A Study on Investigating the Correlations between Chinese College Students' English Speaking Anxiety, Oral Performance and Oral Achievement

As China continues to internationalize and deepen its engagement with the world, the frequency of English usage among Chinese people has increased. English, being the most widely used language globally, has seen a surge in oral proficiency among the Chinese populace. However, despite this trend, Chinese students often face challenges in achieving high scores in oral proficiency exams such as IELTS and TOEFL. Hence, there is a pressing need to delve into, analyze, and research the current state of oral anxiety among Chinese university students. This research aims to explore the fundamental characteristics of English speaking anxiety among Chinese college students, investigate its influence on English learning outcomes and oral expression, and examine the correlation between levels of English speaking anxiety and achievements in oral English proficiency. The study, involving 216 randomly selected college students, employs a questionnaire survey to investigate the overall situation of English oral anxiety. It explores the correlation between English oral anxiety, oral proficiency and oral performance. After that, interviews are conducted to explore the detailed situation. The results show: Chinese college students' English oral anxiety is generally present, and it has a negative impact on English performance. In addition, there is a negative correlation between college students' English oral anxiety and their oral performance. Based on the above results, the study suggests further exploration through diverse assessment methods and proposes recommendations for foreign language speaking teaching future research endeavors.