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The Students’ interview
To obtain more information about students’ attitudes and perceptions about oral performance, we conducted an unstructured interview of three openended questions. It was conducted on fifteen students (10% of the sample) who were randomly chosen. All the interviews were held in the university yard with a duration of thirty (30) minutes.
Analysis of the interview results
Five students among the selected interviewees were eliminated because of their contradictory responses. They showed a clear disinterest to discuss this issue. The following analysis is based only on ten interviewees’ responses.
Interview questions
1-What are the difficulties you face when speaking in the classroom?
All interviewees gave similar responses which were all around feelings of shyness, fear, and apprehension vis-à-vis both mates and teachers.
It is clear that all what had been mentioned by students is related to language anxiety. None of them had referred to another point.
2- How do you describe the oral expression session?
Six students reported that they felt bored in the oral expression session.
Nothing did attract them or made them enjoy the session. They said that they were disinterested to take part in what they qualified as old fashioned discussed topics like music, sport, and movies.
Two students asserted that they felt disinterested and had no desire to attend but they did it just by fear to be excluded from the oral expression courses.
The last two interviewees were totally disappointed with the materials and methods used. They went further explaining that the overcrowded classes did not give them the opportunity to participate in the classroom or attract the teacher’s attention. There is, in fact, nothing in the classroom that motivates students to develop their oral performance.
3- What do you expect from the oral expression session?
Responses were unanimous about the need to a creative environment to help them overcome their anxiety and enhance their oral abilities.
Students also suggested the use of up-to-date interactive means such as tapes, videos and internet. Students numbers do not offer any possibility for generalised language practice.
Like in the questionnaire, students emphasised the need for better learning conditions.
Conclusion
The questionnaire and the interview permitted us to find out that the affective factors play a prominent role in the development of learners’ oral performance. Whenever we tried to understand students’ reluctance to speak in the classroom, we found ourselves confronted with a psychological factor that prevented them from using their oral English.
Students’ responses were basically related to anxiety and lack of motivation. They are less encouraged to develop their oral English; their teachers did not motivate them enough; and learning conditions did not foster their interest. They even stated that they had rarely or never been praised: this is a major inhibitor. These factors made students less selfconfident and less comfortable in the classroom.
The reaction of both the teacher and classmates represented a major inhibitor for students. They feared to be intimidated and ridiculed in front of everyone. That is why they preferred to refrain from participating in the classroom. Data collected from the questionnaire and the interview confirm our hypothesis. To support our assumptions, we administered another questionnaire to the teachers of oral expression.
INTRODUCTION
Statement of the Problem
Hypotheses
CHAPTER I: An Overview of Learning Theories
Introduction
Behaviourism
The Main Presuppositions of Behaviourism
Language Learning from a Behaviourist View
Cognitivism
Language Learning from a Cognitivist View
Constructivism
Principles of Constructivism
The Assumptions of Constructivism
Language Learning from a Constructivist View
Humanistic Orientations to Learning
Language Learning from a Humanist’s View
Conclusion
CHAPTER II – The Speaking Skill
Introduction
Oral Communication
Listening Comprehension
Oral production
Definition of the Speaking Skill
What a good speaker does
What students need to do
Fluency in Speaking
Error Correction
Conclusion
CHAPTER III: The Affective Factors in Second Language Learning
Introduction
Motivation in Second Language Learning
Definition of Motivation
Motivational Theories and Models
The Expectancy-Value Model of Motivational Achievement
The Intrinsic / Extrinsic Motivation Models
Integrative Motivation
Instrumental Motivation
Integrative Versus Instrumental Motivation
Anxiety in Second Language Learning
Definition of Anxiety
Foreign Language Anxiety
History of Research on Anxiety and Language Learning
Types of Anxiety
Conclusion
CHAPTER IV- The Students’ Questionnaire and Interview
The Students’ Questionnaire
Participants and Procedures
Results Analysis
The Students’ Interview
Analysis of the interview results
Interview questions
Conclusion
CHAPTER V –The Teachers’ Questionnaire
Participants
Design of the Questionnaire
Results Analysis
Conclusion
Main Conclusion
Recommendations
Bibliography
