Non-english language teachers’ anxiety towards the usage of english language in the classroom

Abstract

The teaching of English as a second language (ESL) today takes place in a wide variety of contexts with learners coming from different language background. Educational institutions in Malaysia have always focused on promoting the quality of English language. Instead of focusing on students’ and the language, this paper is set to investigate the quandary faced by the educators themselves, in this case, the non-English teachers in POLISAS and their uneasiness in using the language. An earlier study by Horwitz (1996) indicated that anxiety can slow down a teacher’s ability to effectively present the target language, interact with students and serve as positive role model to the students. Furthermore, teachers with higher levels of language anxiety may also communicate negative messages with the students. For this study, 100 non-English teachers are chosen. The distributed questionnaires which cover three anxiety levels: communication apprehension, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation. The data collected were then analysed and the results indicated that all afore-mentioned anxiety levels are in medium range. The findings also implied that gender plays no role in this study thus refute Spielberger’s that females are more emotionally stable. Secondly, it also shows that the higher the teaching experience one has, the less anxiety he/she will experience. It is also found out that teachers with a higher level of proficiency suffer less hassle. The paper concludes with the overall summary and implications of the study