MASTERING SPEAKING IN THE MALAYSIAN UNIVERSITY ENGLISH TEST (MUET): A STUDY OF CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

Mastering speaking skills has long been a significant challenge in language learning. This requires the development of effective teaching strategies to address key aspects of language acquisition. This study aims to identify the challenges faced by candidates of the Malaysian University English Test (MUET) during the speaking assessment. A questionnaire covering various components of speech was used to gain insights into the difficulties encountered by these candidates. The study’s data were analyzed using a descriptive quantitative approach, with the reliability of the questionnaire instrument tested using Cronbach’s Alpha, and an alpha coefficient exceeding 0.70 indicating the reliability of the instrument. Descriptive analysis results showed that candidates regarded vocabulary as the most challenging component when speaking in English, with the highest mean score of 3.43. These findings suggest the need for English instructors to focus more on improving candidates’ vocabulary mastery to enable them to communicate more confidently without being hindered by lexical limitations. This study’s findings are important as they provide valuable insights for English instructors into the challenges candidates face when speaking in English. With this understanding, instructors can design more effective teaching strategies and adapt learning modules to improve the overall proficiency of candidates.