Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale Research Articles

The Study on English Reading Anxiety of Chinese College Undergraduates Based on the Broaden-and-Build Theory

Among many factors that affect students' English reading performance, reading anxiety, which is an important emotional factor in English learning, has gradually attracted attention in recent years. There is enough evidence that anxiety, as a kind of negative emotion, can significantly affect students' reading performance. However, the current researches mainly focus on the differences in students' reading performance caused by anxiety. Relatively few studies have been carried out on the correlation between reading anxiety, anxiety causes and coping strategies. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the causes and coping strategies of English reading anxiety based on quantitative and qualitative research. The research refers to Saito's Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale to design a questionnaire and measure the degree of Chinese college students' English reading anxiety. Based on the broaden-and-build theory and combined with the interview results, it is concluded that Chinese college undergraduates have English reading anxiety in general. Nevertheless, by establishing pleasant reading resources and adopting effective coping strategies, learners can reduce English reading anxiety, thus improving reading ability and enhancing reading interest.

Chinese Senior High EFL Learners’ Foreign Language Reading Anxiety: Profile and Sources

In comparison with other skill-specific foreign language anxiety, foreign language reading anxiety (FLRA) was a less-researched realm. The purpose of the study was to investigate the general profile and possible sources of FLRA in the under-explored Chinese senior high EFL students. The 60 participants were from 2 high schools in China. The study employed the “explanatory sequential mixed method design” (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018). First, the quantitative data were collected via the adapted Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) (Lu & Liu, M., 2015), and analyzed with SPSS. Then, based on participants’ scores on FLRAS (adapted), specific responses, and consent to further interviews, 4 subjects were selected as sources of qualitative data. The conclusions were drawn that (1) more than half the learners (78.33%) were generally exposed to little FLRA (M=2.57); (2) possible FLRA sources could be divided into 4 main categories, with overall 16 subsets: (a) individual factors (reading interest, self-expectation, reading strategy use, background knowledge); (b) textual factors (topic, task type, text length, tested vocabulary, grammar, text structure, rhetoric); (c) instructional factors (teaching method, evaluation); (d) situational factors (teacher-student dynamic, parental anticipation, peer pressure). Despite limitations such as limited sample size and scope, absence of further validation testing, and neglect of examination of background variables, the study purveyed valuable suggestions for language educators to enhance strategies addressing FLRA among Chinese EFL senior high learners. These suggestions included considering the impact of text structure and rhetorical devices on FLRA, prioritizing vocabulary instruction, and implementing anxiety-reducing interventions, e.g. the “flipped classroom model” (Gök et al. 2021). Furthermore, the study emphasized the need for further research on the more representative FLRA profile of Chinese young EFL learners, statistical examination of the relevance of various sources to FLRA, investigation of the relationship between background variables and FLRA among Chinese senior high EFL learners, and exploration of the universality and language-specific nature of different FLRA sources.

An Exploration of Foreign Language Reading Anxiety of Young EFL Students

Despite the extensive research attention foreign language anxiety has received, most studies have focused on foreign language classroom anxiety or foreign language speaking anxiety of EFL learners at the university level. Foreign language reading anxiety (FLRA), particularly that of young EFL learners under the age of 12, has been understudied. The present study examined the foreign language reading anxiety level of 137 young EFL learners in a primary school in China. A questionnaire adapted from Saito et al.’s (1999) Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale was adopted to determine the level of students’ FLRA. The potential sources of their FLRA were identified with an adapted version of the questionnaire devised by Ahmad et al. (2013). Results of the present study indicate that young EFL learners generally have medium-level FLRA. In addition, textual features, including unknown words and unfamiliar words, have been identified as the main source of FLRA of young EFL learners, whereas personal factors are not as prominent as shown in previous studies conducted on adult EFL learners.

Exposing EFL Students’ FLRA in Reading Section: The Case of TOEFL Course

Foreign Language Reading Anxiety (FLRA) becomes increasingly crucial for EFL students since it prevents the learners' reading grasp. This study reports on college students’ reflections on reading. The study's main objective was to determine students' reading anxiety levels and discover the most potential factors contributing to students’ Foreign Language Reading Anxiety (FLRA) in TOEFL Test. It was administered to 22 students of the English Department in Universitas Pembinaan Masyarakat Indonesia using purposive sampling in the academic year 2022/2023. To achieve this purpose, this study utilized both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The data were collected using a Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) questionnaire with five-point Likert scale participants and an interview sheet to examine the levels of their reading anxiety and its factors. The results demonstrate that the student's reading anxiety levels were 18% in the low category, 64% in the medium category, and 18% in the high category. It indicates that they experienced a medium level of anxiety while reading with unfamiliar vocabulary and unknown topics, and the fear of making mistakes was identified as the significant factor of FL reading anxiety.

IMPACT OF STRATEGY-BASED READING INSTRUCTIONS ON READING ANXIETY OF UNIVERSITY-LEVEL ESL STUDENTS OF PAKISTAN

There is a scarcity of research on the effects of strategy-based reading instructions on reading anxiety in Pakistan. This action research study fills this gap in the literature by examining the impact of strategy-based reading instructions on the reading anxiety of ESL students at the university level in Pakistan. Employing quantitative analysis, this research explored the effects of strategy-based reading instructions on reading anxiety. With a total of 60 participants—30 students in each cycle—the study was carried out in two action research cycles. Over the course of four months, the participants in both cycles received strategy-based reading instructions. The data was gathered by means of a survey of reading strategies (SORS) and the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) which was administered during the pre-intervention and post-intervention phases of both cycles. The results of this study demonstrate that implementing strategy-based reading instructions effectively reduces reading anxiety in students. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for educators and curriculum developers, emphasizing the significance of integrating reading strategies into instructional practices as they can help reduce reading anxiety.

INVESTIGATING ENGLISH LANGUAGE READING AND WRITING ANXIETY AMONG PAKISTANI UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A CORRELATIONAL STUDY

The undertaken study investigated the correlation between English language reading anxiety and English language writing anxiety. A survey research design was employed, and a sample of 298 BBA students from a private university in Karachi was utilized. The students completed two anxiety-measuring questionnaires: The Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) and the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI). Descriptive statistics revealed that the majority of students experienced moderate to high levels of English language reading and writing anxiety. Pearson Product-Moment correlation analysis indicated a strong positive correlation between English language reading anxiety and writing anxiety. This means that students with high levels of reading anxiety were likely to also experience high levels of writing anxiety and vice versa. These findings suggest that teachers should not teach reading or writing in isolation. Instead, they should focus on reducing anxiety levels in reading and writing classrooms. Curriculum developers should also consider incorporating strategies for reducing anxiety into their programs.

The relationship between reading and listening anxieties in EFL classrooms: Exploring the mediating effect of foreign language classroom anxiety

AbstractThe purpose of the current study is threefold: (a) to present a descriptive picture of classroom anxiety (FLCA), reading anxiety (FLRA), and listening anxiety (FLLA) in foreign language classrooms; (b) to explore the association between FLCA, FLRA, and FLLA; and (c) to test the mediating effect of FLCA on the relationship between FLRA and FLLA. The participants included 341 tertiary-level students studying at the English Preparatory Program of four public universities in the Turkish EFL context. The data were collected at the beginning of the 2022 fall semester through the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale, Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale, and Foreign Language Listening Anxiety Scale. The descriptive findings indicated a moderate level of FLCA, FLRA, and FLLA among the participants. In addition, significant and positive correlations were found between these three types of anxieties, with the strongest correlation between FLRA and FLLA. In the last stage of the analysis, it was found that FLCA partially and significantly mediated the relationship between FLRA and FLLA. Finally, directions for further research on investigating skill-based anxieties are presented.

Foreign language reading anxiety and reading comprehension of Korean secondary EFL students

This study examines the foreign language reading anxiety of Korean students and its relation to reading comprehension. Furthermore, it investigates the main sources which affect foreign reading anxiety. Forty-eight students participated in a survey, in which they took the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) and an English Reading Comprehension Test (ERCT). Their scores of each FLRAS and ERCT were compared to see the correlation. The result found that there was a positive relationship between reading anxiety and reading comprehension. In addition, the primary factors that affect reading anxiety were text-related reading anxiety which becomes the first rank of the causes of anxiety followed by cognitive anxiety including feeling intimidated in understanding and remembering while reading. This study is implicative for understanding L2 learners’ psychological aspects such as apprehension and having an appropriate attitude and approach in guiding students with fears in foreign language learning.

