Philippine E-Journals

SILENCE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS: STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVE ON CLASSROOM LANGUAGE ANXIETY

Roselle M. Soriano

Discipline: Higher Education Research

 

Abstract:

The classroom serves as a community of learners sharing goals (i.e., learning the subject matter of the course enrolled in) thus, every learner is expected to feel free to ask and share knowledge about the course. However, this is not always the situation in many classes. In Quirino State University, one of the most frustrating experiences of the teachers in their classes is on the students’ uncommunicativeness during oral recitations and class discussions. Having observed and experienced it in classes these past few years, the researchers interviewed students to discover in-depth causes of their silence or anxiety and also to find out the factors that cause their anxiety level during oral recitations or class discussions. The findings revealed that the participants experienced extreme anxiety in their classes and it inhibited their oral performance in class. Moreover, the causes of their anxieties include fear of negative remarks or comments, teachers’ attitude or behavior, peer behavior, lack of confidence, fear of committing mistakes in grammar, lack of vocabulary, family problem, and inability to speak or communication apprehension. Thus, it is recommended that teachers should be aware of the existence of these aggravating factors of anxiety in their classrooms and they have to decrease these by adapting motivating attitude and teaching practices.