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The IUP Journal of English Studies

Enabling Young Adult ESL Learners to Overcome Speaking Anxiety in the Classroom

Article Details

Pub. Date	: June, 2022
Product Name	: The IUP Journal of English Studies
Product Type	: Article
Product Code	: IJES140622
Author Name	:Suraj Nandkumar Dhumal and Swathi Mulinti
Availability	: YES
Subject/Domain	: Arts & Humanities
Download Format	: PDF Format
No. of Pages	: 20

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Abstract

Language speaking anxiety is a multidimensional phenomenon that deals with learners' psychology in terms of their feelings, sense of worth, and confidence. Many second language theorists such as Ellis (1985), Krashen (1988), Gardner (1993) and Arnold (2005) have recognized the vital role of anxiety in the language learning process. According to them, every second language learner suffers some form of language anxiety regardless of their age, experience with the language, the type of language learning setting and location. The present study investigated ESL learners' language speaking anxiety from a holistic perspective. It adopted mixed methods research design and examined four major areas of language speaking anxiety, viz., ESL learners' anxiety levels, factors responsible for speaking anxiety, anxiety-provoking classroom activities and strategies to reduce such anxiety among the learners. The findings of the study revealed that young adult ESL learners experienced language speaking anxiety at three levels-high, moderate, and low.

Introduction

Being an ESL learner as well as a practitioner of English language teaching, one of the researchers has not only experienced the problem of language-speaking anxiety but has also observed this phenomenon in his language classroom. In the literature, there is substantial research that supports the abovementioned claim. For example, several researchers (Bailey 1983; Gardner 1985; Horwitz et al. 1986; Ely 1986; Young 1986; Oxford 1990) have found that speaking-oriented activities in second/ foreign language classrooms can be the most anxiety-provoking experience for the