VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION
GRADUATION PAPER

LEARNING STRATEGIES, ANXIETY AND THEIR IMPACTS ON IN-
CLASS SPEAKING PERFORMANCE OF FRESHMEN IN
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD PROGRAMS
SUPERVISOR: HOANG THI HONG HAI, M.A
STUDENT : PHAM PHUONG CHI
YEAR OF ENROLMENT: QH2010
HANOI, MAY 2014
ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ
KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH
KHOÁ LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP
CHIẾN LƯỢC HỌC, NỖI LO LẮNG VÀ NHỮNG
ẢNH HƯỞNG LÊN CHẤT LƯỢNG BÀI NÓI CỦA
SINH VIÊN NĂM NHẤT NHIỆM VỤ CHIẾN LƯỢC
Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Hoàng Thị Hồng Hải, Ths
Sinh viên: Phạm Phương Chi
Khoá: QH2010
HÀ NỘI - NĂM 2014

ACCEPTANCE
I hereby state that I - Pham Phuong Chi, being a candidate for the
degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the College
relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in
the library.
In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper
deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and

effects of those two factors on their in-class speaking performance.
The study involved 89 students from 3 classes from ISP. To answer the research
questions, both quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (semi-structured
interview) were employed. After 3 months of collecting and analyzing data, the
findings were figured out with the great effort of the researcher as well as supports
from the participants. The research result recorded that indirect strategies, specifically
metacognitive, were preferred the most by the respondents. Besides, 90% of
participants admitted having experienced apprehension while making a speech. Low
English proficiency captured the majority of participants’ vote for leading to speaking
anxiety. Being surveyed about impacts of their preferred learning strategies on in-class
speaking performance 58% of participants announced the satisfying results while 42%
among them complained that they make no change in further presentations.
Simultaneously, a majority of participants claimed that their apprehensive feeling
affects their speaking performance negatively while another number of them stated
their positive viewpoint on the influence of speaking anxious and few of targeted
learners recognized both of positive and negative impacts of apprehension on oral
practice quality.
In the conclusion part of the study, the researcher pointed out some personal
implication and suggestion for further studies as well as for teaching speaking
methods.
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LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Table 1: Taxonomies of communicating strategies 7
Table 2: Mean of speaking learning strategies preference 23
Table 3: Mean of speaking anxiety manifestations 31
Figure 1 - Votes for metacognitive strategies 25
Figure 2 - Votes for compensation strategies 26
Figure 3 - Votes for memory strategies 29
Figure 4 - Proportion of students experiencing anxiety while speaking 30
Figure 5 - Votes for physiological manifestations of speaking anxiety 32

performance does not live up to their expectations.
According to the aforementioned arguments, EFL learners, when learning the
speaking skill, have to cope with many difficulties concerning both language and
psychology. Difficult as it is, the speaking skill plays a vital role in enabling the
learners to communicate successfully. “Among language skills, speaking skill is the
most substantial in language accomplishment” (Naraza, 2011) . On the grounds of that,
linguists, educators, researchers and teachers have been trying to facilitate the process
of learning the speaking skill. There is previous research into students’ perception on
EFL learning speaking development, in which the speaking skill was evidenced to
have received such great attention that (1) an enormous number of methods and
approaches on verbal communication in the classroom have been explored through
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various conferences and studies (2) thousands of articles on speaking skill learning
such as books, audios, videos are incessantly brought out (Naraza, 2011). It was
claimed in a previous study that in comparison to writing, reading or even listening
skills, a number of students have regarded fluent verbal communication among people
as more essential (Burnkart, 1998).
In order to establish the communication effectively, it is necessary for the
learners to build up their own learning strategies which help them to acquire the
communicative purposes. It is assumed by Haron, Ahmad, Mamat and Mohamed
(2012) that scaffolding certain strategies in their oral practice in class may likely be
beneficial for the learners’ speaking skill acquisition. Besides, there also exists a
notion that “learners of the English language often express a feeling of stress,
nervousness or anxiety while learning to speak English Language and claim to have a
‘mental block’ against learning English” (Tanveer, 2007). It can be drawn from the
above mentioned assumptions that learners’ learning strategies and anxiety in verbal
activities have significant impacts on their speaking performance.
In the faculties of English language training in the University of Language and
International Studies (ULIS), Vietnam National University (VNU), speaking skill is
regarded as one of the four necessary skills for language learning accuracy, especially

