SPEAKING ANXIETY AMONG TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENTS OF NEUST

Author Details

ELOISA C. GABRIEL, MAEd

Faculty Member, College of Education

Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology – San Isidro Campus

Abstract

Developing the students’ communication skills is of the paramount goals of the Philippine education system. Over the years, our country has been facing challenges in developing students’ language skills, mainly speaking. Many Filipino students at all levels find it difficult to master the second language due to some factors that cause speaking anxiety. This study aimed to determine the factors that cause speaking anxiety among Teacher-Education students of Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, San Isidro Campus (NEUST-SIC). The descriptive method was applied. The study’s instrument is the modified survey questionnaire on Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) by Horwitz (1986), using the 4-point Likert scale. The participants of this study were 34 teacher education college students enrolled at NEUST-SIC during the second semester, the academic year 2016-2017. The data analysis used frequencies and mean. Findings revealed that the majority of the respondents agree that they never feel quite sure of themselves when speaking in their English class (M=2.65). They also agree that they start to panic when speaking in their English class, especially when they are not prepared (M=3.12). The respondents also agree that they feel that other students are better than they do when speaking in English (M=3.18). All the participants agreed that speaking in front of the whole class or public causes anxiety for most learners. Moreover, this study’s respondents agree that they feel very self-conscious about speaking English in front of other students (M= 3.03). They also have the same answer with the statement that they get nervous and confused when speaking in English class (M= 3.18), as well afraid that other students will laugh at them when speaking in English (M= 2.76). The findings were consistent because the respondents disagree that they feel confident when speaking in their English class (M=2.47). They also admitted that they feel nervous speaking the English language with native speakers since they gave a “disagree” mark with the statement “I would not be nervous speaking the English language with native speakers” (M=2.50). Students’ low self-esteem and fear that what they will say is incorrect are the factors that contribute to their speaking anxiety. It may also be concluded that teachers play an essential role in helping students improve their self-confidence in English class. English teachers must motivate, encourage, and inspire students that they can do it to assist students in building their self-confidence in English communication and eliminating students’ speaking anxiety in the classroom.

Keywords:

English language materials, students’ feedback, learning materials