Classroom Anxiety Research Articles

Impact of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety on Higher Education Students Academic Success: Mediating Role of Emotional Intelligence and Moderating Influence of Classroom Environment.

The current study aimed to investigate the impact of foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) on academic success through mediating role of emotional intelligence communication (EIC) and moderating role of class room environment. Due to the disruptive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching and learning were moved online nation-wide. The convenient sampling technique was used, for data collection from Chinese university students. There was a total of 615 students that participated in the survey and data gathered in 5 months from November 2021 till March 2022. Covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) in SPSS V.25 and AMOS V.22 was used to assess model fitness and hypotheses, as well as construct reliability and validity of the measurement model. The results revealed that FLCA is negatively and significantly influence students’ academic success. Furthermore, EIC as a mediator significantly and positively mediates the relationship between FLCA and academic success. The current study shows that emotional intelligence has the ability to reduce students’ foreign language anxiety and so improve their language skills. Lastly, classroom environment positively and significantly moderates the relationship between FLCA and emotional intelligence communication.

Engagement Mediates the Relationship Between Emotion and Achievement of Chinese EFL Learners.

Since the coming of Positive Psychology in the field of second language acquisition (SLA), the significance of emotion, especially positive emotion, has been well recognized by researchers. Educational research has indicated that both emotion and engagement play fundamental roles in learning process and psychological wellbeing, but research on their relationship is scant in SLA. The present study contributed to the development of Positive Psychology in SLA by investigating the relationships between achievement emotions, behavioral engagement, and self-reported English achievements. 633 students from four senior high schools in China participated in the study. Data collected through questionnaires revealed: (1) Participants reported a medium to high level of foreign language enjoyment (FLE), foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA), and behavioral engagement; females had a higher level of FLE and behavioral engagement than males; the participants reported more anxiety and less enjoyment than western samples; (2) significant correlations were found between FLE, FLCA, behavioral engagement, and self-reported achievement; (3) significant mediating effects of behavioral engagement were found between both achievement emotions and self-reported achievement, and the mediating effect of engagement was stronger between FLCA and self-reported achievement. The findings extended the nomological network of achievement emotions, developed our insights into the complex relationships between emotions, learner engagement and language achievement, and revealed the mediating effects of behavioral engagement. Finally, directions for future study and implications for foreign language educators were provided.

Classroom Activities, Classroom Anxiety and Teacher Roles : Three Dimensions Revealing Class Reality of a University English Course

Classroom Activities, Classroom Anxiety and Teacher Roles : Three Dimensions Revealing Class Reality of a University English Course

A Comparison of Distance and Face-to-Face Learning Regarding Anxiety Factors Among 5th Grade EFL Students: A Case Study

In the general sense, anxiety is a feeling that causes trouble in mind. Accordingly, language learning anxiety can be listed as one of the factors affecting learners negatively in and out of the educational settings due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For this reason, being aware of students’ learning conditions that affect their anxiety level is significant for language teachers to set clear expectations about the learning outcomes of the school subjects. Regarding young learners in Turkey, the distance education context is a highly new way to be pursued in the scope of experience. Considering this information, the current study aims to profile and compare individual language anxiety levels of 5th-grade students in face-to-face learning and distance learning. Research is valuable since distance learning is a new concept for young learners in Turkey, resulting from the pandemic, and very few researchers have focused on young learners in Turkey. The study was conducted in a state school in Kütahya. Participants were 5th-grade students from three different sections of the school. In the study, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and its modified distance learning version were used. The results of the two tests were compared. While some factors do not show a significant difference, some aspects of fear of communication increase in the target foreign language. However, some items related to fear of making mistakes have noticeably reduced in distance learning.

