THE EFFECT OF LEARNERS’ ACTIVENESS IN SPEAKING CLUB TOWARD THIER LEVEL OF ANXIETY

THE EFFECT OF LEARNERS’ ACTIVENESS IN SPEAKING CLUB TOWARD THIER LEVEL OF ANXIETY
By
MOHAMMAD AGUS SALIM EL BAHRI


Nowadays, Communication era has been in our surroundings, we must be brave to face it. The role of foreign language has been important at the time, especially English language as international language. We are encountered with condition that force us to be more transparent in understanding what is taking place on the other side of the earth. We are competing with the fast growing technology, while the distance among the countries is practically gone. There is nearly boundless relationship between two countries, what is happening now at one place in this world will be heard and known in seconds by the other people in far a way place.
As we know, Speaking is a productive skill which requires a lot of back-up factors like knowledge, confidence, self esteem and enthusiasm. Speaking a second language, particularly, brings about its own prerequisites: exposure, consolidation, motivation as well as acknowledgment. Whether we realize it or not, these determinant factors can be made to exist in a supportive learning environment of English as a Second Language classroom.
Speaking is an important aspect in language learning. By speaking, we can convey information and ideas, and maintain social relationship by communicating with others. On the contrary, for most people, speaking is the most difficult part when they learn a foreign language.
Speaking skill is closely related to performance. A good speaking performance is one of the ways to convey the messages in front of people without hesitating or obstacles such as anxiety in which anxiety is a negative factor in speaking performance. Here, the speaking performance is measured through how the speaking is done well without feeling anxious, feel shy, worried, hopeless, confused and fearful of making mistakes to perform or practice his/her knowledge, and also face some difficulties to arrange when they speak English for the first speaking, moreover by using English. Those feeling make them unwilling to practice their speaking ability. It becomes one of problem in speaking in which speaking is needed a good performance in conveying messages. Speaking performance will be showed easily and without any embarrassing which gives the appearance of being well mannered and educated and people will respect you more when what you say is delivered easily and without hesitation.

1. Speaking Skill
Many people believe that speaking skill is an important aspect to acquire when learning a second or foreign language and the success of learning the language is measured from the performance of learners to speak the language learned. However most people learning a language have a goal to be able to speak so that they can communicate.
The role of spoken language is to enable students to interact with the teacher and other students to clarify idea, thoughts and arguments. Here, speaking skill is a study how to improve learners’ speaking skill in English in which it has aims. According to Lynch (2004: 8) there are many aims of speaking skill:
a) Activing and extending their linguistic competence.
b) Increasing their confidence in using spoken English.
c) Developing their ability to analyze and evaluated spoken performance.
d) Sharpening their strategies competence in face-to-face interaction.
Based on the aims of speaking skill, it can be concluded that speaking skill has aims at linguistic competence, self- confidence, performance and interaction. Here, the writer is interested in how the aim of speaking skill can achieve well and why the learners difficult to speak in English. Through a survey at speaking club, it is hoped the aims of speaking skill achieve and the learners’ difficulty is answered.
Speaking is focused how the messages can be understood well by other people or partner, so it will make good interaction among them as Krashen (1998: 19) states that acquisition can take place only when people understand messages in the target language. We acquire when focus on what is being said, rather than how it is said.
While Brown (2001: 272) states that use facial features, kinesics, body language, and other nonverbal cues along verbal language to convey meaning. It means in speaking we convey messages, not only use verbal language but also use nonverbal such as- kinesics, body language to make the listeners understand what is being said.

