Identifying English Speaking Needs Among Secondary School Students

Speaking skills in English is one of the crucial skills in language learning and have received great emphasis in Malaysian education. This is essential not only for global communication but also for higher education and career advancement. Speaking encompasses several components — pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, appropriateness, comprehension — making it particularly challenging for ESL learners to acquire and master. This study investigates the speaking proficiency of Malaysian secondary school students and identifies their learning needs to inform improvements in speaking instruction. This study employs a mixed-methods approach by collecting data through self-assessment questionnaires completed by 90 Form 4 students and semi-structured interviews conducted with five English language teachers in the northern state of Malaysia, Kedah. Quantitative findings revealed that students perceived significant difficulties in appropriateness, grammar, fluency, and vocabulary, which were the lowest ranked components by the students. Qualitative findings from teachers supported these challenges, highlighting persistent issues in the same areas. These complementary perspectives underscore the need to improve speaking instruction that explicitly integrates grammar and vocabulary development as well as pragmatic awareness to better support students’ English speaking proficiency.