HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES --------------- TRAN NGUYEN BICH HA STRATEGIES TO REDUCE LANGUAGE ANXIETY IN SPEAKING AMONG EFL VIETNAMESE LEARNERS: STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, University of Foreign Languages, Hue University THUA THIEN HUE, 2022 HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES --------------- TRAN NGUYEN BICH HA STRATEGIES TO REDUCE LANGUAGE ANXIETY IN SPEAKING AMONG EFL VIETNAMESE LEARNERS: STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 8140111 SUPERVISOR: ASSOC. TRUONG VIEN THUA THIEN HUE, 2022 ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ --------------- TRẦN NGUYỄN BÍCH HÀ NHỮNG CHIẾN LƯỢC GIẢM THIỂU LO LẮNG NGÔN NGỮ TRONG VIỆC NÓI TIẾNG ANH CỦA CÁC HỌC SINH VIỆT NAM: TỪ KHÍA CẠNH NGƯỜI HỌC LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 8140111 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: PGS. TRƯƠNG VIÊN THỪA THIÊN HUẾ, 2022 STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree in any university. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, my thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself.
i ABSTRACT The mixed method study was conducted to investigate the perceptions of EFL learners' perceptions of language anxiety in speaking in an EFL context and strategies that are considered helpful to the students to implement in reducing their language anxiety while speaking. The participants were 100 upper secondary school students from two high schools located in Thua Thien Hue province, in which English was a compulsory subject in the curriculum. The data collected from survey questionnaires and semi-structured interviews indicate various reasons for EFL learners' language anxiety when they learn to speak, the effects of language anxiety on learners’ spoken performances, and the strategies which could help them reduce the anxiety, from their views. The survey questionnaires were adapted from the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale, aimed to measure the mean values of learners’ agreement on the statement related to factors causing language anxiety in speaking, effects of the anxiety on speaking performances, and the strategies which helpful to reduce the anxiety.
Combining with the one – one interviews, the study revealed the underlying phenomenon related to learner’s perceptions of language anxiety, and strategies should be used to reduce language anxiety. The results indicated students tended to feel anxious since they had fear of getting negative evaluation, communication apprehension, test anxiety, and lack of linguistic competence when speaking English. Besides, language anxiety could be the motivation for them to make efforts to achieve learning tasks, however, it stopped them from getting new language knowledge, broaden the social networks, getting desired careers, and be proficient in English oral exams. The study also revealed the strategies from learners’ perspectives to help reduce language anxiety, which involved teachers’ supportive attitudes, encouraging feedbacks, and students’ frequent practice of speaking English.
ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It has been an arduous journey to get through when I conduct this study. It is a part of a series of unexpected occasions which have brought me struggles to deal with. Fortunately, I finally completed my study, with great instructions, patience and support from my supervisor – Assoc. Truong Vien, my family: my dear father, mother and my younger brother who have helped me to manage my stress during the process of conducting the research.
I would like to show my appreciations to the English Department of Hue University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, teachers and students at Nguyen Chi Thanh and Gia Hoi upper secondary schools, Thua Thien Hue province, and my beloved friends Hanh Nguyen, Phu Lam, Khanh Ngan, Nhat Ly who have given me their encouragements, so that I am able to keep on going this challenging path. Finally, the one who just surprisingly appeared in my life at nearly the end of my research conducting process, my boyfriend, who has given me encouraging words, and love, so that I could complete the thesis. I really appreciate his care. Doing research is a new experience in my lifetime, which I have never had before, therefore, it is, for me, a memorable journey.
I have found my own limitations, and my strengths, as well. I extremely appreciate my own efforts to complete the research in such a short and hard period of times, with great concentration and contribution to the results. Thua Thien Hue, December 20th, 2022 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Statement of original authorship. iii Table of contents.
iv List of tables. vi List of figures. vii Chapter 1: Introduction. Rationale of the study.
Objectives of the study. Scope of the study. Overview of the study. 3 Chapter 2: Literature Review.
Overview of Speaking. Definition of Speaking. Components of Speaking. Conceptualization of language anxiety.
Factors contributing to language anxiety in speaking. Effects of language anxiety on EFL learners’ speaking. Strategies to reduce language anxiety in speaking. Summary of the chapter.
Data collection instruments. Data collection procedure. Summary of the chapter. 28 Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion.
Overall mean scores of three clusters. EFL learners’ perceptions of language anxiety in speaking among EFL earners. Strategies to help reduce language anxiety among EFL learners in speaking English language, under students’ perspectives. EFL learners’ perceptions of language anxiety in speaking English language.
Strategies to reduce language anxiety under learners’ perspectives. Summary of The chapter. 56 Chapter 5: Conclusion and Implication. Summary of the chapter.
Summary of finding. Implication for teachers. Implications for students. Limitations of the study.
