Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety: Evidence from Electroencephalogram Signals and Subjective Self-Report Data

The present study sought to understand the nature and level of foreign language (FL) anxiety among primary school students and the relationship between FL anxiety and FL achievement. Changes in FL anxiety across groups of three primary school years were also examined. A total of 631 (324 male, 307 female) primary school students aged 9–11 years completed the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) that measured students’ FL anxiety. Our participants’ FL achievements as measured by low-stakes regular assessments and high-stakes formal examinations were also collected. On average, primary school students reported levels of FL anxiety comparable to those of adults observed in previous studies. Factor analysis on FLCAS generated four components of FL anxiety: communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, test anxiety and negative attitude towards classroom. Correlation analyses showed that students’ FL anxiety was inversely correlated with their FL achievements. The correlation was stronger for formal examinations with higher stakes as compared to regular assessments with lower stakes. Finally, the correlation strengthened as a function of higher instructional level. Results are discussed in relation to previous research. Implications to FL education are also considered.

This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects on learner anxiety of anxiety-reducing strategies utilized by English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, sources of foreign language (FL) anxiety for Saudi learners of English (N = 596) were identified using The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). In the second stage, 465 learners were divided almost equally into two groups (experimental vs. control) and 12 teachers were recruited. Anxiety-reducing strategies were implemented exclusively in the treatment group for approximately eight weeks. These strategies targeted the sources of FL anxiety identified at the first stage of the study like fear of negative evaluation, communication apprehension, and the negative attitudes toward English language class. At the second stage, a classroom observation scale was used to evaluate teacher's anxiety-reducing practices. FLCAS was used to assess learners' FL anxiety levels before and after treatment. Statistical analyses (e.g. ANOVA and ANCOVA) were used to evaluate the study findings. These findings revealed that the intervention led to significantly decreased levels of FL anxiety for learners in the experimental group compared with increased levels of anxiety for those in the control group.

This study investigated preparatory year students from a Saudi University to identify anxiety they experience during their English language classes. The participants were 76 preparatory year students with high English language proficiency and 64 with low English language proficiency. A translated version of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) developed by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986) was administered to generate data for this survey. Descriptive analyses and Independent-samples t-test were run to identify the participants’ perceptions related to four categories of Foreign Language (FL) anxiety as well as to see whether any significant differences exist due to their English language proficiency. The results of this study have revealed that Saudi EFL preparatory year students suffer from medium level of FL anxiety. Among four types of FL anxiety, the participants have reported that they suffer the most from communication anxiety followed by negative evaluation anxiety, anxiety of English classroom and test anxiety respectively. The present findings haven not exhibited any significant differences in the perceptions of Saudi preparatory year students regarding FL anxiety in relation to their English language proficiency. It is recommended that EFL teachers try their level best to decrease anxiety level by making their classroom proceedings interesting and stress free. This seems advisable for EFL teachers to enhance the possibilities of their students’ participation in class activities by letting them know in advanced so that they are able to prepare those topics well. Generally speaking, it transpires that though Saudi preparatory year students bear moderate level of FL anxiety that can easily be addressed by exploiting appropriate teaching techniques to help them overcome their anxiety and perform better in their language classes.

The purpose of this study was to explore the motivation and language anxiety and to determine the possible relations between which types of motivation impact the students’ Foreign Language (FOLA) anxiety, the present study examined relationship between motivation for learning Deutsch and FOLA anxiety among high school students. The three domains that usually affect students’ performance (test anxiety, communication apprehension, and fear of negative feedback anxiety) have been investigated. To attain its purpose of acquiring Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and motivation scale were administered to130 participants. The results of the study revealed that there is a negative relation between learner motivations’ integrative and instrumentality to foreign language anxiety that both anxiety and motivation showed significantly predict the Deutsch acquisition of the language learners within a Liceo de Cagayan University context. Although this study did not reveal strong correlations between motivation and FOLA anxiety, it could be concluded that motivation and FOLA anxiety has no impact on language acquisition. It also indicates that students who have practical reasons and intellectual satisfaction tend to have lower levels of FOLA anxiety. To create a low-anxiety classroom environment, it is important for the teacher to repeatedly and clearly express that they are aware of the existence of anxiety in the learners. Despite the well-known facts that motivation and anxiety are significant variables in determining learners’ acquisition of Deutsch as a foreign language, further research is needed to explore possible variables that associates between motivation and FOLA anxiety. Teachers’ use of affective strategies such as humor, friendly relationship, supportive, and relaxed classroom atmosphere that encourage risk-taking are effective in decreasing foreign language anxiety and facilitating learning. Keywords: Motivation, anxiety, foreign language, pedagogy, deutsch, Philippines.

