feel more anxious in post-written activities than the act of reading itself. .... Table 2.1 lists down some of the specific examples of Young's (1991) six ...... activities like watching movies or listening to English songs. ..... started with Linkin Park.
LANGUAGE ANXIETY AMONG FIRST-YEAR MALAY STUDENTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC COLLEGE: AN INVESTIGATION OF L2 SKILLS, SOURCES OF ANXIETY, AND L2 PERFORMANCE
BY
MOHD HILMI BIN HAMZAH
INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA
2007
“There is something fundamentally different about learning a language, compared to learning another skill or gaining other knowledge, namely that language and self are so closely bound, if not identical, that an attack on one is an attack on the other.”
- Cohen and Norst, 1989
ii
LANGUAGE ANXIETY AMONG FIRST-YEAR MALAY STUDENTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC COLLEGE: AN INVESTIGATION OF L2 SKILLS, SOURCES OF ANXIETY, AND L2 PERFORMANCE BY MOHD HILMI BIN HAMZAH
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (English Language Studies)
Kulliyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences International Islamic University Malaysia
JULY 2007
iii
ABSTRACT
This study investigates language anxiety experienced by 91 college students while learning English. In particular, the study explores three aspects: L2 skills in which the students feel anxious; the potential sources of their anxiety; and the relationship between the students’ level of language anxiety and their performance in end-ofsemester examination. Three instruments were used to obtain the data – questionnaire, interview, and end-of-semester exam papers. The data from the questionnaire were analyzed to find out the L2 skills in which the students feel anxious. The interview provided data to examine the potential sources of their anxiety. The end-of-semester exam papers were scrutinized to determine the relationship between the students’ level of anxiety and their L2 performance. Results showed that about 88% of the students felt either moderately or highly anxious in all L2 skills, with speaking being the highest. Personal and interpersonal anxieties were identified as the main sources of their anxiety. It was also demonstrated that students with higher level of anxiety tend to obtain lower marks in their end-of-semester examination, with grammar being the lowest. These findings provide insights into the students’ language anxiety which can equip English language teachers with better knowledge about their students.
iv
ﻣﻠﺨص البحث
لقد قام هذا البحث بتحليل القلق والتوتر اللغوي وقد أجري على واحد وتسعين طالبا وطالبة في الكلية في تعلم اللغة االنجليزية لغير الناطقين بها .ويخص هذا البحث ثالثة فروع ،منها :أوال ،المهارات اللغوية التي تخيف الطلبة في طرق أدائها وتعلّمها ،حيث تجعلهم أكثر قلقا وتوترا ؟ ثانيا ،أسباب الخوف وعواملها .وثالثا ،العالقة بين الشعور بالقلق والتوتر وربط ذلك بنتائج االمتحان النهائي في آخر الفصل الدراسي .لقد استخدمت ثالث وسائل للحصول على معلومات وبيانات ٳرشادية ،نموذج عن ٳستمارة التحليل ومقابلة للشخص واالشارة ٳلى نتائج المرشحين في االمتحان النهائي ٍ .ٳن المعلومات والبيانات تكشف لنا القلق لدى الطلبة في تعلم اللغة االنجليزية لغير الناطقين بها ،ومدى الخوف عندهم .أما المقابلة بالشخص فهى تمكن التطرق ٳلى تحليل شخصيبه وكذلك تكشف عن أسباب الخوف لديهم .وأوراق االمتحانات في نهاية الفصل الدراسي تقوم بالكشف عن مدى العالقة حول القلق للطلبة في تعلم اللغة االنجليزية ومستواههم من خالل نتائج االمتحان المطروحة .ٳن النتيجة ٨٨بالمائة من الطلبة قد أشارت ٳلى أنهم قلقون في تعلم اللغة االنجليزية سواء كانت عالية أو معتدلة المستوى .وغالبا أن المحادثة هي مشكلة رئيسة لدى الطلبة االنجليزية لغير الناطقين بها في التطبيق والممارسة .ولقد وجدنا أيضا بعض الطلبة يشعرون بالقلق واٳلكتئاب ،وهم الذين حصلوا على أقل وأدنى درجات في امتحاناتهم النهائيات . للمدرسين اللغة االنجليزية لغير ٳذن نستطيع ان نستخلص من جمع تلك معلومات وبياناتها ّ الناطقين بها أسلوبا من أساليب التدريس المفيدة ،و ينبغي عليهم االنتفاع بها خاصة للعالج وترويحهم في تعلّم اللغة االنجليزية بأحسن الوسيلة واآلداء.
v
APPROVAL PAGE I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (English Language Studies). ……………………………………………… Zahariah Pilus Supervisor
I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (English Language Studies).
……………………………………………… Mohamed Ismail Ahamad Shah Examiner
This dissertation was submitted to the Department of English Language and Literature and is accepted as a partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (English Language Studies).
……………………………………………… Mohammad A. Quayum A. Salam Head, Department of English Language and Literature
This dissertation was submitted to the Kulliyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences and is accepted as a partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (English Language Studies).
……………………………………………… Hazizan B. Md. Noon Dean, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences
vi
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions.
Mohd Hilmi Bin Hamzah
Signature ………………………………...…
vii
Date ………………………...
INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA
DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION OF FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH
Copyright © 2007 by Mohd Hilmi Bin Hamzah. All rights reserved.
LANGUAGE ANXIETY AMONG FIRST-YEAR MALAY STUDENTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC COLLEGE: AN INVESTIGATION OF L2 SKILLS, SOURCES OF ANXIETY, AND L2 PERFORMANCE
No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as provided below. 1.
Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may only be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement.
2.
IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or electronic) for institutional and academic purposes.
3.
The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieval system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities and research libraries.
Affirmed by Mohd Hilmi Bin Hamzah.
…………………………… Signature
…………………………… Date
viii
To my students, who keep me inspired.
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This dissertation would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of many: Asst. Prof Dr. Zahariah Pilus, Rosmelia Taib, Zulhazman Hamzah, the management of International Islamic College, the lecturers at the Centre for Languages, and the students of IIC. Grateful thanks to them for making the time and space.
x
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract ……………………………………………………………………………… Abstract in Arabic ………………………………………………………………….... Approval Page ………………………………………………………………………. Declaration Page …………………………………………………………………….. Copyright Page ……………………………………………………………………… Dedication …………………………………………………………………………… Acknowledgements ………………………………………………………………….. List of Tables ………………………………………………………………………... List of Figures ………………………………………………………………………..
iv v vi vii viii ix x xiv xv
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ……………………………………..………… Background …………………………………………………………………... Statement Of The Problem …………………………………………………... Research Questions …………………………………………………………... Objectives Of The Study …………………………………………………….. Significance Of The Study …………………………………………………… Thesis Organisation …………………………………………………………..
1 1 2 4 4 5 5
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ………………………….……………. Introduction …………………………………………………………………... The Concept of Affect ……………………………………………………….. Conceptualisation of Language Anxiety …………………………………….. Measuring Anxiety-Provoking L2 Skills …………………………………….. Reading ……………..…………………………………………………... Listening …………..……………………………………………………. Speaking …………..……………………………………………………. Writing …………..……………………………………………………… Summary …………...…………………………………………………… Potential Sources of Languages Anxiety …………………………………….. Socio-Psychological Issues of Language Anxiety …………..………….. Learner/ Instructor Beliefs on Language Learning and Teaching ……… Instructor-Learner Interactions/ Classroom Procedures …………..……. Language Anxiety and L2 Performance ……………………………………... Summary ……………………………………………………………………...
7 7 7 9 11 12 12 13 13 14 14 16 17 18 20 22
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY …………………………………….……... Introduction …………………………………………………………………... Design of Study ……………………………………………………………… The Participants ……………………………………………………………… The Questionnaire ……………………………………………………………. Design Of The Questionnaire ………………………………………………... Procedure For Administering The Questionnaire ……………………………. The Interview ………………………………………………………………… Interview Sample …………………………………………………………….. Design Of The Interview ……………………………………………………..
23 23 23 24 25 26 28 29 30 31
xi
Procedure For Conducting The Interview …………………………………… 32 End-Of-Semester Examination Papers ………………………………………. 33 Procedure For Assessing End-Of-Semester Exam Papers …………………… 33 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION……………...……………...... Introduction …………………………………………………………………... Research Question 1: Skills That Can Create Language Anxiety …………… Findings…..……………………………………………………………... Raw Scores of Each of the Students’ Language Anxiety ……….… Raw Scores of Each of the Statements in the Questionnaire ….…... Accumulated Raw Scores of Each L2 Skill ….……….…………… Discussion…..…………………………………………………………… Anxiety and Speaking ……………..…………………..…………... Anxiety and Grammar ……………..……………………..……….. Anxiety and Listening ……………..…………………………..…... Anxiety and Writing ……………..………………………………... Anxiety and Reading ……………..…………………………..…… Research Question 2: Potential Sources Of Language Anxiety ……………... The Six General Sources of Language Anxiety ………….…………….. Findings…...……………………………………………………….. Discussion….……..………………………………………………... Personal and Interpersonal Anxieties ……………..…..……... Learner Beliefs about Language Learning ……………..…..… Classroom Procedures ……………..…..…………………….. Language Testing ……………..…..………………………….. Instructor Beliefs about Language Learning ……………..….. Instructor-Learner Interaction ……………..…..……………... The Five Most Common Specific Sources of Language Anxiety …….... Findings………...………………………………………………….. Discussion…...……………………………………………………... Fear of Negative Social Evaluation ……………..…..……….. Fear of Failure ……………..…..……………………………... Perceived Proficiency ……………..…..……………………... Communication Apprehension ……………..…..……………. Competitiveness ……………..…..…………………………… Research Question 3: Relationship Between Language Anxiety and L2 Performance ……………………………………………………………… Findings……………………...………..………………………….……... General Relationship ………….…………………………………... Specific Relationship Between Anxiety Groups and End-ofSemester Exam ………….………………………………………… High-Anxiety Group ………….……….……..………………. Average-Anxiety Group ……..………………..……………... Low-Anxiety Group ……………..…..……………………….. Discussion…...……..……………………………………………………. Summary ……………………………………………………………………...
35 35 36 36 37 39 44 45 46 47 48 49 51 52 53 53 53 54 54 55 56 57 57 58 58 59 59 61 61 62 63
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION ……………………………………….………… Summary of the Study………………………………………………………... Pedagogical Implications……………………………………………………...
71 71 72
xii
64 65 65 66 66 67 68 69 70
Limitations of the Study……………………………………………………… 74 Recommendations for Future Research………………………………………. 74 BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………………… 76 APPENDIX I: Results of End-Of-Semester Exam (Semester 1, 2006/2007)……….. APPENDIX II: Questionnaire ………………………………………………………. APPENDIX III: Results Of English Placement Assessment ……………………….. APPENDIX IV: Interview Schedule ………………………………………………... APPENDIX V: Pre-Interview Survey ………………………………………………. APPENDIX VI: Interview Transcriptions …………………………………………... APPENDIX VII: Question Paper (Diploma English 1)End-Of-Semester Exam (Semester 2, 2007/2006) …………………………………………………………….. APPENDIX VIII: Course Outline …………………………………………………... APPENDIX IX: Results of End-of-Semester Exam (Semester 2, 2006/2007) ……...
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81 82 86 87 92 95 128 140 142
LIST OF TABLES
Table No.
Page No.
2.1
Young’s Six General Sources of Language Anxiety
20
3.1
Instruments and Participants
24
3.2
The Breakdown of Statements in the Questionnaire
27
3.3
Number of Students in Each Section of English Classes
29
4.1
Range of Scores of the Students’ Language Anxiety
38
4.2
Range of Scores of the Statements
41
4.3
Mean and SD of Each Statement in the Questionnaire
42
4.4
Range of Scores of the L2 Skills
45
4.5
Correlations, Means and Standard Deviations of the Study’s Variables
66
4.6
Correlations, Means and Standard Deviations of the Study’s Variables for High-Anxiety Group
67
4.7
Correlations, Means and Standard Deviations of the Study’s Variables for Average-Anxiety Group
68
4.8
Correlations, Means and Standard Deviations of the Study’s Variables for Low-Anxiety Group
68
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure No.
Page No.
4.1
Distribution of the Raw Scores of the Students’ Language Anxiety
38
4.2
The percentage of Students Who Experienced the Different Levels of Anxiety
39
4.3
Distribution of the Raw Scores of Each Statement
41
4.4
Responses from Students for Statement 1 of the Questionnaire
43
4.5
Responses from Students for Statement 24 of the Questionnaire
43
4.6
Distribution of Accumulated Raw Scores of Each L2 Skill
45
4.7
Frequency of Occurrence of the Six General Sources of Language Anxiety
54
4.8
Five Most Frequently Cited Specific Sources of Language Anxiety
59
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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND In Malaysia, English language plays a central role in many important aspects of the society. It is not only the language of science and technology, but also the tool of inter-cultural and cross-cultural communication. English is paramount in preparing Malaysia for future advancement, as clearly laid out by the government in its aspiration for Vision 2020. Malaysian society, generally, has accepted the fact that English is a vital tool in communication. For example, the emergence of Englishmedium newspapers and radio stations prove such influence of English among the society. In schools, English has been taught as a second language for students since primary one. Most Malaysian students receive at least eleven to thirteen years of English language learning before enrolling into any tertiary-level institutions. All the major examinations in the country, such as Primary School Assessment Test (UPSR), Lower Secondary Assessment (PMR) and Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM), include English as one of the compulsory subjects which the students need to pass. The fact that Mathematics and Science are currently taught in English for secondary students conveys a strong message to the public that English is crucial in order to attain academic achievements. In higher learning institutions, the use of English has become more significant and demanding. It has been the principal language of education. For many private and public universities, English is a subject in the curriculum as well as the main medium of instruction. Most of the established institutions opt for English-medium 1
instructions, while others still tolerate bilingualism. The academicians, students and administrators are expected to have some degree of English proficiency. To illustrate, the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has been a full English-medium university since its establishment in 1983. All students have to meet the standard requirement for English before enrolling into the university. To prepare students for this environment, English is taught intensively at the pre-university level at the IIUM Matriculation Centre.
These efforts reflect the importance of English in higher
education. Nonetheless, English is not the first language for many Malaysian students, especially the Malays, as it is neither the language they have acquired and used from young, nor the dominant language of communication among family and friends. For students who do not have many opportunities to use English outside the university, the process of learning English may be anxiety-arousing. This is experienced by many including students of the International Islamic College (IIC), a subsidiary of IIUM.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Being a subsidiary of IIUM, IIC has been adopting the same requirements aspired by IIUM. This implies that the IIC students also have to be proficient in English in order to cope with their academic life. The fact that English is the primary medium of instruction in the college creates a challenge for these students since most of them are selected based on other criteria for admission, notwithstanding their inadequate proficiency in English. The admission is based on minimum passes of four subjects, with English not being the compulsory subject. Due to this fact, the issue of the weak performance of Malay students in English tests has been a concern among the educators and the college’s administration.
2
In the previous end-of-semester examination in Semester 1, 2006/ 2007, more than 40% of the students taking first level of English obtained grade “D” in their papers, while only 5% of them obtained an “A” (See Appendix I).
Since the college is
English-medium, various efforts have been undertaken to improve the situation, such as English Intensive Class Program organized by the Centre for Languages, plus extra classes by individual English lecturers. Despite these efforts, most of the students’ level of English proficiency remains unsatisfactory. Having realized this situation, the variables that affect L2 learning and teaching are worth examining. One of these is language anxiety. According to MacIntyre & Gardner (1989), the possible existence of language anxiety in various skills of L2 learning can be one of the constant challenges to the teachers, as it can potentially hamper optimal learning and teaching from taking place in the classroom. Due to its impact on L2 learners, language anxiety has been continuously studied. To examine this matter, studies have been conducted within the setting of various educational institutions (Brantmeier, 2005; Hussein Elkhafaifi, 2005; 2004; Gregersen & Horwitz, 2002, Casado, 2001). These studies have found that language anxiety can arise from different L2 skills such as writing tasks, oral presentations, listening activities, reading practices and grammar exercises. Some studies have also identified the sources of language anxiety like fear of failure, perceived proficiency, and competitiveness (Han, 2003; Young, 1991; Bailey, 1983). A relationship between language anxiety and language performance has also been found (Sanchez-Herrero & Sanchez, 1992). However, the questions of L2 skills that can cause language anxiety, the sources of language anxiety and the relationship between language anxiety and L2 performance have not been fully answered. In order to have a better understanding of the nature of language anxiety, this study examined three issues related to language
3
anxiety: what skills of L2 learning can create language anxiety among students; why students feel anxious; and whether language anxiety affects students’ L2 performance, in relation to students of IIC.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS This study specifically addresses the following three research questions: 1.
Which L2 skill (listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar) can create language anxiety for IIC’s first-year Malay students?
2.
What are the potential sources of their language anxiety?
3.
What is the relationship between language anxiety and their L2 performance in end-of-semester examination, with specific focus on grammar and reading skills?
1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objectives of this study are as follows: 1.
To identify a specific L2 skill in which IIC’s first-year Malay students feel anxious.
2.
To investigate the potential sources of language anxiety associated with a particular L2 skill.
3.
To find out the relationship between students’ level of language anxiety and their L2 performance in end-of-semester examination, with specific focus on grammar and reading skills.
4
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The findings of this study will provide some insights to language teaching. Firstly, English language teachers will be more aware of the L2 skills in which their students feel anxious. When they are more aware of language anxiety, they will be more prepared in conducting L2 activities in the classroom and more sensitive when dealing with their students. Besides, they can identify ways to reduce anxiety and create an environment which is conducive for L2 learning. Besides helping language teachers, this study will help students improve their learning styles.
They will be aware of such socio-psychological constraints like
thoughts of failure, self-deprecating thoughts, or low self-esteem.
Through this
awareness, they can develop their social and personal well-beings in their future university life and working environment where English language is a vital skill to survive. This study will also assist the Centre for Languages in the planning of English language teaching in the college.
It can develop more comprehensive language
programmes and more practical teaching materials that are less anxiety-inducing. Besides, classroom procedures can be improved that promote language learning. All in all, understanding the nature of language anxiety can help teachers, students, and hopefully the college.
1.6 THESIS ORGANISATION The thesis will be divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the thesis topic through problem statement, research questions, research objectives and the significance of this study.
Chapter 2 reviews the relevant literature concerning
language anxiety and its related issues.
The research methodology, such as the
5
subjects, procedures, and materials, will be presented in Chapter 3. This is followed by the analysis and discussion of the findings in Chapter 4. Finally, Chapter 5 summarizes and concludes the research findings, presents some implications of the study for ESL teaching and also recommendations for further studies.
6
CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter reviews the relevant literature on language anxiety to provide a framework for this study. It is organised into six sections. The first section introduces this chapter. The second section looks at the concept of affect in L2 learning. The third section explores the conceptualisation of language anxiety. The fourth section is focused on the relevant literature concerning the measurement of anxiety-provoking L2 skills. The fifth section describes the potential sources of language anxiety. The final section presents some studies on the relationship between language anxiety and L2 performance.
2.2 THE CONCEPT OF AFFECT To study language anxiety, it is fundamental to gain some understanding on the concept of affect at the beginning of this literature review. This is due to the fact that anxiety is only one of the many affective variables among other intrinsic learner variables (Scovel, 1978).
Affect was extensively discussed in the 1960s when
humanistic psychologists were concerned about the tendency for educational institutions to focus on the cognitive aspects of learning only. For these psychologists, both cognitive and affective variables are essential for more effective learning (Arnold, 1999). These two variables have been viewed as complementary towards one another, not contradictory domains.
According to Arnold (1999), “the affective side of
learning is not in opposition to the cognitive side” (p. 20). In fact, consideration for 7
both affective and cognitive variables would result in a better understanding of learning process. Furthermore, Arnold adds that, “a broad understanding of affect in language learning can lead to more effective language learning” (p. 21). Krashen (1982) describes the relationship between affective variables and L2 learning in his Affective Filter Hypothesis. He claims that learners with high affective filters will poorly receive any language input. This is because high affective filter resists input from reaching the Language Acquisition Device (LAD). This happens when the learner, for example, lacks motivation or confidence. In this regard, Krashen purports that the main foundation of individual differences in L2 learning is the level of their affective filter. Language teaching, as entailed by Affective Filter Hypothesis, should take into account the situation that promotes a lower filter. Generally, affective variables are said to have an effect on L2 learning (Bailey, 1983). However, researchers find it troublesome to identify, control and measure affective variables because those variables are, most of the time, intangible. As a result, data are usually collected through subjective evaluations and assumptions. Most of the studies categorize affective variables into three areas (Krashen, 1982): 1.
Motivation: highly motivated learners tend to perform better in L2 learning
2.
Self-confidence: self-confident learners generally do better in L2 learning
3.
Anxiety: low-anxious learners are usually receptive to L2 learning
Despite being hard to characterize and assess, these variables are vital to the affective domain and can either promote or hamper L2 learning. Anxiety, one of the above-mentioned affective variables, is the focus in this study.
8
2.3 CONCEPTUALISATION OF LANGUAGE ANXIETY Talking about anxiety per se, Arnold and Brown (1999) asserts that “anxiety is possibly the affective factor that most pervasively obstructs the learning process”. Spielberger (1983) defines anxiety as the subjective feelings of tension, state of apprehension, nervousness and worry associated with an arousal of the autonomic nervous system caused by a vague fear that is indirectly associated with an object. Anxiety is also described as an unavoidable and unpleasant experience which manifests itself psychologically in the behaviour of the person experiencing it (Sieber, O’Neil & Tobias, 1977). According to Brown (1993), anxiety is related with other affects such as selfesteem, inhibition, risk-taking, and plays an important role in L2 learning. Brown claims that anxiety can be debilitating or facilitative. Debilitating anxiety hinders performance, while on the other hand, facilitative anxiety assists performance. In L2 learning, attention has been given to anxiety because of its considerable effects on L2 learners (Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope, 1986; Price, 1991). The initial research, however, produced mixed and perplexing results regarding the relationship between anxiety and L2 learning. Inconsistent conclusions were drawn as to the effects of anxiety on L2 learning (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1991; Young, 1991). This complexity in determining a comprehensible relationship between anxiety and L2 learning is due to the fact that anxiety is “neither a simple nor well-understood psychological construct” (Scovel, 1978).
This variation in conceptualisation of
language anxiety further creates various types of instruments of anxiety measurement (Price, 1991; Young, 1991). Generally, anxiety has been divided into three different types, which are trait, state and situation-specific anxieties (Spielberger, 1983; Young, 1986):
9
1.
Trait anxiety: It refers to a permanent state of apprehension experienced by a person in various situations.
2.
State anxiety: It refers to a momentary fear felt by an individual in a particular situation.
3.
Situation-specific anxiety: It is similar to state anxiety and is adopted by many researchers as an alternative to the state anxiety concept.
Based on this division, many scholars agree that language anxiety is best described as situation-specific anxiety. Looking at this perspective, language anxiety can be characterized as “a distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, and behaviours related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning process” (Horwitz et. al. 1986). MacIntyre (1989) argues for the situationspecific nature of language anxiety, viewing it as a unique type of anxiety or “the worry and negative emotional reaction aroused when learning a second language”. As a distinct phenomenon particular to language learning, Horwitz and associates (1986) argue that language anxiety comprises three important components in relation to various kinds of L2 activities. 1.
Communication apprehension: It refers to the psychological state when learners are unable to control various communicative situations and when their performance is continually monitored by their teachers and peers.
2.
Fear of negative evaluation: It refers to the apprehension about other’s evaluation, avoidance of evaluative situations, and the expectations that others would evaluate negatively.
3.
Test anxiety: It refers to learners’ unrealistic beliefs on L2 learning and performance which often lead to frustration and anger among learners as they perform poorly in language tests. 10
Language anxiety poses a harmful effect on L2 learning because it blocks the acquisition, retention and production of a new language (MacIntyre and Gardner, 1991). Anxious L2 learners are usually concerned with both the task they must complete, called task-related cognition, and their reactions to it, known as self-related cognition, such as excessive self-evaluation, worry over potential failure and concern over opinions of others. Such task-irrelevant self-derogative cognition divides the attention of L2 learners, making cognitive performance less efficient, and impairs the learner’s ability to take in information, process it and retrieve it when required. This in turn affects the quality of L2 performance and the amount of effort put forward for such performance (MacIntyre, 1995; MacIntyre and Gardner, 1994; MacIntyre et al., 1997; Young, 1986).
