From Silence Seekers to Confident Speakers: A mixed-methods study of anxious pupils’ experiences in the EFL classroom and of pedagogical implementations employed by teachers to alleviate speech anxiety in Lower Secondary Schools.

Abstract

The present study seeks to address the research gap existing on Foreign Language Anxiety in oral communication in a Norwegian context. The main aim is to investigate how educators can effectively address Foreign Language Anxiety and enhance speaking confidence among lower secondary school pupils in the English Foreign Language classroom. Four research questions emerged: What experiences do Norwegian pupils with speech anxiety have in the English Foreign Language classroom, and when do they feel anxious? Are teachers in lower secondary schools aware of Foreign Language Anxiety? What impediments caused by Foreign Language Anxiety do pupils experience? Lastly, what strategies can educators employ to alleviate speech anxiety? A mixed-methods research design was applied, with a pupil survey and semi-structured pupil and teacher interviews. Two eighth-grade and two tenth-grade classes participated in the survey, 14 pupils participated in individual or group interviews, and three lower secondary school teachers participated in individual interviews. The main findings reveal that some of the participating pupils in lower secondary school experience Foreign Language Anxiety, Foreign Language Enjoyment, and Foreign Language Boredom in language learning and that the three emotions intertwine. Pupils feel most anxious when speaking in front of their class, during presentations, reading aloud, or during icebreaker activities. The teachers sympathized with pupils' speech anxiety but found it challenging to alleviate it. Both teachers and pupils recognized impediments caused by Foreign Language Anxiety, which are consequences for pupils' self-perception, decreased motivation, poorer learning outcomes, and problematic physical reactions. Strategies and methods to reduce anxiety concern classroom environment, teacher-pupil relations, class sizes, and fortifying enjoyment in language learning, in addition to facilitating positive emotions, humor, and frivolity. Additionally, teacher variables are crucial; they include modeling a healthy attitude towards making mistakes while learning, clear instructions and expectations, how teachers use the Target Language, and predictability in the classroom.