EJAL Article template Available online at ijci.wcci-international.org International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 IJCI International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction Speaking struggles of young EFL learners Çiğdem Güneş a *, İskender Hakkı Sarıgöz b a Gazi University, Gazi Faculty of Education, Teknikokullar, Ankara, 06500 Turkey b Gazi University, Gazi Faculty of Education, Teknikokullar, Ankara, 06500 Turkey Abstract English lessons are obligatory from second grade onwards in Turkish state schools which means that language learners are exposed to English early on. Despite an early start, language learners struggle to acquire foreign language speaking skills. The problem of speaking English is a frequently encountered topic of discussion in educational contexts. There are various factors that are listed as the possible causes of language learners’ incompetence in speaking English which have to be investigated. In order to explore the potential reasons behind young EFL (English as a foreign language) learners’ difficulties with foreign language speaking skills 88 young EFL learners were examined. The Foreign Language Speaking Delay Inventory was created and applied to fourth-grade students from four intact groups of a primary school. Data were analyzed through frequencies that were calculated for each answer provided to the inventory. The results indicated that the young EFL learners in focus were eager to speak in the EFL lessons but that some factors such as attitude, language aptitude, negative beliefs about foreign language speaking skills, and linguistic difficulties evoked a delay in speaking. © 2016 IJCI & the Authors. Published by International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction (IJCI). This is an open- access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY-NC-ND) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Keywords: English speaking skills; foreign language learning; foreign language speaking delay; reticence; silence in the classroom; speaking anxiety; speaking delay; speaking English; speaking skills; young learners 1. Introduction Learning a foreign or second language, especially being able to speak the target language fluently, is a feature which is essential in today’s global community. Language enables people to communicate without further problems and opens up new possibilities and perspectives. That is why an early start of foreign language instruction is asked for. It is believed that the earlier languages are acquired, the better is their mastery. In Turkish primary schools EFL (English as a Foreign Language) lessons are provided from second grade onwards (Ministry of National Education [MoNE], 2018). Nevertheless, as previous literature indicates, there are still problems with regard to the * Çiğdem Güneş. Tel.: +0-544-743-0628 E-mail address: ccigdem.gunes@gmail.com 1268 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 acquisition and use of speaking skills (British Council & TEPAV, 2013) which have to be explored in detail so that a delay in speaking can be prevented. The current study aims to focus on the causes of foreign language speaking problems that could evoke a delay in speaking, and sets forward to give implications in order to improve language learners’ English speaking skills. With this aim in mind, the Foreign Language Speaking Delay Inventory was created and used to collect data from 88 fourth- grade students enrolled in a primary school. 2. Literature Review The essential outcome of English instruction should be to develop learners’ willingness to use the target language for communicative purposes. Willingness to communicate (WTC) indicates one’s readiness to start a discourse and is influenced by the speaker’s perceived communicative competence (MacIntyre, 2007). It is through fostering students’ WTC that their speaking ability can be increased (MacIntyre, 2007; MacIntyre, Baker, Clément, & Conrod, 2001). Though, it is not enough to foster learners’ WTC. There is also the need to lower the amount of speaking anxiety so that EFL learners are ready to produce oral utterances without inhibitions (Horwitz, 2010; Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986). Further, to ensure spoken production learners’ levels of language learning motivation, which is affected by attitudes towards the foreign language, the community, and the speakers of the target language (Gardner, 1990; Shumin, 2002; Spolsky, 1969), should be increased. That is why learners of English should not have any prejudices but positive attitudes towards the language they are learning and towards the culture and people of the language in question. The problems EFL learners have related to the acquisition of speaking skills are frequently investigated. Different studies tried to explore the reasons of speaking anxiety (Atas, 2015; Ay, 2010; Çağatay, 2015; Gartman, 2000; Hashemi, 2011; He 2013; Horwitz, 2000, 2010; Horwitz et al., 1986; Koçak, 2010; Liu & Jackson, 2008; Mahmoodzadeh, 2012; Mak, 2011; Öztürk & Gürbüz, 2012, 2014; Subaşı, 2010; Tianjian, 2010; Woodrow, 2006; Yalçın & İnceçay, 2014; Zhang & Rahimi, 2014), WTC (Cao, 2011; Cao & Philp, 2006; Kang, 2005; MacIntyre, 2007; MacIntyre et al., 2001; MacIntyre, Baker, Clément, & Donovan, 2002; MacIntyre, Burns, & Jessome, 2011; MacIntyre, Dörnyei, Clément, & Noels, 1998; Peng & Woodrow, 2010), reticence and silence in the classroom (Aghazadeh & Abedi; 2014; Donald, 2010; Jackson, 2012; Lee & Ng, 2009; Liu & Liu, 2011), and factors such as feedback (Gumbaridze, 2012), use of technology (Baniabdelrahman, 2013; Diyyab et al., 2013; Hwang et al., 2014; Hwang et al., 2016; Yen et al., 2015), and motivation in relation to speaking (Dinçer & Yeşilyurt, 2013). It has to be noticed that EFL learners’ speaking skills are influenced by both internal (native language, age, exposure, innate phonetic ability, identity, language ego, and Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1269 motivation) and external factors (teaching context and learner autonomy) (Nuraini, 2016). This indicates that language learning may be affected by many factors such as attitude, aptitude, anxiety, motivation, beliefs, language learning styles and strategies, learning context, EFL teacher, materials, learner personality, and culture (Gardner, 1990) which have to be taken into account in relation to speaking skills since these affective, sociocultural, and educational factors determine the level of interaction (Jackson, 2012). The fact that there are various aspects that bear an effect on speaking generates numerous obstacles in speaking. These struggles are caused by linguistic difficulties, the excessive use of the mother tongue and inhibition which are attributed to the teachers’ beliefs about teaching speaking, teaching strategies, curriculum, extracurricular activities, and assessment (Al Hosni, 2014). Scoring procedures, classmates’ mockeries (Nazara, 2011), unwillingness to communicate (Tok, 2009), problems with articulation (Mohtar et al., 2015), cultural factors, fear of being despised, the teacher effect (Savaşçı, 2014), psychological factors such as a lack of confidence (Juhana, 2012; Savaşçı, 2014), lack of motivation (Derakhshan, Tahery, & Mirarab, 2015; Juhana, 2012), anxiety (Horwitz, 2000, 2010; Horwitz et al., 1986; Jackson, 2012; Juhana, 2010; Nakatani, 2010; Savaşçı, 2014; Tok, 2009), shyness (Juhana, 2012; Mohtar, Abdullah, & Mat, 2015), and fear of making mistakes (Juhana, 2010; MacIntyre, 2007; MacIntyre et al., 2001; Savaşçı, 2014) also prevent students from speaking up in class. In addition, inappropriate error correction methods may block fluency (Gumbaridze, 2012). It appears that for students it is equipment and teachers that restrict the development of their speaking skills, while for teachers, time and classroom atmosphere are the most disturbing factors which slow down the development of learners’ speaking skills (Soureshjani & Riahipour, 2012). In addition, with regard to the Turkish context, Coskun (2016) reported that learners’ low speaking performance resulted from a heavy focus on grammar rules, structural differences between the native and target language, lack of experience abroad, limited speaking practice outside the classroom, speaking anxiety, teachers’ use of the mother tongue, and unsatisfactory teaching and learning materials. In order to eradicate the factors that cause problems in speaking, applicable speaking instruction needs more attention and priority (Leong & Ahmadi, 2017), learners’ needs have to be focused on, the environment and method for teaching speaking should facilitate learning (Nuraini, 2016), and technology should be integrated into the lessons to enable learners to practice English speaking skills (Baniabdelrahman, 2013; Diyyab, Abdel-Haq, & Aly, 2013; Hwang et al., 2014; Hwang et al., 2016; Yen, Houb, & Chang, 2015). Creative topics for speaking practice, learners’ confidence and speaking competence are also aspects that have to be focused on if the aim is to enhance the development of speaking skills for non-native speakers of English (Boonkita, 2009). 