2.4 MEASURING ANXIETY-PROVOKING L2 SKILLS One of the instruments for measuring language anxiety was constructed by Horwitz et al. (1986) called the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). It is a questionnaire survey consisting of 33 statements, where respondents’ anxiety is measured on a 5-point Likert scale, with possible scores ranging from 33 to 165. This scale has been widely used in a number of studies on language anxiety. Most of these studies, which use FLCAS, are focused on various L2 skills, which are reading, listening, speaking and writing.
2.4.1 Reading One of language-anxiety studies was conducted by Saito, Horwitz & Garza (1999). Focusing on reading, FLCAS was adapted and the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety 11
came into existence. Results showed that reading did arouse anxiety in some learners and various levels of reading anxiety were found depending on the different target language studied. Matsuda and Gobel (2001), replicating the study on English majors in a Japanese university, found that anxiety towards reading was different from general language anxiety. Likewise, Saito et. al. (1999) found that language anxiety varied by target language, indicating that Japanese provoked statistically significant higher levels of reading anxiety than either Russian or French. With participants from an intermediate level conversation course in universitylevel Spanish, Sellars (2000) found that reading anxiety is a distinct variable in L2 learning. Learners with higher levels of language anxiety reported higher levels of reading anxiety and there was a negative relationship between reading anxiety and L2 reading comprehension scores. In a complex L2 reading investigation with students of second year university-level Spanish, Young (2000) found that the higher the reading anxiety, the lower learners rate their level of understanding L2 texts.
She also
reported a significant relationship between L2 reading anxiety and L2 reading comprehension scores.
2.4.2 Listening In measuring listening anxiety, Vogely (1998) conducted a descriptive research on listening comprehension anxiety as reported by 140 participants from university-level Spanish courses. She reported that a stressful classroom environment increases the participants’ listening comprehension anxiety and this in turn affects their overall course performance. Hussein Elkhafaifi (2005) found a relationship between language anxiety and listening comprehension scores. Investigating students’ listening comprehension in an
12
Arabic course as a foreign language, he revealed significant negative correlations between listening anxiety and listening performance.
2.4.3 Speaking In measuring speaking anxiety of international students attending English course prior to entering university courses in Australia, Chapman (2002) indicated that language anxiety has a significant negative influence on oral performance. Focusing on public speaking, Ellis (1995) found evidence that public speaking anxiety may be affected by the perception of competence as a speaker. Supporting Ellis’ finding, Ayres (1986) argues that a fear of public speaking may arise from a personal assessment that one’s speaking abilities do not meet audience expectations. In addition, the pleasantness of the audience has been shown to cause public speaking anxiety (MacIntyre & Thivierge, 1995). Phillips (1992) studied the effects of language anxiety on an oral exam in a French class. Findings from his study suggest support of a significant negative relationship between language anxiety and performance on an oral exam. All these research findings show the arousal of anxiety during speaking activities in L2 learning.
2.4.4 Writing In measuring writing anxiety of university English majors in Taiwan, Cheng, Horwitz & Schallert (1999) found that writing anxiety and general language anxiety, although they are related, are distinguishable from each other. In addition, they claimed that “negative self-perception of language competence plays an important role in their experience of second language classroom anxiety and writing anxiety”. A study by Brantmeier (2005) also indicates the existence of anxiety in writing-related activities.
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In this study, which involves reading activities in L2 class, students were reported to feel more anxious in post-written activities than the act of reading itself.
2.4.5 Summary Based on the above findings, three conclusions can be made. First, language anxiety can be considered a situation-specific form of anxiety that does not appear to bear a relation to the other forms of anxiety.
Second, when discussing the effects of
language anxiety on L2 learning, one must specifically consider the anxiety aroused in L2 contexts, using different types of L2 skills. Third, the measurements on anxietyprovoking L2 skills mentioned above authenticate a comprehensive view of language anxiety and justify the use of a questionnaire survey, which included all the L2 skills to study language anxiety.
2.5 POTENTIAL SOURCES OF LANGUAGE ANXIETY There are a number of theories on how language anxiety develops. MacIntyre and Gardner (1989, 1991) posit that language anxiety is based on negative expectations of L2 learners which lead to apprehension. According to them, at the early stages of L2 learning, language aptitude is the leading factor for success. The effect of anxiety on language proficiency is insignificant. Any feelings of anxiety experienced during these early stages are more likely based on trait anxiety rather than specific to L2 situations. However, over a period of time, attitudes specific to the L2 contexts are formed. When the learning experience is negative, language anxiety may develop and with repeated negative experiences, language anxiety is maintained. In this way, derogatory self-related cognition interferes with learning process, impairing L2 learning and resulting in poor L2 performance which in turn reinforce the expectations
14
of language anxiety and failure. To MacIntyre and Gardner, an anxious L2 learner is characterised as an individual who negatively perceives L2 learning as an uncomfortable experience. Sharing a similar ground, most of the other researchers support and improvise the theory purported by MacIntyre and Gardner.
For instance, Skehan (1991)
attributes this phenomenon to different personality of L2 learners. For him, the introvert may find L2 learning to be a different experience compared to what the extrovert may experience. Plus, it is also possible that a specific teacher, a set of classmates, or intercultural settings may provoke language anxiety.
Besides,
Pappamihiel (2002) attributes language anxiety to the L2 learners’ level of academic achievement.
In another study (2001), he hypothesizes that gender factor may
influence L2 performance, where female learners are more relaxed and less anxious than male learners. This is agreed by Zhang (2001) who notes that male learners are more prone to anxiety than their female classmates. Of all researchers, Young (1991) offers the most comprehensive framework of the potential sources of language anxiety. Her framework covers most of the sociopsychological issues of language anxiety discussed by other researchers.
This
framework also associates three basic elements in L2 learning: the learners, the instructors, and the instructional practices. She argues that language anxiety can arise from:
1.
Personal and interpersonal anxieties
2.
Learner beliefs about language learning
3.
Instructor beliefs about language teaching
4.
Instructor-learner actions
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5.
Classroom procedures
6.
Language testing
These sources can be further categorized into the following three areas.
2.5.1 Socio-Psychological Issues of Language Anxiety Socio-psychological issues are directly concerned with personal and interpersonal anxieties. Such social and psychological constructs as self-esteem, competitiveness, and group identity are widely discussed among researchers in language anxiety. Bailey (1983) examines the relationship between the learner’s competitiveness and self-esteem as potential sources of learner’s anxiety. He claims that competitive nature of L2 learning can lead to anxiety when learners compare themselves to others or to the idealized self-images. Concerning group identity, Krashen (1985), with reference to his Affective Filter Hypothesis, contends that learners will feel relaxed when he considers himself to be a member of a particular target language group. Young (1991) stresses the intrinsic influences of group identity to L2 learners since it touches the core of one’s self-identity. In other words, anxiety may arise in fear that learning another language might lead to the loss of one’s identity. In another study, Han (2003) shows that L2 learners with high self-efficacy tend to experience lower levels of anxiety while learners who are less self-efficacious experience higher levels of language anxiety. Besides, variability in language anxiety is also attributed to learners’ differences in epistemological experiences and socioeconomic factors (Zhang 2001). In addition, Gregersen and Horwitz (2002) relate language anxiety with perfectionism. Hilleson (1996) discovered that his respondents were concerned with their self-image, proving the view that self-perception plays a part in L2 learning and language anxiety. Foss and Reitzel (1988) points out that 16
“perception of self plays a key role in how students approach the acquisition and use of a second language”. In their study of perceived competence in L2 as related to actual competence and language anxiety, MacIntyre et al. (1997) found a negative correlation between language anxiety and both actual and perceived L2 proficiency.
Similarly,
Onwuegbuzie, Bailey & Daly (1999) found that L2 learners’ perceived self-worth and perceived scholastic competence are predictors of language anxiety. In other words, L2 learners’ self-perception, their judgment of their own competence and self-efficacy beliefs can have an effect on their feelings of anxiety. All in all, the personality traits of L2 learners seem to predispose them to language anxiety and consequently their L2 learning and use of L2. In this regard, Cohen and Norst (1989) claims that “there is something fundamentally different about learning a language, compared to learning another skill or gaining other knowledge, namely that language and self are so closely bound, if not identical, that an attack on one is an attack on the other”.
2.5.2 Learner/ Instructor Beliefs on Language Learning and Teaching Learner beliefs about language learning can contribute to language anxiety. Horwitz (1988) presents various kinds of learner beliefs, suggesting that some of them are derived from the learner’s unrealistic and erroneous conceptions about L2 learning. These beliefs can then lead to anxiety when their beliefs and reality clash. For example, if beginning learners believe that pronunciation is the single most important aspect of L2 learning, they will naturally get frustrated to find the reality of their imperfect speech even after a lot of practices. In addition, MacIntyre and associates
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(2002) investigate learner beliefs in L2 competence by looking at two interesting factors–their age and gender. Instructor beliefs about language teaching can also become another source of language anxiety among L2 learners.
Teachers’ assumptions on their roles as
language teachers may not always correspond to learners’ needs or expectations toward their teachers. For example, when a teacher believes that his role in class is to constantly correct learners’ errors, some of the learners might become quite anxious about their class performance. In another study, Levine (2003) explores learner and instructor beliefs about target language use, first language use and anxiety. He found that there are clashes between learner and instructor beliefs during different L2 activities.
Therefore,
learner and instructor beliefs must be carefully dealt with since both can be dangerous “agents” in forming language anxiety in L2 learners.
2.5.3 Instructor-Learner Interactions/ Classroom Procedures The beliefs held by both instructors and learners lead to complex interactions in classroom that might provoke anxiety.
Horwitz (1988) illustrates one of such
interactions in the manner of error correction. It was found that learners are more concerned about how, i.e. when, what, where, or how often, etc., their mistakes are corrected rather than whether error corrections should be administered in class. In addition, other classroom activities such as oral presentations in front of the class are also listed as potential sources of anxiety (Young, 1991). In her studies, Young finds that 68 percent of her subjects report uncomfortable feelings when speaking in front of the class.
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On a similar ground, Price (1991) also notes that learners seem to be most concerned about speaking in front of their peers. Fear of being laughed at, being embarrassed, and making fool of oneself are major concerns of anxious L2 learners (Woodrow & Chapman, 1999). For this reason, L2 classroom activities have more potential for learners to embarrass themselves, to frustrate their self-expression, and to challenge their self-esteem and self-identity than almost any other learning activities. Having acknowledged this anxiety-arousing classroom procedures, Koba and associates (2000) suggest that traditional classroom methods should be replaced with Community Language Learning approach, which is more effective in L2 classrooms. London (2003) conducted a study to discover new methodologies to reduce classroom anxiety.
He demonstrates that classroom procedures are influential in causing
learners’ anxiety in L2 learning. Table 2.1 lists down some of the specific examples of Young’s (1991) six general sources of language anxiety.
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Table 2.1 Young’s Six General Sources of Language Anxiety
Personal & interpersonal anxieties
Competitiveness Communication apprehension Shyness Stage fright Fear of failure Perceived proficiency Social anxiety Instructor-learner interactions
Manner of error correction
Instructor beliefs about language learning
Leaner beliefs about language learning
Importance & preference Accent Inherent/nature Perception of mistakes Views of instructional activities
Classroom Procedures
Oral presentation Oral skits Elicitation
Role of instructor Relation with learners
Language testing
Test items Test format Matching of practice & test
2.6 LANGUAGE ANXIETY AND L2 PERFORMANCE There are many studies that show the relationship between language anxiety and L2 performance. In a study conducted by Sanchez-Herrero & Sanchez (1992), it was shown that L2 learners with higher levels of anxiety performed consistently lower in various measures of English achievements. Their finding demonstrates that there is a negative relationship between high language anxiety and L2 performance, i.e., as language anxiety increases, L2 performance decreases, and vice versa. Aida (1994), in a study to test the construct of foreign language anxiety, administered an adapted version of the FLCAS on 96 second-year university students of Japanese and found a significant negative correlation between score for FLCAS and final grades among these students. This finding was replicated in Saito and Samimy’s 20
(1996) study of beginning, intermediate and advanced-level college students of Japanese.
Likewise, they found similar findings as regards to students’ level of
language anxiety and their L2 performance. . Other research include Phillips’ (1992) study of language anxiety on oral test performance and attitudes, where she found that L2 learners’ score on the FLCAS correlated negatively with oral exam grades, suggesting a negative relationship between language anxiety and L2 performance. In Bailey, Daley & Onwuegbuzie’s (1999) study, it was shown that language anxiety correlated significantly with variables such as persistence and responsibility. In a study on 74 Japanese high school students in two intact English classes, Templin (1999) found that students with high self-efficacy beliefs, thus decreasing language anxiety, achieved significantly higher grades than their peers with low self-efficacy. However, not all research conducted has found any relationship between language anxiety and L2 performance. In their study, Sparks and Ganschow (1991) found that “high levels of anxiety are, most likely, a manifestation of deficiencies in the efficient control of one’s native language”. They propose the Linguistic Coding Differences Hypotheses (LCDH) as an alternative explanation for individual differences in L2 learning, suggesting that difficulties with one or more aspects of one’s native language may have contributed to poor L2 performance. They claim that native language factors, rather than language anxiety, are the main variable in L2 learning. In fact, they argue that “the ability to use and understand language, rather than affective variables, is the important causal factor in L2 learning in the classroom setting”. This position has been contested by MacIntyre (1995) who rejects Sparks and Ganschow’s LCDH on the ground that it reduces the important role of language
21
anxiety.
Instead, citing evidence from his own study, MacIntyre maintains that
“anxiety arousal is a causal agent in creating individual differences in L2 learning”, disproving that language anxiety is a consequence rather than a cause of L2 learning problems. Moreover, as Horwitz (2000) pointed out, the large number of learners reporting language anxiety and the fact that even advanced and highly successful learners also report experiencing language anxiety cannot support LCDH’s theory of causality.
2.7 SUMMARY Based on the review of some prominent literature presented above, we can conclude that language anxiety in L2 learning cannot be defined in a linear manner. It might be better construed as a complex phenomenon influenced by many different factors. Thus, it seems to be more appropriate to investigate language anxiety from several aspects using a variety of perspectives and approaches. It is important to bear in mind that it is not easy to determine if language anxiety interferes L2 skills, or to find the sources of language anxiety, or to decide whether anxiety affects L2 performance. While some researchers are divided in their views of whether language anxiety results in poor L2 performance or vice versa, the fact that a relationship between the two exists has been established.
Many studies consistently show a relationship
between language anxiety and L2 performance. This study explores these intricate issues by examining three aspects of language anxiety: anxiety-provoking L2 skills; the sources of language anxiety; and the relationship between language anxiety and L2 performance.
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CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY
3.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter outlines the design of the study and gives a profile of the students involved in the study. In addition, it also explains how the instruments for data collection were constructed and describes the procedures used to carry out the data collection and how the data were analysed.
3.2 DESIGN OF STUDY The purpose of the present study is to explore language anxiety experienced by IIC first-year Malay students using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study sought to investigate which L2 skill that could create language anxiety for the students, the sources of language anxiety as experienced by some selected students, and the relationship between language anxiety and the students’ L2 performance. Quantitative data that were required to answer question 1 were collected through a questionnaire survey which was administered to the students in the study. The questionnaire measured the level of language anxiety of the students and determined the L2 skill that created language anxiety for the students.
The
construction and implementation of the questionnaire survey are discussed in sections 3.4 until 3.6 of this chapter. To answer research question 2, qualitative data were collected through interviews with selected students. The interviews elicited subjective descriptions of language anxiety from the students. Descriptions on how the interview schedule was constructed and how it was conducted are discussed in sections 3.7 until 3.10. Finally, to answer research question 3, quantitative data were gathered through 23
the students’ end-of-semester examination papers.
A description of the question
papers and how they were assessed are discussed in section 3.11 and 3.12. The following table summarizes the instruments used and the number of participants involved:
Table 3.1 Instruments and Participants Instruments
Number of Participants
Questionnaires
91
Interviews
20
End-of-Semester Exam Papers
91
3.3 THE PARTICIPANTS A total of 91 Malay students enrolled in various Diploma programmes were involved in the first part of this study, i.e., questionnaires. 27 of them were male students while 64 were female students.
The students’ programmes consisted of Diploma in
Business Administration, Information Technology, Computer Science, Accounting, and Early Childhood Education. They were in their first compulsory level of English courses in IIC and were to sit for an end-of-semester English paper. A minimum pass of this paper would promote them to the second level of English courses. Of these 91 students, 71 of them were freshmen who registered in December 2006 while 20 students were repeaters who registered the course for the second time. All of the students were Malays, which suited the purpose of this study, which was to explore language anxiety from the perspective of students sharing a similar culture and background. The majority of the students in this study came from non-English speaking families, thus providing them with little opportunity to use English at home.
24
They conversed mainly in their mother tongues at home with their family members. Therefore, these students commonly did not use English in their communication outside their English class. In general, they stuck to friends from their own race and used their mother tongues in their interaction with their friends. For the second part of the study, i.e., interviews, 20 from the 91 students were selected based on their scores in the questionnaires. To accomplish the third part of this study, all the 91 students’ end-of-semester examination papers were analyzed.
3.4 THE QUESTIONNAIRE The questionnaire generally measured the language anxiety experienced by the students when they were learning various L2 skills in English (See Appendix II). To ensure that the data collected were suitable for answering the research question, an adapted version of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) originally devised by Horwitz et. al. (1986) was used for assessing the students’ language anxiety in various L2 skills. The questionnaire was adapted by Han (2003) who used it to investigate language anxiety with respect to all the five different skills of L2 learning (listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar). Initially, Horwitz et al. (1986) constructed the questionnaire to measure foreign language anxiety.
It has been widely used in many different foreign language
circumstances. However, Han (2003) found that using the FLCAS in its entirety was unsuitable for his study because some of the items in Horwitz et al.’s FLCAS referred purely to foreign language circumstances that did not exist in Han’s study. Moreover, the FLCAS had a strong emphasis on the spoken aspect of L2 learning, whereas in Han’s study, language anxiety was conceptualised as anxiety experienced with respect to all the five skills of language learning (listening, speaking, reading, writing and
25
grammar), with equal weighting for each skill. Therefore, a scale which included the five different skills was constructed by Han. The thirty-three items in the FLCAS were examined, and those that were found to be relevant to the Han’s study were adapted for use in the questionnaire. Besides the FLCAS, Han also referred to the other scales used for measuring anxiety. These included Saito, Horwitz & Garza’s (1999) Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale, a 20-item Likert scale which measured reading anxiety; Cheng, Horwitz & Schallert’s (1999) Second Language Writing Anxiety Test, which measured writing anxiety in L2 context; and Vogely’s (1998) Listening Comprehension Anxiety Questionnaire, which measured listening comprehension anxiety. Taking all these scales into consideration, Han came out with a newlyadapted questionnaire. Because the original questionnaire (FLCAS) was not suitable, as scrutinized by Han, the present study used the adapted version of the questionnaire (Han, 2003).
3.5 DESIGN OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE The questionnaire comprises two parts. The first part of the questionnaire elicits the students’ basic demographic information including name, matric number, gender, age, race, and their contact numbers. Their contact numbers were required for the purpose of easier reference in the interview sessions. The second part of the questionnaire consists of 25 statements, which answer research question 1. These statements are divided into five sections. Each section is based on five different skills in L2 learning, namely, listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar. Each section contains five different statements related to a particular L2 skill.
The statements are randomly distributed in the questionnaire to ensure
26
consistency in students’ response. The following table illustrates the distribution of the statements in the questionnaire based on five different L2 skills.
Table 3.2 The Breakdown of Statements in the Questionnaire L2 Skills
Statement Numbers
Number of Statements
Reading
7, 10, 11, 21, 24
5
Listening
9, 12, 14, 17, 20
5
Speaking
3, 4, 13, 18, 25
5
Writing
2, 5, 8, 19, 23
5
Grammar
1, 6, 15, 16, 22
5
(Total)
-
25
Each statement in the questionnaire poses a situation that might occur to the students when they learn English.
Statements are varied and address different
concerns related to each L2 skill. Students responded to these statements on a Likerttype scale. On a scale of 1 to 5, students indicated the frequency of occurrence for each situation posed in the statements, with 1 = All the time, 2 = Frequently, 3 = Occasionally, 4 = Seldom, 5 = Never. The range of possible scores is between 25 and 125. A score of 25 shows that the student has circled 1 for all the 25 items in the questionnaire, indicating that he or she experiences language anxiety all the time in all the 25 situations. Conversely, a score of 125 shows that the student has circled 5 for all the items, indicating that he or she has never experienced language anxiety in any of the 25 situations. Collectively, the twenty-five statements measure the overall language anxiety experienced by the students when learning English. They also determine the L2 skill that can create language anxiety for the students. 27
The questionnaire is bilingual and translated into Malay as the students’ level of English proficiency was generally weak. This decision was based on the results of the English Placement Assessment (EPA) run by the Centre for Languages (See Appendix III). Most of them performed poorly in the assessment and therefore could not proceed to the second level of English courses. Moreover, 22% of the students failed in their first attempt in the course. Therefore, the bilingual questionnaire was opted to ensure more accurate feedback from the students.
3.6 PROCEDURE FOR ADMINISTERING THE QUESTIONNAIRE The questionnaire survey was administered a month before end-of-semester examination. It was administered on three different days for five different sections of English classes (See Table 3.3).
While care had been taken to ensure that the
statements in the questionnaire were unambiguous and easily understood, it was felt that it was nevertheless necessary for the researcher to be the one administering the questionnaire survey so as to be available to answer any queries that might arise. This was to ensure that the validity of the questionnaire was not compromised by the language proficiency or intelligence of the students. Before the questionnaire was given out, the students were briefed about the purpose of the survey. Students were reminded that there was no right or wrong answer and that they were to answer honestly according to their own experience in their English classes. Students were able to complete the questionnaire on their own. After the survey was completed, students were informed that some of them would be required to take part in the second stage of the study, which was the interview.
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Table 3.3 Number of Students in Each Section of English Classes Section
Number of Students
1
25
3
18
4
13
5
10
8
25
Total
91
3.7 THE INTERVIEW Besides the use of the questionnaire survey to investigate language anxiety, interviews were conducted with selected students to provide insight into the potential sources of language anxiety from the students’ perspective. Looking into the relevant literature, comparatively less has been done in terms of qualitative research in language anxiety. However, there are a number of researchers who attempted to use qualitative methods to investigate language anxiety. One of such studies was one undertaken by Price (1991) who made use of interviews to obtain a subjective description of her interviewees’ experiences as L2 learners, as well as to examine the notion of language anxiety from the views of anxious learners. Through a combination of informal questionnaire and interview sessions, Price was able to look at the potential sources of language anxiety. Following Price, interview was chosen as the method of data collection for this study because it allowed in-depth information-gathering and free responses from the students. For the interview sessions in the current study, the six potential sources of anxiety proposed by Young (1991) were used as a guideline to elicit students’ responses.
Young (1991) was chosen because of the all-inclusive nature of her 29
theoretical framework.
Data from the interviews were used to answer research
question 2, on the potential sources of language anxiety.
3.8 INTERVIEW SAMPLE The students selected to participate in the interviews were chosen based on their total raw scores of language anxiety in the questionnaire. Based on these scores, students were divided into three categories. The first category was a high-anxiety group, who scored between 25 and 57. The second category was an average-anxiety group, who scored between 58 and 91. The final category was a low-anxiety group, who scored between 92 and 125. Seven students were selected from high-anxiety group, six from average-anxiety group, and seven from low-anxiety group, making the total number of students selected for the interview sessions 21. The combination of anxious, nonanxious and moderately-anxious students provided a comprehensive description of potential sources of language anxiety and made the data more reliable and valid. Attention was given to the raw scores obtained for each skill in the questionnaire by each of the selected students. The scores had to be consistent, suggesting that the language anxiety they were experiencing was consistent throughout the different L2 skills and not focused on only one particular skill. At the same time, effort was also made to ensure that the sample selected was representative of the whole participants in the study. All of the selected students agreed to participate in the interview. Most of them were nervous at the beginning, but as the interview progressed, they began to relax and were able to talk candidly about their experiences. This shows that the students were able to provide meaningful information about their own L2 learning experiences. Only few students were so reticent that even after much coaxing, they could only offer
30
one-line answers. Nevertheless, what they shared and their behaviour during the interview sessions provided information about their feelings of language anxiety.
3.9 DESIGN OF THE INTERVIEW An interview schedule (See Appendix IV) was developed in order to obtain more indepth information about the students’ language anxiety.
The interview schedule
provided a guideline of questions that would elicit responses from the students. At the same time, it allowed students the opportunity to share their L2 learning experiences freely. The interview schedule contained three main areas with several suggested questions to elicit more details from the students. Basically, the students were asked generally on when, how, and why they felt anxious in five different skills of L2 learning (reading, listening, speaking, writing, grammar). To do this, some of the statements in the questionnaire were used to initiate and facilitate the conversations with the students.
