Speaking English Problems for High Schoolers: A Case Study at SMAN 21 Palembang

Abstract

The study was aimed to find out problems encountered by students when they are speaking in English. Qualitative approach was employed by using a case study. The participant in this study was the eleventh-grade students chosen by applying homogeneous sampling technique. In this study, semi structured interview with open-ended questions was applied as the data collection technique. Thematic analysis was used to assess the data gathered from the interviews. This study revealed seven problems encountered by the eleventh-grade students in speaking: 1) Insufficient vocabulary; 2) Insufficient grammar mastery; 3) Insufficient pronunciation; 4) Inhibition; 5) Nothing to say; 6) Uneven participation; and 7) Mother tongue use.