The term native-like proficiency in English refers to the ability to speak the English language like a native speaker. This study was conducted to investigate Afghan English major undergraduate students’ attitudes toward native-like proficiency in the English language at two public universities in Afghanistan. The study specifically investigated the attitudes of Afghan English major undergraduate students toward the characteristics of a native speaker of the English language, native speakers’ linguistic imperialism, and native-like proficiency in the English language. A mixed research design was used for the study. The quantitative data were descriptively analyzed in terms of frequencies using SPSS and presented in tables. The qualitative data were thematically analyzed and presented. A total of 113 fourth-year (senior students)  voluntarily participated in the study. The findings revealed that perfect pronunciation, fluency, and grammatical accuracy were the defining attributes of native speakers. Similarly, students believed that only native speakers have the right to decide the rules or to standardize the English language and that only a native speaker has better English language skills. Moreover, the results revealed that Afghan English major students’ attitudes toward native-like proficiency in the English language were highly positive, and they love to speak with a native-like accent. It is hoped that the current study’s findings will help educators and will be a valuable addition to the current mass of data on the subject.

Of the four language skills, speaking is usually considered an indicator of proficiency in a language. As an EFL student, one should master speaking skill (Nazara, 2012). Unfortunately, most Afghan EFL undergraduates are not as good at speaking as they are in the other three English language skills (reading, writing and listening). Most Afghan undergraduate EFL learners are good at reading and writing, but in part of oral communication, they are not accurate and fluent (Zia Sulan, 2015). Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the factors that affect the Afghan undergraduate EFL learners’ speaking skill at Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University Kunar, Afghanistan. The study specifically investigated the learning environment-related factors that affected student speaking skill. A mixed method was used for this study, i.e., quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (interview). The questionnaire data were descriptively analyzed in SPSS version 20 and presented in figures and tables. The interview data were thematically analyzed and presented. A total of 90 students (40 junior and 50 senior) were purposively selected and participated in this study. The findings revealed that large classes and the lack of basic facilities in the speaking classroom were some factors in the learning environment that affected the students speaking skill. The current study’s findings will hopefully help teachers and educators be attentive and creative in building a proper learning environment to reduce the factors that affect students’ speaking skill.

Speaking skill is one of the most important skills of the four language skills. It is believed as an indicator of competency in a language. Nazara (2011) considers speaking skill as an essential skill of the four language skills and suggests that EFL students have to master the speaking skill. Unfortunately, the majority of Afghan EFL undergraduates are facing issues in the speaking skill. Most of Afghan undergraduate EFL learners are good in reading and writing but they are not accurate and fluent in oral communication (Zia and Sulan, 2015). Hence, this study was conducted to particularly investigate student-related factors that affect students’ speaking skill. A mixed-method approach was used for the study. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews. The data collected through questionnaires was analyzed in SPSS whereas the data collected through interviews was thematically analysed. A total of 90 students were purposively selected and participated in the study. The findings show that psychological factors and weak background of English language in the part of students were some of the factors that impede students speaking skill. It is hoped that the findings of the current study will help teachers as well as educators to be attentive toward students-related responsibilities to reduce the factors that affect students' speaking skill.ABSTRAKKeterampilan berbicara merupakan salah satu keterampilan terpenting dari empat keterampilan berbahasa. Hal ini diyakini sebagai indikator kompetensi dalam suatu bahasa. Nazara (2011) menganggap keterampilan berbicara sebagai keterampilan penting dari empat keterampilan bahasa dan menyarankan bahwa siswa EFL harus menguasai keterampilan berbicara. Sayangnya, mayoritas sarjana EFL Afghanistan menghadapi masalah dalam keterampilan berbicara. Sebagian besar pelajar EFL sarjana Afghanistan pandai membaca dan menulis tetapi mereka tidak akurat dan lancar dalam komunikasi lisan (Zia dan Sulan, 2015). Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini dilakukan untuk secara khusus menyelidiki faktor-faktor yang berhubungan dengan siswa yang mempengaruhi keterampilan berbicara siswa. Pendekatan metode campuran digunakan untuk penelitian ini. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui kuesioner dan wawancara. Data yang dikumpulkan melalui kuesioner dianalisis dengan SPSS sedangkan data yang dikumpulkan melalui wawancara dianalisis secara tematik. Sebanyak 90 siswa dipilih secara purposive dan berpartisipasi dalam penelitian ini. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa faktor psikologis dan latar belakang bahasa Inggris yang lemah di pihak siswa adalah beberapa faktor yang menghambat keterampilan berbicara siswa. Diharapkan temuan dari penelitian ini akan membantu guru serta pendidik untuk memperhatikan tanggung jawab terkait siswa untuk mengurangi faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi keterampilan berbicara siswa.How to Cite: Mashwani, Hazrat U., Damio, Siti M. (2022). Student Related Factors Affecting Afghan EFL Undergraduates’ Speaking Skill. IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 9(2), 227-248-210. doi:10.15408/ijee.v9i2.26887

Reading, writing, listening and speaking are the four primary and required skills of every language. Of the four skills of a language, speaking is the skill that always matters the most for a language learner, and it is considered essential. According to Nazara (2012), speaking is an important and essential skill of the four language skills, and as an EFL student, one needs to master the speaking skill. However, the majority of Afghan EFL undergraduates face difficulties in this all-important skill of the language. According to Zia and Sulan (2015), for most of Afghan undergraduate EFL learners, reading and writing are easy, but in oral communication, they are not accurate and fluent. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the factors that affect the Afghan EFL undergraduates' speaking skill at Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University Kunar, Afghanistan. The study specifically investigate teacher-related factors that affect students' speaking skill. A mixed method was used for this study, i.e., quantitative (questionnaire) as well as qualitative (interview). The data of the questionnaire was descriptively analysed in SPSS version 20 and presented in figures and tables. The interview data were thematically analysed and presented. A total of 90 students (40 junior and 50 senior) were purposively selected and participated in this study. The findings revealed that the rare use of speaking activities like pair work, group work, role-plays, group presentations and improper method of teaching were some of the factors on the part of teachers that affected students' speaking skill. It is hoped that the findings of the current study will help teachers as well as educators to be attentive toward their related responsibilities to reduce the factors that affect students' speaking skill.