Many of the statements in the questionnaire were useful for
eliciting comments from the students since they contained various L2 skills that might provoke anxiety in students. Then, more specific and focused questions were used in reference to the Young’s (1991) six potential sources of language anxiety. This included personal and interpersonal anxieties, leaner beliefs about language learning, instructor beliefs about language learning, instructor-learner interactions, classroom procedures and language testing. Besides asking the students what they felt was making them anxious when learning English, they were also asked for their opinions and suggestions on possible ways to reduce language anxiety, with regards to the roles of students, language teachers, the college, parents and the general society.
31
3.10 PROCEDURE FOR CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW The interviews took place two weeks before the students’ end-of-semester examination, which was two weeks after the questionnaire survey was administered. Students selected for the interview were informed through their class hours or phone calls. The time and venue of the interviews were based on the students’ availability and convenience. Each student was given a pre-interview survey to fill up so that they could think about the questions before the interview (See Appendix V). The preinterview survey contained the 12 main questions in the interview schedule. Space was provided between each question for the students to response to the questions. At the start of each interview session, the purpose of the interview was stated and consent for recording the session was sought. Each interview session lasted about 20 minutes. Students were asked to explain or elaborate on their answers in the preinterview survey. Additional questions were asked to elicit their personal account or experience of anxiety when learning English. During the interview sessions, short notes of the students’ answers were made to facilitate further discussion. These were later used to identify the relevant portions of the interview to transcribe for the data analysis (See Appendix VI). Some of the interview sessions were conducted bilingually in English as well as Malay. While most of the students could understand most of the questions asked in the interview, they had difficulty expressing themselves fully in English.
The
bilingual sessions were translated into English. The translation was verified by a bilingual colleague before it was used for the data analysis.
32
3.11 END-OF-SEMESTER EXAMINATION PAPERS All the English papers done by all the 91 students in their end-of-semester examination were used to find out whether language anxiety affected L2 performance. The paper was constructed by one English language lecturer teaching in the college (See Appendix VII). It was thoroughly vetted by three professional internal vetters. The question paper consisted of two sections. The first section tested students’ grammatical knowledge. They were three sub-sections: completion passage; error identification; and verb form.
The second section examined students’ reading
comprehension. A reading passage was given followed by questions on cohesion, vocabulary test, true-or-false statements, multiple-choice items, and short-answer subjective questions. The actual examination of the paper was conducted in the college’s great hall. It was invigilated by five pre-assigned invigilators.
All the necessary rules and
regulations for the examination were observed. The students sat for the examination for two and a half hours. The papers were then marked by three different lecturers. Sit-in was pre-conducted among the examiners so as to ensure the reliability of their marking system. The marking was completed in two weeks’ time.
3.12 PROCEDURE FOR ASSESSING END-OF-SEMESTER EXAM PAPERS After the marked papers were submitted by examiners, students’ grades were obtained for the analysis. This was done with the permission of the Dean of the Centre for Languages. Students’ grades were analyzed and compared with their overall scores of their language anxiety obtained through the questionnaire. To be more specific, the scores obtained in two different sections in the paper were analyzed, i.e. grammar and reading sections. These scores were then compared with the three groups of students–
33
high-anxiety group, average-anxiety group, and low-anxiety group. By doing this, the relationship between language anxiety and L2 performance was determined. The findings and discussions of the data obtained from the questionnaire, the interview and the end-of-semester examination papers are presented in the next chapter.
34
CHAPTER FOUR FINDINGS AND DISCUSION
4.1 INTRODUCTION The data collected were used to answer the following specific research questions: 4.
Which L2 skill (listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar) can create language anxiety for IIC’s first-year Malay students?
5.
What are the potential sources of their language anxiety?
6.
What is the relationship between language anxiety and their L2 performance in end-of-semester examination, with the specific focus on grammar and reading skills?
The data were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Analysis of the questionnaire data was carried out using the statistical package SPSS and Microsoft Excel. The skills of L2 learning in which students felt most anxious and least anxious were ranked and analyzed. Descriptive statistical analysis such as the calculation of mean and standard deviation (SD), frequency distribution and percentages were used to summarise the results for overall scores of students’ language anxiety as well as the ranking of the five L2 skills. The analysis of data from the interviews with the students involved two stages. The first stage was categorising the responses of the students into the six general sources of language anxiety suggested by Young (1991). The frequency of occurrence was calculated and the result was presented in a frequency pie chart. The second stage of the analysis focused on one of the six general sources that showed the highest frequency of occurrence.
To provide more details for the most-frequently cited
35
general source of anxiety, five specific sources of anxiety were identified. Like in the first stage, the frequency of responses for each specific source was tabulated. Based on the interviews, the potential sources of anxiety were elaborated in a descriptive method. First, the variability among the students was analyzed, such as personality differences, levels of language anxiety and levels of English proficiency. Second, the commonalities among the students were investigated, such as fear of negative evaluation, competitiveness, and test anxiety. To identify the relationship between language anxiety and L2 performance, the grades of the students’ end-of-semester examination papers and their language anxiety scores in the questionnaire were tabulated using SPSS. Besides, two specific skills tested in the papers–i.e. grammar and reading skills–were tabulated as well. By doing this, the relationship between language anxiety and L2 performance was identified. Specifically, inferential statistical analysis, that is Pearson Product-moment Correlation, was used to investigate the relationship between the students’ language anxiety and their L2 performance.
4.2 RESEARCH QUESTION 1: SKILLS THAT CAN CREATE LANGUAGE ANXIETY
4.2.1 Findings To answer research question 1, three levels of analysis were conducted. First, the raw scores of each of the students’ language anxiety were analysed. Second, the raw scores of each of the 25 statements in the questionnaire were put into analysis. Third, the accumulated raw scores of each of the five different L2 skills in the questionnaire were analysed and discussed.
36
4.2.1.1 Raw Scores of Each of the Students’ Language Anxiety The 25 statements in the questionnaire demonstrated high internal reliability with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient =.95. With possible total scores between 25 and 125, one student attained 37, which was the lowest score, and one student obtained 116, which was the highest score (See Figure 4.1).
The mean score was 69.2 with
SD=18.07. To observe the raw scores experienced by the students, a scale was established (See Table 4.1), against which the raw scores obtained could be compared. The scale provided the range of scores for which the raw scores obtained could be classified into 3 levels of anxiety–low anxiety, moderate anxiety and high anxiety. Based on the range of scores given, a score that fell between 25 and 58 signified high anxiety experienced by the students while a score between 93 and 125 signified low anxiety. A score between 59 and 92 indicated that a student experienced moderate anxiety. Looking at the distribution of scores in the questionnaire, most of the scores fell within the range for moderate anxiety. As presented in Figure 4.2, 61% of the students obtained scores that fell within the moderate anxiety range while 27% of them indicated that they experienced high anxiety with scores in the high anxiety range. Only 12% of the students had scores that fell within the low anxiety range. Generally, the combined percentage of students experiencing high or moderate student, at almost 88%, showed that language anxiety was present, no matter what type of L2 skills they learnt in the classroom. In addition, the highest score obtained by one student, which was 116 obtained out of a possible 125, showed that none of the students indicated that they had never experienced anxiety while learning English. This result suggests that even students with low anxiety did encounter situations that might cause them some anxiety when learning English.
37
116
120 100
Scores
80 60 40
37
20 0 1
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
Students Figure 4.1: Distribution of the Raw Scores of Each of the Students’ Language Anxiety. Note. Mean = 69.2, SD = 18.07, N = 91
Table 4.1 Range of Scores of the Students’ Language Anxiety Level of Anxiety
Range of Scores
High Anxiety
25 – 57
Moderate Anxiety
58 – 91
Low Anxiety
92 – 125
38
Low Anxiety 12% Moderate Anxiety 61%
High Anxiety 27%
Figure 4.2: The percentage of Students Who Experienced the Different Levels of Anxiety.
4.2.1.2 Raw Scores of Each of the Statements in the Questionnaire To observe the existence of language anxiety experienced by the students in L2 skills, the raw scores of each of the 25 statements in the questionnaire were individually added. The raw scores for each statement are presented in Figure 4.3. Statement 1 received the lowest score, which is 195, while Statement 24 received the highest score, which is 329. Another scale was established that provided the range of scores for which the raw scores obtained in each statement could be classified into 3 categories–low anxiety, moderate anxiety and high anxiety. The range of possible scores between 91 and 455 was divided into 3 categories (See Table 4.2). Based on the range of scores given, the raw scores that fell between 91 and 212 signified the most-arousing statement while the raw scores between 335 and 455 signified the least-arousing statement. The scores between 213 and 334 indicated that
39
the statements caused moderate anxiety for the students. Using this method, the responses to the individual statements in the questionnaire were determined. It was found that the students were most worried about their examination results being affected by their inadequate grasp of grammar (Statement 1). This statement scored the lowest mean (See Table 4.3). Besides, the students were also anxious about how to express themselves in spoken English. This was evident in their responses to statement 3, i.e. giving a presentation in Standard English. While most of the students did not feel that writing was a frightening experience (Statement 23), they did worry about how to organise their thoughts and ideas in an English composition (Statement 8). Although they did not feel nervous when listening to a speech or lecture without any visual aids (Statement 17), they did feel nervous when listening to an unfamiliar accent (Statement 14). Reading was found to be the least-arousing skill since the students did not feel anxious whenever they saw a whole page of English words (Statement 24). Students’ responses in statement 1 and statement 24, which scored the lowest mean and the highest mean respectively, are illustrated in Figure 4.4 and Figure 4.5.
40
350 327 329
278 272
265
258
1
3
211
210
Score
195
198
227
220
216
261
244
241
236
231
265
264 259
249
244
250
200
301
295
300
150
100
50
0 5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
Statement
Figure 4.3: Distribution of the Raw Scores of Each of the Statements.
Table 4.2 Range of Scores of the Statements Level of Anxiety
Range of Scores
High Anxiety
91 – 212
Moderate Anxiety
213 – 334
Low Anxiety
335 – 455
41
23
25
Table 4.3 Mean and SD of Each Statement in the Questionnaire No
1 3 6 14 4 8 12 2 5 13 9 18 15 7 19 25 20 16 22 11 10 17 21 23 24
Mean Statements I worry about my grammar pulling down my final English 2.14 exam grades. I feel nervous when I have to give a presentation in English. 2.18 It worries me when I am not sure of the correct English grammar 2.31 to use. I feel nervous when I do not understand English spoken with 2.32 an unfamiliar accent. I worry about how to express myself when I am talking in 2.37 English. I worry about how to organise my thoughts and ideas in an 2.42 English composition. I feel anxious when English is spoken too quickly. 2.49 I worry that I will do badly whenever my lecturer asks me to 2.54 write an English composition. I worry about what others will think about my English writing. 2.59 I feel anxious when I have to speak to others in English. 2.65 I feel anxious when someone speaks to me in English with a topic 2.68 I am not familiar with. I find it embarrassing when I have to volunteer to speak in class. 2.68 I feel anxious when I think about the number of grammar rules I 2.74 have to learn in English. It worries me when I do not understand something I have read in 2.84 English. I feel nervous about English writing even if it will not be graded. 2.85 I feel anxious when I have to speak to a lecturer in English. 2.87 It worries me when I do not understand what the lecturer is 2.90 saying in English class. When reading something in English, I feel anxious whenever I 2.91 encounter unfamiliar grammar usage. I worry that I do not understand what is being taught during 2.91 English grammar lessons. When reading in English, I feel anxious when I do not understand 2.99 every word. When reading in English, I worry that I will misinterpret what the 3.05 author has written. I feel nervous when I have to listen to a speech or lecture 3.24 without any visual aids (e.g. pictures, notes, Powerpoint, etc). I feel anxious when reading about a topic in English that I am not 3.31 familiar with. Writing in English is a frightening experience. 3.59 I feel anxious whenever I see a whole page of English words in 3.62 front of me.
42
SD 0.96 1.07 0.93 1.05 1.00 0.97 1.15 1.05 1.02 1.07 0.99 1.10 1.15 1.01 1.04 1.07 1.05 0.93 1.07 1.11 1.06 1.13 1.13 1.04 1.04
50
40
30
20
10
0 all the time
f requently
occasionally
seldom
never
Figure 4.4: Responses from Students for Statement 1 of the Questionnaire. Note. Statement 1 (The Most-Arousing Skill): Grammar Pulling Down English Exam Grades
40
30
20
10
0 all the time
f requently
occasionally
seldom
never
Figure 4.5: Responses from Students for Statement 24 of the Questionnaire. Note. Statement 24 (The Least-Arousing Skill): Seeing a Whole Page of English Words
43
4.2.1.3 Accumulated Raw Scores of Each L2 Skill To determine a particular skill which could create language anxiety for the students, the raw scores of the five statements in a particular skill were added together. In this way, the skill that received the lowest accumulated raw score was considered the most anxiety-arousing. A scale was established that provided the range of scores for which the accumulated raw scores obtained for each L2 skill could be classified into 3 categories–low anxiety, moderate anxiety and high anxiety. The range of possible scores between 455 and 2275 was divided by 3, as presented in Table 4.4. Based on the range of scores given, the scores that fell between 455 and 1062 signified the most-arousing skill while the scores between 1670 and 2275 signified the least-arousing skill. The scores between 1063 and 1669 indicated that the skill caused moderate anxiety for the students. The accumulated raw scores for each statement in the questionnaire are presented in Figure 4.6. The results showed that speaking was the most anxiety-arousing, followed by grammar, listening and writing.
The aspect that was least anxiety-arousing was
reading (See Table 4.4). All the accumulated raw scores for each skill fell within the range of moderate anxiety, with only a slight difference of scores among the L2 skills. Notwithstanding the ranking, these accumulated raw scores showed that all skills could create language anxiety for the students, at least moderately.
44
1600
1438
1400
Score
1200
1273
1241
1184
1160
1000 800 600 400 200 0
Speaking Grammar Listening
Writing
Reading
Figure 4.6: Distribution of Accumulated Raw Scores of Each L2 Skill.
Table 4.4 Range of Scores of the L2 Skills Level of Anxiety
Range of Scores
High Anxiety
455 – 1062
Moderate Anxiety
1063 – 1669
Low Anxiety
1670 – 2275
4.2.2 Discussion The raw scores of each of the students’ language anxiety showed that the students felt anxious when learning English, with 88% of them experienced moderate anxiety. All the five L2 skills-speaking, grammar, listening, writing and reading-could create language anxiety for them.
45
4.2.2.1 Anxiety and Speaking With the accumulated raw score of 1160 (Figure 4.6), speaking was considered the most anxiety-arousing L2 skill experienced by the students. Although it was ranked second, based on the individual statements’ mean scores, all the five speaking-related statements in the questionnaire showed high mean scores, ranging from 2.18 to 2.87 (Table 4.3). A possible explanation for this could be the emphasis of oral presentation in their English class that contributes 10% of their coursework marks (See Appendix VIII). Moreover, the fact that the college is English-medium might make them more aware of their oral competence, especially when communicating with their lecturers. In terms of individual statements in the questionnaire, students were concerned most about delivering oral presentations in Standard English and expressing themselves clearly when speaking (Table 4.3). Based on the interviews with selected students, speaking was found to be anxiety-arousing where they felt uncomfortable when speaking in English (See Appendix VI). Standing in front of a class was in itself an anxiety-arousing activity as it exposed them to judgment and criticism from the audience. Feeling that they were not fully competent in English, they also feel anxious when they were asked to speak in English to their lecturers or classmates.
One student stated that the whole
experience caused embarrassments particularly when she was asked to volunteer to speak in the class (Appendix VI, Student F). At the same time, the students saw the importance of Standard English over colloquial ones.
They felt that Standard English was the more appropriate or
acceptable variety of English in the college context, especially in formal oral presentations. One male student felt anxious when he was asked to use Standard
46
English because he perceived that his own level of English was not up to standard (Appendix VI, Student G).
Therefore, speaking was anxiety-arousing for these
students.
4.2.2.2 Anxiety and Grammar Grammar was considered the second most anxiety-arousing skill with an accumulated raw score of 1184 (Figure 4.6). Looking at the responses in the questionnaire, the statement with the lowest mean was related to grammar: I worry about my grammar pulling down my final English exam grades (Statement 1, Table 4.3). The mean scores for other grammar-related statements were below 3, which showed moderate amount of language anxiety. One possible explanation for this could be that students have always associated grammar with complicated rules which they have to master. This is probably due to the way that grammar is taught in class, consisting exercises that isolate the grammar item that is being taught, where there is only one correct answer that students must get right. This is evident in the grammar book used for IIC’s first-year students, where they are instructed to complete all the grammar exercises in the book. Following this method, the students might associate grammar with obtaining the right answers in the exercises. However, when it comes to usage, speaking or writing tasks usually require more than the usual sentence structures the students encounter in the grammar exercises. When they are unable to make use of what they have learnt in the grammar exercises in their speech or writing, they may feel anxious. In one of the interview sessions, one student said, “I am afraid of grammar because all ideas must be put into grammatically correct sentences. I just don’t like it. It is so confusing. For example,
47
tenses. They are very complicated. I am always scared that I will use them incorrectly” (Appendix VI, Student I). Moreover, when the students get feedback about their compositions, the grammatical errors they have made in the compositions are highlighted, and these errors may result in a lower grade obtained.
Sometimes, grammatical errors in
comprehension are also penalised. Since examination results are very important to the students, it is not surprising that the students worry that their grammatical errors may affect their examination results, as reflected in their responses to grammar-related statements of the questionnaire (See Table 4.3). During the interviews, one student said, “I am scared of grammar because there are many complicated rules that I must follow, especially when I want to write an essay in final examination. It worries me that I would fail because of my poor knowledge in grammar” (Appendix VI, Student K).
4.2.2.3 Anxiety and Listening Based on the accumulated raw scores for each L2 skill, listening was ranked in the middle, as a moderate anxiety-arousing L2 skill (Figure 4.6). However, the analysis of the individual statements in the questionnaire showed that listening to an unfamiliar accent (Statement 14) was considered slightly more anxiety-arousing than speaking to express oneself (Statement 4, Table 4.3).
When compared to reading, listening
requires the students’ almost immediate response and can therefore be considered more anxiety-provoking than reading. Generally, listening moderately provokes language anxiety for students. One reason could be the exclusion of the teaching of listening in the classroom, which is the result of negative backwash effects of examinations.
48
Marks for the end-of-
semester examination for IIC’s first-year students are allocated to grammar and reading only (See Appendix VII). Listening is not tested at all. This inevitably translates into zero curriculum time devoted to the teaching of listening (See Appendix VIII). Moreover, listening has often been taken for granted and perceived as a passive skill that comes naturally during other classroom activities (Vogely, 1998). After years of English language instruction during primary and secondary schools, IIC students are assumed to have acquired adequate listening ability. Thus, listening is not taught at all in class. This low priority given to listening may have given students the impression that they are doing well in this area and do not need further teaching or training, which may be the reason why students felt less anxious about listening. Despite this general assumption, the accumulated raw scores shown in this study illustrated the existence of moderate amount of language anxiety in listening, plus it was more anxiety-arousing than writing and reading (Figure 4.6). This proved that listening could also create language anxiety for the students. In the interviews, one of the selected students said, “I am worried when I listen to something that I have never heard before. It can be difficult for me to understand” (Appendix VI, Student D).
4.2.2.4 Anxiety and Writing The accumulated raw score for writing was ranked the fourth with a total of 1273 (Figure 4.6). This was unexpected considering that 20% of the students’ coursework marks come from written assignments and journal writings (See Appendix VIII). However, closer examination of the writing-related statements in the questionnaire showed that the students were most anxious about organising their thoughts and ideas 49
in an English composition, about doing badly whenever their lecturer asked them to write an English composition, and about what others would think about their English writing, item 8, 2 and 5 respectively (See Table 4.3). In fact, close to 50% of the students indicated that they felt occasionally nervous about English writing even if their writing would not be graded (Statement 19). These individual statements’ mean scores range below 3, from 2.42 to 2.85. The anxiety that students experienced over composition writing could be due to the way writing is taught in class. While the process-writing approach to the teaching of writing is advocated, the type of writing that is done in the classroom is still mainly product-oriented. Students are usually expected to complete their writing in class and hand in their finished product at the end of a two-hour period lesson. Most of the lessons are devoted to the act of writing itself, and students usually have only the title or topic to get them started. Making students finish their writing in class can be anxiety-arousing because it assumes that all the students are competent writers who are able to complete the writing task independently when in fact, some students may have difficulty planning or organising their writing (Statement 8, Table 4.3). This could have caused the students’ anxiety over writing compositions. Furthermore, the method of composition correction could also have aggravated the anxiety in the students. Where marking of composition is concerned, teachers seem to have a tendency to correct any and every error the students make. Very often, students have their writing returned to them heavily marked. This creates a sense of failure in the students. Moreover, good points in compositions rarely get highlighted or praised, which reinforces the sense of failure. This was agreed by one of the selected students in the interviews who claimed that writing was a frightening
50
experience because her English lecturer would heavily mark all her mistakes in writing (Appendix VI, Student D). Finally, composition correction is more often than not the recopying of the composition with the correct words or phrases suggested by the lecturer. Students usually have no idea how to improve their writing beyond the correction of these errors, and some may not be able to respond to the corrections suggested by the lecturer. These factors could have caused students to view composition writing as anxiety-arousing.
4.2.2.5 Anxiety and Reading Based on the accumulated raw scores of each skill in the questionnaire, reading was considered the least anxiety-arousing L2 skill (Figure 4.6). Reading, as in silent reading, is generally not anxiety-arousing for many students. Reading is something that they do in private and they need not fear being evaluated by others. Reading is also less anxiety-arousing than other L2 skills because the students can review the text many times to recover missed information, rely on visual or contextual clues or refer to the dictionary. It is considered a “private task and the risk of embarrassment is limited, compared with the other more public and ego-involving skills” (MacIntyre et al., 1997). Coming to terms with this fact, it is nonetheless a mistake to take the existence of language anxiety in reading activities for granted. The accumulated raw score for reading, as shown in Figure 4.6, still fell within the moderate level of anxiety, thus suggesting the presence of moderate amount of language anxiety among students when they did not understand something they read in English or when they would misinterpret what the author wrote (Statement 7 and 10, respectively, Table 4.3). In 51
the interviews, one of the selected students said, “I found it difficult to understand the reading passage in the examination and answer comprehension questions. I was afraid I would answer them incorrectly” (Appendix VI, Student K). Therefore, reading could also create language anxiety for the students.
4.3 RESEARCH QUESTION 2: POTENTIAL SOURCES OF LANGUAGE ANXIETY Research question 2 seeks to examine the sources of language anxiety from the students’ perspective. This was achieved with the use of interviews with 20 selected students. Based on their scores in the questionnaire, they were divided into three categories-high anxiety, moderate anxiety and low anxiety. The combination of these three categories was to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the sources of language anxiety. The data gathered from the interviews were subjected to two levels of analysis. First, the responses of the interviewees were categorised into the six general sources of language anxiety listed by Young (1991). A frequency count was conducted to determine the frequency of occurrence among those general sources. The second analysis focused on the most highly-cited general source of anxiety where the five specific sources, also suggested by Young, were identified (See Table 2.1). This was done by breaking up the responses into manageable chunks and looking at the general meaning of each chunk of response. Sometimes, a chunk of response could be assigned to more than one specific source of anxiety based on the general meaning. After the responses had been categorised, a frequency count was conducted to rank the five most common specific sources of language anxiety cited by the students.
52
4.3.1 The Six General Sources of Language Anxiety The six general sources of anxiety suggested by Young (1991) are as follows: 1.
Personal and interpersonal anxieties
2.
Learner beliefs about language learning
3.
Classroom procedures
4.
Language testing
5.
Instructor beliefs about language teaching
6.
Instructor-learner actions
4.3.1.1 Findings Initial findings from the analysis showed that personal and interpersonal anxieties were the most common general sources of anxiety cited by the interviewees, making up 70% of the responses (See Figure 4.7). This was followed by the learner’s beliefs about language learning, classroom procedure and language testing. Instructor beliefs about language learning and instructor-learner interactions accounted for less than 5% of the responses.
4.3.1.2 Discussion The findings showed that the language anxiety felt by the students were due to the factors mentioned above. Closer scrutiny into each of these sources is worth doing so that the remedy to reduce the students’ language anxiety could be sought.
53
Language Testing 6%
Instructor Beliefs about Language Learning 4%
Instructor-Learner Interaction 2%
Classroom Procedures 8%
Personal and Interpersonal Anxieties 70%
Learner Beliefs about Language Learning 10%
Figure 4.7: Frequency of Occurrence of the Six General Sources of Language Anxiety.
