Factors influencing student performance in Japanese university English classes

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  • 日本の大学における英語の授業で学生のパフォーマンスに影響を与える諸要因

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The researcher set out to ascertain to what extent a group of Japanese university students’ attitudes to EFL classes were influenced by 7 selected factors: 1）international orientation, 2）communication anxiety in English, 3）self-perception of English speaking competence, 4）past English classroom experiences, 5）present English classroom experience, 6）beliefs about group work, and 7）perceived social value of speaking English. Participants’ responses were compared with the author’s observation of those groups’ performance in the classroom. 258 undergraduate university students in the Kanto area responded to a 28-item questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale. Responses supported Yashima’s finding of a link between international orientation and English ability（2002）. Foreign Language Communication Anxiety（FLCA）was found to be an issue for students with TOEIC scores ranging from low to high. In many cases this communication anxiety appeared together with low self-perception of English speaking competence and reports of negative English classroom experiences in the past. In cases where groups with comparatively high TOEIC scores and positive self-perception of English ability reported communication anxiety in the classroom, it is theorized that challenging material and an academically competitive environment combined to generate a fear of social evaluation and test anxiety. Respondent groups in this study which reported the least communication anxiety were classes with a small number of students who knew each other well. It is believed that these low levels of anxiety were brought about through a supportive, non-competitive relationship among students, with the teacher playing an important role in engendering this positive classroom environment. It is the argument of this paper that if using English in the classroom and positively engaging with peers can be made socially rewarding for students, learning English will cease to be viewed as a threat and instead become an affirmation of students’ identities. It is recommended that teachers make every effort to foster a classroom atmosphere in which this can occur.

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