Effectiveness of Psychoeducational Group Training on Turkish EFL Learners’ English Speaking Anxiety

Abstract

Feelings of anxiety, apprehension, and nervousness, which are widely reported by foreign language (FL) learners, may cause learners to fail in achieving their desired goals, and they can lose motivation due to the detrimental effects of these feelings. Therefore, the purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to investigate the effectiveness of psychoeducational group training based on cognitive behavioural techniques (CBTs) to reduce the English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ English speaking anxiety and (2) to increase the learners’ subjective wellbeing through subjective wellbeing-increasing activities (SWIAs). This study examined an experimental group and a control group consisting of eight English preparatory school students in each group. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) were used as pre- and post-tests to identify any improvements over ten sessions. Then, the participants came together for a follow-up session after one year. The data were analysed with the Mann-Whitney U Test, the Wilcoxon signed ranks test, and the Friedman test. The findings revealed that the sessions were effective on all variables, with significant increases in the post-test scores of the experimental group regarding positive affect, negative affect, life satisfaction, and state anxiety; however, there were no statistically significant changes in the post-test scores of the control group for any variables. In sum, the findings were significantly different in terms of the post-test scores of the experimental group.

Keywords

• Speaking anxiety,subjective well-being,cognitive-behavioral techniques,life satisfaction

İngilizceyi Yabancı Dil Olarak Öğrenen Türk Öğrencilerin İngilizce Konuşma Kaygısına Yönelik Psikoeğitim Grup Çalışması

Abstract

Yabancı dil öğrencilerinin sıklıkla dile getirdikleri kaygı, gerginlik ve endişe gibi duygular barındırdıkları negatif etkilerden ötürü hedeflere ulaşamama ve motivasyon kaybına neden olabilmektedir. Bu nedenle, bu çalışmanın iki amacı vardır: (1) Bilişsel Davranışçı Tekniklere dayalı psikoeğitim grup çalışmasının Yabancı Dil olarak İngilizce öğrenen Türk öğrencilerinin İngilizce konuşma kaygısını azaltmadaki etkililiğini incelemek; (2) öznel iyi oluşu artırmaya yönelik aktivitelerle öğrencilerin öznel iyi oluşlarını artırmaktır. Çalışmada, her iki grupta sekiz hazırlık sınıfı öğrencisi olmak üzere bir deneysel ve bir kontrol grubu yer almaktadır. On oturum boyunca her bir oturumda ilerlemenin olup olmadığını test etmek amacıyla Pozitif ve Negatif Duygulanım Ölçeği, Durum-Süreklilik Kaygı Ölçeği ve Yaşam Doyumu Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Katılımcılar, oturumların tamamlanmasından bir yıl sonra bir izleme oturumuna katılmışlardır. Veriler Mann-Whitney U Testi, Wilcoxon İşaretli Sıralar Testi ve Friedman Testi ile analize alınmıştır. Bulgular; deney grubundaki katılımcıların yer aldığı oturumların pozitif duygulanım, negatif duygulanım, yaşam doyumu ve durumluk kaygı puanlarının dâhil olduğu tüm son-testlerde değişkenler üzerinde etkili olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Ancak, kontrol grubunda yer alan katılımcıların son-test puanlarında herhangi bir değişken açısından istatistiksel bir farklılığa rastlanmamıştır. Özetle, deney grubunun son puanlarında anlamlı bir farklılık olduğu saptanmıştır.

Keywords

• Konuşma kaygısı,öznel iyi-oluş,bilişsel-davranışçı teknikler,yaşam doyumu

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