1270 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 Caused by or independent of speaking difficulties, reticence or silence in the classroom can also occur because of factors that block the articulation of spoken utterances. Language learners who are hesitant to speak up in class are the main reasons for reticence and silence. Students who refuse to actively participate in their own learning are reticent which hinders their learning, teacher effectiveness and classmate benefits of learning from silent students’ insights, observations, and experiences (Mirici, 2010; Liu & Liu, 2011). Factors that contribute to reticence are linguistic, psychological, and sociocultural such as communicative style (Harumi, 2010), students’ personality, teachers’ negative feedback and an authoritarian approach to students (Aghazadeh & Abedi, 2014). Cultural beliefs with regard to learning and teacher roles, fear of being misunderstood by learners, fear of losing face, and comprehensibility of input are other factors that foster reticence in the language classroom (Donald, 2010). Obviously, studies covering the reasons for problems that occur in speaking a foreign language are available but provide ambiguous results and take the adult perspective (e.g., high school, university) into account leaving young language learners out of focus. Due to a lack of research that focuses on young EFL learners’ foreign language speaking problems, the present study tries to emphasize young EFL learners’ speaking difficulties that may evoke a delay in speaking. Based on the outcomes of the study, the EFL lessons could be planned in a way that matches the students’ needs and expectations which could help to increase their level of involvement in the foreign language lessons. With these in mind, the study aims to answer the following research question: What are the difficulties young EFL learners face during speaking English as a foreign language? 3. Methodology 3.1. Setting and participants The study was conducted in a public primary school in Turkey. Four intact groups, which consisted of 88 fourth-grade students, participated in the study in the second term of academic year 2018-2019. The participants were chosen through convenience sampling since the researcher selected the target population based on geographical proximity, availability at a certain time, easy accessibility, and the participants’ willingness to volunteer (Dörnyei, 2007). There were 43 male and 45 female participants who ranged between 9 to 11 years of age. All participants’ first language was Turkish and they started to learn English from second grade onwards which means that they were already exposed to English for five school terms. These students participated in two English lessons per week each lasting 40 minutes. Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1271 Since the foreign language curriculum assumes that fourth-grade students have reached A1 level in English (MoNE, 2018), the participants of this study were regarded as having the qualities of A1 level students. 3.2. Instruments The items for the Foreign Language Speaking Delay Inventory (Appendix A) emerged with the help of an extensive literature review conducted in the field of foreign language speaking, and focus group interviews with fourth-grade students. The inventory was designed and applied to focus on factors that could influence speaking skills leading to a delay in speaking. The purpose of the inventory was to obtain a picture of the conditions, attitudes, and beliefs of the language learners from a sample drawn from the population. The interviews that served to create items for the Foreign Language Speaking Delay Inventory comprised 39 main questions and 95 elaborating questions. These were conducted with 88 students in nine different focus groups. As young language learners “may be unable to work out the intentions behind questions and to judge the amount of information required” (Pinter, 2011, p. 214), the inventory had to be designed in a way that was suitable for children and did not inhibit younger participants to answer the questions. That is why the standard Likert scale was turned into a choice between (1) ‘yes,’ (2) ‘not sure’ and (3) ‘no.’ Further, since it is better to make use of the learners’ first language in constructing instruments (Pinter, 2011), the present inventory was designed in the mother tongue of the participants and comprised 128 statements that had to be answered in a 3-point-Likert-type scale (Appendix B). The 128 statements in the inventory were created to gain insights into the effects of 15 different factors on foreign language speaking. The inventory comprised (1) Personal and Affective Factors (45 statements) such as personality (2 statements), practice (15 statements), motivation (9 statements), anxiety (3 statements), attitude (10 statements), attribution (6 statements); (2) Environmental and Social Factors (44 statements) such as environment (7 statements), materials (4 statements), EFL teacher (21 statements), classmates (12 statements); and (3) Linguistic and Cognitive Factors (39 statements) such as beliefs (7 statements), WTC (12 statements), aptitude (7 statements), linguistic difficulties (6 statements) and strategy use (7 statements). Further, the participants had to provide demographic data such as age, gender, English proficiency level and the amount of time they usually spend on language practice. With the aim of improving the quality and representativeness of the items, and to determine the content validity and how potential respondents will interpret the items, experts (two experts in the field of ELT, two EFL teachers, three primary school teachers to ensure that their students would understand the items, two teachers of Turkish to ensure that there were no problems in the structure of the items) were contacted. The 1272 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 inventory was examined by primary school teachers since it was assumed that they were familiar with the students’ proficiency so that they could immediately tell if the language of the inventory was appropriate for the intended respondents. Expert knowledge was asked for to assess how relevant the items are with respect to finding the causes of speaking difficulties that may lead to a delay in speaking. Similar to cognitive interviews, a piloting with 20 third grade students was conducted in order to locate any unclear items, confusing instructions or words, and to ensure that the items were interpreted by the respondents in the manner that the inventory designer intended. Third grade students were chosen for the piloting of the inventory to keep the universe and to ensure that fourth-grade students understand the items that were tested on a lower grade level. 3.3. Research Design The study is quantitative and consists of the inventory outcomes that were conducted with 88 fourth-grade students to explore the factors behind problems in speaking English that could evoke a delay in speaking. The study has a quasi-experimental design since intact class groups are included (Dörnyei, 2007). In this kind of studies there is no need to worry about reduced external validity because these investigations take place in authentic learning environments using genuine class groups (Dörnyei, 2007). Because of the fact that a group of students in a specific area was investigated, the current study is a case study which explores the particularity and complexity of a single case (Dörnyei, 2007). 