The Relationship Between Foreign Language Classroom Speaking Anxiety and Speaking Self-efficacy: A study of Saudi EFL preparatory year students.

Abstract

Foreign language classroom speaking anxiety (FLCSA) is known as the tension and negative emotion experienced by language learners, which is associated with the use of a foreign language. Foreign language speaking self-efficacy (FLSSE) is another psychological construct that refers to one’s own judgment of their abilities in speaking skills in the foreign language. The present research study focuses on these two variables by addressing three main questions: the first examines the levels of the two variables, FLCSA and FLSSE in the context of Saudi Arabia. The second research question explores the causes of FLCSA. The third research question considers the correlation between the two variables. An online Likert-scale questionnaire comprising of 28 items was constructed from two questionnaires: The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986) and the Foreign Language SelfEfficacy Scale (FLSES) (Torres and Torner, 2016). The sample of the study consisted of 76 Saudi female students at the preparatory programme in two Saudi universities. A mixed-method research design was adopted to meet the research objectives. The main findings revealed that Saudi female EFL learners exhibited moderate levels of FLCSA and higher levels of FLSSE. Through semi-structured interviews with four of the most highly anxious students, the major causes of their anxiety were related to assessment, peers’ behaviour and competitiveness, learners’ personalities (e.g. shyness), learners’ perceptions about language learning, and low self-efficacy beliefs. Moreover, a significant negative correlation between the participants’ FLCSA and FLSSE was detected. Indicating that high sense of speaking efficacy reduces levels of speaking anxiety in the context of foreign language classroom learning. Practical suggestions for pedagogy and recommendations for future research are also discussed.