Identifying English Speaking Needs Among Secondary School Students.
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| Title: | Identifying English Speaking Needs Among Secondary School Students. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Alpikri, Zeti Aqmar1 zetiaqmar@student.usm.my, Abdullah, Amelia1 amelia@usm.my |
| Source: | International Journal of Instruction. Jan2026, Vol. 19 Issue 1, p215-234. 20p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Secondary school students, *Communicative competence, *Mixed methods research, *Second language acquisition, *Effective teaching, *Limited English-proficient students, *Educators, English language |
| Geographic Terms: | Malaysia |
| Abstract: | Speaking skills in English is one of the crucial skills in language learning and have received great emphasis in Malaysian education. This is essential not only for global communication but also for higher education and career advancement. Speaking encompasses several components — pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, appropriateness, comprehension — making it particularly challenging for ESL learners to acquire and master. This study investigates the speaking proficiency of Malaysian secondary school students and identifies their learning needs to inform improvements in speaking instruction. This study employs a mixed-methods approach by collecting data through self-assessment questionnaires completed by 90 Form 4 students and semi-structured interviews conducted with five English language teachers in the northern state of Malaysia, Kedah. Quantitative findings revealed that students perceived significant difficulties in appropriateness, grammar, fluency, and vocabulary, which were the lowest ranked components by the students. Qualitative findings from teachers supported these challenges, highlighting persistent issues in the same areas. These complementary perspectives underscore the need to improve speaking instruction that explicitly integrates grammar and vocabulary development as well as pragmatic awareness to better support students’ English speaking proficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of International Journal of Instruction is the property of International Journal of Instruction and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 190499306 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Identifying English Speaking Needs Among Secondary School Students. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Alpikri%2C+Zeti+Aqmar%22">Alpikri, Zeti Aqmar</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> zetiaqmar@student.usm.my</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Abdullah%2C+Amelia%22">Abdullah, Amelia</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> amelia@usm.my</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22International+Journal+of+Instruction%22">International Journal of Instruction</searchLink>. Jan2026, Vol. 19 Issue 1, p215-234. 20p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Secondary+school+students%22">Secondary school students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communicative+competence%22">Communicative competence</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mixed+methods+research%22">Mixed methods research</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Second+language+acquisition%22">Second language acquisition</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Effective+teaching%22">Effective teaching</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Limited+English-proficient+students%22">Limited English-proficient students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educators%22">Educators</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22English+language%22">English language</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Malaysia%22">Malaysia</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Speaking skills in English is one of the crucial skills in language learning and have received great emphasis in Malaysian education. This is essential not only for global communication but also for higher education and career advancement. Speaking encompasses several components — pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, appropriateness, comprehension — making it particularly challenging for ESL learners to acquire and master. This study investigates the speaking proficiency of Malaysian secondary school students and identifies their learning needs to inform improvements in speaking instruction. This study employs a mixed-methods approach by collecting data through self-assessment questionnaires completed by 90 Form 4 students and semi-structured interviews conducted with five English language teachers in the northern state of Malaysia, Kedah. Quantitative findings revealed that students perceived significant difficulties in appropriateness, grammar, fluency, and vocabulary, which were the lowest ranked components by the students. Qualitative findings from teachers supported these challenges, highlighting persistent issues in the same areas. These complementary perspectives underscore the need to improve speaking instruction that explicitly integrates grammar and vocabulary development as well as pragmatic awareness to better support students’ English speaking proficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of International Journal of Instruction is the property of International Journal of Instruction and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=190499306 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.29333/iji.2026.19111a Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 20 StartPage: 215 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Secondary school students Type: general – SubjectFull: Communicative competence Type: general – SubjectFull: Mixed methods research Type: general – SubjectFull: Second language acquisition Type: general – SubjectFull: Effective teaching Type: general – SubjectFull: Limited English-proficient students Type: general – SubjectFull: Educators Type: general – SubjectFull: English language Type: general – SubjectFull: Malaysia Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Identifying English Speaking Needs Among Secondary School Students. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Alpikri, Zeti Aqmar – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Abdullah, Amelia IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Text: Jan2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 1694609X Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 19 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: International Journal of Instruction Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