Suggestions for further studies. 74 v List of Tables Table 1. Number of items in each cluster of the questionnaire Table 2. Measurement of the reliability of the three cluster Table 3.
Mean score interpretation by Moidunny (2009) Table 4. Descriptive statistics of overall mean scores of three clusters Table 5. One sample T test analysis of mean scores of three clusters Table 6. Mean values of students’ agreement with given statements on the factors causing language anxiety in speaking Table 7.
Mean values of students’ agreement with given statements on the effects of language anxiety on EFL learners’ speaking performances Table 8. Mean values of learners’ agreements on strategies to reduce language anxiety in speaking performances vi List of Figures Figure 1. Importance of speaking skill in English language learning Figure 2. Factors causing learners’ language anxiety in speaking skill Figure 3.
Effects of language anxiety on learners’ speaking performances Figure 4. Strategies to reduce language anxiety in learners’ speaking performances vii Chapter 1: Introduction The chapter presents the rationale of the study, the aims to conduct the study, and the research questions, addressed to find the results for the issue raised. Then, the scope of the study is presented as well. Rationale of the study In learning English, many things must be learned.
They are listening, speaking, writing, and reading. To master it, all need processes, and it is not instantaneous. The learning process can be obtained from anywhere, not always in the classroom. That is why the environment supports mastering and encouraging learning, like interacting with people.
Learning English can also be from books, music, or watching movies that support English. In learning, there is not always a same between theory and practice. Several people can be good in terms of theory but not in practice, and vice versa. Many obstacles hinder the fluency of English language skills, like when the students are asked to speak in English.
Fear often arises in them. That will destroy their performance. This feeling of fear is called language anxiety or, specifically speaking, anxiety. This anxiety can trigger other harmful things.
In this point, the writer will discuss speaking itself, the type of anxiety, and the factors that cause anxiety in speaking English. Language anxiety in speaking a foreign or second language is becoming an important area of research in educational professional development. Debilitating language anxiety can result in intense effects on the language learning process. This study examines language anxiety and how to reduce it from students' perspectives in the foreign language speaking process.
Concerning the issue raised in the research topic, there are four core questions, which need to be raised, aimed to find out the factors contributing to language anxiety in learning to speak a foreign language, specifically English language : (1) Do 1 speaking activities indeed make students nervous?; (2) If so, what about speaking makes students anxious?; (3)Which makes students particularly uncomfortable in speaking activities?; (4) Can EFL teachers do anything to reduce the anxiety, particularly language anxiety, in the classroom, under the perspectives of learners? This study investigates students’ perceptions of strategies to reduce language anxiety in speaking manifested in EFL Vietnamese learners. Moreover, this study aims to explore the numerous factors that cause language anxiety for EFL learners in speaking practice, the effects of language anxiety on learners’ oral performances, and the strategies which should be used to help learners reduce language anxiety in oral performances. Objectives of the study The study aimed to give a closer view into: - Identifying some causes of language anxiety when performing speaking skills in EFL learners - Investigating the effect of language anxiety on the speaking performance of EFL learners - The strategies taken in terms of learners, to reduce language anxiety regarding speaking in EFL classes. Significance of the study The research carried out, investigating into the strategies to reduce language anxiety in speaking among English Foreign Language learners, with goals to be expected to achieve as following: - First, the study is hoped to find and understand the thought of views from the roles of learners, who are directly involved in English language learning, about the concept of speaking anxiety, the factors causing the anxiety in speaking practice, and the challenges which EFL learners have dealt in performing spoken production, caused by the anxiety in learning a foreign language.
2 - Secondly, the study is expected to help both the learners and the teachers to find out the strategies which help learners reduce speaking anxiety under the context of EFL classes. What are learners’ perceptions of language anxiety in speaking in EFL classes? + What are the factors which cause language anxiety when performing the speaking skills of EFL learners? + How does language anxiety affect EFL learners’ speaking performance? 2. What strategies should be applied to help EFL learners reduce their language anxiety in speaking? 1. Scope of the study The data were collected from 100 EFL learners from Gia Hoi and Nguyen Chi Thanh upper secondary schools, in Thua Thien Hue Province, about their perceptions of language anxiety in speaking in EFL classes, the factors contributing to the language anxiety in speaking a foreign language, the effects of the anxiety on learners’ speaking procedures, and the strategies to reduce language anxiety, which frequently occurs in oral performances in EFL speaking sessions.
Overview of the study The study consists of five chapters: Chapter 1 (Introduction): reveals the rationale of the study under the context of EFL learning in Vietnam, the objectives of the study, research questions, and scope of the study. Chapter 2 (Literature review): provides the theoretical framework for the language anxiety in EFL learning, and its correlation with the speaking skills. 3 Chapter 3 (Methodology): describes the research methods used in the study, the number of participants, the data collection and data analysis tools, data collection and analysis procedures. Chapter 4 (Findings and Discussion): analyzes the results of the data collected in questionnaires and interviews.