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HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH Bachelor’s Foreign language is a very important instrument for people to communicate with each other. Learning foreign language will help us develop ourselves, our minds, and our personality. And English is one of the most important language in the world. However, for many learners there is a fear of speaking new language, a phenomenon known as second language anxiety which can delay achievement. Although research on major causes of anxiety in class has been conducted in centuries ago, there is a lack of investigation into solutions of speaking English anxiety. Therefore, the current study aims to help the EFL learners find the reasons of anxiety in English speaking skill and the solutions to deal with it.
1 HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH Bachelor’s Thesis Proposal NGUYEN HOANG LAN Date of birth: 18/07/2002 English speaking anxiety of the English as a Foreign Language Learners: problems and solutions (Sự lo lắng nói tiếng Anh người học ngoại ngữ: vấn đề giải pháp) Field: English Language Supervisor: ……… Hanoi -11/ 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Introduction 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aim of the study 1.3 Objectives of the study 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Research questions 1.6 Structure of the study Literature review 2.1 Review of previous studies 2.2 Theoretical background Proposed Research Methodology 3.1 Research types Page number 1 2 2 3.2 Population and sample 3.3 Research methods 3 7 7 Proposed chapter outline References 10 Introduction Rationale Foreign language is a very important instrument for people to communicate with each other Learning foreign language will help us develop ourselves, our minds, and our personality And English is one of the most important language in the world However, for many learners there is a fear of speaking new language, a phenomenon known as second language anxiety which can delay achievement 1.1 Although research on major causes of anxiety in class has been conducted in centuries ago, there is a lack of investigation into solutions of speaking English anxiety Therefore, the current study aims to help the EFL learners find the reasons of anxiety in English speaking skill and the solutions to deal with it For the above reasons, the topic “English speaking anxiety of the English as a Foreign Language Learners: problems and solutions” is chosen 1.2 Research aim and objectives of the study: The major aim of the research is to help the EFL learners overcome anxiety while speaking English To achieve this aim, the objectives are as followed: • To identify the factors making the EFL learners anxious and nervous while speaking English • To determine the causes leading to anxiety faced by EFL learners while speaking English • To propose some solutions to help EFL learners overcome anxiety while speaking English Research questions: The research is carried out with an attempt to answer the following research questions: 1.3 1.4 • What are the factors making the EFL learners anxious and nervous while speaking English? • What are the causes leading to problems when speaking English faced by the EFL learners? • What are some solutions to improve the speaking skills of the EFL learners? Scope This study investigated students’ anxiety in speaking English of EFL learners at faculty of English in Hanoi Open University It also examined types of anxiety, and source of anxiety The data were obtained through questionaire, were analyzed descriptively and interpreted to answer the research question The study revealed three findings related to research questions 1.5 Structure of the thesis This study consists of five chapters: Chapter Introduction, introduces the rationale for choosing the field for studying, the aim and objectives, the scope of the study, the research questions Chapter Literature review, discusses the previous studies on language anxiety in speaking skills and theoretical framework Chapter Methodology, presents research types, population, sample and research methods Chapter Results/Findings of the study, shows/illustrates/indicates the factors making the EFL learners anxious and nervous while speaking English; the causes leading to the problem and proposes some solutions help EFL learners overcome anxiety while speaking English Chapter Conclusion, summarizes the main points in the study, the major findings of the investigation, concluding remarks, limitations and suggestions for further study 4 Literature review In reviewing literature, I will supply two main parts The first part is an overview of previous studies and the second one is a theoretical framework 2.1 Overview of Previous Studies on Language Anxiety in Speaking Skills (solutions) Anxiety: A Offline Group of Authors A, B, C – solution X (2001 – 2008) Group of Authors D, E, F – solution Y (2007- 2017) B Online ( solutions X+Y seem to be not well suitable: …require new solutions Z - GAP - Rationale Because of the importance and wide aspects, speaking skills have been studied by various scholars in the world Studies on speaking skills of the degree words of such writers as Mahmoodzadeh, M (2012), Wahyuningsih, S., & Afandi, M (2020) have provided us with valuable information of anxiety in speaking skills In the study of Mahmoodzadeh, M (2012), he showed some results: the female have