SPEAKING ANXIETY AMONG FORM FIVE STUDENTS OF SEKOLAH MENENGAH SULTAN
YAHYA PETRA (2), KUALA KRAI, KELANTAN
BY
SITI HARYATI BINTI CHE YA
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Human
Sciences (TESL)
Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences
International Islamic University Malaysia
AUGUST 2007
ii
ABSTRACT
This study focuses on second language anxiety experienced by students of a rural secondary school in Kelantan. A survey was administered to 80 fifth formers of Sek.
Men. Sultan Yahya Petra (2), Kuala Krai, Kelantan. The questionnaire reflected three components of speaking anxiety: (a) communication apprehension, (b) fear of negative evaluation, and (c) test taking anxiety. The study also investigated the relationship between anxiety level and speaking performance. Interview sessions were also conducted to find out teachers’ perceptions of students’ speaking skills. From the data gathered, the study found that students did experience a considerable amount of speaking anxiety in the areas of communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation and test taking. In addition, the examination of scatter plots showed that there was a negative relationship between speaking anxiety and oral performance. The interviews with the teachers showed that the teachers were fully aware of the speaking anxiety experienced by their students as they came up with a few examples of situations or students’ reactions that indicated speaking anxiety. The teachers also took several steps to help the students eliminate the anxiety feeling. The study gives teachers and school administrators a better understanding of students’ emotional state when speaking in English.
iii
ﺚﺤﺒﻟﺍ ﺺﺨﻠﻣ
ﱳﻨﻠﻛ ﺔﻳﻻﻮﺑ ﺔﻴﻔﻳﺮﻟﺍ ﻖﻃﺎﻨﳌﺍ ﰲ ﺔﻳﻮﻧﺎﺜﻟﺍ ﺱﺭﺍﺪﳌﺍ ﺔﺒﻠﻃ ﺎﻬﻨﻣ ﱐﺎﻌﻳ ﱵﻟﺍ ﻖﻠﻘﻟﺍ ﺓﺮﻫﺎﻈﺑ ﺔﺳﺍﺭﺪﻟﺍ ﻩﺬﻫ ﲎﻌﺗ ﺔﻴﻧﺎﺜﻟﺍ ﺔﻐﻠﻟﺍ ﻢﻬﻤﹼﻠﻌﺗ ﻯﺪﻟ .
ﺔﻠﺣﺮﳌﺍ ﺔﺒﻠﻃ ﻦﻣ ﹰﺎﺒﻟﺎﻃ ﻥﻮﻧﺎﲦ ﻪﻟ ﻊﻀﺧ ﱟﱐﺍﺪﻴﻣ ﹴﺢﺴﲟ ﺔﺳﺍﺭﺪﻟﺍ ﺖﻣﺎﻗ ﺪﻗﻭ
ﻧﺎﺜﻟﺍ ﺍﺮﺗﻮﺑ ﲕﳛ ﻥﺎﻄﻠﺴﻟﺍ ﺔﺳﺭﺪﲟ ﺔﺴﻣﺎﳋﺍ ﺔﻳﻮﻧﺎﺜﻟﺍ ﻱﺍﺮﻛ ﻻﺍﻮﻛ ﺔﻘﻄﻨﲟ ﺔﻴﻧﺎﺜﻟﺍ ﺔﻳﻮ
– ﱳﻨﻠﻛ . ﺕﻮﺘﺣﺍﻭ
ﻲﻫﻭ ،ﺙﺪﺤﺘﻟﺍ ﺪﻨﻋ ﻖﻠﻘﻟﺍ ﺓﺮﻫﺎﻈﻟ ﺕﺎﻧﻮﻜﻣ ﺙﻼﺛ ﻰﻠﻋ ﻥﺎﻴﺒﺘﺳﻻﺍ ﻕﺍﺭﻭﺃ ) :
ﺃ ( ،ﻞﺻﺍﻮﺘﻟﺍ ﰲ ﻖﻠﻘﻟﺍ )
ﺏ (
،ﱯﻠﺴﻟﺍ ﻢﻴﻴﻘﺘﻟﺍ ﻦﻣ ﻑﻮﳋﺍ )
ﺝ ( ﺕﺎﻧﺎﺤﺘﻣﻻﺍ ﻦﻣ ﻑﻮﳋﺍ .
