ENGLISH LANGUAGE E-PROCEEDING

In excerpt 3, N continued to display a complete refusal to discuss the current topic (line 14)
and he warned that he would only return to his seat if the topic of discussion was changed
to economy (line 18). However, M persistently led N back to the previous topic (line 19).
Following this, N raised his voice in line 10 as he remained standing (image 12) and then
overlapped his utterances which occurred in line 21 to line 26. During the overlap, N turned
his body and walked away from his seat (image 13 and image 14). In line 30, M finally agreed
to change the topic and initiated to talk about N’s legacy. When the new topic was
suggested in line 28-line 29, N put his hand on his chin (image 15) as if ‘doing thinking’ and
then he displayed an agreement to continue the interview as he walked towards his seat
and sat down (image 16 and image 17).

Excerpt 4: Topic termination + complete refusal +body movement

Image 18 Image 19

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Image 20 Image 21

Although in the previous excerpt, M had agreed to change the topic to discuss about N’s legacy, in
excerpt 4, M made an attempt to shift the topic back to the 1MDB subject. As M mentioned
‘person’s name’ (line 4), N immediately stood up and said “thank you” (line 5, image 18). N then
turned his body around and walked away (image 19). In line 7, M repeated her request to discuss
about ‘person’s name’. However, N interrupted her turn as he took the floor and displayed a
complete refusal by saying “no no its enough no no it's enough enough” (line 8 – line 9).
Furthermore, in line 14 and line 35, N made another refusal when he uttered “that’s enough” and
an attempt to terminate the topic with “thank you” (line 36) was uttered by A and repeated by N
as he walked away said “thank you” (line 37, image 20 and image 21).

Based on excerpt 2, 3 and 4, it is noticeable that the attempts to close the session were
done by the interviewee which violates the rules of turn-taking system in an interview
setting that the closing should be made only by the interviewer (Heritage, 1998). This paper
noticed four evasion strategies used by the interviewee that include the use of language,
gestures and movement to evade adversarial questioning and to terminate confrontational
topics. The evasion strategies were forewarning, interruption, final thanks and body
movement. All four techniques are discussed below:

Firstly, forewarning. The interviewee warned to leave the studio if the interviewee refused
to follow his request to change the topic (excerpt 2 and excerpt 3). According to Cuberas
(2014), the interviewee could not leave the interview setting unless the interviewer agreed
and the session was finished. However, the rules of an interview were violated as the
interviewee felt uncomfortable with the questioning. This could be due to the interviewee
felt unsecured and was placed in a worrying situation (Warren, Mullen & Ogloff, 2012).

Secondly, interruption technique. The interviewee employed interruption when the
interviewer did not finish her turn in which could be seen in the overlapped utterances
occurred in the excerpts discussed above. The interruption was considered as a violation
because the interviewee was expected to listen to the interviewer’s question and respond
to it accordingly. Apparently, the interviewee kept on interrupting by displaying a complete
refusal ‘no’ as evading the interviewer’s question.

Next, the final thanks. The interviewee terminated the interview session on his own by
saying “thank you” (excerpt 4, line 5 and line 36). The action contradicted with what

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Heritage (2009) mentioned in his paper that a conversation in an interview shall not be
terminated by any other participants besides the interviewer. According to Artiyono (2014),
prefacing the final thanks was a strategy marking that the time for the session is over.
Furthermore, the final thanks were given by the interviewer after summarizing the
interview session (Artiyono, 2014). However, this study found that the guest interviewee
consciously ended the session when he took over the interviewer’s right by giving the final
thanks and walked away from his seat (line 6, image 20 and image 21).

Last but not least, the body movement. There were several times when the interviewee
utilized the use of gestures and movement with the combination of his utterances when
evading the questions. The gestures and movement were:

i. Moving forward while fixing coat as to show readiness to stand up.
ii. Hand gestures and pointing towards the door as to show ‘I am going to leave’.
iii. Standing up while fixing the collar as to show readiness to leave.
iii. Walking away to show refusal and terminating the topic as well as closing the

session.

5. CONCLUSION

In political news interviews, as the nature of the questioning can be challenging and
adversarial, evasions practices do occur. As discussed previously, the evasion strategies
found in this study were aligned which the evasion strategies discussed in previous studies
such as the combination of topic shift, hedges, overlap utterances and complete refusal
(Clayman & Heritage, 20012; Nur Zahra, 2016).

In this paper, evasion strategies are not limited to only the use of language. It is
salient that the organization of gestures and movement were also used by the interviewee
as evasion strategies such as forewarning, interruption, final thanks and body movement.
Furthermore, this study plays a vital role in understanding the use of language, gestures
and movement as answer and evasion to questioning. As a Malaysian society, we should be
aware of the evasion strategies used by politicians as the practices are ways to face-keeping
from answering challenging and confrontational questions that could deteriorate political
reputation. Moreover, the knowledge from this study could be benefited for research in
social interaction, political communication and institutional talk.

Transcript Conventions

(.) pause

[ ] overlap marker

, failing intonation

: lengthening

== latched turns

UPPER CASE loud voice

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word stressed syllable / word
() unclear word
((word)) notes on gestures and movement
[text] anonymity

Notes Unidentified
A: Dato’ Seri Najib Razak
N: Mary Jolley

M:

Data Source
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxMKTyjIa2o

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Clayman, S. E., & Heritage, J. (2002). The News Interview: Journalists and Public Figures on
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Cuberas, C. R. (2014). Conversation Analysis and the Study of Social Institutions:
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_Analysis_and _ Institutional_Talk

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_Social _Theory

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Proceedings of the 3rd International Language & Tourism Conference 2019
Sustaining Global Development Goals through
Language, Education and Tourism

Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University
Malaysia, Pagoh Edu Hub, Malaysia 18th-19th October 2019

PRONUNCIATION...THE ORPHANISED SKILL

Surinder Kaur Satwant Singh*

1, Language Centre, Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia,
Kem Sg Besi, 57000, Kuala Lumpur.

(E-mail: * [email protected])

ABSTRACT

An interesting finding via a recent study on the state of pronunciation teaching and
learning in Malaysia by Hilmi, Aqilah & Abdul Halim (2015) revealed a shift in the teaching
of the English Language at tertiary levels recently, recognising pronunciation as a
pertinent skill that contributes to students’ overall communicative competence. This shift
is imperative, as it caters to meet the demands of the working world which places a large
emphasis on competency and mastery in the English Language. Albeit the realisation for a
need to re-evaluate the current instructional pedagogies and pronunciation teaching
models in Malaysia, there is still a major disconnect and gap between these theories and
findings to the reality of the state in which our English Language Classrooms are in today.
This study therefore explores students’ overall pronunciation beliefs and performance in
relation to their second language anxiety levels and to determine the factors involved in
improving their overall communicative competence and speaking performance. The
findings from the study reveal that the inclusión of pronunciation as a taught skill
increased students’ speaking performance and overall pronunciation performance by
reducing their anxiety levels effectively.

Keywords: Pronunciation Instruction; Competency; Second Language Anxiety; Tertiary
Institutions

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1. INTRODUCTION

This research study investigates the effectiveness of using Explicit Phonetics Instruction
on a group of 150 undergraduates at the National Defence University Malaysia (NDUM).
The study is an intervention program specifically designed with the aim of investigating
the correlation of second language speaking anxiety levels of these students to their
pronunciation and speaking performance, as well as to produce an evaluation over the
variations that exist in the phonological aspects of their speech post phonetic
instructional intervention. In addition, the study will provide a sound review on the
effects of second language anxiety levels on students’ overall speaking performance and
establish if there is a link between pronunciation instructions received in influencing one’s
intelligibility in speech.

Effective Communication: A primary goal for Second Language Learners

A study by MacIntyre and his associates in 1998, forwarded a “Pyramid Model”,
depicting “Second Language Learners’ Willingness to Communicate”. The model
proposed a range of potential influences on the construct and suggested that a second
language learner’s most immediate determinants in communication are the desire to
interact with a specific person and self-confidence, i.e. a momentary feeling of
confidence in a specific situation. In turn, what determines the speaker’s level of
confidence in speaking is his or her state anxiety and state perceived competence. As
MacIntyre et al. (1998) explain, “Anything that increases state anxiety will reduce one’s
self-confidence, and, therefore, one’s overall willingness to communicate.”

Another study by Horwitz & Cope (1986, as cited in Tejeda & Santos, 2014) suggest that
a majority of second language or even foreign language learners experience different
degrees of anxiety when asked to express themselves in front of the class or other
people. They argue that although anxiety can after all be a boost to language learning, a
large amount of it can most definitely hinder learners’ overall performance, especially in
terms of speaking skills.

To begin, it is important to understand the definition of ‘Effective Communication’. Adler
and Towne’s (1998) ‘Basic Communication Model’ describes the term communication as
a process that takes place between a minimum of two people that often is initiated with
the intention of one person wanting to communicate with another. Communication
originates as mental images within a person who desires to convey those images to
another and these images include messages in the form of ideas, thoughts, pictures, and
emotions. The ‘Basic Communication Model’ does not only depict the process of
communication alone, but it also reveals that for successful communication to take place,
the message sent in the form of symbols or encoding (can be verbal, written or even
visual) must reach the receiver successfully. Any interruptions during this process can
either delay or prevent the message from being sent altogether.

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In the context of language and second language learning, as described in the model,
messages can be channeled and received through three general forms which include
verbal, written and visual-media (Adler & Towne, 1998). The most relevant element of
these three mediums within the second language learning context, therefore should
consider verbal or oral communication as a major contributor for meaningful
conversations to take place. In brief, effective communication may be used to refer to a
competent speaker of English as a Lingua Franca or a medium of communication used
widely by speakers around the world. The idea of a competent speakers however has
witnessed a shift over the past decade considering the emergence of several “types of
Englishes” spoken by users of the language all over the world with a purpose of
communicating their ideas effectively.

In complete agreement to this view, Rajadurai (2005) identifies competent speakers as
comprehensible speakers who are not necessarily native speakers. They also possess a
wide range of vocabulary and an adequate level of accuracy in grammar. Most
importantly these speakers have a good level of pronunciation which allows them to
converse and be understood effectively during a conversation. It is therefore safe to
conclude that effective communication and intelligible speech is correlated as both
terms clearly support the idea of having the main content or facts in a message being
delivered accurately whenever communication takes place, regardless of the speech
being influenced by an accent, dialect or slang.

1.1 Statement of Problem

With an increasing demand of English used particularly for communication and
conversational purpose, it is important to produce undergraduates who are
linguistically competent, fluent and confident in using English for various purposes. In
her study examining the roles of the English Language, Shuying (1999) explains that the
development of second language learners' communicative abilities is often put aside.
The main concern of teachers, especially in schools usually shifts towards helping
students to pass their exams. As a result, college or university students lack competency
in speaking, and most have difficulties with pronunciation which later makes them
unwilling to communicate in the target language.
Shuying (1999) pointed out that in most second language English speaking countries,
the English Language is treated as a knowledge subject; analysed, explained, and
practiced in the same way as other subjects. The communicative skills, which require
learners to practice in real situations, are often ignored.

Furthermore, the oral part is taught mostly in reading and reciting activities.
Unfortunately, this situation persistently continues even at higher learning institutions.
This is further supported by Yahya (2013) who claims that despite acknowledging the
role of the English language as an important medium of instruction and interaction at
many universities, many students still struggle to communicate in English for academic
purposes (Yahya, 2013). In Malaysia for instance, Yahya (2013), deliberately claims that

141

university students admitted not being able to secure their dream jobs once they
graduated, attributing this to their high levels of apprehension and their lack of
confidence when asked to communicate in English during job interviews. In order to
address this problem, many universities have introduced English for communication
subjects as a measure to improve students’ communicative skills or ability.

