Levels Of Foreign Language Anxiety Research Articles

Second life: un entorno virtual para reducir la ansiedad de los estudiantes de lenguas extranjeras

La adquisición de un segundo idioma es un constructo complejo en el cual no sólo factores cognitivos juegan un papel crucial, sino también afectivos. En las últimas décadas, el análisis de los factores afectivos en el aprendizaje de segundas lenguas e idiomas extranjeros ha ganado prominencia. Diversas investigaciones han demostrado una fuerte correlación entre el aprendizaje de lenguas y aspectos como la personalidad, la motivación, la actitud o la ansiedad (p. ej., Gardner, 2020; Hewitt & Stephenson, 2011; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1989). El objetivo de este artículo es examinar si el nivel de ansiedad causado por el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras (FLA) podría disminuir usando mundos virtuales tales cómo Second Life (SL) para la enseñanza de idiomas. Esta investigación compara los niveles de FLA de un Grupo Experimental (EG), que completó tres actividades a través de SL, con un Grupo de Control (CG), que completó las mismas actividades en el aula tradicional. Los resultados indican que los niveles de FLA de los participantes en el EG disminuyeron a medida que las clases avanzaban en comparación con los participantes en el CG. Además, las conclusiones sugieren que la confianza de los participantes que trabajaban en SL aumentó con el paso del tiempo. Este incremento en la confianza de los alumnos podría atribuirse al papel crucial que desempeña el anonimato en los mundos virtuales.

RETRACTED: Anxiety level and critical thinking associated with foreign language learning, depending on educational and professional activities

• Foreign language proficiency is regarded for training professionals in any field • Identifying anxiety reasons allows reducing negative experience • The authors of the study used the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) The reasons for emerging foreign language anxiety and ways to manage it have been attracted researchers’ attention for more than 20 years. Identifying anxiety reasons and predicting the conditions for its emergence allows reducing negative experience, teaching students how to cope with educational challenges, and increasing the overall training effectiveness and creativity. To assess the foreign language anxiety level, the authors of the present study used the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). The Critical Thinking Test in Environmental Education (CTTEE) was used to assess critical thinking. The research population was represented by 200 undergraduates from Ogarev Mordovia State University and 200 undergraduates from Al Ain University. The research aim was to study the relationship between the sphere of student activity, the level of anxiety, and critical thinking in foreign language learning with the minimization of all factors that could somehow affect the learning outcomes. The novelty of this study is that it minimizes the influence of additional factors when determining the dependence of foreign language anxiety on the sphere of activity. In practice, the study findings can become a starting point for further research in the field of critical thinking or may be applied during the development of language training courses for students of non-linguistic specialties.

Examining the Relationship Between Grit and Foreign Language Performance: Enjoyment and Anxiety as Mediators.

The relationship between grit and success has been investigated extensively in various contexts. However, the association between grit and language performance, especially in a Chinese high school context, remains underexplored. This study investigates grit, the positive emotion of enjoyment, the negative emotion of anxiety, foreign language performance, and how enjoyment and anxiety mediate the relationship between grit and foreign language performance. A questionnaire was administered to 697 Chinese high school students, followed by a language test after 2 weeks. The results showed that more than half of the students had a moderate-high level of grit and foreign language enjoyment and that nearly half of them experienced a low-moderate level of foreign language anxiety. It was also found that grit, foreign language enjoyment, and foreign language performance were positively correlated with each other, and all three variables were negatively correlated with anxiety. Both foreign language enjoyment and foreign language anxiety mediated the relationship between grit and foreign language performance to a significant degree, and the mediating effect of foreign language anxiety was stronger than that of foreign language enjoyment.

THE DYNAMICS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY EXPERIENCED BY INDONESIAN EFL LEARNERS

Foreign language anxiety is known as one of the variables that negatively affect students’ achievement. It may be influenced by many factors and therefore it is dynamics, not a stable variable. The objective of this study is to describe the dynamics of foreign language anxiety (FLA) of Indonesian students over a ten-week period. The level of anxiety was measured by using Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) administered in two-time points. 344 students from two senior high schools participated in the study. To examine the changes in students’ FLA, repeated measures Manova, repeated measures Anova and one-way ANOVA were used. The results revealed that the students’ foreign language anxiety level changed over time, with Fear of Failing the Class decrease while two other constructs, Communication Apprehension and Fear of Negative Evaluation showed an increase. Further study is suggested to examine factors that contribute to the dynamics of each construct.

