TAIWANESE PRIVATE UNIVERSITY EFL STUDENTS' RETICENCE IN SPEAKING ENGLISH

The topic of this qualitative research concerned the reticence to speak English in a classroom setting for EFL students studying in private universities in Taiwan. Ten participants were interviewed 4 times and participated in a focus group discussion regarding reticence to speak English in a classroom discussion. Participants were second year English majors selected from a group of 22 students who volunteered to participate out of a class of 350 students. Participants were first asked to rate themselves regarding their motivation to and effort in learning English followed by the use of Q-sort cards to stimulate the students' thinking concerning important factors that contribute to their reticence in speaking English. Culture (face saving), personality (self-confidence), and classroom atmosphere were identified to be contributing factors in the participants' reticence to speak English.