LITERATURE REVIEW
Language learners sometimes evaluate their success in language learning based
on how well they have improved in their spoken language ability. Teachers and
textbooks use either direct approaches that concentrate on particular aspects of oral
interaction such as topic management or indirect approaches which make situations for
oral interaction by group work, task work, and other strategies (Richards 1990) (An
Analysis of Factors Influencing Learners’ English Speaking Skill, Lai-Mei Leong1 &
Seyedeh Masoumeh Ahmadi2)
Knowing foreign language can help us clarify our concept even our tolerance in
foreign language learning. There are several factors that have impact on learning
process such as mobilization, anxiety, encouragement, readiness, skillful and figures.
(Abidin, 2012) Having or using foreign language in universities have its effects but
the good or bad effects is different from the students to students otherwise we have to
have their idea because it will be initial step ,some of them see it as more difficulties and
others will define it as success.
Anxiety
How does foreign language anxiety affect students’ negative emotional reactions
to language learning?
Foreign language anxiety affect students’ negative emotional reactions to
language learning because they had to deal with a totally foreign language and culture.
They identified three components of foreign language classroom anxiety:
communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, and test anxiety.
Foreign language anxiety is a situation-specific anxiety arising from the
uniqueness of the formal learning of foreign language, especially in low self-appraisal of
communicative abilities in that language. Anxiety in the context of the foreign language
classroom is a form of anxiety that is usually aroused by a certain type of situation. In a
broader research context, MacIntyre (1998) observed that language anxiety is a form of
situational anxiety, and emphasized that research on the topic should employ measures
of anxiety experienced in specific second language in classroom settings. He conceived
of language anxiety as ‘the worry and negative emotional reaction aroused when
learning or using a second language’ Horwitz (1986) also recognized that situation-
specific anxiety triggered by learning or using a foreign language was largely
independent of other situation-specific anxieties. Foreign language classroom anxiety is
attributable to a variety of causes. Price (1991) maintained that levels of difficulty in
some foreign language classes, students’ personal perceptions of their own language
aptitude, certain personality variables (e.g., perfectionism or fear of public speaking),
and stressful classroom experiences were all possible causes of anxiety
Aptitude
How does foreign language related to aptitude?
Foreign language (FL) aptitude generally refers to the specific talent for learning
a foreign or second language (Carroll 1981; Skehan 2002). It is a concept deeply rooted
in educational psychology and its interpretation in applied linguistics is unavoidably
affected by developments in the neighboring fields of education and psychology.
Language aptitude has been found to be one of the most important individual
difference variables in second language acquisition (SLA) (e.g. Cochran et
al. 2010 ). 1Since the inception of aptitude research in the 1950s, marked by the
publication of Carroll and Sapon’s (2002) Modern Language Aptitude Test
(MLAT), 2 there has been an abundance of empirical research in various instructional
settings and with learners of different age groups. Related strands of research include
validation of aptitude tests, the associations between aptitude (usually with other
variables such as strategies or intelligence) and aspects of L2 proficiency, the impact of
aptitude on the effects of instructional treatment, the role of aptitude in different
instructional settings, and the relationship between aptitude and age.
Attitude
How do students’ attitudes towards learning a foreign language can influence the
learning success?
Students’ attitudes towards learning a
foreign language are one of the basic
factors which influence the learning
success. Their significance was
recognised by foreign language
teachers, and numerous research have
emphasised different aspects of their
considerably significant role in
successful mastering of a foreign
language.
Students’ attitudes towards learning a foreign language are one of the basic
factors which influence the learning success. Their significance was recognised by
foreign language teachers, and numerous research have emphasised different aspects
of their considerably significant role in successful mastering of a foreign language.
There are many possible reasons for studying a foreign/second language.
Probably a major number of language students in the world do it because it is on the
curriculum. Some people want to study English or another foreign language because
they think it offers a chance for advancement in their professional lives. They will get a
better job with two languages than if they only know their mother tongue. English has a
special position here since it has become the international language of communication.
Some language students find themselves living in a target language community either
temporarily or permanently. Motivation that students bring to class is the biggest single
factor affecting their success. Motivation is some kind of internal drive that encourages
somebody to pursue a course of action. In general, strongly motivated students with
long-term goals are probably easier to teach than those who have no such goals and
therefore no real drive. Learning foreign language will be an important point to both of
learners and to student to have an helpful approach for students they have to start
from the level that they have proficient because it will be more difficult for student if
they have limited information about foreign language and there proficiency (Fuller,
2009). Another useful step for student to be provincial in foreign language is to teach
them the grammar instruction however the number of students realize that this grammar
lesson is no necessary or sometime is boring but still they have to take it as a course,
one more encourage step is to group them gathering will be useful skill for each
individual.
Attributions for success
What are the factors for successes and failures in learning foreign language?
As an approach to motivation, attribution theory (Weiner, 1985; 1986) focuses on
people’s beliefs about themselves and how they explain their perceived successes and
failures. It relates to motivation in that the attributions of success and failure can
influence people’s motivation to tackle future tasks. Only a few studies have been
conducted to date to study learners’ attributions for success and failure in the area of
learning second or foreign languages (Gray, 2005; Pishghadam & Modarresi, 2008; Tsi,
2000; Williams & Burden, 1997; Williams, Burden, & Al-Baharna, 2001; Williams,
Burden, Poulet, & Maun, 2004). These studies mostly focus on identifying second or
foreign language learners’ attributions for success and failure. However, the role of
attributional factors has not received enough attention in second or foreign language
learning achievement. Hsieh (2004) also examined the relationship between foreign
language learners' attribution and their foreign language achievement. The results
indicated that those learners who made more internal, stable, and personal attributions
received higher grades in foreign language classes than those who made more
external, unstable, and non-personal attributions. In a similar vein, Hsieh & Schallert
(2008) observed that ability attributions strongly predicted foreign language
achievement. In another study, Kun and Liming (2007) investigated the role of
achievement attributions on self-regulated language learning behaviors. They observed
that those learners who attributed success to internal factors, such as ability or effort,
demonstrated more self-regulated language learning behaviors. They recommended
that foreign language teachers help learners shape positive beliefs about the causes of
success and failure in learning a foreign language.
