The 7th International Conference on Digital Arts, Media and Technology (DAMT)
and 5th ECTI Northern Section Conference on Electrical, Electronics, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering (NCON)
2022 Joint International Conference on Digital Arts, Media and Technology with ECTI Northern Section Conference on Electrical, Electronics, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering (ECTI DAMT & NCON) | 978-1-6654-9510-3/22/$31.00 ©2022 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/ECTIDAMTNCON53731.2022.9720322
Gap Analysis of Chinese Students’ Low Proficiency
in Learning Spoken English for Better Learning
Outcome
Cheng Yu
College of Arts, Media and Technology
Chiang Mai Univeristy
Chiang Mai, Thailand
cheng_yu@cmu.ac.th
Abstract—The English language education in adult
education industry in China has achieved remarkable results.
Meanwhile, a variety of reasons have led to Chinese students'
insufficient English speaking proficiency. Consequently, to
propose the reason that causes the difficulties in Spoken English
teaching of Chinese students is beneficial for the further
development of English language teaching in China. A gap
analysis based on the teaching theories will be used as an
approach to identifying the causes. From a developmental
perspective, this article would be particularly useful for
teachers to teach Chinese adult learners.
Keywords—Chinese learners, English speaking proficiency,
gap analysis
I. INTRODUCTION
Spoken language is the ability to express opinions,
thoughts, facts, and feelings to others and even yourself. The
oral ability of any language is considered the most valuable
because it can connect different cultures, according to Ellis R
[1]. The online English learning market in China is huge, and
most people are interested in improving their speaking ability.
As online English learning is very popular in China, most
students are now adapting to this new way of learning English
[2]. They are not restricted by region and can enter schools or
institutions for language learning. Online English learning
provides them with a convenient way to learn a second
language, no matter where they are [3]. Technology connects
online English schools with students who may be located in
all corners of the world, but there may also be problems
related to teaching issues [4].
This research takes the example of R English school
located in Shanghai, China. In 2017, the founding team of R
English was established. Over the years, it aims to help
students to break through the barriers of English listening,
speaking, reading and writing in an effective and convenient
way, and quickly develop fluent and pure English is the aim
for all teachers in R English school. From the data provided
by R English School, around 53% of students surveyed
claimed that the improvement didn’t meet their expectation.
From the questionnaire by students, the satisfaction rate in
terms of the teaching platform (technology), the course
content, and their attitude towards the teaching staff remain
relatively high, as well as motivation. However the
satisfaction rate on their study habits, interaction/practice
remain low. In the following open-ended questions, most
students also claimed concerns like: 1.There is no enough
interaction in the class .2.The class atmosphere is rigid and
inflexible.3.There isn’t guidance towards students’ learning
habits, and students don’t gain support after the class. The
teachers are happy with the technology and the content
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Chalermpon Kongjit
College of Arts, Media and Technology
Chiang Mai Univeristy
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chalermpon.k@cmu.ac.th
provided by the school, however, there isn’t enough practice/
interaction in the class or outside the class, and they are not
very satisfied in terms of their teaching habits due to the rigid
lesson plans and school policy they must follow. M English
school is shorten from Meten English, Meten International
Education Group, also known as Meten English or METEN,
is a global-leading experiential language training institute
founded in 2006. Meten's headquarters are in Shenzhen, New
York and Beijing. It has gained spotlights for its innovation
and their recent collaboration with National Geographic.
Their annual feedback and student satisfaction rates are
relatively high. In this research, M school will be served as a
teaching method example as Desire State in the gap analysis.
Knowledge management (KM) is the process of creating,
sharing, using and managing the knowledge and information
of an organization. It refers to a multidisciplinary approach to
achieve organizational objectives by making the best use of
knowledge[5]. Knowledge management is essentially about
providing the right people with the right knowledge at the
right time. This research is implemented based on the
foundation of KM, to extract knowledge and internalize
knowledge and eventually convert tacit knowledge to explicit
knowledge[6]. The research transforms the original data
combined with the results from various interviews and
questionnaires into knowledge that will be particularly useful
for R English school in its future training to improve students
English speaking ability.
Hence, this research attempts to analyze the low
speaking proficiency in R English school and recommend
relevant remedies for the causes.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
A. Language Teaching Theories
By reviewing the previous research, Communicative
Competence skills has good reputation for improving the
speaking ability of the learners. To realize the full
