Draft:Foreign Language Learning Anxiety
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Foreign Language Learning Anxiety (FLLA) is a specific type of anxiety that emerges in situations requiring the use of a second or foreign language [1, 2, 3]. While all learners may experience some degree of anxiety, FLLA is distinguished by its persistent and intense nature, significantly impacting language acquisition and performance. It can manifest in various forms, such as apprehension about speaking in class, fear of making mistakes, or general unease in language learning environments 4, 5, 6. Though sharing some characteristics with performance anxieties like communication apprehension, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation, FLLA is a distinct psychological construct stemming from the unique challenges inherent in foreign language learning 2, 6, 7.
Research into FLLA has progressed over several decades. Early studies faced challenges in establishing a clear correlation between anxiety and language learning achievement 8, 9. However, advancements in theoretical models and measurement tools, particularly the development of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), have allowed for a deeper understanding of the multifaceted nature of FLLA 2, 8, 9, 10. Studies have identified a range of factors contributing to FLLA, encompassing personal and interpersonal anxieties, learner beliefs about language learning, instructor beliefs about language teaching, classroom procedures, and language testing 11, 12, 13,. Some research also suggests that difficulties in a student's native language can lead to similar struggles in foreign language acquisition, further contributing to anxiety 14, 15, 16, 17.
Recent trends in FLLA research have shifted towards examining anxiety specific to individual language skills, including reading, writing, listening, and speaking 8, 10. This has led to the development of specialised scales like the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) 4. This focus on skill-specific anxiety highlights the complex and varied ways in which FLLA can impact learners. For instance, studies have found that certain factors, such as unfamiliar vocabulary and fear of negative evaluation, are more strongly associated with writing anxiety than other forms of FLLA 4, 16, 18. By understanding the specific sources and manifestations of anxiety related to each language skill, educators can develop more effective strategies and interventions to mitigate FLLA and foster a positive learning environment 1, 19, 20.
References
[edit]1. He, D. (2018). Foreign language learning anxiety in China: Theories and applications in English language teaching. Singapore: Springer.
2. Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132.
3. Horwitz, E. K., & Young, D. J. (Eds.). (1991b). Language anxiety: From theory and research to classroom implications. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
4. Saito, Y., Horwitz, E. K., & Garza, T. J. (1999). Foreign language reading anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 83(2), 202-218.
5. He, D. (2013). What makes learners anxious while speaking English: A comparative study of the perceptions held by university students and teachers in China. Educational Studies, 39(3), 338-350.
6. Aida, Y. (1994). Examination of Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope’s construct of foreign language anxiety: The case of students of Japanese. The Modern Language Journal, 78(2), 155-168.
7. Cheng, Y.-s., Horwitz, E. K., & Schallert, D. L. (1999). Language anxiety: Differentiating writing and speaking components. Language Learning, 49(3), 417-446.
8. He, D. (2017). How to cope with foreign language speaking anxiety effectively? The case of university students in China. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 14(2),
9. Dewaele, J.-M., & Pavlenko, A. (2002). Emotion vocabulary in interlanguage. Language Learning, 52(2), 263-322.
10. Dewaele, J.-M., Petrides, K. V., & Furnham, A. (2008). Effects of trait emotional intelligence and sociobiographical variables on communicative anxiety and foreign language anxiety among adult multilinguals: A review and empirical investigation. Language Learning, 58(4), 911-960.
11. Horwitz, E. K. (2001). Language anxiety and achievement. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 21(1), 112.
12. He, D. (2011). Foreign language speaking anxiety: An investigation of non-English majors in mainland China. PhD dissertation, City University of Hong Kong.
13. Liu, M., & Jackson, J. (2008). An exploration of Chinese EFL learners' unwillingness to communicate and foreign language anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 92(1), 71-86.
14. MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1991). Language anxiety: Its relationship to other anxieties and to processing in native and second languages. Language Learning, 41(4), 513-534.
15. He, D, & Noor Azam Haji-Othman. (2024). Anxiety in English language learning. In A. Cirocki, B. Indrarathne, & S. McCulloch (eds.), Educational psychology for TESOL: A guide for practitioners (pp. 309-329). Springer.
16. He, D. (2018). A review of Chinese scholarship on foreign language learning anxiety in China. South East Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 18, 1-21.
17. MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1994b). The subtle effects of language anxiety on cognitive processing in the second language. Language Learning, 44(2), 283-305.
18. Spielberger, C. D. (1966). The effects of anxiety on performance in complex learning tasks. In C. D. Spielberger (Ed.), Anxiety and behavior (pp. 361-396). New York: Academic Press.
19. Yan, J. X., & Horwitz, E. K. (2008). Learners' perceptions of how anxiety interacts with personal and instructional factors to influence their achievement in English: A qualitative analysis of EFL learners in China. Language Learning, 58(1), 151-183.
20. Yan, J. X., & Wang, H. (2012). Second language writing anxiety and translation: Performance in a Hong Kong tertiary translation class. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 6(2), 171-194.