Modeling skill-based foreign language learning anxieties as a single construct and testing its predictive aspect on foreign language classroom anxiety

The aim of the current study was two-fold: i) to investigate whether four skill-based foreign language anxiety scales used in the literature can be confirmed as a single construct, and ii) to explore to what extent this potential single construct can explain foreign language classroom anxiety. The participants included 385 Turkish EFL learners in a university context and data collection instruments were four skill-based anxiety scales and the foreign language classroom anxiety scale (FLCAS). The results of the correlated traits and second order analysis revealed that four skill-based anxieties were confirmed as a single scale, referred to here as the skill-based foreign language learning anxiety scale (SB-FLLAS), measuring a latent variable, foreign language learning anxiety (FLLA). In addition, the SB-FLLAS explained these four anxieties with a high predictive degree on the FLCAS at 88%, demonstrated through structural equation modelling. The current study presents this new practical scale, which could be used in the measurement of skill-based anxieties, and suggests several practical and research implications for foreign language anxiety.

Investigating the Effect of Using Game-Based Learning on EFL Learners’ Motivation and Anxiety

This study intended to examine the effects of game-based learning on Iranian EFL learners’ language anxiety and motivation. In order to perform the study, the quantitative research method was applied. In this study, 58 Iranian intermediate EFL participants were selected and divided into two groups: control and experimental. Then, the questionnaires of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) were administered to the participants of both groups as the pretests of the study. After pretesting, 90 English vocabulary items were trained to the EG by using game-based learning, but the same vocabulary items were taught to the CG traditionally. After teaching the vocabularies, the mentioned questionnaires were administered again as the post-tests of the study. The results of independent samples t-tests revealed that implementing game-based learning had the potential of reducing EFL learners’ anxiety to improve their English learning. Also, the results indicated that applying game-based learning increased the language motivation of Iranian EFL learners.

A growing dilemma: English speaking anxiety-in-EFL classrooms: A review of research

The current study aims to discuss the current situation of research on speaking anxiety of EFL learners through some variables. The journals indexed in various databases were searched and 59 studies were selected for the review by considering (a) the participant selection process of the studies (b) the main causes of speaking anxiety in EFL classrooms (c) whether there is any difference according to some variables including level of proficiency, gender, and English learning background (d) how the participants perceive themselves in terms of speaking anxiety. It was found that the number of studies on speaking anxiety has been on the increase in the last decade. When it comes to the causes of speaking anxiety in the bunch of studies, the foremost and most reported cause of speaking anxiety is learners’ fear of making mistakes, being compared by others, proficiency level and gender type. As speaking one of the four skills to communicate in any language, it is important to find solutions to these questions and enhance the development of the EFL learners’ speaking skills. The findings yield important insights on Turkish EFL learners speaking anxiety in English for all the stakeholders ranging from teachers and learners. In addition, it is hoped that, from the sociological perspective, this paper will pave a way to rethink and criticize the local context in countries which do not include oral exams in their national standardized testing system and mandate receptive skills.

Adult ESL Education and Learning Anxiety: An Exploratory Case Study Involving Malaysian Security Personnel

The Blueprint on Enculturation of Lifelong Learning for Malaysia recognises learning after the school and higher education systems as the third pillar in human capital development, and encourages continuity in upskilling (which includes the improvement of English competency) for individual empowerment and mobility. Despite this, there is a lack of research in the area, with most studies centralising Malaysian ESL practices involving only school or tertiary learners. Studies on professional development, meanwhile, tend to favour school teachers, resulting in a lack of empirical findings relevant to other professions. The present case study involved 111 Malaysian ESL learners enrolled in a six-month English language improvement programme organised by a public Malaysian university during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were full-time security personnel of the said university and comprised both males and females. The participants’ English proficiency and language learning anxiety levels were measured pre- and post-intervention using The Cambridge English Assessment: General Test and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) respectively. FLCAS data garnered were subjected to non-reversed and reversed scoring to lend the study better transparency and greater depth. Results indicate minimal change in terms of English proficiency post-intervention, whereas FLCAS data indicate increased anxiety. Recommendations for future research are outlined.

