2. What type of teaching-learning activities do I use for more student participation?

3. How do I encourage students to be active in lessons?

Some samples of open-ended questions:

Can you share any specific reason why you feel hesitant to speak English?

Do you think the current teaching methods support speaking skills?

How do you think the classroom environment can be improved to make you feel confident in speaking English?

Hello! I'm Yasoda Tiwari, an English teacher in Nepal. In my community school, I've noticed a tendency among students to stay silent in the English classroom. This study aims to uncover the reasons behind their silence and hesitation and find ways to overcome that.

School Profile:

School/Location: Hansabahini Secondary School, Nepal

Grade Level: 10(28 students)

Age Range: 14-18

Issue: Students seem hesitant to participate in speaking activities in English lessons. This research seeks to identify and address the factors contributing to this hesitation.

I set group and pair work to engage and let the students be active in the lesson.

I discussed the related vocabulary and grammar before assigning them to speak.

I also planned to start a speech-delivering activity, in this activity a student speaks for a few minutes on the topic he/she is interested in turn by turn.

I encouraged other students to provide feedback to the speaker.

(Implemented the action plan for one month)

The students mentioned that if they get support in their grammar and vocabulary they thought they would be confident to speak in class.

They also stated that they have very little chance to interact with teachers or their friends during lessons.

The students listed the following factors affecting their speaking skill

-Fear of judgement

-Lack of confidence

-Cultural differences

-Limited vocabulary

-Negative experiences

-Shyness

-Lack of opportunities

I also learned students need more time for preparation to develop their confidence.

Group and pair work activities were found helpful in expressing themselves.

However, some students mentioned that some of their friends still laugh and tease them while speaking in the lessons.

They suggested that there should be a Non-judgemental classroom culture while giving peer feedback.