International Journal of Innovations in TESOL and Applied Linguistics

Vol. 2, No. 3; 2017

ISSN 2454-6887
Published by ASLA, Amity University, Gurgaon, India
© 2017

Impact of Hindering Factors on Students’ English Language Speaking Skills

Tegbar Kibret
Haramaya University, Ethiopia

Received: Apr. 10, 2017 Accepted: Apr. 21, 2017 Online Published: May. 27, 2017

Abstract
The main objective of this study is to assess causes of speaking anxiety that hinder EFL English
language learners‟ speaking skills and its effect on EFL learners in speaking classroom at
preparatory level. To this end, the researcher made a quantitative and a qualitative research design
to investigate the issue. A total of one hundred twenty five grade twelve students and four English
teachers were selected as a sample. To collect the necessary data for the study, interview (for both
teachers and students) was employed as the main data collecting tool. Besides, questionnaires (for
the students) and classroom observations were employed as supporting instruments so as to
triangulate the findings of the interview. Then, the collected data were analyzed using both
quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis. The study revealed that language anxiety
can originate from learners‟ fear of negative evaluation by their teachers and classmates, teachers‟
inappropriate teaching methodology, and differences in social status of the speakers. The
pedagogical implications of these findings for understanding foreign language anxiety for
enhancing learners‟ communication abilities in the target language were discussed, as suggestions
for future research. Furthermore, considering the crucial role of teachers in foreign language
pedagogy, a need was felt to investigate the beliefs and perceptions of language teachers about
learning and teaching a foreign language.

1. Introduction

This introductory chapter contains eight different parts: These are background of the study,
statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research questions, scope of the study,
limitations of the study, significance of the study, and definitions of some important terms of the
study. Each sub topic is explained in detail respectively as follows.

1.1. Background of the Study

Speaking is one of the four basic skills of language which is used as a medium of interaction to
express one‟s thought and emotions. It is a natural art and skill given to human beings so as to
serve in day to day interaction. Mohan (2003) explained: “The art of speech is noble and even
divine; it is like kindling of the heaven‟s light to show us what glorious world exists and has
perfected itself, in man”. In other words Mohan stated that speech is similar to candle that gives
light for a dark room, that is, it is speech that lightens the life of human beings. Although

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speaking has many purposeful usages, the development of English language speaking skills is as
standstill particularly among Ethiopian secondary school students, as far as my personal
experience is concerned.

Horwitz, E. K (1986) identified in his study two potential factors that hinder the development of
students‟ English language speaking skills. These are the psychological pressure of making
mistakes and students‟ shy to speak during spoken English classroom. Students tend to be silent
learners in spoken English classes due to the fact that they are a fearing of making mistakes in
the presence of their classmates and the teacher. Similarly, the students hesitate to speak during
spoken classes due to the presence of the learners of the opposite sex. That means getting male
students to explain some point to the group using the board in the presence of female students is
a bit difficult. In the same way, inviting female students to do that in the presence of male
students is almost impossible. Speaking skills are generally considered by the students as the
most difficult of the four basic skills to learn. This misconception leads students to become
reluctant to work on speaking skills consciously.

Most of the language produced by students in conversational interaction in class develops under
highly artificial conditions. Despite the expenditure of much energy and enthusiasm by all
concerned, the conversation class just does not achieve its objectives. The learners even those at
fairly advanced levels, simply do not speak spontaneously” (Affagnon, 1990). The biggest
problem the teachers find is how to bridge the gap between artificial use of language and
communicative use. In other words, teachers fail to create a natural linguistic environment which
would inspire students to use the target language (English) freely and meaningfully rather than
mechanically (Affagnan, 1990).

Second language researchers have long been aware that second language learning is often
associated with affective factors, among which the constructs of anxiety has been recognized as
important predictors of second language performance. Existing work has generated context-
specific findings with respect to the identification and formulation of foreign language anxiety
and the assessment of their impact on the learning experience (Horwitz et al., 1986).

EFL learners express their inability and sometimes even acknowledge their failure in learning to
speak a foreign language. These learners may be good at learning other skills but, when it comes
to learning to speak English, they claim to have a „mental block‟ against it (Horwitz et al., 1986).
What, then, hinders or stops them to succeed in learning a foreign language? In many cases,
students‟ feeling of stress, anxiety or nervousness may impede their speaking abilities.

Thus, what causes language anxiety is a central question of this study. Considering anxiety as a
highly influential construct in language learning, the researcher tried to investigate the sources or
reasons that language anxiety can stem from within speaking classroom, and suggests a variety
of strategies to cope with it. Language anxiety may be a result as well as a cause of insufficient
command of the target language (Sparks; cited in Horwitz, 2001). That is to say it may be
experienced due to fearing of negative evaluation and insufficient teaching experience practiced
by language teachers while learning and using the target language.

A further detailed investigation of these factors could potentially assist language teachers and
students to alleviate anxiety in the classroom setting and to make the classroom environment less
anxiety-provoking and hence to improve learners‟ performance in the target language

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1.2. Statement of the Problem

Nowadays, there is no doubt that speaking is essential for interactive survival in global settings
more than ever before. In other words, we are living in an educational world where orality is
seen as a necessary, positive personal characteristic (Daly, 1991). Wang (1990) noted that
focusing on oral skills is a new trend in the reform of English teaching, which promotes an all
round development of English as foreign language learners. Thus, worldwide expansion of
English language has increased this demand to acquire good communication skills in the target
language. However, learners of English language often express a feeling of stress, nervousness
or anxiety while learning English speaking and claim to have, a „mental block‟ against learning
English. The problem exists among EFL learners from elementary to more advanced levels.
Even highly advanced EFL learners feel nervous while learning and particularly speaking
English in some situations, both within and out of the classroom settings. These learners wonder
why they cannot speak English well, because their compulsive efforts do not lead to their
intended performance.

Horwitz and Young (1991) are the two well-known researchers in the area of „language anxiety‟
express, “we have been truly surprised at the number of students who experience anxiety and
distress in their language classes”. Similarly, Campbell and Ortiz (1991) found language anxiety
among secondary students to be „alarming‟ and estimated that up to one half of all language
students experience debilitating levels of language anxiety.

Being an EFL learner of English language teaching, the researcher himself has not only
experienced language anxiety but also observed this phenomenon among students of varied
secondary schools, the researcher is interested to know why EFL learners‟ feel anxious while
learning speaking skill.

1. 3. Objectives of the Study

The major objectives of this research is to find out why EFL learners develop anxiety or feel
embarrassed while learning English speaking and what influence it casts on their communication
in the target language. In other words, what are the factors or sources that make speaking English
more stressful in speaking classroom?

More specifically the objectives of this research are:

1. To identify the anxiety factors (causes) of EFL learners in learning English speaking skill
2. To assess how the identified factors affect students‟ speaking skill
3. To assess the strategies that teachers and students use to overcome these anxiety factors and
improve learners‟ speaking skill.

1.4. Research Questions

1. What are the anxiety factors that hinder EFL learners‟ English language speaking skill?
2. In what way do these factors usually affect the learners‟ speaking skill?
3. What are the strategies teachers and learners use to overcome these anxiety factors and to
improve students‟ speaking skills?