Gender differences in foreign language classroom anxiety: Results of a meta-analysis

Exploring language learners’ anxiety is not a neglected area of inquiry in applied linguistics research, which can primarily be attributed to the publication of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), an influential instrument developed by Horwitz et al. (1986) to measure language anxiety. An ever-growing array of studies has employed the FLCAS and analyzed the underlying relationship between the focal construct and foreign language achievement, various individual difference variables and a variety of demographic variables, such as learning experiences, age, and gender. Despite the considerable number of publications, studies focusing on biographical variables and language anxiety have not been conclusive. The aim of the present meta-analysis is to analyze 48 studies that employed the FLCAS to look at the potential gender differences with respect to language anxiety. Although there is great variation in the methodological and reporting practices in the studies included, and findings show a tendency for females to experience higher foreign language anxiety, gender-related differences are not statistically significant. The results of moderator analyses showed that neither age nor target language, regional context, or, in the case of university students, their majors, influence this relationship.

“You can’t start a fire without a spark”. Enjoyment, anxiety, and the emergence of flow in foreign language classrooms

Abstract The present study adopted a mixed-methods approach using a convergent parallel design to focus on the role that positive and negative emotions have in the Foreign Language (FL) classroom on the ontogenesis of positive flow. Participants were 1,044 FL learners from around the world. They provided quantitative and qualitative data on FL enjoyment (FLE), classroom anxiety (FLCA) and experience of flow via an on-line questionnaire (Dewaele, Jean-Marc & Peter D. MacIntyre. 2014. The two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 4. 237–274). FLE was a significantly stronger predictor of frequency of flow experience than FLCA. Further statistical analyses revealed that flow experiences are typically self-centred, infrequent and short-lived at the start of the FL learning journey and when the perceived social standing in the group is low. They become an increasingly shared experience, more frequent, stronger and more sustained as learners reach a more advanced level in their FL. What starts as an occasional individual spark can turn into a true fire that extends to other group members. The findings are illustrated by participants’ reports on enjoyable episodes in the FL classroom in which some reported complete involvement in an individual or collective task, merging of action and awareness, joyful bonding with classmates, intense focus and joy, loss of self-consciousness, sense of time and place.

The relationships between EFL learners’ anxiety in oral presentations, self-perceived pronunciation, and speaking proficiency

Learners’ anxiety has drawn widespread attention in the field of second language / foreign language (L2/FL) teaching and learning (e.g. classroom anxiety, communication (with foreigners) anxiety, and anxiety associated with the four macro-skills, namely listening, reading, speaking, and writing). However, this topic is under-explored in L2/FL public speaking (e.g. oral presentations in academic studies), in which anxiety is especially prominent. This study investigated the relationships between EFL (English as a foreign language) learners’ anxiety in public speaking, self-perceived pronunciation competence, and actual speaking proficiency. 176 tertiary-level EFL students in Hong Kong participated in this mixed-methods study using questionnaires and interviews. Overall, different aspects of self-perceived pronunciation were negatively correlated with anxiety to different extents. However, when analysed by proficiency levels, only voicing of consonants and overall pronunciation of consonants showed moderate negative correlations with anxiety for the high-proficiency and intermediate-proficiency groups respectively. In the interviews, the high-, intermediate-, and low-proficiency interviewees suggested nativelikeness, accuracy, and intelligibility respectively as their different pronunciation goals in EFL oral presentations.

Class-home Connection Using Communication Technology and its Impact on Anxiety Reduction and Academic Performance

This study tries to shed light on the importance of using communication technology in class-home connection, where the two-way communication that requires electronic interactive dialogue between teachers and parents are used, and how this communication may enhance students’ English language academic performance and help in reducing their classroom anxiety. The sample of the study consists of thirty EFL secondary school students with their parents. Two instruments were used to collect data; structured interview with parents, observation checklists to measure students’ anxiety, in addition to use students’ academic performance to determine their level of achievement in English. The results show that parents have positive attitudes towards using communication technology in class-home connection. It further demonstrates that students’ level of anxiety was reduced notably after applying the experiment, when the parents connect with the teacher daily, in addition to palpable improvement in students’ academic performance in English language.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM ANXIETY OF STUDENTS STUDYING ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN KAZAKHSTAN