Psychometric assessment of individual differences in second language reading anxiety for identifying struggling students in classrooms.

Assessing learners' individual differences helps identify students who need teacher support in classrooms. Previous studies have examined second language (L2) achievement based on reading anxiety because reading is an input-based activity essential for successful L2 learning. This study applied a latent rank model to identify L2 learners who are likely to be struggling or successful in classrooms according to their L2 reading anxiety symptoms. Moreover, a psychometric function was developed to determine the cutoff anxiety scores that discriminate against their substantial differences. The model was applied to responses from the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) provided by 335 Japanese learners of English. The results showed that the FLRAS classified students into three ranked groups with ordinal information regarding L2 reading anxiety. Rank 1 exhibited good conditions in L2 reading anxiety. Rank 2 reported high anxiety toward unfamiliar grammar during L2 reading. Rank 3 had even higher anxiety levels, especially for vocabulary and grammatical knowledge deficits and reading difficulty. The cutoff anxiety scores estimated by the model detected students who failed their L2 class with 79% accuracy. Theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical issues in language anxiety were discussed in terms of diagnosis and different approaches to teaching L2 reading.

Sources of Turkish EFL Learners’ Foreign Language Reading Anxiety

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible sources of reading anxiety experienced by Turkish EFL learners. The participants of the study were 50 first year university students studying at the English Language Teaching program of a public university in Turkey. The study employed the explanatory sequential mixed methods design. First, the quantitative data were collected through Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS), and then the qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews for the purpose of better understanding quantitative data findings. For analyzing the quantitative data, each participant's mean score from FLRAS was computed. As for the qualitative data, the transcribed interviews were analyzed using the constant comparison method, for which the researcher identified the recurring themes through coding, prioritizing and connecting the pieces of data. Results indicated that the participants of the study, in general, experience a moderate level of FL reading anxiety. The following three main categories of FL reading anxiety sources were identified with their ten sub-categories: (1) personal factors (inappropriate reading strategy use, lack of self-confidence, high expectations), (2) features of the reading text (topic familiarity, unknown vocabulary, complex reading structure, text length, figurative language), and (3) reading course (compulsory reading, exam).

Sources of Turkish EFL Learners’ Foreign Language Reading Anxiety

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible sources of reading anxiety experienced by Turkish EFL learners. The participants of the study were 50 first year university students studying at the English Language Teaching program of a public university in Turkey. The study employed the explanatory sequential mixed methods design. First, the quantitative data were collected through Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS), and then the qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews for the purpose of better understanding quantitative data findings. For analyzing the quantitative data, each participant's mean score from FLRAS was computed. As for the qualitative data, the transcribed interviews were analyzed using the constant comparison method, for which the researcher identified the recurring themes through coding, prioritizing and connecting the pieces of data. Results indicated that the participants of the study, in general, experience a moderate level of FL reading anxiety. The following three main categories of FL reading anxiety sources were identified with their ten sub-categories: (1) personal factors (inappropriate reading strategy use, lack of self-confidence, high expectations), (2) features of the reading text (topic familiarity, unknown vocabulary, complex reading structure, text length, figurative language), and (3) reading course (compulsory reading, exam).

FLRA and Its Influence on EFL Students’ Reading Achievement Amid the Pandemic Covid-19

Foreign Language Reading Anxiety (FLRA) is a symptom of anxiety in reading which becomes increasingly challenging for EFL learners. FLRA is an influential interruption that might prevent EFL learners to derive a reading grasp. The pandemic situation borders teachers’ and students’ activities in the learning process. In this condition, numbers of students in Indonesian schools perform different reading comprehension achievements, including low, middle, and high levels. The researcher noted that several Indonesian students feel anxious in the second language (L2) reading with certain reading troubles. The purpose of this study was to examine FLRA and its influence on the students’ reading achievement amid the pandemic COVID-19 schooling including identifying potential factors which affect their anxieties in reading and investigating their influence on their reading achievement. This study used a quantitative research method. The research was carried out in the Eagle Class students of LinkAge education, in Lombok, Indonesia. The sample of this study was 20 students selected using the purposive sampling method. The data were collected using a questionnaire namely the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) which was developed by Saito et al (1999) with a five-point Likert scale. The researcher analyzed the data using descriptive statistics. The results demonstrate that the students’ anxiety level is 58.25 which indicates that they experience a high level of anxiety although the value is a little bit lower than the limit of moderate level. There are some symptoms of reading anxieties commonly recognized by the students.

