Ijte 2 2 2

IJTE - ISSN: 2768-4563 International Journal of TESOL & Education Vol. 2; No.
2; 2022
The Reality of English Presentation Skills of English-majored Students in

Vietnam: A Case Study at Van Lang University
Pham Manh Tri1*, Nguyen Duong Nhu Quynh1, Nguyen Thi Kim Chi1,
Nguyen Hoang Ngoc Mai1, Hoang Tran Anh Tien1, Pham Vu Phi Ho1
1
Faculty of Foreign Languages, Van Lang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
*
Corresponding author’s email: tripham.230901@gmail.com
*
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4942-7534
https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.22222
Received: 21/12/2021 Revision: 22/03/2022 Accepted: 23/03/2022 Online: 28/03/2022
ABSTRACT
Presentation skills play an indispensable role in undergraduates’ education

and developing their future careers because this skill assists college
students in accomplishing a superior knowledge base and enhancing their
public speaking. The study aims to measure English-majored students'
reality at the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Van Lang University in
Vietnam about speaking skills, especially presentation skills. The
quantitative study has been carried out among 600 second-year, third-year,
Keywords:
and four-year students at the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Van Lang
presentation,
University in Vietnam. The results of the research paper demonstrated that
presentation
most students were not confident about their presentation skills because of
skills, speaking
making mistakes about vocabulary usage, grammar, fluency, and so on
skills, oral
when giving presentations. EFL lecturers can consider the results to
communication
improve their teaching methods regarding speaking skills and find out
skills, English-
more strategies to solve students' speaking challenges.
majored students
1. Introduction
The most popular speaking genre is the oral presentation for English learners in academic
environments and workplaces (Chang & Huang, 2015). Presentation skills are considered
successful communicative goals (Kim, 2006; Evans, 2013). Speaking skill is essential but
challenging for the students when they study English (Brown, 1994; Ur, 2012). Guidelines for
preparing effective presentations to attract audiences include the presenters’ formal look, good
intonation, and language fluency (Dung, 2021). Moreover, a good presentation is based on
knowledge, preparation skills, and a good process of practicing before doing presentations.
The research indicates that speaking English-majored students at Van Lang University (VLU)
in Vietnam often encounter problems. Many studies have been performed in linguistic settings
to clarify how learners’ speaking skills could be improved remarkably (Yashima, 2002;
Nakatani, 2010; Lu & Hsu, 2008; Lam, 2007). At all faculties at VLU, English learning
CITATION | Pham, M. T., Nguyen, D. N. Q., Nguyen, T. K. C., Nguyen, H. N. M., Hoang, T. A. T., & Pham, V.
P. H. (2022). The Reality of English Presentation Skills of English-majored Students in Vietnam: A Case Study at
Van Lang University. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 2(2), 27-46. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.22222
https://i-jte.org Pham, M. T. et al. Vol. 2; No. 2; 2022
programs applied to fit with learners’ levels consisted of textbooks, syllabus, E-learning site,
and MS Teams application. Specifically, EFL students take FOLA club’s activities,
international certifications, and intensive courses. Regardless of all learning aids provided, the
Speaking 4 Course’s Grade Point Average (GPA) declared the offensive insight gaps in their
presentation ability and conversational deficiency, which Albino (2017) also concerned.
Leaners claimed that practicing communicating initially is the goal of oral expertise (Osterman,
2014). Because VLU’s students confined connection to English, there have been more
adversities to absorb it adequately than those reaching the English system easily (Chen et al.,
2021).
The course, namely Speaking 4, is an essential course that helps develop EFL students’
presentation skills and speaking skills. Based on the VLU’s Speaking 4 GPA in the academic
year 2020-2021, many undergraduates still got bad scores. Specifically, Table 1 demonstrated
that 14% of the students had average marks (5 to 6.4), and 28.3% of them got high marks (8 to
10). Remarkably, 12.8% of the learners could not pass the course. Thus, the students need to be
trained with more suitable methods and strategies, and instructors should focus on students’
mistakes, as well as give more comments or feedback.
The study aims to analyze factors influencing EFL students’ speaking skills at VLU, so survey
questionnaires have been detailed for solutions to problems regarding oral communication skills
and presentation skills. Students’ speaking skills should be applied in working environments
(Gray, 2010). English-majored students at VLU must have solid speaking skills with the ability
to interact effectively with native speakers and give presentations in front of a crowd, namely,
symposia, conferences, and meetings. Furthermore, students must be supplied with public
speaking techniques to meet employers’ requirements (Russ, 2009). Students need to advance
their soft skills like communication skills to develop their future careers instead of only having
