Speaking anxiety and playing online games among adolescent EFL learners

Abstract

While speaking is essential in learning English as a foreign language (EFL), speaking anxiety may create a barrier to being fluent and accurate among learners. In this sense, playing online games may provide opportunities for adolescent EFL students to improve their speaking skills and reduce their anxiety levels. However, the conclusions of a limited number of studies do not provide a consensus on the effects of online gaming on speaking anxiety among adolescents. This descriptive study aims to find the frequencies of playing online games in English and speaking anxiety among adolescents and explore whether the level of speaking anxiety among adolescent EFL learners differs in accordance with online games they play in the target language or not. Two background questionnaires and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) were administered to 175 high school students. The results showed that the majority of adolescent EFL learners engaged in playing online games in English and that they had a medium level of speaking anxiety. The study also concludes that speaking anxiety levels significantly decreased among adolescents who preferred online gaming in English. It was recommended that EFL teachers should encourage their students to play online games where the target language is used and raise their awareness of potential problems.