Teachers' Challenges in Assessing Students' Speaking Skills: Insights from English Language Classrooms

In assessing speaking skills, teachers often face various difficulties which may affect the accuracy and effectiveness of the assessment process. Therefore, this study aims to explore the challenges faced by English teachers at a private school in Malang. This study employed a qualitative research design. The participants of this study were three English teachers. The data were collected through classroom observation, documentation, and semi-structured interviews. The collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns and themes related to speaking assessment challenges. The findings of this study revealed that the challenges in assessing speaking skills can be categorized into three main areas. First, challenges related to students’ affective factors, including students’ anxiety or fear of making mistakes, which often hinder students from expressing their ideas clearly. Second, challenges related to the implementation of speaking assessment, such as limited time, large class sizes, and scoring subjectivity, which affect the fairness and consistency of assessment. Third, challenges related to environmental and institutional factors, particularly limited facilities and media, which restrict teachers in conducting effective speaking assessment. In conclusion, assessing speaking skills is a complex process influenced by multiple interconnected factors, including students’ emotional conditions, classroom management, and institutional support.