English is taught as a subject in order to produce competent and fluent graduates who
can perform well at a global platform. The reality to this is however far from reach. In
Malaysia, similar research has been conducted with ESL students, though mainly
involving secondary school students (Pillai & Jayapalan, 2010). These researches
focused mainly at secondary levels, whereby although communication is emphasised,
there is still more attention being paid to skills such as grammar and vocabulary
extension as well as improving writing skills in general. As a result, many students at
various tertiary institutions are believed to have difficulty communicating in English
(Zhao Na, 2007). This phenomenon needs careful analysis in order to identify viable
measures that will get this problem addressed.

One of the most significant current discussions in the higher education institutions in
Malaysia is indeed unemployment among the local graduates. The number of
unemployed graduates is on the rise every year (Chew, 2013), and a comment made by
Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, the Minister of Higher Education Malaysia then,
was that the local graduates had failed to deliver their soft skills effectively and
communication skills was among one of the four soft skills mentioned. The
JobStreet.com English Language Assessment test provides a standardised yardstick to
measure English competency of Malaysian graduates and they also had substantiated
that the graduates lacked in terms of English communication skills (Si, 2011).

Furthermore, a poll administered to a group of human resource managers in November
2011, found that 50 percent of them argued that the local graduates demonstrated
“poor communication skills and notably lack command of the English language”, making
the managers reluctant to recruit them (Lim, 2013). The decision of the managers
supports a report indicating that the two factors that make local graduates still jobless
within the first six months after graduation are lack of language proficiency, particularly
in English, and insufficient knowledge and competency in the jobs they applied for (The
Star, 27.7.2013).

At the National Defence University of Malaysia, similar to the case of any other tertiary
institution, a strong emphasis is placed on improving the overall Communication Skills
of the students. A specific course known as LEL 1022, “English for Oral Communication”
which focuses on improving students’ communication and speaking skills incorporates
elements of phonetics which targets at pronunciation. This is highly relevant as several
suggestions to improve communication and approaches to address anxiety issues
incorporate pedagogical intervention and instructional strategies to improve
pronunciation (Jenkins, 2009). In addition, the students at the university have met the

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basic requirement of the Malaysian University Entrance Test (MUET) with a minimum
requirement of Band 3 for their respective courses. This indicates that the students
have had enough exposure to the language and possess adequate competency in the
important skills related to language learning.

Despite their ability to communicate in the language, the researcher (with an experience
of teaching there for 5 years) have observed a trend during communication classes
whereby the students’ appear to be apprehension or shy to express themselves verbally.
This affects their performance at large, hence the instructors account problems in
pronunciation as a target as it is the only skill these students have not been exposed to or
taught in isolation throughout their schooling years.

Morin (2007) in his study associated the importance of pronunciation and phonetics
instruction as crucial in improving intelligibility which directly contributes to effective
communication. According to Morin, in order to speak intelligibly, one should possess
the need to physically produce the sounds of the target language with enough accuracy
to be understood. Hence, this incorporation of a phonetic instructional strategy is
crucial in improving the overall speaking performance of Malaysian undergraduates.

This is also further supported by Pillai and Jayapalan (2010), who account poor
pronunciation skills among Malaysian Undergraduates as a reason that contributes to
their poor communication skills. Pillai (2008) claims that “more often than not, the
teaching of pronunciation is largely ignored, or gets side-lined as teachers scramble to
deal with all the other elements in the English language syllabus and to prepare
students for examinations”. In relation to this, there is also confusion as to which
pronunciation model is used in the teaching and learning of English in Malaysian
schools. This triggers another issue among second language speakers and the
undergraduates in Malaysia, which is to embrace the term or notion of “Standard
English”.

Research Questions

This research aims to answer these questions below;

a. What are the Second Language Speaking Anxiety levels of a group of Malaysian
Undergraduates in an ESL communication classroom pre & post intervention?

b. Does the Intervention of Explicit Phonetic Instruction (EPI) lead to measurable
improvement in English language speaking anxiety levels of Malaysian
Undergraduates?

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 The Status of Pronunciation Instruction in Malaysia

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In Malaysia, students’ first exposure to pronunciation teaching begins as early as
primary level and is often integrated within their English Language Lessons or Syllabus at
school. The current Standards-based English Language Primary School Curriculum
(Ministry of Education, 2011), for instance, emphasizes that for speaking and listening
skills the objective is that at the end of the children’s primary education (Year 6), they
should be able to “communicate with peers and adults confidently and appropriately in
formal and informal situations” (p. 3). The standards document, which acts as a guide
for English language teachers in Malaysian public schools, does not explicitly instruct
teachers to aim for pupils achieving native-like pronunciation. Hence, in most language
classrooms, attention is paid foremost to the intelligibility and the ability of students to
express themselves in a way that is intelligible to their classmates and the class teacher
rather than how much they resemble native speakers.

Therefore, within the Malaysian classroom setting, striving for intelligibility is considered
as the primary goal, a shift from aiming for accuracy alone; to sound like a native
speaker. This is further supported by Jayapalan & Pillai (2011), in their study on the state
of pronunciation teaching and learning in Malaysia, whereby they explain the fact that
Malaysia, a former British colony would most definitely develop the tendency to adopt a
British model of pronunciation. In line with this, the new English language curriculum
had clearly adopted the Standard British English as a standard pedagogic approach in
the teaching and learning of English in Malaysia (Ministry of Education, 2011).

Although the existing model creates standardisation in terms of the teaching and
learning of English in Malaysia, it should be clear that both the idea of accuracy and
comprehensibility in English is given more importance. Shanina (2014) believes that
both the National Blueprint and the teaching and learning syllabus and materials used in
all schools have a common goal which aims at producing speakers who are able to
communicate and express their ideas in a manner in which they can be understood
successfully. She further elaborates that although the current English Language Model is
based on the Standard British English, there is very little emphasis on achieving a
complete native-like accent, instead the Education Ministry is more concerned in
producing good speakers of English in terms of proficiency and competence.

Shanina’s study (2014) on the status of pronunciation beliefs and teaching in Malaysia
interestingly also revealed that the declining standard of English proficiency had forced
the Ministry of Education to implement the learning of Science and Mathematics in
English for Year 1, Form 1 and Lower 6 students in 2003 but the move was terminated
recently in 2012. It was perhaps due to the assumption that English Language could also
be improved through the teaching of Mathematics and Science in the English Language.
In her study, she revealed how an analysis of the Malaysian English Language KBSM
Syllabus displayed an obvious conflict between the official syllabus, the textbook
syllabus and the examination syllabus that often put the English teachers in a dilemma
over the content to be taught. Topics and themes were the main focus in the syllabus

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and textbooks, however, in the examination, the four language skills, vocabulary and
grammar were given emphasis.

According to a paper released by Pusat Perkembangan Kurikulum, (Curriculum
Development Centre, Ministry of Education Malaysia in year 2000, pronunciation is
assumed to be an essential component of oral skills, where “oral skills enable learners to
convey their thoughts and ideas clearly in speech when they pronounce words correctly
and observe correct stress and intonation”. Intelligibility also appears to be equated
with the use of correct pronunciation, stress and intonation in one of the three areas of
language use, language for interpersonal use. The sound system to be covered in
secondary school is provided under the section of language content, and includes
English consonants, vowels, diphthongs, consonants clusters in different combinations,
past tense and plural forms, stress in two, three and four syllable words, stress in
compound words, sentence stress and intonation. The inclusiveness of pronunciation
skills within the Malaysian English Language Syllabus therefore reveals that its’
relevance and importance is not to be questioned, however the issue with
pronunciation instruction often lies in the teaching and delivery of the skill itself
(Jayapalan & Pillai, 2011).

It is therefore safe to assume that the English language syllabus in Malaysia does
provide an avenue for pronunciation skills to be included in classroom practices and ties
in with the assumption that using ‘good’ pronunciation is important to communicate
and to be understood.

2.2 Approaches and Pedagogies developed as strategies to improve Pronunciation
among Second Language learners; Focus on tertiary Learners.

A variety of strategies have been developed over the years, through extensive research
in the area of second language acquisition. These strategies specifically aim at not only
incorporating pronunciation instruction within a communicative framework but it also
aims at producing learners who are competent speakers. (Jones, 1997, p. 108). In spite
of this growing interest in the component of phonology, pronunciation instruction is still
recovering from being neglected, second language instructors and practitioners, who
generally have received very little, if any, formal teacher training in phonology
instruction, tend to avoid pronunciation in language classrooms (Burgess & Spencer,
2000; Breitkreutz, Derwing & Rossiter, 2001). Meanwhile, when pronunciation is
included in the language curriculum, rather than being grounded in solid research,
classroom practices are largely determined by intuitive notions and becomes an option
to be included in their daily lessons (Derwing & Munro, 2005).

In response to this issue, Burgess and Spencer (2000) propose that pronunciation
teaching methodology should be made he core aspect of the training and education of
language teachers (TELT) courses, instead of being a small part of their learning.
Likewise, it is well worth pursuing more research on second language phonology

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acquisition and instruction for it can inform the development of pronunciation
curriculums, as well as the design of pronunciation teaching materials and
methodologies as this could contribute largely to the overall progress and learning
process of students.

Pronunciation researchers have also constantly advocated that phonology instruction
should have as a primary aim improved intelligibility and this has naturally led to an
increasing interest in endeavours that have implications for intelligibility and
comprehensibility (Derwing, 2008). These studies typically involve native-speaking raters
who assess the pronunciation performance of second language learners in areas that
range from segmentals and suprasegmental features to vowel quality, speech rate, and
voicing. Derwing and Munro (2005, p. 23, claim that rating-judgment studies “have
shown a high degree of reliability across groups of listeners, such that some shared
sense of what constitutes intelligible versus unintelligible L2 speech is possible.”

Pronunciation pedagogy therefore cannot be separated from Phonetics as it
targets at improving second language learners’ oral productions. To conclude, a sound
Pronunciation Instruction pedagogy or teaching should include the integration of both
the sound system and communicative teaching materials and contexts to achieve
overall effective pronunciation attainment (Burgess & Spencer, 2000; Levis, 2005;
Derwing, 2005 and Isaacs, 2009).

2.3 Second Language Anxiety
The American Psychological Association (APA) regards anxiety as an emotion
characterised by feelings of tensions, worried thoughts and physical changes such as an
increased blood pressure (APA, 2016). A more thorough definition by Gluck (2012) on
the other hand, defines anxiety as feelings as worry, apprehension or fear commonly
faced by people with something they view as challenging and stress-inducing. In
general, anxiety can be defined as the subjective feeling of tension, apprehension,
nervousness, and worry associated with an arousal of the automatic nervous system
(Spielberger, 1983).

Previous studies on anxiety, as described by MacIntyre (1998) had traditionally
differentiated anxiety into three categories; trait anxiety, situational anxiety, and state
anxiety. Though no clear delineation between these three categories can be claimed,
trait anxiety is related to a generally stable predisposition to be nervous in a wide range
of situations on one end, and a moment-to-moment experience of transient emotional
state on the other. Situational anxiety falls in the middle of the continuum, representing
the probability of becoming anxious in a particular type of situation.

