This thesis entitled “Difficulties in English Speaking Skill of English Program Students of Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University” has two objectives: 1) to study difficulties in English speaking skill of English program students and 2) to find out the ways to improve English speaking of English program students of Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalya University. The study is a mixed method research between a quantitative research and qualitative research in nature. A questionnaire is used for collecting quantitative data from both Faculty of Buddhism and Humanities for 50 students and an in-depth interview is used for collecting qualitative data from 5 key informants who are teachers in the Faculty of Humanities. Statistics, Frequency, Percentage, Mean and Standard Deviation (SD) are used for analyzing quantitative data and a content analysis is used for analyzing qualitative data.
Results of the study as follows:
1) From an identification of the difficulties or problems of English speaking of English Program students at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalya University. It found that =2.34 means I don’t know what I am speaking English. = 2.98 expressing that a long period he cannot speak English. And =3.04 expressing that he feels afraid and shy when he is speaking in class. These items of high level express overall results as =2.95; their problems or difficulties in English speaking skill.
2) The ways to improve English-speaking skill of the English program students at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalya University. It was found that =3.90 means Speaking to foreign students, =4.14; Practice to use English all time in the class, =4.02 means having a confidence to speak English, =4.04 to observe a positive attitude, =4.16 means always use English as automatic, daily routine communications, These high level results and overall result =3.86; are the ways to improve English for communications.
3) With regard to suggestions of the solutions for improving the methods of English speaking for communication of English program students at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalya University. It revealed that there were solutions that ways for solving English-speaking for communication problems suggested by key informants included to practice speaking English more and more. Solving the problems of English speaking, it referred to students who try to learn more about themselves and the teachers show the methods only, so students needed practicing more in order to achieve their goal, to study online, web sites and International Phonetic Alphabet in order to know about how to pronounce and to speak English correctly, trying to speak English as much as possible at school, work at office or daily routine, to understand accurately about Grammar rules of English such as sentences, punctuations, structures, to imitate native speakers to practice about the right pronunciation, accent, intonation, stress by reading out like a native speaker, confidence was an essential for the learners to have it, without it one might hesitate when communicating or speaking in public, to learners needed putting more practices in their study such as speaking, listening, and writing.
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