Variables Correlate to English Speaking Frequency Inside and Outside Classroom: The Case of Undergraduate Health Students of Selected Ethiopian Universities
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Abstract
Ethiopian University students’ English speaking fluency is below the standard. Healthstudents’ 3 English speaking frequency in and outside class room is very limited. Thestudy primarily aimed at examining variables that correlate to undergraduate healthstudents’ English speaking frequency. The study used piloted questionnaire to collectempirical data from 820 respondents who were selected randomly. A Mann-Whitny UTest, A Kruskal-Wallis H Test, and A Spearman rho correlation were used to analyze thesurvey data. The finding shows that students significantly differed on their Englishspeaking frequency inside and outside class room because of differences in mothers’educational level and frequency of using medical English speaking resources. The studyalso uncovered that students differed on their English speaking frequency outsideclassroom because of differences in fathers’ educational level. Further, it revealed thatstudents differed on their intention to speak English fluently in a medical context becauseof their mothers’ level of education. Furthermore, the finding showed statisticallysignificant and positive relationship between English speaking frequency inside andoutside classroom and communication confidence. Frequency of speaking Englishoutside classroom correlated to communication norm and pocket money. Finally, thestudy recommended developing medical English speaking instructional material takinginto account these variables, equipping libraries with such materials, enhancing students’communication confidence and intent to speak English fluently in a medical context aswell as carrying out further research.