In the UAE and globally, high-stakes testing is prevalent in second language learning. One important and integral part of high-stakes English language tests is the oral proficiency interview, which can be a pre-requisite to gaining admission to an English-speaking university.
The volunteer participants were 25, 15-17-year-old Emirati students from two IGCSE ESL classes that I do not teach. This study included a videotaped mock oral proficiency IGCSE interview; audiotaped semi-structured individual interviews, questionnaires, and an audiorecorded semi-structured focus group discussion. The findings suggested that language and test anxiety is multi-faceted and can affect boys and girls in a number of different ways and at different times during class activities and also in an OPI. In addition, all participants showed different physical signs of test anxiety during the first two stages of the OPI, and these physical signs of test anxiety were considerably less frequent in the final part of the OPI. The causes and types of anxiety reported by the students ranged from language learning difficulties, problems trying to retrieve appropriate English vocabulary, code switching from Arabic language to English and vice versa, differences in social status of the teachers/language instructors, and unfamiliarity with the interlocutor.
The pedagogical implications of these findings for understanding anxiety and oral test anxiety with second language students for teachers, schools and examination boards are discussed, as are suggestions for future research. Furthermore, considering the important role of teachers in second language pedagogy and the use of English as the main language of instruction, this study also offers suggestions to lessen anxiety for oral class activities and oral assessments, and presents test-taking strategies.
Table of Contents
1. OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
1.1 Statement of the Problem
1.2 Roles of the Researcher
1.3 Review of Chapters and Appendices
2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
2.1 What Is an Oral Proficiency Interview
2.2 Common Formats of an OPI
2.3 Validity and Reliability in Oral Proficiency Interviews
2.3.1 Construct Validity
2.3.2 Construct-irrelevant Variance
2.3.3 Predictive Validity
2.3.4 Content Validity
2.3.5 The Link between Reliability and Validity
2.4 Reliability
2.4.1 Factors Affecting Reliability
2.4.2 Test Administration Reliability
2.4.3 Rater Reliability
2.4.4 Test Reliability
2.4.5 Context of Test Questions
2.4.6 Student-Related Aspects of Reliability
2.4.7 Gender Differences and Interlocutor Effect
2.5 Language Learning Anxiety
2.6 Types of Anxiety Related to Language Learning
2.6.1 Communication Apprehension
2.6.2 Test Anxiety
2.6.3 Fear of Negative Evaluation
2.7 Factors Affecting Anxiety
2.7.1 Student Beliefs
2.7.2 Learner Self-esteem
2.7.3 Instructor Beliefs
2.7.4 Environmental Factors and Anxiety
2.7.5 Gender Issues
2.8 The Effects of Language Anxiety
2.8.1 Physical Manifestations of Anxiety
2.8.2 Cognitive Difficulties
2.8.3 Input
2.8.4 Processing
2.8.5 Output
2.8.6 Schema Theory and Oral Response
2.8.7 Social Effect of Being Evaluated
2.9 Washback
2.9.1 Washback and the Effect on Teachers
2.9.2 Washback and the Impact on Education and Society
2.9.3 Achieving Positive Washback on Tests
2.10 Learning and Test-Taking Strategies
2.10.1 Anxiety-Reducing Strategies
2.11 IGCSE ESL Oral Proficiency Interview Exam
2.11.1 Advantages and Disadvantages of the Edexcel IGCSE ESL OPI
2.11.2 Marking the IGCSE ESL OPI
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1 Overview of the Study
3.2 The Participants
3.3 The Setting
3.4 The Edexcel IGCSE ESL Course
3.4.1 The IGCSE Oral Interview
3.5 Data Collection
3.5.1 The OPI Observation
3.5.2 The Semi-structured Follow-up Individual Interview
3.5.3 The Questionnaire
3.5.4 The Semi-structured Focus Group Discussion
4. DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
4.1 Results
4.1.1 Observed Manifestations of Anxiety in the OPI (Research Question One)
4.1.1.1 Part One of the OPI
4.1.1.2 Part Two of the OPI
4.1.1.3 Part Three of the OPI
4.1.2 Reported Causes of Anxiety
4.1.2.1 Causes of Oral Anxiety in Class
4.1.2.2 Oral Anxiety in the OPI
4.1.2.3 Students Suggestions
4.1.2.4 Gender and Anxiety
4.1.3 Reported Test-Taking Strategies
4.1.3.1 Observed Test-Taking Strategies
4.1.3.2 Strategies Reported Being Used Prior to the OPI
4.1.3.3 Anxiety-Reducing Strategies Reported Used During the OPI
4.1.3.4 Miscellaneous Responses
5. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
5.1 Summary of Findings
5.2 Implications of the Study
5.2.1 Implications for Teachers
5.2.2 Implications for Schools
5.2.3 Implications for Edexcel
5.3 Limitations of This Study and Directions for Further Research
5.4 Final Thought
Research Objectives & Core Topics
The primary objective of this study is to investigate the manifestations, causes, and types of oral test anxiety among Emirati secondary school students within the context of high-stakes Edexcel IGCSE ESL oral proficiency interviews. By employing qualitative research methods, the study seeks to understand how students perceive and experience anxiety in both classroom settings and formal assessment environments, while identifying the strategies they utilize to mitigate these anxieties.
