scholarly journals Multilingualism and Foreign Language Anxiety: the case of Saudi EFL Learners

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Bensalem
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Arabic Version ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety

The present study focuses on the link between foreign language anxiety (FLA), self-perceived proficiency, and multilingualism in the under-explored EFL context of Saudi Arabia. Ninety six Arabic learners of English (56 males, 40 females) answered the Arabic version of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLACS; Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986). The analyses revealed that Saudi multilinguals suffered from low to moderate levels of FLA with female participants experiencing more anxiety than their male counterparts. Multiple regression analyses revealed that gender and self-perceived proficiency explained over a quarter of variance in FLA. Furthermore, the study did not find any role of experience abroad in predicting FLA.

Drama for L2 Speaking and Language Anxiety: Evidence from Brazilian EFL Learners

RELC Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelica Galante
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Past ◽  
Comfort Levels ◽  
L2 Speaking ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety

Anxiety is a dimension of L2 speaking that has been heavily investigated over the past several decades, but there is a paucity of research investigating instruction aiming at lowering anxiety. While research suggests drama lowers L2 learners’ anxiety, it is unclear to what extent anxiety is affected by drama. This article reports results from a mixed methods study examining whether drama impacts foreign language anxiety (FLA). The participants were 24 Brazilian adolescents who took part in two distinct four-month EFL programmes: a drama and a non-drama programme. An adapted version of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) was used as pre- and post measures. Analyses from FLCAS indicate a significant reduction in FLA levels among learners in both groups over time, with a slightly better improvement among learners in the drama group. Further analysis provides evidence that drama can enhance comfort levels when speaking the L2. Implications for research and language teaching are discussed.

scholarly journals JALT2015 Conference Article: On Emotions in Foreign Language Learning and Use

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Marc Dewaele
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Language Classroom

Emotions are at the heart of the foreign language learning process. Without emotion, boredom would reign and very little learning would take place. I report on some recent work that has investigated the role of emotion in the foreign language classroom, both positive (foreign language enjoyment) and negatives ones (foreign language anxiety). It seems that both learners and teachers play a crucial role in managing emotions in the classroom. I also report on the difficulties associated with the communication of emotions in a foreign language and on their relative absence in foreign language course books and during classes. This leaves learners ill-prepared to recognise and express emotions appropriately in a foreign language, which is an essential part of sociopragmatic competence. 外国語学習過程の中心には「感情」がある。感情がなければ飽きるのも早く、学びも限られてしまう。本論では、外国語の授業で感情が果たす肯定的な（例：外国語学習の楽しみ）および否定的な（例：外国語学習不安）役割について報告する。そして最近の研究を基に、いかに学習者と教員双方がクラスでの感情のコントロールに深くかかわっているかを考察する。また、外国語で感情を伝えることの難しさについても触れ、外国語の教科書や授業で感情表現が扱われることの少なさが、社会語用論的能力の主な要素である感情表現の理解不足につながっていることを指摘する。

scholarly journals An Investigation into Emotional Intelligence, Foreign Language Anxiety and Empathy through a Cognitive-Affective Course in an EFL Context

2008 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Rouhani
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Empathy Scale ◽  
Intelligence Scores

Emotional intelligence, as concerned with how an individual recognizes and regulates his or her emotions, has been in limelight quite recently. The present study seeks to fill a small gap in the literature on emotional intelligence, together with foreign language anxiety and empathy. To this end, short literary readings are used in a cognitive-affective reading-based course to see how emotional intelligence, foreign language anxiety and empathy are affected. Mayer, Salovey and Caruso (2002) Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), Cooper's (1996/1997) EQ-Map, Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope's (1986) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Test (FLCAS) and Caruso and Mayer's (1998) Multi-Dimensional Emotional Empathy Scale (MDEES) were administered to 70 Iranian EFL undergraduate students in a pretest posttest quasi-experimental design. MANOVA and ANCOVA were conducted. The results revealed that the cognitive-affective reading-based course in which literary readings were used significantly improved the subjects' emotional intelligence scores from the MSCEIT measure as well as empathy (MDEES) scores, but significantly decreased their foreign language anxiety (FLCAS) scores. The pedagogical implications for learners, teachers, educators and materials developers are presented.

scholarly journals Foreign Language Anxiety of EFL Students: Examining the Effect of Self-Efficacy, Self-Perceived Proficiency and Sociobiographical Variables

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Elias Bensalem
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Gender Knowledge

The present study aims to explore the link between foreign language anxiety (FLA) and self-efficacy, English self-perceived proficiency, and three sociobiographical variables (gender, knowledge of a third language, and experience abroad) among 261 Arabic university students learning English. Data were collected using the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986) and an Arabic version of the Foreign Language Self-Efficacy Scale (Torres & Turner, 2016). The findings revealed that this sample of Arab English as a foreign language (EFL) students experienced an average level of anxiety with female learners suffering more from anxiety than their male counterparts. Regression analyses revealed that self-efficacy, self-perceived proficiency in English, and gender were predictors of FLA. The results suggest that participants who were self-efficacious and felt more proficient in English were significantly less likely to suffer from FLA. However, even though knowledge of a third language and experience abroad were correlated with FLA, they had no effect on participants’ anxiety.

scholarly journals Ansiedad idiomática en Español como Lengua Extranjera y rendimiento académico en la Enseñanza Superior || Foreign language anxiety in Spanish as a Foreign Language and language achievement in Higher Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Mercedes Rabadán ◽  
Alejandro Orgambídez
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Anxiety Scale ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Language Achievement ◽  
Enseñanza Superior ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom

 La ansiedad idiomática es reconocida como uno de los elementos afectivos que mayor influencia tiene sobre el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras. No obstante, se han realizado pocos estudios sobre el papel de la ansiedad en el contexto de Español como Lengua Extranjera (ELE), y apenas existen investigaciones con estudiantes portugueses de la enseñanza superior. Este estudio explora el papel de la ansiedad idiomática como predictor del rendimiento académico en estudiantes portugueses universitarios. Se llevó a cabo un estudio transversal y correlacional con una muestra de 249 participantes. La ansiedad fue evaluada utilizando la escala Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) y el rendimiento académico fue medido utilizando la nota final obtenida en la asignatura de español como lengua extranjera. Los resultados mostraron que mayores puntuaciones en la aprensión comunicativa, la ansiedad durante la evaluación y el miedo a una evaluación negativa se asociaron a peor rendimiento académico. El modelo de regresión identificó el miedo a una evaluación negativa como el predictor significativo más importantes de la calificación. Ambientes de clases libres de ansiedad facilitan la adquisición y el aprendizaje de ELE.

scholarly journals PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE IN REDUCING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ANXIETY IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 26-34
Author(s):  
Mariia M. Avhustiuk
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Anxiety Scale ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Psychological Literature ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety ◽  
Psychological Assistance

The aim of the paper is to outline some possible ways of psychological assistance in defining and reducing foreign language anxiety in university students. In this context the analysis focuses on a theoretical study of language anxiety in the psychological literature and states its role in learning foreign languages and studying in university in general, highlights and explains some reasons of language anxiety, analyses its peculiarities and effect on the efficacy of learning foreign languages. Moreover, we aim at defining some possible ways of detection, prevention, and reducing foreign language anxiety trying to analyse some existent in psychological literature methods and practical questionnaires. To do this, we divide some practical methods available in the scientific psychological literature into the questionnaires aimed at detecting and preventing language anxiety (“Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale” (FLCAS), “Language Learners’ Anxiety and Motivation”, “The Anxiety Scale”, “Test Anxiety Scale”, “Fear of Negative Evaluation”, etc.) and questionnaires that help reduce language anxiety (“Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Scale”, “The Self-Regulated Foreign Language Learning Questionnaire”, “SWOT Analysis”, “Self-Regulation Questionnaire”, “Metacognitive Awareness Inventory”, “Promoting Student Metacogniton about Learning”, etc.). We also mention impact of self-regulated learning and importance of playing activities (games) during efficient learning, specify the role of fossilization. Practical implication of the paper is to provide the results of the students of the International Relations Department (N = 153) who voluntarily answered the questions of the adapted and translated into Ukrainian version of the “Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale” (FLCAS). Our findings suggest that significant English language anxiety is experienced by many students. Finally, some implications for the next studies are proposed.

scholarly journals Foreign Language Anxiety and Student Interpreters’ Learning Outcomes: Implications for the Theory and Measurement of Interpretation Learning Anxiety

2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 589-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yung-Nan Chiang
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Learning Anxiety ◽  
Exam Scores

Although anxiety has been documented as an important variable in both interpretation performance and second language acquisition, there has been virtually no research on the interconnections between the anxiety reactions induced by these two cross-linguistic / cultural endeavors. A review of the literature on anxiety and interpretation performance finds that most of the existing studies have treated the anxiety induced by interpretation as a transfer of other general types of anxieties, such as trait anxiety, without considering the probable role of second language anxiety in interpretation performance. In order to determine the role of foreign language anxiety in 213 Chinese-English interpretation students’ learning outcomes, which were indexed by the participants’ mid-term exam scores and semester grades, this study employed Spielberger’s (1983)Trait Anxiety Inventoryto measure the students’ trait anxiety, while utilizing Horwitz, Horwitzet al.’s (1986)Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale(FLCAS) to measure the participants’ foreign language anxiety. Results of correlation analyses showed that a) trait anxiety was not related to either mid-term exam scores or semester grades, b) foreign language anxiety was significantly and negatively associated with both outcome measures, c) after controlling for the effect of trait anxiety, the relationship between foreign language anxiety and interpretation learning outcomes remained significant, and d) a vast majority of theFLCASitems had significant and negative associations with both outcome measures. Implications for developing a theory of and a measurement instrument for interpretation learning anxiety are suggested.

scholarly journals Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety of Arab learners of English: The effect of personality, linguistic and sociobiographical variables

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Marc Dewaele ◽  
Taghreed M. Al-Saraj
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Multicultural Personality ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom ◽  
Anxiety Questionnaire ◽  
Classroom Anxiety

The present study focuses on the link between psychological, sociobiographical and linguistic variables and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety of 348 Arabic learners of English (250 females, 98 males). Data were collected using the Arabic Foreign Language Anxiety Questionnaire (AFLAQ; Al-Saraj, 2011, 2014) and an Arabic version of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire-Short Form (MPQ-SF; van der Zee, van Oudenhoven, Ponterotto & Fietzer, 2013). Multiple regression analyses revealed that self-perceived proficiency in oral English and frequency of use of English explained over a third of variance in FLCA: More proficient and frequent users felt less anxious. Two personality traits, Emotional Stability and Social Initiative explained a further fifth of variance in FLCA, with emotionally stable and more extraverted participants scoring lower on FLCA. Age was the final predictor of a small amount of variance, with older participants feeling less anxious. Degree of multilingualism, sex and education level had no effect on FLCA.

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