EXPLORING ENGLISH-SPEAKING ANXIETY AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE ENJOYMENT AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

English-speaking anxiety (ESA) is a feeling frequently encountered by students during English education in our country. It is a known fact that ESA is a negative emotion and has negative effects on language learning. Apart from this, the notion of Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE), distinct from anxiety, constitutes a positive emotion in contrast. This inquiry centers on the correlational analysis between ESA and FLE within the educational context of secondary school learners. Additionally, the study explores the impact of several independent variables, including grade level, gender, and type of school, on secondary school students' levels of ESA and FLE. To investigate the correlation between ESA and FLE, a relational survey model, a well-established quantitative methodology, was chosen. The "English Speaking Anxiety Scale", designed by Orakçı (2018), was used to collect data. To assess students' FLE the study employed the well-established "Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale" developed by Dewaele and MacIntyre (2014). The data was analyzed using the SPSS software. The findings of this study revealed that secondary school students exhibit a moderate level of ESA, while concurrently demonstrating high levels of FLE. Moreover, it was observed that independent variables such as grade level, gender, and type of school could have an impact on ESA and FLE. Lastly, the findings reveal a weak negative correlation between ESA and FLE. The outcomes of this investigation emphasize the significance of acknowledging the array of emotions encountered by secondary school students throughout their English language learning endeavor.