Mental health and media coverage of COVID-19: investigation of the effects of television management, and efficient interrelation of anxiety through the dual technique: suffering VS pain, for the improvement of stress generated by the pandemic

Abstract

Willingness to communicate (WTC) in a foreign language is linked to a range of negative and positive emotions. The present study investigated whether language enjoyment and anxiety are potential predictors of WTC. To this end, a group of 349 EFL undergraduate students (Female = 226, Male = 123) enrolled at public Saudi Arabian universities were surveyed. Multiple regression analyses revealed that foreign language enjoyment (FLE) was a predictor of WTC, while foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) did not seem to have a significant correlation with students’ WTC. These results suggest higher levels of enjoyment may have neutralized the effects of anxiety on WTC, indicating the salient role of positive emotions. Implications for foreign language teachers are discussed.