Investigating the relationship between learning anxieties and learning strategies used by EFL teachers and students

This research has investigated the relationship between learning anxieties and learning strategies and has explored the effect of learning anxieties on learning strategies used by B.A EFL student of the Islamic Azad University of Ardabil branch. Overall, 103 students participated in this investigation, and two questionnaires were used for collecting data. To this end, Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) was utilized to measure the learning anxiety of students and to investigate the le

The Relationship between Reading Anxiety and Reading Performance: A Comparison Study of Chinese Postgraduates in China and in the UK

This study investigated three aspects that related to Foreign Language (FL) reading anxiety: the FL reading anxiety levels; the relationship between FL reading anxiety and reading performance; the main sources of FL reading anxiety. With both quantitative and qualitative research method, the total amount of 47 Chinese postgraduates took part in a paper questionnaire including Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) and reading test, Cambridge Advanced English (CAE). According to the FLRAS scores, 12 of them had one-to-one semi-structured interviews. The results shows that most Chinese postgraduates experienced a moderate level of English reading anxiety, and that international students have higher reading anxiety than domestic students. No statistically significant relationship was found between FL reading anxiety and the reading test. After thematic coding analysis, the main sources of English reading anxiety among international students were found to be ‘demanding text feature’ and ‘different class settings in the UK’. For domestic students, limited English exposure was the main source. Recommendations for teachers and for both groups of students are provided, and the limitations of the present study and suggestions for future research are discussed at the end of the paper.

Effects of online flipped classroom on foreign language classroom anxiety and reading anxiety

In this study, we aimed to integrate the flipped classroom model into “Advanced Reading and Writing” course and to investigate the effect of the flipped classroom model on pre-service English language teachers’ foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) and foreign language reading anxieties (FLRA). This study involved two groups (34 in the flipped group and 32 in the non-flipped group) of first-year English language teachers in Turkey. Within this framework, Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale and Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale were employed to determine pre-service English language teachers’ FLCA and FLRA levels before and after the treatment in the flipped and the non-flipped groups comparatively. There was a significant decrease in the FLCA and FLRA levels in the flipped group. However, there was no significant change in the non-flipped group. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1950191 .

The underlying factors of foreign language reading anxiety: Their effects on strategy use and orientation toward reading

Both positive and negative emotions have been the focus of a wealth of language learning research in recent years. This can mostly be attributed to the established links between an individual’s psychological responses, existing and emerging from learning, the learning processes they engage in, and the outcomes they achieve. A look at advanced research on language anxiety, a negative emotion that appears to be strongly involved in learning, has shown that specific information about reading anxiety is comparatively insufficient. This study, therefore, examines the underlying factors of reading anxiety in Korean university students, using the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale. Subsequently, it explores how these anxiety factors are related to strategy use (i.e., metacognitive, cognitive, and support strategies) and orientation toward reading, which demonstrates a reader’s active involvement while reading. Three sub-factors of reading anxiety were found: anxiety experienced during the process of reading English, confidence in reading, and anxiety when reading English characters. Interestingly, confidence or positive emotion was found to be a far more powerful positive contributor to Korean EFL university readers’ use of metacognitive strategies and the degree of orientation to reading than was anxiety experienced while reading. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

The Effect of Reading Comprehension Strategies Instruction on EFL Learners’ Reading Anxiety Level

This experimental study, using pretest-intervention-posttest design, investigated whether or not teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) learners to use comprehension strategies when they read English passages, decreases their English reading anxiety. The participants were 55 EFL learners in Turkey who were at lower-intermediate level based on the results of the Oxford Quick Placement Test. Data were collected via Saito, Garza, and Horwitz’s (1999)Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS). The whole treatment/control period lasted for 11 weeks during a reading course. The experimental group (n = 28) received instruction in reading comprehension strategies (i.e., previewing, scanning for details, skimming, identifying the topic and main idea, finding supporting details, making inferences, understanding the author’s purpose, making predictions, dealing with unfamiliar words, using context clues, and summarizing). The control group (n = 27) received instruction by traditional teaching methods (i.e., reading, paraphrasing, translating, and answering the exercises).The results of the Mann-Whitney U Test indicated that instruction in English reading comprehension strategies had a positive effect on EFL learners in terms of reducing their English reading anxiety.

