English Language Learning Anxiety Research Articles

A Study of English Language Learning Anxiety and Teaching Strategies: The Context of Saudi Arabia

This study aims to explore learning anxiety related to the English language and review specific coping strategies to develop and propose certain teaching strategies for the students in the preparatory year at the English Language Institute (ELI) studying at the University of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This study also looks into the most dominating causes of Anxiety encountered by students and perceived by experienced English instructors in Saudi Arabia. The research questions are: What are the factors affecting the level of Anxiety among the target learners, and how can teachers cope with them to a great extent? An interview schedule was utilized for teachers to address the research questions. In addition, Self-rating questionnaires adapted and modified from the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), which Horwitz and Cope (1986) developed, were used as the instruments of the study. Based on the mixed method of analysis, it is revealed that a lot of students faced considerable levels of English language learning anxiety, corresponding to the fear of negative feedback/response and evaluation by many stakeholders. Appropriate coping strategies can accordingly be suggested to make teaching fruitful.

English language learning anxiety and academic burnout in Chinese freshmen: a chain mediating approach.

The university stage is critical for cultivating and enhancing students' practical English proficiency, encompassing listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation skills. Losing interest in English studies at this stage not only hampers the development of practical English competence but also has a negative impact on future employment and personal growth. This study aimed to explore to how English language learning anxiety (ELLA) affects academic burnout (AB) of freshman in China and explores the role of academic peer support (APS) and academic self-efficacy (ASE) in the relationship between the two. The study involved 1,355 college students who completed English Language Learning Anxiety Scale, the English Academic burnout Scale, Academic Peer Relationship Scale, the Academic Self-efficacy Scale. AB was significantly impacted by ELLA. ELLA and AB were mediated by ASE. Another factor that acted as a mediator between ELLA and AB was APS. ELLA and AB were mediated by a chain reaction involving ASE and APS. The chain mediation model validated in this study, providing valuable insights into the effects of freshmen's ELLA on AB in China, as well as practical insights into the prevention and intervention of ELLA and AB in other current college students.

Exploring rural secondary students’ English language learning anxiety: A study on secondary students of Bauphal, Patuakhali, Bangladesh

For more than a decade second language researchers, psychologists and language practitioners have found out multifarious impact of anxiety on language learning process. Realizing its’ significance in the EFL context of Bangladesh, this study has explored the anxieties of rural secondary school students in learning English and offered some specific suggestions to reduce it. This mixed approach research collected quantitative data by administering Foreign Language Anxiety scale and gathered qualitative data from in-depth interviews with 20 students of 10 secondary schools of Bauphal upzilla, Pautakhali. Quantitative data was put in SPSS version 22 for statistical analysis and presented graphically and qualitative data was interpreted thematically. Results revealed that secondary students in this rural context experienced English language learning anxiety as about 68.44% of students were anxious about negative evaluation; 51.27% about classroom anxiety; 61.2% about test anxiety and 60.88% about communicating in English. Findings of this study have implications for the English language teachers of secondary and higher secondary levels particularly in the rural areas by drawing their attention to learners’ foreign language anxiety (FLA) as a major barrier to learning English and by suggesting them some possible ways to lessen it and for the academicians who aspire to come up with effective teaching methodologies considering the contextual variations to maximize foreign language learning outputs

Impacts of Teachers’ Perceived Difficulties and Learners’ Anxiety on Implementation of CLT Approach: A Survey of Selected Secondary Schools in Mbeya City-Tanzania

This paper sought to assess the impacts of teachers’ perceived difficulties, and learners’ anxiety towards the implementation of the communicative language teaching approach (CLT): a survey of selected secondary schools in Mbeya city. Mainly the study intended to find out whether or not the teachers' perceived difficulties on the one hand and the learners' language learning anxiety on another hand are factors for the failure of the implementation of the CLT approach in the classrooms. The study used an experimental research design. To comply with it a quantitative research approach was used in collecting and analyzing the data. The data was specifically collected by questionnaires: one was designated for EFL teachers (teachers of English as a foreign language) while the other was for EFL learners (learners of English as a foreign language). The collected data were analyzed quantitatively with the aid of an SPSS software version 25 before they were presented. The research concluded that the teacher's perceived difficulties and learners' English language learning anxiety have negative impacts on the implementation of the CLT approach in the classrooms, and lastly, the study recommended that the teachers’ in-service capacity programs should be given extra weight to update them with the knowledge and principles of the CLT. The government to continue building more classes to ease the problem of class overcrowding and to encourage teachers to be removers of learners' English language learning anxiety by motivating learners to be confident and comfortable to participate in all learning activities. The study will help teachers to overcome the notion that the CLT approach is difficult to implement as well as help learners overcome anxiety during classrooms' teaching and learning activities.

