International Journal of English Language,

Education and Literature Studies (IJEEL)

ISSN: 2583-3812 Journal Home Page: https://ijeel.org/
Vol-2, Issue-2, Mar-Apr 2023 Journal CrossRef DOI: 10.22161/ijeel

My students do not get Engaged in Speaking Activities in

the Classroom
Mahesh Singh Saud

English Teacher
Article Detail: Abstract
Received: 13 Feb 2023; Being a teacher I have been coming across many classroom
Received in revised form: 10 Mar 2023; issues as real problems. Among them, I dealt with students’
less engagement in speaking activities aiming to identify
Accepted: 17 Mar 2023;
the issues of students’ less engagement in speaking
Available online: 25 Mar 2023 activities and to increase students’ participation actively in
©2023 The Author(s). Published by speaking activities. For that I conducted the interview with
International Journal of English Language, head teacher for getting permission and the Focus Group
Education and Literature Studies (IJEEL). This is Discussion (FGD) with students where I found some issues
an open access article under the CC BY license such as mispronunciation of words, nervousness about
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). making mistakes, weak English, lack of vocabulary, and
weak sentence construction, hesitant of being wrong in
Keywords— less engagement, vocabulary
their activities because of which they were unable to engage
strategies, pronunciation strategies, one-
themselves in speaking activities. And classroom
student-one-strateg
activities/intervention and observation were further used
for data to be analysed. I used pronunciation and
vocabulary improvement strategies, presentation and role
play activities to increase their active participation in
speaking activities. In this study, I found that
pronunciation and vocabulary improvement strategies
were just effective to develop pronunciation and word-
meaning skills for speaking. While presentation and role
play activities were found more meaningful for developing
students’ speaking skills.

1. Background of the study them, I planned to deal with students’ less

I have been teaching secondary-level engagement in speaking activities. The topic of my
students. Classroom teaching is a two-way process in action research was my students don’t want to engage
which a teacher and students are involved in in speaking activities. I found that my students were
prescribed curricular content. Teaching is not only shy and didn’t express themselves properly in the
the delivery of prescribed content by a teacher but assigned activities. This issue triggered me to think
also a process in which students take an active part in about how to engage them in speaking activities. I
various classroom activities. However, students in also asked and talked to my other teachers about the
remote and underdeveloped areas are found to be case; they also noticed the same situation.
less active in classroom activities. So, I have been I have been facing students’ inactiveness and less
dealing with or facing many classroom issues which engagement in speaking activities in the classroom as
motivate me to explore further for remedying them. a core issue for my action research. To explore the
Being a teacher I have been coming across issue, I planned to ask my students about their
many classroom issues as real problems. Among inactiveness in speaking activities. When I asked

Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijeel.2.2.3

©International Journal of English Language, Education and Literature Studies (IJEEL) 11
 Saud, International Journal of English Language, Education and Literature Studies (IJEEL), 2023, 2(2)
Mar-Apr 2023