2. Affective filters
Krashen (1998: 38) states that the research literature indicates that affective variables are related to second language achievement. Performances with certain types of motivation usually, but not always “integrative” and with good self images do better in second language acquisition. Also the best situations for language acquisition seem to be those which encourage lower anxiety levels. It means that the existence of an affective filters in the development and acquisition of a second language. He claims that affective filters influence students' second language acquisition. These affective filters include motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety. His hypothesis states that a student with a high affective filter will not acquire language as readily as one with a low affective filter. He suggests that a language teacher shall try everything possible to decrease anxiety among students and thereby lower the filter as well as to promote a low-anxiety classroom.
3. Anxiety
Krashen (1998: 19) states that the acquirer has to be “open” to the input in order to fully utilize it for acquisition. According to research, factors that contribute to a low affective filter include positive orientation to speakers of language, acquiring in a low anxiety situation, and at least some degree of acquirer self-confidence.
Anxiety is a circumstance of thinking and feeling which is signed worries excessively, uneasiness, frustration, self-hesitation and fear. Many researchers are interested in this field and try to find out and discuss it. Anxiety is a kind of human behavior. It usually occurs when we perform in front of audience or face an examination either at school or when we face interview, and it can be caused of several things which are explained below:
Scovel states that anxiety is associated with feeling of uneasiness, frustration, self-doubt, apprehension, or worry (Brown, 2000; 151)
Hornby (1995: 44) states that anxiety is a nervous caused by fear that something bad is going to happen or a worry or fear of something. Fear itself is triggered by situation that is perceived as psychically, threatening, damaging to one’s sense of well being or potentially frustration.
Wikipedia states that Anxiety is an unpleasant, emotional state that involves a complex combination of emotions that include fear, apprehension, and worry. It is often accompanied by physical sensations such as heart palpitations, nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath, or tension headache.”
http://www.globalwarfare.org.ph/contents/healing_deliverance/anxiety/anxiety.html 290709

While according to Lazarus (1961;338-342) as cited in Kartikasari (2003) stated that someone who has experiences in reacting anxiety can be identified by symptoms; uneasiness, short winded, be sweaty, the palm and foot very cold, physical mental exhaustion, headache, having night mare and soon, beside that feeling pessimistic and feeling unhappy.
It can be concluded that the indicators of anxiety are state of being uneasy, unpleasant, self-doubt, fear, apprehensive, or worried, feeling pessimistic and feeling unhappy and soon about what may happen; concern about a possible future, or is fearful about some vague or unknown thing.
According to Lindgren (1956:23) sources of anxiety are divided into:
a. From external sources
They are the sources that come from outside of the individual such as: parent’s treatment, classmates, teacher, certain subject matter, test, environment, etc.
b. From internal sources
These factors come from individual itself, such as: lack of self-confidence, unworthy, guilty, and etc.
Sign of anxiety in the language classroom (Oxford, 1992: 56)
1. General avoidance: “forgetting” the answer, showing carelessness, cutting class, coming late, arriving unprepared.
2. Physical actions: squirming, fidgeting playing with hair or clothing, nervously touching objects, stuttering or stammering, displaying jittery behavior, being unable to reproduce the sounds or intonation of the target language even after repeated practice.
3. Physical symptoms: complaining about a headache, experiencing tight muscles, feeling unexplained pain or tension in any part of the body.
Based on sign of anxiety, it can be concluded that someone who are being anxiety can be seen through the general avoidance, physical action and physical symptom it self and finally she/he had glossophobia namely Symptoms of fear of public speaking.
From those theories, it can be concluded that there are two types of anxiety reactions that can be used as indicators, namely physical and psychologies:
1. Physical, such as- hearing beating, headache, chest pain, cools in palm and foot, tight muscles, stuttering or stammering, sweating etc.
2. Psychologies, such as- pessimism, fear, confusion, forgetting, apprehensive, self-doubt, frustration, confusion, worry, uneasiness, unhappy, nervousness etc.
Based on the indicator of anxiety is related to performance and fairly occurs common in speaking performance, such as nervous, self- doubt and one cannot relax. So, to achieve a good speaking performance, the learner is influenced by low personal anxiety and low classroom anxiety is more conducive to second language acquisition
Learners become anxious when they are faced with their tasks. This feeling is temporary emotional and the indicator keep appearing during speaking activity. Ellis (1994) concluded that situational anxiety in learning process may appear in various situations, as following:
1. When learners are compete one another
2. When the learners find themselves less-proficient than other.
3. When the teacher ask questions.
4. When the learners face test.
In speaking activity, learners’ anxiety will show some reaction such as: palpitation, fatigue, breathless, blurred vision, sweating, nervousness, chest pain, sighing, dizziness, and faintness, hot, headache and so on. Anxiety is a negative factor in speaking performance; learners may feel shy, worried, and fearful to start speaking English. So, they become anxious about speaking English and then they have no willingness to speak English.



4. Speaking club
Speaking club is one of the ways to students to improve their ability in speaking English in which as a place for language learners who meet together regularly to use English in casual practice, in other words, outside of classroom activities. Because speaking is one of elements in a language in which someone can express his / her feeling, opinion and thought engaged in talk on conversation.
Starting your own "English Speaking” club can provide you many opportunities to practice your speaking and listening skills. You will improve your vocabulary, your pronunciation and your understanding of English. You will also have a lot of fun, so call up your friends today and get started!
www.learnenglish.de/Teachers/englishspeakingclub.html. (Retrieved on 06/05/09)

The English Speaking Club provides a forum where people of any nationality can meet regularly in an English speaking environment. Through this we hope to provide the expatriate English speaking members with a meeting place and contacts, to assist others to improve, retain and appreciate the English language and to build bridges of understanding between the language communities.
http://www.escaarau.ch/html/start_en.php) (Retrieved on 06/05/09)
Based on those statements, it can be concluded that speaking club is a forum or community where people meet together to improve their English speaking skill and there are many advantageous will be in joining at speaking club such as- improving vocabulary, pronunciation, and understanding of English and also friends.
The purpose of speaking club according to Fitriningsih (Journal) is to establish more opportunities to speak English in daily and natural contexts with comfortable environment and to indirectly prepare the students to be ready to compete in speaking. These purposes were supported by the implementation of name five games, classroom and pair’s discussion, whispering games, story completion, storytelling, conversation, and role-play as the classroom activities.
(http://karya-ilmiah.um.ac.id/index.php/sastra-inggris/article/view/679) (Retrieved on 06/05/09)
From those statement, it can be concluded that the purposes of speaking club is to give more chance to learners to speak English in natural contexts in which they can use media to practice their speaking such as - any kind of games, discussion, role-play, storytelling and others.
English Conversation Club invites all levels of speakers of English as a second/other language to meet in a relaxed atmosphere to practice conversational English. Groups are led by experienced English tutors. Students, scholars and their families are welcomed to attend!
(http://ic.fsu.edu/culturaledprograms/ecc.cfm) (Retrieved on 06/05/09)
From those explanations, it can be concluded that English speaking club is a place where we will get together and talk. The purpose is to practice spoken English with partners/groups in a relaxed atmosphere or natural context.

5. Learners’ Activeness in speaking club
The role of learners in speaking club is very important as the subject in all of activities; the learners have to be active participants in teaching-leaning interaction. In the classroom, participants (learners) are necessary for the progress of instruction. Participation is not confined only to physical presence but it means their mental presence. Their interaction should take interest in the class, work attentively and listen to the teacher, friends and give a good response.
Learners are viewed as mentally active participants in teaching-learning interaction. (Richard-Amato, 2005; 88)
Learners as participants, they should be able to be active learners in which Active learners strive to take a greater responsibility for their own learning. They take a more role in deciding how and what they need to know, what they should be able to do, and how they are going to do it. According to Richard and Rodgers (2001:186) Learner’s roles are seen to change according to their stage of linguistic development. Central to these changing roles are learner decisions on when to speak, what to speak about, and what linguistic expressions to use in speaking.
Learners are participants in speaking club in which they do interaction in all the activities of speaking club. Here, they learn to speak English, it is expected everyone should be able to be a good learner and keep his responsibility in doing interaction among his friend and using English as tool of communication. Speaking club as English area will give good environment to develop English skills in which learner can learn to discuss, grammar, speech etc. Study at speaking club has various forms: discussions, presentations, negotiation, games and even debates. As according to Richard and Rodgers (2001; 187) Learners are expected to participate in communication activities with others.
Active learning occurs when learners are given the opportunity to take a more interactive relationship with the subject matter of a course, encouraging them to generate rather than simply to receive knowledge. When learning is active, students do most of the work. They use their brains studying ideas, solving problems, and applying what they learn. Active learning is fast-paced, fun, supportive, and personally engaging to learn something well, it helps to hear it, see it, ask questions about it, and discuss it with others.
Active learners display most of these ten basic traits and can do the following: 1. Identify personal goals and the steps necessary to achieve the goals. 2. Use resources. Identify the people and tools available to aid in goal pursuit. 3. Learn how to solve almost any problem they ever have to face. 4. Look at situations objectively. 5. Ask the right questions. 6. Use time well. They organize and set priorities. 7. Apply good reading, studying, and questioning skills to written materials. 8. Apply good listening skills in the classroom. 9. Find patterns and take effective notes to organize materials for studying. 10. Assess progress along the way and revise their plans.
http://www.ehow.com/how learners-language-class.html.

It can be concluded that there are ten basic traits of active learners that can be used as indicator. They are:
a. They have personal goal and have steps to achieve the goal
b. Use resources to get the goal
c. Solve problem
d. Look at situation objectively
e. Their activeness in asking and answering
f. Use time well
g. They organize and set priorities
h. Apply good reading, studying, and questioning skills to written materials
i. Good listener
j. Take effective notes to organize materials for studying
k. Assess progress along the way and revise their plans.
Here, speaking club is able to a media to be active learner in which every learner has goal to be good English especially in speaking skill, learners can explore their experience or knowledge, can share with friends which have same goal.
Rubin and Thompson. (Cited Harmer, 2001:42) States that a good learner also mentions students who can find their own way (without always having to be guided by the teacher through learning tasks), who creative, who make intelligent guesses, who make their own opportunities for practice, who make errors work for them not again them, and who use contextual clues.
While Glasgow states that Active learners energetically strive to take a greater responsibility for their own learning. They take a more dynamic role in deciding how and what they need to know, what they should be able to do, and how they are going to do it. Their roles extend further into educational self-management, and self-motivation becomes a greater force behind learning.
http://schoolweb.missouri.edu/stoutland/elementary/active_learning.htm,

It can be concluded that a good learner has own responsibility for his learning, so he has own way to practice although without guiding teacher, he has to look for own opportunity to practice. Here, the opportunities itself to improve speaking skill only in speaking club with some programs which is given such as learning using games, discussion, debate etc, it is hoped to be enjoyable in learning English .
Speaking club as places to learn English may give chance to learner to have partners in practicing English skills. As we know, learners’ willing is to be able to speak English as a foreign language must practice and practice to use the language.  It is impossible for them to be successful to speak only relying on learning the knowledge of the language without any practice of the language. So, the learners need to be given a lot of chance to practice using the language learned. It is only through practices that the ability of learners to speak can increase. The learners who want to be skilful at speaking English willy-nilly have to try to practice to speak using English. For this reason, speaking can be regarded as the ability to express ideas and feelings that can be acquired through practices.
The activities of speaking club are freely talked or discuss, give comment, opinion, share, asking and answering questions in English. Here, the learners can share whatever, such as- tell about experience, gossip, film etc, but it must use English. In speaking, learners should be fast thinking. If any questions, the learners have to answer be fast, it will make learners’ speaking is good. As Richard and Rodger’s opinions (2001: 187):
In the pre-production stage, students participate in the language activity without having to respond in the target language. For example, students can act out physical commands; identify student colleagues from teacher description, point to pictures and so forth.
In the early production stage, students respond to either-or questions, use single words and short phrases, fill in charts, and use fixed conversational patterns (e.g. How are you? What’s your name?)
In the speech-emergent phase, students involve themselves in the role play and games, contribute personal information and opinions and participate in group problem solving.
Most of learners will be anxiety to do speaking in English, moreover in public area. Actually, it just negative thinking. So, learners should speak up, do not care the mistakes. Belief it, that we can do what the people do. Speaking is the ability to talk and whatever we talk can be understood by other people or partner. So, to improve learners’ speaking is needed supported a relaxed atmosphere in which all of this are designed by teacher/tutor.

