Abstract

The present study was conducted to diagnose alternative frameworks and to explore its best possible reasons in English speaking of prospective teachers. The present study was a case study. Diagnostic oral test and interviews were used as research tools. The three hundred (300) prospective teachers of B.Ed. (1.5 years) and BS (Hons) classes were selected purposively as a sample for an oral diagnostic test. The fifteen (15) prospective teachers who possessed more alternative frameworks were selected purposively for a semi-structured interview. Data were analyzed qualitatively using a thematic approach. Moreover, data triangulation was used to compile the results of the test and interview. The study explored the pronunciation, grammar, article, and alternative prepositional frameworks in learning the speaking skills of the English language among prospective teachers. Poor listening, traditional teaching methodology and interference of mother language were the major reasons for these alternative frameworks.

Key Words

Alternative Frameworks, Speaking Skill, Prospective Teachers, English Language, Reasons Behind      Alternative Frameworks

Introduction

A classroom of different students with assorted language foundation can be an extraordinary test for a study hall instructor. The students face numerous theoretical troubles in learning English. English is considered as a language of chance, which gives access to information, force, and material belongings. English is not our mother language, or we are not a native English speaker. In this manner, everybody whether he is an educator or understudy may confront challenges while instructing or learning the English language. The point of view prospective teachers consistently faces the issue of elective structures in getting the hang of talking aptitudes. The issue of elective systems in picking up talking aptitudes pushes the prospective teachers in numerous troubles in light of not having involvement with the specific field like the absence of capability, absence of assets, and not getting acquainted with the individual contrasts of the understudies (Akram, Surif & Ali, 2014; Abdul Haq,1982). {Creswell, 2017 #85}

To be capable in English talking aptitudes is one of the ABCS of the way of life of today. In each nation of the world, the instructive framework cannot run without legitimate information on the English language. To get ability in the English language, the student ought to have ordered on tuning in, talking, perusing, and composing aptitudes. Another significant point is that the information on phonetics and phonology consistently makes ready for the student to experience the applied challenges in tuning in and talking aptitudes. With the assistance of showing English models, the deterrents and obstacles can be settled. So, the order in English as an objective language has become an unavoidable piece of the instructive arrangement of each nation (Slavin, 2000).

Our public consistently impacts on our language, and those individuals who are familiar with communicating in English are viewed as unmistakable characters among the educationist class. In our nation Pakistan, the English language is found out as an objective language. At the point when the student begins to learn, he faces issues in tuning in and communicating in abilities in the English language since English is not their local language. Concerning overall gatherings, the official language being utilized is English {Creswell, 2017 #85}. We are examining and instructing English, where English is considered as an unknown dialect. In this manner, we do not have various people who talk to local English, and we are inexperienced with the essentials of English. Showing English as an unknown dialect (TEFL) has gotten exceptionally well known during the only remaining century, and the establishments have been set to this control. Prospective teachers face various types of issues that make the procedure moderate and rather feeble. These issues put instructors into a predicament in managing all the difficulties in showing understudies for their future (Wahba, 1998; Al-Shuaibi, 2009).

Abdul Khaliq, Akram & Parveen (2020) stated the factors that caused alternative frameworks in English language writing skill among the secondary school students of Pakistan. These factors incorporated misinterpretation of a second language, lack of cultural background of knowledge, deficiency of teaching aids, overcrowded classes, and inactive role of learners that caused alternative conceptions.




Conceptual Problems in Teaching Speaking Skills 

The prospective teachers face the grammatical errors which come in many forms and can easily confuse and obscure the meaning of utterances. Some common errors are with prepositions most importantly, subject-verb agreement, tenses, punctuation, spelling, and other parts of speech. Prepositions are tricky, confusing, and significant in sentence construction.

• Modality (i.e., level of proficiency in speaking, writing, reading, listening)

• Linguistic levels (i.e., pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, style)

• Form (e.g., omission, insertion, substitution)

• Type (systematic errors/errors in competence vs. ...

• Cause (e.g., interference, interlanguage)




Pronunciation mistakes faced by prospective teachers were investigated in terms of learning difficulties of the English phonology (Abdul Haq, 1982; Kharma & Hajjaj, 1998). For example, prospective teachers experienced difficulties in pronouncing the initial three consonant clusters and the final four or five members in English correctly. It was observed that prospective teachers used reduction, substitution and/or deletion as alternative processes for their incorrect pronunciation of these clusters. In a similar context, (Ababneh, 2018) compared pronunciation errors of two groups of prospective teachers: one was studying English literature and the second was studying linguistics in order to find out the effect of the first language sound system on participants' Pronunciation of English sounds. While it was noted that there were no significant errors between the two groups, there was a strong correlation between the period of study and the number of pronunciation errors committed while learning speaking skills.  However, (Wahba, 1998) observed difficulties encountered some prospective teachers and found that the participants' phonological errors when using English were attributed to stress and intonation issues acquired in their L1. This indicated that the prospective teacher’s phonological production was affected by the sound systems of their first language.