ﻖﻠﻘﻟﺍ ﺔﺟﺭﺩ ﲔﺑ ﺔﻗﻼﻌﻟﺍ ﺔﺳﺍﺭﺪﻟﺍ ﺖﻟﻭﺎﻨﺗ ﺪﻗﻭ
ﻛ ،ﻲﻣﻼﻜﻟﺍ ﺀﺍﺩﻷﺍ ﻰﻠﻋ ﺓﺭﺪﻘﻟﺍﻭ ﻖﻠﻗ ﻩﺎﲡ ﻢﺎﻋﺎﺒﻄﻧﺍﻭ ﲔﻤﹼﻠﻌﳌﺍ ﺕﺎﳛﺮﺼﺘﺑ ﻥﺎﻌﺘﺳﺍ ﺪﻗ ﺚﺣﺎﺒﻟﺍ ﻥﺃ ﺎﻤ
ﺙﺪﺤﺘﻟﺍ ﺪﻨﻋ ﺔﺒﻠﻄﻟﺍ .
ﺪﻨﻋ ﻖﻠﻘﻟﺍ ﻦﻣ ﺎﻣ ﹴﺭﺪﻘﺑ ﻥﻮﻧﺎﻌﻳ ﺔﺒﻠﻄﻟﺍ ﻥﺃ ﱃﺇ ﺔﺳﺍﺭﺪﻟﺍ ﺞﺋﺎﺘﻧ ﺖﺼﹸﻠﺧ ﺪﻗﻭ
ﺕﺎﻧﺎﺤﺘﻣﻻﺍ ﻦﻣ ﻑﻮﳋﺍﻭ ،ﱯﻠﺴﻟﺍ ﻢﻴﻴﻘﺘﻟﺍ ﻦﻣ ﻑﻮﳋﺍﻭ ،ﺙﺪﺤﺘﻟﺍ .
ﺞﺋﺎﺘﻧ ﺕﺮﻬﻇﺃ ﺪﻘﻓ ﻚﻟﺫ ﺐﻧﺎﺟ ﱃﺇﻭ
ﻭ ﺭﺎﺸﺘﻧﻻﺍ ﺔﺣﻮﻟ ﻞﻴﻠﲢ ﻲﻬﻔﺸﻟﺍ ﺀﺍﺩﻷﺍﻭ ﺙﺪﺤﺘﻟﺍ ﻖﻠﻗ ﲔﺑ ﺔﻴﺴﻜﻋ ﺔﻗﻼﻋ ﺩﻮﺟ
. ﺕﺎﳛﺮﺼﺗ ﺖﻠﻤﺘﺷﺍ ﺪﻗﻭ
ﻰﻠﻋ ﺖﻠﻤﺘﺷﺍ ﺎﻤﻛ ،ﺙﺪﺤﺘﻟﺍ ﰲ ﻢﻬﻘﻠﻗ ﺲﻜﻌﺗ ﱵﻟﺍ ﻢﻻﺎﻌﻔﻧﺍﻭ ﺔﺒﻠﻄﻟﺍ ﻒﻗﺍﻮﻣ ﻦﻣ ﺔﻠﺜﻣﺃ ﻰﻠﻋ ﲔﻤﹼﻠﻌﳌﺍ ﻯﺪﻟ ﻡﺎﺘﻟﺍ ﻲﻋﻮﻟﺍ ﺲﻜﻌﻳ ﺎﳑ ؛ﺭﻮﻌﺸﻟﺍ ﺍﺬﻫ ﻦﻣ ﺪﳊﺍ ﻰﻠﻋ ﻢﻬﺘﺒﻠﻃ ﺓﺪﻋﺎﺴﳌ ﺎﻫﻭﺬﲣﺍ ﱵﻟﺍ ﺕﺍﻮﻄﳋﺍ ﺎﲟ ﲔﻤﹼﻠﻌﳌﺍ ﺙﺪﺤﺘﻟﺍ ﰲ ﻖﻠﻘﻟﺍ ﻦﻣ ﻢﻬﺘﺒﻠﻃ ﻪﻴﻧﺎﻌﻳ
. ﲔﻳﺭﺍﺩﻹﺍﻭ ﲔﻤﹼﻠﻌﻤﻠﻟ ﻡﺪﻘﺗ ﻥﺃ ﻝﻭﺎﲢ ﺔﺳﺍﺭﺪﻟﺍ ﻩﺬﻬﻓ
ﺔﻳﺰﻴﻠﳒﻹﺍ ﺔﻐﻠﻟﺎﺑ ﻢﻬﺛﺪﲢ ﺪﻨﻋ ﺔﺒﻠﻄﻟﺍ ﻯﺪﻟ ﺔﻳﺭﻮﻌﺸﻟﺍ ﺔﻟﺎﳊﺍ ﻝﺎﻴﺣ ﹰﺎﺣﻮﺿﻭ ﺮﺜﻛﺃ ﹰﺓﺭﻮﺻ .
