STUDENTS’ ANXIETY TO SPEAK ENGLISH IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

STUDENTS’ ANXIETY TO SPEAK ENGLISH IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Students’ anxiety to speak English in the classroom is a problem commonly found in teaching speaking. Consequently, students can’t improve their speaking ablity. Aida (1994), MacIntyre and Gardner (1991). in Tsiplakides, (2009:39) state that: “Empirical research shows that anxious foreign language students are less willing to participate in learning activities, and have lower performance than non anxious students”

Students’ anxiety to speak English very important to be solved. Because it can be influence their speaking ability. Beside that, speaking English must be practice to be succes pronounciation and vocabulary, especially to improve their speaking ability.

Foreign language anxiety consists of “self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings and behaviors related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning process” (Horwitz and Cope 1986, in Tsiplakides, 2009:39). Foreign language learning process is a unique proccess, because students are required to communicate using a language which they have not mastered perfectly.

Horwitz et al. (1986), in Bot et al (2005:193) states that:“ poor Foreign language performance may be due to anxiety”. In addition. Gas et al (2008:400) states that anxiety seems to represent a trait that falls within the broader scheme of factors affecting learning, but what is not clear is whether it is a matter of personality, an emotional reaction to a situation or combination.

According to Tanveer (2005:2) states that: In general, there are two approaches to the description of language anxiety:

1. “Language anxiety in the broader construct of anxiety as a basic human emotion that may be brought on by numerous combinations of situational factors” (McIntyre, 1995; McIntyre & Gardner, 1989: Tittle, 1997: 11) in Tanveer (2005:2) For example, a shy student may feel anxious when asked to give a short story in front of the class.

2. There is something unique to the language learning experience that makes

some individuals nervous. When this nervousness or anxiety is restricted to the

language learning situations, it falls into the category of specific anxiety. (Tanveer, 2005:2) For example: a Student anxious while study foreign language, but enjoy in mathematic study.

In relationship between language learning succes and a motivating factor. Consider two examples from Geen (1991), Hoffman (1986), in Gass et al (2008:401) describes that : Social anxiety essentially inhibits behaviour. it may, for example, bring about disengagement avoidance of social situations, withholding of communication . . . or breaking of eye contact . . . - or replacement of meaningful communication with innocuous sociability . . . Leary et al. (19870 provide evidence that social anxiety is associated with a passive and self defensive style of verbal behavior in two person interaction

Language anxiety, being a student psychological develop, many researchers have been found to make a huge difference in foreign language learning. Many studies on language anxiety have suggested a variety of strategies to successfully reducing students’ anxiety. Interestingly, all the subjects who have been participated in the process of English language learning and teaching for many years seemed to have given enough thought to the ways of reducing students anxiety.

A way forward to create less stressful classroom environment, as suggested by ESL/EFL teacher, is that the “instructors should create situations where students can feel successful in using English and avoid setting up the activities that increase the chances for the students to fail”. (Tranveer, 2007:55)

“Students should be encouraged to think about their positive personality traits and thus gather their own strengths and build upon them”. (Tranveer, 2007:58). This way, instructors can “build students’ confidence and self-esteem in their second/foreign language ability via encouragement, reassurance, positive reinforcement, and empathy” (Onwuegbuzie et al, 1999. in Tranveer, 2007:58). Furthermore, the teachers should identify the signs of perfectionism in the learners and should work to explore their earlier belief systems in order to help them “to step down from the set standards at the early stages and then work patiently to achieve the desired standards gradually”, stated the Pakistani participant. (Tranveer, 2007:58)

Language anxiety seems to continue to develop in the language classrooms. It suggests that these strategies are just a instructions for the teachers, and for the ESL/EFL learners, not the treatment of language anxiety. Language anxiety is a complex psychological phenomenon, However, these strategies can't reduce language anxiety totally, moreover, they cannot completely reduce it.