Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety
Decades of research bear witness to the importance of affective variables in language learning such as anxiety, self-esteem and motivation (e.g. Gardner & Lambert, 1972; Dörnyei, 1990; Jung & McCrosky, 2004). The present project aims to explore the relationship between Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety (FLSA) and demographic, linguistic and psychological characteristics. We also aim to identify and validate coping strategies that can mitigate such anxiety.
This project grew out of the activities we carried out in the previous academic year (see below) and might serve as a starting point for a bigger externally funded bid. It will apply a mixed methodology and will be carried out in several stages.
Firstly, we will investigate students’ anxiety levels and beliefs and attitudes towards speaking in a foreign language. We hope that our methodology will also enable us to gain in-depth insights into the various factors that influence FLSA in the OU context. Secondly, the sequence of Focus Groups sessions enables to test and evaluate the coping and mitigating strategies employed by students and tutors. Thirdly, a detailed and critical evaluation of the data obtained in the previous stages will lead to recommendations for module presentation and dissemination of results.
This project will help us make informed decisions regarding necessary curriculum adjustments, especially in the delivery of tutorials as well as identify areas for professional development for our tutors.
Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) a term coined by Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986) has been described as “a distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings and behaviours related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning process” (Horwitz et al., 1986: 128), and is reported to be a very common phenomenon among language learners, with speaking being the most anxiety-provoking language learning activity for most learners.
Studies reveal that the most significant triggers of Foreign Language Anxiety are fear of making mistakes and inadequate performance; fear of negative evaluation; general speech anxiety; fear of speaking spontaneously and understanding the interlocutor (Young, 1990; Aida, 1994; Tóth, 2008; Mak, 2011; Park 2014). FLA might have a negative impact on attainment, retention, learning experience and performance.
Thus, it is not surprising that researchers and educators have been focusing on tools and strategies to create low anxiety classrooms and to help students overcome these obstacles and improve their speaking skills. Most previous studies, however, explore FLA in face-to-face classrooms with adolescent and young adult learners. The present project aims to fill a gap and focus on FLA, specifically Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety, in online and distance language learning and more mature learners.
Cite items from this project
Funding
Praxis
Project lead(s)
Zsuzsanna Bárkányi
Team members
Bärbel Brash ; Susan Kotchi ; Sarah Aldred ; Palma Mackenzie ; Laura Puente Martín
Authorship group
- Academic - Central
Project reference number
PRAXIS 2021/22 19 ZB
Project start date
Project end date
Project status
Completed
Institutional priority category
- Achieving Study Goals
- Students Learning Experiences
Themes
- Student Experience
- Student Satisfaction
- Student Academic Experience
Subject discipline
- Languages and Applied Linguistics
Project findings and recommendations
As a data collection finished in August only and a wealth of data has been gathered full data analysis will take several months and will be disseminated at conferences and in peer-reviewed publications. The Open University has a growing number of students who struggle with mental health issues, for this reason it is imperative that we find out how these impact on their learning, and what solutions can be integrated into our module presentations. Respondents were asked whether they had any additional requirements that may impact on their study (such as depression, anxiety, dyslexia, mobility issues, etc.). On the basis of this, respondents were assigned into five groups: students with (i) mental health conditions (e.g. depression, anxiety, affective disorder, schizophrenia, etc.); (ii) mobility issues (e.g. wheelchair user, back pain, etc.); (iii) developmental issues (e.g. dyslexia); (iv) other (e.g. “awaiting eye surgery”, “I’m a single mum with two young children”); (v) No such requirements. (See Figure 1). In the quantitative analysis that follows we are comparing the two largest groups, namely student with mental health issues (MH) and students with no declared additional requirements (NR) with regard to their main worry when having to speak in their TL. Contrary to our expectations, both groups experience FLSA to the same extent (Figure 2).The leading cause for worry in both groups is not to remember the vocabulary they know (MH: 18.5%; NR: 20.8%). We might assume that this is because our cohorts are typically older than students at a “brick” university. This however, again contrary to our expectations, does not seem to be the case, actually younger learners (aged 21-29: 25%) are slightly more worried about not remembering the right vocabulary than mature learners (aged 60-69: 16%). For students with no additional requirements, it is twice as likely that the main worry refers to their knowledge of the target language (Figures 3 and 4). On the other hand, students with declared mental health issues are more likely to fear situations when their self-image/self-esteem is threatened (Figures 5 and 6). Our preliminary results coming from open-ended questions and focus group discussions suggest that both groups feel stressed about making mistake and feel apprehension when having to speak spontaneously. Students also feel that the pandemic has reduced their opportunities to practice oral skills as it is more difficult to speak with other language students or native speakers. While both groups are worried about the effects of poor memory, it is a more recurrent topic for the NR group. This group also thinks that speaking practice is hindered as conversations in practice sessions do not feel natural, while the speed of conversations, and the potential lack of understanding in natural settings is anxiety provoking. Reading aloud is also a worry, as they feel it is difficult to decipher the alphabet. The most recurrent topic for the MH group is the fear of having to speak in front of others, especially native speakers, but also their tutors and fellow students. They mention that they fear the other students will judge them, they feel they do not belong to the group as “everyone else is better”, it is also worrisome that the tutor might find their recordings of module activities and listen to them. And, not only having to speak in front of others, but also feeling uncomfortable when hearing themselves to speak, that is, their own voice. As a result, they perceive speaking practice as an activity to do on their own, and a significant number of students do not engage in speaking practice at all. Typical comments were: “I don’t like hearing my voice”, “I am generally alone”, “I do activities on my own”, “I generally don’t like being watched and judged” etc. Many students believe that speaking practice is only effective if done with native speakers, and younger students (typically below 50 years) mention the use of social media as a opportunity to increase speaking practice. As for the mitigating strategies in the online and distance setting, we identified three broad groups: (i) skills-oriented strategies; (ii) general strategies referring to the online and distance context; and (iii) self-talk strategies. Skills-oriented strategies refer to activities that help developing competence in TL and as self-efficacy beliefs grow, confidence grows and anxiety eases. Students find the use of other media like YouTube videos, music and film beneficial for improving their oral skills. The use of TL in various contexts is also helpful, e.g. reading poetry, talking to your pet, role-play activities, shadow reading and singing songs. Strategies mentioned by participants that are generally useful in the online language learning context were the following: translanguaging (i.e. using the word one cannot remember in English), having a list of useful vocabulary items nearby (e.g. “repeat it please”), muting your mic while still participating aloud in online synchronous tutorials, in this way easing oneself gradually into a more active participation. Adobe Connect is the preferred tutorial software for the Open University, and it features an “away” button to signal to other participants that the user is not at the computer or unable to participate at a particular time. Using the “away” button while still listening to the tutorials, and taking part in the ice-breakers to get that first word out in the TL was considered a useful strategy by students to deal with FLSA. Self-talk strategies also play an important role in mitigating FLSA. Students think they have to change how they see their mistakes when they are speaking, they must acknowledge that mistakes form part of the learning process. It helps if they make themselves aware that other students are probably very busy with their own speech and with trying to understand what is being said, so they probably do not really pay attention to other people’s mistakes. It is more likely that they do not even notice them. It is very helpful to remind yourself why you are studying the language and where you are coming from rather than thinking of what you do not know yet. Several students referred to strategies to get out of being “frozen” by, for instance, resorting to memory processes that are not difficult (e.g. remembering colours or numbers) rather than what is actually being covered at that point.
Keyword(s)
Foreign language anxiety ; speaking ; online learning ; language learning