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APPROVAL PAGE
I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (English as Second Language).
……….
Zahariah binti Pilus
Supervisor I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable
standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (English as Second Language).
……….
Haja Mohideen bin Mohamed Ali
Examiner This dissertation was submitted to the Department of English Language and Literature
and is accepted as a partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (English as Second Language).
……...
Mohammad A. Quayum A. Salam
Head, Department of English Language and Literature
This dissertation was submitted to the Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences and is accepted as a partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (English as Second Language).
……….
Hazizan Md. Noon
Dean, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences
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DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions.
Siti Haryati binti Che Ya
Signature ……… Date……….
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INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA
DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND
AFFIRMATION OF FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH
Copyright © 2007 by Siti Haryati binti Che Ya. All rights reserved.
SPEAKING ANXIETY AMONG FORM FIVE STUDENTS OF SEKOLAH MENENGAH SULTAN YAHYA PETRA (2), KUALA KRAI, KELANTAN
No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as provided below.
1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may only be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement.
2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or electronic) for institutional and academic purposes.
3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieval system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities and research libraries.
Affirmed by Siti Haryati binti Che Ya
………. ………..
Signature Date
vii
This thesis is specially dedicated to both my parents,
Hj. Che Ya Che Harun and Hjh Siti Hamzah, my husband,
Khairul Syakirin Sulaiman, and my children
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to the Most Merciful, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala for the strength and patience given to me in completing the thesis.
I would also like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Zahariah Pilus who inspired and motivated me to complete the writing of the thesis. Without her guidance and encouragement, this thesis would have not been completed.
A special thanks goes to my examiner, Dr. Haja Mohideen who has reviewed my work and given insightful comments. I am grateful for the comments from him which has helped me to improve this work.
To all my dedicated lecturers, words just cannot describe how much I owe to them. My years in IIUM have been a very wonderful one because of them. To the department, “thank you” for the cooperation and commitment.
I would also like to thank all the teachers and students of Sekolah Menengah Sultan Yahya Petra (2), Kuala Krai for their contributions to this thesis.
Next, I am forever indebted to my parents who throughout the years, never gave up hope on me. They are always there for me, supporting and encouraging me to do more in my life.
I am also deeply indebted to my husband, who has sacrificed a lot for me.
Hence, this thesis is also dedicated to him - a caring, loving, humorous and supportive husband.
Last but not least, I thank all those who have helped me directly or indirectly in completing the thesis, especially my sisters, brothers and in-laws.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract………. ii
Abstract in Arabic ……… iii
Approval Page ...………..………. iv
Declaration Page………... v
Copyright Page ……….… vi
Dedication ……….………... vii
Acknowledgements...……… viii
List of Tables ………...……….…… xi
List of Figures ……….. xii
CHAPTER1: INTRODUCTION.……….…...…... 1
Background of Study………..…… 1
Statement of Problem………. 3
Significance of Study……… 6
Research Objectives..………. 8
Research Questions………. 8
Organization of Thesis ………..… 9
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .………... 10
Introduction …...………..……...…. 10
Definition of Anxiety and Language Anxiety.…...…... 11
Types of Anxiety……… 12
Measurement Instruments………... 15
Sources of Anxiety……….. 17
Personal and Interpersonal……….……. 17
Learner Beliefs about Language Anxiety……… 19
Instructor Beliefs about Language Anxiety……… 20
Instructor-Learner Instruction………... 20
Classroom Procedure………..… 21
Language Testing……… ..…. 21
Issues and Studies of Language Anxiety………..… …………. 22
Academic Effect……….... . 22
Cognitive Effect………..… 24
Social Effect………. 28
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.………..………... 31
Participants……….………..……...…... …………..… 31
Setting ………...……...…... 31
Instruments………....…. 32
Questionnaire………..… 32
Interview..………...…..…. 33
School-based Oral Test……….………..… 34
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Research Procedure………..….. 39
Questionnaire………...… 39
Interview……….… 40
