AN ANALYSIS SPEAKING PROBLEM FACED BY THE FOURTH

SEMESTER STUDENTS OF ENGLISH DEPARTMENT OF KUTAI

KARTANEGARA UNIVERSITY IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2022/2023

THESIS

By :

SYARIFAH FARHANA VIDININA BARAQBAH

NIM. 180122138

UNIVERSITY OF KUTAI KARTANEGARA

FACULTY OF TEACHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION
TENGGARONG
July, 2023

1
AN ANALYSIS SPEAKING PROBLEM FACED BY THE FOURTH
SEMESTER STUDENTS OF ENGLISH DEPARTMENT OF KUTAI
KARTANEGARA UNIVERSITY IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2022/2023

THESIS

Submitted to
University of Kutai Kartanegara
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement
for the SARJANA Degree in English Education

By :

SYARIFAH FARHANA VIDININA BARAQBAH

NIM. 180122138

UNIVERSITY OF KUTAI KARTANEGARA

FACULTY OF TEACHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION
TENGGARONG
July, 2023

2
 PAGE OF APPROVAL

This is to certify that the proposal of SYARIFAH FARHANA VIDININA

BARAQBAH
has been approved by research advisors for further approval
by the Board of Examiners

Tenggarong, July, 2023

Srikandini Narulita., M.Pd , Advisor I

NIP. 32015 0307 310373

Fitria Meisarah, S.Pd.,M.Pd , Advisor II

NIDN. 1113058801

Acknowledged by:
Head of English Department,

Sri Utami,S.Pd.,M.Pd
NIP. 197506282001122001

i
 APPROVAL SHEET

This is to certify that the thesis of SYARIFAH FARHANA VIDININA

BARAQBAH
has been approved by the Research Advisors for further approval
by the Board of Examiners

Tenggarong, July 2023

Srikandini Narulita., M.Pd , Advisor I

NIP. 32015 0307 310373

Fitria Meisarah, S.Pd.,M.Pd , Advisor II

NIDN. 1113058801

Acknowledged by:
Head of English Department,

Sri Utami,S.Pd.,M.Pd
NIP. 197506282001122001

ii
 ABSTRACT

BARAQBAH, SYARIFAH FARHANA VIDININA. 2023. An Analysis

Speaking Problem Faced By The Fourth Semester Students Of English
Department Of Kutai Kartanegara University In Academic Year 2022/2023.
Thesis. English Department, School of Teacher Education and Training.
Tenggarong: University of Kutai Kartanegara. Advisors: (1) Srikandini
Narulita., M.Pd., (2) Fitria Meisarah, S.Pd.,M.Pd.

Speaking is significant to an individual’s living processes and experiences

as are the ability of seeing and walking. Speaking is also the most natural way to
communicate. Without speaking, people must remain in almost total isolation
from any kind of society. For most people, the ability to speak a language is the
same as knowing a language since speech is the most basic means of human
communication.
The problem of the study is “What are the speaking problems faced by the
fourth semester students of the English Department of Kutai Kartanegara
University in academic year 2022/2023?” and the purpose of the study is “To
know the speaking problem faced by the fourth semester students of the English
Department of Kutai Kartanegara University in academic year 2022/2023.”
This study used descriptive qualitative design. The informants of this
research are 10 students of the fourth semester of the English Department of Kutai
Kartanegara University in academic year 2022/2023. In collecting data, the
researcher used an interview, observation, and documentation. The researcher
analyzed the data by data reduction, data display, verification and triangulation.
The result of the study state that speaking problem faced by the fourth
semester students of the English Department of Kutai Kartanegara University in
academic year 2022/2023. From ten respondents interviewed, it was found that
the students in grammar faced three kinds of difficulties in speaking. The most
problems felt by the respondents were: rules of grammar, part of speech and tense.
The cause of the grammar difficulty is that too many grammar rules should be
memorized. Every sentence should start with a capital letter in the first word. The
part of speech indicates how the word functions in meaning and grammatically
within the sentence and too many tenses in grammar. In terms of vocabulary, it
was found that two kinds of difficulties were faced by the students in vocabulary
in speaking. The most problems felt by the respondents were: spelling and rare
words. The difficulty of vocabulary came from the fact that many words were
rarely used. In addition, researchers found that problems with vocabulary made it
difficult to carry on a conversation and that students frequently used incorrect
terms or rephrased ideas. It was found that four kinds of difficulties were faced by
the students in speaking fluently. The most problems felt by the respondents were:
fear of making mistakes, nervousness, difficulty memorizing new vocabulary, and
a lack of flexibility in pronunciation. Vocabulary, as one of the causes of the

iii
difficulty in fluency, is a large number of vocabulary with difficulty memorizing
new vocabulary that was not yet known, making students afraid to speak English.
Fear when wrong in speaking makes pronunciation not fluent. Therefore, the
psychological factor that made it not fluent in speaking was fear of being wrong in
speaking and nervousness when speaking English. The last finding of this
research was that three kinds of difficulties were faced by the students in
pronunciation in speaking. The most problems felt by the respondents were:
phonemes (vowels and consonants), stress, timing, intonation, and rhythm. Not
understanding and having difficulty distinguishing vowels and consonants, and do
not understand, and difficulty determining intonation, stress, timing, and rhythm
properly was the comment mostly said when interviewed.

iv
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Alhamdulillah, first of all, the researcher would like to praise Allah SWT,

the Almighty God who always blesses him so that he could accomplish this thesis

writing completely. Some influential people are significant for me during the

completion of this thesis. Therefore, he would like to extend his sincere gratitude

and indebtedness to the outstanding people.

Above all, the researcher would like to extend his deep and sincere gratitude

to his first advisor, Srikandini Narulita., M.Pd. for his invaluable help, revision,

suggestion, advice, and support. This thesis would not go this well without the

helpful suggestion and revision from him. In his fight schedule, he has properly

revised this thesis and facilitated genuine guidance in coping with his unsolved

problems in improving my thesis writing. The researcher is truly indebted and

owes invaluable kindness from him. Fitria Meisarah, S.Pd.,M.Pd., the second

advisor is influential in revising inevitable improper writing and grammar. She is

so helpful for giving suggestions and support in the researcher’s hardship to

complete this thesis. The researcher is much indebted.

The sincere gratitude also goes to the thesis examiners: Drs. Didi Sudrajat,

M.Pd. and Sri Utami,S.Pd.,M.Pd., Their credible suggestion, correction, and

revision provided in seminars of this thesis have made this thesis more accurate.

Many thanks are extended to Dr. Jumaidi Nur,S.Pd.,M.Pd., Dean of School of

Teacher Education and Training, Sri Utami,S.Pd.,M.Pd., Head of English

Department, and all lecturers of English Department for either formally or

v
informally imparted some priceless knowledge to the researcher during her study

at the English Department.

Finally, the researcher would like to give his best appreciation to his

parents, brothers, sisters and family who always give moral and mental support,

never ending to pray for his kindness, and supporting his financial support in

completing this thesis proposal. He does not forget to say a million thanks to the

beloved and best friend who always supports him to complete this thesis as soon

as possible. However, this thesis is far from being perfect and satisfactory. May

Allah always guide us to the right path.

Tenggarong, July 2023

The Researcher,

vi
 VITA

SYARIFAH FARHANA VIDININA BARAQBAH, was born in

Tenggarong, regency of Kutai Kartanegara, Province of East Kalimantan on May

21th 2000. He is the first child of Mr. Irianto and Mrs. Hanifa.

