Factors Affecting Students’ Misuse of English Tenses in Speaking at Simple English Course, Kampung Inggris Pare

Abstract

The misuse of English tenses is a frequent problem among EFL learners, especially in speaking tasks that require spontaneous oral production. Many learners can answer written tense exercises correctly, but they often fail to apply tense rules consistently when speaking in real time. This gap suggests that knowing grammar rules does not automatically become accurate spoken performance, because speaking requires learners to manage ideas, vocabulary, fluency, and grammatical monitoring at the same time. This qualitative study explores the factors that affect students’ misuse of English tenses in speaking at Simple English Course in Kampung Inggris, Pare, Kediri. The participants were five basic-level students of mixed ages. Data were collected in two course sessions through observation of speaking activities, targeted speaking tasks, and semi-structured interviews. Spoken data were transcribed and analyzed to identify recurring tense misuse patterns, and interview data were coded thematically to interpret learners’ reasons and contextual influences. The study uses interlanguage and speaking-performance perspectives to explain tense misuse as the result of interacting factors, including limited functional grammar control, limited speaking practice and feedback, first-language transfer, attention limits during speech, and affective variables such as anxiety and confidence. The study is expected to help tutors design speaking activities that keep communication meaningful while supporting tense accuracy through brief focus on form, feedback, and confidence-building interaction.