Differential effects of foreign language reading anxiety on the reading-related networks in the cerebellum and cerebrum

This study examined the foreign language (FL) reading anxiety level of English‐speaking university students learning Chinese as a foreign language (n = 114) in the United States. Data from two anxiety measures, a background information questionnaire, and an email interview indicated that learners of Chinese experienced a level of FL reading anxiety similar to general FL anxiety. FL reading anxiety was associated with course level and experience with China but not with gender. Moreover, FL reading anxiety was found to be negatively correlated with FL reading performance among Elementary Level I and Intermediate Level students but not among Elementary Level II students. Unfamiliar scripts, unfamiliar topics, and worry about comprehension were identified as the major sources of FL reading anxiety. Findings suggest that reading anxiety was a salient problem for learners of Chinese whose native language was English.

The present study examines whether the use of reading strategies acts as a moderating variable in the relationship between foreign language (FL) reading anxiety and reading performance. In particular, it examines whether the moderating effect of reading strategy use varies according to either different levels of FL reading anxiety or to different subscales of reading strategy (i.e., global strategy, problem-solving strategy, and support strategy). The participant pool comprised 245 Korean high school students who were learning English as a foreign language. The instruments used in the data collection were Saito, Horwitz, and Garza’s (1999) Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale and Mokhtari and Sheorey’s (2002) Survey of Reading Strategies. The results showed that middle- and low-anxiety groups scored significantly higher on the use of global strategy than did those in the high-anxiety group. In addition, there were significant differences in English reading performance among the three levels of FL reading anxiety groups. The low-anxiety (with regards to FL reading) group showed the highest reading scores, while the high-anxiety group showed the lowest scores. Furthermore, positively significant relationships were found between English reading performance and each of the two reading strategy subscales (i.e., global strategy and problem-solving strategy) only in the middle-level FL reading anxiety group. The results also showed that both global strategy use and problem-solving strategy use significantly moderate the adverse relationship existing between middle-level FL reading anxiety and English reading performance. Based on the results, limitations and pedagogical implications were discussed.

Despite the evidence of an association between foreign language (FL) reading anxiety and reading comprehension, only a few studies have investigated how FL reading anxiety interacts with the reading process. This study examined how people with different anxiety levels approach reading tasks differently; that is, the relationships among foreign language reading anxiety, cognitive interference, reading strategy use, and the effects of these constructs on actual reading comprehension. Participants (N=265) were Korean adolescent EFL learners. From analyses of their responses to FL reading anxiety scale, Cognitive Interference Questionnaire (CIQ), a strategy inventory for reading comprehension, and reading comprehension tasks, results suggested that anxiety played a critical role in the interplay of attention and reading strategy use, which were associated with comprehension. Highly anxious students who were occupied with off-task thoughts tended to use more local reading strategies while less anxious students were more focused on completing the reading tasks and employed more global reading strategies. Results also suggested that the significant predictors of reading comprehension were FL reading anxiety as well as the CIQ and Global strategies, which indicated that the less anxious students who were more focused during reading, and those who employed more Global strategy scored higher in reading comprehension.

This study examined the foreign language (FL) reading anxiety level of learners of Chinese as a FL (n = 76) in the United States. Data from an FL reading anxiety survey, a background information survey and a face-to-face interview indicated that there was no significant difference in reading anxiety level among four course levels. In general, Chinese L2 learners experienced a medium level of reading anxiety. 100- and 400-level students experienced higher levels of reading anxiety compared to 200- and 300-level students. A regression model with background variables such as years of learning Chinese, heritage learner status, the number of foreign languages learned, and time spent in China significantly predicted learners’ reading anxiety levels and explained 15% of the variance in their reading anxiety. Worries relating to comprehension, unfamiliar topics, unknown pronunciation, and feeling uncomfortable reading aloud were identified as major sources of FL reading anxiety.

The present study explored the interrelations between foreign language (FL) reading anxiety, FL reading strategy use and their interactive effect on FL reading comprehension performance at the tertiary level in China. Analyses of the survey data collected from 1702 university students yielded the following results: (a) Both Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) and Foreign Language Reading Strategy Use Scale (FLRSUS) had important subcomponents, (b) more than half of the students generally did not feel anxious when reading English, and were confident in and satisfied with their English reading proficiency. Meanwhile, (c) more than half of them moderately used different types of reading strategies such as planning, checking and confirming, predicting and assessing, when reading English, (d) compared with their female peers, male students felt significantly more anxious when facing reading activities, less satisfied with their English reading proficiency, and used specific analyzing and planning strategies significantly less often during a reading activity, (e) FLRAS was significantly inversely related to FLRSUS, and both were significantly correlated with the students’ FL reading comprehension performance, and (f) FLRAS (overall FL reading anxiety), FLRAS1 (general anxiety about FL reading), and FLRSUS2 (predicting strategies) were good predictors of FL reading comprehension performance. Based on the findings, some implications are discussed.

