Exploring University Students’ Difficulties in Expressing Ideas Orally in English: A
Qualitative Study
BACKGROUND
Speaking skill is a crucial component of English language learning, particularly for university
students who are expected to communicate ideas, opinions, and academic thoughts orally in
classroom interactions. In higher education, English speaking ability is often required in activities
such as discussions, presentations, and speaking practices. However, despite years of formal English
instruction, many university students still experience difficulties in speaking English, especially when
expressing their ideas orally.
Previous studies have consistently reported that students face various difficulties in speaking
English. Inayah et al. (n.d.) found that students often struggle to speak English due to limited
vocabulary, lack of grammatical mastery, and negative attitudes toward speaking activities. Similarly,
studies conducted in Indonesian university contexts indicate that English students still encounter
significant challenges in speaking performance, even though they major in English-related programs
(Made Sri Devi Puspasari & Kamaruddin, 2025; Meidi Kulsum et al., 2025).
In addition to linguistic problems, psychological factors also play a major role in students’
speaking difficulties. Research shows that fear of making mistakes, low self-confidence, anxiety, and
nervousness when speaking in front of others can hinder students’ ability to express ideas orally
(Nababan & Hadiwijaya, n.d.; Rahmon, n.d.). These factors often cause students to hesitate, speak
unclearly, or avoid participating actively in speaking activities. Erydani et al. (n.d.) further emphasize
that students’ perceptions of their own speaking ability influence how they respond to speaking
tasks, particularly in academic and specific-purpose contexts.
Moreover, in EFL contexts, students have limited opportunities to use English outside the
classroom. As a result, classroom speaking activities become the primary space for students to
practice oral communication skills (Rahmon, n.d.). When students continue to experience difficulties
in expressing ideas orally, the effectiveness of speaking instruction may be reduced, and learning
objectives may not be fully achieved. This situation highlights the importance of understanding
students’ difficulties from their own perspectives.
Therefore, exploring university students’ difficulties in expressing ideas orally in English is
essential to gain deeper insights into the challenges they face in speaking activities. By employing a
qualitative approach, this study aims to explore students’ experiences and perceptions regarding
their speaking difficulties, which may provide useful insights for improving English speaking
instruction at the university level.
This study is guided by the following research questions:
1. What difficulties do university students experience in expressing their ideas orally in English?
2. What factors contribute to students’ difficulties in expressing ideas orally in English?
3. How do university students perceive their own ability to express ideas orally in English during
classroom speaking activities?
The objectives of this study are:
1. To identify the difficulties experienced by university students in expressing their ideas orally
in English.
2. To examine the factors that contribute to university students’ difficulties in expressing ideas
orally in English.
3. To explore university students’ perceptions of their ability to express ideas orally in English
during classroom speaking activities.
RESEARCH METHOD
a. Research Design
This study employs a qualitative research design, specifically a descriptive qualitative
approach, to explore university students’ difficulties in expressing ideas orally in English. Qualitative
research is appropriate for this study because it aims to gain an in-depth understanding of students’
experiences, perceptions, and challenges rather than to measure variables numerically or test
statistical hypotheses.
A descriptive qualitative design allows the researcher to describe and interpret participants’
responses in a natural and detailed manner. In the context of this study, students’ difficulties in oral
expression cannot be fully understood through test scores or quantitative data alone. Instead, these
difficulties are closely related to students’ personal experiences, emotions, confidence levels,
classroom interactions, and learning environments, which are best explored through qualitative
inquiry.
The choice of a qualitative approach is also based on the exploratory nature of the research
problem. This study does not seek to determine cause-and-effect relationships or correlations
between variables. Rather, it focuses on understanding what kinds of difficulties students face, why
these difficulties occur, and how students perceive their own ability to express ideas orally in English.
These aspects require rich, detailed data that can capture participants’ perspectives in their own
words.
Furthermore, a qualitative research design provides flexibility for the researcher to probe
deeper into participants’ responses during the data collection process. Through open-ended
questions, students are able to elaborate on their experiences, clarify their opinions, and share
insights that may not emerge in structured quantitative instruments. Therefore, the descriptive
qualitative approach is considered the most suitable design for achieving the objectives of this study
and addressing the research questions comprehensively.
b. Population and Sample
The population of this study consists of third-semester students of the English Education
Department (Tadris Bahasa Inggris) at a State Islamic University (UIN). These students are chosen as
the population because they are actively engaged in learning English and are required to use English
orally in various academic activities, such as classroom discussions, presentations, and speaking
practice. At this stage of their study, students are expected to have developed basic speaking skills;
however, many of them still experience difficulties in expressing their ideas orally in English.
