Anxiety in Chinese Language Learning: Relationship to Motivation, Attitude, and Achievement

Abstract

Introduction. In the past decades, studies have been conducted to explore the role of anxiety in the learning of Western languages such as English, French, and Spanish. However, when it comes to the predictive relationship between anxiety, motivation, attitude, and Chinese achievement, the findings are inconclusive. This study aims to test a model of relationship among anxiety, motivation, integrativeness, attitude, and Chinese achievement. Method. Structural equation modeling was conducted on a sample of 223 international students enrolled in Chinese courses at a university in China. A total of 14 variables indicating anxiety, motivation, integrativeness, attitudes toward the learning situation, and Chinese achievement were included in the analysis. Results. Results indicated that students of Chinese experienced a moderate level of anxiety in Chinese learning. Anxiety had a direct and negative effect on Chinese achievement. Positive attitudes toward the learning situation had a positive effect on students’ motivation to learn. However, in the current sample, integrativeness and motivation are not separable, instead they formed a general motivation construct that predicted students’ course grades but not proficiency test grades. Discussion and Conclusion. The results of structural equational modeling generally confirmed Gardner’s socio-educational model of second-language acquisition. Consistent with previous literature on second language anxiety, this study found a small negative effect of anxiety on achievement and a strong positive effect of attitudes toward the learning situation on motivation. In addition, motivation predicted Chinese achievement when it is measured by course grade. It is therefore appropriate to conclude that anxiety and motivation both contributed to the prediction of Chinese achievement when it was measured by course grade.