Author(s)

Kaijie Zhang ¹, Xin Zhao ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Foreign Studies, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot, China

Corresponding Author

Xin Zhao

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the use of inner speech among English majors and its relationship with oral learning strategy and speaking anxiety. Using a mixed-methods approach, 80 first-year English majors from a university completed questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 3 of these students. The findings revealed that: (1) Students' overall frequency of inner speech use was at a moderate to high level, with evaluative/motivational inner speech being the most frequent and the presence of other voices the least frequent; (2) The overall frequency of inner speech use showed moderately significant positive correlations with both the frequency of oral learning strategy (r=0.318) and the level of speaking anxiety (r=0.328). This research provides guidance for encouraging students to use positive inner speech, optimizing learning strategies, alleviating anxiety, and designing targeted teacher interventions.

KEYWORDS

Inner speech, Oral learning strategy, Speaking anxiety, English major college students

CITE THIS PAPER

Kaijie Zhang, Xin Zhao, A Study on the Relationship between Inner Speech, Oral Learning Strategy, and Speaking Anxiety of English Major College Students. Advances in Educational Technology and Psychology (2025) Vol. 9: 116-123. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/aetp.2025.090617.

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