A study tested the validity of a speaking apprehension questionnaire developed by Marshall that monitors the performance of secondary school teaching in oracy in the Netherlands. This questionnaire, intended for 11- to 16-year-old students, was administered to 86 secondary school students. The improved instrument, the Speaking Apprehension Measure (SAM) was then subjected to several validation tests. Nearly 500 15-year-olds at three secondary school levels were administered questionnaires on speaking apprehension, fear of failure, and writing apprehension. One hundred of these students were then randomly selected for oracy testing and administered the SAM, as well as fear of failure and writing attitudes measure tests. Students were then given a speaking task to determine oracy, for which performance was assessed based on content and usage. Results indicated that the instrument constructed for measuring speaking apprehension was internally consistent. Testing results indicated the validity of the instrument, which correlates moderately well with fear of failure and with concepts related to writing apprehension. Evidence was found for the supposition that speaking apprehension is situational. Findings support the validity of the SAM in the demonstration of a relation between speaking apprehension and speaking situations. (Figures, tables of data, references, and a sample questionnaire are appended.) (NKA)