4.3.1.2.1 Personal and Interpersonal Anxieties The first general source of language anxiety cited by the students was personal and interpersonal anxieties, which accounted for 70% of the frequency of occurrence. Fear of negative social evaluation, fear of failure, perceived proficiency, communication apprehension and competitiveness were among the specific sources of language anxiety, which will be discussed in detail in section 4.3.2.2.
4.3.1.2.2 Learner Beliefs about Language Learning The learner beliefs about language learning were the second general source of language anxiety.
One of the students held an erroneous belief about language 54
learning. He said, “My friends told me to look up for meanings of difficult words in a dictionary and memorise those words. I used to memorise them, but I stopped doing it because I tend to forget most of the words” (Appendix VI, Student G). It was observed that some of the students also held a wrong perception of mistakes. One of them commented, “I am afraid to make mistakes in English. I am not supposed to make mistakes. It is not right. For me, I must be correct all the time. Otherwise, people will laugh at me” (Appendix VI, Student J). The erroneous beliefs held by the students could be due to the presupposed assumptions made by them through limited experiences and knowledge in language learning. Their classmates, parents as well as lecturers might have instilled these beliefs through wrong advice and recommendations. A comprehensive training should be conducted by an expert in language teaching for these students in order to teach them on how to learn a language more effectively.
4.3.1.2.3 Classroom Procedures Classroom procedures contributed less than 10% to the students’ language anxiety. One student reported saying, “The lecturer sometimes writes too many grammar notes on the white board. I feel anxious looking at those confusing notes” (Appendix VI, Student G). The way the instructor conducted oral presentations might also cause anxiety. This was evident when one female student complained, “When I want to deliver a presentation in English, I always feel like crying.
The lecturer keeps
correcting my mistakes. Many students also ask me a lot of difficult questions. I lose control. I am too nervous that I usually end up reading the text only” (Appendix VI, Student I).
55
These findings showed that classroom procedures play a significant role in inducing a certain amount of language anxiety for the students.
One possible
explanation for this could be that language teachers have conducted their classes in a pedagogically ineffective method. They should be wary of the students’ responses when conducting an activity in the classroom so that learning will take place. Some students might take the methods used by language teachers negatively. To avoid this, language teachers should explain to the students about the techniques or methods used in the classroom so that learning objectives could be achieved.
4.3.1.2.4 Language Testing The format of the question paper might create language anxiety for some students. One student commented, “Sometimes I am confused with the format especially in reading section. It is hard for me to find the synonyms in vocabulary questions. It is confusing and challenging to find the meanings of the words” (Appendix VI, Student I). The complex construction of the question paper could also lead to confusion. Another student said, “I am confused with multiple choice questions. There are many similar answers that worry me a lot” (Appendix VI, Student F). The difficulties faced by these students could be due to their lack of exposure to the format of the examination papers. Language teachers might refuse to discuss the format of the examination papers so as not to create an examination-oriented environment in the classroom. Despite the possibility of backwash effect, language teachers should guide students on how to answer the questions in the examination more efficiently. This can be done by encouraging the students to attempt previouslyconducted examination papers. Through these efforts, language anxiety as related to language testing could be reduced.
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4.3.1.2.5 Instructor Beliefs about Language Learning The instructor’s expectations might also create language anxiety for students. The students might not fulfill the standards required by their instructor, and this could make the students feel anxious in the classroom. In the following situation, there was a clash of beliefs between the students and the instructor. One student said, “I am afraid of how my lecturer would evaluate my oral presentation. She wants me to speak in English all the time. I want to mix with Malay, but she didn’t allow me to. She didn’t even allow me to read the text. It was a really frightening experience” (Appendix VI, Student K). This situation could have been avoided if the languages teachers have explained about the objectives of their teaching methods to the students. Making the students aware of their learning processes is important so that the students could appreciate the teachers’ efforts and therefore co-operate in the classroom. Language teachers should also make sure that the students are informed on what the teachers believe in language teaching so that mutual understanding between the two parties could be reached. In this way, the students’ language anxiety could be decreased.
4.3.1.2.6 Instructor-Learner Interaction The last general source of language anxiety was instructor-learner interaction. This was evident in the instructor’s manner of correction. One student stated, “I am not comfortable when my lecturer corrects my mistake in the class. When I was in a secondary school, it was easy for me to understand because my English lecturer corrected me in Malay” (Appendix VI, Student L). Error correction was a concern for a number of students. Even though these students welcome error correction, they thought that it should be conducted in a correct way. One student even suggested that
57
“she must do it after the class, so as not to embarrass the students” (Appendix VI, Student E). Although instructor-learner interaction contributed only 2% to the students’ language anxiety, this factor should not be taken for granted. This interaction is important because it could accelerate or hinder the students’ learning process. Teachers’ insensitivity towards students’ learning behaviour could be the reason that leads to a poor interaction between the two. A good rapport between instructors and learners is vital so that the students will be more comfortable and learn in an encouraging environment. This can be realised if the teachers are adept to effective methods of teaching, such error corrections and hygiene techniques, i.e. how to avoid embarrassment in the classroom (Hilleson, 1996). In this way, the students’ language anxiety could be lessened.
4.3.2 The Five Most Common Specific Sources of Language Anxiety Based on the Personal and Interpersonal Anxieties category, Young (1991) suggested five specific sources of language anxiety. These specific sources are as follows: 1.
Fear of negative social evaluation
2.
Fear of failure
3.
Perceived proficiency
4.
Communication apprehension
5.
Competitiveness
4.3.2.1 Findings Looking at the frequency count, it was found that fear of negative social evaluation was the most common specific source of anxiety cited by the interviewees, making up
58
23% of the responses (See Figure 4.8). This was followed by the learner’s fear of failure, perceived proficiency and communication apprehension.
Competitiveness
accounted for 8% of the responses, which is the lowest.
4.3.2.2 Discussion The findings showed that the language anxiety felt by the students were due to the specific factors mentioned above. Discussion on each of these sources is worth doing so that the nature of the students’ language anxiety could be better understood.
Fear of Negative Social Evaluation
23%
13%
Fear of Failure
12%
Perceived Proficiency Communication Apprehension
10%
8%
Competitiveness 0
5
10
15
20
25
Percentage of Occurence
Figure 4.8: Five Most Frequently Cited Specific Sources of Language Anxiety.
4.3.2.2.1 Fear of Negative Social Evaluation The most common specific source of language anxiety for the interviewees was the fear of negative social evaluation, occurring 23% of the responses (Figure 4.8).
59
Students were reported being anxious about how others judge them. For example, one student said, “I am afraid that other people won’t understand what I am saying and think negatively about my English” (Appendix VI, Student I). The most common classroom activity related to this source of language anxiety was reading aloud. One student commented, “When my lecturer asks me to read aloud, I am worried that I will make mistakes in pronunciation. People will laugh at me when I make mistakes” (Appendix VI, Student J). The students were worried about being laughed at or looked down upon by their peers. One student said, “I am afraid that I make mistakes and people will laugh at me. My friends are good at speaking in English. So, it makes me feel so down. I feel so embarrassed. I feel that I don’t want to try to speak in English anymore” (Appendix VI, Student B). A few students were also concerned about how their teachers or other adults would evaluate them. One student articulated, “During an oral presentation, I am scared with what my lecturer and friends will think of me. I am worried that I would make a mistake. It can be so stressful” (Appendix VI, Student D). According to Horwitz et al. (1986), any performance in the second language is likely to affect an individual’s self-concept as a competent communicator and lead to silence, self-consciousness and even panic. In addition, language learners are more vulnerable to criticism and negative evaluation because the chances of making mistakes in a language class are greater. Therefore, anxious students are desperately trying to avoid humiliation, embarrassment, criticism and preserve their self-esteem. Hilleson (1996) found that the students were aware that they are being evaluated by their peers and teachers, and this is a source of anxiety when they think that they are not presenting a good image. This shows that young learners experience fear of being laughed at by others and of making a fool of themselves in public.
60
4.3.2.2.2 Fear of Failure The second most frequently mentioned specific source of language anxiety was fear of failure. While this fear could be in any activity that they participate in which required their language skills, the main concern cited by the students was with passing examinations.
This is not surprising given the importance that is placed on
examination results. It was the outcome of the examination, the results, that causes anxiety. One student stated, “I am so worried that I will fail this paper. It is going to embarrass my whole family if I fail. I am scared” (Appendix VI, Student T). Worry about failing examinations is understandable because nobody likes failing. Sitting for an examination causes anxiety because of the value that is attached to the outcome of the examinations. For English, students need to obtain a passing grade to move on to the next level of English course. Failing the English language paper would result in delaying their period of study in the college. This anxiety was reflected in the comment of a student who noted, “I am worried that I have to study a bit longer here if I do not pass English papers. I don’t want to fail. I am scared” (Appendix VI, Student E).
4.3.2.2.3 Perceived Proficiency Beside the fear of negative social evaluation and the fear of failure, students’ evaluation and perception of their own proficiency also contributed to their feelings of language anxiety. When students perceive themselves as not having the adequate language skills to complete the task required, anxiety occurs. Sometimes, to avoid potentially embarrassing situations that may occur due to their perceived lack of proficiency, some students chose to avoid situations that would require them to use English.
61
This particular student chose to avoid the opportunity to use her English. She said, “I used to skip English classes. I just pretend that I am sick. Whenever I see my English lecturer, I will avoid her. I am scared that I couldn’t answer her questions in English. I am really scared” (Appendix VI, Student J). In an almost similar case, another student chose to sit out of group discussions in class because she felt that she was not good in expressing herself in English. She noted, “I always avoid group discussions. I feel shy to speak in English. I have strong urge to say something, but I don’t know how to say it in English. So I just keep quiet” (Appendix VI, Student O). According to Young (1991), students with self-perceived low language ability are more likely to experience language anxiety. On the other hand, students who believe that they are able to cope with the language tasks tend not to fear or avoid them, but those who doubt their ability will easily give up or feel anxious.
4.3.2.2.4 Communication Apprehension Another specific source of language anxiety mentioned by the students was communication apprehension.
This relates to both understanding others and
expressing themselves clearly so that others could understand them. One of the students was anxious about having to converse with someone from a different race. She asserted, “There was a time when I travelled to Egypt with my brother. It was difficult for me to communicate since I didn’t speak in Arabic and my English was very poor.
The whole experience was a mess because I didn’t know how to
communicate with people there” (Appendix VI, Student I). Sometimes, not being able to get their ideas across not only causes them anxiety, but also frustrates them. This is the case for the following student who was frustrated with her communication breakdown with her friends. She said, “It makes me so anxious because I don’t know
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how to say something to my friends in English. I feel so frustrated with myself” (Appendix VI, Student D). Communication apprehension is one of the building blocks of Horwitz et al.’s (1986) conceptual framework for the construction of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. It is defined as a type of shyness characterised by fear of or anxiety about communicating with people. Students worry about both understanding others and expressing themselves clearly so that others can understand them. Not being able to put across their ideas effectively so that others can understand them causes anxiety in some students because it means they cannot take part in the discussion or share their ideas. This can sometimes lead to frustration. For some students, communicative apprehension may be a facilitative anxiety in that it causes them to work harder so that they can communicate with their peers and take part in the discussions and contribute their ideas. For a few, the anxiety over how to express themselves brings out avoidance behaviour in them. One student avoids speaking to students from a different race as she would be required to converse solely in English and this causes her anxiety. She declared, “I don’t like to bump into any foreign students. I am so worried because I don’t know how to communicate with them in English. So I always avoid them” (Appendix VI, Student S).
4.3.2.2.5 Competitiveness The last specific source of language anxiety was competitiveness. This occurred when the students compared themselves against their peers or with an idealised image of themselves.
Most of the students were worried about scoring well in their
examinations as compared with their peers.
One example was a student who
commented, “I always compare my results with my friends. When I do this, I always
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feel like I want to fight against them. I want to be like them too” (Appendix VI, Student D).
Some students were anxious about not having the same level of
competence and proficiency as their friends. One student said, “Whenever I am in the class, I always feel that I couldn’t catch up with the lesson like my friends. I always ask myself why I am not as good as they are” (Appendix VI, Student B). Conflict with their idealised image of themselves as language learners also caused anxiety in the students.
This happened when students are worried
unnecessarily about their own progress or performance. This could be due to the erroneous beliefs that they might hold about language learning. When students found that they had not achieved the level of competence that they felt they should have, anxiety occurred. One student lamented, “I am not satisfied with the level of my English now. I am not a good speaker. I am worried that I would never be good in English. What would happen to me?” (Appendix VI, Student R).
4.4 RESEARCH QUESTION 3: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE ANXIETY AND L2 PERFORMANCE Research question 3 seeks to find out the relationship between language anxiety and the students’ L2 performance in end-of-semester examination, with the specific focus on grammar and reading skills.
4.4.1 Findings Correlation statistic was used to test this relationship. Two levels of analysis were conducted: the general relationship which involved all the students; and the specific
64
relationship which examined the three groups of students-high anxiety, average anxiety and low anxiety.
4.4.1.1 General Relationship Table 4.5 shows the relationship between the students’ language anxiety, which was reflected through the anxiety scores obtained in the questionnaire, and their L2 performance with the emphasis on grammar and reading skills. The correlation for the two variables of ‘Grammar’ and ‘Reading’ were found to have r-value of 0.271 and 0.238 respectively. ‘Grammar’ was significant at the 0.01 level while ‘Reading’ was significant at the 0.05 level. This correlation analysis showed that there was a positive relationship between ‘Grammar’, ‘Reading’ and ‘Anxiety Scores’. Anxiety scores relate significantly to L2 performance in grammar and reading skills. Generally speaking, students with low anxiety scores, which showed a high level of language anxiety, tended to get low marks in grammar and reading. Conversely, students with high anxiety scores, which showed a low level of language anxiety, tended to get high marks in grammar and reading. It can be concluded that students who were more anxious tended to carry out more poorly in their L2 performance, while students who were less anxious tended to carry out better in their L2 performance.
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Table 4.5 Correlations, Means and Standard Deviations of the Study’s Variables (N = 91) Criterion Variable Anxiety Scores Predictors Grammar
r .271**
Mean 14.52
SD 4.85
Reading
.238*
32.40
6.64
-
69.19
18.07
Anxiety Scores
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed) *. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed) Note. Dependant Variable: Anxiety Scores
4.4.1.2 Specific Relationship between Anxiety Groups and End-of-Semester Exam To determine the specific relationship, the students were pre-divided into three groups-high anxiety, average anxiety and low anxiety. This division was based on the students’ scores obtained in the questionnaire.
The correlation analyses were
conducted separately for the three different groups of students.
4.4.1.2.1 High-Anxiety Group For students with a high-anxiety level, the correlation for ‘Grammar’ was found to have r-value of 0.64, while ‘Reading’ was 0.191 (See Table 4.6). This correlation analysis showed that there was a positive relationship between students’ high level of language anxiety and their L2 performance in grammar and reading skills. In other words, students who were highly anxious tended to perform poorly in their L2 performance in grammar and reading. However, the r-values for the high-anxiety group were slightly lower compared to the previous r-values for all students.
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Table 4.6 Correlations, Means and Standard Deviations of the Study’s Variables for HighAnxiety Group (N = 25) Criterion Variable Anxiety Scores Predictors Grammar
r .064
Mean 13.28
SD 4.92
Reading
.191
31.12
7.08
-
48.76
5.78
Anxiety Scores
Note. Dependant Variable: Anxiety Scores
4.4.1.2.2 Average-Anxiety Group Students with an average level of language anxiety showed a higher positive correlation with L2 performance, especially in ‘Reading’ variable, which was found to have r-value of 3.43 (See Table 4.7). This correlation was significant at the 0.05 level. The r-value for ‘Grammar’ was 0.127, which was lower than ‘Reading’. For the average-anxiety group, the correlation analysis showed that there was a positive relationship between ‘Grammar’, ‘Reading’ and ‘Anxiety Scores’, with ‘Reading’ correlated higher to ‘Anxiety Scores’ compared to ‘Grammar’. In other words, students with an average level of language anxiety tended to perform averagely in grammar and reading skills. The average-anxiety group scored higher marks in reading compared to grammar.
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Table 4.7 Correlations, Means and Standard Deviations of the Study’s Variables for AverageAnxiety Group (N = 55) Criterion Variable Anxiety Scores Predictors Grammar
r .127
Mean 14.40
SD 4.56
Reading
.343*
32.55
6.03
-
71.84
9.81
Anxiety Scores
*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed) Note. Dependant Variable: Anxiety Scores
4.4.1.2.3 Low-Anxiety Group The low-anxiety group showed a unique relationship between their language anxiety scores and their L2 performance in grammar and reading. The variables ‘Grammar’ and ‘Reading’ were both found to be negatively correlated with ‘Anxiety Scores’ (See Table 4.8). The r-value for ‘Grammar’ was -.188 while ‘Reading’ was -.311. The rvalue for ‘Reading’ was negatively lower than ‘Grammar’.
Table 4.8 Correlations, Means and Standard Deviations of the Study’s Variables for LowAnxiety Group (N = 11) Criterion Variable Anxiety Scores Predictors Grammar
r -.188
Mean 17.91
SD 4.99
Reading
-.311
34.55
8.43
-
102.36
6.68
Anxiety Scores
Note. Dependant Variable: Anxiety Scores
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For this group, the correlation analysis showed that there was a negative relationship between ‘Grammar’, ‘Reading’ and ‘Anxiety Scores’, with ‘Reading’ correlated negatively higher to ‘Anxiety Scores’ compared to ‘Grammar’. In other words, despite their low level of language anxiety, the low anxiety-group tended to perform poorly in their L2 performance.
4.4.2 Discussion The correlation analyses showed that there was a relationship between language anxiety and the students’ L2 performance in grammar and reading skills. Generally, the two variables demonstrated a positive relationship. Specifically, there was a similar relationship for the three groups of students, with the exception of the lowanxiety group which showed a negative relationship. These findings showed that language anxiety was a factor that might affect students’ performance in language testing.
For the high- and moderate-anxiety
groups, their low performance in the end-of-semester examination was expected since they were generally weak in English language, as shown in their English Placement Assessment results (See Appendix III). However, the low anxiety-group showed an unforeseen result in their L2 performance. Despite their low anxiety in English language, their results in the end-of-semester examination were as poor as the highand moderate-anxiety groups. This might be due to the third factor, which is worth examining in future research. Although language anxiety might not be a cause for the low-anxiety group’s poor L2 performance, it is a factor for the two groups-high- and moderate-anxiety groups-which comprise the majority of the students learning English in IIC.
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Therefore, efforts should be made so that language anxiety can be tackled accordingly and students’ L2 performance can be improved.
4.5 SUMMARY The findings of the study showed that all the students experienced some anxiety at some point in learning English with most of them experiencing a moderate level of language anxiety.
The findings also showed that all the L2 skills could create
language anxiety for the students while learning English, where the skill that they found most anxiety-arousing was speaking, while reading was the least anxietyarousing. In line with Han’s findings (2003), the results from the interviews with selected students showed that personal and interpersonal anxieties were the main source of anxiety. In particular, fear of negative social evaluation was the most prevalent source of anxiety.
Correlation analysis showed a positive correlation
between language anxiety and the students’ L2 performance in grammar and reading skills, except for the low-anxiety group which showed a negative relationship. This generally suggested that the students with a lower level of language anxiety obtained lower marks in their L2 performance.
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CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSION
5.1 SUMMARY OF THE STUDY This study aims to provide some information about the nature of language anxiety. It sets out to investigate the language anxiety experienced by tertiary-level students. The 91 students who participated in this study took the first level of English in the International Islamic College. The majority of these students come from non-English speaking families and in general, these students do not use English in their daily interaction with their friends both in and out of the college. Instead, they prefer to use their mother tongue to communicate with each other and English is used only in their English language classes. Firstly, the study explored the L2 skills which could create language anxiety. To measure this, a questionnaire was used. It measured the language anxiety of the student by exploring their level of anxiety in each of the five different skills of language learning (listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar). The level of language anxiety experienced by the students was the sum of the scores for the five different skills. The skill that could create language anxiety was determined based on these scores. Results showed that all L2 skills could create language anxiety, with speaking being the most anxiety-arousing. Next, the study examined the sources of language anxiety from the students’ verbal reports. The data was collected through interviews with selected students. The 20 students were chosen based on their scores in the questionnaire: 7 of them experienced high anxiety; 6 experienced average anxiety; and 7 experienced low anxiety. This was done to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the sources of 71
language anxiety. Results showed that the main potential source of language anxiety was personal and interpersonal anxiety. Finally, the relationship between language anxiety and the student’s L2 performance in grammar and reading skills was studied. This was done by studying the correlation between the students’ level of language anxiety, as obtained in the questionnaire, and their results in end-of-semester examination. Results showed that there was a positive relationship between the variables, with the exception of the lowanxiety group which showed a negative relationship.
5.2 PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS The findings of the study have pedagogical implications for English language teachers. Firstly, they should acknowledge the existence of language anxiety and help students cope with situations which they feel are anxiety-arousing. Horwitz et al. (1986) admonished that “teachers should consider the possibility that anxiety is responsible for the students’ behaviour before attributing poor student performance solely to lack of ability, inadequate background or poor motivation” (p. 131). This is important in light of what one of the students shared about how her anxiety resulted in her non-participation in group discussions (Appendix VI, Student O). Teachers can use the questionnaire similar to the one used in this study to identify students who are experiencing anxiety in the class and provide support for them to cope with their feelings of anxiety. Another way which teachers can identify anxiety in the students is by encouraging them to engage in journal writing.
The feelings of anxiety and
apprehension that students reveal in their journal entries would not only help teachers to be aware of the anxiety experienced by the students, but also serve as important
72
feedback for the teachers when they are planning their lessons. Besides being a helpful tool for teachers to identify anxiety, journal writing is also useful in helping students cope with the anxiety they are experiencing. Onwuegbuzie et al. (1999) considered it a low anxiety-arousing and effective strategy to reduce the level of anxiety. By reflecting on their own language learning process and tracking their anxiety in different language learning situations in the journals, students learn to have a more realistic and positive sense of their own progress, as well as realistic expectations (Foss & Reitzel, 1991). Horwitz et al. (1986) suggested that supportive teachers who acknowledge students’ feelings of anxiety and help them to achieve confidence can help to alleviate their anxiety. This is supported by Tsui (1996) who pointed out that establishing a good rapport with the students is crucial in creating a conducive learning environment for the students. Teachers can do so by encouraging a healthy perception of the nature of making mistakes and creating a classroom environment where students feel comfortable about making mistakes without the fear of humiliation, embarrassment or criticism. This is echoed by Price (1991) who advised that “students need to be encouraged to make mistakes and should be reminded about the instructional value of mistakes” (p. 107). In addition, it is important to build an atmosphere of success where the focus is on accomplishment and not mistakes as learners need opportunities to experience success (Templin, 1999).
One possible explanation why writing is an anxiety-
arousing skill could be the feedback students receive concerning their writing usually with a page full of correction in red ink. Jinks and Morgan (1999) suggested adopting assessment approaches that provide students with “concrete evidence of small incremental gains in achievement that are obviously tied to the student’s effort” (p.
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25) in place of the traditional method of assessment which focuses on the inadequacies which students are already aware of. Instead of focusing on correcting all the errors all the time, teachers could grade papers and award points based on content and communicability and logical thinking. This is because success builds confidence and raises efficacy, and high efficacy is related to low anxiety (Bandura, 1986).
5.3 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY During the actual study, some limitations were noted. First, there might be some factors of L2 learning which might have been overlooked. Other sources of language anxiety could still remain concealed because of the students’ untruthful or careless responses during the interview.
Due to the small number of participants in the
interview, the study might be also limited in scope and, therefore, the generalisation of findings could be limited. Besides, in assessing the examination paper, its reliability and validity might be an issue. It is important to take this factor into consideration because it might lead to inaccurate relationship between students’ language anxiety and their L2 performance. Despite the possible shortcomings, the present study hopes to contribute to the research in language pedagogy and language studies in general. In this endeavour, the issue of language anxiety will be indicated and possible remedies can be sought in the future.
5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH The findings of the study suggest a few directions for future research. Firstly, there is a need for replication of the study for different groups of students to see if the results obtained are similar. In the present study, the students were mostly from Malay
74
background. Future studies could include students with different backgrounds and from different types of colleges and universities. The present study looked at the anxiety level of students from the same cultural background but did not explore how gender might affect the language anxiety experienced by the students. In previous studies on the gender effect on language anxiety, it was established that girls reported higher anxiety level although performance was equal (Pajares, 1996). Future studies could explore whether sex difference affects anxiety and L2 performance. In the present study, language anxiety was closely examined. Another variable that is closely related to anxiety, motivation, was not considered. Future studies could include motivation as one of the affective variables under consideration. In addition, the relationship of these variables with each other and academic performance in English could be studied. The present study provided some explanations for the issue of language anxiety and shed some light on the literature of L2 learning and teaching. It can serve as another blueprint for future research in L2 learning, in general, and language anxiety, in particular.
