents have positive attitudes towards English as a foreign language
and towards speaking skills.
Table (10)
Students' Attitudes and Motivation towards EFL Speaking Skill
Rank

Item

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

2
3
1
8
7
5
6
4
10
9

Std. Mean Strongly

disagree
Deviation
% N
.60089
.59094
.52376
.89162
.88375
.73709
.80401
.72030
.82937
.94661

3.6792 1.7
3.6375
1.3
3.6875 .4
3.0000 6.7
3.0375 8.8
3.2750 2.9
3.2458 4.2
3.5000 2.9
1.7708 42.5
2.5875 14.2
59

4
3
1
16
21
7
10
7
102
34

Disagree Agree
%

2.1
2.1
1.7
19.6
10.8
8.3
10.4
4.6
43.8
31.3

22.9

55

5 28.3
4
26.7
47
40.8
26
48.3
20
47.1
25
42.1
11
32.1
105 7.9
75
36.3

68
64
98
116
113
101
77
19
87

Strongly
agree
%
N
73.3 176
68.3
71.3
32.9
32.1
41.7
43.3
60.4
5.8
18.3

164
171
79
77
100
104
145
14
44

B- Students' speaking difficulties with regard to English.

In this section, the students were asked to respond to five 4-point Likertstyle items designed to determine the types of speaking difficulties in English
encountered by the students. As shown in Table (11), the highest mean was
3.24, which indicated that the majority of the students (44.2% strongly agree
and 40.4% agree) suggested that a lack of adequate vocabulary makes speaking
English difficult to them. Most of the students (77.1%) strongly agreed or
agreed that they cannot speak English fluently. More than half (60.4%) of them
strongly agreed or agreed that English pronunciation is difficult. Furthermore,
79.2% of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed that they find English
grammar difficult when speaking. More than half (52.1%) strongly agreed or
agreed that the differences between Arabic and English sound systems make
speaking English difficult for them. Generally, the results of this part of the
questionnaire show that the students agree that they have different types of
difficulties when it comes to speaking English.
Table (11)
Students' speaking difficulties in English
Item

11
12
13
14
15

Rank

3
4
2
1
5

Std.
Mean
Deviation
.86541
.90094
.84817
.82326
.97471

3.0042
2.7042
3.0167
3.2417
2.5625

Strongly
disagree
%
N
7.1
10
7.1
4.6
15.4

17
24
17
11
37

Disagree

Agree

15.8
29.6
13.8
10.8
32.5

38
71
33
26
78

46.7 112
40.4 97
49.6 119
40.4 97
32.5 78

Strongly
agree
%
N
30.4
20
29.6
44.2
19.6

C- Students' feelings when they speak English in the classroom.

In Table (12), the students were asked to respond to five 4-point Likertstyle items designed to find out their feelings when they speak English in the
61

73
48
71
106
47

classroom. The highest mean was 2.9, indicating that most of the students
(70.8%) strongly agreed or agreed that they enjoy speaking English in the
classroom. The lowest mean was 1.98, indicating that the majority of the
students (74.1%) strongly disagreed or disagreed that they feel embarrassed
when they speak English in the classroom. More than half (55.8%) of them
strongly disagreed or disagreed that they never feel confident of themselves
when they speak English in the classroom. In other words, they feel confident
when they speak English in the classroom. Similarly, 53% of the respondents
strongly disagreed or disagreed that they get nervous when they speak English
in the classroom. In addition, most of the students (70.8%) strongly disagreed or
disagreed that they feel shy when they speak English in the classroom. On the
whole, students have positive feelings when they speak English in the
classroom.
Table (12)
Students Feelings When they Speak English in the Classroom
Item

16
17
18
19
20

Rank

5
3
2
4
1

Std.
Deviation
.93275
.96485
.97112
.90164
.89348

Mean

1.9833
2.3792
2.3958
2.0542
2.9042

Strongly
disagree
%
N
35.8
20.4
21.3
30.8
7.9

86
49
51
74
19

Disagree

Agree

38.3
35.4
31.7
40
21.3

92
85
76
96
51

17.5 42
30
72
33.3 80
22.1 53
43.3 104

Strongly
agree
%
N
8.3
14.2
13.8
7.1
27.5

D- Students' feelings when they speak English outside the classroom.

