The role of everyday stressors on primary students´ language learning

Abstract

Paper deals with the role of stress in the process of learning of pupils, younger students at primary school. It is based on literature review, and the term stress is discussed in general, as a condition in the environment as well as an internal condition leading to specific responses of an individual. It is a complex topic described from neuroscientific, biological, pedagogical and psychological point of view. The main goal is to describe stress and identify different resources of students´ stress and to refer how various levels of everyday negative pressure and anxiety can affect individual´s cognitive processes, his emotional state and well-being, as well as behaviour in school environment. In this review, following issues are examined: what stress is, how it functions and what kinds of stressors are experienced in primary students, what kinds of symptoms are associated with it, how a reduced ability to regulate negative emotions as stress and anxiety impacts foreign language learning, and what coping methods and techniques can be applied for reducing foreign language anxiety in school environment. / Keywords: emotions and stress, younger students, school environment, foreign language learning, coping methods