awareness more speaking anxiety related to interlanguage phonology and meaning system Meanwhile, the male have more FL speaking anxiety on their interlanguage grammar So the solutions for this problems are that the underlying elements of these skills need to be scrutinized, and Iranian EFL teachers need to indicate that they understand what their learners’s meanings in the classroom Acording to Wahyuningsih, S., & Afandi, M (2020), most students in English language education department have some problems in English speaking include: lack of vocabulary, lack of grammar mastery, lack of correct pronunciation, lack of confidence So the solutions are that English lecturers integrate technology in speaking class, pursue the students to speak up during speaking class, create an English atmosphere like speaking community both inside and outside the class However, their studies even have some limitations One of the gap is that the tiny sample size restricts the generalization of findings of the study Another limitation of the study is that it doesn't specifically address FL speaking anxiety in terms of the related to social and pragmatic aspects of the learner's interlanguage system which can also account for a few of the learners' FL speaking anxiety within the classroom So, this study provide more specifically the definitions, the components of English speaking anxiety, effects of FL anxiety on learners, on speaking skills and the solutions to resolve 2.2 Theoretical framework 2.2.1 Defining Anxiety According to Freud (1936), anxiety is a kind of complex emotional experience that can be described by “tension, uneasiness, worry” which has a certain hint of a dangerous situation As Spielberg (1983) previously defined anxiety as subjective feelings of tension, apprehension, nervousness and worry and by activation or arousal of the autonomic nervous system 2.2.2 Defining Language Anxiety Foreign language anxiety has been defined as “the feeling of tension and apprehension specifically associated with second language learning” (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994, p 284) In addition, Gregersen (2005) argues that learners who feel anxious in their foreign language learning may find their study less enjoyable Accordingly, as Young maintains "research in the area of anxiety as it relates to second or foreign language learning and performance is scattered and inconclusive" (p 426) 2.2.3 Defining Speaking Anxiety Horwitz et al (1986) claim that students suffering from foreign language speaking anxiety report feelings of apprehension and worry, and also feel uncomfortable about speaking in class Faced with their teachers‟ questions that they must answer and the possibility of talking in front of the whole class, they may have difficulty concentrating, and experience some symptoms like “nausea, sweating, weak knees and a dry mouth” (Boyce et al., 2007) This means that, as mentioned earlier, of the fours skills, speaking is probably considered the most stressful for second language learners 2.2.4 Components of English Speaking Anxiety Azizifar, A., Faryadian, E., & Gowhary, H (2014) conducted a study with a number of 100 male and female learners in Iran She found that learners have many problems in learning English language like grammar, pronunciation, English word-class system, etc., which were believed to be major obstacles in achieving the desired aims in English language 6 Tien, C Y (2018) investigated the factors causing EFL English speaking anxiety on the students of Algeria She indicates that learners are extremely concerned about the accuracy of their grammar usage, their lack of vocabulary knowledge, correct pronunciation 2.2.5 Effects (Impacts/difficulties/problems) of FL Anxiety on Learners Over the past decades, many researchers have suggested that FL anxiety can have pessimistic effects on learners' speaking ability For instance, Onwuegbuzie, et al (1999) argued that the existence of foreign language anxiety can effect negatively the vollubility of learners' speech and learning in a general sense In this sense, Levine (2003) reported that students who come from monolingual backgrounds also tend to feel more anxious than students who come from bilingual or multilingual backgrounds 2.2.6 Effect of FL Anxiety on Speaking Skills Dalkiliỗ, N (2001) conducted a survey 126 students at the freshman class and showed that the feeling of anxiety might be the result of many different factors such as conspicuousness, lack of self-confidence, shyness, lack of knowledge and high expectations of others In another study, Akkakoson, S (2016), 282 students was revealed via a questionnaire, and the product of his study is that a limited repertoire of vocabulary was presumed as the students’ source of speaking anxiety The research of them are indicated that the learners of EFL are lack of knowledge about grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation This may become the obstacles in when they are speaking English In short, the contents reviews the literature on many issues associated with anxiety and speaking anxiety These include overview of previous studies on language anxiety in speaking skills, the definitions of anxiety, language anxiety, speaking anxiety, components and effects of anxiety in English speaking skills This knowledge, therefore, is a basis for further work the later part 2.2.7 Effective ways to overcome anxiety when speaking English (How/What did