As shown in Table (13), the students were asked to respond to five 4-point
Likert-style items intended to find out their feelings when they speak English
outside the classroom. The highest mean was 2.9 which revealed that the
majority of the students (71.2%) strongly agreed or agreed that they enjoy
61

20
34
33
17
66

speaking English outside the classroom. However, the lowest mean was 2.1,
indicating that 70.4% of the students strongly disagreed or disagreed that they
feel embarrassed when they speak English outside the classroom. More than
half (56.7%) strongly disagreed or disagreed that they never feel confident when
they speak English outside the classroom. This means that they do feel
confident when they speak English outside the classroom. A mean score of 2.22
showed that, 65% of the students strongly disagreed or disagreed that they get
nervous when they speak English outside the classroom. 70.9% of the
respondents strongly disagreed or disagreed that they feel shy when they speak
English outside the classroom. The results show that the student participants
have positive feelings when they speak English outside the classroom. It is
worth mentioning that students' feelings when they speak English in the
classroom are similar to their feelings outside the classroom.
Table (13)
Students Feelings when they Speak English outside the Classroom
Item

21
22
23
24
25

Rank

5
2
3
4
1

Std.
Deviation
.94093
1.01578
.90396
.93230
.96725

Mean

2.1000
2.3500
2.2208
2.1333
2.9000

Strongly
disagree
%
N
29.6
24.2
22.5
26.7
11.7

71
58
54
64
28

Disagree

Agree

Strongly
agree
%
N

40.8
32.5
42.5
44.2
17.1

98
78
102
106
41

19.6
27.5
25.4
18.3
40.8

47
66
61
44
98

10
15.8
9.6
10.8
30.4

E- Students' opinions about the factors that may contribute to their English
speaking weakness
The main aim of this study is to identify the reasons for weakness in
speaking English in Saudi secondary schools in Al-Gunfuthah city.
Consequently, the students were asked to respond to thirty two 4-point Likertstyle items planned to measure their opinions about the factors that may
62

24
38
23
26
73

contribute to their English speaking weakness, as reported in Table (14). The

highest mean was 3.4, indicating that the majority of the students (53.3%
strongly agree and 36.3% agree) preferred that the English teacher corrected all
their speaking mistakes. However, the lowest mean was 1.73, indicating that
most of the students (83.3%) strongly disagreed or disagreed that they dislike
speaking English for reasons related to the English teacher. More than half of
the students (56.7%) strongly disagreed or disagreed that they do not want to
speak English in the classroom because they are afraid of making mistakes.
67.1% of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed that they speak English with
their teachers in the classroom. On the other hand, 36.7% of them strongly
agreed or agreed that they speak English with their teachers outside the
classroom. Less than half of the students (45.5%) strongly agreed or agreed that
they speak English with their classmates in the classroom. Similarly, 45.4% of
the students strongly agreed or agreed that they speak English with their
classmates outside the classroom. Moreover, 59.6% of the respondents strongly
disagreed or disagreed that they speak English with their families.
The results revealed that, 52.1% of the student participants strongly agreed
or agreed that their classmates encourage them to speak English. Most of the
students (70.8%) strongly disagreed or disagreed that they do not speak English
in the classroom because their classmates will laugh at them when they make
mistakes. More than half of the students (62.1%) prefer to speak Arabic in the
classroom, and 63.8% of them prefer to speak Arabic outside the classroom.
The majority of the students (72.9%) strongly agreed or agreed that they use a
dictionary to identify the correct pronunciation of English words. In addition,
82.1% of the students strongly agreed or agreed that they ask their teachers
about the correct pronunciation of English words.
73.8% of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed that they usually
listen to English speakers on TV in order to improve their speaking skills, and
53.7% of them strongly agreed or agreed that they usually listen to English
63

speakers on the radio in order to improve their speaking skills. Also, 54.1% of
the students strongly agreed or agreed that they usually listen to English
speakers on the Internet in order to improve their speaking skills.
On the whole, 60% of the student participants were not satisfied with
their English speaking abilities. Most of the respondents (76.3%) strongly
agreed or agreed that the English textbook helps them to improve their English
speaking skills, but 62.1% of them claimed that the English textbook does not
include enough speaking activities. More than half of the students (55%)
strongly agreed or agreed that the English contact hours are sufficient to
improve their English speaking skills. The low mean of 1.83 indicates that
79.6% of the students strongly disagreed or disagreed that using English
speaking activities in the class is a waste of time.
The high mean of 3.36 showed that the majority of the students (51.7%
strongly agree and 37.5% agree) said that their English teachers encouraged
them to speak English in the classroom, and 62.1% of them strongly agreed or
agreed that their English teachers encourage them to speak English outside the
classroom. 76.7% of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed that their
English teachers used different types of speaking activities. The low mean of
1.85 indicated that the majority of the students (76.3%) strongly disagreed or
disagreed that they are afraid that their English teachers will laugh at them when
they make speaking mistakes. 67.9% of the students strongly agreed or agreed
that their families encourage them to speak in English.
The results revealed that 71.7% of the students strongly agreed or agreed
that they usually speak Arabic in the classroom, while 50% of them strongly
agreed or agreed that they usually speak English in the classroom. 39.6% of the
respondents strongly agreed or agreed that their English teachers usually speak
Arabic in the classroom, and 74.2% of them strongly agreed or agreed that their
English teachers usually speak English in the classroom. In addition, 68.4% of
the students strongly agreed or agreed that their English teachers give them oral
64