A significant number of students studying a foreign language have experienced anxiety at some point during their studies. Kazakhstan is a multilingual country, having three official languages (Kazakh, Russian, and English) as compulsory education, and it raises the question of whether students experience any anxiety during the classroom, which significantly impacts their learning process and academic performance. This article aimed to explore the level of foreign language classroom anxiety among the students studying in 3rd and 4th grade in the Department of English Language and Literature and the Department of Translation Studies at Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkestan, Kazakhstan. To test the anxiety level, the study was conducted by conducting an online survey of 314 students (266=female, 48=male) and utilising the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). The results showed a moderate level of anxiety, suggesting that the students and teachers might have been affected by the cultural aspects of the nation. Another assumption might be the mutual trust between the students and teachers that creates an atmosphere that decreases the anxiety. Furthermore, students were eager to study and looked forward to conversing with native speakers. This data confirms the importance of culture, peer support, and proper study programs, along with the continuous assistance and encouragement from the teachers.

Predicting Sense of Classroom Community from Foreign Language Enjoyment and Anxiety in an English as a Foreign Language Classroom

Whereas the role of anxiety and enjoyment in predicting learning outcomes is well documented in the literature, the role of these two emotion dimensions in predicting perceived sense of classroom community is rarely discussed in the literature despite the fact that classroom community serves as a good predictor of learning outcomes. Conducted in a sociocultural context which is under-represented in the international literature, the present study was designed to predict participants’ perceived sense of classroom community based on their reported enjoyment and anxiety scores. A total of 402 senior high school students (male: 153, female: 249) participated in the study. Participants were invited to complete the questionnaires measuring foreign language enjoyment, foreign language anxiety, and perceived sense of classroom community. Multiple regression analysis indicated that foreign language classroom anxiety and enjoyment concurrently explained 39% of the total variance in sense of classroom community. Foreign language enjoyment turned out to be a stronger positive predictor, whereas anxiety was a negative predictor. Both variables were significant predictors for sense of classroom community regardless of gender. Whereas males and females were comparable in terms of perceived sense of classroom community and foreign language enjoyment, females were more anxious than males.

The Relationship Between Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety, Enjoyment, and Expectancy-Value Motivation and Their Predictive Effects on Chinese High School Students' Self-Rated Foreign Language Proficiency.

The present study explored the relations among foreign language (FL) classroom anxiety, enjoyment, expectancy-value motivation, and their predictive effects on Chinese high school students’ self-rated FL proficiency. Participants were 280 senior high school Chinese English as a foreign language learners who were surveyed on their foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA), foreign language enjoyment (FLE), and expectancy-value motivation. Results showed that (1) the students generally experienced a medium to a high level of FL classroom emotions with FLE slightly higher than FLCA. They were more value-motivated than expectancy-motivated toward FL learning. Most of them perceived their FL proficiency as unsatisfying; (2) the students’ FLE was significantly positively correlated with all dimensions of expectancy-value motivation, while their FLCA and expectancy-value motivation demonstrated a complex correlation pattern. As the students’ FLCA level increased, their expectancy beliefs, intrinsic value, attainment value, and utility value decreased, but their cost value increased. By contrast, as their FLE level increased, their expectancy beliefs, intrinsic value, attainment value, utility value all increased, while their cost value first increased and then slightly decreased; and (3) expectancy beliefs, intrinsic value, private enjoyment in FL learning and anxiety arising from fear of negative evaluation jointly significantly predicted the students’ self-rated FL proficiency. Implications for future research and teaching were also discussed.

Face-To-Face Or Online Speaking Practice: A Comparison of Students’ Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Level

Speaking using foreign language in front of other people can be one of the most anxiety-provoking situations. Learners who does not enjoy interacting with other people or being the center of attention may exhibit extreme anxiety when they are asked to take parts in oral presentation, discussion, or any other kind of language activities. A study found that online discussion may decrease the effect. It provides a non-threatening situation for learners who are shy and withdrawn. This survey study aims to see whether it is also applied in Indonesian tertiary education by investigating and comparing the learners' level of anxiety in face to face speaking class before Covid-19 pandemic and online speaking class during the pandemic. 120 students who experienced both speaking courses before and during the pandemic participated in the survey. Consistent with the result of other studies, this study found that in average, learners feel less anxious during during online speaking class (48,41%) compare to face-to-face class (60,96%).