1.5. Scope of the Study

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The researcher has limited the scope of his work to Enjibara preparatory school of EFL teachers
and some randomly selected grade „12‟ students of the school. Of course, the researcher was
aware that it would be appropriate to conduct a research on a large scale about factors that hinder
EFL students‟ English language speaking skill and its effect in EFL speaking classroom, but in
order to dig out the factors deeply on the one hand and due to time and money constraints on the
other, the researcher has focused on assessing the anxiety factors of EFL students‟ English
language speaking and its effect in EFL speaking classroom in the selected school. In other
words, the researcher focused on identifying the sources of anxiety, its effect in EFL speaking
classrooms and strategies to cope with it.

1.6. Limitations of the Study

Conducting research is a time taking process and at the same time it requires much financial
availability. Firstly, shortage of fund and time were the most important problems that the
researcher faced to conduct wider and in-depth study. Secondly, unwillingness of the teachers to
be interviewed because they were not volunteered to be audio recorded. Thirdly, the students
were reluctant to fill the questionnaire because they assumed that the study was against them.
Besides, the students had difficulty of understanding to provide reliable information with respect
to some questions in spite of the fact that the questionnaire was prepared with simple and plain
expressions. Finally there exists lack of adequate reference materials in Haramay University for
the review of related literature. Generally, the points raised above are not the only limitations but
the major ones of the study.

1.7. Significance of the Study

The findings of this study is expected to have the following important contributions (1) it will
contribute to the understanding of those factors that affect the development of students‟ English
language speaking skill, its effect in learning speaking, and strategies to overcome the problem
by the school teachers, parents and other bodies concerned (2) the study will initiate the students
of Enjibara preparatory school to make a conscious effort to develop their English language
speaking skill (3) the study will also create self awareness among English language teachers and
students of Enjibara preparatory school to observe their position and take affirmative measures if
necessary (4) The findings will also serve as a source for other researchers or a stepping stone for
those who have interest in conducting further study in the same area.

1.8. Operational Definition of Terms

For clarity of meaning throughout the thesis the following definitions are applicable.

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners and Teachers: are those who are learning or
teaching English while living in a community where English is not spoken as a first language.

Anxiety: is a psychological construct, commonly described by psychologists as a state of

apprehension, and a vague fear (Hilgard, 1991).

Foreign Language Anxiety: the feelings of tension or nervousness centered on the two basic
task requirements of foreign language learning: listening and speaking (McIntyre & Gardner,
1994).

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2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter is divided into two sections. The first section is about factors (causes) of foreign
language anxiety, and the second section will look at how these factors affect the learners‟
motivation and practice of speaking and some strategies to cope with it.

2.1. Factors of Foreign Language Anxiety

The previous sections have established the conceptual basis of EFL learners‟ anxiety in speaking
English with relation to the importance of speaking English language in the present trend. In the
following section, literature on language anxiety from different perspectives has been reviewed.
These includes: students‟ fear of making mistakes, teachers‟ reactions to learners in the
classroom, classroom procedures, Environmental factors, motivational factors, and gender.

2.1.1. Students’ Fear of Making Mistakes

Fear of making mistakes in EFL speaking classroom pertains not only to the teacher‟s evaluation
of the students but also to the perceived reaction of other students as well. Atkins and others
(1996) pointed out that most of high school students tend to think that it is bad to make mistakes
that they will be ridiculed by other students or by the teacher. They also think that the teacher‟s
job is to correct any deviation from total accuracy. Therefore, they are very careful not to take
any risks making mistakes, not to say any thing unless it is correct; Norrish (1990) added that it
is hardly likely that second language learners will be able to produce hesitation free utterances.
They usually feel that their speech should be free from mistakes.

2.1.2. Classroom procedures

Different activities in the classroom procedure, particularly ones that demand students to speak
in front of the whole class, have been found to be the most anxiety provoking factors. For
instance, Koch and Terrell (2001) found that more than half of their subjects in their Natural
Approach classes – a language teaching method specifically designed to reduce learner‟s anxiety
– expressed that giving a presentation in the class, oral skits and discussion in large groups are
the most anxiety-producing activities. They also found that students get more anxious when
called upon to respond individually, rather than if they are given choice to respond voluntarily.
In addition, students were found to be more relaxed speaking the target language when paired
with a classmate or put into small groups of three to six than into larger groups of seven to
fifteen students.

“Sometimes when I speak English in class, I am so afraid I feel like hiding behind my chair.
When I am in my speaking class I just freeze! I can‟t think of any thing when my teacher calls on
me. My mind goes blank.” (Horwitz et al. 1986).

This suggests that any measure to treat language anxiety should not fail to exploit learning
environments where students feel relatively free of anxiety (Jones, 2004). For this,
communicative language teaching approaches are often recommended by the researchers to
provide such an unthreatening environment where students talk to one another and not
exclusively to the teacher. This is deemed necessary because “the rapport [the student] feels with
the teacher as well as with classmates may be crucial in determining the success or failure of the

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venture [practice in communication]” (Smimy, 1994). It indicates that arousal of anxiety
reactions is also likely to occur in interpersonal relations or communication.

2.1.3 The role of teachers’ in teaching speaking

Most teachers regard errors as undesirable, sign of failure either on the students‟ part to pay
attention or on the teacher‟s part to make his/her meaning clear. In other words, teachers are over
conscious of students‟ mistakes because of an entirely praiseworthy desire to teach the best
possible form of the language. In such traditional approach language classes, students are made
to feel that errors bring discredit on the teachers and learners alike and are reprimanded for
making too many errors. This means errors are the fault of students, and that should be avoided
immediately (Norrish, 1990).

Atkins and others (1996) paraphrased that many teachers do not feel confident in their own
English. They get embarrassed by the fact that their own spoken English is not free of errors.
They are worried that by making mistakes, they would give their students a bad model of the
language and damage their status in the eyes of their students. As a result, they do not speak
freely in the class. This bad attitude of teachers leads to the loss of students‟ confidence to
express themselves because they think that the teacher values accuracy above everything else.
However, research findings point out that irrespective of the mistakes made, students should be
encouraged to speak freely and confidentially. Errors should be tolerated and seen as a natural
part of learning. In other words, teachers should endure errors that may exist during oral
communications, and that they should not correct students errors immediately amid their
communication, for it can hinder students‟ further communication (Freeman, 2000); and (Atkins
and others, 1998).

2.1.4. The role of teachers to motivate students

If the learners are highly motivated by the teacher to have better speaking skills, they can
develop a concern for communication, and become more eager to take part in the activities and
pay more attention to communicate in the target language (Brown 1997). Motivation can be the
key to learn the target language, and it in turn enables the students to try to communicate better
in the target language (English). Here it must be pointed out what the motivation is and how the
learners will be motivated. According to Brown (1997) motivation is thought of as an inner
drive, impulse, emotion, or desire that moves one to a particular action. He also stated that
learning a foreign language requires motivation in order to achieve the desired goal of speaking
classroom activities.

2.2. Socio-Cultural Factors

Language anxiety as discussed in the above sections stems from social and communicative
aspects of language learning and therefore have been considered as one of the social anxieties
(MacIntyre, 1995). The following sub-sections discussed about some of these socio-cultural
factors as follows.