She began to study. She went to primary school at Sekolah Dasar Negeri

022 Tenggarong and finished primary school in 2012. She continued his junior

high school in MTs PPKP Ribhatul Khail. She finished his studies in junior high

school in 2015. In 2015, She continued his study to senior high school at MA

PPKP Ribhatul Khail. She could finished it in 2018. Then, her college began at

the Department of Education School English Teacher Education and Training at

University of Kutai Kartanegara in Tenggarong since 2018.

vii
 TABLE OF CONTENT

PAGE OF APPROVAL
APPROVAL SHEET
ABSTRACT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
VITA
TABLE OF CONTENT
LIST OF TABLE
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 BacKground of the Study
1.2 Problems of the Study
1.3 Purposes of the Study
1.4 Significance of the Study
1.5 Scope and Limitation of the Study
1.6 Definition of Key-Terms
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1. Theory of Speaking
2.1.1 Definition of Speaking
2.1.2 Purpose of Speaking
2.1.3 Aspects of Speaking
2.2. Definition of Speaking Problem
2.3. Problem in Speaking
2.3.1. Linguistics Problem in Speaking
2.3.2. Psychological Problem
2.4. Previous Study
CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1. Research Design
3.2. Subject of the Research
3.3. Data and Data Sources
3.4. Research Instrument
3.4.1. Observation
3.4.2. Interview

viii
 3.4.3. Documentation
3.5. Data Collection Techniques
3.5.1. Observation
3.5.2. Interview
3.5.3. Documentation
3.6.1. Data Reduction
3.6.2. Data Display
3.7. Triangulation
CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS OF THE STUDY AND DISCUSSION
4.1. Findings of the Study
4.2. Speaking Problem Analysis
4.2.1. Grammar
4.2.2. Vocabulary
4.2.3. Fluency
4.2.4. Pronunciation
4.3. Discussion of the Findings
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1. Conclusion
5.2. Suggestions
REFERENCES
APPENDICES
1.7 APPENDIX 1
1.8 APPENDIX 2
1.9 APPENDIX 3
DOCUMENTATIONS

ix
 LIST OF TABLE

Number of Title Page

Table

3.1 Score and Aspects of Speaking Test. ............................ 27

x
 TABLE OF APPENDIX

Number of
Appendix Title Page

1 List of Interview............................................................. 63
2 Rubric Observation....................................................... 64
3 Scoring Rubric Adaptation............................................ 65
4 Documentation 67
Research Recommendation Letter from Dean of
5 School of Teacher Education and Training University 72
of Kutai Kartanegara......................................................

xi
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Introduction concerns (1) Background of the Study, (2) Problem of the

Study, (3) Purpose of the Study, (4) Scope and Limitation of the Study, (5)

Significant of the Study, (6) Definition of Key Terms.

1.1 Background of the Study

Language is a communication tool between humans to convey

information. According to Pei (1966:134) cited in Kasgari (2013:89),language is a

system of communication by sound, operating through the organs of speech and

hearing among members of a given community, and using vocal symbols

possessing arbitrary conventional meanings. In other words, language is a

communication tool between humans to convey information, ideas, or feelings.

Language is very important in communicating between people because everyone

needs language to transmit and receive information, ideas, or feelings directly

through speech or writing.

Since English is an international language, English has become a

significant subject to be used and studied worldwide, where students must be

competent in using and understanding English.In addition, technology

development, the magnitude of the socialization environment between countries,

and the number of jobs requiring good English language skills. Thus, English

language competence becomes important in career development, students must

1
understand the use of English in formal and informal situations, which can

increase students' confidence to face global competition.

In learning and using languages, especially English, at least there are four

skills of language that actually must be mastered by all the students. They are

listening, speaking, reading and also writing.The four parts are interconnected,

and practicing them every day will greatly improve the learning process,

especially for students in the beginner stage of learning. Many people tend to put

more effort into certain skills and not enough into others. Simply speaking is a

skill that most people want to master and become the focus of study since students

learn English.

To master speaking skills, students not only have to master grammar but

also need to master vocabulary, speak fluently, and need confidence in using them

in everyday life as a second language. However, students often have various

obstacles in speaking skills. Speaking problems are some problems that make

someone lack speaking ability. According to Doris and Jessica (2007:98) cited in

Apriliaswati, Fitriani, and Wardah (2015:47) language problems actually served

as one of the important reasons behind poor academic performance. These

problems might become obstacles for the students to enhance and improve their

speaking ability. In other words, students experience problems in speaking skills

due to lack of speaking performance. Richards (2008:87) cited in Apriliaswati,

Fitriani, and Wardah (2015:89) claimed there are some typical learner’s problems

in speaking. Those problems are: lack of vocabulary needed to talk, poor

grammar, and poor pronunciation.

2
 In other words, mastery of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation is

very important in speaking. Common problems experienced when speaking

are lack of vocabulary mastery so that they are confused to arrange words in

speaking, feel confused and doubtful in grammar, and do not understand the

pronunciation of a word in English.

Other than that, Xinghua (2007:189) cited in Apriliaswati, Fitriani, and

Wardah (2015:49) stated that psychological problems are those problems that

often interfere emotional and physical health, relationships, work productivity,

or life adjustment, such as nervousness, lack of self-confident and afraid to

speaking. These problems might affect students' performance in their

speaking. Even though we have mastered vocabulary, grammar, or

pronunciation, we are often embarrassed, doubtful, not confident, or even

worried about the way we speak. There More mental health and self-

confidence are needed to master speaking skills.

The reason for conducting this research was because the researcher

wanted to know the problem of students speaking English as fourth semester

students of the English Department in Kutai Kartanegara University academic

year 2022/2023. As the researcher of this class, they were using two

languages, namely Indonesian and Kutai as their daily language. They were

not used to and stiff in English pronunciation, sometimes they even felt

confused in pronouncing a word in English. In addition, some students felt

ashamed or lacked confidence in using English. Moreover, they relied more on

Indonesian and Kutai as their everyday language rather than using English.

3
1.2 Problems of the Study

Based on the background of the study above, the researcher decided the

problem of the study was “What are the speaking problems faced by the fourth

semester students of the English Department of Kutai Kartanegara University in

academic year 2022/2023?”

1.3 Purposes of the Study

Based on the problem of the study above, the researcher decided the

purpose of the study was “To know the speaking problem faced by the fourth

semester students of the English Department of Kutai Kartanegara University in

academic year 2022/2023.”

1.4 Significance of the Study

This study would give some benefits in the following ways:

1. Theoretically; this study was expected to contribute to increasing the

knowledge about speaking problems faced by the fourth semester students of

the English Department of Kutai Kartanegara University in academic year

2022/2023.

2. Practically; the study's findings were expected to improve and minimize

speaking performance problems. The result of this study could be a

measurement of English Lecturers in teaching speaking classes, particularly

the fourth semester students of the English Department of KutaiKartanegara

University in the academic year 2022/2023.

4
1.5 Scope and Limitation of the Study

Based on the problem and purpose above, the researcher focused in the

following ways :

1. The variables of the study were speaking problems faced by the fourth

semester students of the English Department of Kutai Kartanegara University

in the academic year 2022/2023.

2. The indicators of speaking problems were: vocabulary, fluency, grammar,

and pronunciation.

3. The subjects of the study were the fourth semester students of the English

Department of Kutai Kartanegara University in the academic year 2022/2023.

1.6 Definition of Key-Terms

In the order to attain clear understanding of definition derived from some

terms used in this study, the researcher presented several key-terms, such as

follow:

1. Speaking is an activity that is used to express oneself in a situation or an

activity to report actions, convey information or situations, and express a

sequence of ideas fluently.

2. Problem is a difficulty, obstacle, limitation, or barrier possessed by people,

both on themselves or other people.

3. Speaking Problem is a difficulty, limitation or problem people face with

their speaking skills. In this study, speaking problems refer to difficulty,

5
 limitation, or problems faced by the fourth semester students in the English

Department in Academic Year 2022/2023.

4. Vocabulary is a word that has a specific meaning.

5. Grammaris a study in which sentences are structured and formatted.

6. Pronunciation Is a way of reading mention or pronunciation that produces

sound from a word or sentence that can be understood.

7. Confidence is the belief or belief that you are capable of doing something.

6
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Review of related concerns (1) Theory of Speaking consists of Definition

of Speaking, Purpose of Speaking, andAspects of Speaking. (2) Definition of

Speaking Problem, (3) Problem in Speaking of Linguistics Problem and

Psychological Problem.

2.1 Theory of Speaking

Speaking is significant to an individual’s living processes and experiences

as are the ability of seeing and walking. Speaking is also the most natural way to

communicate. Without speaking, people must remain in almost total isolation

from any kind of society. For most people, the ability to speak a language is the

same as knowing a language since speech is the most basic means of human

communication.

2.1.1 Definition of Speaking

Richards (2008:96) states that the mastering of speaking skill in English is

a priority for many second language or foreign language learners. Speaking is one

of the English skills that is often used to express ideas, convey information, or

communicate between people. nothing must be said, only what people have to

hear from you to know and understand each other. It determines how long it is

listened to and how well it is understood. Talking is not only done between two

people but can be done with more than two people or in groups. Speaking skill is

7
not only for knowing or learning but also to be practiced in public to have more

good speaking skill.

To know and understand what is speaking, there are some definitions of

speaking according to Cameron (2001:120) cited by Bafadal, Ilham, and

Muslimin (2019:78) speaking is the active use of language to express meanings so

that other people can make sense of them. Bryne (1984:198) cited in Riadil

(2020:56) defines speaking as a two-way process between speaker and listener.

Tarigan (1990:92) cited by Bugis, Hanapi, Handayani and Wamnebo (2018:91)

states that speaking is the capability of pronouncing sound or word to express or

convey thought, idea, feeling, opinion, and wish.

According to Cornbleet and Carter (2001:17), “When we speak, a great deal

more than just mouth is involved such as nose, pharynx, epiglottis, trachea, lungs

and more. But, speaking isn’t just making sounds. Birds, animals, babies make

sounds and though it may be communication of sorts, it’s not speaking”.

