ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
Malaysian school students are struggling in mastering English as a second language (ESL). Among those who are struggling in this area are the Iban students, especially those from the suburban and rural areas. The biggest challenge they face is the demand to be proficient in speaking English as the language is widely used in both government and private sectors in the country. Contributing factors such as lack of self-confidence and unfamiliarity with English language have made it more challenging for these students to speak the language fluently. The 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) provided by the United Nations for Malaysia emphasize on quality education by offering equal learning opportunities of all levels of education and vocational training for every citizen which include disable citizens, indigenous people and children in vulnerable situations. The Ibans are recognized by the government of Malaysia as one of the Indigenous people in Sarawak. The SDG2030 agenda will prepare the future Iban generation with relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. Proficiency in speaking English is one of the main criteria required to apply for these jobs. Therefore, it is important to identify language learning strategies (LLS) used by these students in order to better understand their approach in improving their speaking skills. The research aim to 1) investigate the most frequently used LLS to enhance speaking skills among ESL Form 3 Iban students and 2) analyse if there is any difference between the LLS used by male and female ESL Form 3 Iban students to enhance English speaking skills. 46 ESL lower form Iban students from a secondary school in a suburban area participated in the survey. Language Learning Strategy Use Inventory (LLSI) was used as the instrument for data collection. Findings from this study suggested that social strategies are the most frequently used LLS by ESL Form 3 Iban students among the six strategies to enhance their speaking skills. There is no significance difference in the use of LLS between male and female students despite male students use more LLS than female students where the difference is very small. The study suggests that students should be exposed to these LLS and are encouraged to use them to enhance their speaking skills.
Akua, D. U. (2014). Communication in the Workplace: Guidelines for Improving Effectiveness. Global Journal of Commerce & Management Perspectives. 208-213. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304782482_COMMUNICATION_IN_THE_WORKPLACE_GUIDELINES_FOR_IMPROVING_EFFECTIVENESS
Al-Khaza'leh, B. (2020). Exploring language learning strategies. 63-71. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338676979_Exploring_language_learning_strategies
Aziz, S. N. S. M., & Shah, P. (2020). Language Learning Strategy (LLS) for English Language Learners in Polytechnic. Journal of Personalized Learning. 3(1), 71-78. https://spaj.ukm.my/jplearning/index.php/jplearning/article/viewFile/121/91.
Engkasan, S. B., & Yamat, H. (2021). English Language Learning Experience Among Iban Secondary ESL learners in A Rural Area Sandra. Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. 59-64. https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/351275-english-language-learning-experience-amo-5852fbfb.pdf.
Griffiths, C. (2004). Language Learning Strategies: Theory and Research. 1-25. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268413776_Language_Learning_Strategies_Theory_and_Research
Hashim, H. U., Yunus, M., & Hashim, H. (2018). Language Learning Strategies Used by Adult
Learners of Teaching English as a Second Language. TESOL International Journal39. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1244116.pdf.
Ho, K., & Shah, P. M. (2018). Reading Strategies Awareness among the Iban ESL Malaysian Secondary School Students. 270-281. https://sted18.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/1-27-khatika-ho-parilah-m-shah.pdf
Kolemen, U. (2021). A Systematic Review of Studies on Language Learning Strategies from 1977 to 2018. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies. 151-169. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350500303_A_Systematic_Review_of_Studies_on_Language_Learning_Strategies_from_1977_to_2018
Mizumoto, A. (2018). On Questionnaire Use in Language Learning Strategies Research. The Journal of AsiaTEFL. 15, 184-192. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324398327_On_Questionnaire_Use_in_Language_Learning_Strategies_Research.
Raftari, S., & Alawi, S. (2012). A Review of the most popular Language learning strategies’ evaluation instruments. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (JHSS). 4(4), 1-5. https://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol4-issue4/A0440105.pdf.
Rusli, R., Yunus, M. M., & Hashim, H. (2018). Low Speaking Proficiency among the Malaysian Undergraduates: Why and How?. e-Prosiding Persidangan Antarabangsa Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan 2018. 678-689.
http://conference.kuis.edu.my/pasak3/images/eprosiding1/PASAK3_2220.pdf
Ting, S. H., Marzuki, E., Chuah, K. M., Misieng, J., & Jerome C. (2017). Employers’ Views on the Importance of English Proficiency and Communication Skill for Employability in Malaysia. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics. 7(3), 315-327. https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/IJAL/article/download/8132/5246
Weng, P., Yunus, M., & Embi, M. (2016). SUCCESSFUL LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES USED BY SUCCESSFUL YEAR 5 ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) LEARNERS. Proceedings of the ICECRS. 539-548. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0243/67d36ba54bf027985a58617f1a71beed8b34.pdf?_ga=2.84971930.2057271965.1642488150-1892147684.1619672572.
Zimmerman, B. J., Bonner, S., & Kovach, R. (2006). Developing self-regulated learners: Beyond achievement to self-efficacy. Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association.
In-Text Citation: (Kana & Hashim, 2023)
To Cite this Article: Kana, A., & Hashim, H. (2023). Enhancing Speaking Skills among Malaysian Iban Students Through The Use of Language Learning Strategies. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(9), 443– 457.
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode