An Ecological Study of English Language Learning Anxiety: A Case Study of National Textile University

Abstract

English language learning anxiety has been a focus of researchers for a long time. However, these studies concentrated only on micro level of classroom and its activities. The many-sided nature of anxiety requires a multifaceted exploration for a better understanding of language learning anxiety. This article uses activity theory and an ecological systems module to better understand why students develop language learning anxiety at NTU, Faisalabad. Seven dimensions of activity theory were explored with the help of interviews and observation. The data were collected from 15 undergraduates of different departments of National Textile University (NTU), Faisalabad. Along the lines of nested ecosystem model, patterns of learners’ anxiety were analysed in the categories of micro-system, meso-system, exo-system and macro systems. Findings of the present study provided a decisive evidence of the presence of anxiety-causing variables within the interaction of individual and environment. The study emphasizes the need to study the issue of language learning anxiety from the perspective of ecology.