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APPENDIX I END-OF-SEMESTER EXAM RESULTS (SEMESTER 1, 2006/2007)
Official Marking Sheet Course Name: Diploma English 1 Course Code: CEL1221 Credit Hours: 2 Semester: Session 2006/2007 Semester 1 Total Students: 816
SUMMARY OF STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 1) STATISTICS: Average: Maximum: Minimum:
66.74 92 31
Pass: Fail:
94.88% 5.12%
2) PERFORMANCE: Range of Marks Grade 85 ~ 100 A 75 ~ 84 A70 ~ 74 B+ 65 ~ 69 B 60 ~ 64 B55 ~ 59 C+ 50 ~ 54 C 40 ~ 49 D 30 ~ 39 D0 ~ 29 F Total Students Attended Exam: A182
No of Students
200 150
B+ 134
B 122
# of Students 28 182 134 122 108 102 66 30 10 0 782 B108
C+ 102
100 50
A 28
0 Grade
81
C 66
% of Students 3.43% 22.30% 16.42% 14.95% 13.24% 12.50% 8.09% 3.68% 1.23% 0.00% 95.83
D 30
D10
F 0
APPENDIX II QUESTIONNAIRE
PART 1/ BAHAGIAN 1 Kindly fill in you personal details before answering the questions in Section 2. All the Name/ Nama : Matric Number / Nombor Matrik : Gender/ Jantina : Age / Umur : Race / Bangsa : Contact Number/ Nombor Telefon : information will be kept private and confidential. Sila isi butir-butir diri anda sebelum menjawab soalan-soalan di Bahagian 2. Segala maklumat anda akan dirahsiakan.
PART 2/ BAHAGIAN 2 Please give only one answer for each of the statements below. Please choose honestly based on your experiences in your most recent English language class. For each statement, please circle only one of the following options. Sila pilih satu jawapan sahaja untuk setiap kenyataan berikut. Pilihlah jawapan dengan ikhlas berdasarkan pengalaman anda di dalam kelas Bahasa Inggeris. Untuk setiap kenyataan, bulatkan salah satu daripada jawapan-jawapan berikut. 1
2
3
4
5
All the time
Frequently
Occasionally
Seldom
Never
Sepanjang masa
Selalu
Kadangkadang
Jarang
Tidak pernah
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1.
I worry about my grammar pulling down my final English exam grades.
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
Saya bimbang kelemahan dalam tatabahasa Inggeris akan menurunkan gred kertas Bahasa Inggeris saya. 2.
I worry that I will do badly whenever my lecturer asks me to write an English composition. Saya bimbang tidak dapat menulis dalam Bahasa Inggeris dengan baik apabila disuruh oleh pensyarah.
3.
I feel nervous when I have to give a presentation in English. Saya gemuruh apabila saya disuruh pembentangan dalam Bahasa Inggeris.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
membuat
I worry about how to express myself clearly when I am talking in English. Saya bimbang tidak dapat meluahkan sesuatu dengan jelas apabila bertutur dalam Bahasa Inggeris. I worry about what others will think about my English writing. Saya bimbang tentang pandangan orang lain terhadap karangan yang saya tulis dalam Bahasa Inggeris. It worries me when I am not sure of the correct English grammar to use. Saya bimbang apabila saya tidak pasti tentang penggunaan tatabahasa Inggeris yang betul. It worries me when I do not understand something I have read in English. Saya bimbang apabila saya tidak faham apa yang saya baca dalam Bahasa Inggeris. I worry about how to organise my thoughts and ideas in an English composition. Saya bimbang tentang bagaimana saya menyusun ilham dan pemikiran dalam karangan Bahasa Inggeris. I feel anxious when someone speaks to me in English with a topic I am not familiar with. Saya risau apabila seseorang bercakap dengan saya dalam Bahasa Inggeris tentang satu topik yang saya tidak biasa.
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When reading in English, I worry that I will misinterpret 10 what the author has written. . Apabila membaca dalam Bahasa Inggeris, saya bimbang saya akan menyalah-tafsirkan apa yang dimaksudkan oleh penulis. When reading in English, I feel anxious when I do not 11 understand every word. .
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Apabila membaca dalam Bahasa Inggeris, saya risau apabila saya tidak faham setiap perkataan. I feel anxious when English is spoken too quickly. Saya risau apabila Bahasa Inggeris dituturkan dengan cepat. I feel anxious when I have to speak to others in English.
Saya risau apabila saya diminta bercakap dengan orang lain dalam Bahasa Inggeris. I feel nervous when I do not understand English spoken 14 with an unfamiliar accent. . Saya gemuruh apabila saya tidak memahami Bahasa Inggeris yang dituturkan dalam loghat yang berlainan. I feel anxious when I think about the number of grammar 15 rules I have to learn in English. . Saya risau memikirkan tentang jumlah tatabahasa yang perlu saya pelajari dalam Bahasa Inggeris. When reading something in English, I feel anxious 16 whenever I encounter unfamiliar grammar usage. . Apabila membaca sesuatu dalam Bahasa Inggeris, saya risau sekiranya terjumpa dengan tatabahasa yang jarang saya gunakan. I feel nervous when I have to listen to a speech or lecture 17 without any visual aids (e.g. pictures, notes, Powerpoint, . etc). Saya gemuruh apabila saya mendengar ucapan atau syarahan tanpa alat pandang dengar yang lain (contoh: gambar, nota, Powerpoint, dll.) I find it embarrassing when I have to volunteer to speak in 18 English class. . Saya malu apabila disuruh bercakap dalam Bahasa 84
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Saya gemuruh tentang penulisan Bahasa Inggeris walaupun karangan saya tidak digredkan. It worries me when I do not understand what the lecturer is 20 saying in English class. . Saya bimbang apabila saya tidak faham apa yang dituturkan oleh pensyarah dalam Bahasa Inggeris. I feel anxious when reading about a topic in English that I 21 am not familiar with. . Saya risau apabila saya disuruh membaca tentang sesuatu topik dalam Bahasa Inggeris yang saya tidak biasa. I worry that I do not understand what is being taught 22 during English grammar lessons. .
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Saya bimbang saya tidak faham apa yang diajar di dalam kelas tatabahasa Inggeris. Writing in English is a frightening experience.
Menulis dalam Bahasa Inggeris adalah satu pengalaman yang menakutkan. I feel anxious whenever I see a whole page of English 24 words in front of me. .
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Saya risau apabila melihat satu muka surat yang dipenuhi dengan perkataan-perkataan Bahasa Inggeris. I feel anxious when I have to speak to a lecturer in English. Saya risau apabila saya perlu bercakap dengan pensyarah dalam Bahasa Inggeris.
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APPENDIX III RESULTS OF ENGLISH PLACEMENT ASSESSMENT (SEMESTER 2, 2006/2007)
Official Marking Sheet Course Name: English Placement Assessment Semester: Session 2006/2007 Semester 2 Total Students: 84
SUMMARY OF STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 2) STATISTICS: Average: Maximum: Minimum:
36 83 11
Pass: Fail:
40.98% 59.02%
2) PERFORMANCE: Range of Marks Grade 85 ~ 100 A 75 ~ 84 A70 ~ 74 B+ 65 ~ 69 B 60 ~ 64 B55 ~ 59 C+ 50 ~ 54 C 40 ~ 49 D 30 ~ 39 D0 ~ 29 F Total Students Attended Exam:
# of Students 0 5 0 2 3 9 6 14 14 8 61 D 14
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% of Students 0% 8.20% 0% 3.28% 4.92% 14.75% 9.84% 22.95% 22.95% 13.11% 100
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APPENDIX IV INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
OBJECTIVE To find potential sources of students’ language anxiety
GUIDELINES 1. Language Anxiety in Five L2 Skills
L2 Skills
Speaking Grammar Listening Writing Reading
General Questions/ Openers Are you scared of English language? Does learning English make you feel uncomfortable? What makes you feel anxious when learning English? Which skill makes you most anxious? Why does it happen? What makes you feel so? How does it happen? When do you usually feel it? Where do you usually feel it? Who makes you feel so?
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2. Young’s Potential Sources of Language Anxiety Sources 1. Personal & interpersonal anxieties Communication apprehension
Specific/ Focused Questions Are you afraid of communicating with others in English? Are you confident when speaking to others in English? Do you feel anxious when you have to speak to an English lecturer? Are you worried about how to express yourself clearly in English? Are you worried about how to organise your thoughts and ideas in English? Do you feel nervous when listening to English words? Do you feel anxious when English is spoken too quickly? Are you worried when you do not understand something in English? Do you feel anxious when you do not understand some words in English? Do you always avoid the situations that require you to communicate in English?
Fear of negative evaluation
Are you worried about being laughed at? Are you worried about being looked down by your friends? Are you worried about what others will think about your English? Are you afraid when your essays are marked by your English lecturer? Are you afraid of the negative responses from your English lecturer? Are you afraid when others judge you negatively when you use English? Do you like to be monitored by your lecturers or classmates when learning English? Do you like learning environment where there is no one to judge your English? Are you open to criticism when learning English? Do you want to make a good impression when using English? Do you feel humiliated when someone criticizes your English? Do you always avoid the situations that require evaluations of your English? Do you always compare your English results with your friends? Do your friends have better English than you? Do you like group discussion in your English class? Does group work make you feel anxious? Do you prefer to learn English independently or in groups? Is learning English very competitive? Are you shy when using English? Are you afraid of using English language? Do you enjoy learning English? Do you always avoid the situations that might embarrass you? Are you nervous during a presentation?
Competitiveness
Shyness
Stage fright
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Are you afraid when standing in front of the class during English presentation? Fear of failure Are you afraid of failure? Are you afraid of your final exam grades? Are you afraid of not passing the English paper? Do you always worry about your final exam results? Do failures in English paper make you feel unmotivated? If you fail your English paper, what would you do? Perceived What do you think of your English language proficiency? proficiency Is your English very poor? Are you always worried about being poor in English? Will you do badly when you use English? Does it worry you when you are not sure of the correct English to sure? Do you doubt your own ability in using English? Does the level of your language aptitude make you worried? Do you always avoid the situations that require you to use English? Social anxiety Are you worried about others laughing at your mistakes in English? Do you feel anxious when you have to speak to others in English? Do you enjoy learning English with your friends? Do cultural settings among Malays make you feel less motivated to learn English? Are you an introverted or extroverted person? 2. Leaner beliefs Is learning English very important? about language Which skill in English is the most important? What is a good way to learn English? learning Importance & Does poor self-esteem make you a poor language learner? preference Does being a male or female make you a better English language learner? Is age an important factor in learning English? Should English be taught in the classroom? Should English be tested through formal examinations? Should English language learners be autonomous? Is attitude more important than aptitude when learning English? Is it important to use perfect English when speaking or writing? How do you see yourself when learning English? Are you worried of your own performance when learning English? Are you capable of learning English? Are you motivated enough to learn English? Are you willing to take risks when learning English? Do you want to identify yourself with English-speaking community? Does learning English make you more western? Accent
Is pronunciation an important skill? Is accent very important when learning English? 89
Inherent/nature Perception of mistakes
Views of instructional activities
3. Instructor beliefs about language learning Role of instructor
Relation with learners
4. Instructorlearner interactions Manner of error correction 5. Classroom Procedures Procedures Oral presentation
Oral skits
Elicitation
6. Language testing
Are grades very important when learning English? Are you afraid of making mistakes in English? Are you embarrassed when making mistakes in English? Do you feel like you are making a fool of yourself when making mistakes in English? How do perceive your mistakes in English? What do think of your English classroom activities? Are visual aids important when learning English in the classroom? Should reading topics be something the students are familiar with? Are exercises important when learning grammar? Should students volunteer in English class? Should the activities be conducted in Malay? Does your current English lecturer make you feel anxious in learning English? Does an English lecturer play a major role in language learning? What should an English lecturer do in class to promote learning among students? Who is your favourite English lecturer? Do you like your English lecturer now? Is your English lecturer too strict? Should English lecturers should be more lenient? How does your English lecturer respond to your language problems? Are you afraid of your English lecturer? Are you close with your English lecturer? Should your English lecturer be your friend? Do you feel anxious when your English errors are corrected by your lecturer? Is it appropriate for an English lecturer to correct errors in the classroom? Should English errors be corrected in the classroom? Should the interactions be conducted in Malay? Does classroom environment make you feel anxious when learning English? Do lecture procedures or lecture styles make you feel anxious? Do you feel nervous when you have to give a presentation in English? Do you like the way oral presentation is conducted in your class? Should students speak in front of the class? Do you understand when your lecturer tells you something in English? Should English lessons be conducted 100% in English? Are you nervous when you are asked to read aloud in the classroom?
Is language test very important? Are you afraid of English tests? 90
Test anxiety
Do examinations make you feel anxious?
Test items
Do test items make you feel anxious?
Test format
Are you worried about the format of your English test?
Matching of Do you have enough practices for your English final exam? practice & test Novel/ambiguous Is it difficult for you to understand the instructions in English tests? Is English test full of ambiguity?
3. Students’ Opinions and Suggestions on Anxiety Reduction Areas 1. Opinions 2. Suggestions 3. Roles
Optional Questions Does language anxiety affect your language learning? What do you think of your language anxiety? How to reduce your language anxiety? Can you suggest a way to reduce language anxiety? What is the role of a student/ lecturer/ college/ parent to reduce language anxiety?
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APPENDIX V PRE-INTERVIEW SURVEY
1.
Do you feel anxious when speaking in English? Why? Adakah anda risau apabila bercakap dalam Bahasa Inggeris? Kenapa?
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Do you feel anxious when learning English grammar? Why? Adakah anda risau apabila belajar tatabahasa Bahasa Inggeris?Kenapa?
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Do you feel anxious when listening in English? Why? Adakah anda risau apabila mendengar dalam Bahasa Inggeris? Kenapa?
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Do you worry about your English writing? Why? Adakah anda bimbang tentang karangan Bahasa Inggeris anda?Kenapa?
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Do you feel anxious when reading in English? Why? Adakah anda risau apabila membaca dalam Bahasa Inggeris? Kenapa?
6.
Which aspect of English language makes you feel anxious? Why? Apakah aspek dalam Bahasa Inggeris yang membuatkan anda risau? Kenapa?
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Do you feel anxious when your English errors are corrected? Why? Adakah anda risau apabila kesalahan Bahasa Inggeris anda dibetulkan? Kenapa?
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Do classroom procedures make you feel anxious when learning English? Why? Adakah prosedur kelas membuatkan anda risau apabila belajar Bahasa Inggeris? Kenapa?
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Are you afraid of English examinations? Why? Adakah anda risau tentang peperiksaan Bahasa Inggeris? Kenapa?
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What makes you feel anxious when learning English? Apakah yang membuatkan anda risau apabila belajar Bahasa Inggeris?
11.
What is a learner’s role to reduce anxiety when learning English? Apakah peranan seorang pelajar untuk mengurangkan kerisauan apabila belajar Bahasa Inggeris?
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What is a lecturer’s role to reduce learners’ anxiety when learning English? Apakah peranan seorang pensyarah untuk mengurangkan kerisauan pelajar apabila belajar Bahasa Inggeris?
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APPENDIX VI INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS
Note. R: Researcher S: Student
HIGH ANXIETY GROUP Student A Date : March 3, 2007 Time : 3.30 – 3.45 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you scared of English Language? S: Yes, I am scared. I am not confident. R: Do you feel uncomfortable when learning English? S: Sometimes yes, especially when I do not understand some words. R: How does that happen? S: I am afraid I am wrong. Some of the words are difficult to understand. R: So you are afraid that you are wrong. Why? S: Especially when I have to speak in front of the public. I am not confident at all. R: How about when you speak to your lecturer? S: I feel very nervous. But, I will tell her that I do not understand. R: Did you find it difficult to organise your ideas in English? S: Yes. I am not sure whether I use correct vocabulary. R: Are you afraid of being laughed at by your friends? S: No. I know that they will also make mistakes. R: What do you think of making mistakes in English? S: It is okay if the lecturer corrects the mistakes. R: So you don’t mind if your lecturer corrects your mistakes, do you? S: No. But, she must not overdo it. R: How do you feel when you receive an essay which is heavily marked? S: I feel down. But I know I must improve my English. R: What do you think of your English now? S: Very poor. I am not really confident. R: Are you shy to use English? S: Yes, especially when my friends are around. R: Do you always compare your result with your friends? S: Yes. But it doesn’t make me feel down if I get lower marks than them. It motivates me to improve my English. R: Do you like to learn English on you own?
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S: I don’t think so. I cannot correct my own mistakes if I learn English by myself. So I prefer to study in a group. I don’t mind if I make mistakes with them because I know I can improve my English. R: Are you worried about your upcoming final exam? S: Yes. I am really worried about it. I am afraid that I will fail the exam. I don’t know whether I can answer the questions. R: What if you really fail the exam? What would you do? S: I will keep learning English. I won’t give up. R: Do you think age is a factor when learning English? S: Yes, one must start learning English since they are very young. R: How do a male learner and a female learner differ? S: Boys have their own ego. They are more afraid of making mistakes than girls. So, girls learn better than them. R: Okay, are you comfortable with your English lecturer? S: Yes, R: Is she important? S: Yes, very much. I like to ask her in the classroom when I do not understand her lesson. R: Are you scared, for example, when she asks you to read aloud in the class? S: No. I just pretend that I am confident. By doing this, I know I have made a mistake whenever she corrects me. R: Have you had enough practices for you final exam? S: No. There are a lot of things to do. R: Are you scared of English subject only or other subjects as well? S: No. This is the only subject that makes me so nervous. R: How do you perceive your progress in learning English? S: Okay. Sometimes I feel I couldn’t catch up, especially during the first week of the semester. R: Can you suggest a way on how to reduce your language anxiety? S: There should be a special class for weak students. R: How about parents’ role? S: They always ask me to speak in English but I always avoid them. R: Do you always avoid being in a situation where you have to use English? S: Yes, always.
Student B Date : March 6, 2007 Time : 10.30 – 10.45 a.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you always worried when learning English language? S: Yes. R: Which skill that makes you nervous? S: Speaking. R: Why?
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S: Because I am afraid that I make mistakes and people will laugh at me. My friends are good at speaking in English. So, it makes me feel so down. I feel so embarrassed. I feel that I don’t want to try to speak in English anymore. R: Do you think you are very weak in English? S: Yes, of course. Actually, I failed my English paper in SPM (Malaysian Certificate of Education). I think I have a big problem in English subject compared to other subjects. R: How do you perceive your progress in English right now? S: I am learning something now compared to my school days. My friends have been quite supportive. R: Are your friends very helpful? S: Yes, they always ask me if I do not understand something in the class. When I want to write an essay, they will help me as well. R: Do you always compare your English results with your friends? S: Yes, always. R: Is learning English very competitive? S: Yes, I could feel it more and more here in this college compared to my secondary school. Whenever I am in the class, I always feel that I couldn’t catch up the lesson like my friends. I always ask myself why I am not as good as they are. R: Is it a healthy competition? S: Yes, it motivates me more and more to learn English. R: How do you feel when you receive an essay full of red markings by your lecturer? S: I feel so sad. R: What do you do then? S: I would go and ask my friends about it. I do not ask my lecturer because she is very direct. Sometimes I am hurt by her. She used to call me lembab (slow). R: Does that make you feel like giving up learning English? S: Yes. I felt like I lost my whole spirit. But, there was a time when she corrected my English presentation. Strangely, I felt more motivated to learn English. I felt like she was really concerned about me. R: Don’t you feel embarrassed? S: No, she corrected it in a good manner. She smiled after she corrected me. That really lifted my spirit to learn English. R: In your opinion, is it necessary for a lecturer to correct students’ mistakes in class? S: Yes, they should. I am thankful that I have friends who support me, who know that I am very weak in English. R: Are you open to criticism? S: Sometimes. When my lecturer called me with bad names in front of my friends, I felt so down and challenged. I was sad. R: Do you like to be monitored by your lecturer? S: Yes, sometimes it motivates me to learn English. R: Do you think they are important? S: Yes, because I want to learn, even though sometimes they make me feel down. R: Should English be conducted in Malay? S: Yes, it should, because it would help weak students like me. When I first came to this college, I was very surprised because I did not expect that the class would be fully conducted in English especially English class. I was not sure whether I could follow the teaching. But now, things are getting better. My lecturer and friends have helped me a lot. R: Do you always avoid the situations that require you to use English? 97
S: Yes, especially when I bumped into a discipline teacher here. Whenever I see him, I just avoid him. R: Is it necessary to have a good relationship with an English lecturer? S: Yes, it is. I always see my lecturer after the class because she will help me in my studies. R: Do you like to study alone? S: I am not sure. If I study alone, there will be no one to correct me. If I am in a group, my friends will help me. R: Okay, your exam is around the corner. Are you worried about it? S: Yes, I am really scared of it. It makes me nervous all the time. I don’t know how to answer the questions in English. I am really worried. R: What would you do if, say, you fail this English paper? S: I would do it again because my parents would support me. R: So, do you think anxiety affects your language learning? S: Yes, it does. But for me, this anxiety makes me want to learn more and more. R: What do you do to overcome you fear? S: Don’t give up. Frankly, I can easily feel depressed and down, knowing that I am very weak in English. I think I need to be braver and try to overcome my shyness when using English. I must get assistance from and friends. Most important, I must remember my mother and pray for Him to help me.
Student C Date : March 14, 2007 Time : 2.00 – 2.15 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Do you feel nervous when using English? S: Yes, I do. During a presentation, I always get nervous at the beginning. But as a student, I welcome mistakes because through mistakes, we will learn how to be successful. I don’t care if my friends laugh at me, because I know I will succeed one day. R: Is learning English very important? S: Yes, it is. English is a world language. Later when I work, I must use English especially when I want to communicate with foreigners. R: Is a lecturer important when learning English? S: Yes. They show me what is right and wrong in English. R: Are you close with your lecturer? S: Yes. They give me energy and confidence to learn. R: Do you think the confidence should come from within a person, not from lecturer? S: Yes, but lecturers’ support is important so that a student can learn better. R: Do you enjoy learning English? S: Yes, especially when I am in this college. R: In your opinion, what makes a student feel afraid to use English? S: I think the environment here makes them feel so, not because of their lack of skills in the language. In this college, everything must be done in English, like their assignments, notes, and so forth. English is widely used here and is required in many situations, so this makes them even more afraid to use English. They always feel that 98
they are not good enough to use the language. Some of them even consider quitting from the college because of this pressure. I always advise them not to be afraid and not to give up. R: Does your family support your language learning? S: Yes, I am the first in the family. So, I want to show good examples to my siblings. For example, I always speak English at home, though I know my English is very poor. My brothers sometimes make jokes about my effort. But after some time, they show their interests in English. I am glad they do. T: Do your parents support your studies, particularly English? S: They are not good in English. But, they always advise me not to be afraid of making mistakes. Keep on learning no matter what happens, they say. Do not be embarrassed with my friends because I am here to seek knowledge. Yes, they are very supportive. R: Can you suggest a way on how to reduce students’ anxiety? S: Weak students must be separated and forced to go through a comprehensive and tough training. For example, put them together with foreign students. R: Do you think the culture plays a role in making Malay students anxious? S: Yes, in a way, it does. R: Are you afraid of you final exam? S: Yes, English paper is so challenging. R: Are you worried about your performance in English? S: Not really. But I always feel that I want to improve my English. R: How do you perceive your English language proficiency at the moment? S: I am not satisfied with my level of English. R: Does that worry you? S: Yes. I think I have not achieved my target. R: So, are you going to give up learning? S: No, I will work harder to improve my English. I am a very positive person. If other persons could do it, I could do it too. I always think of my future. If I do not start improving myself now, I will be forever in this poor situation.
