scholarly journals Mandarin Language Learning Anxiety Among Non-Chinese Learners: A Case of Universiti Teknologi MARA

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hie Ling Ting ◽  
Jiin Yih Yeo ◽  
Vicky Chin
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Learning Anxiety ◽  
Chinese Learners ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Mandarin Language

Learning Mandarin as a foreign language or third language can be very difficult for non-Chinese learners. In the process of learning Mandarin, non-Chinese learners may experience certain level of foreign language anxiety. The objectives of this study are to investigate Mandarin language anxiety level and its associated factors among non-Chinese learners. This study involved 221 non-Chinese learners who enrolled in Introductory Mandarin Language in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Sarawak. The instrument for this study included the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) developed by Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986). The collected data were analysed using Statistical package for Social Science (SPSS) 22. The results of the study indicated that most of the non-Chinese learners experienced a moderate level of anxiety while learning Mandarin. The main factor that contributed to their language anxiety was communication apprehension, followed by fear of negative evaluation and test anxiety.

scholarly journals The Correlation among EFL Learners’ Test Anxiety, Foreign Language Anxiety and Language Achievement

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilek Cakici
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Language Achievement ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom ◽  
Text Anxiety ◽  
One Year

<p class="Default">The main aim of this study was to investigate the correlation among test anxiety (TA), foreign language anxiety (FLA) and language achievement of university preparatory students learning English as a foreign language. The sample of the research consisted of 301 (211 females, 90 males) attending a one-year EFL preparatory school at Ondokuz Mayıs University, School of Foreign Languages. The TAI (Test Anxiety Inventory) developed by Spielberger (1980), FLCAS (Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale) developed by Horwitz (1986) and the students’ language achievement scores were used to collect data. In addition, this study aimed to determine the effect of gender on both TA and FLA. The findings of the study revealed that there was no relation between students’ TA and their language achievement. It was also found a significant positive correlation between students’ TA and FLA. Besides, the result demonstrated that there was a significant reverse correlation between students’ FLA and their language achievement. Following t-test results, it was found out that females exhibited higher mean scores than males in both TAI and FLCAS. Finally, certain suggestions were set for EFL teachers to reduce text anxiety and language learning anxiety in foreign language classroom settings.</p>

scholarly journals FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY IN STUDENT LEARNING

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (102) ◽  
pp. 18-23
Author(s):  
Asta Lileikienė ◽  
Lina Danilevičienė
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Low Achievement ◽  
Language Class ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom ◽  
The University ◽  
Research Analysis

Background. Anxiety includes uncomfortable feelings when learning or using the new language. It continues to exist in the university foreign language classroom as well. A number of foreign language students report feeling anxious about language learning. Research aim was to investigate the foreign language anxiety (in our case, English as a foreign language, EFL) in the classroom context at tertiary level in relation to its effect on foreign language acquisition as well as to design recommendations of how to reduce or exclude foreign language anxiety from the university foreign language classroom. Methods. The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale developed by E. K. Horwitz, M. B. Horwitz, and Cope (1986) was used. The questionnaire consisted of 5 statements about the respondents’ general background and 33 statements which were evaluated on the Likert scale from 1 to 5 by the research participants. The research sample involved 200 first and second year students of Lithuanian Sports University . Results. The research analysis revealed that the respondents generally felt anxious speaking in the language class, making mistakes and being corrected by the teacher, worrying about the consequences of failing foreign language class and speaking with native speakers. The correlation between the students’ level of knowledge and their feeling of anxiety was established: students of lower level (A2 and B1) tended to feel higher levels of anxiety. Moreover, female participants of this study exhibited higher levels of foreign language anxiety. Conclusions. Foreign language anxiety proved to be a powerful predictor for demotivation in foreign language learning and impeded the acquisition of foreign languages. The research analysis revealed that the majority of younger respondents demonstrated a higher degree of anxiety. The more mature the students were, the more confident they felt in EFL classes. It was found that female students felt higher level of anxiety in learning English as a foreign language than male students. They were more inclined to hesitate and felt anxious in the language classroom, while male undergraduates were more confident and had a greater ability to cope with the feelings of anxiety and nervousness. Students with higher knowledge of English language (level B2) showed lower levels of anxiety and felt more confident in language class. A large number of failures was observed at the pre-intermediate and lower intermediate (A2/B1) levels. Therefore, the learners with high anxiety often got low achievement and low achievement made them more anxious about learning.

scholarly journals The ‘unforgettable’ experience of foreign language anxiety

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-128
Author(s):  
Morana Drakulić
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
First Year University

Foreign language anxiety (FLA) has long been recognized as a factor that hinders the process of foreign language learning at all levels. Among numerous FLA sources identified in the literature, language classroom seems to be of particular interest and significance, especially in the formal language learning context, where the course and the teacher are often the only representatives of language. The main purpose of the study is to determine the presence and potential sources of foreign language anxiety among first year university students and to explore how high anxiety levels shape and affect students’ foreign language learning experience. In the study both the questionnaire and the interviews were used as the data collection methods. Thematic analysis of the interviews and descriptive statistics suggest that most anxiety-provoking situations stem from the language classroom itself.