2.2.1. Social environment and limited exposure to the target language

Many teachers agreed that speaking is most important, presumably, the most difficult to teach
students of English in a country where English is a foreign language. Pierce, (1988) suggested
that opportunities for practicing speaking in authentic communicative setting do not adequate in

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an EFL situation particularly because students do not generally hear English spoken out side the
classroom. Hissen and Jin (1988), the Chinese researchers explained the situation in their country
what communication is a difficult aspect of life to become proficient in, especially for students
who are anxious in speaking. They face a multitude of barriers to effective communication.
While none of these are insurmountable, they can be difficult to overcome.
Environmental factors, ranging from the literal volume of a setting to the speaker's comfort level
in that setting can influence the effectiveness of anyone's speaking skills. For students, this
aspect is multiplied tenfold (Hissen & Jin, 1988).
According to Hissen and Jin (1998), effective oral communication, like anything else in life,
takes practice to make perfect. Students, by their very age, often have not had the opportunity to
practice their formal communication skills. While some may not face barriers in informal
communication, they often face significant barriers when it comes to effective communication in
formal presentations simply because they have not yet had the opportunity to hone those skills in
a meaningful way.
Since environmental factors are highly related to the amount of exposure to the target language, a
country where English is spoken as the second language (foreign language), and the learners will
have the opportunities to use it only in the classroom environment. So these learners will have no
chance or opportunity to use the target language in a real environment. This means that there will
be no communication and if there is no communication, there won‟t be language learning
(Hissen and Jin, 1998). Briefly, Kenworthy (1987) mentions that exposure can be a contributory
factor for the development of oral communication. If a learner is aware of the necessity of being
exposed to the target language, s/he should make use of its opportunities. If the learner does that,
s/he will be more successful in case of improving his/her speaking. Acording to Kenworthy
(1987), the best ways of being exposed would be native speakers, videos shows, films, cds, radio
or TV programs, computer assisted language teaching programs, etc. He also stated that the
amount of exposure is crucial and it must make the students creative and active, not passive and
dull. Therefore, the dose of exposure must be adjusted with caution.

2.2.2. Social status

From a socio-cultural perspective, status is an important consideration in people‟s interaction

with one another in social relationships. Within any social context, there exists a status
relationship between people that carries a significant impact on language and language use and
this is an important aspect of social interaction, for example, “what can be said, the ways it can
be said, and possibly, what language to use, and even how much must be said” (Carrier, 1999).
In addition, he raises a crucial question as to whether in face-to-face interaction receiver
apprehension (anxiety) can be triggered by the particular status relationship between the
interlocutors (1999). He states: The effects of status in terms of perceived power over another
can also effectively silence a person in a conversation. Sociolinguists posit that social
relationships can have a deep impact on conversational interaction. Wolfson (1989), in her
Theory of Social Interaction, postulates that inequality of status or social distance “disfavor
attempts at negotiation”. Similarly, studies of classroom interaction on the pattern of social
relationship found that the social relationship between teachers and students gives them an
unequal status relationship as interlocutors that can hinder “successful second language
comprehension, production, and ultimately acquisition” (Pica, 1987). Earlier research of
Doughty and Pica (1999) also showed that there was less interaction when the relationship was
unequal, such as, teacher-to-students, than when the relationship was equal, for instance, student-
to-student.

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2.2.3 Gender

Gender has also been found to cause anxiety in male and female interaction both within and out
of the classroom settings. Carrier (1999), states that gender affects communication. Gobel and
Matsuda (2003) asserted that gender-related anxiety research has yielded conflicting results.
Spielberger (2005), in her study found, “females are more emotionally stable than males in their
reactions to highly stressful and relaxing circumstances”. Similarly, in Kitano‟s study (2001,
cited in Gobel and Matsuda, 2003) of college students, male students have been found to feel
more anxiety when they perceived their speaking less competent than those of others; however,
such a relationship was not observed among female students. On the contrary, Machida ( 2003)
examined EFL class anxiety based on gender and found that female learners are more anxious
than male counterparts.

2.3. The Effects of Anxiety in EFL Speaking Classroom and Strategies to Overcome It

2.3.1 Effects

EFL researchers and foreign language teachers have decoded a number of effects that EFL
learners‟ are affecting in learning speaking. Gregersen (2003: cited in Gregersen, 2007) states
that the negative consequences of anxiety can change students‟ behavior in EFL speaking
classroom such as unwillingness to discuss in the target language (English) when they are given
pair works and group work activities in speaking classroom due to the fear of making mistakes;
lack of motivation to learn the language; unwillingness to participate in speaking classroom. He
also states that students who have high level of anxiety, engage in negative self-talk. Such
students keep on ruminating with poor performance, which affects information processing
abilities. (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994) paraphrased the effects of anxiety as: students who have
anxiety in speaking classroom usually exhibit avoidance behavior by missing class,
unwillingness in role play activities, participating infrequently; and ultimately receiving low
course grades (Gregersen, 2007). In addition, Gregersen (2007) in her study found that EFL
learners with high level of anxiety usually have limited facial activity, including less eye contact
with the teacher, and more rigid and closed with their posture so that they can not improve their
speaking ability in the target language.

Horwitz et al. (1986) offer additional descriptions of EFL students speaking related problems in
EFL speaking classroom: that students with anxiety, attempt different type of grammatical
constructions; are less interpretative of more concrete messages; „know‟ a certain grammar point
but can not express it during oral classes; complain of difficulties discriminating the sounds and
structures of a foreign language message; confess they know the correct answer on a test but
express wrongly due to lack of the ability to convey correctly; and over-study without any
improvement in grades of oral tests. These problems are rooted from different anxiety factors of
speaking in the target language. Generally, according to researchers students who are learning
with anxiety usually reduce classroom interactions, fewer initiations of conversations, less
participation in classroom conversations, fewer instances of silence breakers, and shorter
speaking periods when in front of the class. Image protection behavior is characterized by
smiling and nodding frequently, by seldom interrupting others, and by giving frequent
communicative feedback such as „uh-huh‟. In such situation EFL learners can not improve their
speaking skills in particular and their English proficiency in sub-standard.

2.3.2 Strategies to overcome the problem

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Identifying anxiety factors that hinder EFL learners‟ English language speaking skills and
recognizing how these factors affect EFL learners while communicating in the target language
are important steps in coping with this problem. An extensive body of research has suggested a
variety of strategies to cope with the hindrance of speaking in academic settings, which can also
offer an understanding of how to deal with it in the classroom contexts. Ying-Ling & Kondo:
(2004) holds that the thinking disturbances about making mistakes that occur in the classroom
are the primary sources of anxiety. The researchers recommend students should be encouraged to
develop more positive and facilitating self-talk and should be taught to manage their self-
evaluation more realistically by considering errors as natural phenomena while speaking.

Foss and Reitzel (cited in Young, 1991) hold the view that the recognition of students‟ irrational
beliefs or fears of making mistakes while speaking and their unrealistic expectations can help
students interpret speaking problem-producing situations more realistically. They recommend
verbalization or articulation of the target language in the target setting (classroom) repeatedly
without fear of making mistakes as a strategy to cope with language problems.

Researchers also suggest taking steps to communicate well orally in order to reduce these anxiety
factors and recommend systematic improvement method. This method emphasizes highly on the
students themselves (students should always use the target language while learning speaking,
should participate in oral classes, should participate in activities like group work, pair work etc.).
In other words, the students are taught to reduce the problems of speaking in the classroom by
subsequent oral communication situations (Mejias et al., 1991, 97). Young (1990: 1) also offered
some suggestions in this regard such as; highest level of interaction; using more pair and group
work; playing language games with an emphasis on problem-solving; and role-playing with
preparatory activities to instill class rapport.

