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The Ecosystem of the Foreign Language Learner pp 117–134Cite as

An Investigation into Classroom-Related Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Among in-Service Teachers of English

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Part of the book series: Second Language Learning and Teaching ((SLLT))

Abstract

This article aims to combine and discuss a rarely investigated issue: foreign language speaking apprehension experienced by non-native teachers of English. In detail, 75 in-service teachers, who were also MA students in a university English department, were asked to fill in a scale measuring the foreign language speaking anxiety they experienced during classes while completing their MA programme. The study showed that the majority of participants experienced a medium level of anxiety, with the vision of making errors and speaking publicly as the most intensive stressors. Furthermore, the study showed a negative correlation between perceived competence in FL speaking, actual speaking competence, self-efficacy and speaking-in-class apprehension, and a positive correlation between speaking anxiety and age, general speaking anxiety, perceived difficulty of speaking, and amount of teaching experience. Moreover, female participants in the study were found to experience greater stress while speaking than males. All the results reached the level of significance.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Speaking anxiety, similarly to reading anxiety or listening apprehension, is a skill-specific anxiety type and it has been investigated by researchers as a different and separate construct from language anxiety, which is of more general character.

  2. 2.

    Self-efficacy was interpreted in this study as one’s belief in becoming a successful foreign language speaker. Therefore, it was not qualified as a personal factor.

  3. 3.

    Teaching in the class room only. Individual lessons do not fall within this category.

  4. 4.

    Item 8 and all the items in part two had the same format.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pedagogical University of Cracow, Cracow, Poland

    Małgorzata Marzec-Stawiarska

Authors
  1. Małgorzata Marzec-Stawiarska
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Małgorzata Marzec-Stawiarska .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of English Philology, University of Opole, Opole, Poland

    Ewa Piechurska-Kuciel

  2. Institute of English Philology, University of Opole, Opole, Poland

    Magdalena Szyszka

Appendix: The Questionnaire Used in the Study

Appendix: The Questionnaire Used in the Study

Part 1:

  1. 1.

    Sex: F/M

  2. 2.

    Age:….19–25,…26–30,…36–40,…41–45,…45–50

  3. 3.

    Grade from the last oral examination:

  4. 4.

    Teaching experienceFootnote 3: 1–2 years, 3–5 years, 6–8 years, 9 and more

  5. 5.

    On the 1–5 scale (1—very easy. 5—very difficult) assess how difficult for you speaking in English is.

  6. 6.

    How do you assess you speaking skills in English?

    5—very good; 4—good; 3—satisfactory; 2—poor; 1—very poor

  7. 7.

    I am relaxed and at ease when I speak English (in and outside the classroom).Footnote 4

    Strongly agree

    Agree

    Neither agree nor disagree

    Disagree

    Strongly disagree

  8. 8.

    I believe I can learn speaking in English successfully.

Part 2: The Classroom Related Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Scale

  1. 1.

    I am not afraid to speak English during classes.

  2. 2.

    I can overcome the stress of speaking English during classes.

  3. 3.

    I eagerly participate in discussions in English.

  4. 4.

    I believe that at this stage of learning I should speak English better.

  5. 5.

    I am afraid of speaking during classes as I fear what others will think about me.

  6. 6.

    I am afraid of what my course instructor will think about me when s/he hears me speaking English.

  7. 7.

    I am nervous by the fact that although I have a lot to say about a given topic my English knowledge is too scarce to say what I want.

  8. 8.

    I do not worry that the way I speak English will affect my final grade in my index book.

  9. 9.

    I do not worry about the mistakes I make while speaking.

  10. 10.

    I get nervous when the course instructor corrects my errors while or after my speaking English.

  11. 11.

    The way my course instructor behaves during classes makes me afraid of speaking.

  12. 12.

    I feel stressed when the course instructor asks me to correct the error I have just made.

  13. 13.

    The way my course instructor reacts to the errors I make while speaking makes me afraid of speaking.

  14. 14.

    I am worried when I know I will have to say something spontaneously.

  15. 15.

    I would feel less nervous if I knew the topic of a discussion and could prepare for it in advance at home.

  16. 16.

    I am afraid of speaking during classes because we haven’t practised speaking enough.

  17. 17.

    The activities my course instructor uses to assess my speaking make me afraid of speaking.

  18. 18.

    The way the course instructor assesses my proficiency makes me afraid of speaking.

  19. 19.

    The form in which the course instructor assesses students makes me stressed while speaking.

  20. 20.

    Speaking in front of a class is not stressful for me.

  21. 21.

    I am not afraid of giving presentations or speaking English at the front of a classroom.

  22. 22.

    I am not stressed when the course instructor asks some other students to correct the error I made.

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Marzec-Stawiarska, M. (2015). An Investigation into Classroom-Related Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Among in-Service Teachers of English. In: Piechurska-Kuciel, E., Szyszka, M. (eds) The Ecosystem of the Foreign Language Learner. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14334-7_8

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