Volume 4, Issue 3 December 2021, pp. 105–121 
Regular Articles
The underlying structure of Foreign Language Anxiety in integrated speaking assessment: A mixed methods study
Kwangmin Lee 
1, & Yafei Ye 2
1 The University of Iowa, USA 
2 The University of Iowa, USA
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29140/lea.v4n3.554
Abstract
The aim of this mixed methods study is to identify the underlying structure of the construct of Foreign Language Anxiety in integrated listening-to-speak tasks. First, the analysis of the qualitative interviews with six postsecondary ESL learners reveals that anxiety for integrated speaking stems from four different factors: listening, source integration, topic familiarity, and time pressure. These findings informed the next study phase, the development of an initial inventory of 26 items. The questionnaire was checked for content validity and then administered to 190 respondents. Next, based on the quantitative data, Confirmatory Factor Analysis was carried out in order to identify the model that best fits the data. Model comparisons corroborate the qualitative finding that suggests FLA of integrated speaking comprises four correlated latent variables, with all model fit indices falling within an acceptable range. Overall, this study provides evidence for construct validity of FLA in integrated speaking contexts as a multifaceted structure. Findings are discussed in relation to the factors that we identified.
Copyright
© Kwangmin Lee, Yafei Ye
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Suggested citation
Lee, K., & Ye, Y. (2021). The underlying structure of Foreign Language Anxiety in integrated speaking assessment: A mixed methods study. Language Education and Assessment, 4(3), 105–121. https://doi.org/10.29140/lea.v4n3.554
Related Articles:
Intercultural education in times of restricted travel: Lessons from the Gaza Strip
Maria Grazia Imperiale
Intercultural Communication Education Published: 19 April, 2021, Volume 4(1), 22–38. 
"I don't want to be stereotypical, but..."
Norwegian EFL learners' awareness of and willingness to challenge visual stereotypes
Cecilie Waallann Brown
Intercultural Communication Education Published: 20 December, 2019, Volume 2(3), 120–141.
"Writing like a health scientist": A translingual approach to teaching text structure in a diverse Australian classroom
Sue Ollerhead, Isobel Crealy, Rebecca Kirk
Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics Published: 30 April, 2020, Volume 3(1), 77–90.
(Mis)use of e-mail in student-faculty interaction: Implications for university instruction in Germany, Saudi Arabia and Japan
Anna Danielewicz-Betz
The JALT CALL Journal Published: 30 April, 2013, Volume 9(1), 23–57.
(Re)imagining a course in language and intercultural communication for the 21st century
Adriana Raquel Díaz, Paul J. Moore
Intercultural Communication Education Published: 29 December, 2018, Volume 1(3), 83–99.
3D digital games, virtual worlds, and language learning in higher education: Continuing challenges in Japan
Robert Swier, Mark Peterson
The JALT CALL Journal Published: 31 December, 2018, Volume 14(3), 225–238.
A Case for the Drupal Content Management System
Paul Collett
The JALT CALL Journal Published: 30 April, 2010, Volume 6(1), 57–66.
A case study of using Facebook in an EFL English writing class: The perspective of a writing teacher
Li-Tang Yu
The JALT CALL Journal Published: 31 December, 2014, Volume 10(3), 189–202.
A comparative analysis of face to face instruction vs. Telegram mobile instruction in terms of narrative writing
Jamshid Heidari, Farzaneh Khodabandeh, Hassan Soleimani
The JALT CALL Journal Published: 31 August, 2018, Volume 14(2), 143–156.
A comparison of computer-mediated peer corrective feedback between high and low-proficiency learners in a Japanese EFL writing classroom
Bradley D. F. Colpitts, Travis Hunter Past
The JALT CALL Journal Published: 31 August, 2019, Volume 15(2), 23–39.