English Language Learning Anxiety among Korean College Students in the Philippines

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyemin Kim ◽  
◽  
Elaine Vernadine A. Liongson ◽  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Korean Students ◽  
Learning Anxiety ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Korean College Students

Abstract: Although a number of studies have been done about Foreign Language Anxiety among Korean students, limited studies have been done on foreign language anxiety toward Korean college students in the Philippines. This paper seeks to find out the factors that may affect foreign language anxiety of both male and female college students in learning English, their foreign language learning anxiety in terms of gender, and the factor that may decrease the anxiety of the participants. Data was gathered through the use of a Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), a Likert scale adopted from Yassin (2015) and was analyzed by getting the mean, while the findings were interpreted using the mean scale proposed by Mamhot, Martin & Masangya (2013). Surprisingly, the result revealed that foreign language anxiety is not significant among Korean students. Moreover, the female participants showed higher confidence in speaking and using the language compared to male participants in some aspects. Keywords: EFL; FLCAS, foreign language anxiety; gender

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 FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY IN OUT-OF-CLASS PERFORMANCE.IDENTIFYING LANGUAGE-ANXIETY SOURCES, ITS EFFECTS, AND COPING STRATEGIES

Neofilolog ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 29-43
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Morena
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Achievement Motivation ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Cognitive Responses ◽  
Negative Feeling ◽  
Oral Performance ◽  
And Coping

Language researchers have long been aware that anxiety can be associated with the language learning process and negatively correlate with academic achievement, motivation and successful oral performance. Foreign language anxiety was first defined as a negative feeling associated with a language classroom and resulting from a fear of negative evaluation, tests and communication apprehension (Horwitz and Young, 1991). Some learners also reported that they experienced language anxiety in out-of-class oral performance, that it negatively affected their feeling of competence, and beliefs about their successful language acquisition, and also triggered physiological and cognitive responses. The research aimed at identifying sources of language anxiety and its manifestations in adult EFL learners in out-of-class settings, and a set of six strategies was proposed to help learners mitigate the feeling of foreign language anxiety.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Self-esteem and Second Language Anxiety among Hashemite University Students in Jordan

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
The Self ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Hashemite University ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-esteem and second foreign language. A random sample of 258 students Hashemite University participated in the current study. The foreign language classroom anxiety scale which was developed by horwitz and others and the self-esteem scale which was developed by Rosenberg were used to measure two variables, the self-esteem and foreign language anxiety consequently. The findings of this study revealed a strong negative correlation between self-esteem and foreign language anxiety and the study also revealed that self-esteem good predictor of foreign language anxiety. The findings also showed that there is a statically significant differences in the correlation between self-esteem and foreign language anxiety refer to faculty and academic year and there is no a statistically significant differences in the correlation between self-esteem and foreign language anxiety refer to gender. Many researchers refer to importance of affect in the language classroom. Language learning is an anxiety-provoking experience for many students. Affective factors which may have impacts on foreign language learning have been studied since past two decades. The most important affective e factors that have been received considerable attention and widely studied in educational context are language and self-esteem [1]. Self-esteem is one of the central drives in human beings. When the level of the self -esteem is low, the psychological homeostasis is unbalanced, creating insecurity, fear and other negative situations. In the context of language learning, low self-esteem can have serious consequences, student may avoid taking the necessary risks to acquire communicative competence in the target language, they may feel deeply insecure and even drop out of the class [2].

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.

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, &amp; Cope, 1986) and an Arabic version of the Foreign Language Self-Efficacy Scale (Torres &amp; 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 Student Language Anxiety in Learning English (A survey to non-English Major students in rural area)

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Tuti Hidayati
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Language Class ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
English Major ◽  
English Classroom

Learners’ difficulties in learning a foreign language cannot merely be linked to the lack of ability or intelligence. Language anxiety or the feeling of tension, apprehension, fearfulness, and worry in language class had been pointed to greatly influence learner’s progress in mastering the target language. Highly anxious learners were found to achieve less and had low motivation. This study reports a survey investigating the level of language anxiety and its perceived causes and discusses some alternatives to deal with it. The participants were 114 non-English major students in State Islamic College of Teungku Dirundeng Meulaboh in West Aceh. Data were collected employing Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale developed by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope, (1986). The finding indicated that the students participating in the study exhibited a moderate level of language anxiety obtaining FLCAS mean score 102.17. The main cause of language anxiety was attributed to fear of negative evaluation with the highest average mean 3,5. Communication apprehension and test anxiety were in the second and third rank with the average mean 3,3 and 3,1 respectively. Meanwhile, English classroom items were perceived to contribute the least to the students’ tense experience given the average mean 2,7. It is suggested that making the learners realize that they are not alone experiencing anxiety in learning a foreign language is crucial. Furthermore, it is important that teachers embrace a supportive and non-threatening role to provide a more effective foreign language learning.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document