TITLE: AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE FACTORS HINDERING ENGLISH SPEAKING FLUENCY AMONG ESL LEARNERS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

The importance of effective communication in English has grown more and more for academic achievement, professional growth, and global engagement. Despite years of formal English learning, however, many ESL learners in Pakistan continue to struggle with achieving fluency in speaking English. The aim of this study is to explore the factors affecting the fluency of English speaking by the ESL learners at the undergraduate level in Pakistan. The method used was quantitative research design and the number of respondents was 26 university students by structured questionnaire. The questionnaire covered the psychological, pedagogical and environmental aspects that affect the learners' oral communication ability. Descriptive statistical techniques were employed to analyse the collected data and determine trends and patterns in participants' responses. Results showed that psychological factors including speaking anxiety, fear of making mistakes, and lack of self-confidence are the significant factors which hinder the students in the fluent communication in English. In addition, the findings suggest that traditional teaching in which too much attention is paid to grammar and written tests offers little opportunities for meaningful speaking practice. Environmental factors also proved to be significant barriers as students indicated that there was not enough exposure to English outside the classroom and limited opportunities to participate in authentic communication. Through the study, it is determined that there is no single reason behind speaking fluency; instead, there are several interacting psychological, instructional and contextual factors. It is concluded that using communicative teaching methodology, reducing learner's anxiety and providing more opportunities for authentic language use are therefore essential to improve the English language skills of Pakistani ESL learners. The findings can help the language teachers and curriculum builders to improve their students' communicative competence as well as the educational policymakers in Pakistan to have an idea about the problems of ESL students' speaking in Pakistan and how to improve it.