Second language speaking anxiety and its relationship with emotional intelligence and oral communication competence among ESL learners

The second language speaking anxiety of Malaysian learners is a crucial factor for academic success. However, empirical research on second language speaking anxiety among Malaysian ESL undergraduates is limited. Additionally, studies of the relationships between second language speaking anxiety with emotional intelligence and oral communication competence are still lacking. This research aims to identify the second language speaking anxiety possessed by Malaysian undergraduates and to determine whether there are relationships between their speaking anxiety and their emotional intelligence. Moreover, this study proposed that oral communications competence might mediate the relationship between second language speaking anxiety and emotional intelligence. Two theories; the Social Cognitive Theory by Bandura in 1986 and the Affective Filter Hypothesis by Krashen in 1985 were adopted as the theoretical framework of the current study. The current study employed a mixed-methods correlational research design in which quantitative data using questionnaires was collected by employing proportionate stratified random sampling from 209 Malaysian ESL undergraduates. Besides, qualitative data was gathered via semi-structured interviews with six Malaysian ESL undergraduates using homogeneous purposeful sampling. Findings indicated that the majority of the students had a high level of second language speaking anxiety and a low level of oral communication competence. Further, most of the students had a low level of emotional intelligence. The findings also showed that oral communication competence mediated the relationship between second language speaking anxiety and emotional intelligence. The qualitative findings revealed several factors that were responsible for the role of emotional intelligence on second language speaking anxiety such as learners’ metacognitive awareness, safety, exposure, physiological state, past experience, strategies of controlling feelings, self-esteem, and socialisation. The findings offer several implications for ESL students, teachers, and policymakers which could prove beneficial for ESL undergraduates in terms of increasing their emotional intelligence and improving their oral communication competence to reduce their speaking anxiety.