Al-Saidat (2010) analyzed the kinds of pronunciation problems that prospective teachers faced, including declusterization processes found in their interlanguage and the sources of such processes. It was exposed that the prospective teachers accidentally put an 'anaptyctic' vowel in the onset and the coda of certain English syllables. The study concluded that the major reason beyond declusterization processes was the interference of the mother tongue. (Hago & Khan, 2015) also examined the pronunciation difficulties of prospective teachers employing survey, classroom observations, and document collection. They found that that participant inserted vowels in onset positions, in addition to facing difficulties in pronouncing eleven consonant sounds.

To utilize English, as a mechanism of guidance in is non-local condition is certifiably not a Youngster's assignment. English teachers face numerous issues and difficulties in the classroom. The primary deterrents and obstacles are the numerous elective structures which can be calculated troubles in showing tuning in and communicating in aptitudes in the English language. As a matter of fact, elective structures in getting the hang of talking aptitudes can be hindered capacity in talking and communicating musings or understanding others language. The Prospective Teachers who are alluded for clinical appraisal have an extraordinary issue because of their correspondence trouble. The reasons for this issue can be an error of words, lack of information on the syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. There are numerous misinterpretations which English instructors have about instructing English. 

Some of which are given underneath quickly

• Delayed discourse and language improvement 

• Limited spoken jargon 

• Poor comprehension of letter-sound correspondences

• Difficulty in the securing of letter information 

• Slow and off base word acknowledgement 

• Difficulty understanding listening material (Sharma & Pooja, 2016).




Normally English students are curious about the social foundation of the subsequent language. They don't have a clue about the correct complement and tongue of the objective language. At the point when the Prospective Teachers take the exercises in English language, so he faces a great deal of issues in training English is a subsequent language. Another issue for the student is that they don't have the foggiest idea about the information on phonetics and phonology, in this issue makes hindrances in tuning in and talking abilities. Another serious issue for the second language students is the impact of native language on the objective language. English students, for the most part, utilize the standards as rules of their local language in learning English as a second language, these standards and rules of local language become the reasons for mistakes submitted by students. For instance, an English talking student submits the mistake of code-switching and code-mixing (Sharma & Pooja, 2016).




Objectives of the Study

1. To explore the alternative frameworks in learning the English language speaking skills among prospective teachers.

2. To find out the best possible reasons behind the alternative frameworks in learning the English language speaking skills of prospective teachers.

Materials and Methods

The present study adopted a case study design because the researcher collected qualitative data about a problem. The targeted population was prospective teachers of B.Ed. (1.5 years), BS (Hons) of the public and private universities of district Dera Ghazi Khan. Three hundred prospective teachers were selected purposively who have learnt the lesson, “the communication skills”.  Diagnostic oral test was used to diagnose alternative frameworks.  The questions of the oral test were validated by five expert English teachers. The contents of test items were determined by considering the subject communication skill of B.Ed. (1.5) and BS (Hons). The questions in the oral diagnostic test were developed in view of the alternative frameworks of learning speaking skills, which were mentioned in the former researches. Collected qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic approach. After that, the fifteen (15) prospective teachers who possessed more alternative frameworks were selected purposively for a semi-structured interview. The oral diagnostic test for the present study consisted of five questions, mentioned in the following Table 1.

 

Table 1. Test Items

S. No	Test Items
1	Which factors affect to be competent in communication skills?
2	What is the difference between verbal and nonverbal communication?
3	What is the contribution of the native environment to be competent in the target language?
4	How the process of encoding and decoding play a role in communication skills?
5	Describe the role of the instructor in improving speaking skills of prospective teachers?

 

Table 1 consisted of test items which were taken from the subject communication skills. After that, the students who are prospective teachers were assigned oral diagnostic test. The oral answers of respondents were audio-recorded, marked, and alternative frameworks were diagnosed. 

The questions in the interview were developed in view of the alternative frameworks of learning a second language which was mentioned in the earlier researches. Table 2 consisted of questions of the interview protocol.

 

Table 2. Questions of the Interview Protocol

S. No	Questions of the Interview Protocol
Q 1	what are common errors that are committed by a second language learner?
Q 2	what are the reasons behind these errors?
Q 3	Does phonetics and phonology impact on speaking skill?
Q 4	How Simultaneous acquisition occurs in learning speaking skill?
Q 5	How a prospective teacher can overcome the difficulties and obstacles in learning speaking skill?
Q 6	Do the learners of speaking skill with speech difficulties have deficits in auditory processing?
Q 7	How the ways of speech disorders can be investigated?