Effect of English Language Learning Anxiety on Learner's Interactive Language Activities at Matriculation in Punjab

The psycholinguistic aspect of English Lexicon schooling as a foreign language plays a crucial character in the enlightenment of learners. Present-day research is focused to get an answer about the agitation and anxiousness level of English language learning in Matriculation students, both in public schools and private schools in Lahore, Punjab. To carry out this study, using FLCAS as a research instrument, data was collected from 800 participants, an equal number of learners from government and private institutions, as well as an equal number of female and male students. Data analysis was done by SPSS, it was found that learners experience moderate level to high levels of language anxiety in classroom situations. However, T-tests were adapted to figure out the difference in anxiety levels between government school and private school students. Similarly, a T-test was adapted to figure out the difference in anxiety levels among female and male learners.

English Language Learning Anxiety in Online and Face-to-Face Classes

English Language Learning Anxiety in Online and Face-to-Face Classes

A Study on the Relationship Between Students’ Anxiety and Achievement in English Language Learning in EFL Classes

The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between students’ English language learning anxiety and their English language achievement. For this purpose, 197 grade ten students were involved. The students were selected using stratified sampling technique. The instruments used to collect data were questionnaire and achievement. Then, the collected data were analyzed using quantitative methods of data analysis. The study revealed that there was statistically significant negative relationship between students’ English foreign language learning anxiety and their English achievement test result with a correlation coefficient of (r=-.194, p=>0.05). In addition, the participants of the study were found to anxious because of fear of negative evaluation, communication apprehension and test related anxieties. .The study also indicated that female students mean score was less than the mean score of male students when their anxiety levels were measured. But the independent sample t-test indicated that there is no statistically significant difference between male students and female students in their learning anxiety in EFL classrooms. However, a significant mean difference between male and female students was observed on test anxiety with (P<0.05). Therefore, this result is consistent with the findings of Tang (2005). Finally, the researchers recommended that EFL teachers should provide advice for the learners to avoid anxiety in their English language class. Keywords: Anxiety, English foreign language, achievement result, gender, anxiety level DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/86-01 Publication date: February 28 th 2022

Learning Strategies that Predict Success in Overcoming English Language Learning Anxiety

This study determined the respondents’ level and causes of their anxiety and the strategies that they use in the context of English language learning (ELL). Also, it identified the language strategies that predict success in overcoming the students’ ELL anxiety. Descriptive-correlational design was used in the study. It involved 171 Grades 9 and 10 indigenous peoples of selected schools in the province of Ilocos Norte. It used two gathering tools: Horowitz et al. (1986) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) adopted from Oxford (1990). The data gathered from FLCAS made use of descriptive analysis to compute the means and SILL were analysed using averages, percentages and ranks. Pearson r and multiple regression analysis were used to determine the language strategies that could predict respondents’ language learning anxiety and language strategies.The salient findings are: 1) the selected grades 9 and 10 Indigenous peoples experience moderate level of English language learning anxiety; 2) external factors such as in-class activities and classroom atmosphere are the main causes of language learning anxiety of the respondents; 3) Metacognitive strategy is the commonly used strategy of the selected grades 9 and 10 indigenous peoples followed by social strategy, memory strategy, affective strategy, cognitive strategy, and compensation strategy; and 4) the language learning strategies used by the indigenous peoples are all beneficial in their attempt to improve their proficiency in the language. However, the cognitive and affective strategies are the best among the six.

The Effect of Pranayamic Breathing as a Positive Psychology Exercise on Foreign Language Learning Anxiety and Test Anxiety Among Language Learners at Tertiary Level.

This study investigated the impact of pranayamic breathing (PB) as a positive psychology exercise on mitigating foreign language anxiety (FLLA) and test anxiety (TA) of undergraduate English students studying at a Turkish university. Additionally, the study examined the effects of PB on academic achievement in listening and reading comprehension skills of the participants as well as exploring learners’ and their instructor’s perceptions of using PB techniques in their classrooms. The sample consisted of 140 sophomore English language learners. Two intact classes, each comprising 70 participants, were selected as the experimental and the control group using convenience sampling. Two basic PB techniques, Nadi Shodhana Pranayama and Bhramari Pranayama, were implemented to the experimental group on a weekly basis for a total of 7 weeks. In this mixed-method study, the quantitative data were gathered using English Language Learning Anxiety Scale, Foreign Language Test Anxiety Scale, and listening and reading achievement pre- and post-tests, while the qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews, and the teacher’s reflective journal. The findings revealed that the implementation of positive psychology technique of pranayama breathing mitigated the FLLA and TA levels significantly and also improved listening and reading comprehension skills of the participants to a considerable extent. The findings also demonstrated that both the students and their instructor perceived PB implementation as a useful and a practical medium in alleviating the anxious feelings, promoting the general class atmosphere and regulating daily habits despite the implementational challenges shared by the instructor.

