Yabancı dil olarak Almanca dersinde konuşma etkinlikleri aracılığı ile konuşma kaygılarını azaltmak: Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi'nde bir eylem araştırması

While speaking in public can induce fear in many people, speaking in a foreign language can trigger speaking anxiety even more and finds its place in the literature as fear of speaking a foreign language. The aim of this study is to determine the speaking anxiety in students learning German as a foreign language and to reveal how this can be reduced through speaking activities. Action research was utilized as a method in the research. The research was carried out in the German preparatory class of the foreign language department of Eskişehir Osmangazi University for seven weeks in the summer semester of 2021-2022. The participants in the study consisted of eight subjects who were selected on the basis of the German speaking anxiety scale and the interviews. Different data collection tools were used in different phases of the research. The Speaking in the German Foreign Language scale was used to collect quantitative data, while observation notes, the researcher diary, learner diaries, the interviews with the subjects, video recordings, interviews with the partner lecturer, and feedback from the validity committee were used to collect qualitative data. The SPSS 22 program was used to analyze the quantitative data, and the qualitative data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. As a result of the analysis carried out, it was concluded that the fear of speaking German as a foreign language decreased in these eight subjects. Keywords: Action research, German as a foreign language, Foreign language didactics, Foreign language anxiety.