their understanding of the major theories (Fallows & Steven, 2000). Nowadays, learners worry
about presenting in public (Girard et al., 2011). Presentation skills will bring students benefits
like lifelong learning skills and a learning experience to help them to learn effectively in their
learning process if they are trained professionally (King, 2002).
In theory, research provides a reference for those to self-assess and improve presentation skills
and helps educators understand learners’ problems (Nguyen, 2014). In practice, research
provides crucial suggestions about presentation and oral aspects, minimizes negligible mistakes,
and advances essential elements for an effective presentation (Nguyen, 2014). The previous
studies associated with presentation skills were successful, but they also had many limitations.
The first was insufficient participants, the second was the failure to control nerves during
presenting, and the third was the unsolved weaknesses related to oral and digital practice. The
paper can be successful in grasping current EFL students’ reality.
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IJTE - ISSN: 2768-4563 International Journal of TESOL & Education Vol. 2; No. 2; 2022
2. Literature review
2.1. Definition of Oral Communication
Kumar (2021) defined oral communication as using the mouth to express opinions and transfer
information via virtual and actual conversation, including speeches, discussions, and
presentations. To build rapport and trust, people need to exploit in-person communication such
as meetings, conferences, interviews, etc. To be clear, oral communication is talking and
expressing information, and it is described as speech communication. Kumar (2021) also
showed ways to improve oral communication skills: clear pronunciation, brevity, precision,
conviction, logical sequence, appropriate word choice, using natural voice, communicating
with the right person, now getting guided by assumptions, looking for feedback, allowing to
ask questions.
2.2. Definition of Presentations
Rosenzweig (2021) described presentations as the tool to relay topics to audiences through a
slide show, a demonstration, a lecture, or speech where presenters use words and pictures. In
the technological era, presenters use PowerPoint to communicate information or media via
slides with flexible presentation styles (Donohoe, 2020). Donohoe also mentioned that the
slides could include various kinds of content like tables, images, drawings, charts, links, word
art, videos, audio, and even embedded add-ins. Therefore, presenters can utilize essential things
to make their presentations more creative thanks to modern technologies.
2.3. Linguistic and nonlinguistic factors were influencing oral and presentation skills.
Compared to other primary skills, speaking skill is the most challenging due to students'
language anxiety (Horwitz et al., 1986). Pabro-Maquidato (2021) asserted that students tend to
be afraid of using English to express themselves. Additionally, anxious learners are unwilling
to participate in speaking activities (Tsiplakides & Keramida, 2009). Due to speaking anxiety,
students cannot enhance their speaking performance (Pabro-Maquidato, 2021). One of the
biggest challenges for EFL learners is speaking in front of a crowd (Rumiyati & Seftika, 2018).
Other factors influencing learners’ speaking skills are pronunciation, fear of making mistakes,
unattractive evaluation, lack of vocabulary and grammar knowledge, lack of preparedness, and
even teachers’ attitude (Dornyei & Clement, 2001; Mukminin et al., 2015). Regarding
vocabulary usage, collocations play an important part in speaking performance because
successful speakers have to know how to use collocations correctly. However, Bui (2021)
asserted that Vietnamese students are more likely to use wrong collocations. In other words,
they usually translate Vietnamese collocations into English collocations, although the
collocations that they create look unnatural compared with the English language. As a result,
most Vietnamese learners fail to master speaking skills if they are not well-trained.
2.4. Previous studies
Nguyen (2019) claimed that most students’ presentation skills were not good due to their unawareness of this
skill’s importance. Melvina and Alicia (2016) believed presentations are the method of speaking practice. It
29
was demonstrated that they had difficulties in providing presentations content for audiences, so teachers
should spend more time introducing students to a wide variety of skills that students must have when giving
presentations. Nevertheless, the case study has not solved some students’ anxiety in front of a crowd and their
bad delivery of presentations.
Whai and Mei (2015) pointed out that though most students have high grades in their studies,
they are unable to effectively convey their thoughts in English. Psychological factors, a lack of
practice, and the roles of the teachers led to the problem statement regarding the disparities
between Engineering and Commerce students. Salem (2019) described presentation skills as a
technique of obtaining academic and professional success. The study involved forty-nine 23 to
24-year-old business students from two entire classes, who were placed into two groups