1. What are the learning strategies preferred in in-class speaking activities by students
of International Standard Program, ULIS, VNU?
2. What manifestation of anxiety do students of International Standard Program, ULIS,
VNU encounter the most often in their speaking classes?
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3. What are the probable causes for the anxious feeling that students of International
Standard Program, ULIS, VNU often encounter in their speaking classes?
4. How do ISP students self-report on the influence of those learning strategies and
anxious feeling on their in-class speaking performance?
1.4. Scope of the study
The focused participants of the current thesis are the students in the
International Standard Program 2013, ULIS, VNU. They are the freshmen,
mostly from Hanoi University of Science, who are attending a compulsory
course of English language training in ULIS. The strategic methods, as well as
the apprehension in verbal communication, are the matter of concern not only in
language learning field, but in serving different speaking purposes such as
interview for a job. However, because of the time constraint and inadequate
experience in research methodology, the researcher only centers on the influence
of learning strategies and anxiety on in-class speaking performance.
1.5. Significance of the study
As for teachers and students at International Standard Program, ULIS, the
study, once completed, is expected to raise their awareness of current situation of
speaking classrooms including the strategies preferred by ISP students, their anxious
feeling while making presentations Moreover, the present thesis is significant for
respect to the advantages as well as negative effects of them on participants’ in-class
speaking performance. Furthermore, through the findings perceived from the research
process, the researcher also intends to implicate some suggested solutions in the
conclusion part of the study for the purpose of encouraging the students to improve
their speaking skill. Consequently, teachers can adjust their teaching in order to help
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comprehension, acquisition and storage.
However, the definition which is agreed and appreciated the most by the current
researcher was discovered in the Oxford (1990)’s research on language learning
strategies that learning strategies are specific actions taken by the learner to make
learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective, and more
transferable to new situations.
2.1.2. Overview of speaking learning strategies
Speaking has always been included in any language learning course since it is
one of the crucial components to establish language abilities. As a result, the strategies
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to enhance speaking results become a matter of concern. A number of definitions on
techniques that different learners adopt to master this language skill have been pointed
out by several researchers accordingly.
Literally, oral strategies refer to communicative techniques, conversation skills
or oral communication schemes applied by learners in order to resolve any difficulty
encountered while speaking in the second language. (Lopez, 2011). Placing more
emphasis on communicative goal, speaking strategies are also regarded by Faerch and
Kasper (1983) as “conscious plans” for the purpose of attaining the destination of
exchanging information in second language learning. Being of the similar point of
view with the above researchers, O’Malley and Chamot (1990, p.43) simplified the
meaning of oral learning strategies for enabling foreign language learners “to negotiate
meaning where either linguistic structures or sociolinguistic rules are not shared
between a second language learner and a speaker of the target language”.
2.1.3. Classification of speaking learning strategies
Authors Classification
(Azarnoosh, n.d.) • a linguistic basis
• a cognitive/psychological basis
(Bou-Franch, 1994;
Dornyei & Scott, 1997;
Jordá, 1997)

