Students' Reluctant to Speak English

Everybody must agree that one of the successful of  English learning processes is when there is active classroom participation from students. The role of the students in this classroom are more dominant than the teacher. Teacher’s roles is only to facilitate or guide students’ performance in speaking English. The students actively respond to the teacher’s  or other students’ questions, give opinion or comments, solve case study given, etc.

Engaging the students actively use English in the classroom is one of the problems the teacher frequently face in teaching English. Most students who learn English as second or foregin language tend to be passive or reluctant utter the language in English classroom. Students often do not respond to teacher’s questions and they do not volunteer answers or initiate questions. When the teacher does not strict rule of using English, the students tend to be speak their mother tongue. When the teacher gives strict rule of the obligation using English in the classroom, on the other hand, the classroom situation tends to be like a house which is inhabitant. Teachers always find the fact that students will nor produce answers unless they are pointed the teacher. Furthermore, the studens do not want to volunteer to say the answers though they actually know them.

There are many causes why students reluctant to participate actively in English classroom. The following are the factors:

1.       Fear of speaking in front of others.

For most students, speaking in front other is risky activity in the classroom. Students fell a lot better when they are not required to face the whole class.

2.       Fear or Making Mistakes and Being Laughed at.

Most students feel afraid to speak English in front of others because their anxiety of making mistakes, particularly in grammar. They always think that they are incompetent in English when they make mistakes.

3.       Fear of Negative Teacher’s Comments.

Most students fell more anxious and discouragement when teacher is very strict in the classroom. Giving negative comment of student’s speaking is one of the strict forms that make students are passive in the classroom.

4.       Lack of Interest in English Class.

It is natural that when something isn’t interesting, most people are not willing to talk about it. Students are not interested in English topics because they have mindset that English is difficult and boring to study.

5.       Lack of vocabulary.

The role of vocabulary in English is like a foundation of the house. The students are confident to speak English when they have rich vocabularies. They feel nervous, on the other hand, because they do not have enough vocabulary.

Those are some causes that make students are reluctant to speak English. What About You?