The Impact of Authentic Materials on Reading Comprehension, Motivation, and Anxiety Among Iranian Male EFL Learners

This study aimed to investigate the effect of using authentic materials on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ reading comprehension, reading motivation, and reading anxiety. In this study, 58 Iranian male EFL learners were selected and randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. Both groups were pretested through a reading comprehension test and the motivation for reading questionnaire (MRQ) to test their reading comprehension ability and reading motivation. Having participated in a period of 20 sessions in which the experimental group received treatment of exposure to authentic materials and control group to simplified materials, the students took a posttest of the reading comprehension test and completed the MRQ. Additionally, to test students’ reading anxiety, the two groups completed Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) in two pre- and posttest assessments. The scores obtained were analyzed using one-way analysis of covariance and paired samples t-tests. The results indicated that authentic materials enhanced Iranian learners’ reading motivation and their reading comprehension ability. In addition, the findings suggested that the use of authentic texts significantly improved EFL learner’s anxiety in the experimental group. The implications of the study are discussed.

Investigating the relationship between the foreign language reading anxiety and reading proficiency: a case study of preparatory year students at the University of Jeddah

This study is an in-depth analysis on the association between the anxiety experienced known as Foreign Language Reading Anxiety (FLRA) and the proficiency in reading exhibited by the preparatory year students. The Saudi learners from the science and arts stream and the gender were also considered as the moderator variables for this study. A mixed group of 84 students from both the genders of the preparatory year studying English at the Institution of Languages from the University of Jeddah were considered as the variables for this research. The participants were measured on as 20-item Likert-style Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale and examined by undergoing a 20-item proficiency test in reading a comprehension and a demographic questionnaire. The data was analyzed by applying The Pearson product moment correlation, t-Test, and descriptive analysis. The results indicated that the anxiety level while reading had varied values from moderate to high most of the respondents in the test were found to be in the moderate anxiety group. In addition, a notable negative relationship was found to be existing between the FLRA and the reading proficiency. The association existing between the foreign language reading anxiety and the group field was identified in this study. Analyzing the concept considering the gender, the female students were identified to experience more anxiety compared to the male students involved in the study. The findings of this study are advantageous to the language teachers and the curriculum planners too. It enables them to decrease the deteriorating and weakening factors in the classroom and thereby improve the reading ability of the language learners’. Reducing the reading anxiety amongst the learners can be achieved by exposing the language learners to understandable reading texts and familiarize them with cultural texts. This in turn develops the learners’ self-confidence and motivates them to be better readers.

Impact of Reading Anxiety on Reading Comprehension Performance in ESL Classroom of Boys’ Degree College Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan

This study investigates the impact of foreign language reading anxiety upon reading comprehension performance, the factors that affect comprehension performance, covering second language (L2). All Participants were Pakistani, studying English as a second language at government boys Degree College, Larkana, Sindh Pakistan. They were asked to fill the foreign language reading anxiety scale (FLRAS; Saito, Horwitz, & Garza, 1999) was developed to measure reading anxiety in L2. Reading comprehension tests were used to investigate students’ reading comprehension performance in L2. Correlation analysis indicated that effect of reading anxiety was significant on reading comprehension performance of the students, it can be stated that students of boys Degree College face considerable challenges in comprehending the topics written with English. Students are unable to comprehend topics and concepts as they did not merely have lack of expertise in reading meanwhile, understanding, and pronunciation is also some fundamental challenges that are challenging the reading comprehension of students. In addition, the study found students face considerable challenges in reading comprehension also because they fail to remember letters. It can be stated that challenges for the students in the form of pronunciation, remembering letters, understanding collectively or individually results in the lower self- esteem, confidence and increased reading anxiety. Further, Reading anxiety which is developed due to discussed challenges has a significant impact on foreign reading comprehension performance. The study suggests that because of low self-esteem and confidence, students dislike reading in an ESL classroom. Keywords: anxiety, foreign reading anxiety, reading comprehension performance DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-26-09 Publication date: September 30 th 2020