Impact of Mindfulness Training on EFL Learners’ Willingness to Speak, Speaking Anxiety Levels and Mindfulness Awareness Levels

Abstract

There has been a rise of interest in mindfulness and its effects on the educational context during the last several decades. The research study aims to investigate the effects of mindfulness training on EFL students’ level of speaking anxiety, willingness to speak in the target language, and their levels of mindfulness awareness. The perceptions of participants were also investigated in this study. In total, 41 sophomore students who were studying in the Aviation Management Department (20 in the experimental group, 21 in the control group) participated in the study. The participants were taking General English Courses for 8 hours every week in one of the state universities in the Black Sea Region, Turkey. To reduce the risk of bias, the data were gathered at different times and from multiple sources; questionnaires, and interviews. For quantitative data, the Turkish adapted versions of the Mindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), and Willingness to Communicate Scale (WTC) were utilized as pre and post-tests. For qualitative data, Semi-structured Interviews were conducted. The findings of the study revealed that mindfulness had a positive effect on participants’ willingness to speak, their speaking anxiety levels, and their mindfulness-awareness levels. Qualitative data also showed that the participants got huge benefits not only in the English language learning context but also in different areas of their lives.