Young (1990) listed some strategies that teachers should use to overcome anxiety in EFL
students English language speaking skills such as motivating learners in EFL speaking classroom
to speak rather than dominate the whole time by himself/herself; creating a natural linguistic
environment in which students practice speaking more realistically; motivating students to use
the target language in EFL speaking classroom; giving awareness to students to feel more at ease
when they make errors and telling them errors are natural in speaking. Researchers suggested
that teachers should not be harsh in error correction but rather be friendly, patient, and have a
good sense of humor. It can also be suggested that equal status relationship between teacher and
student is an important aspect for reducing anxiety factors.

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter consists of six parts. These are research design, sampling population, sampling
technique, methods of data collection, and procedures of data analysis.

3.1 Research Design

Research design is an approach to integrate various elements of a research project in order to

address a predefined set of study questions. Therefore, this section aimed to describe the research
design which would be used in conducting the study. It seeked to justify the choice of research
methods which employed during the research project since there are various options of design for
conducting research.

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The researcher found that the most appropriate design for this study was a mixed research
design. A mixed research design involves both quantitative and qualitative approach because the
researcher used questionnaire, interview and observation to gather information from a sample of
a population and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. A mixed- research design method is a
procedure for collecting both quantitative and qualitative data in a single study, and for analyzing
and reporting data based on a priority and sequence of information(Creswell,2002).

3.2 Sampling Population and Sampling Technique

Since the study was aimed to identify the anxiety factors which affect the EFL students‟ English
language speaking skills and its effect on their learning in depth, the target population was
needed to select the sample.

3.2.1. Sampling population

For this study, the subjects of the study were 125 grade twelve students who are selected as a
sample from 402 of grade 12 students and four English language teachers of Enjibara preparatory
school timing for English subject as my target population. And these populations, the sample
frame constitutes all the grade „12‟ students population size.

3.2.2. Sampling technique

In this study sampling technique employed as collecting information from each member of the
population was tiresome and time consuming.

The sampling technique used in this research was simple random sampling which is a probability
sampling. In this sampling technique, individuals were chosen in such a way that each member
of the population had equal chance of being selected.

The researcher employed the following procedures: first the researcher collected the roll numbers
of all grade ‟12‟ students with their sections and record on papers and turn them into separate
strips. Then the strips were put in a hat and mixed them up thoroughly. Finally the first needed
strips were pulled out randomly by closed eyes.

The rational behind choosing this sampling technique was to select sample without any bias, and
that it was reasonable to generalize the results from the sample back to the population. It is also
easy to accomplish and explain to others (William: 2003).

3.3. Methods of Data Collection

This particular research was designed to dig out the anxiety factors that affect students‟ EFL
English language speaking skills and to assess how this factors affect students‟ learning to speak.
To examine this issue the researcher searched carefully by using different data collection
methods. The methods used for this study were therefore, designed according to the needs and
purpose of the study. While choosing the methods, its applicability and adaptability were
considered by the researcher. Thus, the researcher used three methods of data gathering
instruments. These were questionnaires, interviews, and observation.

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3.3.1. Questionnaire

Questionnaire is widely used in education research to obtain information about certain conditions
of an individual or groups. The questionnaire containing a set of questions or statements was
used to gather information from students about the anxiety factors in learning speaking skills,
how these factors affect learners in EFL speaking classroom and strategies to overcome the
problem. By using questionnaire, the researcher had gathered information about why EFL
students feelm anxiety while learning speaking skills, the role of teachers in creating and
reducing feeling of anxiety, how anxiety affects students learning to speak, what strategies
teachers and students use to cope the problem. In other words, the researcher used questionnaire
in order to search how teachers‟ teaching methodology cause anxiety in learning speaking, how
the students‟ ways of learning affect their EFL speaking ability, and how environmental and
motivational factors provoke anxiety while students‟ learning speaking and which strategies are
needed to cope with it.

Using questionnaire, according to Kothari (2006)) is a method that can be conducted at a low
cost even when the universe is large; It is free from the bias of the researchers; Respondents have
adequate time to give well thought out answers; The result of this method is more dependable
and reliable as the research is conducted at a large scale.

To identify the anxiety factors of speaking and its effect in learning speaking, both closed and
open-ended types of questionnaires were used to gather the relevant data for the study.
According to Kothari, (2006) the forms of questions in questionnaire is mostly closed (i.e. „yes‟,
„no‟, or multiple type questions) or open ended (i.e. inviting free response). Here the researcher
used closed type questions more than open ones so that the respondents find them easier to
complete. Moreover, closed question types allow comparability of responses (Bryman, 2004). In
the closed type of questionnaire the researcher prepared the questionnaires which have choices
(„yes‟, „no‟, „a,b,c‟,…, always, sometimes, rarely, never, etc.). To gain more details from the
questionnaire the researcher also used open ended questions followed by blank spaces for adding
more information. This was done by asking the sample students to write their ideas which could
not be included in the closed type questions.

The questionnaires which were going to be designed and distributed to the students were written
in English as the researcher believes that the sample students could understand the questions and
then translate into the first language (Amharic) of the respondents orally in order to minimize
and overcome the language barriers to understand the item contained in the questionnaire and to
obtain accurate information (to increase the accuracy of the data).

3.3.2. Semi-structured interview

After having looked at the completed questionnaires which consisted mainly of closed and open
ended questions, some responses needed to be clarified, so the next step of data collection was
conducting interviews with teachers and students to elicit more explanations.

The interview is a process of communication or interaction in which the subjects or the

interviewees give the needed information verbally in face-to-face situation (Kothari, 2006: 106).
Therefore, interview was conducted to obtain the information orally.

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Similar to the interview studied by Price (1991), Young (1992) and Ohata (2005) concerning the
perspectives of students and language teachers on anxiety factors that hinder students‟ speaking,
its effect, and the strategies what teachers and students are using to overcome them.
The rationale behind the use of interview as a data collection tool is that it can provide access to
things that cannot be directly observed, such as feelings, thoughts, intentions, or beliefs
(Merriam, 1998: cited in Ohata, 2005). It also provides participants with opportunities to select,
reconstruct, and reflect upon details of their experience within the specific context of their lives.

Given that the primary goal of this study was to explore the sources of anxiety and its effect,
individual and group interviews were seemed appropriate as a means to understand the
experiences of the subjects about the issue because they allow for given points to be clarified and
elaborated upon where required. Both English language teachers and sampled students were
interviewed individually, and in group respectively.

A semi-structured face-to-face interview technique was preferred as it is essential to ensure that

the researcher will “in a position of being able to access the degree of the interviewee‟s interest
and involvement” (Robson, 2000). It is also appropriate because of “its flexibility balanced by
structure and the quality of the data so obtained” (Gillham 2005).

All the teacher respondents were selected randomly as they were believed to provide maximum
insight and understanding towards the issues under the study. Initially, the subjects were asked
open-ended questions to establish a rapport with the subjects. Later, a semi-structured question
format was used as a guideline to ask questions and to encourage the interviewees to talk in their
own way. The interviews contain a balance of open and closed questions, the latter asserting the
control of the interviewer, the former offering the interviewees a wide range of choice within a
question.