As cited in Conway (2007), Horwitz et al. (1991) states that Kleinmann’s (1977) findings
reveal that students with high levels of anxiety perused less difficult grammatical
constructions than the less anxious students did (p. 126). Therefore, students under
relaxed personal conditions are benefiting from the second language class more than the
anxious students. During this period of anxiety students go through feelings of worry and

146

dread, have trouble concentrating, sweat, experience heart palpitations, and become
forgetful. These psycho-physiological symptoms hinder the language learning experience
(Horwitz et al., 1986). In order for second language learning to take place, one should
receive input (rules/forms/structure), practice the language and perform the output
(what they have learned). Learning a second language is therefore maximised and made
possible within the context of a language learning classroom; be at school level or even
at a higher learning institution (Bowen, 2000).

3. METHODOLOGY

The present study adopts a quantitative approach with a three phase intervention
method.

Pre-Intervention

Intervention

Post-Intervention

Diagram 1: Three phases of intervention

The Pre-Intervention Stage, also referred to as the Pre-test, aims at investigating
learners’ pronunciation levels before the intervention took place. Students’ overall
anxiety levels were investigated to indicate their overall anxiety, pronunciation beliefs
and pronunciation levels as this contributed to the analysis of findings.

3.1 Population & Sampling

The present study involves a group of 150 (n=150) Malaysian undergraduates from the
National Defence University of Malaysia. These are First Year students taking the “English
for Oral Communication (LEL 1022)” as a compulsory course to be completed in their
second semester. This group of students received the Explicit Phonetic Instruction
training for a total of 12 weeks, with both Week 1 and 14 used as a Pre/Post Test to
examine students’ second language anxiety levels, pronunciation as well as speaking
performances. The students selected to be a part of this research have not received any

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pronunciation instruction prior to the intervention. Both softwares used in the
instructional phase were selected based on students’ preferences, tested on a separate
group of students before they were incorporated into their lessons.

3.3 Background of participants

The selected participants are military cadet officers pursuing their First Year Studies at the
National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM). These students are of mixed gender
and possess various first language backgrounds (L1= Malay, Chinese, Indian). All of them
are second language learners of English and are currently completing their Bachelor
studies according to three academic Programs offered at the university; Human Resource,
Engineering and Management Studies. All of the students involved in the study had
completed their Malaysian University Entrance Test (MUET), with a majority of them
scoring a Band 3 (79%) as an average in terms of scores, categorising them as Modest
Users of the language. Under this categorisation, students are expected to
Standardisation in their proficiency levels was important as it would affect the overall
validity of the overall findings especially in terms of establishing the link between their
pronunciation levels, anxiety levels as well as their speaking performance. These students
have also received formal English Language instruction throughout the schooling years for
both primary and secondary levels prior to their entrance into the university.

3.4 Instruments

Two main instruments were used to investigate the students’ pronunciation beliefs,
pronunciation performance as well as their second language anxiety levels. The
questionnaire designed for this study was adapted from two separate instruments used
in two different studies; FLCAS, by Horwitz, et.,al (1986) & Borges (2014), as cited in
Baran-Lucarz, (2015). Both instruments used for the design of this questionnaire in this
study incorporated two areas, namely anxiety levels and pronunciation performance. The
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) as reviewed extensively in the
previous chapter is limited to foreign language anxiety, hence the researcher had to
incorporate elements of pronunciation and second language elements into the existing
questionnaire to suit the purpose of the present study.

The specially adapted and designed questionnaire consist of 45 items to be rated
according to a Likert scale of 1-5 and are divided into four distinct parts. The different
parts of the questionnaire address different elements to be analysed. The items included
in the questionnaire examine learners’ basic demographic details and pronunciation
beliefs (Part 1-2; Items 1-16), followed by items representing a self-diagnostic assessment
checklist, whereby students indicate problematic pronunciation areas in speech (Part 3),
as well as items representing the second language speaking anxiety levels in speech (Part
4; Items 17-45). At the end of the questionnaire, several extended questions are added
for data triangulation. All of the items in the questionnaire is analysed and explained in
the analysis of findings for the pilot study series.

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The second instrument is the “Perceptions of Spoken English Test” (POSE), an online
available speaking test was selected to investigate learners’ pronunciation levels using
the internationally accepted Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) system. The test was designed as a
diagnostic assessment or tool to guide and assist english language instructors and
learners of English as a Second or Foreign Language to discover specific problem areas in
their spoken English. The Perception of Spoken English (POSE) Test focuses on five major
aspects of spoken English: Vowels, Consonants, Word stress, intonation (sentence-
ending),and sentence stress. All five of these elements make up the major parts that
explore both segmental and supra-segmental pronunciation analysis which qualifies for
achieving the main objectives of the study.

4. MAIN RESULTS

4.1 Pronunciation Beliefs

A total of 16 Items were analysed to investigate students’ overall pronunciation beliefs
before and after the intervention. The investigation was crucial to reveal important
findings related to the overall analysis of the study. All 16 items were analysed in terms of
students’ importance given towards learning pronunciation, their motivation in terms of
improving their pronunciation and how pronunciation affected their speaking
performance.

Item Item Description Differences in Pre-&

No Post Average Mean

Values

Q1 I believe it is important to speak well in English. 0.16 (Sig: 0.8729)

Q2 A native-like English pronunciation indicates that I can speak 0.16 (Sig: 0.8729)

well in English.

Q3 It is important to speak English with good pronunciation. 0.14 (Sig: 0.8887)

Q4 To train my pronunciation, it is important to listen and repeat 0.08

English vocabulary.

Q5 To train my pronunciation, it is important to record and listen to 0.04

my own voice when I practice speaking in English.

Q6 To train my pronunciation, it is important to learn and practise 0.06

basic sounds and phonics (/p/, /k/, /r/) of English.

Q7 To train my pronunciation, it is important to learn the 0.01

positioning of the speech organs.

Q8 To train my pronunciation, it is important to receive Computer 0.03

Assisted Pronunciation Training.

Q9 Pronunciation improves with immediate feedback. 0.04

Q10 To improve my pronunciation, I should learn the phonetic 0.12 (Sig: 0.9045)

symbols (IPA Chart). (e.g vowels; /ɪ /, / iː/, / ɔː/, consonants;

/dʒ/, / k/, / ŋ/, diphthong; / aɪ/)

Q11 To improve my pronunciation, I should have sound knowledge 0.08

on Supra-segmental aspects (stress, rhythm and intonation) of

speech.

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Q12 To improve my pronunciation, it is important to learn phonetic 0.07

transcription exercises.

Q13 To improve my pronunciation, it is important to practice my 0.17 (Sig: 0.8650)

speaking skills using the Automated Voice Recognition System

(ASR) ; a voice recognition software for pronunciation practice.

Q14 I am comfortable with my pronunciation during English 0.24 (Sig: 0.8103)

Language presentations.

Q15 I feel confident when I speak with good pronunciation. 0.11 (Sig: 0.9124)

Q16 Good pronunciation allows me to improve my speech flow and 0.11 (Sig: 0.9124)

overall speaking performance.

An average of 3.41 as mean value indicated high values in terms of their beliefs towards
the importance of pronunciation. Although there was a slight increase in the overall
average means scores from both the Pre and Post results, the increase was not
statistically significant. This reveals that students’ beliefs towards the importance of
Pronunciation teaching and learning is consistently high both Pre and Post Intervention.

4.2 Second Language Anxiety Levels

A chart representing the three different types of anxiety (x-value) and the average mean scores
(y-value) for anxiety levels experienced by students for both Pre-& Post Intervention are as shown
below;

Pre-Intervention Post-Intervention

150

There was a measurable decrease in the overall average mean scores for Post
Intervention anxiety levels. The value noted a drop from an average of 3.30 to 3.13.
According to the FLCAS modelled scale used for the assessment of anxiety in this
research, the following descriptors can be used to identify the range into which level of
anxiety the students’ fall into (Hamilton, 2019).

Average Mean Scores Degree of Second Language Speaking Anxiety Levels
1.00-2.00 Low
2.01-3.00 Moderate
3.01-4.00 High
4.01-5.00 Severe

Pronunciation Scores

POSE Test Scores

(Pre-Intervention) word Intonation Intonation Sentence Stress Sentence Stress
Mean stress
12 1 2
Vowel 70.9267
Consonants 74.0667 70.7267 71.7933 66.4600

71.9733 71.5600

(Post Intervention)

Mean word Intonation Intonation Sentence Stress Sentence Stress
Vowel stress
12 1 2
Consonants 74.7267 73.2333
78.7733 76.7067 74.8733 76.3000 73.4800

With a measurable increase from an average of 71.07 to 75.44, there was a significant
improvement post intervention in terms of the POSE Test Scores. As revealed in the analysis, the
scores were a compilation of 7 categories, out of which Sentence Stress and Intonation had the
lowest scores both before and after the intervention. The highest scores that were indicated for
both Pre and Post Intervention were for consonants. An interesting observation to make based on
this analysis is however the scores obtained for Intonation 1 (Basic Level) which was reported
much higher as opposed to level 2 which indicated one of the lowest scores among all categories
for both Pre and Post evaluation.

4.3 Summary of Analysis

The Paired sample t-tests were performed with the purpose of comparing the mean values
obtained both Pre and Post Intervention. The values indicate not only the significance of the
intervention programme; however it also reveals whether the proposed null hypothesis suggested

151

for the research would either be accepted or rejected. Overall, the findings can be linked to
several hypotheses made prior to the intervention and the results are as such;

1. The Intervention Programme will not improve students’ overall Pronunciation
performance (POSE Test & In-Class Spontaneous Speaking Assessment) – Null-
Hypothesis Rejected

2. The Intervention Programme will not improve second language anxiety levels and
Pronunciation Beliefs of Malaysian Undergraduates. – Null-Hypothesis Accepted

5. CONCLUSION
THE relationship between students’ overall anxiety levels with pronunciation
performance.

This is a strong positive correlation, which means that high X variable scores go with high
Y variable scores (and vice versa). The value of R2, the coefficient of determination, is
04956. In other words, students’ overall pronunciation performance is positively
dependant on their second language anxiety level scores; the more improved their
anxiety levels, the better speakers they become.
The Relationship between students’ pronunciation beliefs to their overall anxiety levels.

This is a moderate negative correlation, which means there is a tendency for high X
variable scores to go with low Y variable scores (and vice versa). The value of R2, the

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coefficient of determination, is 0.454. In other words, the learners’ strong pronunciation
beliefs do not affect their anxiety levels. Learners with stronger beliefs still face issues
with anxiety that could be affecting their speaking performance in class.

Overall the study addressed both research questions proposed and it is agreeable that
the intervention had a measurable impact on students/ pronunciation performance and
overall second language anxiety levels. In the future, a sound pedagogical review and
intervention on the curriculum for the teaching of pronunciation is therefore crucial to
improve students’ overall speaking performance.