English tests. Obviously, students suggested many factors that may contribute to
their weakness in English speaking. Indeed, they have many different opinions
about the causes of speaking weakness in the Saudi secondary schools.
Table (14)
Students' Opinions about the Factors that may Contribute to English
Speaking Weakness
Rank

Item

26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57

25
13
26
23
22
27
20
29
16
15
5
3
4
17
18
28
9
14
19
31
2
12
8
32
30
1
10
6
21
24
7
11

Std.
Mean
Deviation
1.04698
.92599
.94529
.90370
.92297
.96146
1.03885
.99860
.88761
.90627
1.04648
.89200
1.02411
1.07799
1.07773
1.01343
.92354
1.01450
1.02561
.91171
.80759
1.04780
.88214
.85438
.95920
.75324
1.04848
1.03060
.96681
.96442
.90060
.95885

2.3417
2.7667
2.3125
2.3917
2.4000
2.2667
2.5167
2.0833
2.7208
2.7208
3.0333
3.2125
3.0375
2.6333
2.6000
2.2375
2.9750
2.7583
2.5500
1.8375
3.3583
2.7708
2.9917
1.7375
1.8542
3.4000
2.8833
3.0250
2.4500
2.3458
3.0250
2.8667

Strongly
disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly
agree

26.3
12.1
19.6
17.5
17.9
25
20.8
33.3
9.6
11.3
12.9
6.7
12.1
18.3
20
29.2
10
14.2
20
43.8
5
15.4
7.9
47.9
46.3
2.9
14.6
11.7
19.6
20
6.7
10.8

63
29
47
42
43
60
50
80
23
27
31
16
29
44
48
70
24
34
48
105
12
37
19
115
111
7
35
28
47
48
16
26

30.4 73
20.8 50
43.8 105
37.1 89
36.7 88
34.6 83
27.1 65
37.5 90
28.3 68
25
60
14.2 34
11.3 27
14.2 34
27.9 67
25.8 62
30.8 74
13.8 33
23.8 57
25
60
35.8 86
5.8 14
22.5 54
15.4 37
35.4 85
30
72
7.5 18
17.5 42
16.7 40
30.4 73
40.4 97
19.2 46
20.8 50

26.3
45.4
22.5
34.2
32.9
29.2
31.7
16.7
42.5
44.2
29.6
36.3
31.7
25.8
28.3
27.1
45
34.2
35
13.3
37.5
31.7
46.3
11.7
15.8
36.3
32.9
29.2
35.4
24.6
39.2
39.2

63
109
54
82
79
70
76
40
102
106
71
87
76
62
68
65
108
82
84
32
90
76
111
28
38
87
79
70
85
59
94
94

17.1
21.7
14.2
11.3
12.5
11.3
20.4
12.5
19.6
19.6
43.3
45.8
42.1
27.9
25.8
12.9
31.3
27.9
20
7.1
51.7
30.4
30.4
5
7.9
53.3
35
42.5
14.6
15
35
29.2

41
52
34
27
30
27
49
30
47
47
104
110
101
67
62
31
75
67
48
17
124
73
73
12
19
128
84
102
35
36
84
70

65

Part Three:
The third part of the student's questionnaire had one multiple-choice
question. This item aimed to elicit the students' opinions about their levels in
terms of English speaking skills in the secondary level. Table (15) shows that
50.1% of the students think that they were poor or average in terms of speaking
ability.
Table (15)
Students' Opinions about their Levels in terms of English Speaking Skills
Item Std.
Mean Poor
Deviation
58 1.20526
2.5583 % N
23.8 57

Average

Good

26.3 63

Very
good

27.1 65

Excellent

16.3 39

6.7

16

Part Four:
In this part the students were asked two open-ended questions as follows:

1.

What are the causes of English speaking weakness in Saudi

secondary schools from your point of view?

2. What are your recommendations for developing English speaking in
Saudi secondary schools?
The frequency and the percentage of each cause and recommendation
were calculated separately. Moreover, all frequencies and percentages are
listed in order from responses with high frequency and percentage to
responses with low frequency and percentage. On average, 191 of the
student participants (79.6%) provided valid answers to the first open-ended
question (What are the causes of English speaking weakness in Saudi
secondary schools from your point of view?). Invalid or irrelevant
responses were not presented.
66

As shown in Table (16), 42.9% of the respondents believed that students

were weak when it came to speaking English because they were not aware of
the importance of learning English in general. 38.7% of the respondents said
that students were weak in speaking because they did not speak English in their
daily lives. In addition, 31.9% of the respondents claimed that the English
textbook focused mainly on grammar and ignored speaking English.
Table (16)
Causes of English Speaking Weakness in Saudi Secondary Schools from the
Students' point of view
Serial