The researcher also used group interview technique to utilize and lend breadth and richness to
the data. Its implication is that “group interviews can provide different kinds of data from
individual interviews” (Gillham, 2005). Instead of asking questions to each person in turn,
“participants will be encouraged to talk to one another: asking questions, exchanging anecdotes,
and commenting on each others‟ experiences and views, and thus generating data through
interaction” (Barbour & Kitzinger, 1999). Thus, the researcher invited volunteer students from
the sample (which were going to be conducted) of EFL learners for the group interview. The
interview questions were semi structured and contained a balance of open and closed items.

3.3.3. Classroom observation

In this method, the data about the anxiety factors in learning speaking skills, its effect and
strategies that teachers and students use to overcome such problems were collected by the
researcher‟s direct observation.

In the classroom observation, the researcher observed methodological factors such as teachers‟
approach towards error correctionb of the students, teachers‟ teaching methodology (using
different speaking activities in speaking classroom like role plays, games); the ways of students
in learning speaking classroom such as group discussion in the target language, gender factors
etc; and environmental and motivational factors. The researcher also observed how these factors
affect students‟ speaking practice in EFL classroom and strategies students and teachers use to
overcome the problem in detail.

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According to Ohata, (2005) the main purpose of classroom observation as a data collection tool
is that it can provide access to get first hand accurate information. In addition, the main
advantage of this method, according to Kothari (2006) is that subjective bias is eliminated. Since
using this method is independent of respondents‟ willingness to respond because it does not
demand any active co-operation from the respondents, the researcher filled all the semi proposed
checklist by observing what was happening in the spoken class room. Moreover, the researcher
obtained deep information about those anxiety factors and its effect as well as alleviation
strategies because he observed the speaking classroom repeatedly.

The researcher observed the speaking classroom repeatedly by proposing semi structured
checklist. The checklist which was prepared on the basis of themes by giving them suitable
headings and sub-headings like sources of anxiety (fear of negative evaluation, classroom
procedures, psychological pressure of making mistakes, teachers‟ misperception of errors, the
position of teachers in the class, teachers method of teaching, environmental factors); the effects
of anxiety in EFL speaking classroom; and strategies which are used by teachers and students to
cope with it. Thus, the study was conducted by employing semi-structured observation checklist
which combines both predetermined checklists and written notes. The advantage of this
combination is that the checklists can facilitate organizing observations, while written notes lead
to salient themes.

3.5. Data Analysis Procedures

Like data collection, data analysis and interpretation of results was made carefully. Both
quantitative and qualitative data analysis procedures were used. The data, collected through
questioner, interview and observation methods was analyzed and interpreted following the
grounded theory data analysis techniques and procedures. The grounded theory approach is a
quantitative and qualitative research method that “uses a systematic set of procedures to develop
grounded theory about a phenomenon” (Davidson, 2002). Its primary objective is “to
categorizing the relationships of those elements to the context (2002).

The questionnaire, interviews (both students‟ and teachers‟), and observation checklist, were
listed and transcribed as a process of data analysis and interpretation” (Gillham 2005). The data
was transcribed comprehensively and written down in the relevant section; sections were divided
on the basis of the three method categories for identification purposes (questionnaire, interview
and observation). In grounded theory, data analysis and the latter stages of data reduction like
coding, synthesis, etc. operate iteratively. Coding is a process of simultaneously reducing the
data by dividing it into units of analysis and coding each unit (Calloway et al., 1995). The raw
data which was emerged from students, English language teachers, and researcher‟ observation
about anxiety factors in EFL students‟ English language speaking skills and its effect on learning
was reduced into units of analyses on the basis of common themes and by analyzing the methods
of data collection tools. These units were codified by giving them suitable headings like sources
of anxiety (fear of negative evaluation, classroom procedures, psychological pressure of making
mistakes, teachers‟ misperception of errors, gender, teachers‟ method of teaching, environmental
factors, motivational factors); the effects of anxiety in EFL speaking classroom; and strategies
which are used by teachers and students to cope with it. For further reduction, these categories
were integrated and synthesized into three sets of core categories: factors, effects and alleviation
strategies. These categories were used to explain the phenomenon under investigation of
speaking problem, effects of it and strategies to overcome this problem which is the theory
developed based on the data.

13
To sum up the responses from students‟ questionnaires were analyzed and interpreted
quantitatively. Therefore, to organize and facilitate the analysis, the gathered data was put into
tables, and put into percentage manually. The qualitative data gained through interview and
observation as well as with open ended questionnaires were organized and analyzed descriptively
in line with the quantitative data. All the information from questionnaire, interview and
observation were analyzed simultaneously to cross check the internal consistency of the data.
Finally the processed data was summarized and presented by means of tabulation and
description.

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This Chapter deals with the analysis and interpretation of the data obtained through
questionnaire, interview and classroom observation. The subsequent part of the chapter has been
divided into four sections to discuss the anxiety-producing factors and ways of alleviation to
cope with it. These are (1) factors related to EFL learners, (2) factors related to classroom
procedures and teachers‟ teaching methodology, (3) socio-cultural factors and (4) the
manifestations of anxiety in speaking classroom and the strategies to cope with it.

4.1. Factors Related to Learners

4.1.1. Fear of making mistakes and apprehension about others’ evaluation

The evidence gained through past research supports the notion that language anxiety, for untold
number of learners, has its origin in the fear of making mistakes and attracting the derision of
classmates” (Jones, 2004).

Table 1: The students‟ responses whether or not they speak English language in spite of their hesitation to
use the language correctly and how they perceive their errors.

No Items Variables Number of percent

respondents
1 Do you speak English although Yes 49 39.20
you are not sure that you use the
language correctly? No 76 60.80

Total 125 100

2 When you speak English in the Positively because they give you 48 38.40
class you may make errors. How encouragement to do more
would you perceive them?
Negatively because they are sign of 61 48.80
failure
Neither positively nor negatively 16 12.80
Total 125 100

Table 1 (item No, 1) shows that 49(39.20%) of the respondents reported that even though they do
not know for sure the fact that they are capable of using the language necessarily. However, the
majority 76(60.80%) of the respondents replied that they do not speak English unless they

14
become certain that they are able to express themselves well. The implication of the result is
almost identical with the findings of Atkins and others (1996) and Norrish (1990) which states
that students value accuracy above everything else and thus they take much care not to commit
errors while speaking the language they do not know well. This in turn leads to conclusion that
students seem to lack knowledge about the attainment of accuracy through gradual process by
learning t= from the error made.

Table 1 (item No, 2) shows that most of the respondents 61(48.80%) perceive committing errors
negatively because they assume that errors are signs of failure. As a result of the fear of making
mistakes, some learners in open ended questionnaire expressed that learning and speaking a
foreign language in the classroom is difficult. The researcher also conducted interview with
English language teachers and students of the school and observed speaking classrooms in order
to strengthen the information gained through questionnaire. The findings of the study
nevertheless, were in agreement in this respect too. The interviewees frequently expressed that
learners feel afraid because of the fear of committing mistakes or errors in front of others, or in
Jones‟ words (2004) because of “a fear of appearing awkward, foolish and incompetent in the
eyes of learners‟ peers or others”. One learner stated that, “Classroom is always a problem …you
find many people watching you and try to correct you, laugh at you, you will be blamed for any
mistakes, and you have to be correct because it is a class”.

This implies that students have not understood the fact that errors are natural part of learning.
48(38.40%) of the respondents however, claimed that they perceive errors positively because
they give them encouragement for further practice. 16(12.80%) of the subjects on the other hand
reported that they perceive errors neither positively nor negatively as they do not give them sense
of encouragement or discouragement.