Teaching Anxiety and Foreign Language Anxiety Among Chinese College English Teachers

This study explored teaching anxiety and teacher foreign language anxiety (FLA) in 151 Chinese college English teachers in relation to their individual characteristics. Analyses of data collected from mixed-form questionnaires revealed the following major findings: (a) Major causes for teaching anxiety were concern about classroom teaching, research, other work and promotion, and interest and confidence in teaching, and major sources for teacher FLA were apprehension of speaking English, fear of negative outcomes, and confidence in English competence; (b) the participants of various backgrounds suffered from varying degrees of teaching anxiety and teacher FLA; (c) gender, age, educational level, English proficiency, and experience of visiting/studying in English-speaking countries significantly affected the participants’ teaching anxiety and teacher FLA levels; and (d) anxiety seriously affected the participants’ work and life. Evidently, anxiety is an important issue faced by university language teachers and needs to be further researched and seriously handled.

Teachers’ Strategies for Decreasing Students’ Anxiety Levels to Improve Their Communicative Skills

Students’ high levels of foreign-language classroom anxiety (FLCA) are reported to have a negative impact on their target language performance in classrooms. There are some anxiety studies from the students' perspective in the existing literature, but few from the teachers' perspective, particularly in Japan. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate how teachers managed students' levels of anxiety, which may lead to an improvement in their communication skills. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with six teachers. Various strategies that teachers could use to decrease students’ levels of anxiety were introduced. In communicative lessons, students need to practice speaking and listening in class as much as possible to improve these skills in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context. Therefore, teachers should use various methods to increase the opportunities for students to speak a target language in class, and to create an unthreatening classroom environment in which students can speak without hesitation. In addition, teachers could use group dynamics effectively to ensure seamless classroom management.

Interactions of trait emotional intelligence, foreign language anxiety, and foreign language enjoyment in the foreign language speaking classroom

ABSTRACT The present study investigated the interactions of trait emotional intelligence (trait EI), foreign language anxiety (FLA), and foreign language enjoyment (FLE) in the foreign language speaking classroom. Data collected from 274 Chinese postgraduate EFL learners showed that the subjects generally had medium to high scores on global trait EI; in terms of the four trait EI factors, they scored relatively high on emotionality and well-being, followed in turn by self-control and sociability. They had high mean levels of FLE and moderate to high mean levels of FLA. Significant small to medium correlations were found between trait EI, FLE, and FLA. Regressions revealed that trait EI was a stronger predictor of FLA than of FLE. Trait EI played a fundamental role in its significant interactions with FLA and FLE. In addition, well-being and emotionality figured significantly to both FLE and FLA, while sociability only significantly predicted FLA. High levels of self-control hindered the effect of other significant factors. It is implied that fostering learners’ trait EI can potentially boost FLE and alleviate FLA. The findings also offer suggestions for the development of EI-based intervention programmes.

Tendencies for Future Research on English Speaking Anxiety in Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) Students and Teachers

This paper examines the causes and consequences of Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) in Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Speaking was the skill that contributed most to a high FLA level and that approximately one-third of students presented a moderate FLA level. Confucian Heritage Cultures (CHCs) students’ experiences were chosen as the focus of our research because they have higher FLA rates of all ethnic groups. The aim of this work is to shed light on English Speaking Anxiety and observe the tendencies to enable future research in this field. The research is based on a series of papers collected from journals. The findings are related to the influence of emotional factors that contribute to anxiety in the classroom and teachers’ attitudes. A high anxiety rate may be related not only to a natural propensity to anxiety, but also to factors related to teachers’ activities and attributes. The studies showed that the tone of voice, gender and the teacher's dress code had an effect on students’ levels of anxiety.