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“Proceedings of the 3rd International Language & Tourism Conference 2019
Sustaining Global Development Goals through
Language, Education and Tourism

Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia,
Pagoh Edu Hub, Malaysia 18th-19th October 2019”

SECOND LANGUAGE SPEAKING ANXIETY AMONG MALAYSIAN POSTGRADUATE
STUDENTS AT A FACULTY OF EDUCATION

*1Kamal J I Badrasawi, 2Abdulateef Solihu & 3Tunku Badariah
1,3 Department of Curriculum & Instruction, Kulliyyah of Education, International Islamic

University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.”
2 Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala

Lumpur, Malaysia.”
(Email: *[email protected], Email: [email protected],

[email protected])

ABSTRACT
This study aims to examine the level of second Language speaking anxiety among school teachers
enrolled in a master of education program at the International Islamic University Malaysia. It also
aims to determine if there are significant differences in the mean scores of speaking anxiety due
to selected variables, namely gender, school location and teaching subject. A convenience sample
comprising two hundred and ninety teachers (n= 290) completed an adopted 12-item survey on
language speaking anxiety (Nazir, et al. 2014). Rasch Measurement modeling for polytomous
data, independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA test were used to analyze the collected
data. Overall, the participants did not show high level of speaking anxiety, (Mean -.89 logits).
They were mostly worried about expressing themselves effectively in English (-.66 logits), making
mistakes while speaking (-.31 logits) and lecturers’ response to their mistakes (-.38 logits). A
statistically significant difference in the mean scores of speaking anxiety was found due to
teaching subject variable. The participants should further work on how to face the factors leading
to their speaking anxiety. Further qualitative and quantitative studies with larger samples are
recommended.
Key words: ESL speaking anxiety; Rasch Measurement Model; Postgraduate students

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1. INTRODUCTION

English Language is widely accepted as the dominant medium in which people all over the globe
communicate, regardless of the existing cultural and language diversities among them (Ahmed
et al., 2017; Mehmoodzadeh, 2012; Nazir, Bashir & Raja, 2014). The adoption of this language as
a lingua franca has culminated in a breakthrough in transactions which spans several sectors of
life such as education, health and wellness, finance, security, science and technology and so forth
(Kumar, 2018; Riemer, 2002; Warschauer, 2000; Zhiping & Paramasivam, 2013). With regards to
education, English language has been made an essential component of school and university
curriculum in order that non-native English speaking students of all specializations are well-
equipped to circumvent communicative barriers in their careers as future experts and
professionals (Zhiping & Paramasivam, 2013). Despite the endeavors of ESL/EFL learners to excel
in the course of their English language learning, they are impeded by certain affective factors,
including communication/speaking anxiety (Wu, 2010; Zheng, 2008; Dordinejad & Ahmadabad,
2014).

A number of researches have shown that among the many communicative skills, speaking is not
only the most important, but also the most anxiety-provoking communication skill (Melouah,
2013; Tsiplakides & Keramida, 2009; Nazir et al., 2014). This is due to its involvement of two or
more interlocutors, where failure to accurately convey the intended message puts one in a very
awkward position (Mohammad & Mohd, 2016).

According to MacIntyre and Gardner (1994), foreign language anxiety is defined as “the feeling
of tension and apprehension specifically associated with second language contexts, including
speaking, listening, and learning”. Horwitz et al. (1986) depict foreign language anxiety as
comprising three components, namely communication apprehension, fear of negative
evaluation, and test anxiety. In their research, Saranraj and Meenakshi (2016) advocate the
classification of anxiety into “trait anxiety”, “state anxiety”, and “situation-specific anxiety”. Trait
anxiety is the general tendency of a person to be struck by nervousness in various situations;
state anxiety is the worry or stress felt in a particular moment while under a certain circumstance,
and situation-specific anxiety is a feeling of stress arousing in specific situations such as inside or
outside the L2 classroom situation (Han, 2013; Saranraj & Meenakshi, 2016). Nazir et al. (2014)
contend that foreign language anxiety is a complex issue in language teaching and learning to
which a number of factors are attached. In addition, research has identified anxiety as one of the
major obstacles which ESL/EFL learners encounter in the course of their learning (Wu, 2010;
Zheng, 2008). This phenomenon has gained the attention of language researchers for the past
few decades due to its effects having been confirmed on one-third of foreign language learners
(Ellis, 2008; Horwitz, 2001; Wang, 2014).

It has been observed that higher education students who speak English as a second language face
speaking anxiety, which adversely affects their speaking performances both in and out of class
activities (Ahmed et al., 2017; Elaldı, 2016; Hasrul et al., 2013; Mohammad et al., 2016; Saranraj
& Meenakshi, 2016). Moreover, some studies identify English language anxiety as having a
debilitative effect on students’ academic performances (Amiri & Ghonsooly, 2015; Kumar, 2018;

156

Saad, 2016). In other words, students who feel highly uneasy in communicating in English would
be found to have relatively low academic performance, and vice versa.

Therefore, this study is an attempt to identify the level of English-speaking anxiety and its
contributing factors among school teachers enrolled in a master of education program at the
International Islamic University Malaysia. It also aims to ascertain the possible differences in the
level of English-speaking anxiety due to selected variables, namely gender, school location and
teaching subject. The study has employed the mini version of FLCAS (Foreign Language Classroom
Anxiety Scale) of Horwitz et.al, 1986, developed by Nazir et al., 2014.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 English Language Anxiety

Research has shown speaking anxiety as a phenomenon is peculiar to ESL learners of various
levels (Ahmed et al., 2017; Elaldı, 2016; Hasrul et al., 2013; Mohammad et al., 2016; Saranraj &
Meenakshi, 2016). Moreover, speaking nervousness and fear of being negatively evaluated do
not decrease as these students get elevated into higher levels in their studies. Rather, the more
advanced the level reached in their studies, the higher their level of anxiety would be (Elaldı,
2016). A number of studies pinpoint cultural and gender diversity in the classroom, and learner-
centered teaching approach handled by authoritative teachers as the prominent factors that
unfavorably affect ESL/EFL learners’ speaking anxiety (Hashemi & Abbasi, 2013; Young, 1991;
Zhang & Zhong, 2012). For instance, in most parts of the Arab world, gender has been identified
as an influential factor of speaking anxiety. Female students have been found to record higher
levels of anxiety than males in seven Arab countries, but no considerable difference was
identified between males and females only in Iraq, Palestine, and Jordan (Ahmed & Alansari,
2004).

Nazir et al. (2014) undertook a study to find out if there was a considerable degree of English-
speaking anxiety among a group of Pakistani ESL intermediate learners. In efforts to achieve this
objective, a questionnaire developed by Horwitz et al. (1986) was adapted to measure the level
of speaking anxiety of 50 learners who were chosen from among the whole population of 253
intermediate students at a Pakistani college. The findings indicate that learners suffer seriously
from communication nervousness and fear of being negatively evaluated which impede their
classroom English speaking skill. A huge number of the respondents attributed their speaking
anxiety to inadequate preparation before engaging in classroom speaking activities.

Mohammad Batiha et al. (2016) also conducted a research to identify the circumstances leading
to speaking anxiety among EFL learners as well as gender differences pertaining to these
circumstances in the Jordanian context. In order to achieve this end, Foreign Language Speaking
Anxiety Scale (FLSAS) developed by Horwitz et al. (1989) was used to gather information from a
group of 112 freshmen chosen from among the students of Jadara University. The findings show
fear of being negatively evaluated, insufficient preparation, fear of speaking in public and
timorousness, and general class speaking anxiety as the factors leading respondents to develop

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ELF speaking anxiety. However, the results indicate no considerable gender differences in the
factors that influence speaking anxiety.

Elaldi (2016) undertook a study to find out the speaking anxiety level of learners of English
language and literature at Cumhuriyet University, Turkey Adopting the Foreign Language
Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) of Horwitz at al. (1989), the researcher elicited data from a group
of 98 students both in their preliminary level and fourth year. The findings indicate that students
experience a moderate level of foreign language anxiety both in their preparatory and fourth
levels even though they were found somewhat more anxious in the fourth year. Moreover, the
male students were found to have higher foreign language anxiety than the female students.

Another pertinent study was carried out by Hasrul et al. (2013) to examine the level of English
anxiety of Malaysian gifted learners in an ESL context. To actualize this objective, the researchers
collected data from a group of 119 gifted learners (aged between 15 and 16 years with a
minimum of 9 years of English language learning) chosen from the Malaysian National University.
The results point out that gifted learners experience a certain level of anxiety in English language
which is relatively lower than that of non-gifted learners who were examined in previous studies.
Furthermore, gender difference is considered an insignificant factor of language anxiety even
though males were found to be slightly less anxious than females. Furthermore, the results show
that English language anxiety is debilitative to their academic achievement.

In their study, Jomaa and Jupri (2014) sought to find out the causes of second/foreign language
anxiety through the experiences of students enrolled in a Postgraduate Linguistics program at a
Malaysian university. Adopting a qualitative approach, this study conducted a face-to-face
interview to obtain information from a group of nine students who were purposively chosen from
seven different nationalities, including Malaysia. The findings are categorized into two main
causes of second/foreign language anxiety, namely, external and internal factors. The former
category (i.e. foreign language anxiety caused by factors other than the anxious student
him/herself)includes, teachers’ unfriendly attitude towards students in English speaking classes,
student-audience asking multiple questions and criticizing their classmates’ presentations,
classroom anxiety (i.e. differences in the learning situations of the participants), and course
assessment. With regards to the latter (i.e. the factors within the student him/herself), fear of
committing mistakes and fear of failure were found as sources of foreign language anxiety.

Ahmed et al. (2017) also conducted their research to identify factors affecting English language
oral communication anxiety among a group of postgraduate students at a university in Pakistan,
and to determine whether there was a considerable difference in gender (if any) with regards to
speaking anxiety. The researchers adapted the foreign language class anxiety questionnaire
developed by Horwitz et al. (1986) with which data were collected from a group of 240
postgraduate students who were enrolled in a course titled, “Functional English Language”. The
findings reveal that the focused postgraduate students experience English language anxiety in
their learning activities owing to their challenging classroom English tasks. Moreover, the
majority of these students attributed their English language anxiety to the following: inability to
communicate fluently in English language, failure to use error-free sentences in their
conversations, and insufficient linguistic competence with which to express themselves in a wide

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range of communicative situations. The findings reveal no considerable difference between
genders regarding the English language anxiety.

Additionally, Zhiping and Paramasivam (2013) undertook a study to determine the causes of
English communicative anxiety among international students at a Malaysian university, and the
strategies they used to mitigate their anxiety when speaking. It also sought to examine teachers’
perspectives and reactions towards learners’ speaking anxiety, and students’ perspectives of
teachers’ reactions towards their anxiety. In efforts to achieve these objectives, the researchers
purposively chose eight respondents (3 Nigerians, 3 Iranians, and 2 Algerians) from among the
international Ph.D students. who enrolled in a semester course at the earlier mentioned
university. Using semi-structured interview and observations, data were elicited from the
respondents. The findings signal that the majority of the Nigerian students do not feel anxious
when using English in class, while Algerian and Iranian students experience speaking anxiety,
which, according to the findings, is due to fear of effecting conversation in public, fear of being
negatively evaluated, and fear of being inaccurate while speaking. As for the strategies used to
reduce their speaking anxiety, students were found to use silence with a view to avoiding oral
communication in class, avoiding eye-contact with the teacher, mingling with friends with the
same first language, and expressive reactions (e.g. smiling or laughing) to mask one’s true feelings
of anxiety. Concerning teachers’ strategies to mitigate students’ speaking anxiety, the findings
reveal the use of jokes and story narration, acknowledgement of students’ responses, and
showing positive gestures. According to these findings, students showed their good feelings and
perceptions towards their lecturers’ strategies to reduce their speaking anxiety.

2.2. English Anxiety and Academic Achievement

A number of researches has reported English language anxiety as a phenomenon with a
debilitative effect on students’ academic performance (Amiri & Ghonsooly, 2015; Kumar, 2018;
Saad, 2016). This seems to imply that students who are highly anxious at English language are
usually found to display relatively low academic performance, and vice versa. Kumar (2018)
carried out a research to identify the correlation between English language anxiety and academic
achievements of students in Malda District, India. In efforts to achieve this end, normative survey
method of descriptive research was employed to elicit data from 266 grade six students who
were randomly chosen from a number of rural and urban Malta District secondary schools. The
findings show that students who are less anxious at English speaking have a higher level of
academic achievement compared to their counterparts who are highly anxious.