functionality of the theory, the teaching methods shall be
taken into consideration.
The concept is being further developed, different language
skills such as Linguistic/Grammatical Competence,
Sociolinguistic Competence, Strategic Competence are
receiving more focus [7]. Kramsch [8] states that “language
learning, as the acquisition of communicative competence, is
now defined as the expression, interpretation and negotiation
of meaning between two interlocutors or between a text and
its readers”, and each skill can be learned through different
activities. Fan Fang [9] believed that one of the main goals of
English education in China nowadays is to develop students’
communicative competence, as more students will regard
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 The 7th International Conference on Digital Arts, Media and Technology (DAMT)
and 5th ECTI Northern Section Conference on Electrical, Electronics, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering (NCON)
English as a communicating tool after graduation. Hymes’s
theory of communicative competence [10] has been widely
acknowledged and accepted by English educators and
scholars. Canale & Swain’s conclude each competence in the
theory can be developed through the nurturing of the
ability[11], such as: teaching spelling, language style,
learning communication strategies, etc.
Fig. 1. Canale & Swain’s (1980) components of communicative
competence
According to Ledward and Hirata [12], the 21st century
skills include content knowledge, hard skills, professional
knowledge and literacy necessary for success in work and life.
Ledward and Hirata pointed out that these skills are not only
technical literacy, but also critical thinking, problem solving,
communication and teamwork abilities. As a consequence of
this new perspective, Eaton [13] states that today’s EFL
classroom should no longer be focused on grammar,
memorization and learning from rote. However, it should be
seen of as means to not only learn the language but to
encourage the application of the language in real life. In the
final analysis, students should not only express thoughts and
ideas effectively, but also understand complex points of view,
make judgments and decisions, and collaborate creatively
with others. EFL classrooms need to be full of meaningful and
intellectually stimulating activities and practices to cultivate
this ability of students, which will ultimately improve the
student’s overall English proficiency [14]. The21st century
skills can be summarized by the 4Cs: Communication,
Critical Thinking, Collaboration and Creativity. A study done
in the Republic of Belarus results revealed that targeted
exercises are effective for the development of 4 C's skills [15].
Edgar Dale’s (1954) Cone of Learning [16] is a visual
metaphor for learning modalities. The objective of this visual
is to show the difference between Active Learning and
Passive Learning. Additionally, the shape of the cone shows
levels of learning that happens when you combine and engage
learning modalities—reading, hearing,seeing, doing, and to
improve student’s learning outcome, the classroom needs to
be active rather than passive.
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Fig. 2. Edgar Dale’s (1954) Cone of Learning
This paper takes on the principles of each theory and the
activities respectively that trigger development of the skills to
design the questionnaires and documents as to collect data on
the activities each school showcases in the classroom to
improve students speaking ability.
III. METHODOLOGY
A. Participants
This article collects data from the teachers in M English
School and R English School, a total of 15 teachers from each
school participates in this research. To ensure the accuracy of
the analysis, the teachers share the same level of teaching
professionalism and teaching credentials. A group of 5
Chinese experts in the English teaching industry are involved
in a final interview. As M school is renowned in China for its
outstanding teaching methods and positive student feedback,
it serves the role of Desired State, meanwhile R School as
Current State.
B. Gap Analysis
According to Munger, L. & von Frank, V. [17], Gap
analysis is a common procedure for determining needs and
identifying problems before action planning. This process is
especially useful in the problem identification stage and as a
means to measure ongoing progress toward a goal. The
process include the addressing the groups’ needs and wants
and understand the gap by examining the current state and the
desired state of a situation and this method can be applied in
many research subjects[18]. Elizabeth J. Erling, Anouschka
Foltz & Melanie Wiener [19] by conducting gap analysis to
study the different practices in English education, the findings
suggest factors that contribute to gaps in achievement in
English language education according to school types and
practices. Zhang LJ [20] examines how Chinese EFL learner
strategies has contributed to the improvement of Chinese
learners English ability, and provided its insight into
classroom practices by using gap analysis. This paper aims to
analyzing the gap in the classroom practices between R and
M Schools to identify the root causes for low speaking
proficiency in R English school.
C. Process
Based on the language teaching theories:
Communicative Competence, the 4Cs in 21st Century
 The 7th International Conference on Digital Arts, Media and Technology (DAMT)
and 5th ECTI Northern Section Conference on Electrical, Electronics, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering (NCON)

