Chinese University Students' Perceptions of English Speaking Difficulties in Thailand

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate (1) the factors affect Chinese EFL learners' speaking difficulties when speaking English, (2) the levels of English-speaking difficulties experienced by Chinese EFL learners, and (3) how they perceive teachers could help them overcome speaking difficulties. Eighty-five non-English major Chinese postgraduate students at a Thai university participated in this study. This study used a mixed method design which includes a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Percentage, mean, and standard deviation were used to analyze the data obtained from the questionnaire. Content analysis was used to look for themes that emerged from the data obtained from the semi-structured interview. The finding indicated that linguistic factors are the most influential for non-English major Chinese postgraduate students at a Thai university when speaking English. Moreover, this study also found that the overall mean score of 85 non-English major Chinese postgraduate students at a Thai university who participated in the survey was 3.66 out of 5 in English-Speaking Difficulties, which indicated that non-English major Chinese postgraduate students at a Thai university experienced a high level of English-Speaking Difficulties. Furthermore, the results of how students perceive teachers could help them overcome speaking difficulties revealed in the semi-structured interviews can be divided into five themes: teaching pronunciation, teaching vocabulary, offering more opportunities for English speaking, reducing criticism, and giving positive feedback.

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