CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION

Since English is a foreign language in our country, most

students especially senior high school students are not familiar with

it (Hetrakul, 1995). Kavin Hetrakul also said that they use English

more frequent only inside the class and less frequent outside the

class. Whereas, students’ have limited time to learn English in class,

and they still do not have enough encouragement to practice

English outside the class in order to get familiar with English. This

case brings a problem that make junior high school students have

difficulties to communicate in English. This article will analyze the

causes that make the students difficult to speak in English and

suggest some solutions that can overcome the difficulties.

The first cause that makes the students difficult in speaking English

is that the environment does not support the students to speak

English frequently. The environment here means the people outside

the class. Those people may think that the students just want to

show off when they speak English for daily conversation. The

response that the students get makes them loose their self-

confidence to improve their speaking. Since the students do not

want to be rejected by the people around them, so they use their

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native language in daily conversation. That makes the students

unable to communicate in English fluently outside the class.

The second cause is problem with grammar. English always deals

with reference of time while Indonesian does not have one.

Moreover, there are singular and plural forms that the students

have to distinguish and still many forms that have to be learned.

Most students are very easy to get confused with English grammar,

while grammar is very needed to form a right sentence. If the

students do not have grammar mastery, of course they will not be

able to produce sentences that grammatically right. Realizing that

the grammar students have is very weak, so they feel embarrassed

when they want to produce English sentences orally

Now, English is an international language. Even technology and

working world use English. It is believed that the students want to

be the winner in working world competition that is getting tight day

by day. One of the conditions that the students must require is

having ability to speak English fluently. This skill will be their plus

point in facing the working world. From now on, the students have

to try hard to overcome their difficulties to speak English fluently.

Background of the Study

The Difficulty in Speaking English Fluently is a struggle

to the students on how they speak fluently in English language. The

students ability to speak fluently on English subject.

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 What is English Subject all about? The English

Subject Centre supported the teaching and learning of English

literature, the English language and Creative Writing across UK

Higher Education. The team of 8 full and part-time staff helped its

members to share ideas and engage in good practice through

events, networks and publications. Why is it important to speak

English? Apart from my self-esteem, learning English will open more

opportunities. However, the English Language plays

an important role in our life. It is understood by many people

around the world, since it is the most spoken language. It

is essential in our education. Why is English important for us? Being

able to speak English is not just about being able to communicate

with native English speakers, it is the most common second

language in the world. Learning English is important as it enables

you to communicate easily with your fellow global citizens. What is

the use of English language? English language is an example for the

importance of a language because it is the international language

and has become the most important language to people in many

parts of the world. It is most widely used in communicating around

the world, Also it is spoken as the first language in many countries.

What is the importance of English language to students? English

language is one of the most important in the field of education. In

most of the countries, learning English encourages as a second

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language. It is most important to understand English language to

interact more and more peoples. What is difficulty in speaking?

People with dysarthria exhibit slurred speech and may have

problems with swallowing. Spasmodic dysphonia is a condition

characterized by difficulty speaking because of repetitive or

continuous spasms (dystonia) of the muscles that control the vocal

cords.

Statement of the Problem

The major purpose of this study was to find out the

Difficulty in Speaking English Fluently results and the factors

affecting the performance of fourth year students in the division of

Paranaque City; School Year; 2018 – 2019.

Specifically, the researcher attempted to answer the following

questions:

Problem 1. What are the difficulties and problems in learning

English?

1.1 Pronounciation

1.2 Grammar

1.3 Orthography

1.4 Vocabulary Usage

Problem 2. What are the factors affecting language learning?

2.1 Attitude

2.2 Motivation

2.3 Age

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2.4 Intelligence

2.5 Aptitude

2.6 Cognitive Style

2.7 Personality

Problem 3. Is there a significant relationship between the factors

and the difficulties in speaking English performance?

Problem 4. What are the implications of the findings to improve the

performance.

