From The King’s Speech to the classrooms: Tertiary students’ speaking anxiety and language proficiency

Abstract

Second language or foreign language learners commonly experience anxiety when they have to speak using the target language. This is made even more apparent when they are required to present during a speaking assessment or speak in front of their peers. Thus, this study was done with the aim to measure UiTM students’ speaking anxiety in English oral presentations in relation to their level of language proficiency. 244 students from four different faculties in UiTM Melaka were given a set of questionnaires that consisted of 33 items adapted from Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). The data collected through the questionnaires was then analysed using statistical analysis (SPSS). The results showed that the participants experienced high level of speaking anxiety in English oral presentations in all three of the speaking anxieties dimensions. Pearson Correlation test also revealed that there was a significant inverse relationship between their level of language proficiency and speaking anxiety, particularly in terms of fear of negative evaluation and test anxiety. Hence, the results from this study concluded that the students’ language proficiency was significant in examining their speaking anxiety and subsequently, can help provide an understanding on how to tackle the issue of language learners’ speaking anxiety.