Why Can’t We Learn Foreign Languages in Turkey? Some Psychological Reasons Behind It

Foreign language learning is one of the most significant endeavours for people in all countries in the world. Turkey has given importance to foreign language learning for years. Nevertheless, it has been an unresolved problem for Turkish people. The purpose of the present study is to determine why people fail to learn foreign languages in Turkey and the psychological reasons behind it by focussing on perception, foreign language anxiety and learned helplessness. The participants were 100 volunteer students (56 female, 44 male) who were selected randomly from different faculties and departments at Bursa Uludag University. The data were collected from a questionnaire, which consisted of five main sections to identify participants’ background, perception of foreign language learning, level of foreign language anxiety, and level of learned helplessness. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The data were analysed in relation to the research questions that guided the study. The results indicated that the participants’ perceptions of foreign language learning were positive owing to past positive experiences, but their level of foreign language anxiety was high due to lack of practice in language skills in the past; and their level of learned helplessness was low because of the positive perceptions they possessed. In addition, the findings suggested that the four language skills should be taken into consideration when the contents of foreign language lessons at schools and foreign language courses at universities are prepared and determined.

Foreign Language Anxiety: Classroom VS Distance Learning

Anxiety is a powerful affective factor that makes a negative impact on the foreign language learning and performance. It is important to be aware of the learning conditions that can influence the foreign language anxiety level. The primary aim of this study was to examine the difference in students' foreign language anxiety level in classroom and distance learning environments. The given investigation was conducted in the Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, Ukraine, in the spring semester, 2020, and involved 38 students of the 1-st and 2-nd years of studying. The comparative analysis of the students' foreign language anxiety levels in traditional classroom and distance learning environments has been carried out. A survey method engaging the use of FLCAS with 5-point-items Likert scale was employed. The obtained results have demonstrated a significant increase in communication apprehension and fear of negative evaluation anxiety types as well as a slight decrease in test anxiety and fear of making mistakes. The factors that caused such changes have been analyzed and defined. Among the main negative-bearing factors are the changes in the learning context and the character of distance online learning per se. The reasons for positive changes in the students' foreign language anxiety levels are − flexibility of the schedule, growing autonomy of the students and improved test-taking skills. Possible ways of reducing foreign language anxiety, such as developing students' awareness of foreign language anxiety and its symptoms, computer-based communication competency, peer support and learner autonomy have been suggested. The major conclusion made is that anxiety is a labile foreign language learning factor, which can be changed in the new learning context. Hence, the task of foreign language teachers is to reduce foreign language anxiety by taking into account the aforementioned factors.

Fluctuations in self-perceived foreign language anxiety during visits to Second Life: a case study

ABSTRACT The present paper presents the results of a study which examined fluctuations in the levels of foreign language anxiety (FLA) in the virtual world Second Life (SL) and factors accounting for such changes as reported by a female student of English philology. The student participated in 14 sessions over the period of one semester. Using data gathered by means of a set of collection instruments, the study found that the participant’s FLA was subject to some changes both during her visits to SL and from one session to the next. These ups and downs in FLA levels were affected by a host of negative (e.g. conversations with strangers, the lack of sufficient language, negative experience) and positive (e.g. conversations with familiar interlocutors, interesting topics, language progress) factors.

Foreign Language Learning Anxiety Among Low Intermediate Level EFL Students: A Comparison of the Anxiety Levels of Students Attending Three Different Turkish State Universities

The present study examined the general foreign language classroom anxiety of preparatory school students according to the type of University and gender. The sample consisted of 282 students from three preparatory schools. The students were from Anadolu Univeristy, Osmangazi University and Dumlupınar University. There were 150 male and 132 female students. One-Way ANOVA showed that there were no significant differences among the level of foreign language anxiety of preparatory school students from different Universities. In addition to considering anxiety in a gender differences t-test showed that female students have been found much more anxious than mail students in foreign language anxiety.