Oxford (1990) • Direct strategies
• Indirect strategies
Table 1: Taxonomies of communicating strategies
It can be observed from the taxonomy list above that there are a variety of
authors who have conducted researches on strategies of oral communication on
language classes. Some of them had similar viewpoints on techniques utilized by
learners while presenting their verbal outcome. For instance, Azarnoosh (n.d.),
Paribakht (1985) and Bialystok (1983) pointed out the linguistic approach in which
learners will learn to communicate in second language through its semantic contiguity;
Faerch & Kasper (1983b) and Willems (1987) also agreed on “reduction strategies” or
“avoidance” on Tarone (1977)’s research, Dornyei & Scott (1995a, 1995b) also
mentioned “message abandonment” and “message reduction” in which students
normally prefer “play it safe” or avoid to convey some sorts of information; besides,
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Faerch & Kasper (1983b) and Willems (1987) also witnessed the “achievement
strategies” in which learners themselves enhance their fluency by practicing some
more-challenging activities such as paraphrase or literal translation, implicitness,
foreignization. Especially, Bou-Franch (1994); Dornyei & Scott (1997) and Jordá
(1997) all agree with the above researchers’ respect; however, they divided those
strategies into 2 main types: “process-oriented” and “product-oriented”. The product-
oriented typology consists of three strategy types: “avoidance or reduction,
achievement or compensatory, and stalling or time-gaining strategies”. Besides,
process-oriented taxonomies including conceptual strategies and linguistic/code
strategies were presented. Also based on relationship between L1 and L2, Poulisse
(1993) clarified his taxonomy:
1. Substitution: substitution of one lexical item for another, whether it be an L1
for L2 item (for example, the use of the L2 word ‘animal’ for ‘rabbit’) .
2. Substitution plus type: substitutions which require phonological and/or
morphological adaptation before they are articulated, (e.g. foreignizing,
morphological creativity, such as the creation of the verb ‘ironize’ on the basis

Students’ demonstration of anxious feeling arisen while compulsorily making a
speech can apparently be witnessed in language classes, particularly speaking skill.
Psychologically and physically, “the speech of anxious students is often
accompanied by blushing, trembling hands, a pounding heart, and headaches” (Cohen
& Norst, 1995). Moreoever, Tobias (1979) also highlighted that learners encountering
a high level of apprehension are likely to protract a “mental block”.
The above mental manifestation of uneasiness in orally presenting an outcome
may result in a number of detrimental behaviors towards learners’ study results. A
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number of investigators in language learning field such as Cortazzi and Jin (1996);
Jackson (1999, 2001); Li (1998); Tsui (1996), (Zou, 2004), to name a few, have arrived
at a conclusion that a number of second language or first language learners, especially
Asian ones, are so inactive in their speaking classes that they normally refrain to apply
the targeted language most of the time, especially while answering teachers’ questions.
With the same thought, Ely (1986) also argued that the students with anxious feeling
communicating in second language rarely volunteer to answer the questions or
participating in oral activities of whole class. Even more serious actions can be
displayed by anxious students are “avoidance behaviors” such as playing truant from
classes and procrastinating in finishing their works at home. (Argaman & Abu-Rabia,
2002).
2.2.2.2. Causes of speaking anxiety in language learning
The discovery on why reticence of oral activities in ESL/EFL classrooms arisen
is apparently an essence in order to reduce the burden of learning for students.
Most of the below researches found by the current author reached an agreement
that “low English proficiency” is the core reason why students usually meet with
anxiety while speaking in front of the classes. Besides, Dwyer and Heller-Mupphy
(1996) also added several derivations of apprehension of learners in speaking in a
foreign language such as fear of public failure, fear of making mistakes, lack of
confidence, and inability to keep up with native speakers, incompetence in the rule of
norms of English conversation, disorientation, to name a few. Meanwhile, Liu (2005)