Null Hypothesis

As a working basis for this study, null hypothesis was tested:

1.1 Grammar

1.2 Pronounciation

1.3 Intelligence

1.4 Personality

1.5 Attitude

Significance Of Study

Understanding the problems of the students is an

important to understand the English Language and especially on

how to Speak Fluently in English. The findings of this study will be

of great value to the following:

English - Is the language of science, of aviation, computers,

diplomacy, and tourism. Knowing English increases your chances of

getting a good job in a multinational company within your home

country or of finding work abroad.

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English Language - Is a West Germanic language that was first

spoken in early medieval England and eventually became a global

lingua franca. English is the third most-spoken native language in

the world, after Standard Chinese and Spanish.

Future Researchers – This study will serve as basis to undergo

the similar English Language so that the problem about Speaking

Fluently in English performance will be seriously dealt with in all

aspects of society.

As a Fourth Year Students – The researcher herself/himself will

gain insights on how to improve various techniques to enhance their

speaking.

Tutor - The purpose of tutoring is to help students help

themselves, or to assist or guide them to the point at which they

become an independent learner, and thus no longer need a tutor.

Real world experience that can help with later employment or

career goals. Develop strong communication and leadership skills.

Build confidence in your ability to make a difference.

Improved knowledge of learning, studying, and test-taking

techniques.

Comprehension - Improves when you know what the words mean.

Since comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading, you cannot

overestimate the importance of vocabulary development. Words are

the currency of communication. A robust vocabulary improves all

areas of communication — listening, speaking, reading and writing.

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Vocabulary - As a concept is related to words, either the words in

a specific language or the words that a particular person

understands and can use. People acquire and use words within

their vocabulary in a variety of ways, but primarily through listening

and reading.

Riddles - Are more beneficial and can improve children's mental

state in more ways than you may expect. Introduce them to

intellectual humor : Laughter is important to happiness and health.

In addition, laughter is a very good way to motivate people to

continue working after a long monotonous day.

Motivation - Can be defined as the driving force behind all the

actions of an individual. The influence of an individual's needs and

desires both have a strong impact on the direction of their

behavior.Motivation is based on your emotions and achievement-

related goals.

Scope and Limits of Study

The study answered the factors related to students

performance in Speaking Fluently in English performance of the

Fourth Year High School students in the Don Galo, Parañaque City.

School Year 2018-2019. The major task of this research is to

answer the specific questions presented in the statement problem.

This is limited to its complete reliance on the locally-made

questionnaire of the researcher as the primary instrument for

answering the factors in answering the factors. The results of this

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study will be limited on the perception of 60 student respondents

from the six section on Fourth Year Students in Parañaque National

High School – Don Galo. The six sections were selected also

because they represent a big portion of the high school population

in the said division.

Definition of Terms:

To understand better the discussion in this study, the

researcher define the following terms contextually and

operationally.

Age – Refers to the length of time that one has existed or duration

of life. In this study, it was categorized as 15, 16, and 17 years and

above.

Fluency - defined as being able to speak and write quickly or easily

in a given language. It comes from the Latin word fluentem

meaning “ to flow.” Accent comes from the Middle French meaning

“particular mode of pronunciation.”

Grammar - The whole system and structure of a language or of

languages in general, usually taken as consisting of syntax and

morphology (including inflections) and sometimes also phonology

and semantics.

Aptitude – A natural ability to do something.

Cognitive Style - Is a concept used in cognitive psychology to

describe the way individuals think, perceive and remember

information. Cognitive style differs from cognitive ability (or level),

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the latter being measured by aptitude tests or so-called intelligence

tests. There is controversy over the exact meaning of the term

"cognitive style" and whether it is a single or multiple dimension of

human personality. However it remains a key concept in the areas

of education and management. If a pupil has a cognitive style that

is similar to that of his/her teacher, the chances are improved that

the pupil will have a more positive learning experience. Likewise,

team members with similar cognitive styles likely feel more positive

about their participation with the team. While matching cognitive

styles may make participants feel more comfortable when working

with one another, this alone cannot guarantee the success of the

outcome.

Orthography - The conventional spelling system of a language.