Amiri and Ghonsooly (2015) also undertook a study to examine the relation between tertiary
students’ English language anxiety and their academic achievements in their examinations. To
achieve this objective, the researchers used two instruments (the Persian version of Foreign
Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and students’ terminal achievement test to collect
data from a sample of 258 freshmen who were conveniently chosen from different scientific
departments of the Gonabad University. The findings reveal a statistically significant negative
correlation between English language anxiety and students’ achievements in their examinations.
In other words, the higher the students’ level of English language anxiety, the lower their level of
achievement in examinations. Females were also found to be more anxious at English language

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than males, and that negatively affects their achievements in examinations more than it does the
males.

In his study, Saad (2016) also investigated the connection between English language anxiety and
learners’ academic achievements among Moroccan students. In attempts to actualize this aim,
the researcher employed Cattle’s anxiety questionnaire and achievement test to elicit data from
a cohort of English language students selected at the faculty of Arts and Humanities, Moulay
Ismail University, Meknes. The findings show a statistically significant inverse relation between
English language anxiety and academic achievements of the respondents. That is to say,
respondents with a high level of English language anxiety have fewer academic achievements
compared to their counterparts with a low level of English language anxiety.

3. METHODOLOGY

This study used the cross-sectional survey design with an adopted set of questionnaires to
measure the participants’ level of English-speaking anxiety and identify its factors. This
questionnaire is a mini version of FLCAS (Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale) developed
by Horwitz et al. (1986) on a five-point Likert scale, (1 = strongly agree, and 5= strongly disagree
( see Nazir, et al. (2014). However, in this study, the Likert scale is arranged as 1 = strongly
disagree and 5= strongly agree for clarity purposes. Through a convenience sampling method, a
sample of two hundred and ninety teachers (n= 290) who were first year postgraduate students
of a master program at the Kulliyyah of Education, International Islamic University Malaysia,
completed the adopted survey on the English language speaking anxiety. The collected
responses were keyed into SPSS file (version 23) to ensure the integrity of the data before running
the final analysis (Pallant, 2013). The Rasch Measurement Modeling for polytomous data was
utilized to analyze the collected data, using Winsteps Rasch measurement software, version
4.1.0. (2018). In Rasch Model, it is possible to display all the items and students on one interval
scale with odd units (logits) (Bond & Fox, 2015; Linacre, 2019) and see clearly the position of each
item in relation to other items distributed on the scale and the ability of each person in relation
to other persons. The most difficult items to be endorsed and the most able persons are
positioned at the top of the scale and vice versa. Rasch analysis can also ensure the items are
working meaningfully to the construct by looking at the item fit statistics. The Rasch model output
person data file was converted into SPSS version 23 to conduct the inferential analysis (i.e. One-
way ANOVA test and independent samples t-test). The results were depicted in tables and
figures.

4. MAIN RESULTS

Reliability refers to the reducibility of items and persons ordering in Rasch analysis (Bond & Fox,
2015). Table 1 shows that the reliability of item difficulty measures is high (0.94) and the
separation index for items is (3.79) > 2. The person reliability is also high (0.90) with person
separation index (3.04) > 2. Table 1 also shows that the point-measure correlation coefficients
for the 12 items are positive and ranged from 0.45 to 0.82 implying that the items are working or
moving together in the same direction to define the construct being investigated (i.e. speaking

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anxiety). For the fit statistics (infit and outfit Mean-square statistics), Table 1 shows that all items
have infit and outfit mean-square values within the recommended range (0.5 - 1.5), except for
item No. 1 (2.1 logits) > 1.5 logit. However, after deleting a few of the most misinfiting persons >
1.5, the item showed good fit (1.33 logits). This ensures the meaningful contribution of the items
to measure the construct as expected by the model (Bond & Fox, 2015). Therefore, all the items
were included in the final analysis. Finally, Table 1 shows that the unidimensionality of the scale
is not violated. The variance explained by the measures is 56.8%, and the largest factor extracted
from the residuals is equivalent to 1.99 units, which has the strength of about 2 items (Linacre,
2019).

Table 1: Item statistics (items measures, standard errors, fit statistics and point-measure
correlation coefficient

Item Difficulty S.E Infit Outfit PT-
measures MNSQ MNSQ Measure
4 “The more I try to speak English in the CORR
classroom, the more confused I get” 0.64 0.09 0.93 0.85
0.70 0.65 0.74
6 “I get confused when I speak 0.47 0.09 2.07 2.74
English in my class” 0.67 0.64 0.81
0.37 0.09 0.84 0.80
1 “I usually feel easy expressing myself in English 0.97 1.01 0.45
language in the classroom” (Recoded) 0.16 0.09 0.75 0.71
1.06 1.17 0.82
7 “I do not feel confident when the lecturer asks 0.15 0.09 0.85 0.85
me to participate in English in the classroom” 0.86 0.83 0.77
0.04 0.09 1.10 1,10
9 “I feel afraid that other students will criticize me 1.19 1.27 0.73
when I start speaking English in the classroom” -0.09 0.09 1.00 1.05
0.80
8 “It embarrasses me to volunteer the answers in -.17 0.09
the classroom” 0.71
-0.22 0.09
5 “I feel anxious if someone asks me to explain 0.79
something in English” -0.31 0.09
0.78
11 “I still get worried about speaking, even after -.38 0.09
preparation” 0.72
-0.66 0.09
3 “I get nervous when the lecturer asks questions 0.70
in English” 0.00 0.09
0.94
10 “I am worried about making mistakes while 3.79
speaking English” 0.90
3.04
12 “I feel afraid that the lecturer will highlight 56.8%
grammatical mistakes while speaking” 1.99 ( < 2)

2 “I worry about failing to express myself
effectively in the English language.”

Means
Item Reliability
Item separation
Person Reliability
Person Separation
Raw variance explained by measures
Unexplained variance in 1st contrast

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Overall, the Rasch analyses reveal that students did not show high levels of English-speaking
anxiety as indicated by the person difficulty measure (-.89) which is lower than the item difficulty
measure (0.00) (Figure 1). It was not easy for most students to endorse the items on speaking
anxiety (Table 1 & Figure 1). The Item-Map (Figure 1) clearly displays the distribution and
hierarchy of all items on one interval scale. The highly endorsed items are placed towards the
lower part, and the least endorsed ones are placed towards the upper part of the scale. The
easiest item to be endorsed by the participants was ANX 2 “I worry about failing to express myself
effectively in English language, -0.66 logit”; followed by ANX 12 “I feel afraid that the lecturer will
highlight grammatical mistakes while speaking, -0.38 logit”; ANX 10 “I am worried about making
mistakes while speaking, -0.31 logit”; ANX 3 “I get nervous when the lecturer asks questions in
English, -0.22 logit”; ANX 11 “I still get worried about speaking, even after preparation, -0.17
logit”; and ANX 5 “I feel anxious if someone asks me to explain something in English, -0.4 logit”.
It seems that the students were mostly worried about speaking or expressing themselves
effectively in the classroom. This might be due to their worry about their mistakes, getting
lecturers’ feedback and being asked to explain or answer orally in English. On the other hand,
Figure 1 shows that the most difficult item to be endorsed by the participants was ANX 4 “The
more I try to speak English in the classroom, the more confused I get, 0.64 logits”, followed by
ANX 6 “I get confused when I speak English in my class, 0.47 logit”; ANX 1 “I usually feel easy
expressing myself in English language in the classroom (Recoded), 0.37 logit”; ANX 7”I do not feel
confident when the lecturer asks me to participate in English in the classroom, 0.16 logit”; ANX 9
“I feel afraid that other students will criticize me when I start speaking English in the classroom,
0.15 logits”; and ANX 8 “It embarrasses me to volunteer the answers in the classroom, 0.4 logit”.
These items indicate that students in general do not feel confused, embarrassed or worried about
being criticized by their friends when speaking in English. They still have a sense of confidence.

Measure Person Item

|

4 + Difficult to endorse

|

|

|

#|

3+

|

# T|

.# |

|

2 ## +

#|

###### |

.## |

### |

1 #### +

.### S|T

#### | AX4_More_Confused

###### |S AX6_Get_Confused R_AX1_No easy to EXPRESS

###### | AX7_Not_Confident AX9_Feel_Afraid

0 ####### +M AX5_Feel_anxious AX8_Feel_Embarrased

######### | AX11_Though_PREPERATION AX3_Get_Nervous

.########### |S AX10_Make_Msiatkes AX12_Lecturer’s Response to Mistakes

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### | AX2_Worry about Failing
######## M|T
-1 ##### +
########## |

##### |
.###### |
.###### |
-2 ##### +

## |
|

## S|
.#### |
-3 .#### +

## |
|

.# |
.# |
-4 . +
.## T|

|
.# |

|
-5 . +

|
|
| Easy to endorse
.## |
-6 .# +
|

EACH "#" IS 2: EACH "." IS 1

Figure 1: Item-Person Map

The inferential statistics (independent sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA))
were carried out to compare the students’ English-speaking anxiety mean scores with the
selected demographic variables (gender, school location and teaching subject) (Table 2). The
independent samples t-test shows no significant difference in the speaking anxiety mean scores
for both gender and school location (p>.05). The one-way ANOVA shows a significant difference
in speaking anxiety scores for teaching subject (scientific, non-scientific and English) (p<.05).
Post-hoc analysis using tukey test indicates that the participants who teach English have the least
level of speaking anxiety, followed by those teaching scientific subjects, and those teaching non-
scientific subjects, with significant differences between all the categories, p<0.05.

Table 2: Independent samples t-test and One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)

Variable N Mean±SD (Logit) p value
Gender 0.779
Male 116 -.85±1.65 0.356
Female 174 -0.91±1.92 .000*
School location
Urban 184 -0.83±1.75
Rural 102
Teaching Subject
Scientific 2 36 -1.19±1.95
Non-Scientific 3 154 -0.26±1.37

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English 1 70 -2.06±1.83

* The mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level

5. DISCUSSION

From the above analyses, one can reason that the participants experience some degrees of
English-speaking anxiety in class activities which involve the presence of their lecturers and
professors. The items they endorsed as the causes of their English-speaking anxiety revolve
around the three variables identified by Horwitz et al. (1986), i.e. speaking apprehension, fear of
negative evaluation, and fear of making mistakes. This anxiety (of various kinds) experienced
stems from two factors which can be categorised as linguistic and non-linguistic. Under the
linguistic factors, participants were anxious about making grammatical mistakes, and worried
about the comments the lecturers would make on their grammatically flawed conversations. On
the other hand, the non-linguistic factors represent their failure to speak English in public as a
result of having negative perception of the audience, especially their professors. This finding is in
agreement with Amiri and Puteh (2018) who conducted an English-speaking anxiety research on
a group of international doctoral students studying in various Malaysian universities. They found
out that those students experience speaking anxiety caused by their inadequate linguistic
competency, inadequate knowledge of the topic being presented, negative perception of the
examiners, and other factors such as linguistic deficiency of examiners in understanding their
presentation. Moreover, the lack of statistically significant difference in the mean scores on the
basis of gender suggest that both male and female adult learners in the ESL/EFL context
experience an almost equal level of speaking anxiety. This underpins findings of relevant studies
which show no gender difference in speaking anxiety (Ahmed et al., 2017; Hasrul et al., 2013;
Mohammad Batiha et al., 2016). With regards to the school location which is reported to have
no effect on the participants’ English-speaking anxiety, this disagrees with the study undertaken
by Piechurska-Kuciel (2012) in which she reported rural secondary students as being more
anxious at English speaking than their counterparts in urban centers. Finally, the one-way ANOVA
results, which indicate that the English teaching participants are the least anxious at speaking,
suggest that the linguistic capability of this group has helped them enhance their confidence at
speaking, unlike other groups who might not be completely free from inaccurate construction of
sentences when expressing their ideas. The ability possessed by Science teaching participants to
showcase a lower level of speaking anxiety than non-science teachers is due to the nature of their
taught subjects whose terms and expressions do not usually have equivalents in their mother
tongues. This phenomenon might have got them acclimatized to the use of English and enhanced
their confidence in speaking.

