ABSTRACT
This qualitative study examined the oral fluency issues of college students in Abuyog Community College through the perspectives of their instructors. Narrative inquiry and semi-structured interviews made it possible to identify such common problems as hesitation, pauses, poor vocabulary, mispronunciation, and code-switching. Speech anxiety, low self-confidence, lack of exposure to real communication and speech practice were some of the factors that impeded communicative competence of students. Anchored in Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory and Krashen's Input Hypothesis, the study advocates for enriched learning environments that promote interaction and real-world language practice to enhance fluency.
Keywords: Oral fluency, narrative inquiry, sociocultural theory, input hypothesis
INTRODUCTION
Oral fluency is one of the essential elements of communicative competence as it acts as the channel through which they can express themselves and become involved in the academic, professional, and social life (Richards and Rodgers, 2001). It is not a question of being able to speak, but to speak with authority, clarity and spontaneity, which are becoming more valuable in the contemporary, globalized world. Fluency, as Rao (2019) pointed out, will enable learners to conduct productive conversations, develop self-confidence, and open up to international opportunities. Fluency in spoken English is a precondition to success in the higher education, especially, where collaborative learning, academic discourse and professional readiness are facilitated.
Although it is acknowledged to be important, several researches have reported consistent problems in attaining oral fluency among college students in different learning environments. Derwing et al. (2009) discovered that hesitation, limited vocabulary, and communication anxiety still hinder fluency in the learners causing them to have difficulties when making academic presentations and communicating in the workplace. These have been exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic which significantly altered the way classroom interactions are conducted and shifted the communicative environment to a digital and asynchronous format (Ali, 2020; Barrot, 2021). The dependence on remote education and social networking sites has shifted the linguistic behavior of students and restricted the face-to-face verbal interaction and, therefore, chances of oral fluency building (Flores and Swennen, 2020).
Furthermore, the availability of ChatGPT and automated translations among artificial intelligence tools have opened opportunities and limitations to learning a language. Although the technologies can help the learners, in terms of correcting grammar and vocabulary, scholars warn that excessive reliance on communication via AI reminds the learners of the importance of using AI to communicate and produce speech in a spontaneous fashion (Wang and Vasquez, 2023). As this technological shift takes place, re-examining the perception educators have of oral fluency challenges and how they are currently addressed in the modern classroom is a pressing issue.
Tavakoli and Hunter (2018) emphasized that the problem faced by students is often due to the fact that they are not exposed to the real-life situations of communication, the accuracy-focused teaching, and the lack of chances to apply the language in its meaning. Yet, Hiver and Al-Hoorie (2020) stated that the learner-centered approach does not consider the essential role of educators in the development of oral fluency. Educators do not just evaluate the level of spoken performance of students, but they also create classroom settings as well as teaching strategies that either promote or suppress communicative competence. Therefore, exploring the views of educators can give good information on the pedagogical, curriculum and institutional elements that affect the oral fluency of students.
Fluency-related issues are still present in the Philippine context, where English is also used as a medium of instruction and a sign of professional skills. According to Dayag (2012), Filipino students tend to use the memorization and accuracy-based strategies that limit spontaneous expression. Similar findings reported by Bautista (2008) confirmed the differences in language exposure and quality of instruction in different educational establishments leading to unequal acquisition of fluency among learners. The above matters when put into perspective of the multilingual nature of the country and the technology oriented classrooms, signify a great urgency to revise oral fluency pedagogy in tertiary education.
Considering this context, the current research utilizes the narrative inquiry to address the lived experiences and the views of college instructors on oral fluency issues among their students. This research will be used to determine the impediments the learners experience through foregrounding the narrative of the teachers as well as the pedagogical approaches that can enhance the acquisition of oral proficiency in the post-pandemic, AI-blended classroom. Finally, the study also adds to the current discussion on communicative competence and provides the relevant information that guides the efficient instructional practices and policy decisions that can be made to improve oral fluency of students in the educational environment of the 21st century.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This study aims to explore the oral fluency challenges experienced by college students, as observed, and interpreted by their educators. To achieve this aim, the study seeks to answer the following questions:
1. What common oral fluency challenges do educators observe among their students?
2. How do educators interpret the underlying causes of these challenges?
METHODOLOGY
Research Design In this research, a qualitative research design was used applying narrative inquiry approach to study the lives of college instructors practical experiences and opinions of professionals offered regarding oral fluency issues in students in English. It was found that narrative inquiry was the most suitable one to use because it embodies the most appropriate both complexity and contextual richness of human experience－how instructors make feeling of the experiences they have with the speech anxiety of students communication difficulties and the growth of fluency in changing education environments.