- Examination of physical manifestations of anxiety during oral proficiency interviews.
- Analysis of the relationship between language learning, classroom environment, and oral test anxiety.
- Evaluation of test-taking and anxiety-reducing strategies reported and utilized by students.
- Exploration of gender differences in the experience and manifestation of test anxiety.
- Assessment of the impact of high-stakes testing (washback) on students and teaching practices.
Excerpt from the Book
Physical Manifestations of Anxiety
One observable factor of test anxiety is through physical manifestations. Cizek and Burg (2006) refer to this physical component of test anxiety as the “emotionality physiological response to a testing situation” (p. 54). The manifestations of emotionality include “pencil tapping, fidgeting, wiggling or squirming in a chair” (Cizek & Burg, 2006, p. 54). These observable physical reactions or responses to a test or test task may affect a student’s performance.
Summary of Chapters
1. OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY: This chapter introduces the context of the study, the problem statement regarding oral test anxiety in Emirati secondary schools, and the research roles and questions.
2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE: This section defines oral proficiency interviews and explores relevant literature on test validity, reliability, language learning anxiety, and the concept of washback.
3. METHODOLOGY: This chapter outlines the research design, participants, setting, and the four qualitative data collection methods used to investigate anxiety.
4. DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS: This chapter presents the results of the observations, interviews, and questionnaires, detailing student-reported causes of anxiety and strategies for anxiety reduction.
5. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This final chapter synthesizes the findings, discusses the implications for educators and examination boards, and suggests areas for future research.
Keywords
Oral Proficiency Interview, OPI, Test Anxiety, ESL, Emirati Secondary School Students, Edexcel IGCSE, Washback, Language Learning Anxiety, Test-taking Strategies, Anxiety-reducing Strategies, Communication Apprehension, Fear of Negative Evaluation, Academic Assessment, Qualitative Research, Student Performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research focuses on investigating oral test anxiety among Emirati secondary school students participating in the Edexcel IGCSE English as a Second Language (ESL) oral proficiency interview.
What are the primary themes investigated in the study?
Key themes include the manifestations of anxiety (physical signs), causes of anxiety (in class and during exams), and test-taking or anxiety-reducing strategies used by students.
What is the primary research question?
The primary research question addresses how test anxiety is manifested by Emirati secondary school male and female students during an Edexcel IGCSE ESL oral proficiency interview.
Which scientific methodology was employed?
The study utilized a qualitative approach incorporating triangulation through observations, semi-structured individual interviews, questionnaires, and a focused group discussion.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The work covers a detailed literature review on anxiety, the methodology of the study, a comprehensive analysis of findings regarding student experiences, and implications for teaching and assessment policies.
Which keywords best characterize the study?
The study is best characterized by terms such as oral proficiency interview, test anxiety, ESL, Edexcel IGCSE, washback, and anxiety-reducing strategies.
Why did the author use the term "ESL" instead of "EFL"?
The author chose "ESL" because the students are learning English within an educational system where English acts as the main language of instruction, rather than simply as a foreign language studied externally.
How does the physical environment of the exam contribute to student anxiety?
Students reported that environmental factors, such as the formality of the interlocutor, unnatural standardized scripts, and poor physical conditions (e.g., lack of air conditioning), significantly contributed to their feelings of nervousness.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Christopher Blake (Autor:in), 2011, Oral ESL Test Anxiety with Emirati Secondary School Students, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/181410