Face-To-Face Or Online Speaking Practice: A Comparison of Students’ Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Level

Speaking using foreign language in front of other people can be one of the most anxiety-provoking situations. Learners who does not enjoy interacting with other people or being the center of attention may exhibit extreme anxiety when they are asked to take parts in oral presentation, discussion, or any other kind of language activities. A study found that online discussion may decrease the effect. It provides a non-threatening situation for learners who are shy and withdrawn. This survey study aims to see whether it is also applied in Indonesian tertiary education by investigating and comparing the learners' level of anxiety in face to face speaking class before Covid-19 pandemic and online speaking class during the pandemic. 120 students who experienced both speaking courses before and during the pandemic participated in the survey. Consistent with the result of other studies, this study found that in average, learners feel less anxious during during online speaking class (48,41%) compare to face-to-face class (60,96%).

AN ANALYSIS OF SPEAKING ANXIETY EXPERIENCED BY THE THIRD-YEAR STUDENTS AT SMPN 2 BAYAT OF ANAMBAS ISLAND

This article focuses on the study that aims to find out the levels and the major causes of speaking anxiety experienced by the third-year students at SMPN 2 Bayat of Anambas Island. Total sampling was used in this research since the pool of participants was relatively small consisting of 13 students overall. In collecting the data, students were asked to fill out a set based on a modified version of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) questionnaire developed by Horwitz et al (1986). After analyzing the data, it was found that most students experienced speaking anxiety on a moderate level. The results suggested that 4 students with a percentage of 30.77% were classified as a high level, 9 students with a percentage of 69.23% were classified as a moderate level and none of the students or 0% was classified to have a low level of anxiety. Additionally, “lack of preparation”, “afraid of being laughed at” and “afraid of being called in English classes” were the major causes of speaking anxiety that most participants agreed with. Thus, some suggestions were provided with the expectation of reducing students’ anxiety while speaking English.

The Association between Flipped Learning Readiness, Engagement, Social anxiety, and Achievement in Online Flipped Classrooms: a Structural Equational Modeling

This study explored the association between flipped learning readiness (FLR), engagement, social anxiety, and achievement in online flipped classrooms among 200 freshman university students enrolled to an information technology course. The relational screening model was applied in order to reveal associations between variables. The study was conducted in two Turkish state universities. The students were sampled using the convenience sampling method. The data collection tools employed were a demographic data form, the Online Student Engagement Scale, the Online Learners’ Interactions and Social Anxiety Scale, the FLR scale, and also achievement tests. Structural equational modeling was employed in the testing of the hypothesized model. Results from the structural equation modeling revealed that engagement and FLR were positively associated with student achievement, whilst there was a negative association revealed between social anxiety and achievement in the online flipped classroom. The study also revealed engagement as the most significant predictor of achievement in the online flipped classroom.

How teacher behaviour shapes foreign language learners’ enjoyment, anxiety and attitudes/motivation: A mixed modelling longitudinal investigation

The current study investigates how foreign language enjoyment (FLE), foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) and attitude/motivation (AM) of 360 learners of English, German, French and Spanish in a Kuwaiti university was shaped over the course of one semester by three teacher behaviours: frequency of using the foreign language (FL) in class, predictability and frequency of joking. Linear mixed modelling revealed a positive relationship between the three teacher behaviours and FLE as well as AM, but no significant relationship emerged with FLCA. Multiple comparison analyses showed that levels of FLE dropped significantly among students whose teacher joked very infrequently and infrequently. It thus seems that the absence of teacher jokes had a delayed cumulative effect on FLE. No interaction effects were found with time for FLCA and for AM. We conclude that teacher behaviours affect both AM and FLE, and that frequency of joking actually shapes FLE over time.