ATTITUDES OF TURKISH AND FOREIGN STUDENTS TOWARDS ENGLISH LANGUAGE, AND THEIR ENGLISH SPEAKING ANXIETY AT TURKISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

In every period, foreign language learning has been among the interests of human beings for many different reasons. Moreover, it is an undeniable fact that English has a vital role in accessing information, following technological developments and meeting the needs of the high-tech era. Thus, the global importance of English is closely related to language teaching. Among the four language skills, speaking is the most challenging one as it needs to use available linguistic information simultaneously. Students’ attitudes towards language learning and their level of anxiety in the learning environment are crucial issues to be considered. In addition, students’ speaking performance is greatly influenced by their attitudes and their feeling of anxiety. In light of the arguments discussed in the review of literature, this study focuses on the attitudes of Turkish and foreign students towards English and analyses their English speaking anxiety. Questionnaires have been used as a data collection instrument in this research. The results of the two groups in terms of attitude and anxiety indicate that Turkish students bear more negative attitudes towards English with more anxiety while foreign students have more positive attitudes towards English with less anxiety. Findings of the study have underlined a significant and negative relationship between attitudes of students towards English and their English speaking anxiety. Possible causes of English speaking anxiety are discussed through the sub-categories of the questionnaire and related arguments are linked with the potential items of negative attitude questionnaire.