Dendy William Manu Pengarang DEWI I N BILI BORA Dosen Pembimbing 2 Santri E. P Djahimo Dosen Pembimbing 1 Fransiskus Bustan Ketua Penguji Dewi I N Bili Bora Penguji 1 Santri E. P Djahimo Penguji 2

This thesis is entitled: AFFECTING FACTORS OF THE SPEAKING PERFORMANCE OF FIRST SEMESTER STUDENTS IN ENGLISH SPEAKING CLASS OF ENGLISH DEPARTMENT, NUSA CENDANA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2023/2024. This research focused on the factors that influenced students' speaking performance. The problems of this study were: First, what were the factors that affected the speaking performance of first semester students of the English Department of Nusa Cendana University. Second, what factors were categorized as having positive effects. Third, what factors were categorized as having negative effects. This study aims to find out what factors were categorized as having positive and negative effects by the first semester students of the English Department of Nusa Cendana University in the academic year 2023/2024, to find out the factors that are categorized as having positive effects, and to find out the factors that are categorized as having negative effects. The method used was descriptive qualitative method. The subjects of this research were the first semester students of English Study Program of Nusa Cendana University. The data collection instruments used was interviews and questionnaires. The data were analyzed by collecting data, constructing interpretations, and reporting the results. The results shows that although the students showed strong motivation to improve their English language skills, their views on the factors that contribute to success varied. This underscores the importance of recognizing individual preferences and needs in a language learning environment. Key words: Affecting factors, Speaking, Students performance