Speaking Anxiety and Pronunciation Accuracy: A Correlational Study with Indonesian EFL Learners

Siti Mariam Mamang, Muhlisin Rasuki, Nurkamilah Nurkamilah

Abstract


Language anxiety constitutes a psychological phenomenon that commonly impacts second/foreign language (L2) learning and performance. Although language anxiety has been extensively studied in L2 research, there is a lack of research on the relationship between speaking anxiety and pronunciation accuracy. To address this gap, the current study investigates the potential influence of speaking anxiety on pronunciation accuracy in L2 speaking. Data were obtained from 30 Indonesian learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). These learners completed an L2 speaking task and a questionnaire. The speaking task assessed the learners’ ability to pronounce English words, while the questionnaire measured their levels of speaking anxiety. A correlational analysis of the data revealed a very weak correlation between speaking anxiety and pronunciation accuracy among the Indonesian EFL learners, and this correlation was not statistically significant: ρ(28) = 0.052, two-tailed p = 0.785. These findings suggest that the reported levels of speaking anxiety among the learners do not significantly impact their pronunciation accuracy in the given L2 English speaking task. This study contributes to the existing knowledge by shedding light on the underexplored relationship between L2 speaking anxiety and pronunciation accuracy.


Keywords


Language Anxiety; Pronunciation Accuracy; Speaking Anxiety;

Full Text:

PDF

References


Azizifar, A., & Faryadian, E. (2015). The Effect of anxiety on Iranian EFL learners speaking skill. International Journal of English Language and Linguistics Research, 3(7), 19–30.

Botes, E., Dewaele, J.-M., & Greiff, S. (2020). The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale and Academic Achievement: An Overview of the Prevailing Literature and a Meta-analysis. Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning, 2(1), 26–56.

Chen, I., Cheng, K., & Chuang, C. (2022). Relationship Between Language Anxiety and English Speaking Performance. English Language Teaching, 15(11), 1–78.

Derwing, T., & Munro, M. (2015). Pronunciation fundamentals: Evidence-based perspectives for L2 teaching and research. John Benjamins.

Güvendir, E., & Uzun, K. (2023). L2 writing anxiety, working memory, and task complexity in L2 written performance. Journal of Second Language Writing, 60, 101016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2023.101016

Hamzavi, R., & Afshar, H. (2014). Listening strategy use, test anxiety and test performance of intermediate and advanced Iranian EFL learners. Applied Research on English Language, 3(2), 101–116.

Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.2307/327317

MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1994). The Subtle Effects of Language Anxiety on Cognitive Processing in the Second Language. Language Learning, 44(2), 283–305. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1994.tb01103.x

Sellers, V. D. (2000). Anxiety and Reading Comprehension in Spanish as a Foreign Language. Foreign Language Annals, 33(5), 512–520. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.2000.tb01995.x

Teimouri, Y., Goetze, J., & Plonsky, L. (2019). Second language anxiety and achievement: A meta-analysis. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 41(2), 363–387. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263118000311

Young, D. J. (1990). An Investigation of Students’ Perspectives on Anxiety and Speaking. Foreign Language Annals, 23(6), 539–553. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.1990.tb00424.x

Zhang, X. (2019). Foreign Language Anxiety and Foreign Language Performance: A Meta‐Analysis. The Modern Language Journal, 103(4), 763–781. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12590




DOI: https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v8i2.421

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2023 Siti Mariam Mamang, Muhlisin Rasuki, Nurkamilah

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.