The causes

Students are not aware of the importance of

82

42.9%

learning English
2

Students do not speak English in their daily lives

74

38.7%

The English textbook focuses mainly on grammar

61

31.9%

and ignores speaking

4

Students do not like English

45

23.6%

The final exam does not include speaking tests

39

20.4%

English contact hours are limited

22

11.5%

Language laboratories are not available

20

10.5%

Students do not listen to English

14

7.3%

Teachers speak English with excellent students only

4.7%

and pay no attention to the weak ones

10

Teachers are not good at speaking

1.04%

11

Saudi society does not speak English

0.5%

12

No encouragement from the family

0.5%

Generally, 175 of the student participants (72.9%) provided valid answers

to the second open-ended question (What are your recommendations for
67

developing English speaking in Saudi secondary schools?). In Table (17), the

student participants mentioned practical and remarkable suggestions with regard
to developing spoken English in Saudi secondary schools. They suggested that
students should speak English most of the time in and outside the school. Also,
35.4% of the respondents recommended introducing exceptional classes to teach
spoken English. Furthermore, 23.4% of the respondents suggested that the
English textbook should include speaking activities.
Obviously, students and teachers identified many factors that led to
English

speaking

weakness,

and

suggested

number

of

practical

recommendations to overcome these factors. These suggestions should be taken

into consideration when thinking of improving spoken English.
Table (17)
Recommendations to Develop English Speaking in Saudi Secondary
Schools from the Students' Point of view

Serial

The recommendations

Students should speak English in the school

68

38.9%

65

37%

62

35.4%

41

23.4%

28

16%

22

12.6%

with their teachers and classmates

2

Students should speak English outside the

school with English speakers

There should be additional exceptional classes

to teach spoken English

The English textbook should include speaking

activities

Teachers should encourage students to speak in

English

Students should watch English programs and

movies on TV
68

Teaching English should start at the elementary

14

8%

level of schooling
8

Students should read more English books

2.9%

Chatting with English speakers on the Internet

1.14%

10

Taking English courses during vacations

1.14%

4.2 Results of the interviews

The aim of the interviews was to provide extra comprehensive data about
speaking difficulties, the causes of these difficulties, and recommendations for
developing spoken English in Saudi secondary schools. In this study, 12
teachers and 24 students were interviewed. Two students were selected
randomly from each class of the participating schools. The interviewees both
teachers and students were asked three general questions as seen in appendix D
and E, and mentioned in the following two sections.
4.2.1 Results of the teacher interviews
(1) What are the speaking difficulties which students face when they speak
English?

When the teachers were asked about the types of speaking difficulties
which students face when they speak English, they identified three main types
of difficulty. Ten teachers pointed out that nearly all of their secondary school
students were weak with regard to pronunciation. One of the teachers said
"without exaggeration, most Saudi students have pronunciation problems. Our
students cannot differentiate between English sounds such as \ p \ and \ b \." In
addition, about half of the interviewees believed that students made
grammatical mistakes in speaking English. For example, one interviewee stated,
"Since our students are weak in English grammar, they cannot speak English
69

accurately."

Another teacher added, "Students' spoken English is full of

grammatical mistakes." Also, five teachers agreed that their students cannot
speak English fluently. They said that students were very slow in speaking
English. In general, the interviewed teachers mentioned three speaking
difficulties that face secondary school students when they speak English:
pronunciation, grammar, and fluency.

(2) What are the causes of speaking weakness in secondary schools?

The English teachers who participated in this study provided many causes
of weakness with regard to speaking English in secondary schools. Most of the
interviewees stated that students were weak in speaking because they lacked the
opportunity to practice English in their everyday lives. On the whole, the
interviewees mentioned various causes of speaking weakness such as treating
English as a subject, not as a language, preparing students to pass the exams
rather than to speak English in everyday life, the English textbook focusing on
written skills, lack of speaking activities, lack of qualified and trained English
teachers, and lack of language laboratories. For example, one interviewee said,
"Dialogue and general discussion in class are almost not existent and, if
available, it is mainly directed and led by the teacher without giving
opportunities to the students to engage in discussion."

(3) What are your suggestions with regard to improving speaking skills?

The interviewed teachers provided several suggestions with regard to

improving spoken English. Most of the teachers suggested that the English
textbook should incorporate speaking and listening skills. One teacher said,
"There should be a separate class to teach speaking and listening." Half of the
teachers recommended increasing the number of teaching periods from 4 to 6.
71

Generally, the teachers made a number of practical suggestions to improve

speaking English in secondary schools such as incorporating more speaking
activities into the curriculum, incorporating oral exams into the exam system,
using a variety of teaching aids, holding public tournaments that test students'
oral abilities, teaching English from the elementary level, and encouraging
students to speak in English both inside and outside the classroom. For example,
one interviewee stated, "The best way to enhance speaking skill is to use
different types of speaking activities such as group work and pair work."