STUDENTS’ ANXIETY IN THE ENGLISH LEARNING AT SDIT AL IHSAN JAKARTA

The aim of this research is to analyze the English language learning anxiety of primary students empirically. This research is descriptive qualitative research. The population of this research is the sixth-grade students’ from SDIT Al-Ihsan in South Jakarta. The sample was taken through simple random sampling of which 50 students as samples of this research. The instruments used in this research were questionnaires and interviews. This research explained that students’ English language learning anxiety is definitely considered a high category in learning English.

STUDENTS’ ANXIETY IN THE ENGLISH LEARNING AT SDIT AL IHSAN JAKARTA

The aim of this research is to analyze the English language learning anxiety of primary students empirically. This research is descriptive qualitative research. The population of this research is the sixth-grade students’ from SDIT Al-Ihsan in South Jakarta. The sample was taken through simple random sampling of which 50 students as samples of this research. The instruments used in this research were questionnaires and interviews. This research explained that students’ English language learning anxiety is definitely considered a high category in learning English.

A Study on the Relationship between English Language Learning Anxiety and English Language Achievement

The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between students’ English language learning anxiety and their English language achievement. For this purpose, 197 grade ten students were involved. The students were selected using proportional sampling technique. The instruments used to collect data were questionnaire and achievement. Then, the collected data were analyzed using quantitative methods of data analysis. The study revealed that there was statistically significant negative relationship between students’ English foreign language learning anxiety and their English achievement test result with a correlation coefficient of (r=-.194, p=>0.05). In addition, the participants of the study were found to anxious because of fear of negative evaluation, communication apprehension and test related anxieties. .The study also indicated that female students mean score was less than the mean score of male students when their anxiety levels were measured. But the independent sample t-test indicated that there is no statistically significant difference between male students and female students in their learning anxiety in EFL classrooms. However, a significant mean difference between male and female students was observed on test anxiety with (P<0.05). Therefore, this result is consistent with the findings of Tang (2005). Finally, the researchers recommended that EFL teachers should provide advice for the learners to avoid anxiety in their English language class.

An Ecological Study of English Language Learning Anxiety: A Case Study of National Textile University

English language learning anxiety has been a focus of researchers for a long time. However, these studies concentrated only on micro level of classroom and its activities. The many-sided nature of anxiety requires a multifaceted exploration for a better understanding of language learning anxiety. This article uses activity theory and an ecological systems module to better understand why students develop language learning anxiety at NTU, Faisalabad. Seven dimensions of activity theory were explored with the help of interviews and observation. The data were collected from 15 undergraduates of different departments of National Textile University (NTU), Faisalabad. Along the lines of nested ecosystem model, patterns of learners’ anxiety were analysed in the categories of micro-system, meso-system, exo-system and macro systems. Findings of the present study provided a decisive evidence of the presence of anxiety-causing variables within the interaction of individual and environment. The study emphasizes the need to study the issue of language learning anxiety from the perspective of ecology.

WHAT IS SO SCARY ABOUT LEARNING ENGLISH? INVESTIGATING LANGUAGE ANXIETY AMONG FILIPINO COLLEGE STUDENTS

Learning English as a foreign/second language is never a straightforward process. Several constraints may come along the way that tend to hinder students’ learning. Studies have shown that the successes and failures of L2 learners in an English language classroom are dependent upon various psychological and social factors including anxiety. This study examined the English language learning anxiety of Filipino college students. The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety survey adapted from Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986) was administered to a group of 150 students randomly selected from 5 programs at a private university in the Philippines to identify students’ anxiety level in terms of fear of negative evaluation, communication apprehension, fear of test, and anxiety of English class and to determine which factor is most probable to cause anxiety among them.. The results indicated that the students expressed different levels of anxiety among the four factors as majority provided answers ranging from neutral to strongly agree. However, it was discovered that fear of negative evaluation and communication apprehension were the most probable to cause anxiety among them. The study offers practical implications as to how L2 teachers can help students overcome their English anxiety and thus be successful in the learning of the target language.