(experimental group and control group). There were weaknesses in students’ presentations
regarding preparation and presenters themselves. The outcomes were well-displayed and
understandable in the three tables. The comparison and explanations between two treatment
conditions (TED Talks and traditional teaching classroom) answered the research questions.
According to Al-Nouh et al. (2015), this study proved that oral presentation is essential for
students in their studies and future. The researcher used the quantitative method to find out that
all of them are not good at presentation skills because they cannot face the fears that make them
uncomfortable when giving presentations. Furthermore, this study showed that the Ministry of
Education and Training should have some enhancements to improve presentation skills,
especially for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. Therefore, traditional teaching
methods should be abandoned instead of focusing on developing communication skills and
motivating them to speak a language fluently.
Riadil (2020) confirmed that communication is a very important skill in our lives. It is a tool
for communicating with other people to express opinions, ideas, and feelings through language.
So, in Indonesia, they study English as a foreign language, and it becomes a subject in the
curriculum with four skills: reading, listening, writing, and speaking. The researcher applied
the qualitative method to discover the influences of presentations on EFL students’ speaking
skills and their challenges of giving presentations in higher education. As Riadil said, speaking
is a difficult skill because it is connected to vocabulary, grammar, many ideas, pronunciation,
and listening. Therefore, the teacher should choose the appropriate methods that help the
students in their studies, encourage them to speak as much as possible in class, and make them
feel no shame when they use English to communicate or give a presentation.
Radzuan and Kaur (2011) conducted a research paper using the qualitative method with 44
students at Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia. The study demonstrated that students had
limited technical knowledge and barriers in their English language skills, and they felt anxious
when doing English presentations. According to Vitasari et al. (2010), the researcher conducted
the study with the quantitative method to find out students' experiences, feelings, and opinions
regarding anxiety during their learning process. The results showed that learners faced class
presentation anxiety, language anxiety, and social anxiety.
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Chuyen et al. (2020) described TED Talks as a new classroom learning technique. They
highlighted several aspects of students' presentation skills, such as experience, self-evaluation,
obstacles, and characteristics, in-depth in the findings and discussions. Students lacked soft
presentation skills, their strength was still the theory, and they did not have many chances to
practice. Listing TED Talks beneficial strategies, the recommendations for individuals (TED
Talks users, Department, teaching staff) are quite objective. In addition, Panggabean &
Triassanti (2020) and Chandren & Yaacob (2016) suggested learners have skills including
thoughtful minds, strategies, following tasks, and appraising the quality that provides them
feelings reflection and self-assessment.
Although they had an impressive command of other subjects, there was a psychological
obstruction from grasping a foreign language. Yu et al. (2021) found that although many
consistent foreign speech examinations were conducted, few could explore which assessment
activities or kind of speaking teaching method were advantageous for active English application.
Twenty-four learners cooperated with five linguistic educators in a hundred days of observation.
They confirmed that learners’ products based on standard points in textbooks were replaced for
individual requirements. However, all admitted that the indoor English system was different
from their daily correspondence, so students attempted to speak English in many situations as
academic performance or real communication, and teachers adapted their English evaluation
activities to support students' specific tasks complement. Educators should separate the
difference from actual conversation in English to the classroom speaking ability evaluation.
In 2016, a study of Nakhalah analyzed some burning speaking issues and their cause that attract
foreign language students at the Al Quds Open University attention. The first one was fluency,
about 72.5%, the next one was grammar, and the final one was pronunciation. The contrast
errors were comparatively rated as in pronunciation, grammar, and fluency at the end. Those
following high influences on their low oral performance listed: fear of imperfection, objection,
lack motivation and confidence, being unfamiliar with the new language system, being short of
topical knowledge, vocabulary box, and actual practice. The teachers tried to correct all the
verbal and non-verbal students' mistakes, but they were not supposed to correct all the common
students’ errors who were stocked in the meaning translation. In case they had, it was better for
teachers to contribute the comments in private for embarrassing avoidance.