Learning, and the Cone of Learning, interviews questions and
questionnaires are designed and conducted with the teachers
from both R School and M School and experts in the industry,
which provides the fundamental data for a gap analysis
between R and M Schools. In the last step, a gap analysis is
done to understand the current state, the desired state and the
gap, as well as the remedies for R School to improve
students’ English speaking proficiency.
activeness and the development of students’ English
communication skills, what are mostly emphasized are the
specific English learning/ teaching theories the school
applied in the recent years: 1.Twenty-first Century skills. 2.
Communicative Competence. Based on these two theories,
the school provided a variety of class activities to improve
students’ speaking skills.

Step1: an interview is held with teachers from M and R

English school. The data will present a clear picture of the
course practices at M and R English school in terms of
:1.Practices before the class. 2. Practices during the class. 3.
Practices after the class.

Step2: Based on the language teaching theories, 3

questionnaires respectively targets on the Speaking Skill/
Activities/ Class Environment are sent to the teachers at M
and R English schools. The Speaking Skill questionnaire is
based on the communicative competence principles, to target
Linguistic/Grammatical Competence, Socio-linguistic
Competence, Strategic Competence, through a various set of
practices [11]. The Activities are based upon the 21st Century
Skills to check whether meaningful and intellectually
stimulating activities are applied in the classroom according
to Fandiño Parra and Yamith’ s study [14]. While the Class
Environment is designed with the Cone of Learning to check
if active learning activities are applied in the classroom. The
data collected from the above questionnaires will provide the
researcher a clear image of the content in the current classes
in M and R English Schools in terms of : 1. What language
speaking skills the teachers focuses on teaching. 2.What
activities students do in the class in order to improve their
speaking skills. 3. Whether the course environment is passive Fig. 3. M English school Course Practice
or active.
In R English school, the students only study for the book
Step 3: With the information collected, the researcher materials, and the PPTs designed by the school; also, the
will conduct gap analysis to understand the current gap school materials are out-of-date and lack of attraction from
between R English School and M English school in order to the students, and there isn’t a specific guideline followed, nor
understand the problems at R English school. Also, a any training for the teachers.
consultation interview with the experts will validate the
analysis and some possible suggestions will be made and
recorded.
IV. RESULT AND CONCLUSION
The objectives for this step is to :1. understand the
current practices at M and R English school. 2. Know the gap
between the course practices in both schools. 3. Recommend
remedies for R School to improve teaching methods for
English Speaking.
A. Step 1 Course Practice Result
This step discovers the course practices at M/R English
schools, the course practices interview studies the Before/
During / After course activities, also the speciality in each
school that gives advantages for their course. The result from
this step shows that M and R English schools both present
their courses differently.

In M English school, Through the interview with M

English School teachers, it is noticeable the course practices
at M English school focus on course dynamics, course Fig. 4. R English school Course Practice

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 The 7th International Conference on Digital Arts, Media and Technology (DAMT)
and 5th ECTI Northern Section Conference on Electrical, Electronics, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering (NCON)

B. Step 2 Speaking Skill/ Activities/ Class Environment should apply necessary activities to improve students’
Result relevant skills. And targeted exercises can improve
In the second step of the process, a questionnaire students’ skills in this criteria.
focusing on the 21st Century skills, and communicative
competence, with theory of the Cone of Learning, has been TABLE III. M SCHOOL FOCUSED ACTIVITIES
filled out by teachers from both R English School and M
English school. 15 teachers from both schools have filled in Activities Focus Level
these questionnaires. School
Highly Focused Focused Not Focused
1) Communicative Competence Result Flipped Class Task/Problem/Pro
Students’ speaking skills links to the teaching with ject Based
communicative Competence. Communicative Competence Learning
Authentic Presentation
consists of 4 different competence. Linguistic/Grammatical M
Practice
Competence, Socio-linguistic Competence, Strategic
Beyond Books Blended Learning
Competence, Discourse Competence. Different activities can
be done in the class to promote each competence.

