A Systematic Review of Sources of English Language Anxiety

Abstract

Research on sources of language anxiety (LA) of undergraduates specifically when they engage in speaking activities has generated a plethora of discrete findings. An apparent gap is that these findings have not been used to inform a coherent framework where various sources of LA are identified and properly grouped. Such a framework is important for developing proper interventions to manage LA effectively in English as a Second Language (ESL)/English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. This paper utilized a systematic review methodology to examine the key studies published from 2015 to 2020 on sources of LA in ESL/EFL contexts. When assessed against the inclusion/exclusion criteria, five of the 121 studies identified were selected to be included in the systematic review. The review revealed a number of anxiety sources that emerge specifically when students engage in oral performance. These were categorized under three main headings: (i) learner-specific, (ii) in-class, and (iii) out-of-class. It further highlighted the importance of out-of-class sources in ESL/EFL contexts and how they have been neglected and underrated in the literature specifically in defining LA. Hence, it is expected that this review will advance the understanding of LA, especially regarding LA in socio-culturally complex ESL/EFL contexts. Such a comprehensive understanding of the sources of LA is fundamental in the reconceptualisation of a coherent framework to successfully address it.