In addition, the National Education Department (2005:165) states that,

“speaking are saying, talking, deliver some thoughts, express something orally”.

Meanwhile, Tarigan (1985:15) defines that, “speaking is a skill of

conveying words or sounds of articulation to express or to deliver ideas, opinion,

of feeling. Speaking is a sign of system that can be listened (audible) and can be

seen (visible)”.

Based on the previous three definitions, it can be synthesized that speaking

is the process of sharing with another person, or with other persons, one’s

knowledge, interests, attitudes, opinions or ideas. Delivery of ideas, opinions, or

8
feelings are some important aspects of the process of speaking in which a

speaker’s idea becomes real to him and his listeners.

2.1.2 Purpose of Speaking

Speaking has various purposes and uses that are very useful for everyday

life. Speaking as a transaction refers to a situation where the focus is on a message

about what is said or achieved to make people understand clearly and accurately.

Besides that, speaking can also be used to convey opinions, feelings, suggestions,

or just a conversation within the scope of the environment.

To know and understand are purposes of speaking.There are eight

purposes of studying speaking that quoted from Lynch and Anderson (1992:167)

in Arodjiah (2020:76) the explanation are follows:

a. To achieve and extend the learner’s linguistic competence,

b. To increase their confidence in using spoken English,

c. To develop their ability to analyze and evaluate spoken performance,

d. To sharpen their strategic competence in face-to-face interaction,

e. To convey their message to someone else,

f. The learners can use communication strategies, dictionaries, or previous input

to make up for gaps in their product knowledge,

g. There are plenty of opportunities to produce,

h. The learners talk about things that are primarily familiar to them.

9
 Kingen (2000:49) cited by Torky (2006:83) also states that about purposes

of speaking and combines both the transactional and interpersonal purposes of

speaking into an extensive list of twelve categories as follows:

1. Personal : expressing personal feelings, opinions, beliefs and ideas.

2. Descriptive : describing someone or something, real or imagined.

3. Narrative : creating and telling stories or chronologically sequenced events.

4. Instructive : giving instructions or providing directions designed to produce

an outcome.

5. Questioning : asking questions to obtain information.

6. Comparative : comparing two or more objects, people, ideas, or opinions to

make judgments about them.

7. Imaginative : expressing mental images of people, places, events and objects.

8. Predictive : predicting possible future events.

9. Interpretative : exploring meanings, creating hypothetical deductions, and

considering inferences.

10. Persuasive : changing others’ opinions, attitudes, or points of view, or

influencing the behavior of others in some way.

11. Explanatory : explaining, clarifying, and supporting ideas and opinions.

12. Informative : sharing information with others

2.1.3 Aspects of Speaking

To be a good speaker and master the way of speaking, we should pay

attention to several aspects that are in the speaking. According to Harris

(1974:176) cited by Eliwarti, Kurniati, Novitri (2015:89) there are five

10
components of speaking skill concerned comprehension, grammar, vocabulary,

pronunciation and fluency.

1. Comprehension

Comprehension is one of the most important aspects of speaking. These

comprehensions can be used to measure a conversation's understanding.

Understanding or not someone in a conversation can be the most influencing

factor in mastering or not speaking, especially in a foreign language such as

English.

According to Hornby (2000:94) cited in Bugis, Hanapi, Handayani, and

Wamnebo (2018:113) comprehension is the mind act power of understanding

exercises aimed at improving testing ones. Comprehension in speaking is the goal

of many language learners.

2. Grammar

Grammar is a study in which sentences are structured and formatted.

Grammar is a systematic way of accounting for and predicting an ideal speaker’s

or hearer’s knowledge of the language. According to Leech (1982:154) cited

byBugis et al (2018:112) grammar is a set of rules describing how we use a

language. The aim of grammar is also to learn the correct way to gain expertise in

a language in oral written form.

3. Vocabulary

According to Kamil and Hiebert (2005:38) cited in Apriliaswati, Fitriani,

and Wardah (2015:39) state that generally, vocabulary is the knowledge of

11
meanings of words. In other words, vocabulary is an individual word that has a

meaning.

4. Pronunciation

Pronunciation is how speakers produce more precise language when they

speak. According to Hinkel (2005:86) cited byApriliaswati, Fitriani, and Wardah

(2015:46) a second language learner needs to master the individual characteristic

of the sound of a new language. It will be good for the students to be able to speak

naturally like the native speaker itself. There are two features of pronunciation

namely phonemes and suprasegmental features. Gerard (2000:65) cited by Bugis

et al (2018:93) a speaker who constantly mispronounces a range of phonemes can

be extremely difficult for a speaker from another language community to

understand.

5. Fluency

Fluency is the ability to read, speak, or write easily, smoothly.and

expressively. In other words, the speaker can read, understand and respond in a

language clearly and concisely while relating meaning and context. Fluency can

be defined as the ability to speak fluently and accurately. Fluency in speaking is

the aim of many language learners. Signs of fluency include a reasonably fast

speed of speaking and only a small number of pauses and “ums'' or “ers''.

According to Brown (1997:197) cited in Bugis et al (2018:95) these signs indicate

that the speaker does not have to spend much time searching for the language

items needed to express the message.

12
2.2 Definition of Speaking Problem

Speaking problems are some that make a person less or have limited

ability to speak. These problems can be an obstacle for speakers or students to

improve their speaking skills and make them less confident, so they rarely practice

their English speaking. According to Doris and Jessica (2007:123) cited in

Apriliaswati, Fitriani, and Wardah (2015:110) “Language problems are one of the

important reasons behind poor academic performance.” These problems may

become obstacles for the students to enhance and improve their speaking ability.

2.3 Problem in Speaking

Speaking is an active use of language to produce information or meaning.

Speaking is a key to communication. Speaking activity involves producing and

receiving information which is influenced by participants, experiences, physical

environment and purposes. Speaking is a complex process of oral communication

that needs many skills, including listening, vocabulary, grammar, and

pronunciation. In line with as stated by Barras (2006:9) speaking relates with a

message of the speaker‟s and thelistener‟ thought then must be understood by the

speaker and the listener.Speaking requires not only know how to produce

language, but also understand sociolinguistic competence, such as when, why, and

in what ways to produce language). As stated by Jones in Richards (2008: 19) that

speaking people tend to be getting meaning and exploring ideas.

One of the problems of students in learning English is speaking. There are

some problems in English speaking the first, mispronunciation. This often

13
happens when students experience the release vocabulary correctly. This is based

on mastery of vocabulary. If students speak without regard to pronunciation of

course students will have difficulty in conveying something. In this case, students

must be able to memorize master vocabulary, pronunciation, apply and keep

repeating the vocabulary that has been understood. The second, poor vocabulary,

is the main foundation in speaking. The more vocabulary that is known, the more

comfortable and pleasant to express an opinion, if students are at the beginner

level. The fourth, grammatical error in speaking, students can experience errors

especially in composing sentences correctly. This is inseparable from the grammar

material that has been learned.

Speaking problems are some problems that make someone lack speaking

ability. According to Doris and Jessica (2007:78) language problems actually

serve as one of the important reasons behind poor academic performance. These

problems may become the obstacles for the students to enhance and improve their

speaking ability. The reasons why the students are having problems in their

speaking are they are poor in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Those

problems belong to linguistics problems.

Other problems that may become a barrier for the students to become good

English speakers are psychological problems. Xinghua (2007:65) states that

psychological problems are those problems which often interfere with your

emotional and physical health, your relationships, work productivity, or life

adjustment such as nervousness, lack of self-confidence and fear of speaking.

These problems may affect student performance in their speaking. Khan

14
(2005:43) claims in his research that some of these participants have

psychological problems in speaking. This emphasizes that psychological problems

also affect student performance in speaking.

Susilawati (2007:34) cited that in an oral discussion, shyness, nervousness,

feeling afraid of making mistakes, not knowing the way how to pronounce certain

words, are the potential problems that can hinder the students' ability to speak.

Regarding this, Brown (2001:18) states that shyness and anxiety are considered as

the main causes of students‟ reluctance to speak. Some students have speaking

problems. It is difficult to verbally express what they want to explain to other

people. They have trouble putting their thoughts into words. Although they can

understand what others speak, some of them are unable to speak well. A

discriminating ear does not always produce a fluent tongue. According to Brown

(2001:20), one of the major obstacles learners have to overcome in learning to

speak is the anxiety generated over the risk of blurting things out that are wrong,

stupid or incomprehensible. Koichi Sato (2003:35) argues that students of English

are not highly competent in speaking because of their fear of mistakes. The same

argument was also argued by Liauw (2009:27) that feelings of anxiety;

apprehension and nervousness are commonly expressed by foreign language

learners in learning to speak foreign language.