Student D Date : March 15, 2007 Time : 11.30 – 11.45 a.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you afraid of learning English language? S: Sometimes yes, especially when I learn something new. I am afraid that I couldn’t catch up. But after some time, I enjoy it very much. R: Which skill that you find most anxiety-arousing? S: Grammar. There are so many rules to learn. They are very confusing. Besides that, I am also not sure about English spelling. I am always confused on how to spell difficult words. R: Do you have difficulties listening to your English lecturer? S: Sometimes. When she say something that I have never heard before, it can be difficult for me to understand. R: Do you have problems when organizing your ideas in English? 99
S: Yes. During an oral presentation, I am scared with what my lecturer and friends will think of me. I am worried that I would make a mistake. It can be so stressful. But I will try to speak because by doing this, I know I can improve. R: Do you switch to Malay if you do not know how to say something in English? S: No. Normally I don’t say much and just keep quiet. R: Have you ever avoided the situations that require you to use English? S: Yes. I am usually very quiet, especially when foreign students are around. I am scared that I will make mistakes. It makes me so anxious because I don’t know how to say something to my friends in English. I feel so frustrated with myself. R: If you receive a heavily marked essay, how would you feel? S: I feel a little down. R: Do you ask you English lecturer about your mistakes in the essay? S: No. I feel embarrassed if I do that. R: Are you open to criticism? S: Yes, I am. R: Don’t you feel embarrassed then? S: No, I don’t feel embarrassed if the criticism comes form my friends. But if my lecturer does that, I feel a little low. I feel embarrassed because sometimes I still make the same mistakes even though my lecturer has taught about it before. R: Do you always compare your results with your friends? S: Yes. I always compare my results with my friends. When I do this, I always feel like I want to fight against them. I want to be like them too. R: Do you feel like you have to compete with them in the class? S: Yes, I want to beat them. I want to get higher marks than them. R: Are you still shy to use English? S: Yes, but I enjoy learning English. R: How? S: I always want to be a good speaker. But when it comes to an oral presentation, I am scared that I will make some mistakes. When my friends make the same mistakes and we all together correct each others’ mistakes, it makes learning enjoyable. R: Does classroom environment make you anxious? S: At the beginning of the semester, yes. I felt anxious because I hardly knew my classmates. But after some time, I felt comfortable. But I do feel anxious during an oral presentation because everyone is looking at me. R: Are you worried about sitting for final examination? S: Yes. I am not sure whether I can answer the grammar section of the paper. R: Have you ever thought of failing English paper? S: Yes, when I think about it, I immediately try to control my thinking. R: Do you always think about it? S: Sometimes. R: Is your English very poor? S: Yes, but I think I have now improved a lot compared to the beginning of the semester. The thing is, I easily understand the lesson, but I also easily forget about it. R: Do you prefer to learn English independently or with you friends? S: With friends. R: Do you try to speak in English with your friends? S: Sometimes. They are usually very embarrassed to use English in daily conversations. R: Does learning English make you feel like you are more western? S: Not for me. I am not sure if my friends feel so. 100
R: Is learning very important for you? S: Yes, they are very important for my future employment. R: Are you close with your English lecturer? S: Not really. R: Is she important in your language learning? S: Yes, because I can ask her about a lot of things that I don’t know. R: Do you think your lecturer should be stricter? S: No, because things will be more stressful if she is too strict. R: Are you comfortable with your English lecturer’s style? S: Sometimes I am not comfortable because she speaks in English all the time. But I have to follow her style because it is an English class. She has to speak in English. R: Do you think your lecturer should switch to Malay when teaching? S: Sometimes she should. But it is inappropriate because they are few foreigners in the class. She sometimes speaks in Malay when we ask her in Malay. In that way, we can easily understand her lessons. R: Do you feel ashamed when your lecturer corrects your mistakes in the class? S: No. My friends seem to understand my problem in English. So, I don’t really mind. R: In your opinion, how to reduce one’s anxiety when learning English? S: At the beginning, lecturers and classmates must show their support in learning. R: What do you think of your friends’ attitude? S: Sometimes they feel that they cannot make any mistakes in English. With this attitude, they cannot improve their English. I think they should improve their attitude first. R: Do your parents support your English learning? S: Yes, they always ask me not be ashamed when making mistakes in English because I am still learning. R: Are you motivated enough to learn English? S: Yes, I want to speak more in English. I want be good in English. R: What if you failed for your English paper this semester? How would you feel? S: I will try even harder and never give up.
Student E Date : March 6, 2007 Time : 11.30 – 11.45 a.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you scared of English language? S: Yes. I don’t have a strong foundation. In my secondary school, there was less emphasis on English. As it was a religious school, many students focused on Arabic language. R: How do you perceive your English language proficiency? S: Very poor. R: Does it worry you all the time? S: Yes, all the time. R: Which skill that scares you the most? S: Grammar and writing. R: Can you tell me how? 101
S: There are many grammatical rules that I have to memorise. If I forget these rules, it might affect my writing. R: Are you afraid of making mistakes? S: Yes. R: Does it worry you when your English lecturer evaluates you negatively? S: At the beginning, yes. But I have to take it openly. Otherwise, I will not learn anything. R: Do you feel nervous when listening to your English lecturer in class? S: Sometimes. R: How about organizing your thoughts in English? S: Yes, I don’t know how to express myself in English. I am shy to use English. R: Do you always avoid the situations that require you to use English? S: Yes, all the time. But I will get excited when my friends are all speaking together in English. We make fun of ourselves. It is exciting! R: Are you worried what others will think about your English? S: Yes. Sometimes I think I cannot make mistakes at all in English. I am afraid they will laugh at me. R: Do you like learning environment where there is no one to judge your English? S: Yes, I like it. R: So I suppose you are not comfortable when learning English with your friends, are you? S: Not really. I like group discussion. We can discuss some rules in English and learn together. R: Don’t you feel embarrassed with your English? S: Not in a group discussion. But in a class, I am usually nervous. R: Do you feel like competing with your friends in English class? S: Yes, I do. I can’t stand looking at my friends speaking English in the class. I want to speak too! R: Do you compare your results with them? S: Yes. I feel so sad if I get lower marks than my friends. What makes them better than me? Why can’t I do it? R: Are you still shy when using English? S: Not really. My lecturer and friends always support me. The whole environment motivates me to improve my English. R: Are you comfortable with your English lecturer’s style? S: When I was in a secondary school, my English teacher liked to ask a particular student in a class. I was like, why did she always focus on that student? It was unfair. No wonder I was so weak in English. My own teacher did not want to talk to me in class. But in IIC, it is different. I get full support from my English lecturer. R: Is it important to have a good relationship with your English lecturer? S: Yes. Very much. Especially in this college. R: Should the lecturer correct students’ mistakes in the class? S: Yes, but she must do it after the class, so as not to embarrass the students. R: Are you afraid of your final exam? S: Yes. I am not sure whether I can answer the questions correctly. There are some questions which are so confusing. I am so worried. R: Are you always worried about failure in your English paper? S: Yes. I am worried that I have to study a bit longer here if I do not pass English papers. I don’t want to fail. I am scared. But, I choose not to think ahead. The most
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important thing is my effort now. This is where the blessings from God come from. I must strive for success, no matter what happens. R: If you fail your English paper, what would you do? S: I won’t give up. There must be some blessings in disguise. I will work even harder to succeed. I am willing to learn more and more. R: In your opinion, do cultural settings among Malays make them less motivated to learn English? S: No. It depends on an individual. I have seen a lot of Malays who are successful and unsuccessful at the same time. It is all due to a person’s attitude. What background you are from, or what culture you inherit do not stop you from being successful. If there is a will, there is a way. R: Are you satisfied with the level of your English now? S: Yes. Compared to previous semester, this semester is much better. I have understood some of the grammatical rules. I want to learn more. R: Does language anxiety affect your language learning? S: For me, I prefer not to think much of those things that worry me. In learning something, I think we shouldn’t be bothered with things that might distract our learning. Just learn now, and worry later. R: How do you do that? S: I always think of someone who has been successful in their lives. In this way, it makes me more energetic to learn. When I was in the foundation class here, my lecturer always motivated me to learn, and not to look down on ourselves. I always feel that I can do better, and I can do better this semester. One more thing, I must have a real motive. Find a good friend. Most important, think for yourself.
Student F Date : March 12, 2007 Time : 3.30 – 3.45 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you worried about learning English language? S: Not really. But when my lecturer asks something, I will feel nervous. During an oral presentation, for example, I feel so nervous when my friends ask questions. I am not good in English. I am scared that I will not understand their questions and that I will make mistakes when answering their questions. R: Does it worry you all the time? S: Yes, especially when I have to present individually. But if I do it in a group, it is less stressful. R: What makes you feel so? S: My English is so weak. I am afraid I don’t understand what people say in English. But I am glad that my friends always help me to speak. That lifts up my spirit to learn. R: Have they ever laughed at your mistakes? S: No, because I am being honest. So, they understand my situation. R: Are you afraid of making mistakes? S: Yes, but I am getting more confident these days. R: Do you have to be perfect when speaking in English?
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S: No, I know I am very weak. So, I just say whatever I know and ask my lecturer If speak incorrectly. R: Which skill makes you most anxious? S: Writing. I am afraid I will make a lot of mistakes. R: Do you have problems organising ideas in English? S: Yes, all the time. R: Do you feel anxious when English is spoken too quickly? S: Yes, I am afraid I couldn’t catch up with what is being said by the speaker. R: Do you avoid the situation that requires you to use English? S: Yes. During an oral presentation, I am so scared. I don’t feel like presenting at all. The question and answer session is the moment that I am scared the most. But, thinking that it might affect my final grade, I try my best to do it. R: Do you prefer to study alone or in a group? S: I prefer to study with my friends. As we are staying in the same house and very close, I don’t mind making mistakes in English. They are very understanding, always correcting my English. They motivate me to speak and not to be bothered by mistakes so long as I learn to improve my English. R: Do you feel some kind of competition among your friends? S: No. They are very supportive. Although they always get higher marks than mine, they offer their help to improve my English. R: Don’t you feel challenged by them? S: No, they always motivate me to learn more. R: Are you comfortable with your male classmates? S: Actually, I hardly talk to them. They don’t want to mix around with girls. That’s why I feel so anxious during an oral presentation because they normally ask a lot of questions. R: Do you think that male students always try to make good impression in the class, even though they are not really good? S: Malay male students are usually okay in the class. They always looked relaxed and indifferent. Only some international male students are aggressive and like to make fun of the girls. They always laugh at us when we make mistakes. R: Are you angry at them? S: No, I feel so embarrassed. But I will tell myself and my female friends not to be discouraged, as we are all still learning, and we should learn from our mistakes. R: Do you always worry about your final exam? S: Yes. I am afraid I couldn’t do it well. R: Is there any confusing format in the question paper? S: Yes. I am confused with multiple choice questions. There are many similar answers that worry me a lot. R: Are you afraid of failure? S: Yes, but I try not to think so much about it. Otherwise, I am afraid it will become true. I am happy I have friends who support me and give necessary motivation. R: Do you consult your English lecturer when learning English? S: Yes, I will ask her whenever I don’t understand her lessons. R: Is she very supportive towards your learning? S: Yes, she is. R: Does she always correct your mistakes? S: Yes, she does that whenever we ask her about things that we are not sure. R: Is it all right for her to correct you in the class? S: Yes, since I know that I am very weak. 104
R: Don’t you feel ashamed with your friends around? S: No, I know that we are all the same. We are students who are still learning. R: Can you suggest a way to reduce language anxiety? S: There should be more support from friends, lecturers and parents. Most important, the students themselves should be braver when learning English and not to be afraid in making mistakes. In this way, they will reduce their anxiety.
Student G Date : March 12, 2007 Time : 2.30 – 2.45 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you scared of English language? S: Yes, very much. R: Why? S: I don’t know how to speak. R: What are the other skills that make you nervous? S: Reading. Sometimes, I don’t understand how to answer the questions in the exam. Besides, grammar is difficult to understand too. R: Does it worry you all the time? S: It depends on the lecturer. My current English lecturer makes me quite nervous. R: Were you surprised when you found out that this college is English-medium? S: Yes. I still cannot get used to this situation. R: Does it worry you when listening to English? S: Yes. I am afraid that I don’t understand. R: Do you have problems in organising ideas in English? S: Yes. It happens usually during an oral presentation. I am so afraid my friends will laugh at me. I found it so stressful that I couldn’t sleep the night before the presentation thinking about it. R: Are you afraid of being laughed at? S: Yes. I feel so embarrassed. R: Do you always avoid being in a situation that might embarrass you? S: Not really. R: What do you think of your English language proficiency? S: I think it is average. R: Does it worry you? S: Yes. But my mother always reminds me to think positively. If I think I can do it, I can do it. If I think I can’t do it, then I can’t do it. R: Is it okay for you to make mistakes in English? S: Yes, if it is a mistake, then I have to admit it. R: What do you feel when you make a mistake? S: I regret it. R: Do you feel humiliated? S: No. I am quite open to criticism. I will look into my mistakes and learn from them. R: Do you compare your results with your friends? S: Yes, always. R: Do you think they have better English than you? 105
S: Yes, they are better than me. But I am not discouraged. R: Do you like to study with them? S: Yes, I like to ask them when I do not understand something in English class. R: Are you shy to use English? S: Yes. R: Does it worry you? S: Yes. Sometimes, when I want to write an essay, I am worried I couldn’t write well. I have no idea what to write. I had a tough time to write in previous mid-term examination. R: Are you afraid of your upcoming final exam? S: Yes. I am afraid I will fail again this time. I performed so poorly in the mid-term. R: Does this feeling distract your language learning? S: No. It makes me more determined to pass my English paper. R: Is English grade very important for you? S: Yes, it is. I self-sponsor my study. I work part-time. My parents do not want to pay for my study anymore. I have other siblings who need my parents’ financial support. So, I have to pass this paper to decrease their burden. R: How do see your progress in English language learning so far? S: I feel more motivated to learn. Previously, I was quite playful. But after failing this paper last semester, I wanted to be more serious and pass this paper this semester. R: Are you comfortable with your current classroom environment? S: I feel quite bored because they are only few students in the class. The lecturer sometimes writes too many grammar notes on the white board. I feel anxious looking at those confusing notes. R: Does your lecturer always correct you in the classroom? S: Yes, she always corrects my mistakes. R: Is she very strict? S: Yes. R: Is she helpful in your language learning? S: Yes. She helps me a lot in the exercises. R: Are you scared of her? S: No, I just feel embarrassed with my friends. R: Do you compete with your friends in the class? S: Never. R: Does language anxiety affect your language learning? S: No. My coursework marks are more important than anything. So, this anxiety is nothing for me compared to my grades. R: Are you motivated enough to learn English? S: 50-50. R: How to reduce students’ anxiety in learning English? S: My friends told me to look up for meanings of difficult words in a dictionary and memorise those words. I used to memorise them, but I stopped doing it because I tend to forget most of the words. R: Have your lecturer talked about this anxiety issue in the class? S: Never. R: How do your parents show their support towards your language learning? S: They are busy working.
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AVERAGE ANXIETY GROUP
Student H Date : March 6, 2007 Time : 2.30 – 2.45 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you scared of English language? S: I am scared of grammar. R: Why? S: It is very difficult to understand. R: How do you perceive your proficiency in English language? S: It is getting better. I could see some improvements. R: Do you feel anxious when reading English materials? S: Yes. R: How about speaking? S: It depends on the lecturer. I am comfortable with my lecturer now, so I don’t feel shy when speaking in English in class. With other lecturers, I would feel very shy. R: Are you afraid of being laughed at by your friends? S: Yes, I am. I am afraid of making mistakes, especially when I speak. R: In your opinion, is it okay to make mistakes? S: Yes. Because by making mistakes, we will progress. R: Do you have problems communicating in English? S: No. R: Is it difficult to organise your ideas in English? S: No. R: Why so? S: I am getting so used to the environment in the college, where English is widely used in all subjects. I was surprised at first, but after some time, I found myself getting better adapting to this situation. R: Are you afraid of negative evaluations from your lecturer? S: Yes, I am. R: Are you open to criticism? S: Yes. I think it is good to be challenged because I will do more and more to improve. R: Do you feel challenged by your classmates? S: Yes. We always compare our results. R: Do you prefer to study in a group or alone? S: I prefer a group. It is because the weak can help the smart. But it can be quite difficult when there is no co-operation among the group. R: Have you ever avoided a situation that requires you to use English? S: Never. R: Are you scared of your final exam? S: Yes. There are some lessons that I could not catch up in class. R: Have you ever thought about failing English paper? S: No. I am quite confident that I could do it. R: Does classroom environment make you feel anxious? 107
S: No. Actually, I love learning English. My previous teacher in school motivated me to use as much English as possible. I am lucky that I have a good English lecturer here. R: Are you close with your English lecturer here? S: Yes. It makes me comfortable learning English. It reduces my anxiety as well. In turn, it makes learning English more fun. R: Is English lecturer very important for you? S: Of course. I think English lecturers should make their classes more enjoyable so students won’t get bored. R: Should you study English independently? S: Yes, but both class attendance and self-study are important. In class, we will know whether we are correct or not in certain things. R: Do your parents show their support in your English learning? S: Yes. They always ask about my studies, especially my English subject. R: Can you suggest a way to reduce students’ anxiety in learning English? S: Lecturers should be friendlier and be closer with students. This will make students more relaxed and less anxious in class.
Student I Date : March 6, 2007 Time : 3.30 – 3.45 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you scared of English language? S: Yes. I am afraid of grammar. R: Why so? S: Because all ideas must be put into grammatically correct sentences. I just don’t like it. It is so confusing. For example, tenses. They are very complicated. I am always scared that I will use them incorrectly. But, I used to learn grammar through songs at home. I looked for meanings and the grammatical structures of the lyrics. R: How do you perceive your English language proficiency? S: It is still poor. I took a personal English course through lingua phone programme. It helps improving my English. R: Is communicating in English a problem for you? S: Yes. I am afraid I would make mistakes in grammar. It won’t sound correct. I am not sure how to say things in English. I am afraid that other people won’t understand what I am saying. But at the same time, I am excited to speak in English. R: Are you afraid that you do not understand what other people are saying in English? S: No. R: Have you avoided a situation where you have to use English? S: No. But during oral presentation, when I am not sure what to say in English, I would just speak in Malay. R: When you use English, are you afraid of being laughed at? S: Yes. I will be embarrassed when someone laughs at me. It humiliates and demotivates me. In this situation, I feel like not talking in English at all. It is so embarrassing. R: Do you feel challenged by your friends? 108
S: Sometimes, especially when someone corrects me in a sarcastic way. I just couldn’t accept that way of criticism. With some people, I feel like I want to do more than they do. R: Are you really open to criticism? S: Yes. I think it is okay to make mistakes. If some criticizes me, I would persuade myself not to get carried away with the criticism. After all, all my friends are at the same level. So, they are not better off than me. R: Is leaning English very competitive? S: Yes. It happens especially when it comes to results. If I find my friend gets higher marks than mine, I will do something about it. I want to be better than them R: Do you prefer to study English alone? S: Not really. There would be no one to correct me if I make a mistake. In class, my lecturer will correct me. Even if I study English through lingua phone, I don’t think it is effective because there is no one to guide me. R: Are you scared of English examination? S: Sometimes. Back in school days, I didn’t think much of English exams. But here, I have to learn and remember a lot of things, particularly English grammar. R: Were you surprised when you found out that English is the medium of instruction in this college? S: Not so. That’s because I knew it already. That’s why I took a lingua phone course. R: So, are you comfortable learning English here? S: At the beginning, I was not comfortable. Previously, my school teachers sometimes used Malay when teaching English. Here, English is used 100% in class. After some time, I have adapted myself to this environment. The lecturers here use a simple language that makes it easy for me to understand. R: Have you ever thought about failure in this course? S: No. R: In your opinion, is it important to learn English? S: Yes. I find English so important in communication. There was a time when I traveled to Egypt with my brother. It was difficult for me to communicate since I didn’t speak Arabic and my English was very poor. The whole experience was a mess because I didn’t know how to communicate with people there. R: Which skill is the most important for you? S: Pronunciation. If I say something incorrectly, people will get misunderstood. So, I have to pronounce words in a correct manner so the communication will take place. R: Are age and gender important factors when learning English? S: Age is not factor. It is up to the individual. Talking about gender issues, boys are usually reluctant to participate in class. But they are the ones who usually score in examinations. R: Do you like your classroom environment now? S: Okay. Whenever I am asked to explain or read something in class, I usually will get blurred. R: Is it okay for you to volunteer in class? S: Yes. It makes me understand more what I have learnt. R: Should English lecturers teach English in Malay? S: It won’t be called an English class when it is conducted in Malay! But, sometimes, lecturers can explain or repeat in Malay when it comes to some complicated stuffs. R: Are you close with your English lecturer? S: Okay. For me, good relationship is necessary because it affects my focus in class. R: Do you mind if your lecturer corrects your mistakes in class? 109
S: No. It benefits me and my friends too since we all can learn something together. But not to the extent that I am being humiliated. R: Do you have problems with the format of English paper? S: Yes. Sometimes I am confused with the format especially in reading section. It is hard for me to find the synonyms in vocabulary questions. It is confusing and challenging to find the meanings of the words. R: Does language anxiety affect your learning? S: Yes. When I want to deliver a presentation in English, I always feel like crying. The lecturer keeps correcting my mistakes. Many students ask me difficult questions. I lose control. I am too nervous that I usually end up reading the text only. R: How about other skills, say, writing? S: I don’t mind being corrected when I write. I will look closely into my mistakes and try to write them again. I have time to think and rewrite, compared to speaking which needs immediate corrections. R: Can you suggest a way to reduce anxiety when speaking? S: Just do it and don’t be bothered with what other people think. R: How about parents’ role? S: They need to support their sons and daughters by, for example, providing some materials at home or speaking in English among themselves.
Student J Date : March 6, 2007 Time : 2.00 – 2.15 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you afraid of learning English language? S: Yes. I am really afraid. R: Why? S: I am afraid that what I say will be misunderstood by others. R: How does it happen? S: Whenever the lecturer asks me to present in class, I will feel so nervous. I don’t know how to organise my ideas in English. R: Are you afraid that you do not understand what other people say in English? S: Not really. I just feel nervous when I want to speak. R: Have you avoided a situation that requires you to use English? S: Yes. I used to skip English classes. I just pretend that I am sick. Whenever I see my English lecturer, I will avoid her. I am scared that I couldn’t answer her questions in English. I am really scared. R: Is your English very poor? S: Yes. Very poor. My lecturer said that my English is okay. But I think it is very poor. I am not confident when using English. R: Are you afraid of being laughed at? S: Yes. I will feel so embarrassed. I always wonder why my lecturer does not ask other smarter students. I am so scared when my lecturer asks me something in class. R: Do you like learning environment where there is no one to judge you? S: No. I want to learn English. But I don’t like being humiliated in class. Sometimes, the teacher makes me feel that I am always at fault. 110
R: Do you like learning English with your friends? S: Yes, I do. There will be lots of ideas. I don’t mind studying with them. R: Is there any competition among you and your friends? S: Sometimes, we compare our results. When I get low marks, I feel so down. In last mid-term exam, I thought I could get higher marks, but I didn’t score. All my efforts seemed useless. R: Does it worry you when you are asked to read aloud in class? S: Yes. When my lecturer asks me to read aloud, I am worried that I will make mistakes in pronunciation. People will laugh at me when I make mistakes. R: Are you afraid of your final exam grades? S: Yes. Everything must be answered in English. I am so poor in grammar. I am not sure how to write. I just could accept the fact that I am still weak in English. R: Does it worry you that the class is conducted in English? S: Yes. I am so afraid to respond to my lecturer. R: Have you ever thought of failure? S: Yes. In fact, I am thinking about it all the time. I am so scared that I will fail this paper. I couldn’t accept this failure. I don’t feel like doing it again. I used to cry thinking about this. R: Is learning English very important for you? S: Yes. It is important for my future employment. R: Are you afraid to make mistakes in English? S: Yes. I am afraid to make mistakes in English. I am not supposed to make mistakes. It is not right. For me, I must be correct all the time. Otherwise, people will laugh at me. R: How do see your progress in your English class? S: I think my English level remains the same. It has not improved at all. I am not satisfied with this. I am so disappointed with my marks. R: Are you close with your lecturer? S: Yes. I always ask her in class. She recognizes me by name. She always asks me to read aloud. My friends usually laugh at me, but she understands my problem. She never laughs at my mistakes. She is so sporting. R: Is she important in your learning? S: Yes, very much. She can correct my mistakes and teach me more about grammar. It can be embarrassing sometimes, but it is okay because I can learn something. If I study alone, I would never know if I make any error. R: Does anxiety affect your language learning? S: Yes. R: What do you do to reduce this anxiety? S: During an oral presentation, for example, I just pretend that there is no one in the class. I want to see only my lecturer’s face. If someone asks me a question, I imagine that the question comes from my lecturer’s mouth. R: Do your parents support your studies? S: Yes. They encourage me to study harder especially English course. I used to learn English with my brothers and sisters. R: What can the college do to improve this situation? S: There should be a campaign that can motivate students to speak English more confidently. R: What else should you do? S: I should read more and try to speak English with my friends.
