A PRELIMINARY STUDY: STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF EFL SPEAKING SKILLS

Abstract

Speaking has emerged as a significant issue, particularly among the students at IKIP Siliwangi. Students who are enrolled in English education programs struggle to communicate effectively in the classroom using English. Therefore, the research investigates the students' perceptions of EFL speaking skills. The study utilizes a qualitative method with descriptive qualitative as the research design. The participants consist of 40 students enrolled at one of the universities in Bandung, west Java. The students are currently in their third semester, pursuing a major in the English education study program. Questionnaires, observations, and interviews were used to acquire the data. Questionnaires covered three parts: speaking method, media, and teacher's activities, while the interview was carried out with a total of nine students. Subsequently, the data were analyzed qualitatively. Based on the findings, three things are discussed: The first is that the students prefer interesting topics for presentation when they learn speaking subjects. Interesting topic of presentation can trigger their motivation to talk. The second is the students also like handouts as guidelines for speaking subjects. The last is the teacher, who is expected to be a facilitator and motivator in the classroom. Overall, the students expect that lecturers can help them by providing them with interesting topics and handouts to trigger them to talk about speaking subjects.