3.4. Procedure In interviewing young learners, the researcher has to take care to ground the questions in the discourse of the children (Pinter, 2011) so that they are ready to share their thoughts and views with the researcher. In the current study, the regular EFL teacher was the researcher and the interviewer. That is why it can be supposed that the participants were contributing to the research without inhibitions as they knew the researcher who accommodated her speech to that of the participants and ensured that they felt familiar. The interviews were conducted in February 2019 in different focus groups since “one- to-one conversations with a researcher are often difficult for children” (Pinter, 2011, p. 212) and “talking to children in groups is one way of alleviating unnecessary stress, anxiety or feelings of embarrassment” (Pinter, 2011, p. 212). These interviews aimed to generate items for the Foreign Language Speaking Delay Inventory which is about EFL Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1273 learners’ English speaking attitudes, behaviours and views about speaking English as a foreign language. The inventory aims to collect the reasons for young EFL learners’ problems in speaking, especially the causes of a delay in speaking, and includes the following headings: 1. Personal and Affective Factors (personality, practice, motivation, anxiety, attitude, attribution), 2. Environmental and Social Factors (environment, materials, EFL teacher, classmates), 3. Linguistic and Cognitive Factors (beliefs, WTC, aptitude, linguistic difficulties, strategy use). For each of the 128 statements placed under the 15 factors examined, frequencies were calculated and graphics were created. The frequencies and graphics facilitated the comparison of the different factors included in the inventory, and allowed the researcher to determine the aspects that negatively affected speaking skills and might lead to a delay in speaking. 3.5. Data analysis Quantitative inquiry can be divided into two distinct phases: data collection and analysis. These phases follow each other in a linear manner (Dörnyei, 2007). The researcher collected data through the Foreign Language Speaking Delay Inventory which comprised 128 statements that the students had to rate on a 3-point-Likert scale. Then, the results of the inventory were visualized in graphics, and a percentage for each answer provided by the participants was calculated, so that these could be compared to each other. The outcomes of the inventory were listed under 15 different factors (personality, practice, motivation, anxiety, attitude, attribution, environment, materials, EFL teacher, classmates, beliefs, WTC, aptitude, linguistic difficulties, and strategy use) which were categorized into personal and affective factors, environmental and social factors, and linguistic and cognitive factors. 4. Results The Foreign Language Speaking Delay Inventory was applied to 88 young language learners. Except one student (male), who was an inclusive student following the individualized education program, everyone included in the study completed the inventory. The results for each of the 15 factors examined are explained separately. 1274 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 4.1. Personality In this study, personality refers to introversion or extroversion. Conclusions about students’ personalities were made based on the learners’ active or passive state in the EFL lessons. In the inventory, 85% of the students stated that they wanted to participate in the EFL lessons (Figure 1). Due to this, it was claimed that the majority of the participants was extroverted. That is why it was assumed that personality was not necessarily a factor that negatively affected speaking performance in the current case. Since the majority of the participants was extroverted, it was expected that they would have a high willingness to communicate and participate in the speaking tasks which probably would eliminate speaking delay. Figure 1. Personality 4.2. Practice The outcomes (Figure 2) clarified that 74.71% of the learners practiced English at home through various materials (e.g., movies, songs, games). They watched movies in English (51.72%), listened to English songs (51.72%), and played English games (36.78%). As indicated by the results obtained from the inventory, there was a focus on all four language skills and grammar and vocabulary during the practice sessions. The participants did not distinguish between the four language skills since they stated that they practiced speaking (45.98%), listening (45.98%), writing (40.23%), and reading (48.27%) almost equally. They also worked on English grammar (67.81%) and vocabulary items (60.92%). Further, 49% of the learners reported that they did their homework Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1275 regularly and did not have any difficulties to complete their assignments (40.23%) which were indicative of practice at home. Another point to mention is that they completed the speaking tasks using English (58.62%) which signaled their preference for the target language. These findings indicated that language learners practiced several language skills and tried to make use of English in the foreign language lessons. This could have a positive impact on their speaking skills and may have hindered speaking delay. Figure 2. Practice 4.3. Motivation The outcomes (Figure 3) revealed that 71.26% of the participants stated that they enjoyed speaking English. They further asserted that they spoke English in the English lessons (55.17%) and at home (58.62%). Although they reported that they spoke English at home (58.62%), only 21.83% reported that they spoke English with their family members, 19.54% reported that they spoke English with their friends, and 29.88% reported that they spoke English with their EFL teacher. They clarified that they did not talk to their family members (55.17%) or friends (43.67%) in English. Additionally, the 1276 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 participants indicated that they spoke English with foreigners (41.38%). They used English voluntarily (64.37%), were not forced to speak English (82.75%), and enjoyed speaking English (71.26%) which signaled language learners’ high motivation to speak English. They seemed to be motivated to converse in English which is an important requirement for developing speaking skills in English (Dörnyei, 2001). The fact that the participants talked to their family members and friends in their native language and did not make use of the target language could be linked to the EFL context in which the students felt no urge to use English or to their interlocutors’ limited communication capacities in English. The lack of an authentic context for communication could increase the probability of speaking delay to occur, but there was no hint of a low level of motivation that could affect speaking delay. Figure 3. Motivation 4.3. Attitude The outcomes (Figure 4) revealed that 40.23% of the participants thought that they were not fluent speakers and 78.16% stated that they had to practice in order to increase their speaking performance. This revealed learners’ negative appraisal of their own speaking performance and a negative attitude towards their English speaking skills which could evoke speaking delay. Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1277 Figure 4. Attitude 4.5. Anxiety The outcomes (Figure 5) revealed that 60.92% of the participants stated that they were not forced to speak and felt comfortable (54.02%) when they had to speak up in English in the EFL lessons. The majority of the students announced that they were not anxious during the speaking process. They did not tremble (72.41%), did not have problems with breathing (77%), did not feel embarrassed (54.02%), were not anxious (67.81%), were not afraid to be laughed at (57.47%), or were not afraid to make mistakes (47.12%) while speaking English. Further, the inventory revealed that 71.26 % of the participants did not feel more tense in the EFL lessons than in any other lesson. In contrast, they stated that they felt even more relaxed in the EFL lessons than in other lessons (60.92%). These results indicated that the participants did not have speaking anxiety which could be a factor that promotes speaking delay but which, in the current case, seemed not to affect young language learners’ speaking delay. 1278 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 Figure 5. Anxiety 4.6. Attribution The outcomes (Figure 6) revealed that the students had difficulties in speaking because of a lack of practice (40.23%). The participants did not agree that their problems in speaking arose because of a lack of understanding (45.53%), the EFL teacher (83.90%), or their classmates (60.92%). The outcomes visualized that the participants attributed their failure to internal (their own practice which is controllable) rather than external factors (the teacher or classmates which are uncontrollable factors) which revealed that speaking delay was influenced by internal rather than external factors. Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1279 Figure 6. Attribution 4.7. Environment The outcomes (Figure 7) revealed that 52.87% of the participants thought that their environment was appropriate for speaking the target language. According to the results obtained from the Foreign Language Speaking Delay Inventory, there were individuals who spoke English in the participants’ environment (45.97%), who could provide help with their English speaking skills (65.52%), and who used English out-of-class (49.42%). Besides, the learners reported that they did not have to speak English in the classroom only (52.87%). These aspects pointed to the fact that the participants acknowledged that English is a language that can be used both in-class and out-of-class which serves to achieve communicative purposes. Another factor to mention is that the participants’ families supported their language learning (77%) and wanted their children to learn English (72.41%). To conclude, the participants were satisfied with the environmental conditions for teaching and learning speaking skills which could lower young language learners’ foreign language speaking delay. The environment seemed not to have a negative effect on learners’ speaking skills in the current case. 1280 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 Figure 7. Environment 4.8. Materials The outcomes (Figure 8) revealed that according to the participants there were English materials in the classroom/school (48.27%). The learners stated that these were beneficial for learning English (70.11%), and helped them to speak English (70.11%). Some participants (54.02%) stated that the number of materials used should be increased. The general tendency implied that the participants were satisfied with the materials used in the EFL lessons and indicated that these were helpful for the participants in the speaking process. It was concluded that in the current case the use and number of materials did not affect the learners’ speaking skills negatively. Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1281 Figure 8. Materials 4.9. Teacher The outcomes (Figure 9) revealed that the teacher gave the learners the chance to speak English in the lessons (74.71%), and did not force them to speak up (82.76%). Further, the participants declared that the EFL teacher was supportive (83.91%) and provided lacking information and knowledge (87.35%). The students also indicated that their EFL teacher encouraged them to speak English (68.96%), had a positive attitude when the students spoke English (86.21%), and did not interrupt them during the speaking process (83.91%). With regard to the language used in the EFL lessons, the students’ answers provided to the inventory implied that the EFL teacher mostly used English in the EFL lessons (58.62%), and the students were in the opinion that the teacher should continue using English in the lessons (58.62%). They did not prefer the EFL teacher’s use of the native language (54.02%) during the EFL lessons. In contrast, they favoured the EFL teacher’s use of the target language (58.62%). The results revealed that corrections took place after the students had completed their utterances (73.56%). The participants did not feel embarrassed (58.62%), were not anxious (71.3%) or afraid (74.71%) when there were corrections provided by the EFL teacher. Conversely, the majority of the foreign language learners felt easy (63.22%) and was happy (86.21%) when there were corrections. 1282 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 The results indicated that the students were open to corrections provided by the EFL teacher which helped them to improve their English speaking skills. Further, it seemed that the EFL teacher was not a factor that triggered speaking delay in the current case. Figure 9. Teacher 4.10. Classmates The outcomes (Figure 10) revealed that the participants’ classmates did not laugh at them while they were speaking (60.92%). Nevertheless, the participants stated that if there was laughter in the classroom, they felt depressed (43.67%) but continued speaking despite laughter (62.06%). Further, the participants’ answers revealed that they did not think that they were the best English speaker in the classroom (58.62%). According to the inventory outcomes, there were students in the classroom who performed better in speaking (79.31%). Despite this condition, they felt comfortable speaking English (66.66%). They did not feel intimidated by the existence of students who orally performed better (68.96%). The Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1283 results also indicated that the participants got help from their classmates during oral contributions (43.67%). To sum up, their classmates’ attitudes did not seem to lower the amount of the participants’ speaking performance. Probably, classmates did not lead to speaking delay in the present case. Figure 10. Classmates 4.11. Beliefs The outcomes (Figure 11) revealed that there were various beliefs with regard to foreign language speaking skills. Some students thought that they needed English for communication (34.48%) and that speaking English was beneficial (72.41%), whereas others stated that there was no need for English (40.23%). The majority of the participants reported that speaking English was useful (81.61%) and important (73.56%). The students acknowledged the crucial role of English but questioned its importance for the foreign language context since they stated that there was no need for communicating in English in the Turkish context (40.23%). 1284 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 Since beliefs influence the way people think (Ellis, 2008), this factor might have an impact on speaking performance. Depending on the belief (positive or negative), speaking delay might be affected both in a positive or negative sense. Figure 11. Beliefs 4.12. WTC The outcomes (Figure 12) revealed that the students were willing to communicate (73.56%) and that they studied English voluntarily (72.41%). The participants expressed their need to learn to speak English (75.86%). The inventory results clarified that the participants learned English to be able to talk to foreigners (62.06%), to get a prestigious job (64.36%), to use it abroad (65.52%), to succeed at school (74.71%), to understand foreigners (64.36%), because of its status as a lingua franca (51.72%), to be able to speak more than a single language (72.41%), and for personal development (73.56%). The results indicated that the participants were willing to communicate in English since they were aware of the importance of a foreign language and the reasons for learning English. This showed that the students demonstrated a high WTC which probably would lower the possibility of speaking delay to occur. Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1285 Figure 12. WTC 4.13. Aptitude The outcomes (Figure 13) revealed that 67.81% of the participants felt great when they practiced English. Further, they stated that they were not bored (62.07%), confused (48.27%), or demoralized (77%) when they practiced English. Despite the fact that the participants were eager to practice English, 60.92% of the participants were not sure if they spoke English well enough. Only 13.79% stated that they were able to speak English very well. Some participants stated that they could not speak English (51.72%). The majority of the participants (59.77%) desired an increase in the amount of the English lessons so that they could practice speaking. Although the participants reported that they had no problems in practicing speaking skills, the inventory results indicated that they questioned their speaking competence and performance demonstrating a low language aptitude. This might be a possible booster for speaking delay in the current case. 1286 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 Figure 13. Aptitude 4.14. Linguistic Difficulties The outcomes (Figure 14) revealed that 25.28% of the participants had difficulties in speaking English, while 39.07% of them reported that they did not have any problems, and 35.63% of them were unsure if they had problems with speaking skills. Problems that were reported to occur during oral participation were vocabulary retention (55.17%), problems with sentence formation (32.18%), and problems with pronunciation (27.58%). Nevertheless, the majority of the participants did not indicate great problems in speaking. The outcomes visualized that 28.73% did not regard forming sentences as a problem in speaking, and 28.73% did not have any difficulties with pronunciation, while some participants were unsure if they had problems with sentence formation (39.08%) or pronunciation (43.67%). Most of the participants reported that they did not have great problems in speaking but indicated that they had difficulties with regard to remembering English words. The majority of the participants was unaware of their problems in English (42.53%) and stated that they were unsure if they had problems with regard to sentence formation or pronunciation. It can be concluded that the participants were not able to precisely state what kind of linguistic difficulties they had during the speaking process. In the present case there may be a speaking delay based on shortcomings in vocabulary knowledge. Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1287 Figure 14. Linguistic difficulties 4.15. Strategy Use The outcomes (Figure 15) revealed that 71.26% of the participants knew that they could consult various people (e.g., parents, teachers, peers) or different materials (e.g., book, notebook, posters) (74.71%) for help if they had problems in speaking English. It was apparent from the inventory outcomes that the participants did not avoid speaking English because of problems they encountered during oral participation (55.17%). In fact, the participants reported that they knew how to solve problems that occurred during the speaking process (58.62%). Some of them asserted that they would speak more if they had the chance to choose the topic (40.23%) or their interlocutors (41.38%) for speaking. Since the participants implied that they knew how to cope with difficulties that could arise in the speaking process, the ability of effectively using strategies might have eliminated the occurrence of speaking delay in the present case. 1288 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 Figure 15. Strategy use The inventory results revealed that factors such as personality, practice, motivation, anxiety, attribution, foreign language environment, materials, EFL teacher, classmates, WTC, and strategy use seem not to negatively affect young learners’ speaking skills, while factors such as attitude, aptitude, negative beliefs about foreign language speaking skills, and linguistic difficulties have a prohibiting influence on their oral performance. 5. Discussion Learners in foreign language contexts do not achieve fluency and cannot express their thoughts spontaneously (Pinter, 2011). That is why an essential question to ask is what it is that causes problems in speaking English. The outcomes of the current research indicate that factors such as learner personality, practice, motivation, anxiety, attribution, foreign language environment, teaching and learning materials, EFL teacher, classmates, WTC, and strategy use do not negatively affect speaking performance and do not need to be further focused on. Apparently, young learners are eager to participate in speaking tasks which points out that they carry some characteristics of extroverted learners who prefer to actively engage in the lessons (Myers, 1986). They are also involved in language practice at home and out-of-class which indicate that they focus on developing their language skills which is boosted through their high motivation to participate in speaking tasks. Further, it appears that the learners do not fear laughter, the teacher’s corrections or feedback, and Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1289 are satisfied with the EFL teacher’s teaching style. They report that they admire speaking English, and have the possibilities to take advantage of numerous sources such as books, notes, posters, the teacher or their peers when they are in need during the English lessons, especially during speaking activities. The inventory outcomes also give the impression that the foreign language environment does not have a negative effect on speaking. Nevertheless, the fact that the participants talk to their family and friends in their native language and do not make use of the target language can be linked to the EFL context in which the students feel no urge to use English or to their interlocutors’ limited communicative capacities in English. The lack of English speaking interlocutors and an authentic context for communication could increase the number of speaking problems, but the participants did not talk about the foreign language environment as blocking their speaking. Conversely, the learners asserted that they are willing to communicate and not anxious to participate in oral tasks. Previous studies revealed that speaking anxiety (Horwitz, 2010; Horwitz et al., 1986) or a low WTC (MacIntyre, 2007; MacIntyre et al., 2001), for instance, are some of the forces that keep students away from speaking English, but the participants of the current study did not indicate that they were anxious or feared speaking tasks. Al Hosni (2014) stated that it is the lack of involvement in real life situations, linguistic difficulties, anxiety of being laughed at, the teachers’ use of inappropriate teaching strategies and the use of L1 during language instruction that postpone EFL students’ speaking skills which is contradictory to the outcomes of the current study. Factors that irritate young language learners in the speaking process seem to be their attitude, aptitude, negative beliefs about foreign language speaking skills, and linguistic difficulties which need deeper investigation. To start with attitude, it is obvious that the participants have negative attitudes with regard to speaking. In order to ensure communication in the target language, learners’ attitudes towards speaking should be positive. Learners with negative attitudes should be trained to regard language learning and speaking a foreign language as manageable. The same is valid for language aptitude and negative beliefs about speaking skills. Learners should gain an awareness of the ways speaking can be practiced and learn how to cope with tasks that require oral production. They should see the need to communicate through the target language and their beliefs should be turned into the positive since beliefs influence the way people think and act (Ellis, 2008). Further, it is clear that there are many linguistic difficulties, although the participants indicated that they frequently practiced speaking. Apparently, there is a lack of appropriate practice. The outcomes show that the participants attribute their failure to internal (their own practice which is controllable) rather than external factors (the teacher or classmates which are uncontrollable factors). This could reveal that problems 1290 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 in speaking are caused by internal rather than external factors which necessitate changing learners’ habits towards practice that could improve speaking skills. Since internal factors are unstable and controllable (Weiner, 1986), there is a chance to help the students to improve their speaking skills. Further, due to the fact that the learners make internal attributions to speaking failure, the expectancy for overcoming problems in speaking rises and the amount of learners’ effort is more probable to increase. Similar to the aims of the present study, Nazara (2011) focused on students’ perceptions and beliefs about the development of EFL speaking skills and found comparable results to that of the current case. Nazara’s (2011) respondents placed importance on speaking and were eager to master speaking skills. This researcher proposed an environment with a low anxiety level in order to promote speaking skills since students reported that they were hesitant to speak because of their teachers’ scoring procedures and their classmates’ mockeries. Relatedly, the participants in the current study gave importance to speaking and desired to use speaking for different purposes. They did not show any signs of hesitance in speaking and were satisfied with their EFL teacher and classmates’ attitudes. In a different study, learners expressed their need to focus on communication in the lessons and to engage in out-of-class speaking activities to improve their speaking skills (Coskun, 2016) which are indicative of the importance learners place on practice opportunities and speaking. Fortunately, young language learners in the present study also seem to know the importance English bears and state that they learn English for communication abroad, for their later job, for self-development, and due to the status of English as a lingua franca. Apart from these factors, there may be students who are reticent. Liu and Liu (2011) state that “reticent individuals refer to those who view themselves as incompetent communicators, and those who are measured against norms about appropriate levels of talkativeness in social situations” (p. 961). In the current case, learners reported that they were eager to speak up in class regardless of their proficiency levels. Their WTC was high and they were motivated to participate in oral tasks despite negative determinants such as a low language aptitude, negative attitudes, linguistic difficulties or negative beliefs about the target language. That is why they were not classified as reticent learners. Lastly, the ways to overcome speaking problems have to be scrutinized. Hue (2010), for instance, provided EFL teachers with a range of techniques to encourage reluctant students to speak in the language classroom. The researcher aimed to reduce the level of task difficulty through providing more time to do tasks, bringing the tasks within students’ experience, allowing students to collaboratively solve communicative tasks, providing students with task guidance, attending to individual students’ needs and ability, and promoting positive attitudes among students. In addition, changing students’ Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1291 negative beliefs and attitudes towards mistakes, boosting students’ self-confidence, lowering students’ anxiety in the classroom, and building a supportive learning environment could build up positive attitudes among students so that they feel motivated to speak in the language class (Hue, 2010). Teachers could also encourage peer support in the classroom, be sensitive when assigning students into groups, tolerate L1 use when appropriate, make the classroom environment a non-threatening place, and provide opportunities for students to speak English outside the class (Hue, 2010). These implications would also help the learners in the present study and should be followed by EFL teachers in order to give their students the chance to practice speaking skills in the classroom context. As the outcomes of the study reveal, learners’ negative attitudes towards speaking, low language aptitude, negative beliefs about speaking, and linguistic difficulties should be specifically focused on and dealt with care in order to cope with a possible delay in speaking. To do this, EFL teachers should try to carefully eliminate young language learners’ negative beliefs about and their negative attitudes towards the target language. This could be achieved through fostering learner motivation and increasing their level of WTC with the help of tasks and activities that catch the attention of language learners and get them involved in the language courses. Involvement would also enable them to overcome their linguistic difficulties that may block their oral contributions in that they would have more chances for oral practice. Further, since young language learners are autonomous in that they can set learning goals, make choices, use some learning strategies and learning resources, and reflect on and evaluate their learning (Güneş, 2019), they should be given the chance to choose among different speaking tasks and activities so that they are involved in lesson planning with a focus on their own interests and needs. 6. Conclusion Speaking is the language skill that enables individuals to communicate. It is through the communicative act that human beings express their needs, desires, ideas, and much more. For this reason, speaking in one’s native language and in the target language are crucial abilities. It is required to conceptualize EFL learners’ speaking difficulties and their needs and expectations with regard to learning English. Problems and other reasons behind EFL learners’ hesitancy to speak English have to be explored. The present study is an attempt to address young language learners’ problems in speaking. It aims to spot young language learners’ difficulties with foreign language speaking skills which could lead to a delay in speaking. With this in mind, the present study applied the Foreign Language Speaking Delay Inventory to 88 primary school learners, and frequencies were calculated for each item included in the inventory. 1292 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 Based on the results obtained from the Foreign Language Speaking Delay Inventory, it is clear that factors such as personality, practice, motivation, anxiety, attribution, foreign language environment, materials, EFL teacher, classmates, WTC, and strategy use do not evoke problems in speaking performance, while factors such as attitude, aptitude, negative beliefs about foreign language speaking skills, and linguistic difficulties negatively affect oral production. With regard to the outcomes, it is apparent that there is a need to deal with factors such as young foreign language learners’ attitudes, aptitude, beliefs about foreign language speaking skills, and their linguistic difficulties (e.g., syntax, lexis) in order to solve the problems in speaking English as a foreign language. It is obvious that negative attitudes towards speaking, negative beliefs about speaking, linguistic difficulties and a low language aptitude may lead to a delay in speaking. That is why these factors should be eliminated by the EFL teachers so that young language learners’ oral production is not inhibited. There are some limitations of the study. First, the Foreign Language Speaking Delay Inventory was applied to 88 fourth-grade students from a single primary school. In order to get more generalizable results, the number of participants has to be increased and participants from different schools have to be included in the research. Second, there were 128 items in the inventory which could be demanding for young language learners to answer. That is why the items included should be reduced in number or the inventory should be divided into two separate parts and conducted at two different occasions. Future studies should focus on the issue of speaking problems in order to find ways to eradicate these. To delve deeper into the learners’ speaking abilities and their thoughts about their foreign language speaking performance, interviews have to be conducted so that the results obtained in this study can be verified. Potential users of the Foreign Language Speaking Delay Inventory need to collect and report evidence about the quality of the data they gather since validity and reliability are relative and context-dependent. Such studies will contribute to the improvement of the inventory. References Aghazadeh, S., & Abedi, H. (2014). 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I practice English: … . 9 male good once a week/ twice a week/ 10 female average three days a week/ four days a 11 bad week/ five days a week/ six days a week/ everyday/ before the lessons/ after the lessons Mark the appropriate box for each statement. Factor Statement Yes. Not sure. No. Personal and Affective Factors Personality I want to participate in the English lessons. I do not want to participate in the English lessons. Practice I practice English at home. I watch English movies/videos at home. I listen to English songs at home. I play English games (e.g., via smart phones, computers). I practice speaking English most. I practice listening to English most. I practice writing English most. I practice reading English most. I practice English grammar most. I practice English vocabulary most. I do my English homework regularly. I have difficulties to complete my English assignments. I do not do English homework. I use Turkish to complete the speaking tasks in the English lessons. I use English to complete the speaking tasks in the English lessons. Motivation I enjoy speaking English. Name: ______________________ Surname: _________________________ Class: ____________ Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1299 I speak English in the English lessons. I try to speak English at home. I speak English with my family members. I speak English with my friends. Factor Statement Yes. Not sure. No. Motivation I speak English with my EFL teacher. I speak English with foreigners. I speak English voluntarily. I am forced to speak English. Attitude I cannot speak English fluently. I can speak English fluently. I have to study in order to be a good speaker. Anxiety I feel pressure if I am forced to speak. I feel comfortable when the EFL teacher wants me to speak although I have not volunteered. I tremble when I have to speak English. I have problems with breathing when I have to speak English. I feel embarrassed when I have to speak English. I feel anxious when I have to speak English. I am afraid that someone will laugh at me when I have to speak English. I am afraid to make mistakes when I speak English. I feel more tense in the language lessons than in other lessons. I feel more relaxed in the language lessons than in other lessons. Attribution I have difficulties in speaking English because I do not practice enough. I have difficulties in speaking English because I do not understand English. I have difficulties in speaking English because of the EFL teacher. I have difficulties in speaking English because of my classmates. I would not delay speaking if there were more speaking tasks in the English lessons. I would not delay speaking if I had the chance to communicate more in English out-of-class. Environmental and Social Factors Environ- ment My social environment is appropriate for speaking English. There are people in my social environment 1300 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 who speak English. There are people around me who can help me with speaking English. Factor Statement Yes. Not sure. No. Environ- ment There is nobody who uses English out of the classroom. I have to speak English in the English lessons only. My family does not want me to learn English. My family supports my language learning efforts. Materials There are English materials (e.g., posters, pictures, books, games) in our classroom/school. The materials (e.g., posters, pictures, books, games) in the classroom/school are beneficial for learning English. The materials (e.g., posters, pictures, books, games) in the classroom/school help me to speak English. There should be more English materials (e.g., posters, pictures, books, games) in the classroom/school. EFL Teacher My EFL teacher gives me the chance to speak. My EFL teacher forces me to speak English. My EFL teacher supports me during speaking English if I am in need. My EFL teacher does not support me during speaking English if I am in need. My EFL teacher provides words or information that I forget during speaking English. My EFL teacher does not provide lacking words or information. My EFL teacher does not encourage me to speak English. My EFL teacher has a positive attitude when I am speaking English. My EFL teacher interrupts me when I speak English. My EFL teacher speaks Turkish in the English lessons. My EFL teacher speaks English in the English lessons. My EFL teacher should speak Turkish in the Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1301 English lessons. My EFL teacher should speak English in the English lessons. Factor Statement Yes. Not sure. No. EFL Teacher My EFL teacher corrects my mistakes while I am speaking. My EFL teacher corrects my mistakes after I have ended my turn. My EFL teacher does not correct any mistakes that I make while speaking English. I feel embarrassed when my EFL teacher corrects me. I feel anxious when my EFL teacher corrects me. I am afraid when my EFL teacher corrects me. I feel easy when my EFL teacher corrects me. I am happy that my EFL teacher corrects me because that way I notice my mistakes and make the necessary changes. Class- mates My classmates laugh at me when I speak English. My classmates laugh at me to upset me. My classmates laugh at me to hinder me from speaking. I feel depressed when my classmates laugh at me. I do not want to talk anymore when my classmates laugh at me. I keep speaking even if there is laughter in the classroom. My classmates do not listen to me when I speak English. My classmates help me when I am in need while speaking English. There are students in the classroom who orally perform better than I do. I feel intimidated when there are students who speak better English than I do. I feel comfortable speaking English even if there are students who speak better English than I do. I am the one who is the best in speaking English in class. Linguistic and Cognitive Factors Beliefs I need English for communication. 1302 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 Speaking English is easy. Speaking English is hard. Speaking English is useful. Factor Statement Yes. Not sure. No. Beliefs Speaking English is important. Speaking English is useless. Speaking English will not benefit me. WTC I am willing to communicate in English. I study English voluntarily. I learn English because it is obligatory at school. I want to talk to foreigners in English. I want to learn English in order to get a more prestigious job later on. I want to speak English to use it abroad. I want to speak English to succeed at school. I want to speak English to understand foreigners. I want to speak English because it is a lingua franca. I learn English because I choose to be the kind of person who can speak more than one language. I learn English because I think it is good for my personal development. I do not need to learn to speak English. Aptitude I feel great when I practice English. I am bored when I practice English. I am confused when I practice English. I feel bad when I practice English. I can speak English very well. I cannot speak English. I would like the number of English lessons at school increased so that I can practice speaking. Linguistic Difficulties I have difficulties in speaking English. I forget some words when I have to speak English. I have problems with forming sentences in English. I have problems with English pronunciation. Language classes move so quickly that I worry about getting left behind. I do not have any difficulties in speaking English. Strategy I know that I can consult others (e.g., EFL Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1303 Use teacher, classmates) if I have problems in speaking English. Factor Statement Yes. Not sure. No. Strategy Use I know that I can rely on different materials (e.g., book, notebook) if I have problems in speaking English. I avoid speaking because I have problems with this skill. I know how to solve problems that occur during the speaking process. I would speak English if I would be asked to give shorter answers. I would speak English if I had the chance to choose the topic. I would speak English if I had the chance to choose my interlocutor.  T H A N K Y O U F O R Y O U R C O O P E R A T I O N !  1304 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 Appendix B. Foreign Language Speaking Delay Inventory (Turkish) Bilgilerini yuvarlak içine al. Yaşım Cinsiyetim Bence İngilizce derslerinde İngilizce çalışmak için başarı durumum… . ayırdığım vakit: … . 9 erkek iyi haftada bir/iki/üç/dört/beş/ 10 kız orta altı/yedi gün, derslerden kötü önce/ derslerden sonra İfadelerin yanındaki kutucukları kendi düşüncelerine göre işaretle. İfadeler Evet. Emin değilim. Hayır. Kişisel ve Duyuşsal Faktörler İngilizce derslerine katılmak istiyorum. İngilizce derslerine katılmak istemiyorum. Evde İngilizce dersine çalışıyorum. Evde İngilizce filmler/videolar izliyorum. Evde İngilizce şarkılar dinliyorum. Evde İngilizce oyunlar (örneğin cep telefonunda, bilgisayarda) oynuyorum. İngilizce öğrenmek için en çok İngilizce konuşma çalışması yapıyorum. İngilizce öğrenmek için en çok İngilizce dinleme çalışması yapıyorum. İngilizce öğrenmek için en çok İngilizce yazı yazıyorum. İngilizce öğrenmek için en çok İngilizce okuma yapıyorum. İngilizce öğrenmek için en çok defterimdeki İngilizce cümlelere çalışıyorum. İngilizce öğrenmek için en çok İngilizce kelime çalışıyorum. İngilizce ödevlerimi düzenli olarak yapıyorum. İngilizce ödevlerimi yaparken zorlanıyorum. İngilizce ödevlerimi yapmıyorum. İngilizce derslerinde konuşma etkinlikleri sırasında Türkçe konuşuyorum. İngilizce derslerinde konuşma etkinlikleri sırasında İngilizce konuşuyorum. İngilizce konuşurken keyif alıyorum. İngilizce derslerinde İngilizce konuşuyorum. Evde İngilizce konuşmaya çalışıyorum. Ailemle (kardeşlerimle, annemle, babamla vb.) İngilizce konuşuyorum. Arkadaşlarımla İngilizce konuşuyorum. İsim: _________________________ Soyisim: ______________________ Sınıf: ____________ Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1305 İfadeler Evet. Emin değilim. Hayır. Arkadaşlarımla İngilizce konuşuyorum. İngilizce derslerinde İngilizce öğretmenimle İngilizce konuşuyorum. Türkçe bilmeyen insanlarla İngilizce konuşuyorum. İsteyerek İngilizce konuşuyorum. Çevremdekiler beni İngilizce konuşmam için zorluyor. İngilizce konuşurken duraksıyorum. İngilizce konuşurken duraksamıyorum. İyi İngilizce konuşabilmem için çalışmam gerekiyor. İstemediğim halde İngilizce konuşmam gerektiğinde kendimi kötü hissediyorum. İngilizce öğretmenim ben parmak kaldırmadan İngilizce konuşmam için beni seçtiğinde rahatsız olmuyorum. İngilizce konuşmam gerektiğinde titriyorum. İngilizce konuşmam gerektiğinde nefesim daralıyor. İngilizce konuşmam gerektiğinde utanıyorum. İngilizce konuşmam gerektiğinde endişeleniyorum. İngilizce konuşmam gerektiğinde birinin bana gülmesinden korkuyorum. İngilizce konuşurken hata yapmaktan korkuyorum. İngilizce derslerinde diğer derslere göre daha kötü hissediyorum. İngilizce derslerinde diğer derslere göre daha iyi hissediyorum. İngilizce konuşurken zorlanmamın sebebi yeterince çalışmamam. İngilizce konuşurken zorlanmamın sebebi İngilizceyi anlamamam. İngilizce konuşurken zorlanmamın sebebi İngilizce öğretmenimiz. İngilizce konuşurken zorlanmamın sebebi sınıf arkadaşlarım. İngilizce derslerinde konuşma etkinliklerinin sayısı fazla olsaydı, daha çok İngilizce konuşurdum. Çevresel ve Sosyal Faktörler Çevrem İngilizce konuşmam için uygundur. Çevremde İngilizce konuşan insanlar var. Çevremde İngilizce konuşmama yardımcı olabilecek insanlar var. Sınıf dışında İngilizce konuşan kimse yok. Sadece İngilizce derslerinde İngilizce konuşmak zorundayım. Ailem İngilizce öğrenmemi istemiyor. Ailem İngilizce öğrenmemi destekliyor. Sınıfımda/okulumda İngilizce malzemeler (örneğin posterler, resimler, kitaplar, oyunlar) var. 1306 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 İfadeler Evet. Emin değilim. Hayır. Sınıfta/okulda bulunan malzemeler (örneğin posterler, resimler, kitaplar, oyunlar) İngilizce öğrenmem için faydalıdır. Sınıfta/okulda bulunan malzemeler (örneğin posterler, resimler, kitaplar, oyunlar) İngilizce konuşmama yardımcı oluyor. Sınıfta/okulda daha fazla İngilizce malzeme (örneğin posterler, resimler, kitaplar, oyunlar) olmalı. İngilizce öğretmenim İngilizce konuşmam için fırsat tanıyor. İngilizce öğretmenim beni İngilizce konuşmam için zorluyor. İngilizce konuşurken zorlandığımda İngilizce öğretmenim bana yardım ediyor. İngilizce konuşurken zorlandığımda İngilizce öğretmenim bana yardım etmiyor. İngilizce konuşurken unuttuğum kelimeleri ve bilgileri İngilizce öğretmenim bana hatırlatıyor. İngilizce konuşurken unuttuğum kelimeleri İngilizce öğretmenim bana söylemiyor. İngilizce konuşmam için İngilizce öğretmenim beni cesaretlendirmiyor. Ben İngilizce konuşurken İngilizce öğretmenim bana iyi davranıyor. Ben İngilizce konuşurken İngilizce öğretmenim benim sözümü kesiyor. İngilizce öğretmenim derste Türkçe konuşuyor. İngilizce öğretmenim derste İngilizce konuşuyor. İngilizce öğretmenim derste Türkçe konuşmalı. İngilizce öğretmenim derste İngilizce konuşmalı. İngilizce konuşurken yaptığım hataları İngilizce öğretmenim konuşmamı bitirmeden düzeltiyor. İngilizce konuşurken yaptığım hataları İngilizce öğretmenim konuşmamı tamamladığımda düzeltiyor. İngilizce konuşurken yaptığım hataları İngilizce öğretmenim düzeltmiyor. İngilizce konuşurken yaptığım hataları İngilizce öğretmenim düzelttiğinde utanıyorum. İngilizce konuşurken yaptığım hataları İngilizce öğretmenim düzelttiğinde endişeleniyorum. İngilizce konuşurken yaptığım hataları İngilizce öğretmenim düzelttiğinde korkuyorum. İngilizce konuşurken yaptığım hataları İngilizce öğretmenim düzelttiğinde sıkıntı yaşamıyorum. İngilizce öğretmenim hatalarımı düzelttiği için mutluyum çünkü böylelikle hatalarımın farkına vararak gerekli düzeltmeleri yapabiliyorum. İngilizce konuştuğumda sınıf arkadaşlarım bana gülüyorlar. Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 1307 İfadeler Evet. Emin değilim. Hayır. Sınıf arkadaşlarım ben konuşurken beni kızdırmak için gülüyorlar. Sınıf arkadaşlarım konuşmama engel olmak için gülüyorlar. Sınıf arkadaşlarım ben konuşurken bana güldüğünde mutsuz oluyorum. Sınıf arkadaşlarım ben konuşurken bana güldüğünde konuşmak istemiyorum. Sınıf arkadaşlarım bana gülseler de konuşmayı sürdürüyorum. İngilizce konuşurken sınıf arkadaşlarım beni dinlemiyorlar. İngilizce konuşurken sınıf arkadaşlarım bana yardım ediyorlar. Sınıfta benden daha iyi İngilizce konuşan öğrenciler var. Sınıfta benden daha iyi İngilizce konuşan öğrenciler olduğunda derse katılmıyorum. Sınıfta benden daha iyi İngilizce konuşan öğrenciler olsa da derste İngilizce konuşuyorum. Sınıfta en iyi İngilizce konuşan öğrenci benim. Dilsel ve Bilişsel Faktörler İnsanlarla anlaşabilmek için İngilizce konuşabilmem gerekir. İngilizce konuşmak kolaydır. İngilizce konuşmak zordur. İngilizce konuşmak faydalıdır. İngilizce konuşmak önemlidir. İngilizce konuşmak gereksizdir. İngilizce konuşmak bana yarar sağlamaz. İngilizce konuşmayı istiyorum. İngilizce dersine severek çalışıyorum. İngilizce dersleri zorunlu olduğu için İngilizce öğreniyorum. Türkçe bilmeyen insanlarla İngilizce konuşmak istiyorum. İlerde iyi bir işimin olması için İngilizce öğrenmek istiyorum. Türkiye dışında bulunan insanlarla anlaşabilmek için İngilizce konuşmak istiyorum. Okulda başarılı olmak için İngilizce konuşmak istiyorum. Başkalarını anlamak için İngilizce konuşmak istiyorum. Aynı dili bilmeyen insanlar tüm dünyada İngilizce konuşarak anlaştığı için ben de İngilizce konuşmak istiyorum. Türkçe dışında farklı bir dil konuşabilmek için İngilizce öğreniyorum. Kendimi geliştirmek için İngilizce öğreniyorum. İngilizce konuşmayı öğrenmeme gerek yok. İngilizce çalışırken çok iyi hissediyorum. İngilizce çalışırken sıkılıyorum. İngilizce çalışırken aklım karışıyor. İngilizce çalışırken kötü hissediyorum. Çok iyi İngilizce konuşuyorum. 1308 Güneş & Sarigöz/ International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 13(2) (2021) 1267-1308 İfadeler Evet. Emin değilim. Hayır. İngilizce konuşamıyorum. Daha çok İngilizce konuşma fırsatım olması için daha fazla İngilizce dersimiz olsun isterdim. İngilizce konuşurken sıkıntılar yaşıyorum. İngilizce konuşurken bazı kelimeleri unutuyorum. İngilizce cümle kurarken zorlanıyorum. İngilizce kelimeleri doğru okumakta/söylemekte zorlanıyorum. İngilizce dersleri o kadar çabuk ilerliyor ki geri kalmaktan korkuyorum. İngilizce konuşurken hiç zorlanmıyorum. İngilizce konuşurken sorun yaşadığımda başkalarına (örneğin İngilizce öğretmenime, arkadaşlarıma) danışabileceğimi biliyorum. İngilizce konuşurken sorun yaşadığımda İngilizce dersinde kullanılan malzemelerden (örneğin kitaptan, defterden) yararlanabileceğimi biliyorum. İngilizce konuşurken sıkıntı yaşadığım için konuşmak istemiyorum. İngilizce konuşurken karşılaştığım sorunları nasıl çözmem gerektiğini biliyorum. İngilizce dersinde uzun cevaplar yerine kısa cevaplar verme şansım olsaydı daha çok İngilizce konuşurdum. Eğer hakkında konuşacağım konuyu seçebilseydim daha çok İngilizce konuşurdum. Eğer İngilizce konuşacağım kişiyi seçebilseydim daha çok İngilizce konuşurdum.  T E Ş E K K Ü R L E R !  Copyrights Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the Journal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY-NC-ND) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).