Elaboration on Foreign Language Anxiety in L2 Speaking: A Study of Iranian EFL Learners

محورهای موضوعی : Research Paper

malihe Safari Moghaddam ¹ (Department of English, Neyshabur Branch, Islamic Azad University, Neyshabur, Iran)
Narjes Ghafournia ² (Department of English, Neyshabur Branch, Islamic Azad University, Neyshabur, Iran)

تاریخ دریافت : 1397/11/20 تاریخ پذیرش : 1398/03/24 تاریخ انتشار : 1398/06/10

کلید واژه: language proficiency, language learning anxiety, English speaking skills, English speaking anxiety, anxiety factors,

چکیده مقاله :

The study examined language learning anxiety factors, hindering EFL learners’ process of learning, particularly in speaking settings and recommended useful approaches to cope with it. Using the quantitative approach as well as a qualitative semi-structured interview and focus-group discussion method, this study tried to examine the factors behind language anxiety among Iranian language learners both in the classroom and in the social context. 100 TEFL students participated in this study. The language proficiency was measured by TOEFL IBT test to make sure that the students were homogeneous. The findings suggested a variety of approaches to cope with language anxiety. It also revealed that there was a significant relationship between the participants’ language anxiety and their language proficiency. The results of the interviews showed that the teachers had a key role in increasing and decreasing the students’ language anxiety concerning psychosocial linguistic factors. The findings of the study can be helpful for providing some teacher-training courses, teaching language teachers some effective psychological techniques to decrease language learning anxiety factors, improving language learning process.Keywords: language le

منابع و مأخذ:

Al-Shboul, M. M., Ahmad, I. S., Nordin, M. S., & Rahman, Z. A. (2013). Foreign language anxiety and achievement: Systematic review. International Journal of English Linguistics, 3(2), 32.

Alrabai, F. (2015). The influence of teachers' anxiety-reducing strategies on learners' foreign language anxiety. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 9(2), 163-190.

Alrabai, F. (2016). Factors underlying low achievement of Saudi EFL learners. International Journal of English Linguistics, 6(3), 21.

Amiri, M., & Ghonsooly, B. (2015). The Relationship between English Learning Anxiety and the Students' Achievement on Examinations. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 6(4), 855-865.

Azher, M., Anwar, M. N., & Naz, A. (2010). An investigation of foreign language classroom anxiety and its relationship with students′ achievement. Journal of College Teaching and learning, 7(11), 33-40.

Azmi, M. N. L., & Sham, R. M. (2018). Causal Relationship between School-Based Oral Performance with Communication Apprehension, Test Anxiety and Fear of Negative Evaluation. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(3), 15-34.

Backman, C. (1976). Explorations in psycho-ethics: The warranting of judgments. Life sentences: Aspects of the social role of language, 98-108.

Baran-Łucarz, M. (2014). The link between pronunciation anxiety and willingness to communicate in the foreign-language classroom: The Polish EFL context. Canadian Modern Language Review, 70(4), 445-473.

Bashosh, S., Nejad, M. A., Rastegar, M., & Marzban, A. (2013). The relationship between shyness, foreign language classroom anxiety, willingness to communicate, gender, and EFL proficiency. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(11), 2098.

            Bernat, E., & Lloyd, R. (2007). Exploring the gender effect on EFL learners' beliefs about language  learning. Australian Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 7, 79-91.

Bond, B. D. (1984). Silent incarceration. Contemporary Education, 55(2), 95.

Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching. United States of America: Longman.

Budin, M. (2014). Investigating the relationship between English language anxiety and the achievement of school based oral English test among Malaysian Form Four students. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 2(1).

Campbell, C. M., & Ortiz, J. (1991). Helping students overcome foreign language anxiety: A foreign language anxiety workshop. Language anxiety: From theory and research to classroom implications, 153-168.

Daly, J. (1991). Understanding communication apprehension: An introduction for language educators. Language anxiety: From theory and research to classroom implications, 3-13.

Daud, N. S. M., Daud, N. M., & Kassim, N. L. A. (2016). Second language writing anxiety: Cause or effect? Malaysian journal of ELT research, 1(1), 19.

Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2014). The two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2).

 

Dörnyei, Z. (2014). The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition: Routledge.

Doyon, P. (2000). Shyness in the Japanese EFL class: Why it is a problem, what it is, what causes it, and what to do about it. The Language Teacher, 24(1), 11-16.

Ebrahimi, H. R. R. (2013). Anxiety as a deterring element in learning English for oral communication among EFL students. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World, 4(3), 179-196.

