Students’-Nervousness-in-Oral-English-Class--浅析学生在口语课堂上的紧张因素.doc

毕业论文

浅析学生在口语课堂上的紧张因素

姓 名：

系 别： 外语学院

专 业： 英 语

学 号： 040612011

指导教师： Shannon Carson

20 年5月

Students’ Nervousness in Oral English Class
by

Shangqiu Normal University
May 20

9

Contents

摘要…………………………………………………………………………………Ⅰ
Abstract……………………………………………………………………………. Ⅱ
1. Introduction………….……………. ……….………………………….…………1
2. Student factor ……………. …………………….…………………………….……1
2.1. Capability……………………………………………….…………………1
2.2 .Motivation…………………………………………….………….………2
3. Teacher factor……….…………….………….……………………….…………2
3.1. Teaching Approaches………………………………….…………….………3
3.2. Classroom Atmosphere……………….……………………….……………4
3.3. Teaching Materials……………………………………….………….………5
4. Other factors………….…………….………………………………………………6
41. Class Size……………….…………………….…………….……………6
4.2. Classroom Design……………………………….………………….………6
5. Suggestions to solve the problem ……….………………………….……………7
6. Conclusion….……….……….…….……….…….…………….……………8

摘 要
本文着重研究学生在口语课堂上的紧张因素。紧张定义为当一个人在工作的时候遇到困难所产生的焦虑，恐慌的感觉。学生在口语课堂上所产生紧张的因素有很多。然而，学生在口语课所产生的紧张因素是很复杂的，它不仅仅是缺少交流。还包括学生的能力、动机，教学方法，教室的气氛，和教材的内容，另外还有教室的设计和大小。
所以说找出原因并不是个容易的事情。在文章最后，作者提供了三个方法来避免学生在课堂上紧张的原因。第一，老师要求学生在课后增加阅读的数量，这样可以使学生在讨论话题的时候有话说。第二，老师与学生关系好与坏是直接导致课堂气氛的重要因素。一个活跃的课堂气氛在口语课中也扮演着一个非常重要的角色。第三，老师有责任了解到每个学生的特点，这样有助于更好的与学生交流。

关键词：口语课；紧张；因素

Abstract
Nervousness can be explained as when a person suffers anxiety or has difficulty working the way they usually do. There are various reasons for students’ nervousness in oral English class. We have already known that the size of a class directly influences the chances of teacher to student, student to student interaction. However, students’ nervousness in oral English class is formed out of many complex reasons not just the lack of interaction. There are various reasons for students’ nervousness in Oral English Class. It is not an easy task for teachers to find these reasons. This paper will try to find the different causes for students’ nervousness. At the end of the paper, the writer will provide three methods to avoid students’ nervousness in oral English class.