Data Analysis

Collected qualitative data was analyzed. These were the results of the diagnostic test, which was used for diagnosis alternative frameworks in foreign language learners. With the help of semi-structured interviews of teachers and learners, themes and sub-theme were made to achieve objectives of the present study. For the validation of credibility, crosschecking of themes was done (Creswell, 2009). Table 3 consisted of pronunciation Alternative framework to be investigated from prospective teachers who were second language learners.

 

Table 3. Pronunciation Alternative Framework

Test Items	Pronunciation Alternative Frameworks Second Language Learners Often Commit Pronunciation Errors
1	Alternative frameworks     Correct frameworks	Comfortable, the students often get this word wrong because they pronounce it with four syllables (/comf-tah-bul/) This word has only three syllables (/comf-tah-bul/
2	Alternative frameworks       Correct frameworks	Develop, this word creates a problem because of its word stress the speaker utters Alternative frameworks because when he/she stresses on the second syllables (“ve”)  Develop, the correct utterances will be when the stress is on the first syllables “de”.
3	Alternative frameworks   Correct frameworks	Asthma, the native speaker always utter mistake while pronouncing it as as-the-maa The correct pronunciation of this word is azma

 

Table 4. Grammatical Alternative Frameworks

Test Items	Grammar Alternative Frameworks
1	Alternative frameworks Correct frameworks	Myself I am Ahmad khan. I am Ahmad khan.
2	Alternative frameworks Correct frameworks	I am having two brothers and two sisters. I have two brothers and two sisters.
3	Alternative Frameworks Correct frameworks	She did not write a letter last week. She did not write a letter last week.

 

Table 4 consisted of alternative frameworks of grammar to be investigated from second language learner in speaking skill.

                                    

Table 5. Articles Alternative Frameworks

Test Items	Articles Alternative Frameworks
1	Alternative frameworks Correct frameworks	It is an old television set, but it still works. It is an old television set, but it still works.
2	alternative frameworks Correct frameworks	I recite the Holy Quran daily. I recite the Holy Quran daily.
3	alternative frameworks Correct frameworks	Higher you go, cooler you feel. The higher you go, the cooler you feel.

 

Table (5) consisted of alternative frameworks of Articles to be investigated from second language learners in speaking skills.

 

Table 6. Prepositional Alternative Frameworks

Test Items	Prepositional Alternative Frameworks
1	Alternative frameworks Correct frameworks	He agreed with my demands. He agreed to my demands.
2	Alternative frameworks Correct frameworks	Please wait inside the white line. Please wait behind the white line.
3	Alternative frameworks Correct frameworks	Divide it between the children in the class. Divide it among the children in the class.

 

Table (6) consisted of alternative frameworks of the preposition to be investigated from prospective teachers in learning speaking skills.

 

Table 7. Percentage Alternative Frameworks

Items	Percentage Alternative Frameworks
	Pronunciation Alternative framework	Grammar Alternative frameworks	Article Alternative frameworks	Prepositional Alternative frameworks
1	22	14	08	04
2	24	11	08	05
3	12	06	01	0
4	15	10	05	04
5	13	01	0	0
	86	42	22	13
Total%	17%	0.08%	0.04%	0.02%

Table 7 consisted of the overall percentage of alternative frameworks in learning speaking skills.

 

   Table 7 shows learners’ alternative frameworks in learning speaking skills. It is clear from the data that 17% learners showed Pronunciation alternative frameworks, 0.08% showed alternative grammar frameworks, 0.04% showed Article alternative frameworks and 0.02% showed alternative prepositional frameworks.

Audio recorded statements about alternative frameworks put before learners in the interviews. All expected information from learners’                 accepting of alternative frameworks and associated concepts were collected with the help of record questions related to their answers to core questions. It was asked to prospective teachers (second language learners) to give detail answers about the mistake in their interview question. In interviews, learners’ answers to the question were judged and organized in categories and questions of interviews were analyzed. While presenting the findings of the interview (R) was used for the researcher and (S) was for the student.

 

Best Possible Reasons behind Alternative Frameworks

Mispronunciation, lack of knowledge about sentence structure, wrong use of the article, prepositional errors, lack of knowledge about phonetics and phonology are possible reasons behind these alternative frameworks. After analysis of responses, four major themes were made. Detail of these themes, along with related answers is given below:

 

Poor listening

Poor listening is a key reason for alternative frameworks. Congested classes are the basic reason of this conception. Related answers are of respondents are as below.

R: You speak the word “Wednesday” by pronouncing the first “d”in the word; actually, the first “d” is silent.

S3: I listened as.

R: From where you listened?

S5: I listened to my teacher.

R: You said, “I like the rice”?

S2: yes, I said.

R: Why do you utter the article “the” before rice?

S2: I uttered the” because rice is my favorite dish.

