scholarly journals Changes in and Effects of Anxiety on English Test Performance in Chinese Postgraduate EFL Classrooms

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meihua Liu ◽  
Li Xiangming
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Speech Communication ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Speaking Test ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Classroom Anxiety

As an important affective factor in language learning, foreign language anxiety (FLA) has been extensively researched. Nevertheless, not many studies have targeted postgraduate students or been longitudinal to reveal the dynamic nature of FLA. Hence, the present quantitative study examined changes in and effects of FLA on postgraduate students’ performance over a 10-week period. A total of 324 postgraduate students from a prestigious university took a pretest and posttest, answered a set of questionnaires before (phase 1) and after (phase 2) the 10-week period, respectively. Analyses of the data revealed three major findings: (1) Toward the end of the period, the respondents became significantly less apprehensive of speech communication in English and less worried about the English class, English classroom performance, and other students’ performance. Their overall English language classroom anxiety was significantly lower as well, though they became significantly more worried about tests. (2) In both phases, anxiety was largely highly related to students’ performance in English speaking, listening, reading, and writing tests as well as the overall test performance, especially speaking test performance. Nevertheless, this correlation became weaker in phase 2. (3) In both phases, foreign language classroom anxiety and achievement anxiety powerfully predicted students’ English test performance, especially speaking test performance. These results show that FLA is an important issue even for postgraduate students, affecting their test performance to varying degrees over time. Based on these findings, implications and suggestions are discussed.

scholarly journals Exploring the relationship between language learning beliefs and foreign language classroom anxiety

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-384
Author(s):  
Radmila Palinkašević ◽  
Jovana Brkić
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Beliefs ◽  
Strong Connection ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom ◽  
Anxiety Levels ◽  
Language Learning Beliefs ◽  
Classroom Anxiety

Language learning beliefs and foreign language classroom anxiety present two extremely important factors in language learning. This paper explores these two factors and their complex relationship in students at the Preschool Teacher Training College in Vršac and Teacher Training Faculty in Belgrade (Vršac campus). Both quantitative and qualitative research models were implemented in the study. The quantitative analysis used BALLI (Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory) and FLCAS (Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale) as instruments, and latter implemented a correlational analysis to see which language learning beliefs had a strong connection with anxiety levels. Ten language learning beliefs showed a significant correlation with foreign language classroom anxiety levels. These beliefs were placed into five belief categories which were used as a starting point in the qualitative analysis. For the qualitative analysis language learning histories were used. The process produced two additional language belief categories which showed a strong connection with foreign language classroom anxiety. The research proposes which language learning beliefs teachers should first promote in order to establish a positive attitude towards language learning without high levels of anxiety along with other suggestions for the change and promotion of language learning beliefs and the lowering of classroom anxiety.

scholarly journals The Interaction of Expectancy-Value Beliefs and Anxiety in Learning Academic Oral English in Bilingual Chinese Postgraduate Students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meihua Liu ◽  
Lianqi Dong
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Bilingual Students ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Expectancy Value ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Language Learning Motivation

Despite the plethora of research on speaking anxiety, most studies focus on speaking for general purposes in various bilingual contexts, particularly ESL/EFL (English as second/foreign language) contexts. Little research has been done on anxiety when speaking English for academic purposes in bilingual students. Even fewer studies are available on the interaction between academic oral communication (AOC) anxiety and expectancy-value beliefs —important concepts of language learning motivation. Hence, the present longitudinal study examined the interaction of expectancy-value beliefs and AOC anxiety in bilingual Chinese postgraduate students when learning academic oral English. In addition to interviews, a set of matching questionnaires on AOC anxiety and expectancy-value beliefs were collected from 74 Chinese postgraduate learners of English in week 2 (phase 1) and week 14 (phase 2) of a 16-week semester. Analyses of the data revealed the following major findings: (1) One-third to half of the participants experienced AOC anxiety and had low expectancy of themselves about AOC, and more than half of them held high attainment, intrinsic value, utility value and cost value of AOC in English, (2) significant increase occurred in expectancy but not in AOC anxiety or any value over the semester, and (3) expectancy was a great negative predictor for AOC anxiety in phase 1, while expectancy, intrinsic value and cost value were powerful predictors for the latter in phase 2. Based on these findings, some implications for teaching and learning AOC to bilingual students are discussed.

scholarly journals The prediction of undergraduates’ self-regulation strategies, motivational beliefs, attitudes towards English, and speaking anxiety on foreign language classroom anxiety

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 571
Author(s):  
Mehtap Bademcioglu ◽  
Hakan Karatas ◽  
Atilla Ergin
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Motivational Beliefs ◽  
Speaking Anxiety ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom ◽  
Regulation Strategies ◽  
Classroom Anxiety

Individual differences are considered as important factors in the language learning process. Apart from individual differences, affective factors such as attitudes and motivation of individuals and their anxiety levels which affect the individuals’ language learning directly or indirectly are also believed as significant impacts in this process. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between self-regulation strategies, motivational beliefs, attitudes, speaking anxiety and foreign language classroom anxiety and to investigate the predictive power of these variables for foreign language classroom anxiety. The relational model was used in the current study. The research group included 320 male (65.6 %) and 168 female (34.4 %) English preparatory students at Istanbul Technical University. Attitudes toward English Lesson Scale, Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Questionnaire, The Motivational Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale were used as the data collection tool. The statistical methods used for analyses were correlation and multiple regression. The findings indicated that there is a significant positive correlation between foreign language classroom anxiety and self-regulation, test anxiety, and foreign language speaking anxiety. Also, there is significant negative correlation between foreign language classroom anxiety and self-efficacy intrinsic value perception, and attitude towards English. Moreover, self-efficacy, test anxiety, attitude towards English, and foreign language speaking anxiety are predictors of the university students’ foreign language classroom anxiety. 