The study of Indriani (2020) looked into the usage of recorded video to assess students' speaking
and presentation skills in language learning and how they perceive the benefit of incorporating
technology into the learning process. By surveying 34 students who learned fundamental
grammar in English class and employed a qualitative research style, the information was
acquired via the students' recording videos, e-google form responses, etc. Thanks to video
recordings, students can replay video lots of times, so they can appraise what they have planned
and accomplished well, and their friends give them a lot of advice. Students become passionate
about using the video camera to express their thoughts. Presentation qualities like eye contact,
body posture, and voice were discovered to be further characteristics that aided the pre-service
teachers' English speaking abilities. However, judging student presentations properly is difficult,
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especially regarding practical assessment administration. Sometimes students still catch basic
mistakes, including grammar, vocabulary, etc.
2.5. Research Questions
Research question 1: What are English-majored students’ attitudes towards speaking courses
and presentation skills?
Research question 2: What are the difficulties that English-majored students encounter when
speaking and presenting in English?
3. Methods
3.1. Pedagogical Setting & Participants
Van Lang University, set up in 1995, is described as a private university with awesome success.
Based on Decision No.109/QĐ/VL-HĐT 18th, August 2020 of Chairman of the Van Lang
University’s Council about Educational Philosophy, the educational institution's philosophy of
education consists of a holistic, lifelong, ethical, and impactful learning experience. Students
must pass speaking courses at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, including Speaking 4. In
Speaking 4 courses, students use a book called Speaking 4. Selected and Compiled. For Internal
Use Only. 2019. The course provides students with skills to analyze their audience and critical
thinking to provide the audience with information tailored to their current needs as well as to
persuade the audience to change their orientation, thoughts, and behaviors in a positive way
that is beneficial.
The research examined about 600 English-majored undergraduates in the academic year 2021-
2022 at VLU who were between the ages of 20 and 22 (second-year to four-year). At the time
of the study, they were in the first semester of their new school year and had previously
approached the surface or studied the presentation course (Speaking 4). The students who took
the course to learn theoretically and practically about presentation abilities were required to
give oral presentations in the midterm and final examinations to evaluate the ability to apply
what they learned in class into their speeches. A questionnaire about several aspects of
academic oral presentation skills was provided to second years, third years, and four years to
get an overview of their ability on presentation skills.
3.2. Design of the Study
This research paper was built by the quantitative research method so that it was easy to find the
core of the problem in the current student presentation and come up with the most appropriate
measures. By creating a question list based on Google Forms and presenting it to 600 students
aged 20 to 22, specifically students currently in their second year to four years of the Faculty
of Foreign Languages at VLU, this study helped to clarify the main difficulties that most
students were facing, helping students realize their problems. Taking students' answers via a list
of survey questions and synthesizing key difficulties helped results be more realistic, stick to
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the problem, give appropriate measures that are best for students, help students have a more
practical view to avoid difficulties, and develop soft skills.
The surveys included 38 questions with the five-point Likert scale from “totally disagree” to
“totally agree” (1 = totally disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = neutral; 4 = agree; 5 = totally agree) and
4 multiple-choice questions regarding students’ self-assessment of speaking proficiency. The
online questionnaire list posted on Facebook groups of the Faculty of Foreign Languages of
VLU took participants five minutes to fill in and three weeks to collect them all. Regarding the
advantages of the quantitative method, Wright (2005) reported that using questionnaire surveys
saves efforts and time owing to providing automated data collection. In the technological
development, the survey was conducted via the internet, which permitted researchers to collect
data simultaneously
3.3. Data collection & analysis
A quantitative method was chosen by doing a survey. This method helped students find
strengths and weaknesses in their abilities. The third phase tended to be a survey for participants
using the quantitative method with approximately 600 English-majored students who were
between the ages of 20 and 22 (second-year to four-year). The last part was an expectant phase,
including procedure and data analysis.
4. Results/Findings and discussion

