Identifying the Main Determinants of Low Student Interaction in English Speaking Classes as a Foreign Language in Ecuador.

Abstract

Speaking skills in EFL classrooms are influenced by student interaction and in many cases, oral participation is minimal among students at the secondary level. The present quantitative inquiry aimed at the research question that investigated the reasons for which student interactions are low in EFL-speaking classes among Ecuadorian high school students. A structured Likert scale questionnaire was conducted for about 50 15–17-year-old public secondary school students of Manta, Ecuador. This instrument addressed affective, linguistic, pedagogical, environmental, and motivational variables, affecting students’ willingness to speak. Reliability analysis was acceptable for internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.728). Descriptive analysis suggested that affective variables, in particular anxiety, fear of making mistakes, and lack of confidence, had the most adverse effect on students’ participation. Environmental factors including large class size and peer attitudes significantly predicted student motivation, accounting for 28.9% of its variation. Results demonstrate that barriers related to emotion and state of classroom climate are much more important than language as a determinant of limited spoken communication. Anxiety reduction and supportive, student-centered classroom environments are crucial variables for boosting speaking participation in EFL secondary education settings.