Speaking anxiety: A study of Jordanian EFL learners

Abstract

Speaking anxiety has the potential to retard the achievement and performance of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. However, few studies have been conducted in Jordan to investigate this problem. This research was conducted to determine the level of EFL speaking anxiety in the Jordanian environment and whether these issues differ by gender. The sample was from Ajloun National University in Jordan where112 students were given the foreign language speaking anxiety scale (FLSAS). A t-test was used to determine if there were significant differences between the male and female groups in the variables measured by FLSAS, and factor analysis using SPSS-21 was performed to uncover the underlying architecture and establish the connection between the variables measured. The findings showed that participants encountered moderate speaking anxiety levels with relative mean scores amongst the four factors. There were no discernible gender differences in FL-speaking anxiety variables. This study adds to the literature because it not only addresses FL-speaking anxiety in Jordanian EFL learners for the first time but also includes new connected components.