Difficulties of EFL teachers in teaching speaking skills: A case study at Trinh Hoai Duc Primary School

Abstract

English is a globally prevalent language, and the ability to speak English is a crucial skill for expressing thoughts, explaining, and debating in everyday situations. Hence, it is crucial to ascertain the challenges that teachers encounter while instructing English speaking abilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges faced by teachers at Trinh Hoai Duc Primary School (THĐPS) in teaching English speaking skills, as well as to propose solutions to these challenges. A study that combines quantitative and qualitative methodologies is carried out. The subjects of the study included 28 English teachers. Teachers filled out questionnaires and participated in interviews to collect data for the study. The result reveals that the dominant difficulties teachers commonly encounter are related to the limitation of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, personal psychology, large and multi-level classes, the current testing system, and a lack of class time presented additional challenges for teachers in teaching English speaking skills. The findings of this study are very applicable to the process of teaching English-speaking skills at Trinh Hoai Duc Primary School. They give teachers a comprehensive picture of the teaching process in order to meet the level of expectations.