Table 2: The students‟ responses about time when they need to speak English language

Item Variables Number of percent

respondents
When do you speak English As your needs arise 45 36.00
language? When you are forced by your teacher 64 51.20
Not speak at all in spite of your needs 16 12.80
Total 125 100

Table „2‟ indicates that more than half of the respondents 64(51.20%) claimed that they speak
English language only when they are pressurized by their teacher. 45(36%) of the respondents
reported that they speak English any time as their needs arise. However, 16(12.80%) of the
respondents said that they do not speak English at all in spite of their needs. The researcher also
made observation in speaking classroom in order to strengthen the responses obtained through
questionnaire. The results of the observation too reveal that the majority of the students had no
self initiation to speak in English but few students tried their level best to communicate in
English with their teachers and classmates in classroom activities. From these results it can be
concluded that students are very much reluctant to speak English unless there is external pressure
that forces them to do so. This external pressure loads the students to make mistakes because at a
time they might not be ready to speak and this in turn makes them anxious to speak in speaking
classroom. In other words, this may imply that they have no motivation for learning English to
develop their skills of speaking.

15
Table 3: The students’ responses about their shyness when they become a point of ridicule.

Item Variables Number of respondents Percent

Do you get embarrassed if you are ridiculed Yes 77 61.60
by your classmates while speaking in a class? No 48 38.40
Total 125 100

Table „3‟ shows that the majority of the respondents (61.60%) are embarrassed when they
become a point of being ridiculed while speaking in a class. Thus, it appears that frustration
experienced when a learner is unable to communicate a message can lead to avoid classroom
participation because they are either unsure of what they are saying or lose confidence when
giving an answer to a question in the classroom. But 38.40% of the subjects replied that they do
not feel shy although they are laughed at by their classmates. The fact that more than 60% of the
respondents are anxious as a result of being a point of ridicule seems to reveal that students do
not have confidence on their speech or they lack self confidence.

This implies that in the line with the study of Gregersen and Horwitz (2002), fear of making
mistakes has been found to be strongly linked with the learners‟ concern to save their positive
image or impression in the mind of their teacher and peers.

4.2. Factors Related to Classroom Procedures and Language Teachers

4.2.1 Classroom procedure

Table 4: The students’ responses about the situations which cause anxiety in speaking classroom.

Item Variables Number of Percent

respondents
What kinds of situations Speaking in strict and formal classroom 117 93.60
cause stress or anxiety for environment
you while speaking Giving presentation in the classroom 103 82.40
English in speaking
classroom? Speaking in front of English teachers 100 80.00
Speaking in front of males/females students 91 72.80
Total 521 416.80

Table 4 shows that 93.60% of the respondents said that the development of their speaking skills
is largely affected by strict and formal classroom environment where learners are asked to speak
in the class. The interviewees also appeared to be blaming a strict and formal classroom
environment as it is a significant cause of their language anxiety. They view the classroom a
place where their mistakes are noticed and their deficiencies are pointed out by their classmates
and by their teacher. That is why 80% of the respondents asserted that speaking in front of
English teachers is one of anxiety provoking factor. With regard to this issue, one EFL learner
expressed, “I feel more anxiety in the class because it is more formal (due to the presence of the
teacher) but out of class I don‟t feel stress, talk to my friends, not afraid of mistakes”. Thus, these
perceptions, can be considered a clear indication that the teachers should recognize that the
language classroom could become a highly anxiety-provoking environment for students (Ohata,

16
2005). 82.40% of the respondents also noted that giving a short talk or presentation in the class is
also a highly anxiety inducing factor for EFL learners. The interviewees asserted that speaking in
front of the whole class caused anxiety for most of the learners. One EFL student expressed, “In
class may be I stand up and do the presentation, I usually feel nervous”. Thus, it can be
concluded that a large number of EFL learners considered oral presentation as the most anxiety-
provoking activity in the class.

4.2.2. The role of language teachers in speaking classroom

This study as found by Horwitz (1999), students‟ embarrassment may be aggravated by the role
played by language teachers in the class. The teachers‟ reaction towards errors and beliefs about
language learning and teaching, and the way they create stressful environment in the class have
been significantly related to foreign language anxiety.

Table 5: The students’ responses about teachers’ reaction towards learners’ errors

Item Variables Number of respondents Percent

How your teacher is reacting to Positively 60 48.00
learners‟ errors? Negatively 35 28.00
None 30 24.00
Total 125 100

Table 5 indicates that, 28% of the respondents said that their teachers‟ have negative attitudes
towards errors, that is teachers consider errors as a sign of failure either from the students‟ part or
from the teachers‟ part. The authoritative, embarrassing and humiliating attitude of the teachers
towards students, particularly when they make mistakes, can have severe consequences on
learners‟ cognition and their willingness to communicate in the class. A learner‟s mistake, as
Jones (2004) views, “may bring about humiliating punishment from the teacher under the
concentrated gaze of one‟s peers”. The majority of the respondents (48%) claimed that their
teachers‟ have positive attitude towards errors. 24% of the respondents nevertheless, replied that
their teachers have neither positive nor negative attitude towards errors. This implies that they
are not over conscious of students‟ errors for a completely praiseworthy desire to teach the best
possible form of the language. Thus, it can be suggested that teachers‟ views or perceptions
about learning a language and their ways of error correction are crucial factors to be considered
in order to alleviate language anxiety. In other words, teachers do not criticize their students for
making mistakes in teaching learning process rather they seem to encourage them to go ahead
and learn from their errors through practice in the long run.

Table 6: The students’ response whether or not they are motivated by their teacher during oral
classes or not.

Item Variables Number of respondents percent

Does the teacher motivate you to Yes 53 42.40
speak English during oral classes? No 72 57.60
Total 125 100

From table „6‟ one can see that the majority of the respondents (57.60%) revealed that their
teachers‟ do not motivate them to speak in the target language (English) during oral classes.

17
42.40% of the respondents answered that their teachers‟ motivate them to speak English. The
same question was asked through the interview made with four teachers of the school. All of the
respondents (4 teachers) stated that in spite of the recklessness of their students, they motivate
them to speak English actively in oral classes. This result seems to contradict with the result
found through the questionnaire because the majority of the subjects asked through the
questionnaire responded that their teachers do not motivate them to speak English. The
contradiction may have occurred because both the students and teachers do not want to be
blamed for failure by exposing their negative side. Nevertheless, the researcher conducted
observation to check the actual situation. As a result of the observation the researcher found that
teachers motivate their students to speak English during oral classes in spite of the carelessness
of the students. This result therefore, fallcifies the response of the students.

Asked about the techniques the teachers employ to motivate their students to speak English, the
minority of the respondents of the questionnaire and all of the respondents of the interview
almost collectively listed the same techniques of motivation summarized below.
- Get students in groups and make each individual express his/her view.
- Raise argumentative questions that make all students find themselves in a hot debate
using the target language unconsciously.
- Praise any contributions the students make in a class.