Keywords: Oral English； nervousness； factors

1. Introduction
“The goal of language teaching is to cultivate students’ communicative competence” (Wilga. M .1998:35). Oral English class plays an important role in improving this competence in students. ( 裴蓉, 2003) With the development of English language teaching in China, oral English is becoming an important course in college. However, some students still find it difficult to speak in oral English class. As a result of their nervousness, they do not want to open their mouth to speak even if they have ideas. A major goal of English language teaching is to make students use English effectively in communication ( Harmer Jeremy, 2001).
Oral English class requires interactive communication (Rixhar Jack.C, 2001). There are two major types of classroom interaction: student-to-student interaction and instructor-to-student interaction (Rixhar Jack.C, 2001). As long as the students and teacher cooperate and interact well, students are more likely to be less nervous and communicate more actively. Therefore, we need consider to the causes for this behavior and subsequent lack of communicating.
2. Students’ factor
Teachers and students often find speaking activities to be the most difficult and demanding (刘骏,2005). Students’ nervousness may be triggered by lack of capability, anxiety, motivation or teaching approaches.
2.1 Capability
The students’ linguistic competence can be reflected by the students’ capability in oral English class. Linguistic competence is concerned with knowledge of the language itself, including a knowledge of spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammatical structure, sentence structure and semantics. (裴蓉, 2003). Pronunciation is the most common problem for many students, especially; some students who come from the remote countryside. Many students have a lot of ideas and want to speak in class however, if they do not have a good linguistic competence they may be too nervous to speak.
2.2 Motivation
A student’s performance in any class is often affected by his motivation. Some students are motivated by good grades, pause, financial reward or approval by their teachers or parents (杨德洪, 2005).However, motivation is difficult to find in students who have been forced into studying English by their parents (杨德洪, 2005).For example, some learn actively because they want to work as a secretary, or vocational worker.
Most of the students consider English a good tool for finding job, so they learn English actively and well. These students are more likely to cooperate with the teacher in class. Furthermore, they will likely not learn very well or quickly and will lose confidence as a result. They will likely be nervous in class and be afraid to speak they may be laughed at or looked down upon by others.
Motivation influences learners’ participation in class. For example, students' nervousness in oral English class has of being compeled to learn. If they can learn actively, the teaching process may bring better results.
3. Teachers’ factors
3.1 Teaching Approaches
Speaking is an important part of everyday communication. It can measure the student’s language competence in real life. For example, the students want so say something with others, but they do not have good language. However, they do not how to say. And most of the time the first impression of a person is best established with his or her ability to speak (Harmer Jeremy, 2001).Teachers have the responsibility to create conditions to cultivate the speaking ability of students, especially in class (Harmer Jeremy, 2001).Teaching approaches can influence student’s participation in oral English class ( Harmer Jeremy, 2001).For example, when the teacher use relaxed way to teach in class, play some games, the students will be pleased to take part in the activities and learn happily; if teachers are always giving speeches in a boring way, the students will be tired and hardly concentrate in class.
The traditional teaching methodology in China is called “duck stuffing”(刘润清,2003:45)or spoon-feeding. This teaching method calls on the teachers to control and direct the class, and the students are the listeners. This strongly influences college education as the students often keep silent and take part in activities passively. They are rarely called upon to speak or have a “real life” conversation. This method is obviously ineffective in oral English classroom (刘润清,2003).
If the students are always forced to listen to the class, the teaching results will always be ineffective or even poor. For example, in a class which the teacher just endless giving information of the book and the students are forced to remember what the teacher said, the teaching result is definitely poor and ineffective. Therefore, there must be some other methods that can attract students’ attention and make them eager to learn in class. There is a method called Task-Based teaching. The Tasks Based Approach to teaching emphasizes communication between students and teachers and students and students (杨德洪, 2005).It is a language teaching method under the communicative framework (杨德洪, 2005). If the teachers and students can communicate well, they can easily understand each other, so they would be gladly to cooperate with each other. The language teaching focuses on learners’ interaction and cooperation, and encourages students to learn language by doing things. For example, teachers cab design some games during which the students can play happily, learn knowledge easily and remember quickly, such as competition in some groups, teachers also can teach the students English poets, songs, tongue twister., from which they enjoy themselves as well as learn. “Task-based language teaching reflects the new ideal and concept in language teaching, and opens a new channel for English teaching in China.”（Willis Janes, 1996:65） The Task-Based teaching combines the input and output effectively. In the finishing process, students are required to solve some communicative problems. Some motivate students to learn language through practice, discussion, analysis and cooperation (刘润清, 2005).In this way, students can learn language actively and effectively. The Task-Based approach is certainly a better method than “duck stuffing”. It may help the students feel more make a relaxed and build a more harmonious environment and atmosphere for students in class(刘润清, 2005).