The sample of this study is selected using a purposive sampling technique. Purposive
sampling is considered appropriate because the participants are chosen based on specific criteria
relevant to the research objectives. The criteria for selecting the participants are: (1) students who
are enrolled in the third semester of the Tadris Bahasa Inggris program at UIN, (2) students who have
experience participating in English speaking activities during classroom learning, and (3) students
who are willing to share their experiences and perceptions regarding difficulties in expressing ideas
orally in English. This technique enables the researcher to obtain rich and relevant data from
participants who directly experience the research phenomenon.
The sample size of this qualitative study consists of approximately 10–15 students from the
Tadris Bahasa Inggris department. This number is considered sufficient to gain in-depth insights into
students’ experiences while allowing detailed data analysis. In qualitative research, the emphasis is
placed on the depth of information rather than the number of participants. Therefore, data
collection will continue until data saturation is achieved, where no new significant themes or
information emerge from additional participants.
c. Research Instrument
The primary research instrument used in this study is a semi-structured interview. This
instrument is chosen because it allows the researcher to explore students’ difficulties in expressing
ideas orally in English in depth while still providing flexibility to probe further based on participants’
responses. Semi-structured interviews enable participants to express their thoughts, experiences,
and perceptions freely, which is essential for understanding complex issues related to speaking
difficulties.
The interview guide is developed based on the research questions and relevant literature on
English speaking skills and oral communication difficulties in EFL contexts. The interview questions
focus on several aspects, including students’ experiences in speaking English, challenges they face
when expressing ideas orally, factors affecting their confidence, and their perceptions of classroom
speaking activities. The questions are designed in an open-ended format to encourage detailed and
meaningful responses from the participants.
To ensure the validity of the research instrument, content validity is applied. The interview
questions will be reviewed by an English lecturer or research expert to ensure that they are relevant,
clear, and appropriate for the research objectives. Revisions will be made based on the feedback
provided. Additionally, a pilot interview will be conducted with one or two students who are not
included in the main participants to check the clarity and effectiveness of the questions.
Since this study is qualitative in nature, statistical reliability testing is not applied. However,
the trustworthiness of the data will be ensured through several strategies, such as using clear
interview guidelines, recording the interviews accurately, and transcribing the data carefully. These
procedures help maintain consistency and credibility in the data collection process.
d. Data Collection Procedure
The data in this study are collected through semi-structured interviews with third-semester
students of the Tadris Bahasa Inggris program at UIN. Before conducting the interviews, the
researcher will obtain permission from the relevant academic authority and inform the participants
about the purpose of the study. Participants will also be informed that their participation is voluntary
and that their responses will be kept confidential.
The interviews will be conducted in a comfortable and quiet setting, either face-to-face or
online, depending on the participants’ availability and convenience. Each interview is expected to last
approximately 20–30 minutes. The researcher will use an interview guide consisting of open-ended
questions to ensure consistency across interviews while allowing flexibility to explore participants’
responses in greater depth.
With the participants’ consent, all interviews will be audio-recorded to ensure accurate data
capture. During the interviews, the researcher may also take brief notes to highlight important points
or non-verbal cues. After the interviews are completed, the audio recordings will be transcribed
verbatim to prepare the data for analysis.
The collected data will be stored securely in digital format. Audio files and interview
transcripts will be saved on the researcher’s personal device and protected with a password to
maintain confidentiality. Participants’ identities will be anonymized by using pseudonyms or codes.
These procedures ensure that the data collection process is systematic, ethical, and reliable for
qualitative analysis.
e. Steps in Qualitative Data Analysis
The data analysis in this study follows the steps of thematic analysis, which is commonly
used in qualitative research to identify patterns and themes within textual data. Thematic analysis is
appropriate for this study because it allows the researcher to systematically analyze students’
interview responses and interpret their experiences regarding difficulties in expressing ideas orally in
English.
The first step in data analysis is data familiarization. After transcribing the interview
recordings, the researcher will read the transcripts repeatedly to gain a thorough understanding of
the data. During this stage, initial ideas and important points related to students’ speaking difficulties
will be noted.
The second step is coding. In this process, the researcher will identify meaningful segments
of the data and assign codes to them. These codes represent recurring ideas, challenges, or factors
mentioned by the participants, such as lack of vocabulary, fear of making mistakes, or low
confidence.
The third step involves theme development. Similar codes will be grouped together to form
broader themes that represent students’ difficulties in expressing ideas orally in English. These
themes help organize the data into meaningful categories that directly address the research
questions.
The fourth step is data interpretation. The researcher will analyze the identified themes by
connecting them to the research objectives and relevant literature. This step allows the researcher to
explain how and why the difficulties occur based on students’ perspectives.
The final step is reporting the findings. The results of the analysis will be presented
descriptively, supported by selected excerpts from participants’ interview responses. This approach
ensures that the findings are clearly explained and grounded in the actual data.
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