Components Contributing to English Oral Proficiency: A Case Study of the Undergraduates of King Mongkut's Institute of Technology North Bangkok

Abstract

Abstract

The research aims to investigate the relationships between oral proficiency and pertinent factors. The subjects were 275 KMITNB undergraduate students who enrolled in English Conversation I. The data were collected through survey questionnaires. Arithmetic means, S.D., percentage, Pearson product moment correlations, and stepwise multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The analyses revealed positive relationships between oral proficiency and independent variables, i.e. previous oral ability, recent English grade, duration of English study, daily English exposure, intrinsic motivation, and extrinsic motivation; while a negative relationship with anxiety was explored. Contrary to the conjecture; however, the relationship between independent learning style and oral proficiency was not supported. Further analyses indicated four components influencing learners' oral proficiency, i.e. prior oral competence, recent English grade, daily English exposure, and extrinsic motivation. These four variables together accounted for 46.5% of the total variability and were demonstrated as the best predictors to learners’ oral proficiency. Keywords: oral proficiency, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, class anxiety, independent learning