Speaking problems are some problems that make someone lack speaking

ability. According to Doris and Jessica (2007:114) cited in Apriliaswati, Fitriani,

and Wardah (2015:93) language problems are a crucial reason for poor academic

performance. These problems may become barriers for students or speakers in

15
improving their speaking skills. Students or speakers have problems speaking,

generally poor grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.

Not only linguistic problems experienced by students or speakers when

conducting conversations or speaking. There are also psychological problems with

language. Xinghua (2007:93) cited in Apriliaswati, Fitriani, and Wardah

(2015:29) states that psychological problems are those problems that often

interfere emotional and physical health, relationships, work productivity, or life

adjustment, such as nervousness, lack of self-confidence, and afraid of speaking.

These problems may affect students' performance in their speaking.

2.3.1 Linguistics Problem in Speaking

Linguistics is a scientific study of language, such as the study of grammar,

words, and phonology. According to Spolsky and Hult (2008) cited in Fitriati, and

Jannah (2016) “generally linguistics comprises the details of vocabulary,

grammar, and pronunciation.” Linguistic problems are one of the obstacles that

students or speakers often experience. Because of these problems, many students

or speakers have difficulty or decreased ability to speak using English.

According to Richards (2008) cited in Apriliaswati, Fitriani, and Wardah

(2015) that “there are some typical learner‟s problems in speaking. Those

problems are lack of vocabulary needed to talk, poor grammar, and poor

pronunciation.” Based on this statement, we can see that the problems

experienced by students or speakers include a lack of vocabulary, poor grammar,

and poor pronunciation.

16
1. Lack of Vocabulary

According to Kamil and Hiebert (2005) Apriliaswati, Fitriani, and Wardah

(2015) also state that “Generally, vocabulary is the knowledge of meanings of

words. The words come in at least two forms; oral and print. Oral vocabulary is

the set of words for which we know the meanings when speaking or reading

orally. While print vocabulary consists of those words for which the meaning is

known when we write or read silently”.

Students or speakers get in trouble when they need to talk but lack

vocabulary and do not know how to combine vocabulary into a good sentence.

Davies and Pearse (2000) cited in Apriliaswati, Fitriani, and Wardah (2015) state

that “in the real communication, nobody paid much attention to the correct

grammar expression, but emphasized the content and how to reply.”

The student or speaker knows what they will say in everyday language, but

when they have to change the language itself into a foreign language such as

English, they are often confused to combine and use the right required vocabulary.

2. Poor Grammar

Grammar is a study in which sentences are structured and formatted,

Considered boring to study correct grammar because it is worth the time and

effort to study this. If students do not know grammar rules, they will not be able to

communicate using English effectively.

According to Celce-murcia (2001) cited in Apriliaswati, Fitriani, and

Wardah (2015) “grammar becomes difficult because learners do not learn

structures one at a time. Even the learners appear to have mastered a particular

17
structure; it is not uncommon to find backsliding occurring with the introduction

of new forms to the learners’ interlanguage”.

From the statement above, we can see that learning grammar takes effort

and much time, because grammar is not just one. In English itself, there are a lot

of grammatical structures that must be learned. Because it is challenging to learn

grammar, many people sometimes do not study it seriously. And when speaking,

experience confusion in arranging words into a sentence due to lack of knowledge

of grammar.

3. Poor Pronunciation

Pronunciation is the way for speakers to produce clearer language when

they speak. Brown (2001) cited in Apriliaswati, Fitriani, and Wardah (2015)

states “it is more important than the English speakers can achieve intelligibility,

comprehensibility, and interpretability.”

Pronunciation is as important as other aspects of foreign language learning

like syntax or vocabulary. The correct pronunciation is very necessary to develop

speaking skill. Pronunciation also has close connections to other fields such as

listening and grammar.if the student or speaker lacks ability in pronunciation, it is

not very good because it can cause wrong information to be conveyed. It is caused

by the pronunciation of a word or sentence that can have a different meaning if it

is not pronounced correctly and clearly according to the pronunciation rules of the

sentence or word.

18
2.3.2 Psychological Problem

Psychology is a science or study that studies the thinking processes and

behavior of humans and other animals in their interactions with the environment.

Psychological problems are problems that often interfere with emotional or

physical health. These psychological problems can harm speaking performance.

According to Xinghua (2007) cited in Apriliaswati, Fitriani, and Wardah

(2015) states that “psychological problems often interfere with emotional and

physical health, relationships, work productivity, or life adjustment such as

nervousness, lack of self-confidence and fear of speaking”. Ur (1996) cited in

Patanduk (2019) also explained that the learners in speaking activities face some

problems. Many factors cause difficulty in speaking, and they are inhibition,

nothing to say, Lack of Motivation, Mother-tongue use.

1. Inhibition

The problem most often experienced by students or speakers is inhibition.

Different from other language skills, speaking skills require real-time exposure to

the audience. Littlewood (2007) cited in Fitriati and Jannah (2016) stated that “a

foreign language classroom can easily create barriers and anxiety”. When a

student or speaker tries to say something in a foreign language in front of the

public, they are often hindered. They worry about making mistakes, fear criticism

or losing face, and are embarrassed that their speech will be interesting.

2. Nothing To Say

Nothing to say, it is a common problem experienced by every individual

who is just starting to learn to speak.Even if someone is not inhibited, sometimes

19
they complain that they can not think of anything to say and do not know how to

express their feelings with words.

Baker and Westrup (2003) cited in Fitriati and Jannah (2016) stated that “It

is difficult for many students to respond when the teachers ask them to say

something in a foreign language because they might have few ideas about what to

say, which vocabulary to use, or how to use the grammar correctly.”

From this statement, we can see that a lack of understanding and learning

about aspects of speaking such as grammar, vocabulary, pronouns, or fluency can

affect a person and experience confusion such as how to use grammar correctly or

how to pronounce a word correctly. Right, and ended up having "nothing to say”.

3. Lack of Motivation

According to Songsiri (2007) cited in Al Nakhalah (2016) motivation it is

mentioned in the literature that motivation is a key to students’ learning success.

Motivation is needed in any activity, especially in learning.

Regarding the problem of motivation in student learning, Nuna (1999)

cited in Al Nakhalah (2016) stresses that motivation is important to notice because

it can affect students’ reluctance to speak in English. In this sense, motivation is a

key consideration in determining the preparedness of learners to communicate.

We can see how important motivation is from several experts who explain

that motivation can affect the smooth learning of students. Lack of self-motivation

in learning, especially speaking, can greatly hinder students speaking fluency

because students lack enthusiasm or encouragement from within themselves. As a

20
result,students can feel lazy and not enthusiastic about exploring and learning by

speaking

4. Mother-tongue use

Mother Tongue is often a problem experienced by beginners in starting to

practice speaking, especially in foreign languages. Because the daily habit of

using the mother tongue makes it difficult for us to get used to using a foreign

language in everyday life.

It happens when all or some students share the same mother tongue. They

tend to use their mother tongue because it is easier for them; it feels unnatural to

talk to each other in foreign language, and they feel less confident when they

speak without their mother tongue.

Harmer (2001) cited in Fitriati and Jannah (2016) suggested some reasons

students use their mother tongue in class. Firstly, “when the students are asked to

discuss a topic they are incapable of performing, they will use their own

language.” Another reason is that “the use of mother tongue is a natural thing to

do.”

2.4 Previous Study

The first previous study that is used by the researchers is An Analysis of

Problem In Teaching-Learning English Speaking Skills by Fistia (2021). Her

research aims to identify and describe the problems faced by both lecturers and

students during learning activities in the advanced speaking class. The method

used in her research is a qualitative approach with a descriptive method. The

21
research subjects were English-speaking lecturers and fourth semester students of

the English Department of IAIN Bengkulu in 2020. In her study, the instruments

used were non-participant observation and structured interviews. Data analysis

used is a triangulation method. The results of her study indicate that the main

obstacle faced by the lecturer is the difficulty in explaining the advanced speaking

material because most students are not familiar with the new topic given by the

lecturer, so the lecturer must take up much time. Furthermore, the lecturer could

not provide a more detailed explanation. The three lecturers often cannot discuss

because classes are held online, sometimes internet access is limited. In addition,

the problems faced by students include the tree factor. These factors are

knowledge factors, psychological factors, and language factors.

