Investigating Factors Affecting the Oral Communicative Competence of EFL University Students

Abstract

This study aims at investigating factors affecting the oral communicative competence of EFL university students. The researcher adopted the descriptive method for data analysis. An observation-checklist is used as a tool for data collection. Thirty students from first year students, College of Education at Sudan University of Science and Technology wererandomly selected to present topics and being observed. The results of this study revealed that, EFL students are not motivated to carry out oral communication tasks. EFL students are not highly comfortable and relaxed while communicating orally. EFL students are unable to form well-formed sentences, use the right tense and use the cultural expressions (idioms, phrasal verbs, proverbs etc.). EFL students lack the ability of paraphrasing, miming, gesturing and seeking for help when communicating. The researcher recommends that, EFL students should be highly motivated to learn the language effectively in order to communicate orally. They should also be relaxed and more comfortable in the process of communication. EFL students should be aware of the linguistic competence which has an effect on their oral communication. EFL students should be able to use communicative strategies while conveying ideas. The researcher suggests that, Researchers have to investigate the role using tasks to enhance linguistic competence in improving oral communication. Further studies may investigate the role of strategic competence in enhancing oral communication. It would be beneficial for the future researches to investigate how EFL students could implement their learning practice based on their beliefs in developing the speaking skills.