Soutenance mémoire
Background of the Study
Many scholars investigated language learner strategies in global terms such as Chamot,1987; O’Malley, 1987; Cohen, 1998b. Also Wenden (1987) introduced the importance of strategy training in raising learners’ awareness on the how and when strategies are used. Surprisingly, few works were conducted with regards to communication strategies’ instruction and their effects on learners speaking anxiety (e.g., Majd, 2014). Additionally,communication strategies are used to remedy communication breakdown that are utilised by both indigenous and non-native speakers of the English language (Rubin, 1987; Dörnyei,1995). Accordingly, Al Hosni (2014) contends that the students’ inability to speak is due to the insufficient strategic and communicative competence. By the same token, Chuanchaisit and Prapphal (2009) believe that additionally to the speaking difficulties most of the language learners confront while communicating namely, low linguistic repertoire (vocabulary, grammar, etc); learners inappropriate use of communication strategies might also result in unsuccessful communication.Besides, Dörnyei (1995) claims in his work “on the teachabiity of communication strategies” that communication strategies are used to avoid communication breakdown and needed by English language speakers being it native or foreigner. He also put forth that teaching communication strategies for foreign learners yield fruitful benefits in terms of developing communicative competence and overcoming communication breakdown. Importantly, Majd (2014) in his investigation of the impact of teaching communication strategies on Iranian EFL learners’ anxiety and motivation level reported positive wash back concerning the decrease of students’ feeling of anxiety and burgeon of their incentives to communicate comfortably. Therefore, he (2014: 3) directly quoted that: “Teaching CSs can be a solution to this problem and not only can improve learners’ communication skills, but also decrease their anxiety level, increase their motivation and can pave the way for learners to become more successful in EFL learning”. In brief, our aim behind this study deviates a bit from the previous researchers on instructing specific communication strategies to verify whether the students’ speaking anxiety will alleviate.
Significance of the Study
Despite the growing body of research about anxiety and its influence on students’ language learning achievement in essence and performance in particular, the issue remains insoluble among EFL learners. In this present study, however, we propounded the teaching of communication strategies as a remedying injection for learners’ speaking anxiety that is, surprisingly, testified successfully by only some researchers including Majd 2014. To this effect, this actual research will likely be of considerable interest for both teachers and students in their awareness rising towards teaching and learning communication strategies following the same order. Furthermore, the findings could give teachers some insights about the feasibility of teaching communications strategies. Likewise, learners will probably benefit from this study by implementing them in the classroom to avoid communication breakdowns,and compensate for their linguistic weaknesses. Finally, even the syllabus designers will probably be of great interest in developing a future speaking curriculum considering communication strategies instruction the rudiments of the syllabus.
Definitions of Language Speaking Anxiety
Anxiety is open to a myriad of definitions due to the burgeoning bodies of research on this inevitable and pervasive psychological phenomenon which penetrates to almost all of the foreign language venues and touches adults but most importantly children (Frey, 2004); by the same token Curtone (2009: 56) states that “there are many varying degrees of intensity, which seemingly make it [anxiety] difficult to apply boundaries towards a set definition.” Broadly speaking, anxiety is a state of nervousness, tension, sensation of indistinct alarm, uneasiness and worry which resulted in intimidating expectations of imprecise situations (Riasati, 2011; Trofini & Shahin, 2011; Alrabai, 2014) which is seen as the opposite of wellbeing (Montgomery, 2013). Controversially, it is an individual psycho-physiological reactions and negative perceptions which loom from the novelty and uniqueness of the language classroom stimulus, and even an emotional frustrations provoked mostly by speaking tasks ,say, a role playing or listening and rarely by reading and writing tasks ,that is to say, anxiety is specifically related to language learning situations (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986;Horwitz,2001; Ganschow & Sparks, 1996;Young, 1999; Tôth, 2006; Ellis,2008; Bailey, 2010;Hashemi & Abbasi, 2013). Besides, language speaking anxiety, in its narrow view, is an affective state with a double-edged sword either hampering or promoting learners’ learning process in general and performance in particular which can render learners either too a feeling of anxiety can arise from a negative anticipation of coming events on the basis of the failed similar past event (Huberty, 2004; Frey, 2009; Lowe & Road, 2008) which can occur in either predicted or a real situation. For instance, a student thinking that if s/he answers the teachers’ questions wrongly, other classmates will poke fun on her/him (imaginary situation of anxiety), whereas when the student is performing a role play for an oral exam and a sort of apprehension spring readily (this is a real anxiety situation) (Huberty, 2004).In brief, general anxiety is a sensation of unhappiness, worsening tension and apprehension accompanied with low self- assurance and esteem and a heightened selfpreservation and inhibition (Scovel,1978; Brown, 2000; Yahya, 2013) which become language anxiety when associated with language learning and use that is further termed situation-specific anxiety and distinguished from other sorts of anxieties namely, trait and state anxiety (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986, MacIntyre, 1999; Tsui, 1995; Ellis, 2008; Yahya, 2013) all of which will be explained in the following discussion
Test anxiety
Test anxiety, by definition, is an anticipated feeling of failure (Cutrone, 2009), a fear from vainly performing a task, say, an oral test (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986) a sensation of uneasiness during a test that lead to mental deficiencies including inability to retrieve the stored information and distractions despite the prior test preparation(facilitative test anxiety) (Robinson, 2009; Burege & Heath, 2008) though the emotionally categorized events are easily recalled (Mather, 2009) and also “an emotion that results from an awareness of being unprepared for the test” (Robinson, 2009: 388) that is labeled as debilitative test anxiety (Burege & Heath, 2008). Besides, there are three sorts of test anxious learners namely: 1) those who have the competence but lack the performance capacities and foresight (predict what will be given in a test), 2) those who have a low self- efficacy and confidence despite their well preparedness with the appropriate language skills including both competence and performance, 3) those who perceive themselves effective but in fact they are not (Burge & Heath, 2008). In a nutshell, test anxiety is “a kind of state anxiety and happens only when one is in a specific situation requiring performance or evaluation” (Burge & Heath, 2008: 968) a college entrance exam or test curriculum mastery, for instance.