about their problems in speaking after being close to responsible for his students’ unwillingness in using
them with the help of FGD, they replied with various English and to find out some of the efficient ways to
issues because of which they were unable to engage encourage his students in speaking in English. To
themselves in speaking activities. The issues such as conduct his study, he made use of a questionnaire
mispronunciation of words, nervousness about including open and close-ended questions for
making mistakes, weak English, hesitant of being collecting data from the students. Moreover, he also
wrong in their activities, etc. were the core issues used informal group discussions with the students for
which demotivate them to take part in speaking this study. He used interactive classroom strategies
activities. providing more time to practise English in the
1.1 Purpose of the study classroom. He also used learner-centred techniques
such as group work, solo work, group presentation,
a) To identify the issues of students’ less
etc. He also used ICT materials such as audio-visual
engagement in speaking activities.
materials, PowerPoint slides and internet resources
b) To increase students’ participation actively in in the classroom. He also maximized the student
speaking activities. talking time (STT) and minimized the teacher talking
1.2 Research question time (TTT) and provided more practice time to the
students. He found that the exploited strategies were
For exploration;
more effective and meaningful to engage students in
a) What do the students say about speaking speaking in English.
activities in the classroom?
b) How do I engage my students in speaking
2. Methods
activities?
Five students of a secondary school in the
1.3 Literature review
Baitadi district were the participants of this study. I
Upadhyay (2019) conducted action research have used both primary and secondary sources of
with aiming to identify the reasons behind students’ data to conduct this study. The primary data was
less engagement in speaking activities and to find out collected from the students of a secondary school and
effective techniques to overcome. She designed a the secondary data was collected from the action
questionnaire to locate the problems of students research articles. The tools of data collection for this
because of which they did not engage in speaking study were the interview and Focus Group Discussion
activities. With the help of the responses of the (FGD) for exploring the causes behind students’
students, she located the problems and developed inactiveness and less engagement in speaking
some techniques to overcome the problems. She activities, and classroom activities and intervention
developed vocabulary and pronunciation-related and observation were further used for data to be
techniques with the help of language games, role analysed.
play, pair/group works and reinforcing strategies.
She found that the use of student-centred strategies
and practice-oriented strategies as mentioned earlier 3. Cycle 1
was very helpful for engaging students in different 3.1 Plan and action for exploration
speaking activities.
I planned to explore the issues or causes
Acharya (2019) carried out action research to behind students’ less engagement in speaking
identify effective techniques to develop students’ activities. So, for that, I talked to the head teacher of
speaking skills. He used a questionnaire to find out the school and asked him to sign the permission
the problems of the students because of which they letter for the interview. I took his interview for taking
did not speak English in the classroom activities. He his permission to take some students in a focus group
engaged them in the discussion. He behaved friendly discussion for my study or research purpose. Then, I
with students, used vocabulary-related activities, conducted a focused group discussion for locating the
pair/group works, and used of mother tongue to real causes behind the problem that I chose for the
understand the content. These strategies were found exploration.
more effective to engage students in speaking 3.2 Analysis of the action
activities in the classroom.
After taking permission from the head
Paudel (2021) conducted an exploratory
teacher, I conducted FGD with selected students. The
action research aiming to identify the reasons

Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijeel.2.2.3

©International Journal of English Language, Education and Literature Studies (IJEEL) 12
 Saud, International Journal of English Language, Education and Literature Studies (IJEEL), 2023, 2(2)
Mar-Apr 2023

students’ responses show that students are undesired them with some texts to read out in pairs and find out
to engage in speaking activities because of the issues difficult words with their meanings consulting the
such as weak English, hesitation, nervousness, mini dictionaries and glossaries after reading they
mispronunciation, lack of vocabulary, and weak were asked to tell the word and the meaning of that
sentence construction. word as a pair work activity. Then, I asked them to
construct some sentences and speak out at least two
4. 4. Cycle 2
sentences expressing their desires, likes, dislikes, etc
4.1 Plan by asking them randomly. I supported them when
Taking insights from my teaching staff and they needed my assistance. I exploited these
also using my judgements, I designed the following strategies for 5 days to see some changes in their
strategies to be used in the classroom for remedying behaviours.
the issue selected. The strategies were: 4.3 Observation
• Use of pronunciation and vocabulary After the intervention of the specified
improvement strategies to engage their participation strategies, I and my peer teacher found that these
in speaking activities; activities were just effective to develop pronunciation
• For improving pronunciation, I used the and word-meaning skills for speaking. Students were
modelling technique found active in taking participation in classroom
activities than before. On the following days of the
• Guessing and consulting mini dictionaries
first and second intervention days, they participated
or glossaries for word-meaning
in the tasks with more encouragement. They did not
• Pair works for negotiating meanings hesitate to speak or perform the assigned work. They
• Speak out at least two sentences using the felt more confident to speak although their
dealt words expressions were erroneous. I ignored their mistakes
4.2 Action/intervention for the first time thinking thatif Imade them aware of
their mistakes then they lose their confidence and did
Considering the planned strategies, I not participate in the assigned tasks. I just corrected
converted them into practice for improving students’ them using a gentle correction technique. After
speaking habits in class. I used pronunciation and observing the interventions, my peer observer also
vocabulary improvement strategies thinking that asked me to use presentation and role-play strategies
these strategies built their confidence in speaking. So, in the next plan along with the strategies that I
I asked one student to read the given text and others exploited for the second cycle.
to locate the difficult words which they felt were
difficult to pronounce. They collected words from the
text and I asked other students to pronounce the 5. Cycle 3
words voluntarily exploiting one student-one word 5.1 Plan
strategy. For the first time, they were not so active to
In the third cycle, I decided to continue the
participate in this activity. I encouraged them saying
same strategies by adding two more strategies as
that errors are a good sign of improving your learning
considering the suggestion of my peer observer. I
and don’t worry about your mistakes just try them
designed pronunciation and vocabulary-improving
out yourself. Then, some of them attempted to do
strategies and presentation and role-play strategies in
that. If they didn’t pronounce the words correctly, I
the third cycle for remedying the issue selected. The
pronounced the words for their ease asking them to
strategies were:
repeat the pronunciation just following me.
By involving one student in reading, the • For improving pronunciation, I used
others were asked to highlight the difficult words the modelling technique
from the text. Then, I encouraged them to guess the • Consulting mini dictionaries or
meaning of the given words. After that, I asked them glossaries for word-meaning
to consult mini dictionaries or glossaries to confirm • Pair works for negotiating meanings
or find out the proper meanings. They were given 5
minutes to consult the resources and then asked one • Speak out at least two sentences
student to spell out the word and another to tell the using the dealt words
meaning of that word in a pair. Then, I provided • Presentation

Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijeel.2.2.3

©International Journal of English Language, Education and Literature Studies (IJEEL) 13
 Saud, International Journal of English Language, Education and Literature Studies (IJEEL), 2023, 2(2)
Mar-Apr 2023

• Role-play continued activities were just effective to develop

5.2 Action/intervention pronunciation and word-meaning skills for speaking.
The added strategies such as presentation and role
In the third cycle, I continued the previously play were found more meaningful for developing
designed strategies and also added two more students’ speaking skills. In the initial phase of these
strategies considering the peer suggestion. I used strategies, the students were found nervous but in the
both pronunciation and vocabulary improvement subsequent days, they were more active in the
strategies along with two additional strategies such as activities. Students were found more active in taking
presentation and role play. I did the same as I had participation in classroom activities than before. They
done in the second cycle for pronunciation and were found to be encouraged and confident to
vocabulary improvement strategies. I asked one perform the assigned tasks. They felt more confident
student to read the given text and others to locate the to speak although their expressions were erroneous. I
difficult words which they felt difficult to pronounce. used gentle correction techniques to correct students
They collected words from the text and I asked other if they committed any mistakes.
students to pronounce the words voluntarily with the
help of one student-one-word strategy. They did
those words which they knew and they asked me the 6. Reflection: lesson learned
pronunciation of the other words and I also asked The thing that I learned from my action
them to follow my pronunciation of those words. At research is that students should not be blamed for
the same time, I also asked them to find out the not doing something in class because they only do
difficult words from the text and negotiate the whatever we put them into. They are habituated to
meaning of those words as a pair work by consulting the teacher’s lectures and some assignments. This has
the mini dictionaries. For that task, they were given 5 been in practice for a long time so they want their
minutes and I asked one student to spell out the word teacher to continue the same things. So, it is the
and another student to tell the meaning of that word teacher who has to engage students in different kinds
as a pair work. Then, I provided them with some texts of activities so that they can be motivated to do things
to read out in pairs and find out difficult words with properly. During my intervention, I encouraged them
their meanings consulting the mini dictionaries and to take part in different pronunciation and
glossaries after reading they were asked to tell the vocabulary-related activities and also in presentation
word and the meaning of that word as a pair work and role-play activities. After some days of action,
activity. Then, I asked them to construct some they saw their interests and engagements in speaking
sentences and speak out at least two sentences activities as assigned. So, my recommendation after
expressing their desires, likes, dislikes, etc by asking going through this study is that the teacher and
them randomly. I supported them when they needed school administration should create a positive
my assistance. environment for students and encourage them for
Then, I asked them to prepare short developing their autonomy in their learning.
presentations on any topic of their interest and in the
next day’s class, they were encouraged to present. For
References
the first time, they become nervous to go and present
in front of their friends. But I used this strategy for [1] Negi, J.N. (Ed.). (2019). Exploring for action, acting
some days, then, they become more confident to for change: stories of exploratory action research
in Nepal.
present on the topic of their interest. Then, I also
https://www.supportsocietynepal.org.np/publication/
asked them to play the role of different personalities [2] Gnawali, L., Laudari, S. & Shrestha, S. (Eds.). (2021).
such as doctor, patient, teacher, student, Exploratory action research: stories of Nepalese EFL
headteacher, parent, etc. and asked them to make a teachers. NELTA
short conversation. I asked them to feel free for
choosing their counterparts with whom they feel
more comfortable for conversation. I also provided
some clues for the conversation.
5.3 Observation
After the intervention of the specified
strategies, I and my peer teacher found that the

Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijeel.2.2.3

©International Journal of English Language, Education and Literature Studies (IJEEL) 14