The relationship between second language competence and willingness to communicate: the moderating effect of foreign language anxiety

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to explore the potential moderating effect of foreign language anxiety (FLA) on the relationship between second language (L2) competence and willingness to communicate (WTC) in 129 Chinese study-abroad English learners in Belgium. Descriptive analyses revealed fairly low levels of FLA and high levels of WTC of the participants. Furthermore, correlation analyses confirmed strong links between L2 competence (including overall competence and listening, speaking, reading, and writing competence) and WTC of Chinese study-abroad learners beyond the classroom context. More importantly, hierarchical regression analyses confirmed that FLA moderated the relationships between overall competence and WTC, between reading competence and WTC, and between writing competence and WTC, whereas it did not moderate the relationships between listening competence and WTC, and between speaking competence and WTC.

Washback Effects of Board-Based Speaking Tests


 
 
 This study analyzes the opinions of a group of three English as a Foreign Language programs, on the washback effects of board-based oral tests on the students’ language proficiency and foreign language anxiety levels, and on the professors’ instructional choices and decision making. With purposive sampling strategies and triangulation techniques, strong washback effects on learners’ foreign language anxiety levels and professors’ instructional choices, with lesser effects on learners’ proficiency levels and instructors’ decision making, were identied.
 
 

Individual and parental factors associated with preschool children's foreign language anxiety in an EFL setting

The present study aims to examine individual and parental factors that affect young children’s foreign language anxiety (FLA) in an EFL setting. Subjects include 453 mothers of young children aged 3 to 5 years old and of these participants, 217children attended regular kindergarten and 236 children attended English immersion institution. Both individual (child’s age, gender, temperament) and parental (parent’s educational attainment, household income, mother’s beliefs about early English education) factors were collected with mother’s self-report questionnaire. Children’s foreign language anxiety, however, was measured with both mother’s and teacher’s assessment. Results reveal that children’s age and temperament had significant effects on their level of foreign language anxiety. Older children were more prone to having a higher level of foreign language anxiety and children with a higher tendency for impulsiveness and harm avoidance were also more likely to show a higher level of foreign language anxiety. As for the parental factors, children of mothers with more concerns for early English education and stronger beliefs in cognitive benefits of early English education were more likely to show a higher level of foreign language anxiety. Future directions and implications will be discussed.

A Pilot Study of Correlation between Trait Anxiety and Foreign Language Anxiety in a Bilingual Classroom

Empirical studies have shown that most of the students who start learning a second / foreign language experience a “debilitative” level of foreign language anxiety which can hinder language acquisition. The main goal of this study was to investigate the correlation between trait anxiety and foreign language anxiety. Another objective was to see whether there is any relationship between age, gender, level of the foreign language proficiency, and both types of anxiety. Fifty-one students of English as a foreign language participated in this pilot study. The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) developed by Horwitz and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory developed by Spielberger were used to collect the data. The results of the survey were statistically analyzed with the main descriptive statistics of both the general sample and various subsamples based on age, gender, and level of the foreign language proficiency. The result of the pilot study revealed no significant correlation between trait anxiety and foreign language anxiety. Besides, the results demonstrated that males and females were equally affected by both types of anxiety. According to the data, first-year students were primarily concerned about tests and negative evaluation by others; second-year students were mainly afraid to communicate in a foreign language; while anxious third-year students tended to feel less competent than their fellow students. Thus, our pilot study suggests that foreign language anxiety is not limited to psychological or linguistic contexts: it should be considered comprehensively, along with other psychological, pedagogical, linguistic, and psycholinguistic factors.

Quantitative Analysis of the Foreign Language Anxiety: Chinese and Pakistani Postgraduates in Focus

The current research study aims at inspecting various levels of apprehension and anxiety faced by university postgraduates in Pakistan and China when learning a foreign language (FL). The target population of this research was the university postgraduates from a Chinese university in Wuhan, and a public sector university in Lahore, Pakistan. The sample of this study was 206 postgraduates, out of which 106 (male =28, female= 78) from a Chinese university and 100 (male=53, female= 47) from a Pakistani university in Lahore. The sample was selected randomly and aged (21-30), and all participants belonged to the postgraduate level. Horwitz’s foreign language classroom anxiety scale (known as FLCAS) was used as a survey model, a theoretical framework for collecting data from both universities. The Statistical Package of a Social Sciences (SPSS version23) was used to get quantitative results. Descriptive statistics were used to investigate the anxiety level. Mean score and standard deviation were computed of both groups, besides it, the independent samples t-test was run to compare the mean score of both groups and infer if there existed any difference in the target language anxiety level. The results revealed that Chinese postgraduates face more anxiety than Pakistani postgraduates, and there existed significant differences in foreign language anxiety levels of both groups. Based on the results, it can be implicated that combined efforts of mentors and students can pave the way in tackling anxiety among university postgraduates.