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Table des matières
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Abstract
List of Tables
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations
Glossary of Terms
General Introduction
Introduction
I. Background of the Study
II. Statement of the Problem
III. Research Questions
IV. Research Hypothesis
V. Research Goals
VI. Strategies Choice and Supporting Claim
VII. Significance of the Study
VIII. Methodology and Research Design
IX. Data Analysis Tools
X. Population and Sampling
XI. Chapter Demarcation and Division
Chapter One: A Theoretical Framework of EFL Speaking Anxiety and Oral Communication Strategies
Introduction
Section I: EFL Speaking Anxiety
I. Definition of Language Speaking Anxiety
II. Types of Anxiety
II.1. Trait Anxiety
II.2. State Anxiety
II.3. Facilitative Anxiety
II.4. Debilitative Anxiety
III. Sources of Speaking Anxiety
III.1. Test Anxiety
III.2. Communication Apprehension
III.3. Fear of Negative Evaluation
IV. Symptoms of Language Speaking Anxiety
IV.1. Physical and Behavioural Symptoms
IV.2. Mental/ Cognitive Symptoms
V. Factors Alleviating Language Speaking Anxiety
V.1. Students’ self anxiety reduction
V.2. Teachers’ language behaviours and roles
VI. Correlates of Language Speaking Anxiety
VI.1.Learners’ .personality
VI.2.Motivation
VI.3.Self- esteem
VI.4.Language Achievement
VII.Krashen’s Affective Filter Theory
VIII. Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale
Section II: Oral Communication Strategies Instruction
I. Roots Of Communication Strategies
II. Definition Of Communication Strategies
II.1. Interactional/ sociolinguistic definition
II.2. Psychological/ cognitive definition
III. Taxonomies of Communication Strategies
III.1. Faerch and Kasper 1981 taxonomy
III.2. Oxford’s 1990 taxonomy
III.3. Dörnyei 1995 taxonomy
IV. Avoidance Strategies
V. Compensation Achievement Strategies
V.1. Circumlocution
V.2. Approximation
V.3. Appeal for Help
V.4. Mime
VI. Stages of Communication Strategy Training
VI.1. Observation Stage
VI.2. Instruction Stage
VI.3. Practice Stage
VII. Techniques for Teaching Communication Strategies
VII.1. Topic description
VII.2. Cartoon description
VII.3. Picture/ object and word description
VII.4. Picture difference activity
VII.5. Taboo game
VII.6. Story telling or retelling
VII.7. Role playing
VIII. Benefits of Teaching Communication Strategies
VIII.1. Rise students’ awareness towards the existence and cross cultural difference in the use of communication strategies
VIII.2. Hone students’ strategic competence
VIII.3. Help students overcome speaking fear
VIII.4. Increase students’ motivation and self confidence
VIII.5. Consolidate L1 Skills and Develop L2 Skills
VIII.6. Developing Autonomous Use of communication strategies Even in off Hours
IX. Factors Affecting the Selection and Implementation of Communication Strategies
Conclusion
Chapter Two: Research Design Methodology and Results
Introduction: Description of the Study
I. Study Sample
II. Design and Methods
III. Data Collection Procedures
VI. Data Analysis Procedurey
IV .Work Validity and Reliability
V. Ethical Considerations
VII. Communication Strategies Implementation Procedure
Results Analysis and Discussion
I. Results analysis
I.1. Students’ Preliminary Questionnaire
I.2The Pre-Test
I.3The Post-Test
I.4 Speaking Learning Log
I.5. Focus Group Interview
II. Discussion
Implications, limitations and Suggestions for Further Research
I. Limitations of the Study
II. Implications
III. Suggestions for Future Research
Conclusion
General Conclusion
References
Appendic