6. CONCLUSION

The Rasch analyses revealed that the school teachers enrolled in a master of education program
at IIUM did not show a high level of English-speaking anxiety. The overall level of anxiety found
was caused by speaking apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, and fear of making mistakes
as identified by Horwitz et at. (1986). Moreover, the analysis of the independent sample t-test
suggests that there is no statistically significant difference in English speaking anxiety due to

164

gender and school location, while the One-way ANOVA analysis’ results indicate a statistically
significant difference in speaking anxiety among the participants due to their teaching subjects.
The English teaching participants were shown as the least anxious, followed by those teaching
Sciences, whereas the participants teaching non-science subjects were indicated as the most
anxious at speaking. In efforts to address this speaking anxiety issue, experts should work further
on how to address the factors leading to speaking anxiety. Lecturers should also motivate
students to use English in the classrooms and avoid intense criticisms when responding to
students’ mistakes. Students are also encouraged to increase their use of English language in
different situations and build on their confidence as this can lessen their level of speaking anxiety.
This research recommends more studies on English speaking anxiety in order that the factors
responsible for this problem be researched with more in-depth and their possible solutions could
be further identified.

Acknowledgment: The researchers would like to express their gratitude and appreciation to all
school teachers who consented to participate in the study.

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Proceedings of the 3rd International Language & Tourism Conference 2019
Sustaining Global Development Goals through
Language, Education and Tourism

Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia,
Pagoh Edu Hub, Malaysia 18th-19th October 2019

THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH FOR TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY (ETP)
IN MALANG’S THEMATIC VILLAGES, INDONESIA

Putu Dian Danayanti Degeng*1, Irene Nany Kusumawardani2 and Moh. Hasbullah
Isnaini3

1, 2 Faculty of Cultural Studies, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.
3Faculty of Cultural Studies, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.
(*E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected])

ABSTRACT

The skill to master foreign language is surely needed for those who work in the field of
tourism and hospitality. All the activities that involve locals and tourists require qualified
interactive communication. Therefore, when a tourism sector envisions going international,
the need of English for Tourism and Hospitality (ETP) is unavoidable. ETP is used for
international tourism and service industry which is considered under the category of English
for specific purposes and its practical application needs to be understood (Cravotta, n.d.).
Known as the heart of East Java with cool climate, Malang still holds its position as a popular
destination for international tourists in Indonesia. As an old city, Malang has a lot of
heritage historical buildings and houses; all of those have been preserved for hundred years
as cultural heritage areas and have been used as a tourist destination. Malang also received
an award as Kota Pusaka Indonesia by National Trust Organization in London for having its
own historical story. One of the areas that were inaugurated as Malang’s Thematic Villages
in 2018 was “Kampoeng Heritage Kayoetangan”. Without professionals, but through the
ownership of the historical houses, stores and cuisines, the locals act as the front-liners who
directly deal with the tourists, and therefore hold a crucial role in giving service and
hospitality on the spots. However, there is not much awareness of the need for mastering
International languages, especially English. The authoresses, through observation, explore
the importance of communication skills in English language among locals in Malang’s
Thematic Villages in Indonesia. The implications of the findings are discussed and concerns
rose over the need to address evident potentials or weaknesses in order to enhance tourism
management quality in Malang Thematic Villages, Indonesia.

Keywords: ETP; Malang Thematic Villages; Locals; Tourism Management

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1. INTRODUCTION

Tourism has become the most dynamic and fastest growth industry due to the
participation of travelling activity in the world. Indonesia has done tremendous efforts
in promoting its tourism. The Indonesian government through the Ministry of Tourism
has designated 2018 as Visit Wonderful Indonesia Year. The country is expected to
attract more than 20 million foreign visitors in 2019 and earn about 17.6 billion US
dollars from tourism related activities (“economy”). However, tourists do not just come
for the facilities and attractions. They want to be treated right and well. An important
component in the tourism industry is the human resource since it plays an eminent role
in promoting the image of the country as a top tourism spot. A good command of the
English language as an International language is always regarded as an asset for
personnel in the tourism industry since most visitors do not speak Bahasa Indonesia,
the national language. Therefore, the mastery of multi languages, especially English as
International language will be of a significant contribution to the development of
country’s cultural tourism sustainability.

Malang is one of clean and cool cities in East Java, Indonesia (“Malang Tourism: Offers
Its Beautiful Beaches And The Others Nature Scenery,” n.d.). It is located 90 km south of
Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city. Many people say that it is the heart of East
Java. The city is well known for its mild climate. During the period of Dutch colonization,
it was a popular destination for European residents (“Sejarah Malang,” n.d.). Until now,
Malang still holds its position a popular destination for international tourists. Tourism
sector in Malang Regency has enough prospective opportunity to be developed into
Tourism industry. It will be capable in a tourism competition in other area or even in
the world. This may be reasonable, because the tourism objects have enough
immeasurable and have special characteristic. Malang is rich in potential for agriculture,
medicinal plants and tourism. From its natural tourism, Malang is highly potential. The
regency is surrounded by three large mountains in east java: Mt. Arjuno on the North,
Mt. Semeru on the East, Mt. Kawi and Mt.Panderman on the West, and Mt. Kelud on
the South (“Geografis,” n.d.). It makes Malang offer lovely natural sceneries. With its
jargon “Beautiful Malang”, Malang’s Department of Tourism and Culture has targeted
to reach 5.2 million domestic tourists and 17 thousand of foreign ones.

Malang is also known for the beauty of city architecture. It is one of the cities in East Java
which has been planned by Herman Thomas Kartsen, a Dutch engineer who gave major
contributions to architecture and town planning in Indonesia during Dutch colonial rule.
Most significantly he integrated the practice of colonial urban environment with native
elements; a radical approach to spatial planning for Indonesia at the time. Even after a
long time has passed by, cultural heritage in Malang city remains the same (“historical”).
Historical remnants also scattered around Malang area such as temples and timeworn
buildings. Some prominent and mighty kingdoms in Indonesia’s ancient time left their
relics in Malang regency; they are Singhasari, Kanjuruhan and Majapahit kingdom.
Historical and archaeological records from Hindu

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temples suggest that the Kanjuruhan Kingdom emerged in the region during the 8th and
9th Centuries. Malang's temples save the historical value of the past Kingdom in Malang
regency, they are; Singosari temple, Jago temple, Kidal temple, etc. In the era of the
Dutch East India Company, Malang was a base for the Trunojoyo resistance (1674-1680)
against the Company-assisted Mataram. The history has left marks on many important
areas in Malang city and makes it become historical buildings. By the Dutch colonialism
Malang nowadays still remain the contribution of Dutch like the building, for example;
Jami Mosque (or Agung Mosque), Sacred Heart Church (Gereja Hati Kudus Yesus) in
Kayutangan, Saint Therese Cathedral (Gereja Ijen or Katedral Santa Theresia) in Ijen
Street, seat for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Malang, Eng An Kiong Buddhist Temple
in Laksamana Martadinata Street.

Not far from the previously mentioned historical buildings, there is a village in
Kayoetangan area which is dwelled by local residents in vintage houses. The houses are
preserved through generations and still maintain their authentic styles. Recently, the
village is inaugurated as one of Malang’s Thematic Villages in 2018, with a name of
“Kampoeng Heritage Kayoetangan”. There are around 30 houses in 3 neighborhoods
that have been labeled as historical remnants and are open for tourists. The local
residents still resides in the old houses and transform their living rooms to become
more instagramable where tourist can feel the vintage ambience and travel to the past
time. Aside from its huge potential of tourism sectors, the ability of the people in
“Kampoeng Heritage Kayoetangan” to communicate in international language,
especially English is still very low. There are tour guides, ticketing staff, locals, and food
stall owners that certainly need to improve their English skills. Even, most of them
barely experienced learning English language at all. This research investigates the need
and awareness of the people in “Kampoeng Heritage Kayoetangan” about the
importance of English for Tourism and Hospitality, in order to improve their service and
product qualities. The information about the need will be used as the base for
developing English materials which later will help them improve their English, especially
speaking since they will be using it for promoting the site. Thus, Knowing the need about
the importance of English for these people, English for Tourism and Hospitality (ETP),
leads to the development of booklet from which they take the source of information
when promoting their place.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

This part explains about the theories related to the topic. There are three theories that
relate to the mentioned topic, they are the history and characteristics of Malang
Thematic Village, English for Specific Purposes (ESP), and English for Tourism and
Hospitality (ETP).

2.1 Malang Thematic Village

The idea of Malang Thematic Village was born from Malang City Government when it
tries to support the universal access sanitation through a 100-0-100 program (target of

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100% access to drinking water, 0% of slum areas, and 100% of access to proper
sanitation). One of their programs was to support the city without slums. In Malang
City, the development of thematic villages is expected to be problem solvers related to
existing slums. The development of this thematic village also tends to be oriented
towards the development of the economy and tourism sector in Malang City (Akbar &
Alvian, 2018). Malang city government together with the community of Malang had built
thematic villages with the intention of attracting tourists to visit.

Malang city in recent years has already have dozens of new tourist destinations which
spread in villages and around the city center. It has been preparing itself to be a city of
creativity (Kompasiana.com, n.d.). However, tourism is able to provide advancement for
an area when the community in that region can manage that tourism potential maximally.
Therefore, thematic village is the result of local community’s creative idea that changes
their neighborhood into tourist destination which can bring benefits for them. Some
thematic villages that exist in Malang are Glintung Go Green (3G), Kampung Warna-Warni
Jodipan (KWJ), Kampung Tridi (3D Villages), Kampung Budaya Polowijen, and Kampung
Biru Arema (Hezza, n.d., 2018). In the development of thematic village in Malang city
involve various elements of community like scholars, students, village youth, sponsor, and
many other elements. Villages which were originally a slum, poorly maintained, dull, now
become clean, tidy, beautiful, full of flowers, colorful, decorated with many decorations,
design, aesthetic 3D elements which are so artistic. Thematic village movement with the
intention to become city tourist destination can be seen as alternative tourism movement
which offers other alternative from tourist destination that managed by investor so
relatively expensive. Thematic village offers new tourist attraction which is cheap,
friendly, and educative (Fs, n.d.).

2.2. English for Specific Purposes (ESP)

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is not a new thing in English subjects. Moreover, ESP
becomes prominent in English as Foreign Language (EFL) or English as a Second Language
(ESL). This happened because of the increasing demands for English lessons that suit the
learners need and suitable with their fields. ESP is considered as a new approach in
English lessons, that is different from the predominant one, the General English (GE). ESP
refers to the learning of English that is oriented to special needs of the learners, in
accordance with their fields and professions. ESP emerged in 1960 when gradually,
English started to dominate the need of International language for the advance of
technology, commerce, and academic (Mackay, 1978). Furthermore, Robinson (1991)
added that “It (here ESP) is generally used to refer to the teaching and learning of a
foreign language for a clearly utilitarian purpose of which there is no doubt.”

The difference between ESP and other English language teaching subjects, even the
applied linguistic one, is that ESP is very much practical in the specific fields, based on

171

the learners’ field. ESP also has variables that show some substances, if it is compared
to GE or ESL/EFL. For example: a) ESP is applied in specific situations and has distinct
teaching method from the GE, b) ESP is more suitable for adult learner, in higher
education level or professionals, though it also suits the learner characteristics of high
school students, c) ESP is usually designed for college students in higher education but
it is also possible to be applied for those who are new in learning English.