Although anxiety has been found to be a key variable in both interpretation performance and second language (L2) acquisition, there has been virtually no dialogue between these two fields. In order to bridge this gap, this study investigated Taiwanese undergraduate student interpreters’ foreign language (FL) anxiety using Horwitz, Horwitzet al.’s (1986)Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. Results showed that (1) Taiwanese student interpreters did have FL anxiety despite the language facility expected from them; (2) the scope of their FL anxiety was slightly less prevalent than regular Asian L2 learners, as widespread as American L2 learners, and more far-reaching than European L2 learners; and (3) the level of their FL anxiety was slightly less severe than in most of the university students from several cultural groups with various L2s, except for American college students of Arabic and Russian. Implications for pedagogy and future research are suggested.

Foreign Language Anxiety is often seen as a factor that prevents language learners from successfully learning a foreign language. Many researchers note that foreign language anxiety is one of the most outstanding individual differences to predict the learners’ success. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the foreign language anxiety in the students learning English for specific purposes (ESP) and the relationship between foreign language anxiety and English test results. 176 university students of English for specific purposes at various study programs at Aleksander Moisu University participated in the given study. The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) was used to measure foreign language anxiety. The scores obtained in the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale correlated with the students’ mid-term exam results in the ESP course. Results of the study indicate that foreign language anxiety is a problem among ESL students, and it has a significantly negative correlation with the students’ results in ESP.

Foreign language anxiety has long been considered detrimental to second language acquisition to the extent that some teaching methods were based on anxiety reduction in language classrooms. Cognitive bias modification is an almost new procedure for reducing anxiety and depression. The current mixed methods study aimed at investigating the effect of software-based attentional CBM on adult Iranian EFL learners’ language anxiety. Participants of the study were 79 English language learners (M = 23.73, SD = 1.42), selected based on convenience sampling from three foreign language institutes in Tehran. The distribution of gender was almost equal. Data were collected through Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale before and after applying the software-based attentional bias modification intervention. Furthermore, semi-structured interviews were run to explore how this treatment would affect the anxiety level of language learners. Analysis of Covariance results revealed that the software-based attentional bias modification significantly reduced foreign language anxiety of the learners. Furthermore, analysis of the qualitative data showed that attentional bias modification mainly affects the communication apprehension and test anxiety components of foreign language anxiety.

<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>

Background/purpose: English language plays an important role in Afghanistan higher education. Proficiency in English as the language of communication is becoming progressively important for the development of higher education. However, speaking in English is one of the anxiety provoking skills for most of Afghan learners. This study therefore aims to investigate Afghanistan undergraduate English and literature students’ perceptions on foreign language speaking anxiety, and its components of communication apprehension (CA), fear of negative evaluation (FNE) and test anxiety (TA). Method: An adapted version of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and an interview protocol were used to investigate 302 Afghan students’ foreign language anxiety. Results/conclusion: The findings suggested that the students experienced a moderate level of anxiety. The female students had higher level of foreign language anxiety (FLA) than male students. The study further revealed that CA was the highest factor which contribute to students’ FLCAS. The study found no statistically significant differences between the university location and components of FLA. This means that the students either from Kabul as the capital or from Bamyan as a central province experienced FLA. Furthermore, the components of FLA significantly correlated to each other. The findings suggest facilitating short and long-term training for both teachers and students to employ effective strategies on reducing the level of anxiety in English language classes.

Background: The problems faced by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners with neurological disorders including epilepsy are often more serious, noticeable, and remarkable than those encountered by normal learners. Mostly, such patients, perform poorly in terms of productive and verbal skills and experience a high level of anxiety in language learning contexts. This study was conducted using a sequential design to investigate the effects of a social, metacognitive, and problem-solving skills training package on foreign language anxiety and speaking skills of epileptic EFL learners. Methods: The study participants included a total of 60 epileptic EFL learners (35 males and 25 females), selected through purposive sampling. The participants were randomly divided into four groups of EFL learners (15 members each), with two groups engaged in an online format and two in a traditional classroom setting. Data were collected through the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), IELTS Speaking Test, Quick Placement Test (QPT), and a Social, Metacognitive, and Problem-Solving Skills Training Package. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Shapiro-Wilk test. Results: The findings of the current study showed the training package had a significant effect on foreign language anxiety and speaking skills of Iranian epileptic EFL learners, with notable impacts observed in the online learning environment. Conclusion: The study highlighted the importance of integrating social, metacognitive, and problem-solving skills training into language programs for epileptic EFL learners to enhance their speaking skills and reduce foreign language anxiety. These findings have important implications for epileptic EFL learners, neurological centers, and language centers.

