scholarly journals Foreign Language Learning Anxiety: The Case of Trilinguals

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Elias Bensalem
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
English Class ◽  
Learning Anxiety ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
Using Data

The current study is motivated by the dearth of research regarding trilingualism and its relationship with foreign language anxiety (FLA) especially in a bilingual and diglossic context. The present study reports on the FLA level in an underexplored context of seventy-three male and female Arabic-and French-speaking university trilingual students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in Tunisia. It also examines the main sources of the participants’ anxiety. Using data from the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986), analyses revealed that the English learners experienced low to average amounts of FLA. Worry about failing English class, apprehension about speaking in English, and anxiety related to the classroom were identified as major sources of FLA. No association was found between gender and FLA. This study found a significant negative relationship between students’ level of FLA and their exam scores. Implications for language teaching are offered.

scholarly journals Predictors of Foreign Language Anxiety: A Study of College-Level L2 Learners of Chinese

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-24
Author(s):  
Han Luo
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Chinese Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
College Level ◽  
Learning Anxiety ◽  
Chinese Language Learning ◽  
Language Learning Anxiety

AbstractThis study investigated seven learner variables (i.e., age, motivation, perception of the difficulty of the Chinese language, self-perceived achievement, self-perceived language learning ability, self-expectation in the Chinese class, and perception of the importance of the Chinese language) as potential predictors of Chinese language learning anxiety. Correlation analyses showed that all seven variables were significantly correlated with anxiety level in isolation. Perception of the difficulty of the Chinese language and age were found to have positive relationships with anxiety, whereas the remaining five variables were reported to have negative relationships. Multiple regression analysis revealed that all the variables except self-expectation in the Chinese class and perception of the importance of the Chinese language contributed significantly to the prediction of Chinese language learning anxiety when examined simultaneously. The five significant predictors altogether explained 34.7% of the variance in anxiety. Perception of the difficulty of the Chinese language was found to be the best predictor and self-perceived achievement the second-best predictor, followed by self-perceived foreign language learning ability, age, and motivation.

Language anxiety and achievement

2001 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 112-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Horwitz
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Writing Anxiety ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Authentic Self ◽  
Learning Anxiety

This chapter considers the literature on language learning anxiety in an effort to clarify the relationship between anxiety and second language learning. It will first argue that language anxiety is a specific anxiety — rather than a trait anxiety — and discuss how this conceptualization has helped clarify the research literature. After Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986) proposed that a specific anxiety construct which they called Foreign Language Anxiety was responsible for students' uncomfortable experiences in language classes and offered an instrument, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), to measure this anxiety, findings concerning anxiety and language achievement have been relatively uniform, indicating a consistent moderate negative relationship between anxiety and achievement. However, some researchers (Sparks and Ganschow and their colleagues) have suggested that poor language learning is a cause rather than a result of language anxiety. This review concludes that anxiety is indeed a cause of poor language learning in some individuals and discusses possible sources of this anxiety, including difficulty in authentic self-presentation and various language teaching practices. In addition, it reports on new trends in language anxiety research that attempt to identify aspects of language learning (e.g., reading anxiety or writing anxiety) which provoke anxiety for some individuals.

Edmodo as an Assessment Tool in the Foreign Language Learning Process

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-215
Author(s):  
Flavia Kaba
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Secure Learning ◽  
Innovative Techniques

Abstract Due to the rapid developments in educational technology, today’s professors are in search of exploring innovative techniques in order to promote involvement of students in the learning process in general and in the foreign language learning process in particular. This is why today’s students are seen as digital-natives and being motivated for the learning process is very difficult if the modern technology they are familiar with is not utilized effectively in the classroom. When it comes to the assessment part of this process, the situation may become worse, as most of the students feel unwilling due to anxiety problems in general and foreign language anxiety in particular. This study presents an innovative way of assessing students’ skills that they gain during foreign language learning process introducing Edmodo, which is an educational social network that provides a secure learning platform for students and educators. This study is a descriptive one, based on the analyses, surveys, and opinions of different researchers that have implemented this platform in their teaching process. The main objective is to introduce the implementation of various assessment applications through Edmodo.

scholarly journals Foreign language learning anxiety: A comparison between high school and university students

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1584
Author(s):  
Gökhan Baş ◽  
Mehmet Özcan
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
Monthly Income ◽  
Learning Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety Levels ◽  
Language Learning Anxiety