Foreign Language Anxiety in Student’s Speaking and Writing Skills

The objective of this research was on the level of Foreign Language Anxiety that experienced by students. In this research, the researcher was use the Qualitative research as the method in implementing case study. The sources of data were 30 students of the second semester of Banten Jaya University. For collecting data that used in this study include classroom observation, questionnaires and interview. The questionnaire used to obtain specific information data was gathered from the participants by FLCAS of Horwitz et all (1986). From the result of FLCAS questionnaire, there were 10 students who felt very anxious with percentage 33.33%, 8 students felt anxious with the percentage 26.67%, 8 students felt mildly anxious with the percentage 26.67%, 4 students felt relaxed with the percentage 13.33% and there was no student who felt very relaxed. Then, the result of WAT questionnaire were 7 students felt very anxious with percentage 23.33%, 8 students felt anxious with the percentage 26.67%, 9 students felt mildly anxious with the percentage 30%, 6 students felt relaxed with the percentage 20% and there was no student who felt very relaxed. Based on the findings of the present study, several conclusions can be made: First, students’ anxiety in speaking showed that the students never felt quite sure of themselves when they were speaking in foreign language class. Second, students’ anxiety in writing above showed that most of students avoided writing in English.

AGE AND PROFICIENCY IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY

This study aimed to investigate how proficiency and age are related to Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA). A total of 88 teenagers and adults with different levels of proficiency answered the Language History Questionnaire and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. The analyses revealed (1) a significant negative correlation between the participants’ mean self-assessed proficiency and their level of FLA; and (2) a significant positive correlation between the participants’ age and their level of FLA. In other words, the lower the proficiency level, the higher the participants’ anxiety level. In addition to that, the older the participant, the higher his anxiety level. The results of the study suggest that Foreign Language Anxiety seems to be related to both proficiency level and learner age. Such results are discussed in light of previous investigations in the field of Applied Linguistics.Keywords: Foreign language anxiety; proficiency; age.

English Language Anxiety: A Case Study on Undergraduate ESL Students in Malaysia

The level of foreign language anxiety and the factors leading to the English anxiety level among English students were explored using a sequential mixed method with semi-structured interviews and survey. The interview was the main research tool to learn about students’ coping strategies in dealing with English language anxiety, while the survey was aimed to provide additional information to support the qualitative data. The questionnaire and the interview questions were adapted from Horwitz et al.’s (1986) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). The participants of the study (11 interviewees and 33 questionnaire respondents) were selected purposively from the “Basic English” of a private university students in Malaysia. Analysis of the findings revealed that the students’ of Basic English were “slightly anxious” because of Fear of Negative Evaluation (m=3.16), “slightly anxious” about Communication Apprehension (m=3.07), “slightly anxious” about tests (Test Anxiety, m=3.02), and “not very anxious” about being in the Basic English class (m=2.9). Therefore, overall, the students were “slightly anxious”. The most common coping strategies used by Basic English students were “enquiring friends and lecturer”, “referring to sources such as Google and dictionaries”, “self-helping”, “self-motivation”, “positive thinking”, “shifting focus”, “doing revision”, “listening and understanding”, “self-reflect”, “trying to perform”, “calming down”, “acceptance, exercise”, “taking time to think”, “entertainment”, and “land laugh back to hide embarrassment”. Language educators are advised to prioritize their students’ social and emotional needs by removing or lessening the obstacles and challenges that the students go through when learning English by creating relaxed and non-threatening setting for the teaching and learning.