4.1. Results/Findings
Research question 1: What are English-majored students’ attitudes towards speaking courses
and presentation skills?
Collected data in the following table and figure will be analyzed for percentages to respond to
the first research question to explore the students’ attitudes.
Table 1. English-majored students’ attitudes towards speaking courses and presentation skills
Items Questionnaires 1 2 3 4 5
(TD) (D) (N) (A) (TA)
1 Presentation skills play a vital role in your 1.9% 1.3% 7.1% 34.6% 55.1%
future careers.
2 Having superior abilities to give a 3.2% 1.3% 5.1% 34% 56.4%
presentation is necessary for EFL students.
3 Presenting assists you in improving 2.6% 3.8% 4.5% 41.7% 47.4%
communication skills
4 Giving a presentation in front of a crowd 2.6% 0.6% 6.4% 38.5% 51.9%
helps master your thoughts and improve your
speaking ability comprehensively.
5 Presentation skills bring you confidence in 2.6% 2.6% 6.4% 46.2% 42.3%
studies and work.
6 Presentation skills bring you a great creative 3.2% 5.8% 18.6% 42.9% 29.5%
mind
7 Presentation skills help you connect with 3.8% 1.3% 13.5% 50.6% 30.8%
33
success.
8 To prepare well for your presentation, you 1.3% 4.5% 6.4% 55.1% 32.7%
have to spend a large amount of time
practicing.
9 Most students prefer to learn by presentation 5.1% 26.9% 45.5% 13.5% 9%
methods
10 It is very difficult to have good presentation 1.9% 9.6% 11.5% 49.4% 27.6%
skills
11 In your opinion, we just need to look at the 41.7% 42.3% 5.8% 7.1% 3.2%
slides of the PowerPoint and prepare content
on the paper, then read out loud without
using body language
12 In order to present a topic, we need to have 1.3% 4.5% 4.5% 44.9% 44.9%
its solid knowledge
13 During presentations, we need to have 1.9% 3.2% 9.6% 39.1% 46.2%
interaction between speakers and listeners
14 A presentation needs to be creative to attract 1.3% 3.2% 5.1% 44.2% 46.2%
listeners.
15 Presentation skills are only appropriate for 4.5% 29.5% 23.7% 30.1% 12.2%
those who believe in their ability to interpret
in front of a crowd.
16 A presentation is appealing when audiences 1.3% 3.2% 16% 51.3% 28.2%
discuss and express their opinions about it.
17 To have a perfect presentation, we should 1.9% 2.6% 9.6% 49.4% 36.5%
practice regularly.
18 Presentation skills are just one of the skills, 8.3% 28.8% 26.9% 26.3% 9.6%
so we do not need to be excellent or focus too
much on the skill.
19 A good presentation should focus on the 2.6% 16.7% 22.4% 42.9% 15.4%
main content
20 Body Language is a special skill that helps 0.6% 2.6% 5.1% 49.4% 42.3%
your presentation skills in catching listeners’
attention.
21 Your attitude or reaction is a very significant 1.9% 0.6% 13.5% 56.4% 27.6%
matter when listeners question your
presentation.
22 Rhythm, voice, accent, volume, and speed 0% 1.9% 7.1% 42.9% 48.1%
decide the attraction of your presentation.
23 Creativity and patience help your 0.6% 0% 10.3% 47.4% 41.7%
presentation become perfect.
24 You should insert many visual aids in your 3.8% 15.4% 37.2% 30.1% 13.5%
presentation.
25 Your presentations are good or bad, which 3.8% 26.9% 34% 23.7% 11.5%
depends on your favorite subjects or topics.
Most students believe that presentation skill plays a vital role in various aspects of life because
it brings numerous advantages. Most participants agreed that presentation skills could influence
their future performance. In item 8, 32.7% to 55.1% of people agree they take plenty of time to
prepare their presentation well. Some students may struggle to get ready what they need for
their presentation, such as the material, slides, scripts, and so on. In item 10, 49.4% believed
that good presentation abilities are challenging. This is logical because presentation is a skill
that most students struggle with, and it is not trained in schools or by middle or high school
teachers. As a result, practically every student considers presentation skills to be difficult when
34
they enter the university. Presenting is considered the communication and interpretation of
content to the listeners, so failing to use nonverbal language throughout the speaking process is
an omission causing boredom, inattentiveness, and failure to impart material to the listener. In
item 12, 89.8% of students believe that a good presentation requires the presenter to understand
what they deliver to the audience thoroughly. The presenter must take the time to research,
prepare, and have a broad understanding of the issue before doing presentations and attracting
the audience. It is because their ultimate focus is to convey information to the audience in a
way that is both sufficient and concise.
In item 13, 85.3% agreed that speakers must interact with listeners during the presentation by
using eye contact, asking questions, and taking opinions from the audience. It not only makes
the presentation more interesting, but it also makes it easier for the audience to absorb the
information, allowing them to retain it for a longer period of time. According to item 15, 42.3%
believed they had to have confidence in their presentations to provide a better and more fluid
presentation than others. This is because poor presentations will lead to failure if there is simply
belief and vice versa. In item 20, most of the participants (91.7%) agreed that body language is
eye captivating and can attract every bit of attention through a simple movement; it can make
a significant difference when giving a presentation. According to item 22, almost every
participant agrees with the statement because when a person with great flow and amazing accent
does a presentation. It is bound to captivate the audience's attention. Compared to the one who
disagrees, imagine if a person with a low voice, disrupting speed, and bad accent does a
presentation, it will always be plain and guaranteed to lose their audiences. In fact, everyone is
fond of having a presentation with carefulness and investment, so they are really concerned
about their performance.
Figure 1. English-majored students’ attitudes towards lecturers’ teaching methods in

