On the Psychological Nature of Language Anxiety

Abstract

The study featured two models of language anxiety. The authors identified the psychological nature of this phenomenon by analyzing its relationships with ambiguity tolerance. The study involved the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale developed by E. K. Horwitz, M. B. Horwitz, and J. Cope, improved by Z. Na, and translated by the authors, as well as E. N. Osin’s General Tolerance for Ambiguity Scale. The study involved 102 students majoring in linguistics. For statistical processing, the authors employed such methods as internal consistency assessment (Cronbach's alpha), descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov one-sample test, Student's t-criterion, Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal- Wallis H-test, Pearson's coefficient, and Spearman's coefficient. The students demonstrated statistically significant gender differences in individual components of language anxiety and ambiguity tolerance. The attitudes to complex tasks and uncertain situations proved to be the most significant parameters of ambiguity tolerance in the context of understanding the psychological nature of language anxiety.