This study explores the prevalence and impact of foreign language anxiety (FLA) among Islamic degree students at a tertiary level institution in their English language learning journey. FLA is commonly characterized by uneasiness associated with learning a new or additional language and has been recognized as a psychological barrier in language learning. The study's primary objectives are to identify FLA levels among Islamic degree students and study the correlation between FLA and students' exam grades using the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). Employing a quantitative approach, the study administered FLCAS questionnaires to 181 participants, and data analysis was conducted using SPSS. Results revealed that communication apprehension recorded the highest mean (3.43), signifying a high degree of anxiety among the respondents. Conversely, the remaining FLCAS components, namely test anxiety (mean = 3.20), fear of negative evaluation (mean = 3.40), and fear of English class (mean = 3.02), demonstrated an average level of anxiety. Overall, FLA among the Islamic degree students was generally rated at a moderate level (mean = 3.28). Furthermore, the subsequent correlation analysis between FLA and students' exam grades displayed a weak positive relationship (r = 0.184), suggesting that FLA may offer facilitative insights into language learning performance.

A STUDY ON THE CORRELATION BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL ANXIETY, SELF-EFFICACY AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING ACHIEVEMENT

With the increase in globalization, the study of English has become common in Saudi Arabia, but students’ experiences of foreign language anxiety (FLA) have been underexamined. Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries are culturally distinct from the Western world, where the most popular assessments of FLA were developed. Through a qualitative and then quantitative study, the current research examined the suitability of the most popular existing FLA questionnaire, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), for use with students of English in Saudi Arabia. In Study 1, Arab women studying in an English preparatory program at an English medium college in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, responded to a single-item, open-ended questionnaire prompting them to list the situations in which they experience anxiety while trying to learn English. A new questionnaire drawing on the women’s responses and the FLCAS and incorporating new items pertinent to the context was then created. In Study 2, the AFLAQ questionnaire was administered to a new sample of Arab women studying in the English medium college, and their responses were analyzed to determine whether the situations described were actually common causes of anxiety, and to identify the most common causes of anxiety. The new questionnaire, called the Arabic Foreign Language Anxiety Questionnaire (AFLAQ), presents a modified version of the FLCAS that was designed to identify and understand specifically what the female Arab students studying in Saudi Arabia experience. A particular emphasis on concerns about self-presentation and embarrassment is fundamental to the AFLAQ due to the importance of honor and respect in Saudi Arabian culture, a concern that does not play as significant of a role in the FLCAS or in Western culture.

Abstract: Although a number of studies have been done about Foreign Language Anxiety among Korean students, limited studies have been done on foreign language anxiety toward Korean college students in the Philippines. This paper seeks to find out the factors that may affect foreign language anxiety of both male and female college students in learning English, their foreign language learning anxiety in terms of gender, and the factor that may decrease the anxiety of the participants. Data was gathered through the use of a Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), a Likert scale adopted from Yassin (2015) and was analyzed by getting the mean, while the findings were interpreted using the mean scale proposed by Mamhot, Martin & Masangya (2013). Surprisingly, the result revealed that foreign language anxiety is not significant among Korean students. Moreover, the female participants showed higher confidence in speaking and using the language compared to male participants in some aspects. Keywords: EFL; FLCAS, foreign language anxiety; gender

With the growing, and often required, opportunities for Korean EFL learners to interact with NNSs as well as NSs via international job markets, many English intensive programs are being established by universities and are welcomed by students.Given that a great deal of effort is being made by these students, their English Speaking Anxiety (ESA), and its impact on their efforts, has not been examined to any great degree.This study aims to investigate Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) and Language Anxiety in Cognitive Processes (LACP) of Korean university students in an Intensive TOEIC speaking program and their relationships with their academic achievement.Statistical analysis was carried out to trace students' ESA between the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) variables and its correlation with the LACP and their impact on students' TOEIC speaking achievement throughout the program.This study also includes instructors' semi-structured interviews with students and the students' introductory journals to offer their voices on English speaking.The study documents that ESA is correlated between FLA items and LACP variables differently and influence TOEIC speaking performance negatively.The implication of the study is discussed further with regard to teachers' consideration of learners' ESA when learning the language.