speaking courses
Based on fig. 1, the use of traditional methods without organizing interesting activities was the
highest percentage, specifically at 64.1%. The generally definitely same figure of teachers'
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provision of few grammatical rules was high next at 47.4%, which is contrary to popular belief.
The third rate of methods with no exciting topics that have bad influences on their learning
process is about 46.8%. The percentage of support that new correct feedback would adversely
impact was the lowest at 37.8%, which literally is significant.
Research question 2: What are the difficulties that English-majored students encounter when
speaking and presenting in English?
In order to respond to the 2nd research question, data from Table 2 and figures 2,3, & 4 will be
analyzed.
Table 2. The difficulties that English-majored students encounter when speaking and
presenting in English
Items Questionnaires 1 2 3 4 5
(TD) (D) (N) (A) (TA)
1 You present in Vietnamese better than in
1.8% 9% 24.4% 40.4% 24.4%
English
2 Your computer skills are not good, which
has a negative impact on your 6.4% 17.9% 23.7% 44.9% 7.1%
presentations
3 You are afraid of presenting upon standing
4.5% 14.7% 23.7% 34% 23.1%
in front of a crowd
4 You do not know how to make a
3.8% 9.6% 25% 41.7% 19.9%
presentation interesting
5 You have difficulty in conveying content
3.2% 16.7% 25% 39.7% 15.4%
to the audience
6 After finishing “Speaking 4”, you feel
more confident about presenting, 17.9% 3.3% 33.3% 34.6% 10.9%
especially in English
7 “Speaking 4” gives you enough basic
17.9% 3.9% 22.4% 44.3% 11.5%
knowledge about presentation skills
8 After having finished the subject
“Speaking 4”, the lecturer brought you
19.2% 2.6% 21.8% 41.7% 14.7%
very valuable experiences to have a perfect
and great presentation
9 Thanks to “Speaking 4” courses, your
presentation skills are improved, which
helps you not only with your speaking 3.8% 1.9% 14.7% 51.4% 28.2%
skills but also with many other subjects -
the subjects that require presentations
As can be seen in Table 2, Item 1 demonstrated that the participants had the ability to present
in their first language (the Vietnamese language) better than in their second language (the
English language), although they are English-majored students. This reality also appeared in
many different countries where the English language is not the primary language. Regarding
Item 3, most students (57.1%) are worried about standing in front of a large crowd. A speaker
may not be good at presenting topics, but a successful speaker must be confident and get on
well with their audience. For this reason, students need to be trained to be more confident. Item
6, 7, 8, and 9 focused on English-majored students’ feelings and opinions about the Speaking 4
36
courses they have passed. In particular, item 6 revealed that 45.5% of the participants described
"Speaking 4" courses as ideal courses which make them more confident when presenting in
English in front of a crowd.
On the other hand, 21.1% of the learners still faced anxiety, depression, and shyness in giving
English presentations despite passing Speaking 4 courses. Item 7, 8, and 9 demonstrated that
some learners had yet to enhance the quality of their presentations in courses. However, a large
number of the students had good presentation skills after having completed the Speaking 4
courses. Moreover, they had awesome learning experiences in the courses. It was proved that
Speaking 4 courses play a crucial role in providing sufficient basic knowledge about
presentation skills for EFL students. The knowledge that lecturers convey is useful for most
students to develop their presentation skills and oral communication skills. In contrast, most of
the participants might not apply the knowledge to their presentations. Perhaps EFL instructors
were less likely to give students helpful information and necessary feedback for their mistakes
upon doing presentations. Other factors influencing students’ learning experience in Speaking
4 courses might be limited time, the classroom with a large number of learners, etc.
Figure 2. Problems faced by English-majored students when they learn speaking skills
According to fig. 2, most participants faced some challenges, such as the fear of making
mistakes (53.8%), shyness (57.1%), and the lack of topical knowledge (64.1%). These are three
types of difficulties English-majored students sometimes have during their learning process.
Making many mistakes always happens when students practice speaking or using the language
in daily conversation. However, they might think that they had to make everything perfect.
They should learn from their past mistakes to improve their speaking performance. Another
challenge is related to topical knowledge for speech topics. For example, students feel more
excited about their favorite topics because they know many things about the topics. Therefore,
there is no doubt that their speaking performance will become smooth with their confidence.
On the other hand, their speaking performance may be worse if they are given some weird or
37
boring topics. To have good speaking performance for the strange topics. Students need to
familiarize themselves with new things about the topics, namely new words, new knowledge,
etc. Finally, students have many different characteristics. In particular, there are two main kinds
of characteristics: confidence and shyness. Perhaps shyness negatively impacts students'
speaking performance because they are less likely to speak English or participate in speaking
activities. Conversely, confident learners are more likely to speak the second language in spite
of their bad speaking skills.
Figure 3. English-majored students’ self-assessment regarding their speaking skills

