Factors Affecting Speaking and Listening Skills of English Language Learners at Secondary School Level in Sindh, Pakistan

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the factors negatively affecting speaking and listening skills of English language learners at secondary school level in Sindh, Pakistan. Speaking and listening are considered primary and foremost skills in English language learning process. Regretfully, these very basic skills are often neglected by the students and are less emphasized by the teachers in Pakistani context. The research underlines the factors hampering the progress of students in improving their speaking and listening skills of English language at the secondary school level. A qualitative method of research was employed for the collection of required data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, based on random sampling technique and the data was analyzed thematically. The findings of the study indicate that due to pronunciation, accent, vocabulary, the influence of mother tongue, second language learners face problems in improving speaking as well as listening skill. The results of the study would be an invaluable source for decision-makers of academic sectors, parents, people, teachers, and other stakeholders respectively. The study recommends some dynamic and practicable solution to the problems of students learning English as foreign language at the secondary school level.