Anxiety in academic speaking situations among EFL majors: a case study

Abstract

In the study reported a total of 145 students pursuing the academic title of a BA in English language and literature were tested with the aim of establishing which explanatory variables have the independent power to explain the level of English language speaking anxiety. The instrument used in the study was taken from Yaikhong et al. (2012) and adapted for the purposes of the current investigation. The response variable in the study was the average level of anxiety measured by means of the questionnaire, whereas the explanatory variables included gender, the year of study, the number of presentations students gave during the course of their studies, the grade in language skills, the expected grade, the self-perceived proficiency and the perceived difficulty of the English language. The results reveal that gender, the expected grade and the self-perceived proficiency can account for the variation in the levels of anxiety among students. The paper ends with suggestions of interventions for helping students cope with the negative effects of anxiety on their speaking performance and learning experiences.

Students' disinhibition in online communication and the Implications for foreign language pedagogy

“…Using of a variety of interesting and fun activities as ice breakers might also prove effective and help students immerse more easily into the environment. Finally, as research into affective strategy development has given positive results regarding communication in a traditional, face-to-face classroom (Radić-Bojanić, 2014;Radić-Bojanić & Topalov, 2021;Topalov & Radić-Bojanić, 2014), this kind of an approach could also be beneficial for the digital environment. The development and regular application of various affective strategies may prove useful in helping students deal with increased concern for self-presentation in an online classroom, as they have been reported to be useful in face-to-face classrooms.…”

How Anxious are Online ESP Learners? Exploring Students’ Anxiety in Video, Audio and Text-Based Communication in an Online Classroom

“…Communication apprehension, defined as "the fear or anxiety an individual experiences as a result of either real or anticipated communication with another individual or group of people" (McCroskey, 2006: 40), has widely been examined in the context of foreign language learning and speaking has been reported as the most anxiety-provoking language skill (Boonkit, 2010). Apart from communication apprehension, research into foreign language anxiety has pointed to other anxiety-causing factors, such as gender, academic achievement, previous experience in foreign language learning and willingness to communicate (Radić-Bojanić & Topalov, 2021). Contextual factors such as the learning environment have also proved to affect the students' level of anxiety (Luo, 2012).…”