Analyzing the Relationship of English Language Learning Anxiety and English Language Learning Strategy Use Among English Major Undergraduates in Shi Jiazhuang, China

The study investigated the general state of foreign language learning anxiety and the relationship between foreign language learning anxiety and foreign language learning strategy among English major college students in Shi Jiazhuang, China. The quantitative research method was adopted in this study. The instruments were Foreign Language Class Anxiety Scale and Strategy Inventory Language Learning. The subjects were 400 English major students from Shi Jiazhuang College. The results showed that there exists a negative relationship between foreign language learning anxiety and the use of foreign language learning strategy. According to the findings of this study, it is necessary to reduce learners’ foreign language learning anxiety so as to apply more types of foreign language learning strategies efficiently, especially for those foreign language learners with high-level learning anxiety. Some suggestions were put forward for pedagogical implications, which will make Chinese learners be more successful during the process for foreign language acquisition.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING IN THAILAND AND LATVIA

Aim. The article examines the characteristics of learning English in students from different cultural backgrounds – Thailand and Latvia. We aimed to gain empirical evidence of how the cultural background influences student leisure time English language learning habits and their English language learning anxiety. &#x0D; Concept and Methods. In the study two questionnaires were used: leisure time use of reading and writing activities in English (RWA), and English language learning anxiety scale (ELLAS). RWA included five areas of leisure time use of reading and writing activities: using Internet or e-mail, writing regularly, reading regularly, watching TV or movies, and having checker; ELLAS consisted of four subscales - Communication Anxiety, Fear of Negative Evaluation, Test Anxiety, and English Classroom anxiety. The participants in the study were 95 undergraduate sports science program students from Thailand and Latvia – Thai students were 50, and 45 students represented Latvia. The research was carried out in two stages, first one being a pilot study.&#x0D; Results and Conclusions. The results showed that Thai and Latvian students showed more similarities in their leisure time use of reading and writing activities in English than differences: they often watched movies and TV, but rarely were reading and writing to improve their English. Latvian students spent more time watching TV, movies, reading regularly, using Internet or e-mail than Thai students (p &lt; .01 and .05). Both Thai and Latvian students experienced moderately elevated communication anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, test anxiety, and English classroom anxiety. However, Thai students had higher anxiety than Latvian students in all aspects of ELLAS (independent samples t-test, statistically significant level of .01).&#x0D;

Analyzing the Relationship of English Language Learning Anxiety and English Language Learning Strategy Use among English Major Undergraduates in Shi Jiazhuang, China

Analyzing the Relationship of English Language Learning Anxiety and English Language Learning Strategy Use among English Major Undergraduates in Shi Jiazhuang, China

English Language Learning Motivation and English Language Learning Anxiety in Saudi Military Cadets: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

This study aims to investigate English language learning motivation and English language learning anxiety in Saudi military cadets. Some 174 Saudi military cadets completed a questionnaire specifically developed to be used in the context of Saudi Arabia. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyse a proposed model using Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) version 21. The study found that the students’ language learning effort was determined by their Ideal L2 Self and their positive attitudes towards their immediate learning environment. However, the students’ imposed social ideal-self as well as their negative attitudes towards their immediate learning environment contributed to their Ought-to L2 Self, which in turn increased their English learning anxiety. Parental encouragement and religious interest impacted on the Saudi L2 learners’ Ideal L2 Self and their language learning attitudes, which might have helped them to see themselves as future L2 users and to adopt positive attitudes to their immediate learning environment. This in turn motivated them to invest more effort and be more persistent in learning English.

English Language Learning Motivation and English Language Learning Anxiety in Saudi Military Cadets: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

This study aims to investigate English language learning motivation and English language learning anxiety in Saudi military cadets. Some 174 Saudi military cadets completed a questionnaire specifically developed to be used in the context of Saudi Arabia. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyse a proposed model using Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) version 21. The study found that the students’ language learning effort was determined by their Ideal L2 Self and their positive attitudes towards their immediate learning environment. However, the students’ imposed social ideal-self as well as their negative attitudes towards their immediate learning environment contributed to their Ought-to L2 Self, which in turn increased their English learning anxiety. Parental encouragement and religious interest impacted on the Saudi L2 learners’ Ideal L2 Self and their language learning attitudes, which might have helped them to see themselves as future L2 users and to adopt positive attitudes to their immediate learning environment. This in turn motivated them to invest more effort and be more persistent in learning English.

English Language Anxiety: Development and Validation of a Brief Measure

In view of the lack of a short scale for the direct measurement of English language learning anxiety developed in the Egyptian context, this study aims to develop and validate a brief scale. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was employed using (362) EFL learners enrolled in first year at college of education, Minia University. Results of EFA proved that the scale consisted of four subscales: (speaking anxiety, (8) items, =.84, writing anxiety (8) items, =.84, reading anxiety (8) items, =.84, listening anxiety, (8) items, =.83). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on 46 items to examine the structure validity. Results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the four-factor model fitted well and results met the criteria for goodness of fit indices (&gt;.90) and root mean score residual (RMR &lt; .05) which means the (ELAS) has a four factor structure in the Egyptian university students sample. The brief scale has good reliability and adequate validity and results of the analysis supported the conclusion that it is a reliable and valid measurement instrument.