4.2.2 Results of the student interviews

(1)What are the speaking difficulties which the students face when they speak
English?

The interviewed students identified three kinds of speaking difficulties that

they encounter when they speak English. These are pronunciation, grammar,
and vocabulary. All of the interviewed students agreed that pronouncing
English words was very difficult for them. According to one student,
"Pronouncing English words is very difficult for me and even for my
classmates." Twenty students said that English grammar was difficult for them
when it came to speaking English. For example, one student said, "I cannot use
the English grammar correctly while speaking." In addition, fourteen students
claimed that English vocabulary was difficult for them in terms of speaking
English. One interviewee stated, "Students have limited English vocabulary."
Another added, "I have nothing to say in English."

71

(2)What are the causes of speaking weakness in secondary schools?

When asked about the reasons for English speaking weakness in

secondary schools, the interviewees said that speaking weakness in Saudi
secondary schools were due to the lack of oral skills development in the
English textbooks, lack of practicing English both inside and outside the
classroom, and the lack of native English speakers in Saudi society. Some
students claimed that they were weak in terms of speaking English because of
the limited number of English contact hours (periods). They also added that
the teachers did not give them enough opportunity to speak English in the
classroom. One interviewee stated, "Because we speak Arabic most of the
time in the class, our English becomes poor." Another student said, "I avoid
speaking in English because I cannot make a correct sentence." He added,
"The teacher will punish me if I give a wrong sentence."

(3)What are your suggestions with regard to improving speaking skills?

The student participants provided a number of suggestions with regard to
improving speaking English, such as watching English programs and movies on
TV, increasing the number of English contact hours (periods), speaking in
English with foreigners in real situations and via the internet , establishing selflearning centers, establishing English clubs in the school, and motivating
students to speak in English. According to one student, "Students should do
many things to develop their speaking skills such as speaking in English in the
classroom with each other, and outside the classroom with English speakers."
Another said, "Listening to English speakers through TV or the Internet is the
first step to improving speaking."

72

4.3 Summary
The results presented in this chapter suggest that, in general, secondary
school students have a positive attitude towards speaking in English. The results
also show that secondary school students face many types of speaking
difficulties and they are generally weak when it comes to speaking in English.
Moreover, the findings suggest many factors that can cause difficulties for
students in terms of speaking in English.
Based on the analyses of the data, chapter five provides a detailed
summary of the study's results and discusses the findings. In addition, it presents
the study's conclusions and recommendations for further researche.

73

Chapter Five
Discussion and Conclusion
In this chapter, the three research questions will be discussed and
answered. Each question will be considered separately. After that, pedagogical
implications and suggestions for further study will be offered.
5.1 Discussion
In view of the teachers and the students responses to the questionnaires
and the interviews items, along with the researcher's viewpoint, the following
conclusions have been reached:

(1) What are the attitudes of the secondary school students with regard to
speaking English?

The results demonstrate that most secondary school students have a

positive attitude towards speaking in English. 80.4% of the students like the
English language. Moreover, 88.8% of them like to speak in English. Most of
the students (85.4%) believe that speaking in English is very interesting. They
do not think that speaking English is a tedious affair. The results also reveal that
92.5% of the students strongly agree or agree that speaking English is important
at the secondary level. In addition, a majority of the students strongly agrees or
agrees that speaking in English is important for them because it enables them to
get a good job in the future, to participate successfully in the English speaking
countries, to converse easily with English speakers, and to obtain the admiration
of other people. Therefore, the students seem to be instrumentally motivated as
suggested by Harmer (1983).
The majority of secondary school students have good feelings when they
speak English. They enjoy speaking English inside and outside the classroom.
74

Furthermore, most of the students do not feel embarrassed, nervous or shy when
they speak English either inside or outside the classroom.
To conclude, secondary school students are highly motivated and have
positive attitudes with regard to speaking English. In spite of this, they are weak
when it comes to speaking English.

(2) What are the speaking difficulties which students face when they speak
English?
The findings suggest that secondary school students face many difficulties
when it comes to speaking English. 96.6% of the teachers strongly agree or
agree that students have difficulties in speaking English. Also, 54.6% of the
students strongly agree or agree that speaking English is difficult for them.
These difficulties are concerned with pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and
fluency. In other word, the English spoken by secondary school students lacks
accuracy and fluency. Indeed, these results confirm findings of previous studies
( AbuGhararah, 1992; Avery & Ehrlich, 1992; Barros, 2003; Lan, 1994).

(3) What are the causes of weakness with regard to speaking in Saudi
secondary schools?