6. The role of teacher in speaking club
There are many roles of teacher in speaking club, the writer took theory of Harmer (2001: 58-62) which is suitable with Speaking club. They are:
a. As controller
There are times when acting as a controller makes sense such as when announcements need to be made, when order to be restored, when explanations are given, or when the teacher is leading a question and answer session. In speaking club, teacher as controller has time or steps when he has to give explanation, when the students can perform, asking and answer questions.


b. As Organizer
One the most important roles that the teachers have to performance is that organising students to do various activities. This often involves giving students’ information, telling them how they are going to do the activity, putting them into pairs or groups, and finally closing things down when it is time to stop. As organizer in speaking club, the teacher has to design the task or topic to be interested, design or create the classroom to be more live or a relaxed atmosphere
c. As Assessor
One of the things that students expect their teachers is an indication of whether or not they are getting their English right. This is where we have to act as assessor, offering feed back and correction and grading students in various ways. In the end of the meeting of speaking club the teacher as assessor can asses or give correction the students’ activities such as- pronunciation, grammar, accuracy, fluency and their performance.
d. As Prompter
We are keen to encourage the students to think creatively rather than have them hang on our every word. In speaking club, the teacher can let the students to speak although they have mistake in their spoken, give chance to think for a moment, although the learners cannot use English all time, they can use mother tongue. So, the students are able to have motivation to explore themselves.

e. As Participant
They are also times when we might wan to join in an activity not as a teacher, but also as a participant in our own right. In speaking club as participant the teacher can asking question, give opinion, comment, and rebuttal etc.
f. As Tutor
When students are working on longer projects such as pieces of writing or preparations for a talk or a debate, we can act as a tutor, working with individuals or small groups, pointing them in direction they have not yet thought of taking. In tutoring of speaking club, the teacher can teach students how to speak English well.
The role of teacher in speaking club is very important; the teacher does not only see the teaching-learning system but also the learners’ interaction in the classroom. Here, a teacher has an important role to make the learners become active and interact each other in classroom. Classroom interaction in learning English language is very importance to make the learners understand it as foreign language.
Brown (2001: 165) states that Interaction is the collaborative exchange of thoughts, feelings, or ideas between two or more people, resulting in a reciprocal effect on each other. It means that Interaction is a process individuals, situation and other factor co-ordinate together to produce an even with its purpose its nucleus in the classroom. On the other hand, something occurs when two or more people or things interact.
Krashen (1998:21) states that activities in the classroom focus at all times on topics which are interesting and relevant to students and encourage them to express their ideas, opinions, desires, emotion and feelings. An environment which is conducive to acquisition must be created by instructor-low anxiety level, good rapport with the teacher, friendly relationship with the other students: otherwise, acquisition will be impossible such an atmosphere is not a luxury but a necessity. It means that the topic in classroom activities have to interest and relevant to learners, therefore they feel enjoy to express their ideas, feeling, desires and thoughts in which the activities are supported by a relaxed atmosphere.
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http://www.escaarau.ch/html/start_en.php
http://karya-ilmiah.um.ac.id/index.php/sastra-inggris/article/view/679
http://ic.fsu.edu/culturaledprograms/ecc.cfm
http://www.anxietyguru.net/top-ten-anxiety-indicators/
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http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety.shtml,
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