Students Performance in Oral Test………. 40
Research Design………...….. 40
CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION…………..……..…... 42
Data Analysis……….………..……...…... 42
Section A: Personal Background... 42
Section B: Self-Assessment on Language Anxiety……….… 45
The Percentages of Students Experiencing Language Anxiety..… 45
Students Experiencing Communication Apprehension……….…. 47
Students Experiencing Fear of Negative Evaluation…………..… 48
Students Experiencing Speaking Test Anxiety………..…. 49
Level of Anxiety Experienced by Students……….… 50
Level of Anxiety Experienced by Each Students……… 52
Section C: Relationship between Standardized Test and Anxiety Level 54 Section D: Teachers Perception on Language Anxiety……….…. 55
Teachers’ Perceptions of the Students’ Confidence Level ……… 56
Teachers’ Perceptions on Students’ Acceptance ……… 57
Teachers’ Perceptions on the Indicators/Signs of Anxiety……….. 58
Teachers’ Perceptions on the Cause Speaking Anxiety………..… 58
Steps Taken to Encourage Students to Speak in English……….... 59
Steps Taken to Manage Students’ Speaking Anxiety………. 60
Teachers’ Opinions Speaking Anxiety Affect ………... 60
Additional Information With Regards to Speaking Anxiety……... 61
Discussion……….. 61
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION.………..………... 71
Summary of Findings……….…….……...…... 71
Recommendations………...……...…... 73
Limitation of the Study………..… 80
Conclusion ……….… 81
BIBLIOGRAPHY..……… 82
APPENDIX A: Questionnaire Sample………...………... 88
APPENDIX B: Interview Question……….…………..……... 93
APPENDIX C: Transcription……….………... …...… 94
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LIST OF TABLES
Table No. Page No.
3.1 Research design of study 40
4.1 Language use at home 43
4.2 Results obtained for school-based oral test 44 4.3 Percentages of students speaking English 44 4.4 Percentage of students selecting each alternative 46 4.5 Average level of anxiety for each component 50 4.6 Students’ level of anxiety and school-based oral test result 52
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure No. Page No.
3.1 Flow chart of Model 1 35
3.2 Flow chart of Model 2 36
3.3 Flow chart of Model 3 37
3.4 Flow chart of Model 4 38
4.1 The relationship between anxiety and school-based oral test 55
1
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
In general, English as the second language in Malaysia works as one of the tools that unifies the people of different languages, ethnicities, cultures and religions. That is because apart from our national language which is Bahasa Malaysia (BM), English is viewed as an important language that serves the communication needs of the people of different walks of life in Malaysia.
Nowadays, in the era of modernization and internationalization, the need to master English has much increased. Former Education Ministry Director-General Abdul Rahman Arshad (2005) states that in order to maintain our competitiveness in the era of globalization, we have to equip ourselves with as many foreign languages as possible, especially English. Most countries use English in their daily lives as they are aware of the importance of mastering English.
One cannot deny the importance of knowing English as it has widely assumed the role of a world language (Crystal, 1997). Since Malaysia herself is a trading nation, we cannot escape from learning and using English in our daily lives. Almost all companies’ deals or transactions are conducted in English, not to mention the meetings, discussions, conferences and seminars.
As English is vital in assuring our future prospects, renewed calls and efforts have been made. One of them is by our Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein (2005) who urges students to regain mastery of the English language. The government even took a brave step by re-introducing the teaching of Science and Mathematics in
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English in schools in 2002. The Education Ministry also welcomes any effort to enhance students’ proficiency in English, be it from the education or corporate sector.
Schools usually have English Camps or English Week as measures to help students to increase English usage. Currently, most national newspapers have educational sections, including an English section. Teachers and students can make full use of the materials in their attempt to improve proficiency in English. This shows that people are fully aware that improving the command of the English language is of significance, if we are not to be left behind in this age of information and technology.
After all, English itself is the dominant language of both information and technology.
Although English is important and steps have been taken to help students master English, the issue of English proficiency in Malaysia is never-ending and has always been the concern of policy makers and interested groups. Nowadays, we sometimes find that many students have difficulty in producing a sentence in English without making mistakes despite their early exposure to the language at schools. The same goes to graduates who have problems in conversing in English at job interviews.