The results indicate that Saudi secondary school students are generally
weak when it comes to speaking English. This finding is supported by the
subjects (both the teachers and the students). As mentioned earlier, 93.3% of the
teachers strongly agree or agree that the students are generally weak with regard
to speaking English. Moreover, most of the students are not satisfied with their
English speaking abilities and half of them state that their spoken English is
weak. The results suggest many factors that can cause difficulties for students in
terms of speaking in English. These factors are associated with the English
textbook, the context, the students, and the English teachers. One of these
75

reasons is the difference between Arabic and English sound systems. The
majority of the respondents (both teachers and students) decided that these
differences made speaking English difficult for the students, which confirms the
findings of previous studies (Barros, 2003; Braik, 1982; Maniruzzaman, 2008;
AbuSeileek, 2007).
Both teachers and students agreed that the English textbook at the
secondary level emphasizes written skills (reading and writing) and grammar
more than oral skills (speaking and listening). It does not include practical
speaking activities. In other words, speaking and listening skills are usually
ignored in the English textbook used at the secondary level. This finding seems
to be in line with the finding reported by Matsuya (2003).
The context of teaching English is a major factor that affects teaching
English speaking in Saudi secondary schools. In these schools, English is taught
four hours per week as is the case with the other taught courses. Thus, treating
English as a subject, not as a language, is one of the main causes of EFL
speaking weakness. Also, English contact hours (periods) are not sufficient to
improve speaking.
The results reveal that secondary school students do not practice speaking
English in the classroom or in daily life. They usually speak Arabic (their native
language) both inside and outside the classroom which results in speaking
weakness. This supports previous studies (AboGhararah, 1992; Awang &
Begawan, 2007; Lan, 1994).
English teachers in Saudi secondary schools contribute to the students'
speaking weakness. The findings show that English teachers do not encourage
students to speak in English. They do not give them enough opportunities to
speak English in the classroom. Moreover, the teachers do not use different
types of speaking activities when teaching English speaking.

76

Finally, speaking skills are excluded from the assessment of English at

the secondary level. Hence, this leads little attention being paid to teaching and
learning spoken English since it is not required in the tests.

5.2 Pedagogical Implications

Based on the findings of this study, the following pedagogical implications
can be stated:

1. Ministry of Education should recognize that secondary school students are

generally weak with regard to speaking English. Hence, it is responsible for
solving this problem and developing spoken English in the secondary schools.
2. Results reveal that most of the students have positive attitudes towards
speaking English. So, English teachers should make use of this factor to
improve students' speaking skills by motivating students to speak in English.
3. Results suggest the need to divide English class into four separate sessions
based on the four skills (speaking listening reading writing), in order to
guarantee teaching all skills comprehensively.
4. There is a need to design practical textbooks that contain different types of
speaking activities. In other words, the English textbooks at the secondary level
ought to contain a number of realistic activities that encourage students to speak
in English.
5. There is a need to use effective teaching aids such as languge laboratories,
videos, and computers to teach English.
6. Increasing the numbers of English contact hours (periods).
7. Students should practice speaking English both inside and outside the
classroom.
8. Students should listen to English programs and movies on TV or the Internet
as much as possible.
77

9. Teachers should be trained to teach speaking efficiently through special

courses.
10. Speaking tests should be incorporated into the English assessment system in
secondary schools.

5.3 Suggestions for Further Studies

The current study has investigated the causes of EFL speaking weakness in
Saudi secondary schools located in Al-Gunfuthah city. This research provides
practical recommendations for developing English speaking skills in Saudi
secondary schools. Further research should be undertaken in order to develop
teaching English as a foreign language. The following are examples of
suggested further research:

1. The same study could be conducted within Departments of English

Language in higher education.
2. Further research is needed to investigate the causes of English speaking
weakness among intermediate school students.
3. The same study can be done in other regions to compare the results of
this study and the results of other studies.
4. Research is needed to investigate the reasons for weakness in EFL
reading, writing and listening skills.
5. This study is limited to 30 EFL teachers. Hence, conducting the same
study with a greater number of EFL teachers is needed to obtain
additional significant results.

