ERIC Number: EJ1045250
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Nov
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0008-4506
EISSN: N/A
The Link between Pronunciation Anxiety and Willingness to Communicate in the Foreign-Language Classroom: The Polish EFL Context
Baran-Lucarz, Malgorzata
Canadian Modern Language Review, v70 n4 p445-473 Nov 2014
Anxiety and L2 self-confidence have been suggested as vital determinants of willingness to communicate (WTC) in a foreign-language (FL) learning environment. Studies also demonstrate that it is a concern over pronunciation mistakes that is particularly likely to cause embarrassment and apprehension in FL students. Linking these two facts may lead to an explanation for why many post-puberty learners avoid participating in speaking tasks in the FL classroom. The present article reports the outcomes of a study adopting a mixed-methods approach, which showed that "pronunciation anxiety" (PA)--conceptualized as pronunciation self-perception, fear of negative evaluation, and beliefs concerning the pronunciation of the target language--is related to WTC (r = -0.60 at p < 0.001). Moreover, results of t-tests suggested that high-PA learners have statistically lower degrees of WTC than their low-PA classmates. A link between the two constructs was further observed through the following situational variables: level of familiarity with interlocutor(s), group size, type of task, and target-language proficiency level. The quantitative data were supported by answers to open-ended questions.
Descriptors: Correlation, Pronunciation, Anxiety, Second Language Learning, Language Proficiency, Self Efficacy, Second Language Instruction, Mixed Methods Research, Self Concept, Fear, Beliefs, Familiarity, Task Analysis, Foreign Countries, College Students
University of Toronto Press. 5201 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON M3H 5T8, Canada. Tel: 416-667-7810; Fax: 800-221-9985; Fax: 416-667-7881; e-mail: journals@utpress.utoronco.ca; Web site: http://www.utpjournals.com/cmlr/cmlr.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Poland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A