초등예비교사의 외국어 학습 즐거움, 불안감, 그리고 교수 불안감

Abstract

This study explores three emotional variables in terms of how they relate to each other: foreign language enjoyment (FLE), foreign language anxiety (FLA), and foreign language teaching anxiety (FLTA). One hundred and thirty-four preservice elementary school teachers participated in this survey study. Data were collected from their responses to a 52-item questionnaire including 10 items designed to measure FLE, 8 items to measure FLA, and 18 items to measure FLTA. Five FLTA items found to trigger relatively high anxiety were making errors while speaking, teaching speaking, correcting learner errors, answering grammatical questions of which they are unsure, teaching fluent learners. As expected, FLE was negatively correlated with FLA and FLTA, and FLA was positively correlated with FLTA. Overall results on the role of gender, albeit statistically nonsignificant, lend support to previous research findings at least in terms of the trend of female learners outscoring male learners in both anxiety and enjoyment. With respect to the participants’ minor (English vs. non-English), English-minor students scored statistically significantly higher in FLE and (almost) statistically significantly lower in FLA and FLTA than did their non-English-minor counterparts. When their self-rated proficiency was statistically controlled for, previously-observed nontrivial between-groups differences in FLA and FLTA dissipated. However, statistical significance in FLE remained unchanged. Other findings and relevant issues are also discussed.