This scenario might lead to an increasing number of unemployed graduates in our country.
In view of the importance of English to Malaysians in particular and the problems that they face in acquiring and performing in the language, continuous effort to identify and tackle the root causes of the declining performance in English should be done. From the literature, we find that there are several causes that we can relate to low English proficiency, be it from the cognitive or affective points of view. There are a lot that we can discuss on these two aspects; however for the purpose of this study, the discussion will be on the affective aspects. When we talk about affective aspects, they usually include motivation, attitude and anxiety. Among the affective
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explanation, attention has been given to the role of anxiety (Aida, 1994; de Andres, 2002; Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope, 1986; McIntyre and Gardner, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994). As such, the study aims at investigating language anxiety as one of the possible sources of poor English.
Language anxiety has a significant influence on language learning. It could be facilitative if it makes students work harder to improve their proficiency and it can also be debilitative when it hinders students from learning a or performing in a second language (Eysenck, 1979). Considering its role in second language learning, there is a need to address the language anxiety experienced by students in our local context.
The present study focuses on the second language anxiety experienced by students of a rural secondary school in Kelantan. The scope of the language anxiety in this study is narrowed down to speaking anxiety, although no definitive answer has been given as to the extent to which oral production is necessary for learning a foreign language, it is undeniable that its participation in the language is fundamental for the development of communicative competence. As such, the present research attempts to measure students’ anxiety level when speaking in English and aims to examine the relationship between the students’ anxiety level and their speaking performance.
Equally important, the study will also investigate the teachers’ perception towards students’ speaking anxiety.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
The role of emotional variables in foreign language teaching and learning has been studied extensively for the last three decades by several authors, such as: Scovel (1978), Shumman (1975, 1998), Krashen (1982) and MacIntyre and Gardner (1991, 1992 and 1994). Krashen in his Affective Filter hypothesis states that emotional or
4
affective factors can be categorized into three: motivation, self-confidence and anxiety. Krashen claims that learners with high motivation, self-confidence, a good self-image and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for success in second language acquisition. Low motivation, low self-esteem and debilitating anxiety will
‘raise’ the affective filter and form a ‘mental block’ that prevents comprehensible input from being used for acquisition. For example, anxious language students may not be able to perform oral-aural task successfully because anxiety interferes with their ability to process information. Relaxed students on the other hand would be able to perform better as they do not experience the language anxiety interference.
Among many affective variables, anxiety stands out as one of the main blocking factors for effective language learning. Many studies (e. g. Horwitz et al.
1986; MacIntyre and Gardner 1991; Young 1991; Phillips 1992) conducted on anxiety indicate that foreign language anxiety can have a negative effect on the language learning process. However, Bailey (1983, cited in Brown, 1994) notes that a certain amount of concern or anxiety is a positive factor. This kind of anxiety is described as facilitating the learning process. In her actual classroom experience, the writer witnessed that tasks without a certain amount of challenge can undermine the learner's interest, assignments without balance and enough support can be disheartening as they can submerge the learner into a state of emotional dullness or paralysis.
In sum, a certain degree of concern, anticipation and curiosity can be useful and even necessary to achieve, but too much anxiety can have an inhibiting effect and impede the process of successful language learning. Therefore, we could say that too much anxiety is not helping the students in their language learning.
Briefly, the literatures on the topic shows that affective factors play an important role in the study of second language learning and research has been done on
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foreign or second language anxiety. In spite of substantial advances in teaching methods and techniques, apprehension continues to exist among the learners. In Malaysia, the same scenario can be seen. Based on my observation and experience teaching the primary school students, I gather that these students had different levels of language anxiety, which were low, average and high. It is noted that students of low level of anxiety participated more in the class. These students were usually the top scorers in English in their class. Nevertheless, students whose performance in English was relatively poor were very quiet in the class and refused to answer questions when asked. Their confidence level when conversing in English was low and they tended to use the shortest phrases or the easiest words when speaking in English. We could say that it could be due to their poor proficiency in English. However, it may not always be the case. As we know, the literatures have shown that affective factors do play a significant role in students’ performance. There is a possibility that students are experiencing speaking anxiety that makes them afraid to speak in English.