The second previous study that the researchers use is The Speaking

Problems of Madrasah Students eighth Grade Tsanawiyah Boarding School

Riyadhul Amien Muaro Jambi by Tasmia (2019). Finding students' problems in

learning skills in the English language is the purpose of her research. The method

of this research uses a descriptive qualitative. Her study subjects were eighth

grade students (class A) in Madrasah Students Tsanawiyah Boarding School

Riyadhul Amien Muaro Jambi. In her study, the research data collected using

observation, interviews, and documentation. From result findings and discussions,

it can be concluded that the student’s speaking problems consist of: shyness,

grammar, vocabulary and meaning, pronunciation, lack of confidence, fear of

making mistakes and anxiety. From trouble, the most dominant problems are

vocabulary and pronunciation. Most of them stated that they were afraid to speak

22
due to lack of vocabulary and pronunciation. They feel afraid if they make

mistakes in pronouncing words in English and using the vocabulary.

The author tried to improve research on speaking problems faced by

students. In previous studies, the object used in the research was broader and

discussed both aspects of the problems in speaking, namely psychology problems

and linguistic problems. Nevertheless, this research will narrow down the

discussion by focusing on the linguistic problem part of speaking. Then, although

using the same research method and design as the previous research, the research

instrument section is slightly different from the previous research. In the first

study, instruments were non-participant observation and structured interviews; in

the second research using observation, interviews, and documentation

instruments, I used observation, interview, and documentation as research

instruments. In addition, the object of my research was also different from the

subject of previous research. The previous research focused more on high school

and lower secondary school children, but in my research, I took samples and

subjects of fourth semester students at the university of Kutai Kartanegara

academic year 2022/2023, which might give slightly different results from

Previous studies.

23
 CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The research method focuses on Research Design, Subject of the Research,

Data and Data Sources, Research Instrument, Data Collection Techniques, Data

Analysis Techniques and Triangulation.

3.1 Research Design

The design of this research was a qualitative method. Denzin & Lincoln in

Creswell (2007:36) explain that Qualitative research is a situated activity that

locates the observer in the world. It consists of a set interpretive material practices

that make the world visible. These practices transform the world. They turn the

world into a series of representations, including field notes, interviews,

conversation, photographs, recordings, and memos to the self. At this level

qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world.

This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings,

attempting to make sense of or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings

people bring to them.

In addition, Bogdan and Biklen in Sugiyono (2010:9) explain that, “The

characteristics of qualitative research are: (1) Qualitative research has the natural

setting as the direct source of data and researcher is the key instrument, (2)

Qualitative research is descriptive. The data collected is in the form of words of

pictures rather than number, (3) Qualitative researches are concerned with process

24
rather than simply with outcomes or products, (4) Qualitative researchers tend to

analyze their data inductively, and (5) “Meaning” is of essential to the qualitative

approach.

This research used the qualitative approach. During the study, the

researcher was the main instrument. Implementation in the field, the researcher

conducted interviews and observed the respondents, namely in accordance with

the purpose of research.

3.2 Subject of the Research

In qualitative research, the existence of information on research as key

informants to be interviewed in depth is needed. The informant is a person who

will be utilized to provide information about situation and condition setting as the

subject of this research. Lincoln and Guba in Sugiyono (2010:54) explain that, “in

natural research, specification of the total sample cannot be quantified

previously”.

Sanafiah in Sugiyono (2010:56-57) explains that, “the sample as a data

source or informant meet the criteria: (1) They students control or understand

something through the process enculturation, (2) They students have the enough

time to be asked for information, (3) They are that not likely to convey

information on the results of its own setting, (4) They are that still involved or

engaged in activities that are investigated, (5) They are who classified as foreign

to the researcher, so it can be resource.

25
 In determining the subject, the researcher used a continuous purposive

sampling adjustment or focusing of the sample as an informant. The research

involved the English Department in Kutai Kartanegara academic year 2022/2023

as a population of the study. The source of the interviews were students, totaling

10 people consisting of 5 men and 5 women.

3.3 Data and Data Sources

In natural research, a researcher has a role as a human instrument and as

the main instrument that collects the data. The data in this research was about

speaking problems faced by fourth semester students of the English department in

KutaiKartanegara University academic year 2022/2023. While the data sources of

the research were students of class eighth as the interviewers, data of

documentation and observation that relate with this study.

3.4 Research Instrument

Data is information that has been collected by conducting research. To get

the reliable data, the researcher had to do some techniques for collecting those

data. Data collecting technique was an important step in research, because the aim

of the research was to get the data. Collecting data could be done in any settings,

any sources, and any ways. There were five data collecting techniques. Those

were observation, interview, and documentation.

26
3.4.1 Observation

Observations in simple terms is the process of researchers in the study

looking at the situation. This technique is very relevant to use in-class research

that includes observing the condition of learning interactions, behavior of children

and child interaction and group. Observations can be carried out independently

and structured. Tools that can be used in observation are the observation sheet,

checklist, notes and other events. The researcher adapted the observation sheet

developed by Haris (1996,94), as attached in Appendix 3 of this study.

Table 3.1. Score and Aspects of Speaking Test by David P. Harris

Aspects Vocabulary Pronunciation Fluency Grammar

Score 25 25 25 25

3.4.2 Interview

The researcher gave the interview test focused on the subject matter that

will be studied. Interviewing technique used in qualitative research is in-depth

interviews. In-depth interview (in-depth interviews) is the process of obtaining

information for research purposes by way of question and answer face to face

between the interview with the informant or the person being interviewed, with or

without using a guide (guide) interview, where the interviewer and the informant

involved in social life relatively long (Sutopo 2006:72). The questions of the

interview modified Heriansyah's interview instrument, as attached in Appendix 1

of this study.

27
3.4.3 Documentation

Documentation is a note of events which have passed already.

documentation could be written, pictures or monumental moments from someone.

in the sense that if any mistakes remain the source of data, have not changed. With

the method of documentation that observe is not living but inanimate objects. It

can support the research that could be as documentation of data about things from

English transcripts of speaking, photos and etc which relate with the speaking

problems faced by fourth semester students of the English department in Kutai

Kartanegara University academic year 2022/2023.

As this study was qualitative research, the key instrument of the research

was the researcher herself. This idea is relevant to Lincoln and Guba in Sugiyono

(2010:60) that the instrument of choice is the human. We shall see that the other

forms of instrumentation may be used in the later phase of the inquiry, but the

human is the initial and continuing mainstay. But if the human instrument has

been used extensively in earlier stages of inquiry, so that an instrument can be

constructed that is grounded in the data that the human instrument has produced.

According to Sugiyono (2010:61) in qualitative research the main

instrument of the research is the researcher herself. But, if the focus of the

research has been clear, it can be developed a simple instrument to collect the data

to complete the data that have been obtained.

28
3.5 Data Collection Techniques

This section presented the data collection techniques employed in this

study and the individual instruments used to gather the data. In qualitative

research, data collection approach includes in-depth interview, document analysis,

observation, and audiovisual materials analysis (Creswell, 2012). Data of this

research came from interviews, observations, and document review, which was

gathered through several techniques of data collection.

3.5.1 Observation

The use of observation is very important in research because by using

observation, the researcher can see the situation, atmosphere, fact and actually

happen in the field directly. Patton in Sugiyono (2010:67) explains that, “the

observation becomes important data because: (1) Researchers would gain a better

understanding of the context in which it would occur investigated, (2) Observation

allows the researcher to be open, oriented to the discovery of the proven and

retains the option to approach the problem inductively, (3) Observation allows the

researcher to see thing by himself that probably less aware of the research subject,

(4) Observation allows the researcher to obtain data about things that for various

reasons not disclosed by the research subject openly in interview, (5) Observation

allows the researcher to reflect and introspective to the research undertaken.

Impression and observation have been a part so that the researcher can understand

the phenomenon under study.

In this study, observations that were used by the researcher would be non-

participants with the intention that the researchers did not plunge directly in the

29
learning process, but the researcher only looked at his record observation, the

purpose of the observation was only to verify interview results with real

conditions in the field.

3.5.2 Interview

Esterberg in Sugiyono (2010:72) explains that an interview is a meeting of

two people to exchange information and ideas through questions and responses,

resulting in communication and joint construction of meaning about a particular

topic. In this research the interview aimed to know the speaking problems faced

by fourth semester students of the English department in KutaiKartanegara

University academic year 2022/2023.

3.5.3 Documentation

Sugiyono (2010:82) states that documentation is a note of events which

have passed already. Documentation could be written, pictures or monumental

moments from someone. Compared to other methods, this method is somewhat

not difficult, in the sense that if any mistakes remain the source of data, they have

not changed. With the method of documentation that observe is not living but

inanimate objects.

In this study, the researcher used documentation supporting the research

that can be as documentation of data about speaking problems faced by fourth

semester students of the English department in Kutai Kartanegara University

academic year 2022/2023.

30
3.6 Data Analysis Techniques

According to Sugiyono (2007:244) data analysis technique is the process

of systematically searching and compiling data obtained from interviews,

observation and a note in the field. In this research, the data analysis is done by

identifying the data obtained from the test.

