Abstract
This paper reviews research on anxiety of learning Chinese as a second or foreign language (CSL/CFL) in and outside mainland China. This review involves 52 Chinese language articles identified in leading journals from the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database (中国知网) and 42 English language articles from the Web of Science and ERIC database published during the period of 1999 to 2020. By adopting bibliometric analysis and content analysis, this study compares the topical issues and methodological approaches of research on CSL/CFL learning anxiety published in leading Chinese and international journals. The review found that, compared with mainland Chinese scholars, international researchers examined a broader range of topical issues from multidimensional perspectives. While most Chinese empirical studies are dominated by the quantitative approach, qualitative methods such as classroom observations and in-depth interviews were also widely adopted by international researchers. The analysis also revealed that although Chinese scholars had drawn on well-established theories and concepts originating from foreign language anxiety (FLA) research, their role in CSL/CFL anxiety research is limited and peripheral. Consequently, we conclude this review with recommendations that encourage mainland Chinese researchers to be well informed by the updated theoretical perspective and methodological approaches such as the utilization of social network analysis and the integration of Information Communications Technology in language education.
Highlights
A great variety of emotions experienced by language learners have attracted scholarly attention from various linguistic, educational, and sociocultural contexts (Jain and Sidhu, 2013; Dewaele, 2018; Miyahara, 2019)
General Observations on Topical Distributions of the Studies The thematic analysis indicated that the 94 selected articles (52 Chinese language articles and 42 English language articles) could be categorized into four groups: measure of CSL/CFL anxiety, factors associated with CSL/CFL anxiety, effects of CSL/CFL anxiety, and classroom practices to reduce CSL/CFL anxiety
The result shows that p = 0.038 (p < 0.05), revealing clear differences between the topical issues addressing in articles published in mainland Chinese and international journals
Summary
A great variety of emotions experienced by language learners have attracted scholarly attention from various linguistic, educational, and sociocultural contexts (Jain and Sidhu, 2013; Dewaele, 2018; Miyahara, 2019). In order to accurately measure learners’ anxiety of learning a foreign language, a standard instrument, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), was designed and developed, and which has been widely adopted in a range of empirical studies (e.g., Saito et al, 1999; Kitano, 2001; Park, 2014; Weng, 2020). These studies on FLA are conducted in different language education contexts, such as Japanese (Aida, 1994; Djafri and Wimbarti, 2018), Korean (Kim, 2000; Lee, 2021), Spanish (Noels, 2001; Cordeiro, 2019), French (Rodríguez and Abreu, 2003; Bosmans and Hurd, 2016), and Chinese (Le, 2004; Zhao, 2013) providing cross-linguistic and cross-cultural evidence for the pervasive existence of anxiety in foreign language learning. To depict a whole picture of the current literature on anxiety level specific to CSL/CFL learners, a systematic review on this issue is urgently needed
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