Speaking Problems in Arabic as a Second Language

The study was carried out on a number of students who attended the Arabic Language speaking skill course (LQS 0415) offered by the CELPAD (Centre for Languages Pre-University Acadamic Development), IIUM, Gombak, to those majoring in Islamic Studies and Arabic Language (IRKHS ) only. The course was expected to help students improve their academic performance by mastering communication skill in the language. However, it was found that 70% of the students were unable to participate effectively in class discussions due to poor speaking skill. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to identify students problems in speaking with Arabic, focusing on the students themselves by looking into difficulties faced by them while performing speaking tasks. The methods employed are observation and interviews. Three speaking tasks, which were single and dual demand, were assigned to the students. The tasks were acting out situations, retelling and sharing of experiences. Each task, either with context support or without it, has different levels of difficulty. The study found that language difficulties might hinder the students ability in speaking skill activities. Students found themselves with more problems while performing individual tasks because they need to be independent. Lack of vocabulary also may disrupt the fluency of speech during presentation. Having identified the students problems in speaking, teachers are encouraged to have learning activities which focus on vocabulary usage as well as expanding the usage of vocabularies, with an emphasis on group activities. Promoting communication in Arabic within the group itself while performing such activities must also be encouraged. Group activities provided the opportunity for students to overcome communication problems encountered with their peer s help. The findings show that group activity also presents language situations which can stimulate the use of the learned language.