The Correlation among EFL Learners’ Test Anxiety, Foreign Language Anxiety and Language Achievement

Dilek Cakici

doi:10.5539/elt.v9n8p190

Abstract

<p class="Default">The main aim of this study was to investigate the correlation among test anxiety (TA), foreign language anxiety (FLA) and language achievement of university preparatory students learning English as a foreign language. The sample of the research consisted of 301 (211 females, 90 males) attending a one-year EFL preparatory school at Ondokuz Mayıs University, School of Foreign Languages. The TAI (Test Anxiety Inventory) developed by Spielberger (1980), FLCAS (Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale) developed by Horwitz (1986) and the students’ language achievement scores were used to collect data. In addition, this study aimed to determine the effect of gender on both TA and FLA. The findings of the study revealed that there was no relation between students’ TA and their language achievement. It was also found a significant positive correlation between students’ TA and FLA. Besides, the result demonstrated that there was a significant reverse correlation between students’ FLA and their language achievement. Following t-test results, it was found out that females exhibited higher mean scores than males in both TAI and FLCAS. Finally, certain suggestions were set for EFL teachers to reduce text anxiety and language learning anxiety in foreign language classroom settings.</p>

Highlights

1.1 Introduce the ProblemLanguage learning is undoubtedly viewed as a quite complex and multifaceted process in nature
The main aim of this study was to investigate the correlation among test anxiety (TA), foreign language anxiety (FLA) and language achievement of university preparatory students learning English as a foreign language
In order to fill this gap, the current study aims to investigate the correlations between test anxiety and foreign language anxiety, and language achievement of preparatory students learning English as a foreign language

Summary

Introduction

Language learning is undoubtedly viewed as a quite complex and multifaceted process in nature. The related literature on affective factors in EFL learning reveal that one of the most widely studied emotional concepts in psychological and educational research area is the notion of anxiety. Anxiety has become a major research interest of a wealth of studies in literature. Anxiety is associated with feelings of uneasiness, frustration, self-doubt, apprehension, or worry (Brown, 1994). In a similar vein, Spielberger (1966), defines anxiety as subjective, consciously perceived feelings of apprehension and tension, accompanied by and associated with activation or arousal of the autonomic nervous system. From the holistic views of language learning, learner’s emotional characteristics cannot be separated from his cognitive features. The anxiety construct has been an outstanding focus of attention in foreign language learning research. The anxiety construct has been an outstanding focus of attention in foreign language learning research. Dörnyei (2009) described anxiety as the five best-known individual factors –language aptitude, motivation, learning styles, learning strategies, and anxiety as a curious variable

Objectives

Results

Conclusion