Investigating the Freshmen's Anxiety and Enjoyment through Online Speaking Skills Courses

Abstract

This quantitative research investigated freshmen’s Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) and Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety (FLSA) through online speaking skills courses in order to promote the quality of online foreign language speaking skills courses by determining hindering and facilitating factors. The present research sample consists of 722 participants from 33 universities’ English Language Teacher Education Programs. It was reached that a significant negative correlation was found between FLE and FLSA. In terms of gender, no significant correlation was found between participants’ gender and their FLE and FLSA. When the region variable effect on FLE and FLSA was analyzed, a significant correlation was detected between regions where the participants’ universities were placed and FLE and FLSA. The analysis also revealed that there was a significant correlation between the degree of plurilingualism and FLE and FLSA. Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between the perceived level of English proficiency and FLE and FLSA which showed that a higher perceived proficiency level was positively correlated with a higher FLE level and vice versa. Moreover, a significant correlation was revealed between speaking skills classroom environment preferences for speaking skills courses and FLE and FLSA; the ones with online classroom preference instead of face-to-face classroom showed higher FLE. In line with the results, pedagogical implications were offered.

Keywords

• Foreign language speaking anxiety
• foreign language enjoyment
• online foreign language learning
• undergraduate ELT students

Birinci Sınıf Öğrencilerinin Yabancı Dilde Kaygı Duyma ve Keyif Almalarının Çevrimiçi Konuşma Becerileri Dersi Üzerinden İncelenmesi

Abstract

Bu nicel araştırma, online konuşma becerileri dersleri aracılığıyla birinci sınıf öğrencilerin Yabancı Dilde Keyif Alma (YDKA) ve Yabancı Dil Konuşma Kaygısı (YDKK) inceleyerek çevrimiçi yabancı dil konuşma becerileri derslerinin kalitesini artırmayı amaçlamıştır. Bu doğrultuda, engelleyici ve kolaylaştırıcı faktörlerin belirlenmesi hedeflenmiştir. Bu araştırmanın örneklemini, 33 üniversitenin İngilizce Öğretmen Eğitimi Programları'ndan 722 katılımcı oluşturmaktadır. Yapılan analizler sonucunda YDKAve YDKK arasında önemli bir negatif korelasyon bulunduğu belirlenmiştir. Cinsiyet açısından, katılımcıların cinsiyeti ile YDKA ve YDKK arasında anlamlı bir korelasyon bulunmamıştır. Bölge değişkeninin YDKA ve YDKK üzerindeki etkisi analiz edildiğinde, katılımcıların üniversitelerinin bulunduğu bölgeler ile YDKA ve YDKK arasında anlamlı bir korelasyon saptanmıştır. Ayrıca, çokdillilik derecesi ile YDKA ve YDKK arasında anlamlı bir korelasyon bulunduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Dahası, algılanan İngilizce yeterlilik düzeyi ile YDKA ve YDKK arasında anlamlı bir korelasyon bulunmuş ve daha yüksek algılanan yeterlilik düzeyinin daha yüksek bir YDKA düzeyi ile pozitif korelasyon gösterdiği görülmüştür. Ayrıca, konuşma becerileri sınıf ortamı tercihlerinin YDKA ve YDKK ile anlamlı bir korelasyon gösterdiği ve yüz yüze sınıf yerine çevrimiçi sınıf tercih edenlerin daha yüksek YDKA'ya sahip olduğu belirlenmiştir. Sonuçlar doğrultusunda pedagojik öneriler sunulmuştur.

Keywords

• yabancı dil konuşma kaygısı
• yabancı dilde keyif alma
• çevrimiçi yabancı dil öğrenme
• İngilizce öğretmenliği lisans öğrencileri

References

1. Balemir, S. H. (2009). The sources of foreign language speaking anxiety and the relationship between proficiency level and degree of foreign language speaking anxiety (Unpublished Doctoral dissertation, Bilkent University, English Language Teaching department).
2. Bensalem, E. (2021). Classroom Enjoyment and Anxiety among: Does Gender Matter?. Vigo International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 18, 9-34.
3. Boudreau, C., MacIntyre, P. D., & Dewaele, J.M. (2018). Enjoyment and anxiety in second language communication: An idiodynamic approach. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 8, 149-170.
4. Botes, E., Dewaele, J. M., & Greiff, S. (2021). The development of a short-form foreign language enjoyment scale. The Modern Language Journal, 105(4),858-876.
5. Chen, Z., Zhang, P., Lin, Y., & Li, Y. (2021). Interactions of trait emotional intelligence, foreign language anxiety, and foreign language enjoyment in the foreign language speaking classroom. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1-21.
6. Dewaele, J. M. (2013). Emotions in multiple languages (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.
7. Dewaele, J. M., & Alfawzan, M. (2018). Does the effect of enjoyment outweigh that of anxiety in foreign language performance?. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 8(1), 21-45.
8. Dewaele, J. M., & Dewaele, L. (2017). The dynamic interactions in foreign language classroom anxiety and foreign language enjoyment of pupils aged 12 to 18.A pseudo longitudinal investigation. Journal of the European Second Language Association, 1(1), 12–22.