scholarly journals A Review of the Effectiveness of Foreign Language Enjoyment and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety on Learners' Engagement and Attainment

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingping Shen
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Affective Factors ◽  
Major Interest ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Classroom Anxiety

Cognitive factors are not the fundamental determinants of success in language learning. Foreign language attainment depends on both cognitive and affective factors, highlighting the deeper impacts of the former. Some scholars started to investigate affective issues, particularly negative emotions in language learning studies; nevertheless, reducing negative emotions such as anxiety should be accompanied by the development of positive emotions (e.g., well-being, autonomy, and enjoyment). Since then, a great number of researchers have examined the impact of anxiety and enjoyment in foreign language literature, particularly after the introduction of reliable and valid foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) and foreign language enjoyment (FLE) scales. So, the present study aims to review contemporary scholarly articles and books in this regard. Findings suggest that there has been a major interest in the evaluation of FLCA and FLE across a variety of dimensions including personality traits, interpersonal characteristics, and classroom conditions. The central issues are summarized into three categories of the relationship between FLCA and FLE, the robustness of respective scales, and the impact of individual and interpersonal factors. Hence, this research attempts to highlight probable gaps and areas for further examinations to help enrich the literature and improve the theoretical knowledge.

scholarly journals Anxiety in adult foreign language learning: The case of Ghanaian undergraduate students of Spanish

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-81
Author(s):  
Benedicta Adokarley Lomotey
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Classroom Anxiety

This study investigates students’ anxiety levels through the administration of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) among Spanish learners at a Ghanaian University. The differences according to level of instruction, the association between classroom anxiety and performance, as well as the possible relationship between language immersion and anxiety are also analysed using descriptive statistics, and Pearson’s Moment Correlation Coefficient. The findings indicate that the majority of student participants experienced foreign language classroom anxiety. Nonetheless, contrary to previous research findings, anxiety was not found to decrease systematically as proficiency increased. Additionally, as confirmed by previous studies, the result of the Pearson correlation analysis showed that students’ overall Spanish classroom anxiety and their classroom achievement had a negative association.

scholarly journals 大学生を対象とした英語授業不安尺度の作成とその検討 – The English Language Classroom Anxiety Scale: Test Construction, Reliability, and Validity

2003 ◽  
pp. 187
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
English Language Classrooms ◽  
General Scale ◽  
Classroom Anxiety

Foreign language anxiety is becoming an important area of research in our profession. Debilitating language anxiety can have profound consequences on the language learning process. The purpose of the present study is to construct a scale to measure the anxiety that Japanese students experience in English language classrooms. First, a pilot test was developed from open-ended questionnaires administered to 148 university students describing specific situations that had made them anxious in English language classrooms, and from five extant scales of foreign language anxiety developed in the U.S. and Canada (Ely, 1986; Gardner, 1985; Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994; Young, 1990). A total of 317 anxiety-producing situations were initially identified from the students’ reports and 90 items from the extant scales. Elimination of duplicate situations reduced the set of items to the following 12 dimensions: listening, speaking, reading, writing, being asked questions, mistakes, information processing, classroom activities, other classmates, teachers, language skills, and course work. Thirty-eight pilot test items, representing the 12 dimensions, were constructed and administered to 213 university students in first year and second year English classes. Each item was followed by a six-point Likert response scale. Results of factor analysis revealed that English language classroom anxiety was composed of three factors: anxiety about (a) low proficiency in English (e.g., I am anxious about whether I will be able to keep up with the classes), (b) evaluation from classmates (e.g., I am anxious that other students might think I am poor at English), and (c) speaking activities (e.g., I feel nervous when I speak English in class). The test-retest reliability for an interval of eight weeks was .85 for the general scale, and .85, .77, and .71 for the three subscales respectively. The internal consistency, using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, was .92 for the general scale, and .89, .84, and .82 for the subscales respectively. The present scale was determined to be highly reliable. The validity of the scale was assessed by its correlations with Leary’s (1983) Interaction Anxiousness Scale and with Shioya’s (1995) scale of cognitive appraisals of English learning skills and costs. It was posited that those who have high English language classroom anxiety tend to feel anxious in social situations and to consider English language learning troublesome. The general scale and the three subscales were all significantly and positively correlated with both Leary’s and Shioya’s scales, verifying the validity of the present scale. Limitations of the present study and implications for future research were discussed. 本研究は、日本人学生の英語学習に関わる不安の実証的研究の端緒として、英語授業不安尺度を作成し、その信頼性と妥当性を検討したものである。まず予備調査において、既存の外国語不安尺度の項目（全９０項目）と日本人英語学習者の自由記述（全３１７項目）から、本調査に用いる３８の質問項目を選定した。２１３名の大学生に対し６件法で回答を求め、因子分析を行った結果、英語授業不安は、英語力に対する不安、他の学生からの評価に対する不安、および発話活動に対する不安から構成されていることが示された。尺度の信頼性は、アルファ係数と再検査法により十分に高いことが示された。また、「対人不安」および「英語学習におけるスキル・コストの認知」との有意な正の相関関係から、尺度の妥当性が概ね確認された。

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