Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety: The case of Spontaneous Speaking Activities

There is a great deal of research focusing on speaking anxiety and yet there are relatively few studies suggesting ways how teachers can help learners cope with this problem. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify whether the integration of spontaneous speech activities helps minimize the student's English language speaking anxiety. The research took place in the ELT department at a private university in Istanbul, Turkey. 12 freshman year students participated in the study. The course syllabus comprised different types of speaking activities. The study followed a mixed method design including qualitative and quantitative data. The data were obtained through an adapted questionnaire based on Horwitz's “Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale” (FLCAS, 1986) and Burgoon's “Unwillingness to communicate scale” (UCS, 1976) to measure the learners’ pre and post anxiety levels. Furthermore, participants were asked to reflect on the activities through open-ended essay questions. Finally, a focus group interview was conducted. The findings have been discussed in detail.