Data analysis aimed at organizing the data, data collection a lot of and

consists of field notes and comments of researcher, drawing, photographs,

documents, reports, etc., and data analysis work is organize, sort, classify and

provide a specific and categorized, the data management aims to find themes and

working hypotheses which eventually were name a substantive theory

(Moelong,2007:103).

Based on Miles and Huberman (1984:15-21) set out the steps of data

analysis technique for qualitative research design, namely (1) data reduction, by

means of sorting and conversion of data that appears in the field (2) the

presentation of the data, by assembling and compiling the information in the form

of a single unit, selective and understood, and (3) formulation in conclusion, that

the conduct of review in the field to test the correctness and validity of the

meanings that appear there. Results obtained are interpreted, and then presented in

narrative form.

3.6.1 Data Reduction

Data reduction means summarize, choose the basic things, focus on the

things that are important, look for themes and patterns. This reduced data will

31
provide a clear picture, and facilitate researchers to conduct further data

collection, and look for it when needed (Sugiyono,2008:91).

Data reduction in an effort of the researcher to choose, focus, and

transform scattered data from interviews. The researcher continuously made data

reduction during the research, while in the field to sort and systematize the data.

Data reduction as part of the analysis, the researcher conducts the analysis

at the same time chooses which data is encoded, which is necessary and which the

data discarded. So the choice is related to the focus of this research. That is why

the reduction is classified activities, directing, discarding unnecessary data, and

organizing data in such a way as to be able to draw conclusions.

The final stage of data reduction, which is where the researcher makes

coding of the data based on the essential theories. A summary form is necessary

for the researcher to describe the early findings, which are marked with certain

codes according to categories of coverage and according to the coverage of the

researcher.

Data reduction would be obtained from the interview. The researcher

chose and sorted the data based on the speaking problems faced by fourth

semester students of the English department in Kutai Kartanegara University

academic year 2022/2023.

3.6.2 Data Display

Data display means displaying the data that presents data in the form of

brief descriptions, charts, relationships between categories, etc. presenting data

that is often used in qualitative research is narrative. It is intended to understand

32
what happens or occurs, and subsequent work plans based on what is understood

(Miles and Huberman,1984:18).

Data display in each case based on the focus of the research that led to a

temporary conclusion, which later become of the research findings. In addition to

present data though narrative texts, will be also used matrix or chart that will be

easy for researcher to establishes the relationship between text there. By using

this, researchers will be easy in designing and combining information arranged in

the solid form and easy to understand, so that the researcher can make

simplification and ease inferences from data found.

Miles and Huberman (1984:19) state that the most frequent form of

display data for qualitative research data in the post has been narrative text. This

has a specific meaning. The process can be done by displaying data, creating

difficult phenomena to make sense of what is actually happening and what needs

to be followed to achieve a valid and reliable qualitative analysis. The researcher

displayed the data that were obtained from data reduction. The researcher

explained the result of the students answers of the items test to know the speaking

problems faced by fourth semester students of the English department in Kutai

Kartanegara University academic year 2022/2023.

3.6.3 Conclusing Drawing

According to Miles and Huberman (1984:20), the last step of this kind of

research is conclusion drawing. In this case, the researcher makes conclusions

from data that are collected from the sample. The researcher presented the

33
speaking problems faced by fourth semester students of the English Department in

Kutai Kartanegara University academic year 2022/2023.

3.7 Triangulation

Wiersma in Sugiyono (2010:125) explains that, “Triangulation is

qualitative cross-validation. It assesses the sufficiency of the data according to the

convergence of multiple data sources of multiple data collection procedures”.

In testing the credibility, triangulation is defined as the checking of data

from various sources in various ways, and at different times. Sugiyono (2010:125-

127) explained that, “Triangulation includes triangulation of source, triangulation

of technique, and triangulation of time”. Explanation of three triangulation as

followed:

1. Triangulation of Source

Triangulation of data sources to test the credibility done by checking the

data will be obtained through several sources.

2. Triangulation of Technique

Triangulation techniques used to test the credibility of the data is done by

checking the data to the same source with different techniques.

3. Triangulation of Time

Time also often affects the credibility of the data. Data collected by

interview in the morning when the resource is still fresh, yet many problems, so it

will provide data that is more valid and credible. In order to test the credibility of

34
the data can be done by checking with the interviews, observation, or other

techniques in a different time or situation.

To obtain objective data, triangulation source conducted in this study. In

this study, the researcher used triangulation of sources achieved by comparing the

result of interviews with the real situation of observation and completing the

documentation. The interviewee in this study were 10 students of fourth semester

of English Department of Kutai Kartanegara University in academic year

2022/2023.

35
 CHAPTER IV

FINDINGS OF THE STUDY AND DISCUSSION

In this chapter, explain the findings of the study and discussion. The

research finding aimed to answer the research problems, and a discussion was

presented to support the interpretation of the findings and the result of the study.

4.1 Findings of the Study

The research findings were devoted to presenting the study results and

analysis of the data. The research findings were used to answer the study's

research problem, which asked: “What are the speaking problems faced by the

fourth semester students of the English Department of Kutai Kartanegara

University in academic year 2022/2023?”.

4.1.1. Observation Data

Based on the results of observations, each aspect has a value that is not

much different. In vocabulary, fluency, and grammar, the lowest score is 13,

while in pronunciation, the lowest score is 14. Regarding speaking problems in

these four aspects, based on the lowest score, it is in the middle range. The total

number of students in the score range of 13 to 14 or the middle range is 3 people

each (30%) in each aspect. Conversely, at the highest score, the score is in the

range of 22 (fluency and grammar) and 23 (vocabulary and pronunciation). There

are 3 students (30%) who are in this range. In other words, students can speak

easily.

35
 Table 4.3 The Lowest and the Highest Score

Aspects Total
Student
Vocabulary Pronunciation Fluency Grammar Score

FJP 14 15 15 13 57

EJM 15 14 13 15 57

DAD 13 15 15 15 58

VA 16 17 17 19 69

MR 18 17 16 18 69

RDW 17 19 16 19 71

INS 19 17 19 16 71

LAWW 22 21 21 21 85
EN 21 23 22 21 87
MA 23 21 21 22 87

Total 178 179 175 179

Percentage 71,2% 71,6% 70% 71,6%

Average 17,8 19,9 17,5 17,9

25

20

15

10

0
Vocabulary Pronuncation Fluency Grammar

Figure 4.1. The Lowest and the Highest Score of Each Aspects

36
 Regarding the total scores obtained by students in all aspects of the speaking

problem, the values obtained were at a rental value of 57 to 87. 57 as the lowest

score was obtained by 2 students (20%), while the highest score was 87, also

obtained by 2 students (20%) ).

Tabel 4.4. Total score from four aspects

Total Score Frequency Percentage

57 2 20

58 1 10

69 2 20

71 2 20

85 1 10

87 2 20

The results of the overall observation score, the average value obtained for

each aspect, range from 17.5% (fluency), 17.8 (vocabulary), and 17.9

(pronunciation and grammar). The percentage obtained in each aspect is 70%

(fluency), 71.2 (vocabulary), and 71.6 (pronunciation and grammar) (see Table

4.2)

Based on data from observations, the researcher found that the problems in

speaking were sourced from four aspects: vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency and

grammar. The following is a description of the problems faced by students based

on each aspect:

1. Vocabulary:

 Poor vocabulary limits conversation.

 Often use inappropriate terms or rephrase ideas.

37
2. Pronunciation:

 Repeatedly understand most of what is said.

 Average speed with occasional repetitions.

3. Fluency:

 Language issues strongly impact speed and fluency; as a result, they have

slow speech.

4. Grammar:

 Grammatical problems and word-order mistakes that hinder

comprehension.

Interview Data

The interview data came from 10 informants of 5 female and male students

of the English Department of Kutai Kartanegara University in the academic year

2022/2023. Below are the results of the interviews that have been conducted.

38
Table 4.1. Interview Data

35
 Sample of
No Speaking Problems
Analysis

1 What difficulties 1. Too many rules of grammar.

did you face or feel 2. I do not understand part of the speech
in grammar when 3. I do not understand the tense.
speaking? 4. To many tenses
5. Rule of grammar and tense
6. Rule of grammar and part of speech
7. Tense in grammar
8. Rule of grammar and tense
9. Tense and part of speech
10. Rule of grammar and tense
2 What difficulties 1. Pronouncing unique and English sounds
did you face or feel 2. Spelling and syllable words,
in vocabulary when 3. Unfamiliar words.
speaking? 4. Pronouncing and spelling
5. Spelling
6. Syllable
7. English sound
8. Pronouncing
9. Spelling and syllable
10. Unfamiliar word
3 What difficulties 1. Afraid to make mistakes.
did you face or feel 2. Nervous and less vocabulary memorization
in speaking? 3. Stiff pronunciation
4. Can not explain idioms
5. Afraid and nervous
6. Less vocabulary
7. Afraid to make a mistake

36
 Based on the interview data, the researcher found several key sentences as

for each interview’s questions as follow:

Table 4.2. Analysis of Interview Data

35
No Interview Questions Main Answers

1 What difficulties did Difficulties in grammar in speaking include

you face or feel in excessive rules, unclear speech parts, and
grammar when difficulty understanding tenses.
speaking?

