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Mapping out the Importance-Difficulty Matrix: Students' and Teachers' Perceptions of English Oral Presentation Skills

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Title: Mapping out the Importance-Difficulty Matrix: Students' and Teachers' Perceptions of English Oral Presentation Skills
Language: English
Authors: Valaikorn Charoensuk
Source: LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network. 2026 19(1):40-63.
Availability: Language Institute of Thammasat University. The Prachan Campus, 2 Prachan Road, Bangkok 10200 Thailand. e-mail: learnjournal@gmail.com; Web site: https://www.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/learn
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 24
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, English (Second Language), Public Speaking, Student Attitudes, Oral Language, Teacher Attitudes, Matrices, Difficulty Level, Value Judgment, Language Skills, Foreign Countries, Communication Skills
Geographic Terms: Thailand
ISSN: 2630-0672
2672-9431
Abstract: The importance-difficulty matrix, a strategic business planning tool, could enhance course design and optimize resource allocation in an English course where university teachers face time constraints while balancing competing objectives. Therefore, this study aimed 1) to examine students' perceptions of the difficulty associated with English oral presentation skills; 2) to investigate teachers' perceptions of the importance of these skills; and 3) to examine how English oral presentation skills are positioned on the importance-difficulty matrix. The participants were 374 undergraduate EFL students enrolled in an English oral presentation course and 14 instructors from a Thai university. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were utilized for the data collection. Descriptive statistics, specifically mean and standard deviation, were employed in order to analyze the questionnaire data, while the interview data were examined to support these statistics. The overall results indicated the following: 1) the students perceived vocal delivery as the most challenging skill; 2) the instructors viewed the story message as the most important skill; and 3) all four main skills of English oral presentations were placed in the first quadrant of the matrix, reflecting high importance and low difficulty. The findings hold practical implications for further development of an oral presentation course within an EFL undergraduate context.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1508729
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Mapping out the Importance-Difficulty Matrix: Students' and Teachers' Perceptions of English Oral Presentation Skills
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  Data: Language Institute of Thammasat University. The Prachan Campus, 2 Prachan Road, Bangkok 10200 Thailand. e-mail: learnjournal@gmail.com; Web site: https://www.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/learn
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Undergraduate+Students%22">Undergraduate Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22English+%28Second+Language%29%22">English (Second Language)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+Speaking%22">Public Speaking</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Attitudes%22">Student Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Oral+Language%22">Oral Language</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Attitudes%22">Teacher Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Matrices%22">Matrices</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Difficulty+Level%22">Difficulty Level</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Value+Judgment%22">Value Judgment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Skills%22">Language Skills</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communication+Skills%22">Communication Skills</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Thailand%22">Thailand</searchLink>
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  Data: 2630-0672<br />2672-9431
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: The importance-difficulty matrix, a strategic business planning tool, could enhance course design and optimize resource allocation in an English course where university teachers face time constraints while balancing competing objectives. Therefore, this study aimed 1) to examine students' perceptions of the difficulty associated with English oral presentation skills; 2) to investigate teachers' perceptions of the importance of these skills; and 3) to examine how English oral presentation skills are positioned on the importance-difficulty matrix. The participants were 374 undergraduate EFL students enrolled in an English oral presentation course and 14 instructors from a Thai university. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were utilized for the data collection. Descriptive statistics, specifically mean and standard deviation, were employed in order to analyze the questionnaire data, while the interview data were examined to support these statistics. The overall results indicated the following: 1) the students perceived vocal delivery as the most challenging skill; 2) the instructors viewed the story message as the most important skill; and 3) all four main skills of English oral presentations were placed in the first quadrant of the matrix, reflecting high importance and low difficulty. The findings hold practical implications for further development of an oral presentation course within an EFL undergraduate context.
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 24
        StartPage: 40
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      – SubjectFull: Undergraduate Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: English (Second Language)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public Speaking
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      – SubjectFull: Student Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Oral Language
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teacher Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Matrices
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Difficulty Level
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      – SubjectFull: Value Judgment
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      – SubjectFull: Language Skills
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Communication Skills
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      – SubjectFull: Thailand
        Type: general
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