Speaking anxiety during MUET-CEFR aligned oral presentations among ESL learners in Perak

Mohd Haniff Mohd Tahir

QR Code Link :
Type :	article
Subject :	L Education (General)
ISSN :	1925-0703
Main Author :	Mohd Haniff Mohd Tahir
Title :	Speaking anxiety during MUET-CEFR aligned oral presentations among ESL learners in Perak

Place of Production :	Tanjung Malim
Publisher :	Fakulti Bahasa dan Komunikasi
Year of Publication :	2023
Notes :	World Journal of English Language
Corporate Name :	Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris
HTTP Link :	Click to view web link

Abstract : Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris

The newly enforced MUET-CEFR aligned format is one of the government?s efforts to upscale Malaysian learners? English proficiency level to be at par with international standards. However, the learners are reported to have high anxiety levels resulting in poor performance, especially in the speaking component. Hence, this study is conducted to investigate the learner?s anxiety levels, factors causing anxiety, and strategies to overcome speaking anxiety during oral presentations among MUET-CEFR ESL learners in Perak. The survey research design is employed for this study where a total of 130 participants took part by answering a three-section questionnaire on their background information, McCroskey?s Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRSPA), and Nakatani?s Oral Communication Strategy Inventory (OCSI). Descriptive statistics are used to analyze the data and an independent sample t-test was conducted to investigate the differences in the learners? strategy use based on their course types. A follow-up interview session and classroom observation were also conducted for data triangulation. The findings indicated many of the participants possess moderately high and high anxiety levels based on PRPSA scores. Meanwhile, the responses to OCSI implied that message reduction and alteration are the most used strategies to cope with their speaking anxiety during oral presentations. The findings also showed a statistically significant difference between Diploma and Form 6 students in the use of social affective, fluency-oriented, negotiation for meaning while speaking, accuracy-oriented, message reduction and alteration, and non-verbal strategies while speaking. The findings from this study suggest that teachers should scaffold students' oral presentation skills and manage their speaking anxiety for better performance in the MUET-CEFR aligned speaking examination. 2023 World Journal of English Language.

References

Adnan, A. H. M., Karim, R. A., Tahir, M. H. M., Kamal, N. N. M., & Yusof, A. M. (2019). Education 4.0 technologies, Industry 4.0 skills and the teaching of English in Malaysian tertiary education. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 10(4), 330-343. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no4.24

Aziz, A. A., & Kashinathan, S. (2021). ESL learners‟ challenges in speaking English in Malaysian classroom. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 10(2), 983-991. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v10-i2/10355

Balemir, S. H. (2009). The sources of foreign language speaking anxiety and the relationship between proficiency level and degree of foreign language speaking anxiety (Master‟s thesis). Bilkent University, Ankara. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11693/14917

Cassady, J. C. (2004). The influence of cognitive test anxiety across the learning–testing cycle. Learning and Instruction, 14(2004), 569-592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2004.09.002

Creswell, J. C., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (5th Ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE.

Harun, H., Bosro, M. Z. M., Palpanadan, S. T., Ibrahim, M. Y., Sohaimi, N. A. M., & Jannaton, A. A. L. (2021). Malaysian public university challenging skills to pass Malaysian University English Test (MUET). In American Institute of Physics Conference Series, 2347(1), 020031. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0052716

Hastings, S. (2010). Triangulation. In N. J. Salkind (Ed.). Encyclopedia of Research Design. pp. 1538-1540). California: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Horwitz, E. K. (2000). Horwitz comments: It ain't over' til it's over: On foreign language anxiety, first language deficits, and the confounding of variables. The Modern Language Journal, 84(2), 256-259. https://doi.org/10.1111/0026-7902.00067

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

Kelsen, B. A. (2019). Exploring public speaking anxiety and personal disposition in EFL presentations. Learning and Individual Differences, 73(2019), 92-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.05.003

Kho, M. G. W., & Leong, L.M. (2015). Causes of academic oral presentation difficulties faced by students at a polytechnic in Sarawak. The English Teacher, 44(3), 132-142.

Krashen, S. (1991). The input hypothesis: An update. In J. E. Alatis (Ed.), Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics 1991: Linguistics and Language Pedagogy: The State of the Art. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press.

Leong, L. M., & Ahmadi, S. M. (2017). An analysis of factors influencing learners‟ English-speaking skill. International Journal of Research in English Education, 2(1), 34-41. https://doi.org/10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.1.34

Malaysian Examinations Council. (2019). Malaysian University English Test (MUET): Regulations and test specifications. Selangor: Malaysian Examinations Council.

Malik, S., Huang, Q., Oteir, I., & Soomro, M. A. (2021). Detecting perceived barriers in FLSA: The socio-psycholinguistic study of EFL university learners. Advances in Language and Literature Studies, 12(1), 34-45. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.12n.1.p.34

Marlow, B. (2021). Second language learning anxiety and language mindsets. (Senior Honors Theses, 1050). Liberty University.