Apart from the above, my informal interview with a secondary school teacher also provides further insight into this matter. The teacher claimed that some students fear speaking in English and had low confidence when speaking in English. There were students who purposely absented themselves from the class when it was time for an oral test although they were given ample time to prepare for it with the help from the teacher. The teacher also claimed that she usually had to code-switch to Malay language or else some of the students will be scared to be in her English class.
The above are some of the examples that show that some students in our local context do experience language anxiety in learning and performing English. They are nervous and scared to speak in English and they have low self-confidence when it comes to speaking in English. They are sometimes embarrassed to give answers in
6
class and are afraid of making mistakes when speaking in English. Based on these situations, I would like to probe further into the problem on speaking anxiety and its relationship with students’ performance in spoken English. Perhaps the information that we can gather from the study would give us better understanding of students’
language anxiety and provide us with some ideas on how to address these problems.
1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
This study will contribute to a better understanding of language anxiety experienced by second language learners, especially Malay students in a rural area in Kelantan. It will also provide some information on how much language anxiety influenced students when speaking in English and perhaps provide reasons as to why students have difficulties speaking in English.
This study will give students a chance to make self-evaluations or self- assessments of their emotional state when speaking in English. Perhaps it will help them identify their weaknesses in English and let them understand the problems that they are facing when speaking in English. In addition, students will not be embarrassed with their performance in English as they are aware that other students might share the same feelings as they are.
As for the teachers or educators, the study will also help them evaluate their students’ affective state. As cognitive and affective factors are equally important, it is crucial for teachers to consider these two factors when teaching or coaching their students. This study hopes to make teachers realize that some good students might not be able to perform to their actual standard due to affective reasons, in this case, speaking anxiety. In addition, it will give teachers opportunity to see whether they really understand their students and are aware of the difficulties they encounter when
7
speaking in English. Hopefully, the information from the study will support teachers in managing their students and it will help them respond to their students’ speaking anxiety appropriately.
Besides the above, the study hopes to furnish valuable information on the relationship between anxiety level when speaking in English with other variables, such as language performance, amount of English used and personal background.
These factors may have influences on speaking anxiety and the information gathered from this area may provide justifications to the anxiety experienced by the students.
Teachers can take these factors into consideration when evaluating students’ anxiety level and employ suitable remedies.
As for the school administrators, this study will give them a chance to assess their administrative assistance that they can provide to help improve students’
proficiency in English. The information will help the school administrators comprehend the students’ performances in English better and be aware of the difficulties that they face. They could work collaboratively with the teachers in determining the aids or activities that could be useful in English learning.
This study may also have some implications on the education policy in the future. These relevant authorities are the ones that set how the teaching and learning should be, therefore, the findings are hoped to provide some information in planning, developing, managing and evaluating programs that can minimize the level of language anxiety among students in rural areas.
Last but not least, the study could also contribute to the research in language pedagogy and language studies in general.
8 1.4 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The research objectives are as follows:
i. to measure the speaking anxiety level of randomly-selected sample of Form Five students of Sekolah Menengah Sultan Yahya Petra (2), Kuala Krai when speaking in English
ii. to examine the extent of the relationship between the level of speaking anxiety and their speaking performance in the school-based oral test iii. to investigate teachers’ perceptions of students’ anxiety when speaking in
English
iv. to identify the steps taken to reduce students’ anxiety when they speak in English
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The research questions to facilitate the study are as follows:
i. What are the levels of speaking anxiety experienced by randomly-selected sample of Form Five students of Sekolah Menengah Sultan Yahya Petra (2) when speaking in English?
ii. What is the extent of the relationship between students’ anxiety level and their speaking performance in a school-based oral test?
iii. What are the teachers’ perceptions of students’ anxiety when speaking in English?
iv. What teachers do to reduce students’ anxiety when speaking in English?
9 1.6 ORGANIZATION OF THESIS
The thesis has five chapters. Chapter 1 is the introduction of the thesis. It consists of the background of the study, the statement of the problem, the research objectives and the significance of the study. Chapter 2 deals with the literature review. The literature review provides information as to what has been done by researchers in the related field. It also discusses the definition of speaking anxiety, types of anxiety, measurement instruments and other issues with regard to speaking anxiety.