3.2 Classroom Atmosphere
Speaking is the most demanding task for students and teachers. The teachers have an obligation to create an active and relaxed classroom environment. The classroom climate is mainly determined by the interactive activities. The classroom atmosphere has a considerable influence on oral English class. Explain as if the teacher always encourage the students to answer questions although the answers are wrong, the classroom atmosphere is harmonious. The students would become relaxed in such class. So they can be more active and more likely to cooperate with teachers without nervousness. If the teachers are very strict and always scold the students for doing anything, the classroom atmosphere is horrible. The students get nervous and scared to answer any questions.
To create a more relaxed atmosphere. Teachers should get closer to their students emotionally. It is better for the teachers to move around the students than to stay at one place. Teachers can also communicate with students more. For example, asking about their daily life, ask them whether they need some help, or whether they have advice or suggestions for the teachers. May be the communication will certainly relate the students and the teachers closely. Because the students think teachers are their friends. If the students are cared about by teachers, they will be more thankful, they will understand the teachers better, they will be more likely to learn knowledge or cooperate with teachers, and the class atmosphere can absolutely be more harmonious and relaxed.
Students who fall in the with the teacher’s zone are likely to participate in a lesson than students who fall outside the action zone (刘骏, 2005). Students who stay far away from teachers may lack contact with the teacher, may be they keep silent or do other things on class (刘骏, 2005). Although a teacher may feel that all the members in class have an equal opportunity to participate they often do not. Teachers need to have interaction with the entire class, in a way that allows all the students equal opportunities to participate. How are they going to do this? A good interactive classroom can motivate all the students ' to participate actively. If the classroom environment is dull and inactive, it can make students’ nervousness. As a guide in classroom, teachers have the responsibility to create an active class. Teacher should do some games and then the students’ nervousness might be diminished greatly ( 刘骏,2005).
3.3 Teaching Materials
Teaching material includes he textbook or any other material used by the teacher to help the students learn. The correct or incorrect application of teaching materials plays a very important role in the teaching process. Teaching material can influence students’ participation in oral English class. The content and quality of teaching materials will determine effect of teaching in class (Rixhar, 2001). Some students want to participate in oral English class, but they are not familiar with the oral topic or the issue being discussed. They may also lack of the relative background information or knowledge. Therefore, they should not use their own words to discuss the topic with other students. Because they are afraid say wrong .In addition, some students have no interest in the materials the teacher chose for them, and they would like to keep silence instead of saying something, so the teacher should choose teaching materials carefully. Firstly, the vocabulary, grammar and knowledge should fit the students' capability (Rixhar, 2001). Secondly, the topic and contents should not be far away from students' daily life or their interests (Rixhar, 2001). In a word, the teaching material in oral English class is a carrier, they are willing to express themselves. Students’ nervousness may be avoided and diminished if teaching materials are well chosen (Rixhar, 2001).
4. Other Factors
4.1 Class Size
The size of a class directly influences the chances of teacher to student, student to student interaction. A recent study found that there are two types of classroom. One is a big classroom, with more than 45 students and the other is a small classroom with less than 25 (穆可娟,2000). The large number of students makes finding out the reasons for nervousness really difficult (穆可娟,2000).
The smaller classroom allows the teacher to become familiar with everyone and communication is easier. Thus, the teacher has more chance to motivate and encourage them (穆可娟, 2000).
This experiment showed that students' nervousness in oral English class is often the result of large class size (穆可娟, 2000).If the class size is big, the teacher may find the students difficult to control and thus the students' nervousness can not be addressed and corrected. As well, teachers can help students avoid their nervousness if the class size is held to below 30 (穆可娟, 2000). The opportunity for students' to communicate is less, thus, some active students get more opportunities.
4.2 Classroom Design
The teacher’s position in the position in the classroom is also an important factor in students’ nervousness (裴蓉, 2003).In China, the traditional classroom design has the students sitting and arranged in rows, one after another. The teacher stands in front of the classroom. This design makes it diffcult to have group discussions. Students often just talk with the student one next to them; nervousness may develop in one and teach the other the bad habit of keeping silent also or transltating for this friend. The teacher may find difficult to make a balance between the students ( 裴蓉, 2003). Another classroom design allows most students to sit face-to-face or sit in a circle. The teacher can walk around the classroom more easily and find problems. The students who always keep silent will find the teacher able to find and encourage them more ( 裴蓉, 2003).
Therefore a good classroom design may make classroom activity more effective students who normally do not talk will have more chances to speak.
5. Suggestions to Solve the Problem
Students’ nervousness in oral English class is formed by many complex reasons, including, teaching approaches, classroom atmosphere, teaching material, class size, classroom design. Teachers a