Correlated to the content and syllabus used in ESP, Mc Donough (1984) argued that,
“ESP courses are those where the syllabus and materials are determined in all essentials
by prior analysis of the communication needs of the learners.” Donough’s opinion
indicates that material, syllabus, and objectives of ESP must be designed and developed
based on the learner’s needs. Therefore, it can be concluded that in its application, ESP
uses a bottom up approach. Furthermore, from the aspect of approach, concept and
method, ESP should be seen as distinct from general English.

The focus of ESP is typical language use (grammar, lexis, and register), skills, discourse,
and genres; those should go along with the activities. Since the material is developed
based on analysis upon learners’ needs, ESP has many branches that grow along with
the development of academic fields and professions. Those branches are including
subjects in law, medical, machine engineering, economy, tourism and hotel, maritime,
etc. some of the terms of ESP based on those specific fields are English for Business
Purposes (EBP), English for Academic Purposes (EAP), English for Occupational Purposes
(EOP), and English for Medical Purposes (EMP), English for Tourism Purposes (ETP), etc.
These specifications are surely expands to the possibilities of more professions in the
future.

2.3. English for Tourism and Hospitality Purposes (ETP)

The skill to master foreign language is surely needed for those who work in the field of
tourism and hospitality (Zahedpisheh, B Abu Bakar, & Saffari, 2017). All the activities that
involve locals and tourists require qualified interactive communication. Especially for the
professionals who want to improve the quality of their tourism services. For that matter,
English as a lingua franca and the main international language is at stake to be mastered.
In order to fulfil the need to provide better services for tourists as well as to give exact
information in tourism sectors, English for Tourism and Hospitality (ETP) emerged.
Specifically, ETP discusses about the English aspects that are needed such as “…specific
professional conversations, language, vocabulary, and speech matter when serving
guests” (M Blue & Harun, 2003).

ETP emerged as part of English for Specific Purpose (ESP) and held an important role in
the quality of services in tourism. When a tourism sector envisions going international,
then the need of ETP is unavoidable. According to Cravotta (Zahedpisheh et al., 2017),
“English for tourism and hospitality is used for international tourism and service
industry which is considered under the category of English for specific purposes and its
practical application needs to be understood”. Moreover, LiWei (2011) added that “ESP

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is considered as a main subject or topic that can promulgate competence into the
hospitality and tourism preparation and training programs”. In other words, ETP as part of
ESP is meant for those who not only aim to increase their service quality but also to
expand larger market place (foreign tourists).

For the English instructors of ETP, the awareness of the importance of ETP shall be
completed with topics material and teaching method that fits the need, background,
and atmosphere of the learners themselves. Nunan (1988) highlighted that “…educators
engaged and responsible in using English for tourism purpose (ETP) as a theoretical
framework have numerous roles and duties.

3. METHODOLOGY

This study aims to analyse the need of a tourism area in Malang, Kampoeng Heritage
Kajoetangan, in order to increase their prestige and promotion among the foreign tourists
in English language scope. Based on the purpose, this need analysis focuses on what the
population required in learning. Need analysis is the process to identify what the student
will receive and how the course will run (Prachanant, 2012). The participants of this study
were 4 people who work and live in the tourism site. They are ticketing staff, café owner,
local guide and local management staff; 2 males and 2 females; age 25-40 years old. The
instrument used in this research is observation checklist since the research needed in
depth analysis to obtain the data. It gives you the opportunity to provide rich, detailed
descriptions of the social setting in your field notes and to view unscheduled events,
improve interpretation, and develop new questions to be asked of informants (DeMunck
& Sobo, 1998).

The observation checklist is divided into two parts which are the awareness of the
community about English and English skill of the people in the tourism site. First part
focuses on how the community perception toward the importance of English in the
tourism area. It includes the observation in a scope of competence in General English,
English for Tourism and Hospitality Purposes (ETP), availability of English learning centre,
and supporting facility used English. Second, the observation determined the English skill
of the tourism community that has been divided into four main skills and four micro skills
for each main skill. the data is then analysed using thematic network analysis since it
allows to take a more exploratory perspective, encourage to consider and code all the
data, allowing for new impressions to shape interpretation in different and unexpected
directions without reducing the data (Pope, 2000). Next, the data is coded into some
categories and it will be classified into some needs of tourism community. The process
carries out a conclusion which is displayed as the result of this research.

4. MAIN RESULTS

The observation was conducted on July-August 2019. First observation is about the
awareness of the community about English. It is found that English is not often used in
the community. People mostly think that English is too hard and sophisticated. Speaking

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in English is considered strange (too cool). Those who wants to try, becomes afraid of
making mistakes. So far, they communicate with foreigners through gesture and text
(prepared instruction about ticketing for example). Actually, several tourism doers had
learned English on schools. But they are lacking in practice since there is no English
centre near the community, and English training is only done by government/scholars
with no regular schedule. In sort, some of them think that learning English is surely will
help them to give better services but the idea of mastering English is way out of reach
(too far). In general, the community competence toward the relevant function English
for tourism (general conversations, providing services, offering help, and asking for
cooperation) is insufficient or very poor. But, they are better in giving information and
answering questions and solving the problems. Surprisingly, they don’t think that
facility provided, for example; sign, map, history or guidebook and tourist guidance
application can help the foreign tourist because it is still written in local language
(Bahasa Malang Tempoe Doeloe). Hence, people agree that ETP can affect the tourism’s
promotion and personal benefits in this community by rapidly increase the quality of
their product and services; and therefore larger market. At present time, the locals has
started to open stores (souvenir), food stalls (warung), making signature snack
(rempeyek) and the historical houses also work to become a guest houses that provide
signature dish with unique storytelling in each houses. They think that having enough
vocabulary that relates to their tourism service activities will enhance their quality and
popularity.

Second observation is about the awareness of the community about English skill in the
tourism site. For listening skill, it is found that they are good enough in understanding
English without translating into native language before. They also good enough in listen
and get the main idea, but weak in understanding long sentences and distinguish
different accents. For speaking, they are good enough in giving feedback precisely, but
weak in speaking English clearly and correctly, speaking long sentences and transfering
the information to customers to understand correctly. In reading, people are good
enough in understanding the context of the content without a dictionary in translation,
but still weak in reading and getting the main ideas quickly, reading long articles, and
translating the terminology without a dictionary. In writing, it is found that their skill is
very weak. They cannot write the customer’s need correctly, cannot write with correct
grammar, cannot write official English and cannot write using tourism terminology
correctly and appropriately.

From those findings, it can be summed up that people in Kampoeng Heritage Kajoetangan
Malang still lack of confidence in mastering English because of their point of view toward
English that is too hard, sophisticated and strange. These paradigm lead to the difficulty in
mastering the language which results in the failure in mastering the language. Thus, they
need contextual-based English learning to accomplish their jobs in

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a more professional way through non formal education. One of the non formal
educations they can have is the English course from which they can get professional
helps from the tutors. They also need a contextual materials which can help them
understand to explain the sites they working in and at the same time promoting the
place.

5. CONCLUSION

The result of the observation tells us that people in Kampoeng Heritage Kajoetangan
Malang need to be motivated in enhancing their confidence and widen their point of view
towards the importance of mastering English; and they also need contextual-based English
learning to accomplish their jobs in a more professional way through non formal education.
One of the ways to help the people in this tourism site is designing an English material
which is closely related to their field, tourism. A course material manual that is simple and
interesting is likely needed to guide them learn English better for those who have already
known English and beneficial for those who don’t understand English well yet. Thus,
Developing non-formal course material, English for Tourism and Hospitality Purposes (ETP),
for Kampoeng Heritage Kajoetangan Malang is crucially needed to help promoting this
historical site better.

Bibliography:

Dr. Putu Dian Danayanti Degeng S.S., M.Pd, is an English lecturer in Universitas Brawijaya,
Malang, Indonesia. Her teaching and research interest include educational psychology,
classroom management, model and media development, and early childhood education.
Email: [email protected]; Abstract: The Importance of ETP in Malang’s Thematic
Villages, Indonesia.

Irene Nany K., M.Li is now a lecturer at Universitas Brawijaya Malang, Indonesia. In the
academic field, her prime interest is upon metaphor and its role in language, education,
environment and human lives. With her teams, she develops creative media of literature
to teach English grammar to the students and society. Culinary, tourism and
entrepreneurship become her newly interests to explore. Email: [email protected];
Abstract: The Importance of ETP in Malang’s Thematic Villages, Indonesia.

Dr. Moh. Hasbullah Isnaini, M.Pd is a full time lecturer teaching English in Universitas
Brawijaya Malang, Indonesia. His research interest in Language Teaching, especially
Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Email: [email protected]; Abstract: The
Importance of ETP in Malang’s Thematic Villages, Indonesia

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Acknowledgment: The authors would like to express their appreciation for the support of
the Dean of Faculty of Cultural Studies who always encourages them to develop their
professionalism by participating in this conference. They also would like to say gratitude to
all participants belong to Kampoeng Heritage Kajoetangan Malang who were actively
involved in this research. Thanks to Malang tourism department which provided all the
information upon the completion of this research.

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Proceedings of the 3rd International Language & Tourism Conference 2019
Sustaining Global Development Goals through
Language, Education and Tourism

Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia,
Pagoh Edu Hub, Malaysia 18th-19th October 2019

THE USE OF PERSUASIVE LANGUAGE IN EXTREMIST GROUPS:
A CASE STUDY OF ISIS ONLINE COMMUNICATION

*Tengku Azriana Zainab Tengku Anuar Mussaddad

Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University
Malaysia (IIUM), Pagoh, Johor Darul Takzim, Malaysia.
(*E-mail: [email protected])

ABSTRACT

The uprising influence and terrorizing threats by extremist groups such as Islamic State of
Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) place a great importance on the use of persuasive language as a solid
strategy in communicating their ideologies. ISIS’ ability to exploit the use of the Internet in
order to spread their message has resulted in the increase of its members. Numerous
propaganda videos released by ISIS on online platforms are highly persuasive and has the
potential to attract new recruits to join them in the battlefield against the West. This
research examines the use of persuasive language by ISIS in their online communication,
specifically focusing on their online recruitment videos. The primary focus of this research
explores the theoretical aspects of persuasion in communication studies and how it is
applied in the making of ISIS online speech content. A total of two ISIS videos were
purposively selected as samples for this study. Each video showcased the speech given by
one ISIS member from the East (Indonesian) and another from the West (Canadian)
respectively. This research applied an eclectic approach using both qualitative content
analysis and rhetorical analysis to achieve its objectives. The persuasive elements observed
in ISIS online persuasive speech was tabulated in accordance to Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals
as its main theory for analysis. Furthermore, a sociolinguistics comparison was employed to
understand how ISIS online persuasion speech content varies between speakers of different
linguistic backgrounds. The analysis of the findings provides an insight on what modes of
persuasion are used in ISIS online communication.

Keywords: Persuasion; Persuasive language; Rhetoric; ISIS; Online communication.

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1. INTRODUCTION

This research focuses on a case study on the modes of persuasion used in ISIS online speech
content. It specifically looks at the online videos spread by ISIS through social media
platforms such as YouTube to disseminate their messages and ideologies. As online
communication continuously impacts our lives, its advancement has brought about a
change in human interaction. This is because it enables humans to connect from all around
the globe despite having cultural, religious and social differences. Today, it has become
inevitable for people to be dependent towards the Internet as their form of communication.
Broadly speaking, communication provides the means to exchange information between
individuals, groups, organizations and those across national borders. It also functions as an
act to educate, entertain and to persuade.

