Open AccessSituation-Specific Speaking Anxiety: University-Level Students’ Experiences
Author(s) -
Abdulrahman Alzamil
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
international journal of english linguistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1923-8703
pISSN - 1923-869X
DOI - 10.5539/ijel.v12n2p18
Subject(s) - psychology , likert scale , anxiety , public speaking , fear of negative evaluation , social psychology , scale (ratio) , point (geometry) , medical education , developmental psychology , linguistics , medicine , social anxiety , psychiatry , philosophy , physics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics
Second language (L2) learners are very keen to master speaking in their L2, and this is among the most important of all language skills. However, speaking anxiety is a major obstacle to successful L2 learning. This study was designed to investigate university-level students’ attitudes towards speaking in English and their experience of anxiety. 81 participants who majored in English with an average age of 21.8 years were recruited. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews and administered a four-point Likert-scale questionnaire with 18 items, designed to address three constructs: a) fear of speaking in English; b) fear of making mistakes in English; and c) fear of being judged by others. The findings showed that although the participants were generally unconcerned about speaking English, their attitudes were different when they were asked about specific situations. When asked about their fear of making mistakes in front of their classmates, or of being judged by them, they agreed that in those circumstances they would experience anxiety.