The making of proficient young FL speakers: The role of emotions, speaking motivation, and spoken input beyond the classroom

Art TSANG, Ju Seong LEE

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlespeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Proficiency in speaking is one of the hallmarks of communicative competence, which is currently a key goal of many FL education curricula. The present study examined how FL-related emotions (anxiety, boredom, and enjoyment), speaking motivation, and spoken input beyond the classroom (IBC) related to young EFL learners’ speaking proficiency. One hundred and ten Grades 3–4 EFL learners from four primary schools in Hong Kong completed a questionnaire and a speaking test. Their parents/guardians also attended individual interviews. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, multiple regression, and path analysis. Overall, all three emotions were interrelated, but none was connected directly to speaking proficiency. Enjoyment had the strongest correlation with speaking motivation and proficiency, and it was predictive of proficiency only via speaking motivation (i.e., full mediation). IBC showed both significant direct and indirect predictive pathways towards proficiency. To our knowledge, this is the first study that has examined the interrelationships among the three emotions, speaking motivation, spoken IBC, and speaking proficiency holistically with young FL learners. Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Original languageEnglish
Article number103047
JournalSystem
Volume115
Early online dateApr 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2023

Citation

Tsang, A., & Lee, J. S. (2023). The making of proficient young FL speakers: The role of emotions, speaking motivation, and spoken input beyond the classroom. System, 115. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103047

Keywords

  • Foreign language speaking proficiency
  • Emotions (anxiety, boredom, and enjoyment)
  • Motivation
  • Language learning beyond the classroom
  • Young English learners

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