Persuasion is known as a symbolic process of convincing people to change their behaviours
on a certain issue. As online communication continues to grow in this modern era, these
groups take it as an opportunity to achieve their own ulterior motives to disseminate and
promote their violent ideologies and spread fear among the public. This is their way of
persuading others to join their extremist movement. One famous example is the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or known by its Arabic acronym, DAESH, a phrase known as “al-
Dawla al-Islamiya al-Iraq al-Sham.”

Since the capture of Mosul in 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have made
international headlines in the mass media. The establishment of this self-proclaimed
“Caliphate” and their use of persuasive power across the Internet has shaped them into one
of the most infamous cyber jihadists in today’s modern community (Lakomy, 2018).

1.1 Background of the Study

The history of persuasion firstly began from the ancient Greeks with the existence of
Aristotle’s Rhetoric (Dylgjeri, 2014). A profound theory which was developed by a Greek
philosopher named Aristotle, focused on a great deal in understanding the art of
persuasion. As we know, language has always been a tool of communication among people.
It is a mean for people to communicate with one another. Language itself when used
strategically can be highly persuasive. It is believed that words can cause changes within the
heart and mind of people and even history.

Aristotle defines spoken persuasion as verbally influencing others to think or behave in the
speaker’s intended direction. Normally the persuasion process involves elements of source
credibility, strong and sound arguments of the message, and the recipients’ emotions. He
believes that persuasion is an act that is carefully organised and uses meaningful language
when articulating ideas, presenting convincing arguments and testing and clarifying
knowledge (Umbreht, 2018).

Mastering persuasion is important as the manner of speaking and the exact choice of words
may influence the audience to think and act according to the speaker’s wishes and
intentions. Many persuasive leaders have long since learned how to apply the power of
persuasion to turn the tables in their favour (Blaney, 2014). They would try to captivate

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their audience and persuade them to accept the speakers’ messages and to endorse them
as potential leaders. Leaders who can penetrate the psychological aspects of the audience
are in the right path to achieve success in the field of persuasion.

Similarly, in the world of violent extremism, persuasion is a strong tool in enhancing the
appeal of any extremist group’s propaganda messages in the hopes of influencing their
potential and current followers. One famous extremist group known as the Islamic State of
Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has grown to be a major global threat for the past decade. The
extremist group took their propaganda of terror to new heights through their massive
production and online dissemination of audio-visual contents. The Internet’s ability to act as
a platform to spread information has resulted in the rise of online terrorism threats by this
extremist group. Therefore, there is no surprise that ISIS is embracing this digital
phenomenon to their advantage. Their hopes are to not only spread their fundamental
ideologies but to also recruit new potential members from all around the globe. Their
persuasive online content can appeal to their viewers and eventually convince them to be a
part of their movement.

ISIS ability to communicate online has become the ideal strategy to communicate among
members and their followers (Neo, 2016). Their online content is made accessible globally
and is available in several languages such as Arabic, English, Turkish, German and French.
Those from Western countries are usually the intended target or known as the Islamic
State’s so-called “foreign fighters”. Their online video content are often spread across social
media accounts on Facebook, Telegram, Twitter, YouTube, among others. Such access to
these online tools gives ISIS the opportunity “to select any content, manipulate it, and
reproduce it to frame their ideals more effectively for their followers” as part of their
persuasive online strategy (Yu & Haque, 2016).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Persuasion has been used in communication to influence others to do something. One must
be able to understand the elements needed in persuasive communication in order to be
persuasive. ISIS has been using persuasion as their tool to influence others to join their
extremist movement causing an increase in their members. Despite having joint efforts from
numerous international and local assistance in the Middle East and Central Asia, the spread
of ISIS ideologies on the Internet are still quite noticeable (Lakomy, 2018).

Ascone (2017) analyzed the rhetoric strategies used by ISIS on online platforms. It was found
that ISIS would lure their victims by manipulating them through persuasive rewards and
romanticized concept of brotherhood if these victims were to join ISIS. Based on a research
done by Schmid (2015), ISIS has used persuasion as a major role in attracting foreign fighters
to join their forces. While most people are disgusted by the cruelty of ISIS shown through
the media, there are still a minority of born Muslims and those who recently entered Islam,
who are attracted to it despite the violence they are upholding. Moreover, Farwell (2014)
explored ISIS’ persuasive power on the Internet. He claimed that the group has caught the
attention of many, and their propagandas are being spread like wildfire. He further suggests
future research to deeply explore on ISIS persuasive communication strategies in order to
counter and combat the issue.

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Many studies have explored on ISIS communication strategies online, however studies
analysing the use of persuasive language used by ISIS online recruitment videos are still
lacking. A possible reason could be because, only recently are Western population being
confronted about the existence of ISIS. Furthermore, many are now realizing what an
impact ISIS is having and will have historically by spreading their persuasive ideologies
online. No extensive research has been conducted on the use of persuasive language in
extremist groups especially in the case of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Such limited
research, henceforth, calls for a study to investigate the use of persuasive language in ISIS
online communication from a sociolinguistic and communicative point of view.

1.3 Research Objectives

1. To identify the modes of persuasion used in ISIS online communication.
2. To investigate how ISIS online persuasion speech content varies between speakers of
different linguistic backgrounds.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What modes of persuasion are used in ISIS online communication?
2. How does ISIS online persuasion speech content varies between speakers of different
linguistic backgrounds?

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Persuasion: Meaning and Scope

Persuasion came from the Latin word known as “persuasio” which means to persuade. It is
an art either verbal or written with the intention of influencing someone to do something
according to the persuader’s purpose at that present moment (Keraf, 2004). It is important
to highlight that persuasion runs in various aspects of our lives through advertisements,
political speeches, religious sermons, parenting, marriage and so on.

According to Merriam-Webster (2019), persuasion is a general concept of causing someone
to change their belief. It is noted that persuasion gives people the power to choose rather
than forcing them to choose. It is argued that, the ones being persuaded are given the
freedom to accept or reject the message. This is aligned with Olubunmi (2016) which states
that persuasion is a communication process which convinces one or many individuals to
change their behaviour by free choice.

Furthermore, Fotheringham (1966) as cited in Vlăduţescu (2014) defined persuasion as the
effects of a message which changes the behaviour of the receiver. This definition focuses
more on the receiver rather than the persuader as it focuses on the impact of the
persuasive message towards the psychological behaviour of the receiver.

Moreover, O’Keefe (2014) defines persuasion as an act where the immediate goal of
persuasion is to change one’s mental or behavioural state. For something to be considered
as persuasive, a sender must first have a goal where communication is used to achieve it

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and that the recipient has the free will to accept what is being communicated (O’Keefe,
2014).

Perloff (2003) adds how persuasion is a process which involves the use of language when
transmitting a message. It includes various symbols, either verbal or non-verbal signs. Next,
it involves the ability to influence another by changing their behaviour based on the
persuader’s goal(s). He further explains how persuasion is a type of social influence which
involves a conscious attempt to persuade and that the receiver has a state of mind which is
susceptible to further changes.

A study done by Poggi (2005) also supports persuasion as an act where the objective is to
make people embrace certain beliefs or adopt new goals or abandon previous goals in
favour of a better one. It is important to note that the meaning of persuasion has often
been associated to the meaning of propaganda. However, propaganda is considered as a
negative connotation. The difference it has in comparison to persuasion is that, persuasion
benefits both the sender and recipient, while propaganda only benefits the sender
(Henderson, 2011).

2.2 Aristotle’s Theory of Persuasion

Persuasion is known as the art of influencing someone to change their belief. It can be done
either verbally or written and that the person being persuaded is given the freedom to
reject or accept the message (Olubunmi, 2016). Aristotle defines persuasion as verbally
influencing others to think or behave in the speaker’s intended direction. He believes that
persuasion is an act that is carefully organised and uses meaningful language when
articulating ideas, presenting convincing arguments and testing and clarifying knowledge
(Umbreht, 2018). In the study of persuasive discourse, Aristotle’s rhetoric lays out three
major elements that build the foundation of spoken persuasion. These three elements are
known as ethos, pathos and logos. This theory will be the main theory of analysis for
discussing the modes of persuasion used in ISIS online communication.

The establishment of a speaker’s credibility is known as Ethos. An audience is more likely to
be persuaded by someone of good character rather than a poor one. This is because, one
with good character is perceived as much more credible (La France, 2017). Hendricks (2018)
explains the need for a speaker to come across as trustworthy and credible if they wish to
appeal to their audience. A similar study by Mshvenieradze (2013) also believed that the
message brought forward by the speaker will only appeal to the audience when there is a
solid engagement between the two. Therefore, a presenter is encouraged to present
arguments which are sound, reliable and competent.

Pathos refers to the act of appealing to the audience’s emotions (La France, 2017).
Shabarina (2016) stated that emotions can powerfully influence the audience’s rational
judgment. Therefore, it becomes essential for a speaker to express oneself to a point that it
can cause favourable emotions among the audience. These favourable emotions can either
be joy, sadness, anger, frustration, confusion, fear, empathy, etc.

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Logos is related to logical reasoning. It explains how a speaker appeals to the audience with
the use of reason, facts and logic when presenting an argument. La France (2017) claims
that a statement will be considered as persuasive if it is naturally self-evident and is based
upon truthful presuppositions. Furthermore, logos is proved as a superior and unchallenged
persuasive method as every argument is supported by strong, logical and rational facts.

2.3 ISIS Online Communication

The internet was designed to ease the process of communication. However, it lacks the solid
security needed when communicating with others online. Therefore, extremist groups can
exploit the Internet’s vulnerability for their own hidden agenda (Erickson & Giacomello,
2016). Terrorists can communicate with potential recruits online, collaborate with them and
have the power to convince them to join their movement. Significantly, the amount of
material spread by extremist groups these days are increasing daily (Behr, 2013).

Similarly, Betram (2016) also supports that the advancement of the Internet and the
presence of social media has provided a key operational advantage for extremist groups to
spread their ideologies. This is due to the removal of third-party media reliance which allows
extremist groups to create their own content online and have those materials re-
disseminate among social media networks like Facebook, Telegram, Twitter, YouTube and
many more. Such access enables ISIS to manipulate their followers by framing its content to
appeal to their viewers (Yu & Haque, 2016). It further makes reaching out to their targeted
audience much easier (Betram, 2016).

According to Awan (2017), the group has created violent online content in their videos and
would post them on YouTube. They create content that glamourizes the idea of becoming a
jihadi and that being an ISIS fighter makes you look “cool”. For ISIS, YouTube has allowed
them to reach a wider global audience. Online recruitment videos such as “There’s No life
Without Jihad” has been watched repeatedly and has gained thousands of views. It featured
three British-speaking soldiers who invite the youth to be part of the Islamic State,
glamourizing how fun it is to live there. In addition, Awan (2017) further adds that ISIS once
created an online application back in 2014 called, “The Dawn of Glad Tidings”. The app was
made available in android’s ‘Google Play Store’ however was eventually suspended when
detected by the authorities.

A previous study done by Marcin (2016) found that ISIS exploits Twitter compared to
Facebook or Instagram profiles as Twitter has poor security and encryption tools. He also
added that the communication that takes place in social media by ISIS would include the use
of code-switching. They would communicate online with the mixture of both Arabic and
English words. This makes it easier to convey their persuasive message to a wider
international audience. Their online operations have also allowed them to disseminate their
propaganda which incites violence, radicalization, and recruitment of individuals to serve its
causes (Almohammad, 2018).

According to Podder and Gates (2015), ISIS creates various content in their online videos
which shows the different sides of the group. ISIS would usually send the message to their
viewer of how successful and just their cause of jihad is. On the other hand, they are also

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