Measuring speaking anxiety of English language learners with the E4

Author/Creator

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2021-02-15

Type of Work

Department

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Heera Lee, Measuring speaking anxiety of English language learners with the E4, https://www.empatica.com/blog/measuring-speaking-anxiety-of-english-language-learners-with-the-e4.html

Rights

This item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.

Abstract

Language instructors often assign tasks such as presentations to evaluate communication skills among English language learners (ELLs). However, delivering a presentation in a non-native language has been reported as one of the most anxiety-provoking tasks faced by ELLs [1]. Difficulties are often encountered by instructors when attempting to identify anxiety among students, as it may not necessarily be obvious from facial expressions or behaviors. Instructors may also be unfamiliar with cultural norms among students, and, as a result, may misinterpret the silence or passive participation in class activities. Unless ELLs explicitly disclose feelings of anxiety, the process of detecting emotional states continues to pose a challenge to instructors.