TABLE I. M SCHOOL FOCUSED ACTIVITIES From the table above, it can be deduced that M English
School focuses on the development of students Speaking
Activities Focus Level skills by providing a variety of learning activities to enhance
School
Highly Focused Focused Not Focused students various communication skills
Teach new words Grammar Rules Speech Sounds
Teach word function Word Register TABLE IV. R SCHOOL FOCUSED ACTIVITIES

Restriction
Activities Focus Level
Turn-taking School
M Highly
Focused Not Focused
Repair Focused
Authentic Flipped Classroom
Termination
practices
Class activities Task/Problem/Project
based learning
Real life simulation
R Presentation
From the table above, it can be deduced that M English
Blended Learning
focuses less on the Linguistic/Grammatical Competence in
the development of Communicative Competence of students
Beyond books
to improve their speaking skills.

TABLE II. R SCHOOL FOCUSED ACTIVITIES From the table above, it can be deduced that R English
School doesn’t focus on the development of students
Activities Focus Level speaking skills through providing various class activities.
School
Highly Focused Focused Not Focused
Teach new Teach word
Turn Taking 3) Cone of Learning Result
words function According to the Cone of Learning, class environment
Grammar Rules Word Register Repair
can be seen as active/ passive. Different activities in the
R Speech Sounds Restriction Termination classrooms result in different classroom environment.
Class Activities
TABLE V. M SCHOOL FOCUSED ACTIVITIES
Real life
simulation
Activities Focus Level
School
From the table above, it can be deduced that R English Highly Focused Focused Not Focused
largely focuses on the Linguistic/ Grammatical competence
view images listen to teachers read context
while it focuses less on the Strategic competence and
Discourse competence in the development of
watch demonstrations self learning
Communicative Competence of students to improve their
speaking skills. M
participate in real life presentation
projects
2) 21st Century Skills Result Real life language watch videos
The activities in the classroom are critical to students’ stimulation
learning. 21st Century Skills consist of 4 skills as following :
1.Communication 2.Critical Thinking 3.Creativity According to the focused activities in the table above,
4.Collaboration. And throughout the course, teachers M English School teachers largely deliver activities that can

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 The 7th International Conference on Digital Arts, Media and Technology (DAMT)
and 5th ECTI Northern Section Conference on Electrical, Electronics, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering (NCON)

