College Students’ Perceptions of English Language Learning: Uncovering Barriers, Experiences, and Strategies for Language Development

Factors Influencing Spoken English Development among Malaysian ESL Learners: A Qualitative Study of Anxiety, Classroom Experiences, and Learner Expectations

Despite more than a decade of formal English language instruction, many Malaysian tertiary students continue to experience difficulties communicating confidently in English. This study explores the factors that hinder spoken English development among diploma students and examines their perceptions of English language learning as well as their expectations of English lecturers. Guided by Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis, Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, and Expectancy-Value Theory, the study employed a qualitative research design using open-ended questionnaires administered to ten diploma students from a private higher education institution in Kelantan, Malaysia. Thematic analysis revealed three interrelated themes: (1) affective barriers and linguistic insecurity, (2) pedagogical limitations and communicative deprivation, and (3) learner expectations of supportive and meaningful learning experiences. Findings indicate that students’ speaking difficulties stem not only from linguistic limitations but also from anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, low self-confidence, limited opportunities for authentic communication, and a perceived mismatch between classroom practices and communicative needs. Participants expressed a strong preference for interactive, learner-centred, and supportive learning environments that encourage risk-taking and meaningful language use. The study highlights the importance of emotionally responsive and communicative pedagogies in fostering spoken English proficiency and challenges deficit perspectives that portray learners as unmotivated. The findings contribute to the understanding of spoken English development in Malaysian tertiary education and provide practical implications for lecturers, institutions, and policymakers seeking to enhance graduate communicative competence.

Students' Communication Skills through English-Language Media: A Phenomenological Inquiry

This phenomenological inquiry explored the lived experiences of eight purposively selected Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) Senior High School students at Barayong National High School regarding the role of English-language media in shaping their communication skills. Grounded in Mayer’s (2021) Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning and Paivio’s Dual Coding Theory (Clark & Paivio, 1991), the study analysed experiences and perceptions collected through semi-structured interviews. The thematic analysis revealed four major themes detailing the students’ linguistic journeys: Students’ Exposure to English-Language Media, Students’ Encounters Using English-Language Media, Perceived Influence of English-Language Media on Communication Skills, and the Meaning of Students’ Experiences with English-Language Media. The findings demonstrate that digital media platforms serve as powerful, autonomous ‘edutainment’ tools through which students transition from deductive rule memorisation to organic syntactic and phonic internalisation. While navigating cognitive-linguistic barriers such as unfamiliar vocabulary and sophisticated accents, learners adapted through contextual decoding, subtitle scaffolds, and strategic accent mimicry. Consequently, continuous media integration implicitly sharpens conversational fluency, structural accuracy, and semantic differentiation while simultaneously alleviating communicative anxiety and building classroom confidence. Ultimately, HUMSS students ascribe deep existential value to media immersion, viewing it as a vital form of cultural capital and a strategic asset for academic excellence, critical media literacy against misinformation, and long-term global career mobility. Based on these insights, it is recommended that language educators systematically incorporate authentic multimodal media content into formal curricula and that school administrators expand digital infrastructure to optimise self-directed, twenty-first-century communicative competence.

Exploring Students' Perceptions and Experiences of Learning Vocabulary through Short Stories in An EFL Classroom

This study examined first-year English Language Education students’ perspectives on utilizing short stories for vocabulary enrichment at a private university in Malang, Indonesia. Employing a descriptive qualitative design, the study involved 10 purposively selected participants characterized by limited initial vocabulary proficiency. Over a four-week period, the students read four flash fiction stories integrated with structured pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading vocabulary activities. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. The findings revealed four primary themes: predominantly positive perceptions, significant benefits for vocabulary acquisition, manageable linguistic and pedagogical challenges, and practical suggestions for instructional improvement. Participants viewed short stories as significantly more engaging and effective than traditional decontextualized word-list methods, noting that contextualized narrative exposure enhanced contextual retention and syntactic understanding. Although some participants encountered difficulties regarding complex vocabulary and time constraints, they considered these challenges surmountable. The study concludes that short stories offer a highly viable alternative for vocabulary development in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings, providing pedagogical recommendations for lecturers and directions for future research.

Students' Perceptions and Experiences of Using Memrise For Learning English Vocabulary: A Mixed-Methods Study

This study examines students' perceptions and experiences regarding the use of the Memrise application for English vocabulary learning within the English Education Department at the University of Mataram, utilizing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a theoretical framework. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining a descriptive quantitative approach with qualitative interviews. Questionnaire data were collected from 38 second-year students who had used Memrise for at least three months, while semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 selected students to gain deeper insight into their experiences. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, whereas qualitative data were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman interactive model. The findings indicate that students held positive perceptions regarding Memrise's usefulness (mean scores of 3.58–3.95) and ease of use (mean scores of 3.58–4.05). Key benefits identified included vocabulary retention through repetition, pronunciation practice, and learning flexibility. However, students also encountered challenges, such as internet connectivity issues (mean score of 3.53), limitations regarding premium features, and a scarcity of advanced-level vocabulary materials. The study concludes that Memrise is perceived positively as a supportive and flexible vocabulary learning tool, although improvements in accessibility and content variety are needed. This research contributes to the literature on technology-based vocabulary learning and the application of TAM within the context of Indonesian higher education.

English as a Barrier to Conducting Academic Studies: Teachers’ Lived Experiences of Research Stigma

This qualitative phenomenological study examined how English functions as a barrier to teachers’ participation in academic research and how that experience contributes to research stigma. Guided by Linguistic Hegemony Theory and Sociocultural Theory, the inquiry focused on the linguistic, structural, syntactic, psychological, and institutional dimensions of research writing and presentation in English. Fifteen teachers from the San Juan West and East sub-offices in San Juan, Batangas were purposively selected based on prior participation in research initiatives and experience with school- or classroom-based research. Data were generated through semistructured, in-depth interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step descriptive phenomenological method. Four interrelated themes emerged: English as a psychological and linguistic barrier; linguistic, structural, and syntactic challenges in academic writing; adaptive coping strategies in academic writing; and promoting an inclusive research culture. Participants described anxiety, fear of grammatical errors, difficulty selecting academic vocabulary, sentencelevel and discourse-level problems, uncertainty in organizing ideas, and hesitation toward research presentation and publication. They responded through outlining, reading scholarly articles, peer feedback, writing practice, and appropriate digital language tools. Participants further emphasized the need for academic-writing workshops, mentoring, language assistance, and a school culture that evaluates research primarily for the quality and relevance of ideas rather than English accuracy alone. The study generated the Teacher Research Empowerment Program (TREP), a three-day academic-writing and research-confidence intervention with year-round mentoring intended to reduce research stigma and strengthen teacher participation in research.

Public Speaking Challenges