According to the study of Schmitt (2014), the vocabulary essence always was a complex barrier
to learners and analyzers. The scientist found that the larger gaps in the vocabulary box were,
the more often disturbing rate of users’ understanding could get (Carver, 1994). In fig. 3,
learners mainly have trouble with wordy possession for proficient speaking and communication
skills (about 67.3% of people agree with this view). Over 57.1% of people claimed that they
got confused about using appropriate collocation when learning Speaking classes. Up to 50.6%
of people stated that their habit of translating English into Vietnamese adversely prevents them
from the comfort stage in class.
38
Figure 4. Factors influencing English-majored students’ speaking performance

According to fig 4, it is particularly clear that the very highest rates of pressure for well-
organized speech, specifically, coherence and cohesion, grammar, spelling, and accuracy, were
at 66.7%, and the figure of confidence was second at 60.3%. The third rate is that lacking topical
knowledge for give-and-take knowledge during the presentation, mostly speaking formal or
unfamiliar topics, generally stays at 48.7%. In particular, the time for completion is 26.9%. The
figure for listening skills and time for preparation was relatively about 26.3%.
4.2. Discussion
Our research results showed that most EFL students of Van Lang University's presentation skills
and communication skills are still underestimated. According to the data, it is suggested that
EFL students should be instructed to practice presenting in English professionally. Moreover,
EFL lecturers need to take responsibility for observing and recommending EFL learners to
present in English effectively.
The present study’s results mentioned above have in common with the literature on difficulties
in enhancing English-majored students’ presentation skills, speaking skills, and attitudes
towards these skills. Nguyen (2018) asserted that all students in her research described
presentation skills as one of the most important skills. The students always wish to practice the
skill in their classrooms because lecturers and classmates will listen to their presentations and
provide feedback in order to assist them in enhancing their presentation skills. Furthermore, the
students in her study lack satisfaction with their speaking performance because they frequently
fail to deliver their presentations fluently (Nguyen, 2018, p. 41). Similarly, Riadil (2020) also
concluded that students who tend to look nervous during activities for presentations have
trouble delivering effective presentations due to individual factors, audiences, and bad
presentation skills (p. 20). The study of Nguyen (2018) had the same results as our research in
terms of teachers’ teaching methods. The teachers of the students taking part in her paper are
less likely to give detailed feedback and sufficient support to train them to be superior speakers
(p. 42). Al-Nouh et al. (2015) concluded that learners of their research lacked grammar
knowledge, fluency, and vocabulary. In addition, the students had limited chances to practice
39
speaking, which meant that speaking courses had not enhanced the students’ presentation skills
as well as speaking skills (p. 144). In addition to barriers in English language proficiency,
students had poor technical knowledge and lacked preparation, which gave rise to nervousness
and failure in doing presentations (Radzuan & Kaur, 2011; Vitasari et al., 2010).
Furthermore, Albino (2017) had exactly the same result as the present study when it comes to
language proficiency. Students tend to be more confident in their excellent language, as their
first language, when using it. For example, the Vietnamese can express themselves confidently
in Vietnamese in front of a crowd because they have mastered their first language. EFL learners
can use the second language (the English language) fluently compared to the first language.
Still, sometimes they make mistakes in grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary usage, leading
to poor speaking performance. Lu & Hsu (2008) showed the same results regarding students’
vocabulary usage. Specifically, students failed to express ideas because they could not expand
their vocabulary. Sometimes they knew the words they wanted to use, but they forgot the word's
meaning. The problem is related to the habit of translating the second language into the first
language.
5. Conclusion
Students received limited comments and feedback for their errors from the teachers. As a result,
they had yet to self-correct their mistakes. The students had yet to master their speaking skills,
which led to poor presentation skills. They have to spend more time preparing for their
presentations. They might not enhance this skill during their learning process. Learners had
poor computer skills. The skill helps to make a good presentation with visual aids. Students
could not adapt to a crowd and attract their audience when doing presentations due to being
insecure, bad explanations, and examples. Most students face anxiety and fear of making
mistakes. Students lacked vocabulary, sometimes used wrong collocations, made grammar
mistakes, and could not listen clearly to others owing to bad listening skills.
Moreover, they lacked social knowledge to discuss various aspects, topical knowledge, and
confidence with others. Learners became under pressure to perform well. They were not
