EXAMINING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LANGUAGE SPEAKING ANXIETY AND THEIR STRATEGY USE AT AN EMI UNIVERSITY IN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

Speaking is one of the most anxiety-causing skills in learning a foreign language. Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety (FLSA) significantly affects language performance, so many students struggle in their learning process. Despite the fact that FLSA is a common phenomenon, there is a lack of studies on FLSA in the context of Kazakhstan. This mixed-method research study sought to investigate a group of second-year Undergraduate students’ challenges while speaking English across different settings and fourth-year students’ Language Learning Strategies (LLSs) they adopt to face these challenges at university using English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in Kazakhstan. The current study answered two research questions with subquestions: 1) What level of Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety do second-year Kazakhstani students experience while speaking English in EMI classes? Sub-questions: (a) Does gender affect the participants’ FLSA in class? (b) Does school type affect the participants’ FLSA in class? (2) What strategies do fourth-year students use to reduce FLSA? Data were gathered using two data collection tools: Horwitz et al.’s (1986) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) for second-year students and semi-structured individual interviews for fourth-year students. The results showed that second-year students had a moderate level of FLSA and fourth-year students use mainly cognitive and metacognitive LLSs. This research filled the gap in the literature on FLSA, revealing results that have not been found previously in Kazakhstani context.

Keywords: Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety (FLSA), Language Learning Strategies (LLSs), English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI), mixed-method