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Presentation

The Impact of Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety and Enjoyment on ASR-Based and Human-Rated Read-Speech Evaluation

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Foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA) is a critical factor in students’ oral proficiency, with lower-anxiety levels associated with better performance. Positive affective states, such as foreign language speaking enjoyment (FLSE), are also believed to influence speech competence. This mixed-methods study investigates the predictive power of FLSA and FLSE on oral assessment scores, using a combination of human-rated and automatic speech recognition (ASR)-based evaluations. Participants were 159 first-year students from two non-English departments at a state university in Indonesia. They completed an oral assessment as part of their final-term English evaluation, which was rated by their teacher and analyzed using Speechace, an ASR-based language learning platform. The assessment consisted of a one-paragraph read-speech task. Results showed a significant negative correlation between FLSA and FLSE, indicating that lower anxiety was associated with higher enjoyment. Both FLSA and FLSE were significant predictors of human-rated and ASR-based scores for the read-speech task. Additionally, three ASR-generated metrics (pronunciation accuracy, words per minute, and pause frequency) and teacher-rated impromptu speech scores were examined. The study discusses the implications of these findings for language assessment and instruction, highlighting the importance of considering affective factors in oral proficiency development. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also addressed.