Ongoing Speaking Anxiety of Korean EFL Learners : Case Study of a TOEIC Intensive Program

Abstract

With the growing, and often required, opportunities for Korean EFL learners to interact with NNSs as well as NSs via international job markets, many English intensive programs are being established by universities and are welcomed by students. Given that a great deal of effort is being made by these students, their English Speaking Anxiety (ESA), and its impact on their efforts, has not been examined to any great degree. This study aims to investigate Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) and Language Anxiety in Cognitive Processes (LACP) of Korean university students in an Intensive TOEIC speaking program and their relationships with their academic achievement. Statistical analysis was carried out to trace students’ ESA between the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) variables and its correlation with the LACP and their impact on students’ TOEIC speaking achievement throughout the program. This study also includes instructors’ semi-structured interviews with students and the students’ introductory journals to offer their voices on English speaking. The study documents that ESA is correlated between FLA items and LACP variables differently and influence TOEIC speaking performance negatively. The implication of the study is discussed further with regard to teachers’ consideration of learners’ ESA when learning the language.