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Student K Date : March 7, 2007 Time : 2.00 – 2.15 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Does learning English make you feel uncomfortable? S: Sometimes. Whenever I don’t understand some thing in English, I feel uncomfortable. R: Which skill makes you most anxious? S: Writing. My writing is very poor. I am afraid people don’t understand what I write. Besides writing, I am scared of grammar. There are complicated rules that I must follow, especially when I want to write. R: Are you afraid when your essays are marked by your lecturer? S: Not really. But I feel so afraid when I deliver an oral presentation in class. R: Tell me more about it. S: I am afraid of how my lecturer would evaluate my oral presentation. She wants me to speak in English all the time. I want to mix with Malay, but she didn’t allow me to. She didn’t even allow me to read the text. It was a really frightening experience. R: Do you feel nervous when listening to English words? S: No. I am okay with that. I am able to understand what my lecturer says in the class. But I don’t know how to respond to her in English. R: Have you avoided a situation that requires you to use English? S: No. R: Are you afraid of being laughed at? S: No. I don’t mind. My friends and I are all the same. Sometimes I get mad, but I have to remind myself that I am still learning. R: So, you are open to criticism, aren’t you? S: Yes. I am. R: Do you always compare your results with your friends? S: No. I am just curious with their marks. In last mid-term, I got low marks. I was quite jealous with my friends who got higher marks. Sometimes, I feel like we are competing with each other. R: Don’t you feel challenged with those students whose English are better than you? S: No. Let it be. They are more intelligent than me. R: Are you shy when using English? S: A little. My English is getting better now. Previously, I was so afraid to use English. But now, I can use a little English in my conversation. R: Are you afraid of final exam? S: Yes. There some lessons that I need to revise. R: Have you ever thought of failure? S: Sometimes. I don’t want to repeat this course. R: Are you satisfied with the level of your English now? S: No. When I was in school, I learnt only a little about English. In this college, I found out that learning English can be so challenging. There are so many things to learn. R: Are you comfortable when your lecturer speaks English in class? S: I am okay with it. I can improve my English. I will try to speak in English as well. R: Do you learn English with your friends?
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S: No. I usually learn English by myself. I hardly discuss English grammar with my friends. Actually, I study grammar for exams only. I don’t think group study is important when learning English. We can do it by ourselves without depending on others. If I am not sure about something, I just ask my lecturer. R: Is lecturer important when learning English? S: Yes. R: Does English pronunciation worry you? S: Yes. It is very important to avoid misunderstanding. I always correct my pronunciation by asking my friends. R: So you don’t mind making mistakes, do you? S: No. For me, when I make mistakes, I will learn to improve. R: Are you comfortable with the classroom environment now? S: Yes. R: Is error correction important in class? S: Yes. Otherwise, students would not learn anything if they are not corrected. R: In the previous mid-term English paper, which section of the paper that made you feel uncomfortable? S: Reading section. I found it difficult to understand the reading passage and answer comprehension questions. I was afraid I would answer them incorrectly. R: What type of classroom activity that creates anxiety for you? S: In reading class, I feel nervous to read the passage aloud. R: Do your parent support your English language learning? S: Normally, they just ask me about the general progress of my English.
Student L Date : March 14, 2007 Time : 3.30 – 3.45 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Do you have any problems learning English language? S: Yes, I do. I don’t understand English grammar. I also don’t understand reading a passage in English. R: Are you generally scared of English language? S: Yes. I am scared when I have to sit for a quiz. It is okay for me to learn English slowly. I am especially nervous when my English lecturer asks me a question. R: Do you feel anxious when is spoken too quickly? S: Yes. I even read a passage very slowly. I don’t understand if English is spoken quickly. R: Are you afraid of communicating with others? S: Usually, I just say things in English in simple sentences. I only say things that I know. R: How do you feel during an oral presentation in English? S: It is very hard for me to remember what I have memorised in English, compared to Malay. I have to translate everything into English. It is very difficult. R: Is learning English a matter of translation? S: Yes. It can be so difficult to translate Malay words into English. When reading something in English, it is very difficult for me to understand. 113
R: Do you feel anxious when speaking to your English lecturer? S: I hardly speak to her. R: Should English be taught in Malay? S: No. But there should be a mixture of English and Malay in the class. R: Were you shocked when your lecturer spoke 100% in English? S: Yes, I was so surprised. I really had to concentrate very hard in the class. But it was frustrating. I still couldn’t understand. I had to ask my friends about it. R: Do you avoid seeing your lecturer? S: Whenever I see her, I found it difficult to speak in English. I just speak in Malay. R: How do you perceive your proficiency in English language? S: Very poor. I have never liked English language since I was in a primary school. I am not interested in learning complicated stuffs in English. R: Do you enjoy learning English in your class now? S: No, I don’t understand what my English lecturer teaches in the class because she speaks English all the time. I feel so uncomfortable. She even asks me to speak in English with my friends in the class. I prefer other subjects because other lecturers speak Malay in the class even though there are foreigners around. R: Are you afraid that your friends laugh at your mistakes in English? S: A little. I am not bothered. R: Are you afraid of making mistakes? S: Yes. That’s why I would rather speak in Malay than making mistakes in English and embarrass myself. There was a time when I mispronounced the word ‘island’. From then on, my friends kept talking about it and teasing me with the mistake. It is so humiliating. I don’t want to go through the same experience again. R: Do you prefer to study English on your own? S: It is easy to study alone. I think I just have to ask my friends whenever I don’t understand something. But I have to be careful. Actually, I just learn English in the class. It is difficult to study English outside because I am working. R: Do you always compare your English results with your friends? S: Yes. I feel so embarrassed because I usually get lower marks than them. R: Are you afraid of English exams? S: Yes. I sometimes I think that I will fail this subject. R: Are you comfortable when your lecturer corrects your mistake in the class? S: No, I am not comfortable when my lecturer corrects my mistake in the class. When I was in a secondary school, it was easy for me to understand because my English lecturer corrected me in Malay. R: Is learning English very important for you? S: Yes. It is useful when we want to communicate with foreigners. R: What are you supposed to do in order to improve your English? S: I must start all over again from the beginning. R: Where to start? S: Grammar. R: Are you comfortable with the classroom environment now? S: I am fine with that. It is okay. R: What is the college supposed to do in order to reduce students’ anxiety? S: There should be more extra classes that teach Basic English. R: Is this phenomenon due to the Malay culture? S: I don’t know. There is no problem with other subjects. I think my English lecturer is too strict.
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Student M Date : March 8, 2007 Time : 3.00 – 3.15 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you scared of English language? S: It depends whether I understand or not. If I do not understand something in English, I will feel anxious. I have problems when I want to speak in English. R: Do you have problems listening to your English lecturer? S: No. R: Are you anxious when asked to read aloud? S: No. Actually, I am generally a confident person. I don’t have problem with language anxiety. R: Tell me about how you feel learning English grammar? S: I don’t know how to answer some questions about grammar. I have problems with grammar. R: Oral presentation? S: I have no problem with that. R: Do you avoid a situation that might embarrass you? S: No. I just speak and don’t care about what other people think. R: Are you afraid of being laughed at? S: No. The other persons should understand that we are learning. It is okay to make mistakes. Don’t be bothered with other people’s perceptions. R: Have you ever felt embarrassed in the class? S: No. If I don’t know, I just ask my lecturer. R: Are you comfortable with your English class? S: Yes. Maybe at the beginning I felt uncomfortable because I hardly knew my classmates. But after some time, I am comfortable with my classmates. During a presentation, I don’t feel nervous because I was a very active person back in my school. For me, speaking in English in the public is not a problem. In fact, I am so excited to speak in the class. R: Aren’t you afraid of making mistakes? S: No. I am not afraid. R: Some people say that male students have their own ego when learning English. They always want to appear ‘macho’ in front of the girls. Do you agree? S: It depends on a person’s mentalities. There is no difference between male and female learners. A mistake is a mistake, no matter what gender you are. R: Do you always compare your results with your friends? S: Yes. I do that so that I can see the improvements of my English. It is important so that you can motivate yourself to be a better learner. I usually feel more energetic to learn. R: Do you feel like competing with your friends in the class? S: No. I am a ‘cool’ person. I just ask my lecturer when it is necessary, like when I don’t understand something she teaches. R: Don’t you feel challenged by brighter students? S: No. For me, getting close to bright students is important so that I can learn more about the language. Actually, I always put myself in the middle – not too slow and not too bright. R: Are you scared of English final exam? 115
S: I am scared with all papers, including English. R: Do you have problems with the format of the question paper? S: No. Everything taught in the class is actually the repetition. We all have learnt grammar since primary school. So, learning it again here is like a revision. The format is also like a school format. It is not so much different. R: Have you ever thought about failure? S: Yes. After I received my mid-term paper, I was so disappointed with my results. I looked at all the mistakes I did in the paper and tried to correct them. I want to improve my English. I must pass this paper. R: Are you a positive person? S: Yes. I was very active in school. I didn’t feel ashamed at all because it was an allmale school. After school, I hanged with ‘rempit’ (illegal motorbike racers). I was not involved in illegal racings. I just wanted to be among them because they were very open-minded persons. I learned a lot from their experiences. I always observe my friends’ behaviour and attitude. All this exposure made me more matured. R: In your opinion, what makes students feel anxious when learning English? S: They are thinking too much about what others think about their English. They are too shy and scared to use English, especially with their friends. They like to hide their exam papers from their friends. R: What makes them feel so? S: They have no confidence. It is how they think that puts them in that situation. Everybody can master English. It is how you do it. They must learn how to learn. If I can stay up till 3 in the morning just to watch football games, why shouldn’t I spend the night studying English? R: Are you satisfied with the progress of your English language? S: I am very proud of my situation now. After two years of waste, I began to upgrade myself. R: What happened? S: For two years, I was lost, not knowing what to do for my future. I did nothing. I spent most of the time enjoying myself, wasting money and energy. When I came here, I began to see what I will do in the future. I began to see a larger picture of my life. This college is the beginning of a brighter future. I am proud of myself because I manage to catch up with my studies here despite two-year gap of learning. What’s more, my English is getting better. R: Are you more motivated now? S: Yes. I always tell myself that I will learn and become a better person. R: How do you feel now? S: I am lucky. Actually, my brother knew something about this college and recommended it for me. R: Do you think learning English is important? S: Of course, it is. Everybody knows that English is an internationally-recognized language. If we do not know the language, we would be nowhere. All employments require English in their businesses. R: What is the best way to learn English? S: It is about speaking. We must speak in English all the time, anywhere and anytime. I must try to speak in English with someone who has better English than me. In this way, my English will improve a lot. R: Does classroom environment make students feel anxious when learning English? S: Yes. When the lecturer asks a question, the students might not be able to answer it. It will make them anxious. 116
R: Is it due to the lecturer? S: No. The question itself makes them feel so. They simply do not know how to answer the question. So they feel anxious. R: How to reduce language anxiety among students? S: They should think positively. Be more relaxed. If they always think negatively, they will feel nervous and cannot do anything in their life. There will be a lot of problems. For example, if I call my girlfriend and she refuses to speak, I must not think negatively. She might be tired of studying or sick or something. I must be positive to keep the relationship. In learning English, negative thinking will affect our language learning. R: They should have faith in themselves, shouldn’t they? S: Yes, they must be more confident so they can learn better. Most important, we must not stop learning.
LOW ANXIETY GROUP
Student N Date : March 6, 2007 Time : 10.00 – 10.15 a.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you scared of English language? S: No. But I have problem when I want to respond to someone in English. R: Tell me more about it. S: During a presentation, it is very difficult for me to translate my speech into English. R: Is your English very poor? S: I don’t know. But I think, I could catch up what my lecturer has taught in the class. R: Do you compare your English results with your friends? S: Rarely. Usually I do that towards the end of the semester. Then, I start to worry about my English. R: Are you worried when English is spoken too quickly? S: No. If I do not understand, I usually ask my friends about it. R: Are you afraid of being laughed at by your friends? S: Sometimes. I feel embarrassed when they laugh at me. R: Do you enjoy learning English? S: It depends on the lecturer. Sometimes, the lecturer makes jokes in the class, so I will be interested to listen to her. R: Is English lecturer very important for you? S: Yes. Otherwise, I would not learn anything in the class. R: Is learning English very competitive? S: I don’t know. Sometimes, I feel my friends are catching up faster than me. It makes me worried. R: Do final exam results worry you? S: I am not bothered with it. Sometimes I feel worried about it, but I don’t really care. R: You are repeating this course for the second time. Don’t you feel like giving up? 117
S: It depends on my mood. I don’t really care about it. I don’t want to think about it. I don’t know. R: Let’s say, you fail again this time. How would you feel? S: I don’t know. R: Are you satisfied with your level of English now? S: I am not sure. I always forget things. I am always not sure whether I have learnt the correct things. R: What is the best way to learn English? S: Always ask my lecturer, friends or parents whenever I don’t understand about certain things in English. R: Is learning pronunciation important? S: I don’t know. R: Should you speak in English as perfectly as possible? S: Not really. Sometimes we make mistakes. R: Should your English lecturer correct your mistakes in the class? S: They must correct me if I make mistakes. R: Are you afraid of making mistakes? S: I sometimes feel so embarrassed during an oral presentation because I will make a lot of mistakes. But, as a learner, I should accept my mistakes. R: Are you close with your English lecturer? S: Not really. R: Do you have enough exercises in the class? S: No. R: Does anxiety affect your language learning? S: Yes. It happens especially during an oral presentation. When I am too excited or too nervous to present, everything goes blank. It can go on for twenty minutes. R: How to reduce language anxiety? S: Just pretend that you do not feel embarrassed. I should practice more and more. Lecturers should motivate me to speak up. Parents also should help me on this.
Student O Date : March 5, 2007 Time : 3.00 – 3.15 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you scared of English language? S: Yes. It happens when I do not understand some words spoken in English. It makes me worried when I do not get the whole message. R: Which aspect of English that makes you worried the most? S: Vocabulary. I am afraid when I encounter high-level words during an examination. There are many words that I am not familiar with. I am so used to using simple words or sentences. R: Is your English very poor? S: Yes. There are many words that I do not know. My vocabulary is very weak. R: Are you always worried about being poor in English? S: Yes, especially during an oral presentation. R: Are you worried to communicate with others in English? 118
S: Yes. I am worried that I mispronounce some words. I am shaking most of the time. R: Are you afraid of being laughed at? S: No. I don’t mind. I want to learn. R: Are you open to criticism? S: When my friends or lecturers laugh at me excessively, I will of course feel humiliated. R: Do you always compare your results with your friends? S: Yes, I do. In fact, I do it all the time. It sometimes makes me discouraged to know that my friends get higher marks than mine. But, I will work harder. R: In your opinion, what are the other factors that cause anxiety when learning English? S: I think I rarely use English in my everyday life. That makes me scared to use English in certain situations. R: Do you avoid the situations that might embarrass you? S: Yes, I always avoid group discussions. I feel shy to speak in English. I have strong urge to say something, but I don’t know how to say it in English. So I just keep quiet. R: Do you have any problems learning English in class? S: It is quite difficult to understand when my lecturer speaks too fast. R: How does your lecturer respond to your questions in class? S: When I ask her about my writing, she said that I tend to follow Malay style of writing. So I have to familiarize myself with English compositions. R: Should error correction be done in the class? S: Yes, it should. I can accept my mistakes when my lecturer corrects me. R: How do you perceive mistakes in English? S: If I make mistakes, I will work harder and do my best to correct them R: Do you enjoy learning English. S: Yes. I like it more and more these days. R: Should the lecturer be stricter? S: No. She should be sporting. In my class, it is difficult to discuss with my lecturer because she is very moody. R: Are you afraid of final exams? S: Yes. I am afraid that I would not remember some lessons. R: Have you ever thought of failure? S: Yes, sometimes. But if I really fail, I will not give up. R: How to reduce language anxiety? S: Don’t compare your results with your results. Don’t feel discouraged if you have lower marks than your friends’. Everyone is the same. R: What can a lecturer do to improve this situation? S: Don’t pressurize the students, or expect too much from them. It will make students feel stressed out. She should understand students’ feelings. Never underestimate student’s capabilities. R: Do your parents help you a lot? S: Yes. They always motivate me to learn English. Although I am very poor in English, with the help of my lecturer and parents, I will work harder to improve my English.
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Student P Date : March 15, 2007 Time : 3.30 – 3.45 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you scared of English language? S: I am not afraid, but sometimes, I am scared if I do not know the words. Sometimes I feel ashamed to speak if I do not know the right words or sentences. I don’t know how to say something in full sentences. I think in Malay. That’s why it is difficult to speak in English. I am looking for the right words to say. R: Are you afraid of people’s negative evaluation? S: I worked before and when I came to this college, my English had already improved. I didn’t have much problem. Now, my English has improved. R: Do you have problems communicating with others in English? S: The problem is, most of the time, I talk to my friends in Malay. So, it is difficult to communicate in English because people might laugh at me. R: Do you have problems organising ideas in English? S: Yes, because I do not have practice even though I learnt a lot of things in class. There are words that I don’t know how to use them. Even I know the words, I am struggling to use them in a correct way. R: Do you have problems listening to others in English? S: No problem. But when I watch English movies, I can’t catch up because they use the accent that I am not familiar with. With Malaysian accent, I can understand better. R: Are you afraid of being laughed at? S: I am not afraid, but it makes me embarrassed. R: Does it worry you all the time? S: Sometimes. R: Do you feel humiliated? S: When my lecturer does it in front of my friends, I will feel so ashamed. R: Should the lecturer correct the students outside of the class? S: Not necessarily. She should call the student and talk to him personally at her table in the class. She shouldn’t do it in front of the class. It is embarrassing. R: Are you open to criticism? S: Yes. It will improve my English. R: How do you feel when you receive an essay with full of remarks from you lecturer? S: It makes me feel that I have to work harder. I have to read more English magazines and newspapers. R: Is there competition among your friends when learning English? S: Not really. R: Do you compare your results with them? S: No. Higher or lower marks do not really matter for me. If I know something, I will share it with my friends. I do not know something, I will ask them. R: Do you like learning English on your own? S: With friends. R: Don’t you feel challenged by you friends? S: No if it is conducted informally, unlike classroom which is very formal. R: Do you avoid the situations that might embarrass you? S: Never. R: Do you feel anxious when thinking of final exam? 120
S: Yes. I missed a lot of classes lately. But I went to see the lecturer to ask about the lessons that I missed. R: How do you perceive your language proficiency? S: It is now better than it was at the beginning of the semester. R: Do you enjoy learning English? S: Yes. In fact, I use English when I go to shopping complexes. It is fun. R: In your opinion, what is the best way to learn English? S: Communication. It is important to use English inside and outside of the classroom. R: What do you think of a lecturer’s role? S: They are important, but I am not really close with my English lecturer. R: A lot of students here tend to feel anxious when learning English. Through your observation, what makes them feel so? S: I am not sure. But I think it has something to do with their habit of translating Malay words into English. They know the words in Malay but they do not know how to express them in English. R: Can you suggest a way to reduce language anxiety? S: There should be lot of fun activities for students in the classroom or outdoor activities like watching movies or listening to English songs. The college can provide magazines or newspapers for students at their hangout places here. It will be more enjoyable.
Student Q Date : March 6, 2007 Time : 11.00 – 11.15 a.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you afraid of English language? S: No. I have been brought up with English language. My parents are Singaporeans. They taught me English at home. My mother used to read English poems for me. My father is not so much into English. He makes fun of us. R: So you parents are an important factor for your fluency in English, aren’t they? S: Yes, they are. R: Is there any skill in English that worries you now? S: Spelling. When my friends ask me how to spell a big word, I always get confused. For example, I am not sure how to spell the word ‘divided’. R: Are you worried when English is spoken too quickly? S: No. I am used to it. R: Are you comfortable communicating in English? S: Yes. R: What makes you feel so? S: One is confidence. I do get nervous when speaking in front of a lot of people. I will forget some words. But if I get the support, it will be all right. R: Do you have stage fright? S: A bit. When I was young, I used to be afraid to speak in public. But when everyone is quite, I feel better. After all, the show must go on. R: Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at when you make mistakes?
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S: No. When I make mistakes, I think it is funny. I could take it as a joke. It is okay to make mistakes. R: Do you compare your results with your friends? S: No. When my friends want to see my results, I just show them. I am not really concerned with other people’s results. R: Is learning English very competitive? S: No. One shouldn’t compete when learning English. When I speak better English than my friends, I should teach them. R: What do you think of your English language proficiency at the moment? S: I need to learn more. My mum used to remind me that I shouldn’t think high of myself. The process of learning continues until the day I die. I listen to my mum. There are many words that I have to learn. R: Are you worried of your final exam? S: Yes. As a student, I should be worried. My parents would nag at me if I fail. Since I am PTPTN-sponsored, I need to maintain the results. R: Does failure worry you? S: Yes. My mum keeps reminding me not to be too confident with myself. You never know. Failure might be around the corner. R: Is learning English very important these days? S: Yes. In business, you have to communicate in English. It is an international language. When you go somewhere, like Korea, you can’t speak in Korean language. So you have to use English. My cousin has been to UK and he told about the importance of English. Yes, it is very important. R: Should English be tested? S: Students generally do not like a test. I shouldn’t be biased. No tests. Yes. No papers. R: Aren’t grades important? S: It is important. It does reflect someone’s capability in something. But when learning English, one should learn how to pick it up through speaking. R: Is age an important factor when learning English? S: No. If you have brain, you can learn English no matter how old you are. R: Is being female an advantage when it comes to learning English? S: I don’t discriminate people. But I do feel that male students like to compete. If they are challenged, they will prove it no matter what. R: Attitude and aptitude - which is more important when learning English? S: I think attitude is more important. You can’t force people to learn English if they don’t want to. They need to want to learn English. It is their attitude that matters. R: Do you want to identify yourself with English-speaking community? S: No. You don’t have to go that far to learn English. I can speak English to my own friends here. R: Does learning English make you more western? S: No. When I speak in English, my friends used to tease me, asking me whether I am a Eurasian or not. I will proudly tell them that I am a Malaysian. R: What do you think of a lecturer’s role in English class? S: English lecturers should make English lessons more fun and exciting, no matter how old the students are. The students know they can’t speak well, so the lecturer shouldn’t be strict or speak like a westerner. Students wouldn’t be interested if they do not understand what the bloody thing the lecturer says in the class. Put some songs or poetry, something fun. R: Does classroom environment affect students’ language learning? 122
S: Yes. R: Can you suggest a way to reduce students’ anxiety when learning English? S: Introduce them to English music. They can listen to Westlife songs, for example. It is very simple. They can do it by their own at home. Some students easily absorb English words through what they consume in songs. When they listen to music, they will be influenced by it. They will memorise it. Help them to write down the lyrics. Somehow subconsciously, they will learn English. R: Are you promoting autonomous learning? S: Oh yes. In fact, I hardly attend my English classes. It all depends whether you want to learn English or not.
Student R Date : March 12, 2007 Time : 3.00 – 3.15 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you afraid of learning English language? S: No. I speak in English at home. My brother taught me a lot about English language. He is now in France. My other siblings also speak well in English. R: Do you feel nervous when speaking in English? S: Yes I do. Previously at my secondary school, I delivered an oral presentation with a partner. In this college, I have to present it individually. It makes me nervous. With a partner, I feel more comfortable. R: Are you afraid of negative evaluations from your English lecturer? S: Not really. My mum used to correct my English at home. Frankly, my English is not that good. R: Are you scared of making mistakes in English? S: No. It is a practice. Practice makes perfect. Many students lack of experience. That’s why they feel nervous. They also lack of encouragement from their family. R: Is there a competition among your friends when learning English? S: Yes. I especially compete with male students. I want to get higher marks than them. R: How do you feel when you get lower marks? S: A bit disappointed. But I will work harder to improve the results. R: Do you have stage fright? S: Yes. But it is all right if I am doing it with a partner. R: How do you perceive your English language proficiency? S: Progressive. I am not satisfied with the level of my English now. I am not a good speaker. I am worried that I would never be good in English. What would happen to me? R: Does it worry you? S: Sometimes it makes me so lazy to do English homework. R: Is learning English very important? S: Yes, for me and for my family. R: Does age matter? S: No. R: How about gender difference? S: No. Gender doesn’t make any difference when learning English. 123
R: Do you think your classmates have correct attitude? S: No. They are still afraid of speaking in English or reading English books. R: What makes them feel so? S: The lecturer sometimes is too strict. R: Does your lecturer always correct your English? S: No. She listens to me most of the time. R: How do you describe your classroom environment? S: I am thankful because my classmates are supportive. R: There are many students out there who are anxious when learning English? What should we do to reduce their anxiety? S: It depends on the students themselves. They have to befriend with a lot of people like those foreigners who speak well in English. R: What should the English lecturers do? S: There should be special programmes for weak students every week. Speaking ‘rojak’ is the first step towards better English. It is okay to speak in broken English.
