How to reduce the reluctance of Chinese ESL adolescent students in speaking

【Abstract】This essay discusses the phenomenon that Chinese ESL adolescent students are reluctant in speaking. It also analyzes the negative effects and the factors of this particular phenomenon. Meanwhile， some insights are gained from the discussion.

【Key words】Chinese ESL adolescent students; Reluctance; Speaking

【作者簡介】付悅，電子科技大學成都學院文理系。

Ⅰ.Brief introduction

This essay primarily introduces the silence as a particular phenomenon in speaking in Chinese EFL classrooms and explores its negative effects on causing the problem that is the reluctance of Chinese ESL adolescent students in speaking. It reflects on the specific context that is in China by drawing upon various theories. This essay emphasizes the identification of what the issue is and the factors in relation to the different theoretical perspectives. As part of this essay， it gains insights from the discussion of this problem.

Ⅱ.Identification of the issue and discussions about it

Speaking is a productive skill in language learning. According to Hatch （1978）， if learners learn how to have conversations with others， the syntactic structures that are contained in conversations are developing. Hence， speaking skills is of critical importance for language learners， and then how to teach speaking in order to improve learners speaking competence is crucial for language teachers. However， a serious problem in Chinese EFL classrooms is that students are reluctant to engage in speaking activities. It is common that when a teacher asks a question， there is none student raising a hand to answer. Besides， students feel safer to keep silent and prefer to sit at the back of the classrooms to avoid being noticed and called upon to participate. Some students even consider the designed speaking activities are a waste of class time （Zhang & Head， 2010）.

To identify and analyze this phenomenon， a term named silence should be introduced. Some scholars believe that education gains benefit from silence. It is perceived as a learning mode and a part of interpersonal discourse， which provides learners space to reflect. It facilitates the processing of language input and the development of critical thinking. While some scholars show in a positive light about silence， more research suggests that reticence to participate in speaking activities is preventing learners from making progress and achieving the outcomes of learning a second language （Zhang & Head， 2010）. Bao （2014） demonstrates that silence is a problematic educational issue in pedagogy and learning. It implies that learners distract during the learning process， they have low motivation and considerable anxiety to participate in classroom discussions. It also provides evidence of learners inability， lack of engagement， and dissatisfaction with teachers performance. Silence also refers to the resistance to the teaching style and the testing system， as well as the poor experience of the textbook and the whole learning process. One type of silence is reluctant silence， it will be the emphasis and discussed in detail in the following part since it becomes an agenda in Chinese EFL classrooms.

Ⅲ.Speaking with reluctance in Chinese EFL adolescent students

Generally， the reluctance in speaking means a person is unwilling to speak and to have conversations with others， in other words， being inclined to keep reticent or silent without voluntary speaking.

1.Speaking activities. Research suggests that learners feelings about learning experience influence their learning ability， speaking happens naturally when learners feel relaxed. Thus， it gives a general perspective to analyze the reluctance in speaking. In terms of the desire of speaking， it means how to motivate people to speak. Particularly， it is easier to motivate younger children academically than adolescents. Once to motivate learners is failed， it has negative effects on causing their fear or anxiety， which are the major affective reasons consisted of learns reluctant silence.

2.Main factors of reluctance and findings. The first factor that causes their fear is named fear of negative evaluation and speech anxiety （Mak， 2011）. Fear of negative evaluation generally refers to individuals do not want to lose face in the public. Scholars reveal that secondary schools pay much attention on comparative student performance through exams and assignments. As children grow they become more convinced that if they are not very successful in an activity it demonstrates their lack of competence. Therefore， many secondary schools do not encourage adolescents to take academic risks through their assessment and evaluation policies and practices （McInerney et al.， 2015）.

As for the speech anxiety， it is caused mainly by learners less proficiency of the second language. According to Swain （1985）， it implies that learners level of achievement in the productive skills of speaking and writing is much lower than the receptive skills of listening and writing （Zhang & Head， 2010）. This research not only highlights the importance of output in language competence development but also gives a hint that learners have less confidence in speaking.

