Korean university students’ English learning anxiety in English conversation class

Abstract

The present study was to examine Korean university students’ English learning anxiety and their perceptions towards English conversation classes. A total of 33 students from two intact classes at a local Korean university participated in this study. After participating in an English conversation class for one semester, the participants completed a computerized online survey comprised of 30 questions relating to communication apprehension, negative social evaluation, and English class anxiety. The results indicated that the students displayed a minor degree of language anxiety toward their English conversation class generally with a mean score of 3.08(SD = 1.15). The students reported the highest degree of anxiety for not being able to understand what the teacher said, being laughed at by the other students, getting every mistake corrected by the teacher, and taking English class. However, they also reported they felt reduced anxiety over time as they developed a familiarity and a bond with other students and the instructor, which can be attributable to sharing the same linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Based on the findings of this study, pedagogical implications were discussed.