78

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Appendices

86

Appendix (A)
Teachers' Questionnaire
Dear teacher,
The main aim of this questionnaire is to collect data about your opinion
concerning the causes of weakness in EFL speaking in Al-Gunfuthah secondary
schools. In this research, your contribution is important and will help improve
teaching and learning EFL speaking skills in Saudi Arabia in general, and in AlGunfuthah in particular. Please answer the following items carefully and
honestly. This study is not an evaluation of your knowledge about teaching
English. Your answers will be kept confidential.
Thanks.
Abduh Ali Al-mashy
M.A. Candidate in Applied Linguistics
English Department - King Saud University
aalmuashy@gmail.com

Part 1: Personal data:

- Name: (optional)
- Nationality: ....................
- Highest degree earned:
Undergraduate diploma
Graduate diploma
Masters Degree
PhD
- How many years have you been teaching English?
1year
2-5 years
6-10 years

87

Bachelors Degree

more than 10 years

Part 2: General statements:

Instructions:
Please choose only one answer for every question or statement.
Use the following scales:
Strongly agree: (If you strongly agree with the idea stated in the
item).
Agree: (If you agree with the idea stated in the item).
Disagree: (If you disagree with the idea stated in the item).
Strongly disagree: (If you strongly disagree with the idea stated in
the item).
Check () in the box that reflects your opinion about each of the
following statements:

1- Students cannot speak English fluently.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

2- Learning English speaking skills is important at the secondary level.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

3- Teaching English speaking skills is difficult at the secondary level.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

4- Students have difficulties in speaking English.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

5- Students have English pronunciation difficulties.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

6- Students have grammatical difficulties while speaking English.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

88

7- Lack of adequate vocabulary makes speaking English difficult for the

students.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

8- The differences between Arabic and English sound systems make speaking
English difficult for the students.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

9- Students do not want to speak English in the classroom because they are
afraid of making mistakes.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

10- Students speak English with me in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

11- Students speak English with me outside the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

12- Students speak English with their classmates in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

13- Students do not speak English in the classroom because their classmates
will laugh at them if they make mistakes.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

14- Students prefer to speak Arabic in the English language classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

15- Students use a dictionary to identify the correct pronunciation of English

words.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

89

16- Students ask me about the correct pronunciation of English words.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

17- Students are weak with regard to English speaking.

Strongly agree Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
18- I usually correct all of my students speaking mistakes.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

19- I encourage my students to speak English in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

20- I encourage my students to speak English outside the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

21- I use different types of speaking activities when teaching English speaking.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

22- I do not give my students the chance to speak English in the classroom
because their speaking is weak.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

23- English teachers are not sufficiently well trained to teach English speaking
in the Saudi secondary schools.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

24- The English textbook does not include enough speaking activities.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

25- English contact hours are enough to improve speaking skills

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

91

26- The English textbook helps the students to improve their speaking skills.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

27- Using English speaking activities in the classroom is a waste of time.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

28- The English textbook emphasizes written skills (reading and writing) more
than oral skills (speaking and listening).
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

29- My students usually speak Arabic in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

30- My students usually speak English in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

31- I usually speak Arabic in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

32- I usually speak English in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

33- I give my students oral English tests.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

91

Part3: Multiple-choice questions:

34- The level of my students speaking skill in English is:
Excellent

Very good

Good

Average

Poor

Part4: Open-ended questions.

35- What are the causes of English speaking weakness in Saudi secondary
schools from your point of view?

....

....

36- What are your recommendations with regard to developing English

speaking in Saudi secondary schools?

....

....

Thanks a lot....

92

Appendix (B)
Students' Questionnaire
(English version)
Dear student,
The main aim of this questionnaire is to collect data about your opinion
concerning the causes of weakness in EFL speaking in Al-Gunfuthah secondary
schools. In this research, your contribution is important and will help improve
teaching and learning EFL speaking skill in Saudi Arabia in general, and in AlGunfuthah in particular. Please answer the following items carefully and
honestly. Your contribution has nothing to do with your grades in any course
and your answers will be kept confidential.

Thanks.

Abduh Ali Al-mashy

M.A. Candidate in Applied Linguistics
English Department - King Saud University

Part 1: Personal data:

- Name: (optional)
- Nationality: ....................
- Age: ...............
- Level of study:

First secondary year

Second secondary year.

Third secondary year.

93

- Have you ever travelled to English-speaking countries such as the United

States of America or the United Kingdom?
Yes
No
- Does your father speak English?
Yes
No
- Does your mother speak English?
Yes
No

Part 2: General statements:

Instructions:
Please choose only one answer for every question or statement.
Use the following scales:
Strongly agree: (If you strongly agree with the idea stated in the
item).
Agree: (If you agree with the idea stated in the item).
Disagree: (If you disagree with the idea stated in the item).
Strongly disagree: (If you strongly disagree with the idea stated in
the item).
Check () in the box that reflects your opinion about each of the
following statements.
1- Speaking English is important for me because it enables me to participate
successfully in English speaking countries.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

2- Speaking English is important for me because it enables me to converse

easily with English speakers.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

3- Speaking English is important for me because it enables me to get a good job

in the future.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

94

4- Speaking English is important for me because other people will respect me

more if I speak English fluently.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

5- I like the English language.

Strongly agree
Agree

6- I like speaking English.