9. Dewaele, J. M., & Dewaele, L. (2020). Are foreign language learners’ enjoyment and anxiety specific to the teacher? An investigation into the dynamics of learners’ classroom emotions. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 10(1), 45-65.
10. Dewaele, J.-M., Magdalena, A. F., & Saito, K. (2019). The effect of perception of teacher characteristics on Spanish EFL Learners’ anxiety and enjoyment. Modern Language Journal, 103(2), 412-427.
11. Dewaele, J. M., Gkonou, C., & Mercer, S. (2018). Do ESL/EFL teachers’ emotional intelligence, teaching experience, proficiency and gender affect their classroom practice?. Emotions in second language teaching: Theory, research and teacher education, 125-141.
12. Dewaele, J. M., & Li, C. (2018). Editorial. In Dewaele, J.-M. (Ed.), Emotions in SLA [Special Issue]. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 8, 15-19.
13. Dewaele, J. M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2014). The two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 237–274.
14. Dewaele, J. M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2016). Foreign language enjoyment and foreign language classroom anxiety: The right and left feet of the language learner. Positive psychology in SLA, 215(236), 9781783095360-010
15. Dewaele, J. M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2019). The predictive power of multicultural personality traits, learner and teacher variables on foreign language enjoyment and anxiety. In Evidence-based second language pedagogy. 263-286.
16. Dewaele, J. M., MacIntyre, P. D., Boudreau, C., & Dewaele, L. (2016). Do girls have all the fun? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Theory and practice of second language acquisition, 2(1), 41-63
17. Dewey, D. P., Belnap, R. K., & Steffen, P. (2018). Anxiety: stress, foreign language classroom anxiety, and enjoyment during study abroad in Amman, Jordan. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 38, 140-161.
18. Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed Methodologies. Oxford University Press.
19. Gall, M. D., Gall, J. P., & Borg, W. R. (2007). Educational Research: An Introduction Pearson Publishing.
20. Gao, L. X., & Zhang, L. J. (2020). Teacher learning in difficult times: Examining foreign language teachers’ cognitions about online teaching to tide over COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1-14.
21. Horwitz, E. K. (2017). On the misreading of Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986) and the need to balance anxiety research and the experiences of anxious language learners. New insights into language anxiety: Theory, research and educational implications, 31-47.
22. Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern language journal, 70(2), 125-132.
23. Huang, H. (2004). The relationship between learning motivation and speaking anxiety among EFL non-English major freshmen in Taiwan. Unpublished master's thesis, Chaoyang University of Technology.
24. Jiang, Y., & Dewaele, J. M. (2019). How unique is the foreign language classroom enjoyment and anxiety of Chinese EFL learners?. System, 82, 13-25.
25. Komorowska, H. (2016). Difficulty and coping strategies in language education: is positive psychology misrepresented in SLA/FLT? Positive psychology perspectives on foreign language learning and teaching. 39-56.
26. Krashen, S. D. (1985). The input hypothesis: Issues and implications. Addison-Wesley Longman Limited.
27. Larson-Hall, J. (2010). A guide to doing statistics in second language research using SPSS. Routlage.
28. Li, C., & Xu, J. (2019). Trait emotional intelligence and classroom emotions: A positive psychology investigation and intervention among Chinese EFL learners. Frontiers In Psychology, 10, 24-53.
29. Liu, E., & Wang, J. (2021). Examining the relationship between grit and foreign language performance: Enjoyment and anxiety as mediators. Frontiers in Psychology, 12.
30. MacIntyre, P. D. (2021). Exploring Applications of Positive Psychology in SLA. Positive Psychology in Second and Foreign Language Education, 3-17.
31. MacIntyre, P., & Gregersen, T. (2012). Emotions that facilitate language learning: The positive-broadening power of the imagination. Studies in second language learning and teaching, 2(2), 193-213.
32. MacIntyre, P. D., & Mercer, S. (2014). Introducing positive psychology to SLA. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 153-172.
33. Oxford, R. (2015). Emotion as the amplifier and the primary motive: Some theories of emotion with relevance to language learning. Studies in second language learning and Teaching, 3, 371 393.
34. Özer, Z., & Altay, İ. F. (2021). Examining the level of enjoyment and anxiety among Turkish EFL students. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 17, 663-671.
35. Pan, C., & Zhang, X. (2023). A longitudinal study of foreign language anxiety and enjoyment. Language Teaching Research, 27(6), 1552-1575.
36. Pekrun, R., Frenzel, A. C., Goetz, T., & Perry, R. P. (2007). The control-value theory of achievement emotions: An integrative approach to emotions in education. Emotion in education,13-36.
37. Salcedo, C. S. (2010). Comparative Analysis of Learning Outcomes in Face-to-Face Foreign Language Classes vs. Language Lab and Online. Journal of College Teaching & Learning,7, 43-54.
38. Seligman, M. E. (2011). Building resilience. Harvard business review, 89(4), 100-106. Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). Positive psychology: An Introduction. Flow and the foundations of positive psychology. 279-298. Springer.
39. Su, H. (2022). Foreign Language Enjoyment and Classroom Anxiety of Chinese EFL Learners With Intermediate and Low English Proficiency. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 13(1), 101-109.
40. Uztosun, M. S. (2017). Profiles of Turkish pre-service teachers of English in terms of language learning background. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 41(4).