Ehrman, M. (1996). Second language learning difficulties: Looking beneath the surface. Thousand Oaks, GA: Sage.

Elaldı, Ş. (2016). Foreign language anxiety of students studying English language and literature: A sample from Turkey. Educational Research and Reviews, 11(6), 219-228.

Friedman, P. G. (1980). Shyness and Reticence in Students. National Education Association: Washington, DC.

Guo, Y., Xu, J., & Liu, X. (2018). English language learners’ use of self-regulatory strategies for foreign language anxiety in China. System, 76, 49-61.

Hamayan, E., Genesee, F., & Tucker, G. R. (1977). Affective factors and language exposure in second language learning. Language Learning, 27(2), 225-241.

Handayani, I., & Rahmawati, E. (2017). Students’ Speaking Anxiety at English Classroom in Agroecotechnology Department of Agricultural Faculty Untirta (A Descriptive Study in AgroEcoTechnology Classroom, Untirta). Journal of English Language Studies, 2(2).

Hashemi, M. (2011). Language stress and anxiety among the English language learners. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 1811-1816.

Horwitz, E. (2001). Language anxiety and achievement. Annual review of applied linguistics, 21, 112-126.

Horwitz, E. K. (2010). Foreign and second language anxiety. Language Teaching, 43(2), 154-167.

Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern language journal, 70(2), 125-132.

Horwitz, E. K., & Young, D. J. (1991). Language anxiety: From theory and research to classroom implications: Pearson College Div.

Jones, J. F. (2004). A cultural context for language anxiety. English Australia Journal, 21(2), 30.

King, J. (2012). Silence in the second language classrooms of Japanese universities. Applied Linguistics, 34(3), 325-343.

Kleinmann, H. H. (1977). Avoidance behavior in adult second language acquisition1. Language learning, 27(1), 93-107.

Lightbown, P. M. (2008). Transfer appropriate processing as a model for classroom second language acquisition. Understanding second language process, 27-44.

Liu, H.-j., & Chen, C.-w. (2015). A comparative study of foreign language anxiety and motivation of academic-and vocational-track high school students. English Language Teaching, 8(3), 193.

MacIntyre, P., & Gregersen, T. (2012). Affect: The role of language anxiety and other emotions in language learning Psychology for language learning (pp. 103-118): Springer.

MacIntyre, P. D. (1995). How does anxiety affect second language learning? A reply to Sparks and Ganschow. The Modern language journal, 79(1), 90-99.

MacIntyre, P. D., Baker, S. C., Clément, R., & Donovan, L. A. (2003). Sex and age effects on willingness to communicate, anxiety, perceived competence, and L2 motivation among junior high school French immersion students. Language learning, 53(S1), 137-166.

MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1989). Anxiety and second‐language learning: Toward a theoretical clarification. Language learning, 39(2), 251-275.

MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1991). Investigating language class anxiety using the focused essay technique. 75 (3). MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1994). The subtle effects of language anxiety on cognitive processing in the second language. Language learning, 44(2), 283-305.

Mak, B. (2011). An exploration of speaking-in-class anxiety with Chinese ESL learners. System, 39(2), 202-214.

Masgoret, A. M., & Gardner, R. C. (2003). Attitudes, motivation, and second language learning: a meta–analysis of studies conducted by Gardner and associates. Language learning, 53(1), 123-163.

Matsuda, S., & Gobel, P. (2004). Anxiety and predictors of performance in the foreign language classroom. System, 32(1), 21-36.

Mayangta, T. (2013). Students’ Speaking Anxiety In An EFL Classroom: S1 thesis, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia.

McCroskey, J., & Neuliep, J. (1997). The development of intercultural and interethnic communication apprehension scales. Communication research reports, 14(2), 145-156.

Mills, N., Pajares, F., & Herron, C. (2006). A reevaluation of the role of anxiety: Self‐efficacy, anxiety, and their relation to reading and listening proficiency. Foreign language annals, 39(2), 276-295.

Nasir, I. (2015). A study on oral anxiety in EFL classrooms. BRAC University.  

Neuliep, J. W. (2017). Intercultural communication: A contextual approach: Sage Publications.

Nosratinia, M., & Abdi, F. (2017). The Comparative Effect of Portfolio and Summative Assessments on EFL Learners' Writing Ability, Anxiety, and Autonomy. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 8(4), 823-834.

Ohata, K. (2005). Language anxiety from the teacher’s perspective: Interviews with seven experienced ESL/EFL teachers. Journal of Language and Learning, 3(1), 133-155.

Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Bailey, P., & Daley, C. E. (1999). Factors associated with foreign language anxiety. Applied Psycholinguistics, 20(02), 217-239.

Öztekin, E. (2011). A comparison of computer assisted and face-to-face speaking assessment: performance, perceptions, anxiety, and computer attitudes. Unpublished master’s thesis). Bilkent University.

Öztürk, G., & Gürbüz, N. (2014). Speaking anxiety among Turkish EFL learners: The case at a state university. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 10(1), 1-17.

Papi, M. (2010). The L2 motivational self system, L2 anxiety, and motivated behavior: A structural equation modeling approach. System, 38(3), 467-479.

Park, G.-P., & French, B. F. (2013). Gender differences in the foreign language classroom anxiety scale. System, 41(2), 462-471.

Pawlak, M. (2013). Error correction in the foreign language classroom: Reconsidering the issues: Springer Science & Business Media.

Pimsleur, P., Mosberg, L., & Morrison, A. L. (1962). Student factors in foreign language learning. The Modern Language Journal, 46(4), 160-170.

Price, M. L. (1991). The subjective experience of foreign language anxiety: Interviews with highly anxious students. Language anxiety: From theory and research to classroom implications, 101-108.

Saito, Y., Garza, T. J., & Horwitz, E. K. (1999). Foreign language reading anxiety. The Modern language journal, 83(2), 202-218.

Saito, Y., & Samimy, K. K. (1996). Foreign language anxiety and language performance: A study of learner anxiety in beginning, intermediate, and advanced‐level college students of Japanese. Foreign Language Annals, 29(2), 239-249.

Salehi, M., & Marefat, F. (2014). The Effects of Foreign Language Anxiety and Test Anxiety on Foreign Language Test Performance. Theory & Practice in Language Studies, 4(5).

Scovel, T. (1978). The effect of affect on foreign language learning: A review of the anxiety research. Language learning, 28(1), 129-142.

Shams, A. N. (2006a). The use of computerized pronunciation practice in the reduction of foreign language classroom anxiety.

Shams, A. N. (2006b). Use of Computerized Pronunciation Practice in the Reduction of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety.

Sparks, R. L., Ganschow, L., & Javorsky, J. (2000). Déjà vu all over again: A response to Saito, Horwitz, and Garza. The Modern Language Journal, 84(2), 251-255.

Steinberg, D. D., Nagata, H., & Aline, D. P. (2013). Psycholinguistics: Language, mind and world: Routledge.

Swain, M., & Burnaby, B. (1976). Personality Characteristics and Second Language Learning in Young Children: A Pilot Study. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 11.

Tanveer, M. (2007). Investigation of the factors that cause language anxiety for ESL/EFL learners in learning speaking skills and the influence it casts on communication in the target language. Faculty of Education, University of Glasgow.  

Tobias, S. (2013). Anxiety and cognitive processing of instruction Self-related cognitions in anxiety and motivation (pp. 45-64): Psychology Press.

Tosun, B. (2018). Oh no! Not ready to speak! An investigation on the major factors of foreign language classroom anxiety and the relationship between anxiety and age. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 14(1), 230-241.

Trinder, R. (2013). Business students’ beliefs about language learning in a university context. English for Specific Purposes, 32(1), 1-11.

Vitasari, P., Wahab, M. N. A., Othman, A., Herawan, T., & Sinnadurai, S. K. (2010). The relationship between study anxiety and academic performance among engineering students. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 8, 490-497.

Wang, L.-J., & Chang, H.-F. (2010). Applying innovation method to assess English speaking performance on communication apprehension. BELT-Brazilian English Language Teaching Journal, 1(2).

Wong, M. S.-L. (2010). Beliefs about language learning: A study of Malaysian pre-service teachers. RELC Journal, 41(2), 123-136.

Woodrow, L. (2006). Anxiety and speaking English as a second language. RELC Journal, 37(3), 308-328.

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.

Yashima, T., MacIntyre, P. D., & Ikeda, M. (2018). Situated willingness to communicate in an L2: Interplay of individual characteristics and context. Language Teaching Research, 22(1), 115-137.

Young, D. J. (1991). Creating a Low‐Anxiety Classroom Environment: What Does Language Anxiety Research Suggest? The modern language journal, 75(4), 426-437.

Zareian, G., Zangoei, A., & Taghvaee, M. (2014). EFL learners ‘attitudes towards English language learning: A focus on male and females ‘priorities and preferences. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW), 7(2), 50-57.

Zhang, X. (2013). Foreign language listening anxiety and listening performance: Conceptualizations and causal relationships. System, 41(1), 164-177.