The factors that affect students’ speaking performance
With regard to the first research question, the results indicated that there were a variety of
factors that affect the students’ speaking performance. A majority of the teachers said that the
students’ speaking performance was affected by topical knowledge. The next two important
factors mentioned were listening ability and motivation to speak. Besides, the teachers’
feedback during speaking activities also was also reported to affect the students’ speaking
performance. Finally, confidence was considered to be a factor that had influence on
students’ performance.
The results from student questionnaire were quite similar to those of the teachers, most of the
students thought that their speaking performance was affected by topical knowledge. The
next important factor was listening ability. In addition, the students thought that they needed
to be confident to perform well. Last but not least, the students reported that their
performance was also affected by feedback during speaking activities and the pressure to
perform well.
The data from class observations revealed that the students’ speaking performance is also
affected by time for preparation. In all the four lessons observed, the students were given
little time to prepare so their performance was not good