R: Rice is a material noun, and before material noun, we cannot use “article” the.

S3: I never listened before.

R: You mean you cannot listen to this statement before in the class by your teacher? 

S3: Yes

R: Why did the above errors utter? 

S4: These occurred because of listening.

R: You mean, you cannot listen accurately? 

S4: Yes

Majority of respondents put forward their views that they pronounce the words as they listen. Some of the respondents expressed that they speak wrong because of little practice in speaking skills in the class.

 

Poor Teaching Methodology

The poor teaching methodology was explored as one of the best possible reason behind alternative frameworks in learning speaking skills. Traditional teachers who utilized their own old teaching methods are the responsibility of creating a basic cause of this framework. Related answers of respondents are as below.

R: what is the accurate pronunciation of the word “psychology”?

S1: /psaikalogi/

R: From where you learn?

S1: I learn this from my class fellow.

R: it is wrong pronunciation.

S5: ok          

R: Accurate Pronunciation is/sa??k?l?d?i/.

S5: I shall pronounce it accurately now.

R: which article is used before the superlative degree? 

S5: Article “A is used before the superlative degree”.

R Article “the” is used before superlative degree.

S6: ok. 

R: From where you learnt?

 S6:  I learned from my teachers.

R: Do you know how many vowel and consonant sounds are in English language?

S6: I do not know.

Traditional teaching Methodology is a major cause of pronunciation and alternative prepositional frameworks in speaking English. Learners said that their teachers taught them with old methods.

 

Influence of Mother Language

Influence of mother language is a major cause of alternative frameworks in learning speaking skills. The prospective teachers said that some teachers use mother language in class and they teach them first in their mother language and then translate it into the target language. The use of mother tongue in learning a second language creates the problem of code-mixing and code-switching.

R: When I called you, you said, “acha acha I am coming”.

S6: Yes                          

R: What is acha acha?

S6: these are the words of my mother tongue.

R: Do you know the interference of mother breaks fluency?

S6: No. 

Discussion

This study showed the result that learning speaking skills had various alternative frameworks in the English language. There are various types of alternative frameworks. A multi-year-old Finnish student of English says that communicating in English is a troublesome errand: he comprehends the language and knows a great deal about its punctuation and dictionary, however when he needs to talk, he is by all accounts speechless. This is an issue that others have seen too. For instance, as indicated by scientist, numerous individuals report that they can comprehend a language, yet they cannot talk about it. There are likewise different nations where individuals experience a similar marvel; for instance, in the Japanese setting. It appears that numerous individuals experience issues in communicating in English (Halai, 2007). This is plainly an issue, in light of the fact that the point of English language instruction is to furnish students with the capacities to comprehend the language and the capacity to both compose and talk it. In the event that students can't communicate in English, this point has not been completely accomplished. Along these lines, it is important to examine this issue to find if individuals, in fact, have issues with talking, and on the off chance that they do what sort of issues and why. Obviously, not all students battle with talking. In any case, since there are a few people who have issues with talking, there is valid justification for exploring the issue. More knowledge into this may have the option to help build up the instructing of English discourse creation and consequently, the capacities of English students (Babaee, 2012).

This work will talk about a few issues that are identified with second language learning and discourse creation. Right off the bat, prospective teachers were English language student to know the mistakes which are submitted by them in learning English as a second language. Besides, the hypothetical system will be talked about in two sections: the zones of second language procurement that are firmly identified with oral language capability, and afterwards the principal factors that influence English discourse creation (Madhavaiah, Nagaraju & Diminish 2013). The interview data explores the reasons behind pronunciation, preposition, and articles of alternative frameworks. In calculation, one best reason for these alternative frameworks might be the prospective teachers could not understand the rules of grammar. The present study strengthened the previous research work of Bogaards & Laufer (2004), who claimed that learners’ misunderstanding might be a big reason. Moreover, the traditional teaching methodology and poor knowledge of teachers also developed second language alternative frameworks. 

Recommendations

In the light of conclusions of the present study, the following recommendations are made.

• Expert trainers should arrange training of prospective teachers who are future teachers, and English teachers should use proper accent and correct pronunciations.

• English teacher trainers should use audio technology properly to overcome the poor listening alternative frameworks of prospective teachers.

• The results of the study recommend that teachers should teach students communication skills carefully and encourage them to use English dictionary to enhance their vocabulary and grammatical knowledge of the English language.

• Furthermore, the study also recommends that teachers should use the direct method in the class and motivate students to use English for communication and write their applications in this language.

• The present research was conducted at the university level. It will be helpful for emerging researchers in the field of communication skills. 

• The instructors of second language teaching must help the students to overcome the fear of failure through raising their confidence

• Moreover, the results of this study recommend that teachers should use constructivist-teaching strategies instead of traditional teaching methods.

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