2 What difficulties did Vocabulary difficulties in speaking include

you face or feel in spelling and unfamiliar words.
vocabulary when
speaking?

3 What difficulties did Fluency difficulties in speaking include fear of

you face or feel in mistakes, nervousness, poor vocabulary
speaking?
memorization, and stiff pronunciation.

4 What difficulties did Pronunciation difficulties in speaking include

you face or feel in stress, timing, intonation,and rhythm
pronunciation
speaking?

5 What was the cause of The grammar difficulty in speaking can be

the difficulty in attributed to the numerous rules, parts of speech,
grammar in speaking?
and tenses in English grammar. The rule of

grammar has 12 rules, while the tense has 16

past, present, and future tenses. Understanding

these aspects is difficult due to the complexity of

the language.

6 What was the cause of The difficulty in vocabulary in speaking can be

the difficulty in attributed to several vocabulary words that are

36
4.2 Speaking Problem Analysis

In accordance with the original plan stated that the data collection methods

used in this study were observation data from observation, interviews, and

documentations. The following was a description of the invention serving data on

Speaking Problem Faced By The Fourth Semester Students Of English

Department Of Kutai Kartanegara University In Academic Year 2022/2023.

Speaking, as explained before, is a crucial part of second language learning

and teaching. Speaking is important to say the ideas or thoughts in the English

learning process. Moreover, the goal of teaching speaking should improve the

students’ communicative skills although in reality it is hard for students to speak

fluently.

From the all of students’ statements, the researcher found some problems

which were needed to be attention they are :

4.2.1 Grammar

Grammar is a scientific statement of the principles of good usage which

concerns the relation of words in the sentence. Educated people use certain forms

of expression. Language specialists study the forms they use, note that they follow

a few comparatively simple principles and state these principles.

From the research, the researcher found that excessive rules, ambiguous

speech parts, and a lack of comprehension of tenses are all sources of difficulty

with grammar in English speaking. Issues arise because of English grammar's

37
many rules, parts of speech, and tenses. There are 12 grammar rules and 16 tenses

(past, present, and future). The language's complexity makes it challenging to

grasp these features. One aspect of the other speaking problem is grammatical and

word order mistakes that hinder understanding.

4.2.2 Vocabulary

From the research, the researcher found that most of the students needed

help with vocabulary mastery. Spelling and learning new words contribute to

overall lexical difficulties in conversation. There are several causes for problems

with vocabulary when talking: The difficulty of vocabulary came from the fact

that many words were rarely used. In addition, researchers found that problems

with vocabulary made it difficult to carry on a conversation and that people

frequently used incorrect terms or rephrased ideas.

As we know, vocabulary (or lexicon) is the most important level of a second

language for all learners to develop – whether they are aiming primarily for

academic or interpersonal competence or for a broader scope of communicative

competence that spans the two. There is a core of high-frequency words in a

language that everyone needs to learn, but beyond that, which specific vocabulary

elements learners are most likely to need depends on whether the second language

will be used primarily for academic or interpersonal functions.

Vocabulary knowledge is acquired to different degrees, with learners first

recognizing words they see or hear, producing them in limited contexts, and

ultimately fully controlling their accurate and appropriate use. The number of

words that second language speakers learn and the degree of their vocabulary

38
knowledge depends on their ability to pick up this information from contexts

(both oral and written) in which the words are used, as well as from explicit

instruction. In this component, the students still needed to gain more vocabulary

knowledge, primarily for academic and interpersonal functions.

4.2.3 Fluency

Generally, fear of making mistakes, nervousness, difficulty memorizing new

vocabulary, and a lack of flexibility in pronunciation all contribute to a lack of

speech fluency. Inadequate knowledge of English grammar, pronunciation, and

idioms all contribute to a lack of conversational fluency. The fear of making

mistakes and mispronouncing words exacerbates the inability to speak English

fluently. Their speech is slow because of several factors, including their difficulty

with the English language.

The problem with fluency was when the learners spoke to the others; the

students tried to make the hearers understand what they wanted to say. The writer

found that the students tended to hesitate and fragmentary while speaking because

they needed help retrieving the lexical items, encoding the grammatical form of

their message and correcting their output. This condition made the students say

hesitantly and fragmented, which means that the frequency of pause filler such as

“well”, “mm”, and “ee” and also the production of dysfluency such as repetition,

repair, restarts, and also prolongation will fluently fulfill their talks.

The other aspect that affected the students‟ fluency in speaking was the

habit of using Indonesian terms when they could not find appropriate English

words. This phenomenon is defined as pause fillers that usually occur when they

39
try to express complex ideas. The following important aspect is the high

frequency of silent pauses produced by the students. According to the pretest

analyzed by the researcher, so many silent pauses occurred when the students

delivered their speeches. The more silent pause produced, the more fragmented

and hesitant the speech is delivered.

4.2.4 Pronunciation

The lowest level of knowledge a speaker draws on is that of pronunciation.

Stress, timing, intonation, and rhythm are all aspects of pronunciation that can

cause problems when communicating. Distinguishing phonemes (vowels and

consonants) , stress, timing, intonation, and rhythm all contribute to the challenge

of pronouncing words correctly. For the most part, students can follow what is

being said, and the pace is about average, with the occasional need to repeat

themselves.

Usually, the way we pronounce individual words and the sounds they are

composed of does not involve conscious choices. Words are stored along with

their pronunciation and do not need to be reconstituted from scratch each time

they are used. Occasionally, however, speakers will adjust their pronunciation.

One area of pronunciation, however, is where significant choices are

available to speakers of speech into blocks of information (tone units) and to mark

information within these units as significant. There is a fundamental association

between high pitch and new information in English. So within each tone unit,

information being added to the discourse is made prominent through a step up in

pitch.

40
4.3 Discussion of the Findings

Based on the research findings, the researcher found four speaking problems

faced by the fourth semester students of the English Department of Kutai

Kartanegara University in academic year 2022/2023. The result of the research

could be concluded in grammar, vocabulary, fluency and pronunciation.

a. Grammatical Problems

From ten respondents interviewed, it was found that the students in

grammar faced three kinds of difficulties in speaking. The most problems felt by

the respondents were: rules of grammar, part of speech and tense. The cause of the

grammar difficulty is that too many grammar rules should be memorized. Every

sentence should start with a capital letter in the first word. The part of speech

indicates how the word functions in meaning and grammatically within the

sentence and too many tenses in grammar. The past, present, and future are the

central divisions of time in English. This finding is in line with the statement of

Richard’s (2008) study. Grammatical errors in speaking, students can experience

mistakes, especially in correctly composing sentences, get confused about

arranging words when speaking, and feel confused and doubtful in grammar

(Jones in Richards, 2008: 19, Richard in Apriliaswati, Fitriani, & Wardah,

2015:89). Composing sentences requires attention to word order. Therefore, it is

important because incorrect order can change the meaning of a sentence. It was

also caused because of the inseparable from the grammar material that has been

learned, especially how to combine vocabulary into a good sentence. Besides,

41
“grammar becomes difficult because learners do not learn structures one at a time.

Many grammatical structures, rules, parts of speech, and tenses must be learned in

English. Students sometimes do not study grammar seriously because it is

challenging to learn grammar. And when speaking, they experience confusion in

arranging words into a sentence due to a lack of knowledge of grammar (Davies

& Pearse, 2000; Celce-Murcia, 2001 as cited in Apriliaswati, Fitriani, & Wardah,

2015). In addition, psychological problems such as doubt may affect students'

performance in their speaking (Xinghua,2007:189, as cited in Apriliaswati,

Fitriani, & Wardah, 2015:49). In terms of vocabulary, it was found that four kinds

of difficulties were faced by the students in vocabulary in speaking. The most

problems felt by the respondents were: spelling and rare words. The difficulty of

vocabulary came from the fact that many words were rarely used. In addition,

researchers found that problems with vocabulary made it difficult to carry on a

conversation and that people frequently used incorrect terms or rephrased ideas.

b. Vocabulary Problems

In terms of vocabulary, it was found that two kinds of difficulties were

faced by the students in vocabulary in speaking. The most problems felt by the

respondents were: spelling and rare words. The difficulty of vocabulary came

from the fact that many words were rarely used. In addition, researchers found

that problems with vocabulary made it difficult to carry on a conversation and that

students frequently used incorrect terms or rephrased ideas. Spelling and learning

new words contribute to overall lexical difficulties in conversation. The main

factors contributing to vocabulary problems, as Jones in Richards (2008: 19), are

42
students' experience of how to release vocabulary correctly or the lack of

vocabulary needed to talk (Richards, 2008: 19, 87). Suppose students speak

without regard to pronunciation, of course. In that case, students will have

difficulty conveying something (Jones in Richards, 2008: 19). For this case, he

advises that students must be able to memorize master vocabulary, how to

pronounce, apply and keep repeating the vocabulary that has been understood.