Chapter 3 focuses on the research methodology. This chapter describes the participants, the measurement instruments and the procedures used in conducting the study. It provides information on how the study was carried out. Chapter 4 presents the data collected from the survey and the discussions based on the data. The discussion is in relation to the research objectives. Lastly, Chapter 5 presents the conclusion of the study. This final chapter also incorporates recommendations and limitations of the study.
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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 INTRODUCTION
The growing interest in exploring the affective domain appears to be prompted by the belief that cognitive factors, which seem to continue dominating education, are not the only ones that account for the learning process. Research has shown that cognition and affection are indeed inextricably linked (De Andres, 2002). A review of the latest brain-based research has clearly shown the critical links between emotions and cognition and has concluded that in a positive state of mind, the learner is able to learn and recall better (Jensen, 1995). Although many puzzling questions about language, thoughts and emotions remain unsolved, what seems to be clear is that: “language is a way of life, it is as the foundation of our being, and as such interacts simultaneous with thoughts and feelings” (Brown, 1994: 38). This means that thoughts and feelings are inter-related. LeDoux (1996:25) also states, “Minds without emotions are not really minds at all. They are souls on ice-cold, lifeless creatures devoid of any desires, fears, sorrows, pain or pleasure.”
In recent years, the importance of affective issues has become a matter of debate among language teachers, linguists and researchers. Some affective variables such as motivation, attitude, and anxiety were found as having a high impact on success in EFL/ESL learning.
For the purpose of this study, the focus will be on anxiety as one of the factors that influence second language learning. The review includes the definition of anxiety,
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the types of anxiety, the sources of language anxiety, the measurement instruments and the issues as well as the studies related to language anxiety.
2.2 DEFINITION OF ANXIETY AND LANGUAGE ANXIETY
Anxiety in general is defined by Spielberger (1983) as the subjective feeling of tension, apprehension, nervousness and worry that are related with an arousal of the autonomic nervous system. Leary (1982:110) offered this definition of anxiety:
“Anxiety refers to a cognitive-affective response characterized by physiological arousal (indicative of sympathetic nervous system activation) and apprehension regarding a potentially negative outcome that the individual perceives as impending.”
Whitmore (1987) describes the affective experience of anxiety includes feeling of apprehension, uneasiness, and fear. De Andres (2002:1) relates anxiety with “the feelings of self-doubt, uneasiness or fear caused by any task that involves a certain degree of challenge.” Koba, Ogawa, and Wilkinson (2000:1) define anxiety as “a state of uneasiness and apprehension or fear caused by the anticipation of something threatening”.
Specifically, with regard to the language learning context, MacIntyre and Gardner (1994:284) define anxiety “as the feeling of tension and apprehension associated with second language contexts, including speaking, listening and learning.”
Subsequently, MacIntyre (1999) explains that language anxiety is caused by the worry and negative emotional reaction aroused when learning or using a second language. It occurs when a student reliably associates anxiety with second language learning.
In addition to the above definitions, McIntyre & Gardner (1994) refer to Eysenck (1979) who ‘reconceptualize’ anxiety as cognitive interference. Eysenck (1979) proposes that anxiety arousal is associated with distracting, self-related
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cognition such as excessive self-evaluation, worry over potential failure and concern over the opinion of others. Thus, the anxious person has his/her attention divided between task related cognition and self-related cognition, making cognitive performance less efficient. Nevertheless, language anxiety may also be facilitative.
Eysenck (1979) claims that anxious students are aware of this interference and they attempt to compensate the anxious feeling by putting more effort in second language learning.
From the above definitions, we can summarize that language anxiety is a type of apprehension that is experienced in the context of second or foreign language. It can be facilitative if it brings positive impact to the students. But it can be debilitative if it brings negative impact to the students. Language anxiety includes the feeling of worry, fear, uneasiness, tension and low self-confidence.
2.3 TYPES OF ANXIETY
Before probing further into the studies that are related to anxiety and language learning, it is useful to outline three perspectives from which anxiety has been investigated in a number of different areas, including the language learning context.
The first perspective regards anxiety as a general personality trait that is relevant across several situations. A second perspective is interested in the here-and-now experience of anxiety as an emotional state and the third approach examines the specific forms of anxiety that occur consistently over time within a given situation.
These perspectives are referred to as trait anxiety, state anxiety and situation anxiety.
The differences in the conceptualization of anxiety may have influenced the results of some investigations of the role of anxiety in language learning (MacIntyre and Gardner, 1991a).