Strah od čitanja i ovladavanje vještinom čitanja na stranome jeziku

This study investigated three aspects that related to Foreign Language (FL) reading anxiety: the FL reading anxiety levels; the relationship between FL reading anxiety and reading performance; the main sources of FL reading anxiety. With both quantitative and qualitative research method, the total amount of 47 Chinese postgraduates took part in a paper questionnaire including Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) and reading test, Cambridge Advanced English (CAE). According to the FLRAS scores, 12 of them had one-to-one semi-structured interviews. The results shows that most Chinese postgraduates experienced a moderate level of English reading anxiety, and that international students have higher reading anxiety than domestic students. No statistically significant relationship was found between FL reading anxiety and the reading test. After thematic coding analysis, the main sources of English reading anxiety among international students were found to be ‘demanding text feature’ and ‘different class settings in the UK’. For domestic students, limited English exposure was the main source. Recommendations for teachers and for both groups of students are provided, and the limitations of the present study and suggestions for future research are discussed at the end of the paper.

Foreign Language Reading Anxiety: Does It Really Exist?.

Given the impact of anxiety on foreign language reading, understanding how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading anxiety is evoked would help teachers facilitate their students in the reading process effectively. This study aimed at investigating the sources of EFL reading anxiety of Chinese university students. The data were collected from 459 non-English major students from four different universities in China, using an adapted version of English as a Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Inventory (EFLRAI) developed by Zoghi (2012). The findings showed that the participants experienced the moderate level of EFL reading anxiety overall and also categorically. The main source of anxiety was from the lack of general reading ability. Of the three key factors that seemed to arouse higher levels of anxiety than the others, one related to the general reading ability and the other two were vocabulary-related factors. Chinese university students tended to read for details and seemed to get highly anxious when they did not understand ‘everything’. These findings lend suggestions to some interventions that English teachers may use to reduce Chinese university students’ anxiety when reading.

Whereas most discussions of foreign language (FL) anxiety have centered on the difficulties caused by anxiety with respect to oral performance, this article discusses the possibility of anxiety in response to foreign or second language reading. It introduces the construct of FL reading anxiety, offers a scale for its measurement, and reports on a preliminary study of reading anxiety in 30 intact first‐semester classes of Spanish, Russian, and Japanese. The study found that contrary to previous teacher intuitions, reading in a FL can be anxiety provoking to some students. Whereas general FL anxiety has been found to be independent of target language, levels of reading anxiety were found to vary by target language and seem to be related to the specific writing systems. In addition, students’ reading anxiety levels increased with their perceptions of the difficulty of reading in their FL, and their grades decreased in conjunction with their levels of reading anxiety and general FL anxiety.

Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) has been the most explored emotional construct in the area of language learning (Macintyre, Gregersen, and Meza, 2014). It appears as nervousness, discomfort, and insecurity when subjects communicate in a foreign language, which makes them uncomfortable (Gardner and Macintyre, 1993). Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986) conceptualize Foreign Language Anxiety as the final combination of self-perception, belief, feeling, and behaviour related to foreign language learning that arises in the process of learning a foreign language. Foreign Language Anxiety is an anxious reaction associated with a particular situation, the act of learning a foreign language. When this experience is repeated, the anxiety becomes associated with the learning of a foreign language and a phobic reaction results (Gardner and Macintyre, 1989). Reading anxiety has been less explored, among other things, because it is difficult to detect (Zbornik, 1991, Joo and Damron, 2015). Reading is a complex cognitive process that involves the cooperation of attention, memory, and comprehension. In a foreign language, reading is even more complex due to the language skill itself, motivation to read, cultural features of the text, unknown types of text, script (Saito, 1999), new syntax, vocabulary, spelling and other features of the foreign language (Samo, 2014). Saito, Horwitz, and Garza (1999) were the first to prove the existence of a foreign language reading anxiety (FLRA). They conclude that students with anxiety find it harder to read in a foreign language, and that those with lower grades show significantly higher levels of reading anxiety. The first criticism of the research on the FLRA is directed by Sparks et al. (2000). Although they accept the existence of anxiety, they criticize the fact that the mother tongue has been neglected, which is the greatest advantage in the process of learning a foreign language and, moreover, its main key (Butzkamm, 2003). Another difficulty is that the reading skill has not been analysed. Sparks et al. (2000) find it impossible to explore the FLRA without checking the skill of reading itself. The third critical viewpoint refers to the difficulty to distinguish anxiety types (Tasnimi, 2009). While the negative sides of reading anxiety in a foreign and a native language are emphasized in most research, positive feelings still represent an unexplored area in applied linguistics. Therefore, this dissertation aimed to examine positive, not just negative, reactions during reading in the mother tongue and foreign language, which should contribute to new insights into the emergence of reading anxiety in both language contexts. Data on the FLRA, MTRA and positive / negative reactions to reading were collected by using questionnaires specially designed for this purpose, aiming to measure the level of the FL and MT reading anxiety, as well as the existence of positive and negative reading reactions. The research was conducted on a sample of 134 seventh grade learners from four primary schools in the County of Varaždin; they had been exposed to learning German as a Foreign Language for seven years then. The findings showed that students felt the moderate levels of anxiety while reading. The statistical analysis indicated a significantly negative correlation between anxiety and reading comprehension, but the levels of text comprehension were satisfying. The findings also pointed out that the given learners responded both negatively and positively while reading with comprehension. The statistical analysis confirmed no statistical correlation between their positive and negative reactions, but the correlation was discovered between the measured reactions and the text comprehension, as well as regarding reading in both languages. The validity and reliability of the new instruments were also confirmed here. Therefore, the questionnaires developed for this purpose could be used in other studies for investigating the emotions of readers or for developing the instruments for the future research of the given issues. The current findings will enable FL researchers and teachers to gain insights into the emotions of students while reading in a FL and a MT, which is correlated with the reading comprehension and the language skill.

This paper is concerned with the modifications implemented in a second year foreign language (FL) reading program with respect to the problems students experience while reading in FL. This research draws on the sources of FL reading anxiety identified in the first year reading program with a motivation to re-design the second year program to help the students perceive reading positively free from the anxiety. This paper reports on the responses of students to the modifications implemented in the second year reading program

Anxiety is a psychological factor commonly associated with such feelings as fear, apprehension and uneasiness. It is an individual’s affective reaction to a perceived or a real threat (MacIntyre, 1995). Foreign language reading anxiety (FLRA) refers to one’s negative attitudes which may, to some extent, account for the inhibition that s/he suffers from while reading a text in a foreign language (FL). Given that anxiety associated with FL has a strong impact on learners’ overall achievement (Cheng, Horwitz & Schallert, 1999; Sellers, 2000), FLRA may feature as a potent predictor of success in FL reading courses. Although numerous studies have focused on general FL anxiety, research aiming at unraveling FLRA including its various aspects has been far from being satisfactory. Hence, this study investigates the relationship between FLRA and reading strategy training in FL reading courses. Participants divided into experiment and control groups were selected through convenience sampling. Data were elicited through Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) (Saito, Horwitz & Garza, 1999) and semi-structured interviews. The study indicates that though there has been a decrease in the control group’s FLRA levels, results of the experiment group have revealed intriguing findings. Still, analyses of the interviews with members of the experiment group have yielded divergent remarks regarding their perceptions of their FLRA levels.

The study investigated EFL learners’ reading strategies use in relation to reading anxiety and gender after their participation in extensive reading as a supplemental course requirement. One hundred and eight EFL college freshmen completed a questionnaire, a survey of Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS), and a modified Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) after eighteen weeks of participation in extensive reading. The results indicate a negative correlation between reading anxiety and reading strategies. It was also found that EFL learners with low anxiety levels tended to use general reading strategies such as guessing, while EFL learners with high anxiety levels employed basic support mechanisms, such as translation, to help themselves understand texts. Some reading strategies were more used by high-anxiety level readers than low-anxiety level readers. Additionally, females tended to be slightly more anxious than males in reading. Language anxiety, a complex psychological construct, is regarded as an affective variable in the language learning process. Research on language anxiety has examined the possible relationship between anxiety and performance, and its interference in language competence (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1989; Sellers, 2000). The majority of studies have centered on the influence of language anxiety on listening or speaking in language classroom (Horwitz et al., 1986; Phillips, 1992; Price, 1991; Young, 1991). However, anxiety also can be a crucial filter for foreign language (FL) learners as they attempt to comprehend reading or listening passages. The literature on foreign language reading suggests that affective variables such as anxiety could be contributing factors in reading performance (Mohd. Zin & Rafik-Galea, 2010; Saito, Horwitz, & Garza, 1999; Sellers, 2000). In a preliminary study, Saito et al. (1999) indicated that foreign language reading anxiety is distinct from general foreign language anxiety and concluded that learners’ levels of reading anxiety were correlated with

Reading anxiety refers to the fear learners experience when reading a foreign language, impacting both the mind and body. This anxiety leads to cognitive, physical, and emotional problems, hindering students' ability to understand and extract information from texts, which significantly affects their reading achievement. This research examined the correlation and influence between students' reading anxiety and reading comprehension achievement among eleventh-grade students at MAN 2 Palembang. This study employed a quantitative, non-experimental research design utilizing a correlational approach. The study focused on eleventh-grade students from MAN 2 Palembang, with a sample of 102 students selected using convenience sampling. This study utilized the FLRAS Questionnaire, developed by Saito et al. (1999), and a reading test to gather data. The Pearson product-moment correlation was used with SPSS 26 to evaluate variable relationships. The findings indicated a moderate relationship between students' reading comprehension proficiency and reading anxiety level, with the correlation coefficient or R-value (0,522) higher than r-table (0,192). Furthermore, the findings suggested that students' reading anxiety substantially impacted their reading comprehension achievement, whose value (6,114) was higher than t-table(1,984)and sig. Value (0,000) was lower than probability (0,05). It could be proved that different levels of reading anxiety had a significant correlation to the student's reading comprehension achievement. The study revealed text features as the primary cause of students' foreign language reading anxiety, offering potential pedagogical benefits for future research and students.