The Future of Education

This study aims to identify the challenges which face Jordanian school students in English speaking skills and to provide solutions to their problems. It also seeks to show the role of online learning in these challenges. Three research questions guided the inquiry: What are the challenges facing Jordanian students in English classroom discussions from the students’ viewpoint? How can teachers and students solve the problems related to English speaking skills? What is the role of online learning in students’ challenges from the students’ perspectives? As for the methodology, an online questionnaire was used to collect data from students. The participants were 97 female high school students in Jordan. They all have Arabic as a native language and have never lived in an English speaking country. They receive exposure to English mainly in the classroom and rarely outside it. A quantitative analysis was used in the analysis. The results show that the students perceive the speaking skill as a challenge but believe that online learning helps them avoid some of the consequences of having poor command in English speaking and communication skills. In particular, the participants noted that online learning made communication in English easier as the environment is virtual. This results provide support to Scovel’s (1978) argument on the role of psychological factors (particularly, anxiety) in language learning. The study provides implications for teachers of English speaking skills and calls for a more controlled used of online learning in developing the speaking skills of students.

Key words : English Speaking Skills, Quantitative Analysis, Communication, Challenges

References:

1- Scovel, T. (1978). The effect of affect on foreign language learning: A review of the anxiety research. Language Learning, 28(1), 129-142.

2- Chen, T. Y., & Chang, G. B. (2004). The relationship between foreign language anxiety and learning difficulties. Foreign language annals, 37(2), 279-289.