A Study On English Classroom Speaking Anxiety Of Vocational College Students

Since the1970’s, individual learner differences, particularly learners’affective states have received increased attention in the studies of foreign language acquisition. The results of many studies indicate that anxiety is one of most important affective variables and has a negative effect on language learning. Speaking has been identified as an important source of anxiety, there is plenty of research to evidence the existence of foreign language speaking anxiety. Literature suggests that most of the studies mainly focus on university students, in recent years the studies on senior middle school students begin to emerge, but very little is known about foreign language speaking anxiety among vocational college students and to what extent it affects their foreign language learning, which makes it imperative to explore in this area.By adopting Krashen’s Input Hypothesis and Affective Filter Hypothesis, and Cognitive Model as research framework, this study aims at identifying the overall levels of English classroom speaking anxiety among vocational college students and the relationship between English classroom speaking anxiety and oral achievement. This study will expand our understanding of the potential causes of English classroom speaking anxiety. In addition, this study will have significant classroom implications for foreign language teaching and will offer some foreign language speaking anxiety reduction methods based on the findings of this study.The subjects selected are60second-year non-English major vocational college students in Wu Han Technical College of Communication. The instruments used include a Students’Background Questionnaire, English Classroom Speaking Anxiety Scale (ECSAS) and a Survey on English Classroom Speaking Anxiety (ECSA). All the raw data obtained are computed and processed by using the software of IBM SPSS Statistical Package19.0Version. The Data are analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics including means value, standard deviations, t tests, and correlations.Based on both qualitative and quantitative studies on English classroom speaking anxiety, the following findings emerge form the data analysis:(1) Most of the vocational college students experience varied degree of speaking anxiety in their English class.(2) A negative correlation between English classroom speaking anxiety and oral achievement is found in this study.(3) This study reveals that females perceive a slightly higher level of speaking anxiety than their male counterpart, but difference between males and females is insignificant.(4) Several possible sources of speaking anxiety in English class have also been identified. Implications of the findings are discussed and foreign language speaking anxiety-reduction measures are suggested. Such as foreign language students and teachers should advance their knowledge about foreign language speaking anxiety; great effort should be made in boosting learners’self confidence; English teachers should be devoted to creating a learner-centered language environment and so on.