Baker and Westrup (2003), cited in Fitriati and Jannah (2016), stated that “It is

difficult for many students to respond by saying something in a foreign language

because they might have few ideas about which vocabulary to use.

c. Fluency Problems

It was found that four kinds of difficulties were faced by the students in

speaking fluently. The most problems felt by the respondents were: fear of

making mistakes, nervousness, difficulty memorizing new vocabulary, and a lack

of flexibility in pronunciation. Vocabulary, as one of the causes of the difficulty in

fluency, is a large number of vocabulary with difficulty memorizing new

vocabulary that was not yet known, making students afraid to speak English. Fear

when wrong in speaking makes pronunciation not fluent. Therefore, the

psychological factor that made it not fluent in speaking was fear of being wrong in

speaking and nervousness when speaking English. Psychological problems such

as fear or anxiety may affect student performance in their speaking (Xinghua,

2007:65; Khan, 2005:43). Furthermore, in an oral discussion, shyness,

nervousness, feeling afraid of making mistakes, not knowing the way how to

pronounce certain words are the potential problems that can hinder the students

43
from speaking, even reluctance to speak (Susilawati, 2007:34; Brown, 2001:18).

Study findings from Sato (2003:35) and Liauw (2009:27) found that students of

English are mostly not highly competent in speaking because of their fear of

mistakes and nervousness. Therefore, those factors in this research also highly

support the previous studies.

d. Pronunciation Problems

The last finding of this research was that three kinds of difficulties were faced by
the students in pronunciation in speaking. The most problems felt by the
respondents were: phonemes (vowels and consonants), stress, timing, intonation,
and rhythm. Not understanding and having difficulty distinguishing vowels and
consonants, and do not understand, and difficulty determining intonation, stress,
timing, and rhythm properly was the comment mostly said when interviewed.
Students do not understand how to pronounce a word in English correctly
(Richards, 2008:87 as cited in Apriliaswati, Fitriani, & Wardah, 2015:89). This is
related to the two features of pronunciation namely phonemes and suprasegmental
features (Hinkel, 2005:86) as cited by Apriliaswati, Fitriani, & Wardah,2015:46).
The phonemes are related to vowels, consonants. In contrast, the suprasegmental
is linked with stress, timing, intonation, and rhythm.

44
 CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

This chapter presents the conclusion and suggestions of the study. The

conclusion was made referring to the purpose of the study, while suggestions were

made in line with the scope and limitation and also the significance of the study.

5.1 Conclusion

Based on research activities in the field, researcher obtained some findings

conclusions as follow:

In grammar it was found that there were three kinds of difficulties that were

faced by the students in grammar in speaking. The most problems felt by the

respondents were: rules of grammar, part of speech and tense. The cause of the

difficulty in grammar are too many rules of grammar: you need to remember that

every sentence should start with a Capital letter in the first word. The part of

speech indicates how the word functions in meaning as well as grammatically

within the sentence.

In vocabulary it was found that there were four kinds of difficulties that

were faced by the students in vocabulary in speaking. The most problems felt by

the respondents were: Pronouncing unique, English sound, spelling and syllable-

words. The cause of the difficulty in vocabulary is that I must understand

pronouncing unique and English sounds. In pronouncing unique there are 6 rules:

Short words have short vowels. Two vowels side-by-side make a long vowel. The

efforts made to overcome the difficulty in vocabulary are to increase vocabulary

48
using several media such as books, songs, and watching streaming movies. so that

they can enrich their knowledge of English.

In fluency it was found that there were three kinds of difficulties that were

faced by the students in speaking. The most problems felt by the respondents

were: Afraid to make mistakes, Nervous and less vocabulary memorization. The

cause of the difficulty in fluency is the large amount of vocabulary that is not yet

known, so it makes you afraid of speaking English.

In pronunciation it was found that there were three kinds of difficulties that

were faced by the students in pronunciation in speaking. The most problems felt

by the respondents were: vowel, consonants, intonation, stress and phonemes. The

cause of the difficulty in pronunciation is I do not understand and it is difficult to

distinguish between vowels. Do not understand and it is difficult to distinguish

between consonants and intonation.

5.2 Suggestions

With the study above, the researcher could propose the following

suggestions:

1) As a young learner, the students should practice their speaking ability with

their friends or people who could talk English too. Because the researcher

thought that the students of their ages still have good memory in order to

memorize new words.

2) In order to master speaking ability, the students should practice listening too.

This research proved that listening was another factor which affected their

49
ability of speaking. The students should also follow some rules when learning

to speak English they were:

a. To learn to speak English correctly, the students must speak it aloud.

It is important that students speak loudly and clearly when studying

spoken English. It is retraining the mind to respond to a new pattern of

proprioceptive and auditory stimuli and this could only be done when the

learners spoke aloud at full volume.

b. To learn to speak English fluently, the students must think in English.

There was cognitive learning (memory) which might also take place.

Cognitive learning was an important part of learning to speak English

fluently. For speech to occur, the students’ mind might be actively

involved in syntax development. Shortly, the students might force their

minds to think in English by using their recall memory when they were

studying spoken exercises.

c. You must never make a mistake when you are practicing spoken English.

When the students were learning spoken English using the spoken English

learned quickly method, they were strongly reinforcing the learning

process each time they spoke.

50
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Speaking Problems In Speaking Performance. Pontianak: English Education Study
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Eliwarti, Kurniati, A., & Novitri. (2015). A Study On The Speaking Ability Of The
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Fitriati, S. W., & Jannah, M. (2016). Psychological Problem Faced By The Year – Eleven
Students Of MA Nuhad Demak In Speaking English. English Education Journal
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Riadil, I. G. A. (2020). Study of Students’ Perception: Identifying EFL Learners’
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52
 APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1

(Developed on “Speaking Problems Faced By The English Department Students

of Syiah Kuala University, 12, 2012, Thesis)

1. What difficulties did you face or feel in grammar when speaking?

2. What difficulties did you face or feel in vocabulary when speaking?

3. What difficulties did you face or feel in fluency in speaking?

4. What difficulties did you face or feel in pronunciation speaking?

5. What was the cause of the difficulty in grammar in speaking?

6. What was the cause of the difficulty in vocabulary in speaking?

7. What was the cause of the difficulty in fluency in speaking?

8. What was the cause of the difficulty in pronunciation in speaking?

53
 APPENDIX 2

(Based on the rubric of “Testing English as a second Language, 94, 1996)

RUBRIC OBSERVATION

Aspects of Speaking Test by David P. Harris

No Nama Total nilai
Vocabulary Pronunciation Fluency Grammar

1 RDW 17 19 16 19 71

2 EJM 15 14 13 15 57

3 EN 21 23 22 21 87

4 INS 19 17 19 16 71

5 FJP 14 15 15 13 57

6 MA 23 21 21 22 87

7 VA 16 17 17 19 69

8 DAD 13 15 15 15 58

9 LAWW 22 21 21 21 85

54
10 MR 18 17 16 18 69

APPENDIX 3

((based on the rubric of “Testing English as a second Language, 94, 1996)

Scoring Rubric Adaptation

Aspects Vocabulary Pronunciation Fluency Grammar

Score 25 25 25 25

55
 Aspects
Score
Vocabulary Pronunciation Fluency Grammar

1-5 Vocabulary limitations It cannot be said to Speech is so halting Grammar and word
are so extreme as to understand even simple and fragmentary as to order errors are so severe
make conversation conversations in English. make conversationally as to make speech
virtually impossible. impossible. virtually unintelligible.

6 - 10 Misuse of words and He/she needs

help Usually hesitant: often Grammar and word-order
minimal vocabulary following what is said. forced into silence by errors make
comprehension difficult.
make comprehension language limitations.
quite difficult.

11 - 15 Frequently uses the Understand most of what Speed and fluency are Grammar and word-order
wrong words: is said at a slower-than- rather strongly errors make
comprehension difficult.
conversation is normal speed with affected by language
somewhat limited repetitions. problems.
because of inadequate
vocabulary.

56
DOCUMENTATIONS

EN

LAWW

57
DAD

VA

58
MA

FJP

59
EJM

RDW

60
MR

INS

61