Strongly agree
Agree

Disagree

Disagree

7- Speaking English is very interesting.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

Strongly disagree

Strongly disagree

8- Speaking English is an important skill at the secondary level.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

9- Speaking English is tedious.

Strongly agree
Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

10- Speaking English is difficult for me.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

11- I cannot speak English fluently.

Strongly agree
Agree

Strongly disagree

Disagree

12- English pronunciation is difficult for me when speaking.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

13- When speaking, English grammar becomes difficult for me.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

95

14- Lack of adequate vocabulary makes speaking English difficult for me.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

15- The differences between Arabic and English sound systems make speaking
English difficult for me.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

16- I feel embarrassed when I speak English in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

17- I never feel confident when I speak English in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

18- I get nervous when I speak English in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

19- I feel shy when I speak English in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

20- I enjoy speaking English in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

21- I feel embarrassed when I speak English outside the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

22- I never feel confident when I speak English outside the classroom.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

23 I get nervous when I speak English outside the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

96

24- I feel shy when I speak English outside the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

25- I enjoy speaking English outside the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

26- I do not want to speak English in the classroom because I am afraid of

making mistakes.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

27- I speak English with my teacher in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

28- I speak English with my teacher outside the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

29- I speak English with my classmates in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

30- I speak English with my classmates outside the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

31- I speak English with my family.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

32-My classmates encourage me to speak English.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

33- I do not speak English in the classroom because my classmates will laugh at
me if I make mistakes.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

97

34- I prefer to speak Arabic in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

35- I prefer to speak Arabic outside the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

36- I use a dictionary to find out the correct pronunciation of English words.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

37- I ask the teacher about the correct pronunciation of English words.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

38- I usually listen to English speakers on TV in order to improve my speaking

skills.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

39- I usually listen to English speakers on the radio in order to improve my

speaking skills.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

40- I usually listen to English speakers on the Internet in order to improve my

speaking skills.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

41- I am satisfied with my English speaking ability.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

42- The English textbook helps me to improve my English speaking skills.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
98

43- The English textbook does not include enough speaking activities.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

44- English contact hours are sufficient to improve my English speaking skills
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

45- Using English speaking activities in the class is a waste of time.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

46- My English teacher encourages me to speak English in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

47- My English teacher encourages me to speak English outside the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

48- My English teacher uses different types of speaking activities.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

49- I hate speaking English for reasons related to my English teacher.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

50- I am afraid that my English teacher will laugh at me if I make speaking

mistakes.
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

51- I prefer that my English teacher corrects all of my speaking mistakes.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

52- My family encourages me to speak in English.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

99

Strongly disagree

53- I usually speak Arabic in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

54- I usually speak English in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

55- My English teacher usually speaks Arabic in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

56- My English teacher usually speaks English in the classroom.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

57- The English teacher gives us oral English tests.

Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree

Strongly disagree

Part3: Multiple-choice questions.

58- The level of my speaking skill in English is:
Excellent

Very good

Good

Average

Poor

Part4: Open-ended questions.

59- What are the causes of English speaking weakness in Saudi secondary
schools from your point of view?

....

111

60- What are your recommendations with regard to developing English

speaking in Saudi secondary schools?

Thanks a lot....

111

)Appendix (C
Students' Questionnaire
)(Arabic version

.
.
.
...

-
: .
( .............................................. -: ) ............................. -: ............................. -:
:

112

 : .

-:

-:

: .
: .

: .

: .

) (

-1
.

-2
.

-3
.

-4
.

-5 .

-6 .

113

 -7 .

-8 .

-9 .

-14 .

-11 .

-12 .

-13 .

-14 .

-15
.

-16 .

114

 -17 .

-18 .

-19 .

-24 .

-21 .

-22 .

-23 .

-24 .

-25 .

-26 .

115

 -27 .

-28 .

-29 .

-34 .

-31 .

-32 .

-33 .

-34 .

-35 .

-36 .

-37 .

116

 -38 .

-39 .

-44 .

-41 .

-42 .

-43 .

-44 .

-45 .

-46 .

-47 .

-48 .

117

 -49 .

-54 .

-51 .

-52 .

-53 .

-54 .

-55 .

-56 .

-57 .

118

 : .
-58 .

: .
-95
:

....

-06
:

....

....

119

Appendix (D)
Students' and Teachers' Interview Guide
(English version)

Please answer the following questions in detail:

1. What are the speaking difficulties which students face when they speak
English?

2. What are the causes of English speaking weakness in Saudi secondary

schools?

3. What recommendations would you make to develop the speaking of English

in Saudi secondary schools?

111

)Appendix (E
Students' and Teachers' Interview Guide
)(Arabic version

:
-1
-2

-3

111

)Appendix (E
Students' and Teachers' Interview Guide
)(Arabic version

:
Appendix
)(F
-1
-2

-3

\
112
97

Appendix (G)

113
98