satisfied with their learning experiences because the courses could not make all students
become confident about their presentations.
5.1. Limitations
A confined cluster of forecasters consisting of gender and experience for label measuring was
detected in this inquiry. Many factors like private emotions, health, dilemmas, etc., probably
influence the components of classifications. In that event, the coming income needs the
predicting variable expansion. The interview questions electrically submitted led to inaccuracy
due to a lack of in-person communication. Finally, this study did not investigate even if English
speaking competence could impact self-learners skillful growth globally and locally.
40
5.2. Suggestions
Future studies should conduct interviews to obtain the most objective and realistic results. It is
necessary to interview teachers to discover their teaching methods in speaking courses.
Questions regarding learners' feelings and desires to enhance their presentation skills should be
included. Future researchers can interview male and female participants to discover challenges
regarding gender because some articles’ results showed that gender has an impact on speech
styles. Future researchers should conduct their studies in speaking courses; they join speaking
classes to observe students’ presentations and their difficulties in presentations, which helps get
superior results when observing students’ speaking performance. Lecturers should provide
more activities for learners to practice, create a supportive environment where students can
receive support from everyone if they face problems or make mistakes, and train students to
use body language effectively, including eye contact, posture, and gestures.
Acknowledgement
The authors of this article acknowledged the support of Van Lang University at 69/68
Dang Thuy Tram St. Ward 13, Binh Thanh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
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Biodata
Pham Manh Tri is an undergraduate of Van Lang University's Faculty of Foreign Languages in
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, discusses English-majored students’ weaknesses of presentations,
as well as their difficulties in advancing speaking skills. The Faculty of Foreign Languages at
Van Lang University is where he is currently conducting his research.
Nguyen Duong Nhu Quynh is an undergraduate of Van Lang University's Faculty of Foreign
Languages in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, discusses English-majored students’ weaknesses of
presentations, as well as their difficulties in advancing speaking skills. The Faculty of Foreign
Languages at Van Lang University is where she is currently conducting her research.
Nguyen Thi Kim Chi is an undergraduate of Van Lang University's Faculty of Foreign
Nguyen Hoang Ngoc Mai is an undergraduate of Van Lang University's Faculty of Foreign
Hoang Tran Anh Tien is an undergraduate of Van Lang University's Faculty of Foreign
Languages at Van Lang University is where he is currently conducting his research.
Assoc. Prof. Pham Vu Phi Ho, Ph.D., Associate Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Van
Lang University, Vietnam. He used to be a Vice-President of Ba Ria – Vung Tau University,
and Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Van Hien University,
Vietnam. Pham has been published 56 research articles in both local and International Journals
(ISI/Scopus-indexed), and 7 books and course-books, 2 course-books were used for undergrad
45
students at HCMC Open University, VN, and one course-book was used for both the
undergraduate and graduate level at Lourdes College, Higher Education Department, Cagayan
de Oro City, Philippines. He has international experience in teaching English at Suranaree
University of Technology, Thailand; especially, he worked as a Professor at Gyeongju
University, South Korea, in 2014. He is the Vice President for Administrative Affairs of
AsiaCALL and the managing editor of its Online Journal. He is now the Editor-in-chief of the
International Journal of TESOL & Education. He is also an editor for the Asian Journal of
Applied Linguistics (Scopus-indexed), An editor for the World Journal of English Language
(Scopus-index in 2021), an editor for the International Journal of English Linguistics, and a
peer reviewer for some international Journals indexed in ISI/Scopus such as Computer Assisted
Language Learning, Open Sage, International Journal of Instruction. His main interests include
Academic Writing, peer responses, translation, Teaching methodologies, and Technology-
enhanced learning.
46

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IJTE - ISSN: 2768-4563 International Journal of TESOL & Education Vol. 2; No.

The Reality of English Presentation Skills of English-majored Students in

Received: 21/12/2021 Revision: 22/03/2022 Accepted: 23/03/2022 Online: 28/03/2022

Presentation skills play an indispensable role in undergraduates’ education

4. Results/Findings and discussion

Figure 1. English-majored students’ attitudes towards lecturers’ teaching methods in

Figure 3. English-majored students’ self-assessment regarding their speaking skills

Figure 4. Factors influencing English-majored students’ speaking performance

62. DOI: 10.6330/ETL.2015.39.4.02

Wright, K. B. (2005). Researching Internet-based populations: Advantages and disadvantages

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