McCroskey, J. C. (1970). Measures of communication-bound anxiety. Speech Monographs, 37(4), 269-277. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637757009375677

Ministry of Education. (2015). Executive Summary: Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education). Putrajaya: Ministry of Higher Education.

Miskam, N. N., & Saidalvi, A. (2019). Investigating English language speaking anxiety among Malaysian undergraduate learners. Asian Social Science, 15(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v15n1p1

Nakatani, Y. (2006). Developing an oral communication strategy inventory. The Modern Language Journal, 90(2), 151-168. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2006.00390.x

Nunan, D., & Bailey, K. M. (2009). Exploring second language classroom research: A comprehensive guide. Boston, MA: Heinle Cengage Learning.

Pabro-Maquidato, I. M. (2021). The experience of English-speaking anxiety and coping strategies: A transcendental phenomenological study. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 1(2), 45-64.

Radzuan, N. R. M., & Kaur, S. (2011). Technical oral presentations in English: Qualitative analysis of Malaysian engineering undergraduates‟ sources of anxiety. Procedia - Social and Behavioural Sciences 29(2011), 1436-1445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.11.383

Rahman, N. A. A., & Maarof, N. (2018). The effect of role-play and simulation approach on enhancing ESL oral communication skills. International Journal of Research in English Education (IJREE), 3(3), 63-71. http://dx.doi.org/10.29252/ijree.3.3.63

Rajitha, K., & Alamelu, C. (2019). A study of factors affecting and causing speaking anxiety. Procedia Computer Science, 172(2020), 1053-1058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.05.154

Rao, P. S. (2019). The importance of speaking skills in English classrooms. Alford Council of International English & Literature Journal (ACIELT), 2(2), 6-18.

Razawi, N. A., Zulkornain, L. H. & Razlan, R. M. (2019). Anxiety in oral presentations among ESL students. Journal of Academia UiTM Negeri Sembilan, 7(1), 31-36.

Shah, D. S. M., Shak, M. S. Y., & Tahir, M. H. M. (2019). Anxiety reduction in conducting English oral presentation using Telegram application. In Leading Toward Creativity and Innovation (Series 2), pp.301-309. MNNF Network.

Singh C. K. S., Ramachandran A., Singh, T. S. M., Tek, O. E., Yunus, M. M., & Mulyadi, D. (2020). The use of think-pair-share of cooperative learning to improve weak students‟ speaking ability. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24(5), 4008-4023. https://doi.org/10.37200/IJPR/V24I5/PR2020111

Singh, C. K. S., Singh, T. S. M., Jaafar, H., How, T. W., Subramaniam, G. I., & Abdullah, M. S. H. B. (2019). Developing a prototype speaking game for engineering students at polytechnic in Malaysia. Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, Special Issue on

ICEES 2018, June (2019), 9-17, School of Engineering, Taylor‟s University.

Tahir, M. H. M. (2017). The effectiveness of using pictorial vocabulary to teach vocabulary to ESL/EFL learners. Journal of Teaching and Education, 6(2), 247-256.

Tahir, M. H. M., Albakri, I. S. M. A., Adnan, A. H. M., & Karim, R. A. (2020). The effects of explicit vocabulary instructions on secondary ESL Students‟ vocabulary learning. 3L: The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 26(2), 158-172. https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2020-2602-12

Tahir, M. H. M., Albakri, I. S. M. A., Adnan, A. H. M., Shaq, M. S. Y., & Shah, D. S. M. (2020). The application of visual vocabulary for ESL students‟ vocabulary learning. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 11(2), 323-338. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no2.23

Tian, S., & Mahmud, M. (2018). A study of academic oral presentation anxiety and strategy employment of EFL graduate students. Indonesian Journal of EFL and Linguistics, 3(2), 149-170. https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v3i2.78

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Yaccob, N. S., & Yunus, M. M. (2019). Students‟ perspectives on challenges and solutions to learning English in Malaysian ESL context. Journal of Language and Communication, 6(2), 487-496.

Ya-Chen, S. (2021). College students‟ oral communication strategy use, self-perceived English proficiency and confidence and communication anxiety in Taiwan‟s EFL learning. Educational Studies, 57(6), 650-669. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2021.1919677

Zainuddin, S. Z. B., Pillai, S., Dumanig, F. P., & Pillip, A. (2019). English language and graduate employability. Education & Training, 61(1), 79-93. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-06-2017-0089

Zaman, T, E. T. (2019). The Representation of English language in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025: A CDA perspective (PhD Thesis), May 2019, Lancaster University.

This material may be protected under Copyright Act which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials.
You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research.

Back to previous page