Foreign Language Anxiety in Public Speaking Activity

Abstract

This study aims to identify the factors and symptoms of anxiety experienced by learners of Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysia France Institute (UniKL MFI) during public speaking activity in English classes. This study focuses on the Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) experienced by learners taking the English subject, Fundamental English (WEB10302). Learners attend classes for 14 weeks with an average of 3 hours per week. Library research, observation and interview are conducted to obtain the data. Interview questions are related to learners belief, experience and feelings of anxiety when delivering a speech in English. FLA affects the ability of learners to deliver an effective speech. Learners who experience FLA display symptoms of anxiety in their presentation. The findings help instructors to structure a more effective teaching approach to avoid classroom activities that can generate FLA. can help learners lessen their FLA in learning English as a second or foreign language.