The second factor is negative attitudes towards the English class. On one hand， negative attitudes come from their fear of speaking English as is mentioned above. On the other hand， as adolescent students move into high school， major challenges for them are authority relationships. Secondary schools are the places where are often very regimented and quite explicit in the power hierarchy， both in the classroom and out of the classroom. Based on this characteristic， student decision-making， choice and self-management have to give place to teachers control and discipline， which are the emphases of secondary schools （Eccles & Roeser， 2009）. On the contrary， adolescents pursue to develop their self-efficacy and autonomy. Therefore， in such context， secondary schools only provide little opportunities for adolescents to manage their own learning and improve motivation， which leads students are reluctant to engagement （McInerney et al.， 2015）.

Interestingly， inappropriate wait-time that teachers ask students questions and waiting for their answering is another noteworthy factor to lead to speaking anxiety （Mak， 2011）. It indicates that if the wait-time is too short， which means students has inadequate time for preparation， students will become anxious for being worried about their responses that are without management and consideration. Otherwise， if the wait-time is too long， students will also feel nervous. Inevitably， to avoid this kind of stress and uncomfortableness， it is difficult to make students volunteer to answer， they are unwilling to interact with teachers verbally.

3. Speaking in Chinese EFL classrooms. According to the first finding above， China has an examination-orientated system， which means adolescent students in secondary schools will have a great amount of assessment and practices to evaluate their abilities in every aspect. Besides， based on Chinese culture for thousands of years， the silence was viewed as humble and quite as knowledgeable individuals while those who knew little tended to be talkative. Additionally， students in the adolescent period are easy to be influenced by peers view. They always want to show they are competent to take charge of their learning in front of others （McInerney et al.， 2015）. Consequently， to avoid being labeled “dumb” or “fool” and being embarrassed， many Chinese adolescents choose to keep silent in speaking activities.

Combined the second finding with Chinese context， conventional and prevalent teaching-learning style is the teacher-centered model. It is assumed that to make decisions about the content and the arrangement of a lesson is the teachers role， so when they have oral language classes， they have no authority to choose and organize the activities that they are interested in. Owing to a lack of autonomy， it is obvious that they have low motivation in having some conversations.

Another negative attitude towards English is that adolescent students think designed speaking activities are a waste of class time in Chinese EFL classrooms. The reason is that the Chinese adolescents have to face the entrance exams， which are their primary task under the school setting. With the great significance of speaking competence is ignored， students are inclined to regard the designed speaking activities as a waste of time and they will become reluctant to engage.

On the other hand， under the exam-orientated education system， they focus more on how to complete scheduled teaching content and ignore the importance of the wait-time and how the inappropriate wait-time influences students academic outcomes both from physiological and psychological perspectives. Therefore， it is time to reform in Chinese EFL classrooms and highlight those factors that are easily overlooked.

Ⅳ. Conclusion

In conclusion， to some extent， silence has negative effects for Chinese EFL adolescent students in speaking. By analyzing the problems， it indicates low motivation and speaking anxiety or fear is the main obstacles. It impedes students to have conversations with others confidently and enjoyably. Therefore， the key to reducing the reluctance in speaking is how to relieve their stress of speaking and stimulate their motivation. As speaking ability is significant in the second language learning， this essay aims to raise teachers concerns about the silence phenomenon and the reluctance problem in Chinese EFL classrooms and it might have some implications to improve further education practices.

References：

[1]Bao， D. （2014）. Chinese Perspectives on Silence. In A. I. Leikin （Eds.）， Understanding silence and reticence： Ways of participating in second language acquisition （pp. 45-70）. London， UK： Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.

[2]Liu， Y. （2013）. Meritocracy and the gaokao： A survey study of higher education selection and socio-economic participation in east china. British Journal of Sociology of Education， 34（5-6）， 868. Retrieved from http：//search.proquest.com/docview/1435635346？accountid=12528.

[3]Mak， B. （2011）. An exploration of speaking-in-class anxiety with Chinese ESL learners. System， 39（2）， 202-214. doi： 10.1016/j.system.2011.04.002.