This research aimed to identify the differences in foreign language learning (FLL) anxiety levels between high school and university students based on some variables such as gender, current educational status, parents’ (father and mother) educational status, and monthly income of families.  The survey model was adopted in the research.  The research included high school (n = 333) and university (n = 341) students from Nigde and Afyonkarahisar provinces. In the research, “Foreign Language Learning Anxiety Scale” (FLLAS) was used in order to collect data. For the analyses of the data, independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were performed. The results of the research indicated that gender, fathers’ educational status and monthly income of family variables did not have a significant impact on foreign language anxiety levels of high school and university students. It was also found that students’ educational status as well as their mothers’ educational status variables influenced their FLL anxiety significantly.

scholarly journals Foreign Language Learners’ Attitudes and Perceptions of L1 Use in L2 Classroom

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maram S. Almohaimeed ◽  
Huda M. Almurshed
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
English Classes ◽  
English Class ◽  
Attitudes And Perceptions ◽  
Preparatory Year

Whether to avoid learners’ first language (L1) or to make use of it in the second language (L2) classes is a controversial issue. Some studies have challenged the effectiveness of the monolingual approach to foreign language learning. This study investigates Saudi university learners’ attitudes and perceptions towards incorporating their L1(Arabic) in English class. This study also sheds light into the relationship between students’ perceptions and proficiency level in the target language. To this end, Gaebler's questionnaire (2014) was administered to 60 female learners studying in the preparatory year at a Saudi university. They were from three different English proficiency levels. The results showed that advanced learners hold a negative attitude towards the use of L1 in their English classes, whereas elementary and intermediate learners generally perceive the judicious use of their L1 positively.

scholarly journals ESP SPEAKING STRATEGIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY IN HIGHER EDUCATION CLASSROOM

1970 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 181-203
Author(s):  
Милевица Десимир Бојовић
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
High Anxious ◽  
Medium Level ◽  
Anxious Group

The study examines the undergraduate students’ perceived use of foreign language speaking strategies, their levels of foreign language anxiety, and the potential relationships between them. Two instruments were used in the study—Inventory of Speaking Strategies in a Foreign Language, based on the instrument Strategy Inventory in Foreign Language Learning, and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. The results showed that students’ overall perceived use of speaking strategies in English as a foreign language for specific purposes was frequent. The findings also revealed that the students’ foreign language anxiety was at a medium level; individual performance anxieties remained at the same medium levels. A few differences were found between the low-anxious and high-anxious groups on the speaking strategy use: the former uses circumlocutions and synonyms when stuck with a word in English more frequently while the latter is paying attention more often when someone is speaking in English. The results also suggest that the medium-anxious group uses gestures when unable to think of a word during a conversation in English less frequently than the low-anxious group.

EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY AND STUDENTS’ LEARNING MOTIVATION TO FILIPINO FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNERS

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 645-658
Author(s):  
Sherrilyn B. Quintos
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning Motivation ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Filipino Students ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
The Relationship

This quantitative research study investigated the relationship between anxiety acquired through foreign language learning and learning motivation of Filipino students in Bataan Peninsula State University. Participants were identified through stratified random sampling. It adapted two sets of questionnaires: Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale by Horwitz, et al. (1986) and Foreign Language Learning Motivation Questionnaire developed by Gonzales (2006). Results showed that anxiety and motivation have a significant relationship with each other. Higher level of learning motivations students set for themselves manifest higher chances for them to develop consciousness and anxiety over their academic performance. They see L2 learning essential in employment opportunities, effective communication, and exploring foreign culture. However, their sense of interest to the course is primarily driven by extrinsic motivations which are only influenced by external factors such as the need to take the subject to pass a requirement. In return, they grow anxious and fearful of the possible consequences of being unable to achieve learning expectations and self-goals. While it is true that age does not significantly affect the relationship of the two variables under examination, it was found that females are more likely to exemplify a receptive behavior in learning than males. It is of high suggestion to integrate different strategies in teaching foreign language to minimize anxiety tendencies and maximize students’ engagement in learning. Also, it is recommended to devise or adapt a more context-specific questionnaire that will deeply explore on the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations of students and the anxiety concomitant to it. Finally, further studies are highly encouraged to be conducted to further navigate the interplay of other contributing variables in their foreign language learning experiences.

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