Student S Date : March 8, 2007 Time : 2.00 – 2.15 p.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you scared of English language? S: No. For me, speaking in English is not that hard. If I don’t know how to pronounce some words, just check out the words in a dictionary or ask someone who knows better than me. R: Have you experienced anxiety when learning English in the classroom? S: No. I do get nervous sometimes during an oral presentation. R: What makes you feel so? S: We are students and we are still learning. There is nothing to be afraid of. Some students do not have confidence. They are afraid that their friends will laugh at them. Sometimes, they know how to speak in English, but since they are too afraid, they cannot speak. R: Do you avoid seeing your English lecturer because you are afraid to speak in English? S: No. When I see her, I just speak in Malay. But I don’t like to bump into any foreign students. I am so worried because I don’t know how to communicate with them in English. So I always avoid them. R: Are you afraid of being judged by your lecturer? S: No. We are still learning. If my lecturer criticizes me, it shows that they love me, that they want me to be a better learner. R: Do you feel anxious when your lecturer marks your essay? S: Yes. I am worried about my grammar. R: Is attitude a factor when learning English? S: Yes. If we always think negatively, we can’t learn anything. R: What is the correct attitude for students learning English? S: Be brave. I know my English is not good, but I try very hard to speak in English. R: Should we speak as perfectly as possible? 124
S: No. R: Is accent important? S: No. The words mean the same despite the differences in accent. R: Do you always compare your result with your friends? S: No. I don’t care. Actually, I like English since primary school. R: Is English very important? S: Yes. My sister is very good in English. I envy her. It makes me jealous when I see her talking in English with my father. I was ashamed when I got lower marks than her. My father always criticized my English. I was so upset. He didn’t encourage me or say positive words to me. He always thinks negatively of me. I couldn’t forget that. I felt stupid and ridiculous because of my English. That’s why I want to be better than my sister. R: How do you find your English language now? S: I am still not satisfied with my English. R: Does it always worry you? S: Sometimes. R: How do you improve your English? S: My friends do not want to speak in English with me. They always speak Malay with each other. Whenever I speak in English, they treat me as if I want to show off. They claim that, since they are Malays, they should speak in Malay. They are so negative. For me, since we study in English here, we should always speak in English. They question me when I listen to English radio stations. They changed it to Malay stations. I just keep quiet. Since they refuse to speak in English to me, I befriend with foreigners. With foreign students, I have the opportunity to improve my English. I follow my own style. R: Does the environment influence your friends’ negative attitude? S: I have a friend from Sabah. When she wants to write something, she just asks me to translate her Malay writing into English. This is wrong. She should open up her dictionary and learn the words by her own. If we just ask other people to do our work, we wouldn’t learn anything. R: Should you learn English independently? S: Yes. It depends on us. We can’t depend too much on what is being taught in the class. The lecturers just teach the basic things like grammar. We should learn the rest by our own. R: Do you enjoy learning? S: Yes. I listen to English radio stations. When I listen to a song, I try to find the lyrics and get the meanings from a dictionary. I try to memorise some words. Then, I can share the lyrics with my friends. It is fun. R: Is lecturer important when learning English? S: Yes. They teach me things that I do not know. If I do not know how to use some words, I can ask them. R: Should error correction be conducted in the class? S: Yes. Students shouldn’t feel embarrassed when being corrected. They are still learning and should think positively. R: Can you suggest a way to reduce language anxiety? S: Open the dictionary. Then learn by your own self. Try to listen to English songs. We study in international college that uses English as a medium, so we should learn English more seriously.
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Student T Date : March 7, 2007 Time : 11.00 – 11.15 a.m. Venue : International Islamic College, Kuala Lumpur R: Are you scared of English language? S: Not really. My dad also speaks in English in my family. R: Is there any skill in English that worries you the most? S: I am worried about my grammar. I can speak confidently, sometimes using broken English, but when I speak, I am really concerned whether I say it in grammatically correct sentences. R: Are you worried when reading in English? S: No. I actually listen to English songs. I use a dictionary to check the meanings of some words. I can use these words later I want to write an essay. I can play with those words. R: Do you have problems listening to English? S: Not really. But I do have problems listening to unfamiliar accents, like American accent. R: Are you scared of being negatively evaluated by your English lecturer? S: Not really. Everybody makes mistakes in languages. If people judge you, it is good because it will make you a better person. R: Do you enjoy learning English? S: Yes. I am looking forward for English classes when I come to the college. R: Do you always compare your English results with your friends? S: Yes. If my friends get higher marks, I feel like I want to do better than him or her. I love challenges. I will beat that person, positively. R: Is learning English very competitive? S: Not really. Sometimes I encourage my friends to speak in English. Even when they speak in broken English, I will respect that person. R: Are you worried about what others think about you? S: No. I don’t care what others think about me. I do it in a right way. The Malays should open their mind and not be afraid of speaking with others in English. R: Do Malay cultures hinder some Malay students to speak up? S: I think so. When I speak up, the girls will look at me and I could see that they are not comfortable. They like to talk at the back of the class. They might think that I want to show off, but in fact, I just like to talk. I am worried that they might label me as ‘over’. R: Are you anxious when thinking of final exam? S: Yes. I am not comfortable with English tests. I am afraid with my grammar and spelling. I don’t even know how to spell the word ‘bouquet’. R: How do you feel when you receive an essay full with red remarks? S: I feel so embarrassed. R: Do you like the situation where there is no one to judge you? S: No. I prefer that someone judges me. It is better for my future. R: Have you ever thought of failing your exam? S: Yes. I am so worried that I will fail this paper. It is going to embarrass my whole family if I fail. I am scared. R: Do age and gender affect language learning? S: No. It doesn’t matter. It depends on you. 126
R: Does learning English make you more western? S: I am comfortable with the way I have been brought up by my parents. I think Malay culture is not suitable for learning English. But we don’t have to follow everything from the west. But I prefer to read English novels than Malay ones. I think stories in Malay novels are all the same. R: Do English lecturers play an important part in students’ learning? S: Yes, but not all lecturers have the skill to encourage students to learn English. Some of them are quite boring. I don’t usually listen to them. R: Should students learn English independently? S: It starts from the students. They are sometimes afraid to use English. It is not about the language itself. We have to look at the world nowadays. It is about their attitude. They just need to learn. When I communicate with my foreign friends, I always ask them if I don’t understand what they say. R: Does classroom environment create language anxiety? S: Sometimes I feel bored in the class. I think this is due to the students’ attitude. They are too quiet in the class. It is boring. R: Should the lecturer be stricter or more lenient? S: Stricter. They should urge students to speak up in the class. Students should be taught on how to be more motivated and more confident. I always think about my future. R: How to reduce student’s level of anxiety when learning English? S: Music. Listen to English songs. It is relaxing and promotes learning. Actually I started with Linkin Park. I always think what if I don’t know how to speak in English. I will feel embarrassed. R: Do parents need to support the students? S: Yes. It doesn’t matter whether your parents can speak in English or not. The point is, you have to learn. Learn and learn until you die. When you read, always refer to a dictionary. I do not know all the words. I need to refer to a dictionary.
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APPENDIX VII QUESTION PAPER (DIPLOMA ENGLISH 1) END-OF-SEMESTER EXAM (SEM 2, 2007/2006)
SECTION I GRAMMAR 30 MARKS
IA COMPLETION PASSAGE I Below is a passage with words missing. Complete the passage by circling the correct answer from the options A, B, C or D. The first one has been done as an example. Feeding teens
Poor eating habits can make teenagers (0) _____malnourished or obese, at a time when they need ample nutrition to grow both physically and mentally. With a gamut of advertisements on fast food outlets and fizzy drinks, teenagers are (1) _____ deceivingly into consuming unhealthy food every day. Too much saturated fat, too little fibre, too many empty calories and the negative effects (2)_____ plenty. These days, it’s no longer hip to carry containers filled with sandwiches to school.
In the past, mothers (3)________ food
for their
beloved children. It (4)_____ a cost saving ritual. Instead of packed-fromhome meals nowadays , teens are given pocket money to find (5) ________ own food.
As a result, many have poor eating habits and are either
undernourished or obese. Being a teenager can be tough and sometimes, teens who are healthy (6)___________
persistently
to lose weight
even though they don’tneed to. If a teenager is being influenced to look like skinny supermodels on glossy magazines, she will (7)_________ herself or secretly take slimming pills. This leads to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. On the other extreme, the male teen chomps down burgers, roti canai and 128
other carbohydrate-rich foods, which (8)_________ to weight gain and eventually obesity. Teenagehood is an important time (9)______ life.
During this
period, the bone formation is taking place and if the teen is malnourished or inadequately fed, it can affect his physical and mental growth. Parents can improve their teenagers’ diet by encouraging smart eating habits and stocking refrigerators with(10)______ healthy snacks. Fill it up with nuts, fresh fruits and yoghurt so that when the temptation to snack sets in, they will be forced to nibble on healthy alternatives.
0. A a B an C the D Ø
1. A B C D
lure lured lures luring
5. A B C D
they them their themselves
9. A B C D
of in by with
2. A B C D
is are was were
6. A B C D
try tries tried trying
10. A a B an C the D Ø
3. A B C D
pack packs packed packing
7. A B C D
starve starves starved starving
4. A B C D
is are was were
8. A. led B. lead C. leads D. leading
(10 x 1= 10 marks)
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IB ERROR IDENTIFICATION There is one error in each sentence. Identify the error and CIRCLE the letter of the error. The first one has been done as an example. 0.
Most of my friends is from Malaysia. A B C D
1. The picture looks different when you look at them closely. A B C D 2. They were bitter disappointed with the result of the game A B C D 3. Pele is a greatest football player who has ever lived A B C D 4. They are excel students due to their good results A B C D 5. Danial catches prawns at the swamp and sell them at the market everyday. A B C D 6. The children forget to bring their books to the class yesterday. A B C D 7. The palaces in India is more beautiful than the castles in southern France. A B C D 8. The archaelogist didn't knew that there were treasures in that cave. A B C D 9. Does you come to college cultural night yesterday? A B C D 10. One of the most beautiful islands in Malaysia are Pulau Pangkor A B C D (10 X 1 = 10 marks)
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IC VERB FORM Fill in the blanks with a correct form of the verb. The first one has been done for you as an example. The synopsis of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Acclaimed director Tim Burton (0)__brings___(bring) his vividly imaginative style to the beloved Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, about eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka (JOHNNY DEPP) and Charlie Bucket (FREDDIE HIGHMORE), a good-hearted boy from a poor family who (1)______(live)in the shadow of Wonka's extraordinary factory. Most nights in the Bucket home, dinner (2)________ (be)a watereddown bowl of cabbage soup, which young Charlie gladly (3)________ (share)with his mother (HELENA BONHAM CARTER) and father (NOAH TAYLOR) and both pairs of grandparents. Theirs is a tiny, tumbledown, drafty old house but it (4)___________ (be)filled with love. Every night, the last thing Charlie (5)________(see) from his window is the great factory, and he (6)________(drift) off to sleep dreaming about what might be inside. For nearly fifteen years, no one (7)_______(have) seen a single worker going in or coming out of the factory, or a glimpse of Willy Wonka himself. Yet, mysteriously, great quantities of chocolate
( 8)_________ (be)
still being made and shipped to shops all over the world. One day Willy Wonka (9)____________(make) a momentous announcement. He will open his famous factory and reveal "all of its secrets and magic" to five lucky children who(10)___________ (find) golden tickets hidden inside five randomly selected Wonka chocolate bars. Nothing would make Charlie's family happier than to see him win but the odds are very much against him as they can only afford to buy one chocolate bar a year, for his birthday. (10 X 1 = 10 marks)
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SECTION II READING COMPREHENSION (50 MARKS)
READING PASSAGE 1 Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. Poisonous Spiders!
P1
Over 35,000 different species of spiders live almost everywhere in the world. The only places you can’t find spiders are on the tops of mountains, in the ocean and at the poles. Spiders are carnivorous. That means that they eat only meat. They eat insects and sometimes other spiders. Some 5 spiders eat other animals such as small fish, lizards, frogs, baby birds and mice. Most spiders use poison to kill or paralyze their prey. All spiders have poison, and to a small insect all spiders are very dangerous, but only a few spiders have poison strong enough to hurt people.
P2
10
Spiders that bite and cause pain to humans are called medically significant spiders. This means that they have enough venom (poison) to cause a serious bite that will need to be looked at by a doctor. Some of the poisonous spiders found in North America include the black widow, the brown 15 recluse, the hobo spider, and the yellow sac spider.
P3
There are about 6 different species of black widow spiders. Three of these species are found in the warm southern United States. Black widow spiders build webs, and they live wherever they can build one. They rarely live in 20 houses and other buildings, but if the weather gets very cold, they can move inside. Black widow spiders eat insects, and stay in their webs to catch them. Only the female black widow spider is dangerous. She is considered to be the most 25 venomous spider in the United States!
P4
Females are shiny black, with a red hourglass shaped mark on the bottom of their abdomens. Although they are
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dangerous, black widow spiders are not usually deadly because they only inject a very small amount of poison. The brown recluse spider (often called a violin spider because of 30 the marking on its back) lives mainly in the Midwestern United States. P5
The brown recluse spider also spins webs, and can be found in dark, undisturbed areas. Unlike the black widow, the brown recluse leaves its web at night and goes in search of insects to eat. Both the male and female brown recluse spiders are poisonous. The brown recluse spider is also not usually deadly. In fact, fatal bites almost never occur. However, the bite of a brown recluse spider is very painful and takes a long time to heal because the poison damages the cells near the bite.
IIA COHESION What do the following words refer to in the text? Write your answer in the space provided. 1.
they
(line 4)
_____________________________
2.
their
(line 6 )
_____________________________
3.
this
(line 11)
_____________________________
4.
them
(line 20)
_____________________________
5.
she
(line 20 )
_____________________________ (5 X 1 = 5 marks)
IIB VOCABULARY Find a word in the text that has a similar meaning to the following words or phrases. Write your answer in the space provided. 1.
victim
(para 1)
_____________________________
2.
kinds
(para 3 )
_____________________________
3.
lethal
(para 4)
_____________________________
4.
insert
(para 4)
_____________________________
5.
excruciating
(para 5)
_____________________________ (5 X 1 = 5 marks) 133
IIC TRUE OR FALSE State whether the following statements are true or false according to the passage. Circle T for True and F for False. 1. Spiders are carnivorous.
T
F
2. Most spiders use poison to kill or paralyze their prey.
T
F
3. The black widow spiders usually live in houses and other
T
F
T
F
T
F
buildings. 4. The black widow doesn’t leave its web at night to find insects to eat. 5. Male black widow spiders are shiny black, with a red hourglass shaped mark on the bottom of their abdomens. (5 X 1 = 5 marks)
IID COMPREHENSION I (MULTIPLE CHOICE) Circle the best answer from the given options A, B, C or D. 1. You can find spiders ___________________________. A. in trees B. at the poles C. in the ocean D. on the tops of mountains 2. The black widow spiders will live in buildings only when _______________. A. they spin the web B. the weather is nice C. the weather is cold D. they want to find food 3
The brown recluse spider is also known as the A. hobo spider B. violin spider C. black widow spider D. yellow sack spider
4.
These statements are correct EXCEPT__________________________. A. Both the male and female violin spiders are venomous B. The brown recluse spider lives mainly in North America C. The brown recluse leaves its web at night and goes in search of insects to eat D. The brown recluse spider also spins webs, and can be found in dark, undisturbed areas
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__________________.
5.”The brown recluse spider is also not usually deadly”(line 31-32) means ___. A. that the bite doesn’t lead to death B. the spider is very dangerous and poisonous C. the spider belongs to the black widow family D. that the bite will lead the victims to suffering and death (5 x 1 = 5 marks)
IIE COMPREHENSION II Answer the following questions in complete sentences in the space provided.
1. What is the poison used for? (1 mark) ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ 2. What does ‘medically significant’ mean? (1 mark) ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
3. List four medically significant spiders that live in the United States? (2 marks) i_________________________________ ii_________________________________ iii_________________________________ iv_________________________________
4. Why does the bite of a brown recluse take a long time to heal? (1 mark) _____________________________________________________________
(5 marks)
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READING PASSAGE 2 Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Handbags a health hazard, women warned P1
TORONTO, Jan 16 (Reuters Life!) - With big handbags becoming a key fashion accessory for working women, health experts are warning they can also become a key health concern. Bags for women have become bigger and heavier as designers combine briefcases with handbags and straps have become longer 5 but the extra leverage has many patients complaining of neck, shoulder and back problems.
P2
"I see so many women with neck pains and headaches and what I usually do is look for their purse and pick it up," said Jane Sadler, a family practice physician on the medical 10 staff at Baylor Medical Center in Garland, Texas."We take it over to the scale and weigh it and usually they're anywhere from 7 to 10 pounds (3.1-4.5 kgs). We're really going to see women with more and more problems later on if we continue the big purse craze
P3
William Case, a physical therapist in private practice 15 in Houston, Texas, said an aggravated neck or shoulder can lead to upper back problems, meaning pain may then be felt while working at a computer or playing sports.He urged designers "to place a cute, educational caution tag on all bags to inform of potential neck and shoulder dangers."
P4
20
Above all, he recommended correct posture while carrying bulky purses, keeping the head and shoulders aligned upright. Patients should also frequently change the size and weight of purses carried."The extra-large purses are quite phenomenal. They look beautiful when the women wear them, but I don't know 25 how aware they are of the potential problems," Case said.
P5
"Massage, anti-inflammatory cream and rest are good to help alleviate the symptoms temporarily however the only real cure is patient education," Case added in a written message 136
to the American Physical Therapy Association. Case said children are recommended to carry no more than 10-15 percent of their 30 body weight in backpacks, which are effective at spreading loads carried, but fashion consultants say they just aren't cool any more. P6
"The trend is either very large or very small. People go to the gym, they have an extra pair of shoes, they have their make-up, so there's more stuff to carry around," said Ellen Campuzano, president of the Committee for Color and Trend, a fashion forecasting service. "The backpack is really for a very casual customer, for a student with books,who is not a fashion customer."
IIIA COHESION What do the following words refer to in the text? Write your answer in the space provided. 1.
I
(line 7)
_____________________________
2.
He
(line 15)
_____________________________
3.
them
(line 21)
_____________________________
4.
their
(line 26)
_____________________________
5.
they
( line 31)
_____________________________ (5 X1 = 5 marks)
IIIB VOCABULARY Find words in the text that has a similar meaning to the following words or phrases. Write your answer in the space provided. 1.
doctor
(para 2)
_____________________________
2.
madness
(para 2 )
_____________________________
3.
suggested
(para 4)
_____________________________
4.
reduce
(para 5)
_____________________________
5.
things
(para 6)
_____________________________ (5 X 1 = 5 marks)
137
IIIC TRUE OR FALSE State whether the following statements are true or false according to the passage. Circle T for True and F for False. 1. Big handbags can cause neck, shoulder and back problems
T
F
2. The handbags weight around 3.1 to 4.5 kgs
T
F
3. Correct posture
while carrying bulky purses makes the
T
F
4. Children are recommended to carry more than 10-15 percent
T
F
T
F
women beautiful
of their body weights 5. Fashion consultants mention that it is not trendy to carry backpacks (5 X 1 = 5 marks)
IIID COMPREHENSION I (MULTIPLE CHOICE) Circle the best answer from the options A, B, C or D.
1. Big handbags become a key fashion accessory for __________________. A. health experts B. working women C. fashion consultants D. family practice physician 2. Women get neck pains and headaches because of______________. A. their big purses B. having correct posture C. stress while working at a computer D. their heavy exercises at the gymnasium 3. The reason why women carry extra large purses is because they feel that they look _____________________________________________. A. casual B. effective C. beautiful D. phenomenal 4. The person who wrote to the American Physical Theraphy Association is _. A. Jane Sadler B. Allan Hedge C. William Case D. Ellen Capuzano
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5. The following statements are true EXCEPT_________________________. A. The backpack is really for a very casual customer B. The designers now put an educational tag on all bags. C. Ellen Campuzano is the president of the Committee for Color and Trend. D. Patients should also frequently change the size and weight of purses carried. (5 x 1=5 marks)
IIIE COMPREHENSION II Answer the following questions in the space provided. 1.
Why have big handbags become a health concern? (1 mark)
(1 marks)
2.
Who is Jane Sadler? (1 mark)
(1 mark)
_______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 3.
How should women carry bulky purses?(1 mark)
(1 mark)
_______________________________________________ 4.
Give 2 ways women can alleviate an aggravated neck or shoulder and upper back problem temporarily.(2 marks )
(2 marks)
_______________________________________________ _______________________________________________
(5 marks)
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APPENDIX VIII COURSE OUTLINE
Course Name
Diploma English I
Course Code
CEL 1221
Status
Core
Credit Hours
2
Instructor(s) Semester Offered
Karim Gulam Sadick Rosmelia Bt. Taib Abdul Rauf B. Ridzuan 1, 2, 3
Pre-requisite
Nil
Methods of instruction
Lectures and Tutorials
Course Assessment
Coursework Quizzes Assignments Presentation Journal writing Examination Mid-Semester Examination End of Semester Examination Total
Objectives
Synopsis
10% 10% 10% 10%
40%
60% 20% 40% 100%
1.
Students will be exposed to varieties of reading materials i.e. reading passages, excerpts from other courses’ textbooks (Introduction to Business, Introduction to Computer) and literature. For reading, they will be exposed to a wide variety of reading materials as to build up their vocabulary.
2.
Students will be taught on how to use reference word as well as skimming and scanning techniques.
3.
Students will be exposed to the usage of transition signals in reading texts and transferring of information from linear to non-linear forms. At the same time, the students will be taught the other three skills, namely writing, grammar, listening and speaking.
4.
For writing, the students will be asked to keep a journal to ensure that they write a paragraph a day.
5.
Students will indirectly learn grammar which they can capture from the reading materials prepared for them. Finally, the students will polish their listening and speaking skills through their presentations.
This course is designed to assist the students in understanding and comprehending the passages they have read. The student should be able to determine meaning from the context. They would also be able to identify and use reference words.
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Learning Outcome
Upon completion of this course, the students shall be able to understand, write and master the basic rules of English. They would also be able to transfer information from linear to non-linear form. They should be write grammatically correct sentences.
Course outline
Topics
Hrs
CONTEXT CLUES 1.1 1.2
Using Context To Determine Meaning Using Suffixes And Prefixes To Determine Meaning
USING A DICTIONARY 2.1 2.2 2.3
How To Use A Dictionary Loan Words Portmanteau Words
REFERENCE WORDS 3.1 3.2
How To Identify Reference Words How To Use Reference Words
10 6
6
SKIMMING 4.1 How To Skim A Text To Identify The General Idea 4.2 How To Identify Topic Sentences In Paragraphs 4.3 How To Identify Supporting Details In Paragraphs
10
SCANNING 5.1 How To Scan A Text For Specific Information
10
TRANSITION SIGNALS 6.1 How To Identify And Understand The Use Of Transition Signals In Rea ding
6
INFORMATION TRANSFER 7.1 How To Transfer Information From Linear To Non-Linear Forms 7.2 How To Interpret Information in Non-Linear Forms
8
Total Hours
56
Main reference
Vision: Focus On Reading And Writing, Language Centre Universiti Teknologi MARA, McGraw-Hill
Additional reference
Brenda Bushell and Brenda Dyer, Global Outlook, High Intermediate Reading, McGraw Hill, America
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APPENDIX IX END-OF-SEMESTER EXAM RESULTS (SEMESTER 2, 2006/2007)
Official Marking Sheet Course Name: Diploma English 1 Course Code: CEL1221 Credit Hours: 2 Semester: Session 2006/2007 Semester 2 Total Students: 174
SUMMARY OF STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 3) STATISTICS: Average: Maximum: Minimum:
59.13 89 14
Pass: Fail:
81.34% 18.66%
2) PERFORMANCE: Range of Marks Grade 85 ~ 100 A 75 ~ 84 A70 ~ 74 B+ 65 ~ 69 B 60 ~ 64 B55 ~ 59 C+ 50 ~ 54 C 40 ~ 49 D 30 ~ 39 D0 ~ 29 F Total Students Attended Exam: B28
No of Students
30 A22
25 20
B+ 10
15 10 5
# of Students 3 22 10 10 28 18 18 8 10 7 134 C+ 18
B 10
% of Students 1.72% 12.64% 5.75% 5.75% 16.09% 10.34% 10.34% 4.60% 5.75% 4.02% 77.01
C 18 D 8
A 3
0 Grade
142
D10
F 7
