Presentation On ESL

Influence of Speech Anxiety on
Oral Communication Skills

among ESL/EFL Learners
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Abstract:
● The realisation of speech anxiety among ESL/EFL learners is important.
● The study has attempted to measure the level of anxiety among ESL/EFL learners at HITEC
University, Taxila, Pakistan.
● The current research has arrived at the conclusion that the target population is highly in situation
where they are required to speak English.
● The findings show that resources such as pedagogical, psychological, socio economic, linguistic
and cultural generate anxiety among the ESL learners.
● The study has suggested variety of strategies to treat anxiety in the academic context.
● It was found that communicative approach in classroom may be helpful in minimizing the
negative impact of the anxiety among language Learners.
Keywords
Speech anxiety, communicative approach, communication apprehension, FLA.
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1. Introduction
■ With the globalization, the university graduates are expected to be confident in oral
communications so that they can function effectively in the academy and professional and
civic lives.
■ To fulfill the demands of highly communicative global village, English has become the most
desired language of the world.
■ Every year, a lot of books are published and billion of dollars are utilized for learning English
as a second or foreign language.
■ Anxiety shakes the language learners’ confidence which adversely impeds their oral
performance in the target languages.
1.1 Statement of the problem
1.2 Data collection
1.3 Research Questions
1.4 Aims and objectives
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2. Literature review
● Speech anxiety is broadly used to refer to the apprehension experienced by
an individual when required to speak either in L1 or LE.
● Horwitz al (1986) define the anxiety as a type of shyness characterized by
fear or apprehension about communicating [orally] with people.
● MaCroskey,(1970) define its simply as a fear related to oral communication
physical, psychological, social and temporal dimensions of context play a
critical role in speech.
● Speech anxiety is a general phenomenon experienced by majority of L2
learners affecting both language and educational achievements
● Speech anxiety makes language learners frightened and shake their
confidence.
●
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3. Influence of anxiety on speaking skills
● Speech anxiety makes language learners frightened and shakes their
confidence which results in avoidance and withdrawal from speaking activities
in ESL/EFL classes.
● Students, who participate in classroom discussion, usually get more attention
and welcoming treatment from the instructors but shy students are considered
back benchers and dull.
● McCroskey and Daly(1976) concluded that even instructors tend to ignore or
consider learners with high speech anxiety or apprehension as low
achievers,and as a result do not expect much from them.
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4. Research methodology
● Blend of both quantitative and qualitative methods (pragmatic approach) was
adopted for the intended research.
● Data collected through FLCAS questionnaire was analyzed quantitatively and data
collected through interviews was investigated qualitatively.
● Due to this very fact, the result of the research reflects both the approaches.
● Data collected via FLCAS from 200 students enrolled in communication skills course
was examined quantitatively to measure the level of speech anxiety among EFL
learners.
● Based on the result of the questionnaire 10 subjects were selected for semi
structured interviews
● Data collected via interviews from high as well as low anxious subjects was
analyzed quantitatively.
● The detailed interviews with the 10 selected participants helped the researchers.
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5. Findings and discussion
● Based on the result of FLCAS questionnaire, 10 students were selected for
interviews.
● Five high anxious students were interviewed along with 5 less anxious
students.
● Questions related to anxiety provoking factors, symptoms of anxiety and
remedies of anxiety were asked from all the 10 selected subjects.
● The following factors were held responsible for anxiety by the subjects.
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5.1 Pedagogical factors:
5.1.1 Poor educational and economic background
5.1.2 Psychological factors
5.1.3 Linguistic factors
5.1.4 Social factors
5.2 Impact of speech anxiety
5.3 Remedies of speech anxiety
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6.Conclusion
● Hance it goes with out saying that speech anxiety and apprehension is the
major problem of English language learners the impeds their communicative
competence.
● In Pakistan English is taught to students since kindergarton but students lack
confidence and effective communication skills.
● As practice makes a man perfect and language has to be practiced if one
wants to learn and speak well.
● Once a learner stops practicing the target language speaking skills can never
be developed and whenever the learner is supposed to speak english he/ she
will be confused. nervous and anxious.
● Giving effective or communication skills in English is a multidimensional
process which depends on various factors.
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Reference
Allen, T. (2002). Charting a communicative pathway: Using assessment to guide curriculum development in a re-
vitalized general education plan. Communicative Education, 51(1), 26 – 39.
Daly, J. (1991). Understanding communication apprehension: An Introduction for language educators. In E. K.
Horwitz
& D. J. Young (Ed.), Language anxiety from theory and research to classroom implications. New Jersey: Prentice
Hall.
Devi, S. I. & Feroz F. S. (2002). Oral communication apprehension and communicative competence among
Electrical
Engineering undergraduates in UTeM. Journal of Human Capital Development,1(1), 1-10.
Ely, C. M. (1986). An analysis of discomfort, risk taking, sociability and motivation in the L2 Classroom. Language
Learning, 36, 1-25.
Gregersen, T., & Horwitz, E. K. (2002). Language learning and perfectionism: Anxious and non-anxious language
learners’ reactions to their own oral performance. The Modern Language Journal, 86(4), 562-570.
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language
Journal, 70, 125-132.
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Influence of Speech Anxiety on

Oral Communication Skills

Speech anxiety, communicative approach, communication apprehension, FLA.

● Can ask questions……

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