previous researchers confirmed about this?) – may be in 5.1 Proposal Research Methodology 3.1 Research Types To reach the goal of the research, the writer used two main research approaches They were quantitative and qualitative approaches By virtue of the quantitative method, the data were collected for the study including The qualitative method was used to describe and analyze the data of the study 3.2 Population and Sample The research investigated anxiety’s of speaking English Samples of data covering 10 students who are chosen randomly at Faculty of English in Hanoi Open University Research Method In order to achieve the aim and objectives, statistics and analysis methods are used in the study The statistics method is used to show peoples’ speaking ability, the problems that people have in speaking English and then propose the answer for this problems And the analysis method is used to analyze the reason that people have above problems It also analyse the advantages of these solutions Proposal Chapter Outline Chapter 1: Introduction 3.3 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aim of the study 1.3 Objectives of the study 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Structure of the study Chapter 2: Literature review (20-25 page) 2.1 Review of previous studies 2.2 Theoretical background 2.2.1 Defining Anxiety 2.2.2 Defining language anxiety 2.2.3 Defining speaking anxiety 2.2.4 Components of English speaking anxiety 2.2.5 Effect of FL anxiety on learners 2.2.6 Effect of FL anxiety on speaking skills Chapter 3: Methodology 3.1 Research type 3.2 Population and sample 3.3 Research methods 3.3.1 Test 3.3.2 Questionnaire Chapter 4: Results/Findings and discussion 4.1 Results/Findings 4.1.1 The factors making the EFL learners anxious and nervous while speaking English 4.1.2 Cause leading to problems faced by the EFL learners 4.1.3 Solutions to improve the speaking skills of the EFL learners 4.2 Discussion Chapter 5: Conclusion References: Akkakoson, S (2016) Speaking anxiety in english conversation classrooms among Thai students Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction, 13(1), 63-82 Alpert, R., & Haber, R.N (1960) Anxiety in academic achievement situation Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 61, 207-215 Azizifar, A., Faryadian, E., & Gowhary, H (2014) The Effect of anxiety on Iranian EFL learners speaking skill International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences, 8(10), 1747-1754 Boyce, J S., Alber-Morgan S R., & Riley, J G (2007) Fearless public peaking: Oral presentation activities for the elementary classroom Childhood Education, 83, 1-11 Chastain, K (1975) Affective and Ability Factors in Second Language Acquisition, Language Learning, 25, 153-161 9 Kleinmann, H H (1977) Avoidance behavior in adult second language acquisition Language Learning, 27, 93-107 Dalkiliỗ, N (2001) The role of foreign language classroom anxiety in English speaking courses Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 8(8) Freud, S (1936) Inhibitions, symptoms and anxiety The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 5(1), 1-28 Gregersen, T S (2005) Nonverbal cues: Clues to the detection of foreign language anxiety Foreign language annals, 38(3), 388-400 10 Horwitz, E K., Horwitz, M B., & Cope, J A (1986) Foreign language classroom anxiety The Modern Language Journal 70, 2, 125-132 11 Levine, G S (2003) Student and instructor beliefs and attitudes about target 12 13 14 15 16 language use, first language use, and anxiety: Report of a questionnaire survey Modern Language Journal, 87(3), 343-364 Mahmoodzadeh, M (2012) Investigating foreign language speaking anxiety within the EFL learner's interlanguage system: The case of Iranian learners Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 3(3), 466 Onwuegbuzie, A J., Bailey, P., Christine, E., & Daley C E (1999) Factors associated with foreign language anxiety Applied sociolinguistics, 20(2), 218239 Tien, C Y (2018) English speaking anxiety in EFL university classrooms in Taiwan European Journal of English Language Teaching Wahyuningsih, S., & Afandi, M (2020) Investigating English Speaking Problems: Implications for Speaking Curriculum Development in Indonesia European Journal of Educational Research, 9(3), 967-977 Young, D J (1991) Creating a low-anxiety classroom environment: What does language anxiety research suggest? The modern language journal, 75(4), 426-439 Schedule 10 Research phase Background research and literature review Research design planning Data collection and preparation Data analysis Writing Revision Objectives Deadline ● Meet with supervisor for initial discussion ● Conduct a more extensive review of relevant literature ● Refine the research questions Develop a theoretical framework ● Design questionnaires ● Identify online and offline channels for recruiting participants Finalize sampling methods and data analysis methods ● Recruit participants and send out questionnaires ● Conduct semistructured interviews with selected participants Transcribe and code interviews and clean survey data ● Statistically analyze survey data ● Conduct thematic analysis of interview transcripts Draft the results and discussion chapters ● Complete a full thesis draft Meet with supervisor to discuss feedback and revisions ● Redraft based on feedback ● Get supervisor approval for final draft ● Proofread ● Print, bind and submit 11 Approved by SUPERVISOR Date: / /20