The influences of oral communication strategies on students’ English speaking proficiency

Abstract

This study aims to examine the spoken communication techniques of non-English major students at University of Economics – Technology for Industries (UNETI) to get a better knowledge of language acquisition techniques, namely oral strategies used in communicative activities. Data were collected through questionnaire adapted from the Oral Communication Strategy Inventory (OCSI) by Nakatani (2005) and analyzed using OCSI. Participants were 50 EFL students from the Faculty of Accounting, UNETI. The results show that students utilized certain communication strategies (CSs) when they encountered oral communication difficulties. It was additionally anticipated that UNETI students would think more deeply about their oral communication abilities. Consequently, teachers will develop more effective methods of teaching them how to communicate successfully with others throughout the process. Moreover, students will acquire additional CSs that they may use more effectively in real-world conversations with native and non-native speakers. Thus, speaking strategy training should not be overlooked throughout students’ learning process.