Regarding the students majoring in English, they generally have more exposure to
English than do non-English majors, except those who attend international programs
where English is the medium of instruction. Despite a more or less regular use of the
English language both inside and outside the classroom settings, they still encounter
problems or difficulties in their face-to-face oral communication. According to Yarnruksa
(1997), this may be partly due to a lack of confidence in expressing themselves in
English. Additionally, communication suffers a considerable breakdown in the absence of
correct use of grammar (Abdulwahed Ahmed Ismail, 2010). Ya-ni (2007) states that most
EFL students in the context of English as a foreign language have a problem in
communicating efficiently. Further, the students’ listening and speaking skills are
deficient when compared with their reading and writing skills. Zheng (2004) suggests
that communication strategies are feasible and to some extent inevitable for language
learners to use in their oral communication. These strategies can enhance language
learners’ confidence, flexibility, and effectiveness in oral communication. According to
DÖrnyei (1995), communication strategies can help learners obtain English language
practice. Additionally, they may help learners remain in a conversation and so provide
the learners with more input, more opportunities for checking and validating their
hypotheses, and therefore, more chances to develop their interlanguage system (Mariani,
2010). We can see that through the use of communication strategies, learners may be able
to maximise their English-speaking practice opportunities. That is to say, when language
learners interact with other people in English and a communication breakdown occurs
due to their linguistic deficiencies. To deal with the communication problems, the
language learners tend to rely on some sort of strategies to help convey a message to the
interlocutor or understand the message successfully. As a result, the conversation can
continue.