used by the respondents.
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Secondly, Nguyen (2012) chose to delve into the anxiety of first-year
mainstream English majors, the leading causes of that feeling and its effects on the
participants’ oral practice performance in speaking class. Firstly, to investigate how
speaking anxiety manifested in the students from their perception, she designed 25
survey questions of anxiety manifestations selected mainly from the FLCAS (Horwitz,
Horwitz & Cope, 1986) and divided them into several categories: “Physiological”,
“psychological”, “behaviorally” and “self-criticism”. Besides, this author utilized the
same framework of factors leading to students’ speaking apprehension as the current
paper. However, grouping those factors into personal factors and instructional factors,
Nguyen found out that her targeted learners regarded low English proficiency as the
most direct cause and unfamiliarity with the practice as the least apparent cause of
their reticence while making a speech. Moreover, a majority of Nguyen’s respondents
complained about the negative effects as well as discouragement that anxiety caused to
their speaking performance. Another number of the participants also claimed on the
motivation achieved from that feeling.
Unfortunately, despite the great effort that the present author had spent to seek
for the previous studies on impacts of learning strategies on speaking performance, she
failed to find any specific influence framework for this. Therefore, the researcher
could only finalize this issue according to the current participants’ perception and self-
reports.
The above listed definitions as well as comparisons among previous researchers
have clarified the terms mentioned in the current paper. However, while such studies
are useful illustrations, no one addressed problems encountered by the first year
students at International Standard Program, ULIS. Therefore, the current researcher is
encouraged to explore the unprecedented aspects: strategies and anxious feeling that
learners are facing in reality.
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CHAPTER 3 - METHODOLOGY

1991). As a well-known research design, it “focuses on discovering and understanding
the experiences, perspectives, and thoughts of participants” (Harwell, 2011). In this
research, the researcher intended to intensely study the techniques that the students
favor in oral practice and the factors affecting such selections as personalities, habits,
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teachers’ influence, to name a few; whether they are suffering from any reticence, how
anxious they are about speaking, and whether the nervous emotion affects their
speaking performance in positive and negative ways.
Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are advantageous and essential for
this research in solving the research questions. That is the reason why the researcher
decided to implement the triangulation approach for the research design.
3.2. Participants and sampling method
3.2.1. Participants
With the aim of addressing the influence of learning strategies and the anxious
feeling on in-class speaking performance, the researcher intentionally chooses the
freshmen from International Standard Program, ULIS as the targeted population to
gather the data. Among the total number of 18 classes, 3 classes with 89 students will
be selected randomly to carry out the survey.
As mentioned above, besides the questionnaires, the interviews will also be
conducted in order to study on the aspects adverted above in depth. For the latter
instrument, there will be three individuals picked out from each class to answer the
interview questions.
3.2.2. Sampling methods
Although the participants will be selected randomly, there are several reasons
why the researcher chose the freshmen in International Standard Program, ULIS, VNU
as the targeted population.
Firstly, they are the first-year students who have just entered the university
environment. Hence, there might be a great deal of confusion that they have been
encountering in structuring their own strategies in language studies. What is more,
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meaning of a question.” (Chestnut & Woodward, 2006). Because of the large
population and time constraint, the researcher will not be able to deal with all of the
inquiries from the participants. As a result, the accurate and notorious close-ended
format will be an efficient tool to clarify all the questions that appeared in the survey
without explanation from the author. Additionally, this question type can also provide
the participants with needed clues to answer the questions. Because of the confusion
that the freshmen encountered due to their inexperience of completing a questionnaire,
prompting them with several recommended answers is quite crucial.
Secondly, besides the close-ended questions, it is obvious that open-ended
questions are irreplaceable in the present research. It was stated in the research of
comparison between close-ended and open-ended questions, Chestnut and Woodward
(2006) also highlighted that the open-ended questions in theory allow the respondents
to provide a more “precise” response. Despite the advantages that they bring, it is also
apparent that close-ended questions to some extent limit the response from participants
since it is normally under multiple choice question type while the open-ended one do
not. The informants almost will not have the opportunities to expand as well as clarify
their answers with the closed-ended questions, whereas the open-ended one opens the
chance to express in depth their opinions.
In the current research, the survey questionnaire is advantageous and
indispensable since it plays an essential role in figuring out the quantitative answers
for all four research questions.
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