Adult ESL Education and Learning Anxiety: An Exploratory Case Study Involving Malaysian Security Personnel
Abstract
The Blueprint on Enculturation of Lifelong Learning for Malaysia recognises learning after the school and higher education systems as the third pillar in human capital development, and encourages continuity in upskilling (which includes the improvement of English competency) for individual empowerment and mobility. Despite this, there is a lack of research in the area, with most studies centralising Malaysian ESL practices involving only school or tertiary learners. Studies on professional development, meanwhile, tend to favour school teachers, resulting in a lack of empirical findings relevant to other professions. The present case study involved 111 Malaysian ESL learners enrolled in a six-month English language improvement programme organised by a public Malaysian university during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were full-time security personnel of the said university and comprised both males and females. The participants’ English proficiency and language learning anxiety levels were measured pre- and post-intervention using The Cambridge English Assessment: General Test and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) respectively. FLCAS data garnered were subjected to non-reversed and reversed scoring to lend the study better transparency and greater depth. Results indicate minimal change in terms of English proficiency post-intervention, whereas FLCAS data indicate increased anxiety. Recommendations for future research are outlined.
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