Elhawary, Dalia;
Hargreaves, Eleanore;
(2023)
Why won’t they speak English? An investigation into
how young learners perceive and negotiate anxiety and autonomy in the EFL classroom.
(TeachingEnglish, ELT Research Papers
).
British Council
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Abstract
This report draws on the framework of Self Determination Theory to investigate primary-school children’s anxiety and autonomy/agency during lessons for speaking English. An intervention was carried out by introducing pairwork into the classes of 281 children in three government primary schools in Alexandria, Egypt. Their teachers were introduced to Self Determination Theory and supported to use pairwork for English speaking lessons. The aim was to help implement Self Determination Theory, potentially leading to improved English-speaking learning; and wellbeing. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through sentence starters [n=281 children], questionnaires [n=243 children], drawings [n= 107], and in-depth semi-structured interviews with selected pupils [18 children]. The research sought out students’ suggestions on how to create enhanced opportunities for young learners to learn spoken English, with special focus on reducing anxiety and increasing autonomy/agency. Findings indicated that children’s levels of anxiety when speaking English in class were substantial, especially girls’; and autonomy/agency was felt higher by boys. However, our own classroom observations and individual interviews reported limited levels of autonomy/agency in the classroom. We found a negative correlation between anxiety experienced; and a sense of agency/autonomy. Children who were most anxious felt reduced agency/autonomy, which made learning to speak English more difficult. However, children felt least anxious and most autonomous when doing pairwork (if it was well managed) in contrast to traditional learning methods. This report closes with some recommendations for teachers on how to practise speaking skills using pairwork, as well as suggestions for future research.
| Type: | Report |
|---|---|
| Title: | Why won’t they speak English? An investigation into how young learners perceive and negotiate anxiety and autonomy in the EFL classroom |
| ISBN-13: | 978-1-915280-30-5 |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.57884/C14K-HG72 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.57884/C14K-HG72 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10180551 |
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