It has been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adoption of digital means of learning, and social media changed the communication between students and how teachers talk. The analysis was aimed at knowing these changes in and out and not just adding the numbers. It signified the need understand context on such challenges.
Research Instrument A semi structured was the primary research tool interview guide made to elicit deep and thoughtful stories of instructors in English language. The questionnaire was an open-ended questions set up to draw in-depth descriptions of teaching experiences, impressions of oral fluency obstacles of students, and adaptation strategy applied to both traditional and virtual learning environments. The attitudes of instructors towards technology, AI solutions (e.g., effects of language applications, chatbots), and social media on communicative competence of students and performance oral were investigated. This enabled the comprehension of the in depth in understanding of the intersection between oral proficiency, pedagogy and digital fluency.
Validation of Research Instrument To guarantee the validity, clarity, and contextual validity, the interview guide was subjected to expert validation by a English Language Teaching (ELT) and qualitative research specialist. Revisions were done to improve the precision of questions and narrative. Additionally, a pilot interview was conducted with a non-participating English instructor to test the comprehensibility of the guide, emotional appeal, and ability of the guide elicit in-depth reflection.
Locale of the Study The research was conducted in Abuyog Community College (ACC) based in Abuyog in Leyte, Philippines. Being a community college with a diverse student population, in terms of language, culture, and socioeconomic factors, ACC provides a great sociolinguistic environment in which English oral fluency may be studied. The language of instruction of the institution is English; however, the exposure and the level of proficiency with the language among students differs significantly, which prompts the significance of studying the issue of the difficulties in oral communication.
This locale also represents a microcosm of Philippine higher education that is facing hybrid learning, a lack of digital literacy among the student body, and incorporation of artificial-intelligence into the teaching activity.
Research Participants The study involved five English-language teachers of the Abuyog Community College who had been purposively sampled based on their experience of working with students with oral fluency problems. Participants included a mix of professional experiences, with some having less than ten years of teaching experience, and others with over ten years of teacher experience, which meant that a variety of pedagogical perspectives and intergenerational outlook were represented.
Data Gathering Procedure The data collection began after the official permission of the college administration and the research ethics committee. The invitation of qualified instructors was done on a voluntary basis. The interviews were carried out through individual interviews, in a comfortable and secret setting and took about fifteen to twenty five minutes. They were done privately and were recorded with permission and were complemented by field notes on nonverbal cues. Transcriptions maintained the narrative authenticity and data were deposited safely in order to maintain confidentiality.
Data Analysis The narrative analysis was employed to analyze the data, in accordance with the frameworks of Clandinin and Connelly (2000) and Riessman (2008). The analysis consisted of reading, coding and thematizing the stories of the instructors in order to determine recurrent plots, metaphors, patterns of oral fluency challenges as they are perceived and dealt with.
The data was categorized into themes that embraced shared experiences, pedagogical information, and meanings concerning oral fluency, technology and distance education utilization by use of manual coding with the help of qualitative software.
Ethical Considerations The research complied with ethical standards of informed consent, volunteerism, confidentiality, and data integrity. Participants were given pseudonyms to ensure the safety of their identities, and the data were stored safely. The privacy and information security of the participants have been closely followed by the compliance with the Philippine Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173).
All the participants fully understood the aim of the research, their right to withdraw and at any time, and the way the data was to be used in an academic and publication purpose. The research process was informed by ethical mindfulness.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Thematic analysis resulted in four themes that represent the key challenges and coping strategies involved in the oral fluency problems experienced by college students. These themes are based on the real life experiences of the teacher educators and observations in the classroom. To add more colors to the interpretation and validity of the results, the quotes of instructors are included to give a vivid and context-related information on each theme.
CONTACT US FOR THE FULL COPY