Table 7: The students’ responses about the extent of talking time covered by either students or teachers in a
class

Item Variables Number of respondents Percent

By whom is more time of speaking in Teacher 67 53.60
the class covered Students 58 46.40
Total 125 100

From table 7 one can note that 53.60% of the respondents said that the teachers have more time
of talking in the whole period covered during oral classes that is the talk is mainly channeled
through teachers as cited in Jordan (1997). But 46.40% of the respondents claimed that they have
more time of talking than teacher in a class. This result may imply that teachers have relatively
dominant position in a class, and thus students find it difficult to extend their opportunities of
talking time. However, the result of the observation seems to contradict with the result of the
questionnaire because the researcher found through observation the fact that teachers give more
opportunities of speaking for students. But the students are very much reluctant to implement
what they are told to do.

Table 8: The students’ responses regarding to what extent teachers emphasize on speaking in
teaching learning process.

Item Variables Number of Percent

respondents
What do teachers emphasize Vocabulary and grammar rules 69 55.20
in teaching learning process Oral language skills 15 12

18
in a class? Reading and writing 41 32.80
Total 125 100

Table „8‟ reveals that the majority of the respondents (55.20%) reflected that teachers emphasize
more on vocabulary and grammar rules; only 12% of the subjects replied that oral language skills
(speaking and listening) are emphasized more in a class and the remaining 32.80% of the
respondents on the other hand, responded that teachers emphasize more on reading and writing
skills. From the finding it can be concluded that speaking skills are not given due attention by the
teachers, thus students have little chance of developing speaking skills since they are not taught
in a class intensively.

4.3. Socio-Cultural Factors

The findings discussed in the previous section in relation to learners‟ fear of making mistakes,
teachers‟ method of teaching, and the classroom setting while learning, speaking contribute
greatly to causing learners‟ anxiety. In addition to these factors, according to Jones (2004), the
social context learners belong to, social status, their own sense of foreignness while speaking a
language other than mother tongue; gender, etc. have also been found to be linked with EFL
learners‟ anxiety provoking factors. Some interviewees even remarked that social factors are a
more important cause of language anxiety than fear of making mistakes and teachers‟ method of
teaching. This section discusses some socio-cultural factors that can help explaining the sources
of EFL anxiety for EFL students.

Table 9: The students’ responses about the socio-cultural factors that cause language anxiety for
EFL learners

Item Variables Number of Percent

respondents
What are the socio-cultural Environmental factors (limited 120 96.00
factors that cause language exposure to the target language)
anxiety for EFL learners?
Social status 81 64.80
Sense of foreignness (other than L1) 57 45.60
Gender 80 64.00
Total 338 270.40

4.3.1. Social environment and limited exposure to the target language

The respondents of the questionnaire stated that limited exposure to the target language (English)
is a serious obstacle in the development of their communicative competency. According to
Lightbown (2006) limited exposure to the target language is troubling for EFL learners when
they are required to speak. In table 9 above one can see that 96% of the respondents said that the
major source of anxiety for EFL learners is environment. In other words the development of their
speaking skills is highly affected by environmental factors which are the amount of exposure in
which students‟ takes place in the target language. As one grade 12 learner of the school said in
this regard, “We could practice English only in the class, out of the class, no practice; lack of
chances or practice”. From this it can be concluded that lack of exposure to the target language is

19
the main reason of EFL learners‟ anxiety while speaking English in an English-speaking
classroom.

4.3.2 Social status

The study also found that social status can have a considerable influence on speaking anxiety. In
Table 9, 64.80% of the respondents reported that social status has its own effect in provoking
students‟ anxiety while speaking in classroom. In other words, speakers‟ sense of inferiority
complex while talking to someone higher in status may cause stress or anxiety for them. In
accordance with the research on classroom interaction by Pica (1987), the study found that
unequal status between students and teachers can also be a source of anxiety for the students.
Speaking in a foreign language was found to be disturbing because of the fear that it might lead
to the loss of one‟s positive self-image or self-identity (Pica, 1987).

4.3.3 Gender

According to Table „9‟ shows, 64% of the subjects said that gender has its own effect on
students‟ speaking anxiety. 72.80% of the participants in table „4‟ also asserted that there are
different experiences of feeling anxiety or discomfort while talking to the opposite sex. As one
female EFL learner said, “I do worry when I speak in front of males because mostly I get them
only in the classroom”. This could suggest that where males and females study in separation out
of the school, they are more likely to feel communication anxiety when they are asked to speak
in speaking classroom.
Table 10: The students’ responses about the causes of classroom speaking anxiety in comparison.

Item Variables Number of Percent

respondents
Which factors are Fearing of making mistakes 117 93.60
more importantly
Teachers perception towards errors 105 84.00
provoke anxiety
during English Lack of motivation 117 93.60
speaking classroom? Lack of authentic environment to speak 102 81.60
English language
Social status 100 80.00
Gender related factors 80 64.00
Total 621 496.80

Table „10‟ reveals that 93.60% of the respondents said that anxiety which affects the
development of their speaking skills is equally provoked by both lack of motivation and fear of
making mistakes. 84% of the subjects responded that the direct causes of students‟ anxiety while
speaking in the classroom is rooted in teachers poor teaching methods. 81.60% of the
respondents reported that lack of authentic environment (absence of English language input from
the environment community) is accountable for anxiety inside speaking English language. 80%
of the respondents claimed that social status affects their speaking activities during spoken
classes. Only 64% of the subjects, however, replied that the gender related factors provoke
anxiety in speaking classroom. In order to get more information about the factors of anxiety that
affect students while speaking in classroom, the researcher also made interview with four
English teachers of the school. All the respondents (4) pointed out that fear of making mistakes,
lack of motivation, and lack of authentic environment to speak English language are the potential

20
factors that provoke anxiety in speaking classroom. Half of the subjects (2) also further reported
that the socio-cultural factors like gender, status, power relations etc. also induce anxiety in
classroom.

The respondents were also requested to put the major factors of speaking anxiety in order of their
importance. On the basis of the data collected through questionnaire, fear of making mistakes
and lack of motivation concurrently come first, teachers perception towards errors takes the
second position, environmental factors take the third position, and social status and gender
factors comes forth and fifth respectively. However, according to the data obtained through
interview and observation checklist, fear of making mistakes comes first; lack of motivation
takes the second position. From this it can be inferred that the major factors that provoke anxiety
during English speaking classroom are: fearing of making mistakes, lack of motivation, teachers‟
misperception of errors, environmental factors, status and gender factors respectively.

4.4. Manifestation of Language Anxiety and Its Effective Alleviation

4.4.1 Manifestation

Learners‟ anxiety while speaking in EFL classroom is manifested in a variety of different ways.
Language teachers can therefore, recognize these manifestations and then can begin to explore
their teaching strategies to alleviate learners‟ anxiety.

Table 11: The students‟ responses about the manifestation of anxiety in EFL speaking classroom.

Item Variable Number of Percent

respondents
What do you do in a stressful Getting nervous quickly 114 91.20
situation while speaking Use short broken sentences 117 93.60
English?
Quickly finish the conversation 113 90.40
Total 344 275.20

The obvious signs of anxiety students manifest according to Jones (2004) are getting nervous,
blushing, rubbing the palms, perspiration, staggered voice, reluctance, poor performance in
spoken activities, less enthusiasm or willingness to speak, less interpretativeness, less eye-
contact, reading from the script while giving presentation, either too fast or too slow speed of
speech, etc. in this connection, table „11‟ reveals that 91.20% of the respondents said that
students get nervous in stressful situation while speaking in oral classes, However, 93.60% and
90.40% of the subjects use short and broken sentences and try to finish the conversation quickly
in speaking classroom respectively.

