ERIC Number: EJ1469975
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-May
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1362-1688
EISSN: EISSN-1477-0954
Available Date: 0000-00-00
The Relationships between EFL Learners' Anxiety in Oral Presentations, Self-Perceived Pronunciation, and Speaking Proficiency
Language Teaching Research, v29 n4 p1639-1659 2025
Learners' anxiety has drawn widespread attention in the field of second language/foreign language (L2/FL) teaching and learning (e.g. classroom anxiety, communication (with foreigners) anxiety, and anxiety associated with the four macro-skills, namely listening, reading, speaking, and writing). However, this topic is under-explored in L2/FL public speaking (e.g. oral presentations in academic studies), in which anxiety is especially prominent. This study investigated the relationships between EFL (English as a foreign language) learners' anxiety in public speaking, self-perceived pronunciation competence, and actual speaking proficiency. 176 tertiary-level EFL students in Hong Kong participated in this mixed-methods study using questionnaires and interviews. Overall, different aspects of self-perceived pronunciation were negatively correlated with anxiety to different extents. However, when analysed by proficiency levels, only "voicing of consonants" and "overall pronunciation of consonants" showed moderate negative correlations with anxiety for the high-proficiency and intermediate-proficiency groups respectively. In the interviews, the high-, intermediate-, and low-proficiency interviewees suggested nativelikeness, accuracy, and intelligibility respectively as their different pronunciation goals in EFL oral presentations.
Descriptors: Anxiety, Oral Language, Speech Communication, Public Speaking, English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, Language Proficiency, Communication (Thought Transfer), Pronunciation, Self Concept, College Students, Student Attitudes, Phonemes, Correlation, Intelligibility, Accuracy, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Hong Kong
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong