Exploring EFL Speaking Ability and the Influencing Factors of Middle School Students

Abstract

English has a foreign language status in Turkey and the level is quite low despite years of language instruction. In order to understand this situation clearly, the current study investigated the speaking performance levels of the 7^th and 8^th grade students, and the effects of EFL speaking self-efficacy, speaking anxiety, school type, and out-of-the-school language practice on speaking performance. Data analyses revealed that while 7^th graders achieved the expected level, 8^th graders fell short of the target level of speaking performance. Also, it was found that anxious students tend to have lower self-efficacy in terms of EFL speaking ability. The structural equation modeling, however, showed that while self-efficacy strongly predicts speaking performance, anxiety did not emerge to be a significant contributor. Lastly, private school students scored better than public school students in terms of EFL speaking performance, and students who practice English outside the school had better speaking skills than their non-practicing peers.