boost the class environment and increase class activeness, so b) 21st Century Skills and class activities: it shows that
it can be deduced that the classes at M English are mainly Current practice lacks the focus on Flipped class/ Authentic
active rather than passive. practice/ English beyond textbook/ PBL/ presentation/
Blending learning.
TABLE VI. R SCHOOL FOCUSED ACTIVITIES c) The learning/ Teaching environment: shows that
Current practices lack the focus on demonstrations, students
Activities Focus Level don’t have the opportunity to participate in real life projects
School or real life language stimulation, also there aren’t enough
Highly Focused Focused Not Focused focus on presentation.
read context watch participates in real
demonstrations projects Through the gap analysis, the attention should be drawn
listen to teachers self learning Real life language to the non-focused areas in the teaching practices in R
stimulation English School in comparison with M English School as the
R
view images deliver presentation desired state, either in the development of Communicative
Competence, the 21st Century Skills or the accordance of the
read context watch videos Cone of Learning in the classroom, R English school has
failed to conform to the principles and has not followed the
correct activities and guidance, which results in the fact that
According to the focused activities as listed in the table students demonstrate low speaking proficiency, thus R
above, R English mainly focuses on the activities that are English school should renovate its teaching methods and take
considered “passive”, which doesn’t provide students with the research result as a reference.
the opportunity to practice or highly engage in the classroom,
instead, teachers play a more important role in the classroom. In the future training, R English school teachers should
In a word, the atmosphere at R English school is labeled as be trained to modify their classroom techniques and highly
“passive”. focus on the following areas: 1. Course practices: the teachers
C. Step 3 Gap Analysis Result need to conduct assessments based on students’ speaking
performance, and school begins to give teachers regular
M English has been the leading force in the English
training, and provides students with up-to-date learning
education industry since the beginning of the new era, its
materials not limited to only textbooks, also teachers should
practices in each step should be seen as the model example
encourage students’ engagement in the classroom and set up
of the course practices.In the gap analysis of R and M English
a clear schedule to stay connected with their students. 2.
school, the Desired State would take M English school’ s
Classroom environment: In the future training, a set of
practices as the standard
classroom guidelines should be designed and passed down to
1) Gap in the Course Practices
the teachers, it should include language techniques such as
a) Before Course: 1.Assessment test doesn’t focus on
turn-taking, repair, and termination and various classroom
speaking performance. 2.No regular training for teachers.
activities such as real life conversational practices. Also the
b) During Course: The gap between R school and the
teaching model should be flexible, models such as PBL,
desired state is concluded in the table below:
flipped classroom, blending learning can be considered, so
TABLE VII. GAP IN DURING COURSE PRACTICE
students have a chance to practice speaking skills.

Gap between R and M Schools V. CONCLUSION

Before 1.Students don’t study extra learning materials besides
Class textbook PPTs. 2.Students don’t check teachers’ reviews
During 1.Teachers don’t encourage students’ engagement through
Class activities. 2.Teachers can’t use extra materials besides
textbook PPTs. 3.No clear skill covered to improve
students speaking performance. 4.Teachers don’t have the
latest/ up to date learning sources.
After 1.Teachers and students don’t have a channel to stay
Class connected.
c) After Course: Assessment doesn’t focus on
speaking.
d) Specialty: 1.No clear strategies or mission or
theories for students learning improvement. 2.Teachers don’t
have the privilege to edit the current learning/ teaching
materials. 3.The learning materials lack of originality.
2)Gap in Speaking Skill/ Activities/ Class Environment
a) Communicative competence and Speaking skill
focus: it reveals that Current state doesn’t highly focus on :
Teach turn-taking/ repair/ termination/ class activities/ real
life simulation practices.
Leaning how to speak English is very important to
Chinese students, and not all schools in China provide such
outstanding teaching results [21], and it is up to the schools
to decide if they should keep their teaching methods up-to-
date. This research studies the original data provided from R
English school and aims to reveal the root causes of students’
low proficiency. The first step and the second step in the
research collects the data for the gap analysis to analyze the
causes for the low proficiency in students’ English speaking
ability in R English School. Taken M English school as
Desired State practices, a gap in the practices can be drawn
for R English and various activities are presented for R
School to use. The results are validated by the expert group
through an interview, suggestions are made based on the gap
analysis results. In the future teaching activities, R English
school should mainly focus on the implementation and
improvement of the activities that are missing in each step of
the course: before/ during/ after. R English school should
consider building a suitable Teaching Model that provides
teachers the flexibility to improve students’ English
Speaking Proficiency. This study is also extremely helpful

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 The 7th International Conference on Digital Arts, Media and Technology (DAMT)
and 5th ECTI Northern Section Conference on Electrical, Electronics, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering (NCON)

for other English Schools in China to utilize as a guidance as [21] Tyner, Adam, "Can Test-Obsessed China Change?". The Diplomat.
Retrieved January 10, 2020, September 8, 2017.
to identify the causes in the inefficient proficiency in the
learners or to check if the teaching methods are up to the
standards to improve students’ English speaking ability.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to acknowledge the College of
Arts, Media and Technology, and Chiang Mai University for
the use of its facilities.
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