Analysing Students’ Mastery of Reported Speech Questions in a South African University

Reported speech is a critical tool for communication in the English language. However, reporting questions can be challenging for some non-native English students at the university level. This study, conducted at a South African University, analysed students' mastery of reported speech questions. The choice of a South African University as the study location was based on [reason for choosing this location. A qualitative research method was employed to provide in-depth knowledge of the mastery of reported speech questions. The qualitative approach was chosen over the quantitative because it explores the depth and complexity of human experiences and cultural contexts overlooked by quantitative methods. The study’s population comprised 26 English Language Teaching (ELT) Honours students registered in the 2023 academic year. Ten purposively selected students participated in this study since the researchers considered only the current registered students in the department. A questionnaire comprising nine reported speech questions was utilised. The study found that students were skilled at using short and simple sentences appropriately compared to compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences. However, these students performed remarkably after receiving specific training on using reported speech questions. This study’s implication promotes the use of reported speech questions by non-native English students to enhance competence in English. The study is beneficial to students, lecturers, and syllabus designers. Future researchers can conduct further studies about the use of reported speech questions. This study argues for the effective use of reported speech questions by ELT students in South Africa and worldwide.