In addition to using questionnaire, the researcher also used interview and classroom observation
in order to understand the real manifestation of anxiety in speaking classroom. Some learners
stated that when they are asked to speak in speaking classroom, they usually get nervous, start
shaking while speaking, mix another idea without the point of discussion, stop speaking, etc. One
EFL learner said, “I try to skip away from the situation. I won‟t go into much detail because I
know my weakness.” Similarly, another student said, “I‟ll stop speaking, stop conversation about
this point, I don‟t want to show to my class that I am nervous”. It can be concluded that EFL
learners show different signs of anxiety while speaking in the classroom.

21
4.4.2 Strategies to cope with language anxiety

Table 12: The students‟ responses about suggestions of reducing language anxiety in speaking classroom.

Item Variables Number of

respondents Percent
What would you like to Creating friendly classroom environment 113 90.40
suggest in order reducing Students should be encouraged to speak and 109 87.20
language anxiety in not to get worried about errors
speaking classroom?
Positive feedback should be given 105 84.00
Total 327 261.60

Table „12‟ shows the majority of the respondents (90.40%) reported that creating friendly
classroom environment is essential in order to alleviate anxiety from students while learning
speaking in speaking classroom. 87.20% of the subjects also reveals that students should be
encouraged to speak and not to get worried about errors. The rest 84% of the respondents
provided their report to alleviate students speaking anxiety by giving them positive feedback
while speaking in speaking classroom. In addition to this, One English teacher states that to
create less stressful classroom environment, teachers should create situations where students can
feel successful in using English and avoid setting up the activities that increase the chances for
the students to fail. In the line with this, another teacher asserted that in order to make the
classroom a safe and less anxiety-provoking place, the friendly and encouraging role of the
teachers in speaking classroom is crucial. According to Jones (2004), language anxiety, “being
an unsettling psychological construct”, has been found to make a huge difference in learning to
speak a foreign language. Many studies on language anxiety have suggested a variety of
strategies to successfully cope with this multifaceted dilemma and this study follows the same
pattern. Interestingly, both teachers and students of the school seemed to have given adequate
thought to the ways of reducing language anxiety.

In Price‟s (1991) interview study, the most frequent observation of the subjects was that, “they
would feel more comfortable if the teachers were more like a friend helping them to learn and
less like an authority figure making them to perform”. A general feeling among the teachers and
the students was that the students‟ confidence should be developed to make do not worry about
making mistakes while using the language. In other words, teachers should talk about the role of
mistakes in speaking classroom and should assert that mistakes are the natural part of learning in
the class.

5. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter deals with the summary and conclusions drawn from the major findings of the
study. It also presents possible recommendations forwarded by the researcher based on the
conclusions.

5.1 Summary

22
In this study, a variety of causal factors and its effect found in EFL speaking classroom is
discussed. The study provided that language anxiety most possibly can originate from learners‟
fear of negative evaluation by their teachers and classmates, teachers‟ inappropriate teaching
methodology, differences in social status of the speakers, etc. In the first two parts of the study,
the factors related to the students‟ fear of making mistakes, inappropriate teachers‟ teaching
methodology and classroom procedures, and factors related to socio-cultural perspectives have
been discussed under various headings like, fear of making mistakes, classroom environment ,
etc. The socio-cultural factors like, limited exposure to the target language, social status and,
gender, etc. have been discussed in the second part. In the third part, effects of anxiety, and a
variety of strategies have been discussed to successfully cope with the language anxiety. The
findings also suggest the importance of identification and knowledge of these factors by
language teachers in order to assist students to make progress in their speaking development.

5.2. Conclusions

As stated in chapter one, the major objectives of this study were to assess the anxiety factors that
hinder the development of EFL students‟ English language speaking skills and its effect in EFL
speaking classroom.

On the basis of the results obtained from responses to questionnaires, classroom observations and
interviews of teachers and students, the following conclusions have been drawn:

Almost all the research subjects had high theoretical orientations and understanding that EFL
learners feel anxiety and nervousness while speaking English in front of others, its sources, how
it affects students speaking and strategies to overcome it. On the other hand, the teachers made it
clear that they did not get adequate training on the practical aspects of how they can teach in
speaking classroom where EFL learners‟ anxiety. Therefore, it seemed that there was a gap between
the teachers‟ theoretical knowledge of speaking anxiety and their practical aspects of teaching in
anxious classrooms.

The anxiety provoking situations (causes of anxiety) just as Jones (2004) listed could be
included in classroom interaction in the form of open class forum, group participation or class
presentation, or giving a short talk in the classroom, limited exposure to the target language,
fearing of evaluation by the classmates and teachers, lack of motivation, etc. What makes a
foreign language classroom a highly anxiety-evoking place is its evaluative nature: evaluation by
the teachers, peers, and by learners themselves accompanied by high expectations and beliefs
about EFL learning. It was found that the feelings of anxiety become more threatening when the
language teachers‟ manner of error correction is rigid.

The strategies found in this study, as well as recommended by the researchers, could “certainly
work as prescription for anxiety but it might as easily be advice on „what good teachers‟ should
routinely do” (Oxford, 1999: cited in Jones, 2004). All such advice is excellent but also
applicable to students who do not show signs of anxiety; therefore, the advice cannot be other
than general (2004). Language anxiety, it can be postulated, may not require any „special
treatment‟ but what it does demand is the careful attitude of the language teachers in order to
understand and to effectively diagnose this phenomenon in the learners (2004). Then, it requires
the application of modern approaches that lay emphasis on enhancing learning opportunities in
an environment that is conducive to learning.

23
5.3. Recommendations

This study was conducted not only to identify causes o anxiety but also to recommend some
solutions that may help to resolve the prevailing problems. Therefore, the researcher forwarded
the following constructive recommendations based on the conclusions drawn above.

1. It would be advisable for EFL teachers to acknowledge the existence of anxiety in

learning speaking English language and then should take initiatives for its effective
reduction even if they cannot completely alleviate it.
2. Teachers should make a great effort in order to get students to avoid the habit of fear of
making mistakes while speaking English by telling them that mistakes are the part and
parcel of learning, and that they are the way to attain accuracy. Furthermore, teachers‟
error correction, and selection of error correction techniques as Horwitz et al. (1986)
recommended, should be based up on reducing defensive reactions in students.
3. Teachers should motivate their students to speak in English in a class by finding the
students‟ likes and dislikes and applying new teaching techniques. They should also give
works and activities that may arouse the students‟ interest and provoke positive reactions
from them.
4. As students reported lack of practice of speaking skill, a truly communicative approach
should be adopted to provide students with more chances to practice their speaking skill.
5. Teachers should withdraw themselves from the central dominant position in a class so
that students get wide opportunities to interact with one another in their speaking
activities.
6. In the classroom discussion, it should be ensured that students are provided friendly,
informal and learning-supportive environments. This can be done by teachers‟ friendly,
helpful and cooperative behavior, making students feel comfortable when speaking in the
class.
7. To encourage students to feel successful in using English, teachers should avoid setting
up activities that enhance the chances for them to fail. They should also make sure
whether the students are ready for the given activity and have sufficient ideas and lexis to
complete the task successfully.
8. The government should provide English language teachers with regular in service
training so as to make them pay due attention to speaking skills and create awareness
about the effect of ignoring speaking in English tests.
9. Further consecutive research should be conducted in the area of language anxiety from
both causal and remedial perspectives.

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