Abstract
This quantitative study was conducted to find out the relationship between Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) and the achievements of non-English major university students in Indonesia. Through descriptive analysis, the study found that learners experienced various degrees of FLA with the mean score 93.07 (SD = 17.69, N = 119). This study also found a statistically significant, negative correlation between the learners’ FLA and their achievements as measured with their grades, r (117) = -.37, p < .01. Consistent with that, significant, negative relationships were also found between the learners' achievements and all the three related situation-specific anxieties, namely, communication apprehension, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation. Considering the results, it is suggested that both teachers and students should minimise the debilitating effects of students’ FLA. Based on the limitations of this study, some recommendations for future researches are also stated. Suggested directions of future researches on FLA in Indonesia are investigations on the relationship between FLA and achievements across different levels of education as well as thorough qualitative investigations of FLA. Keywords: Foreign Language Anxiety, learners’ achievements, correlations.
Highlights
A large body of research investigating affective factors such as anxiety and motivation may indicate many experts’ acknowledgement on the role of emotion in foreign language learning. Dulay and Burt (1977) might have made the first attempts to investigate the role of affect, especially anxiety, in learning through the concept of affective filter hindering learning in which they gave an early explanation as to why some learners could achieve high
Considering that anxiety is one of the best indicators of foreign language achievement which tend to be in a negative way (Gardner, 1985; Gardner & MacIntyre, 1993) it becomes paramount important to investigate this field even more to gain further understanding based on which language education practitioners can better help learners’ language learning
In order to measure the Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) level, Horwitz et al (1986) developed Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCAS), which consists of 33 five-point Likert scale items mostly related to the anxiety in oral production and apprehensive attitude towards foreign language learning
Summary
A large body of research investigating affective factors such as anxiety and motivation may indicate many experts’ acknowledgement on the role of emotion in foreign language learning. Dulay and Burt (1977) might have made the first attempts to investigate the role of affect, especially anxiety, in learning through the concept of affective filter hindering learning in which they gave an early explanation as to why some learners could achieve high. A large body of research investigating affective factors such as anxiety and motivation may indicate many experts’ acknowledgement on the role of emotion in foreign language learning. Krashen (1982) later acknowledged that anxiety, along with motivation, attitude, and self-confidence, plays an important role in learning through his affective filter hypothesis. He argued, leads to a dense affective filter not allowing information to be absorbed by learners. Considering that anxiety is one of the best indicators of foreign language achievement which tend to be in a negative way (Gardner, 1985; Gardner & MacIntyre, 1993) it becomes paramount important to investigate this field even more to gain further understanding based on which language education practitioners can better help learners’ language learning
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