University of Om

faculty of Art a
Bachelor paper

Language anxiet
English students
Research presenter

1
Roa'a Raki Elshaheibi
Supervisor:

Mr. Sirag Shinnieb

2014-2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

i.Definition of foreign language anxiety (FLA) 3

ii.Type of FLA 3
iii.Source and causes of FLA 3
1)Review of the literature............................................................................. 4
1.State anxiety................................................................................................ 5
2.Trait anxiety5
3.Situation-specific anxiety...........................................................................6
4.Debilitating anxiety..................................................................................... 7
5.Facilitating anxiety...................................................................................... 7
Facilitating vs. debilitating..........................................................................7
2)Sources of Language Anxiety....................................................................9
a.Communication apprehension...................................................................9
b.Fear of negative evaluation.....................................................................10
c.Test anxiety................................................................................................. 10
3)Cause or effect of anxiety?......................................................................11
4)Characteristics of Anxious Learners......................................................12
5)Foreign language classroom anxiety.....................................................13
6)Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS)..........................14
7)Speaking anxiety....................................................................................... 15
8)How to reduce or end anxiety.................................................................16
9)Conclusion16
iv.References 16
v.Appendix 18

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 i. Definition of foreign language anxiety (FLA)

Children, teenagers and adults everyone feels anxious at some time or another, its a normal
part of improvement, for instance, its normal for a child to be afraid of dogs or the dark, but
when the fear continues and the severity augments, there is reason for concern
Anxiety can be difficult to live with; certainly, some might argue that is a huge
understatement. There are different types of anxiety disorder, and each approach with its
unique challenges and obstacles. All of them appear under the term anxiety because they
share certain commonalities, such as extreme worry and panic, disruptive thought patterns,
and a mass of mental and emotional anxiety symptoms.
Foreign language anxiety (FLA) or as it's called scientifically Xenoglossophobia it's
originally a Greek word xeno (meaning foreign), glosso (meaning language) and phobia
(meaning fear).
Language anxiety can be defined as the fear or apprehension occurring when a learner is
expected to perform in the foreign or second language stated Gardner & Macintyre) 1993(.
It's also the worry and negative emotional reaction when learning or using a second language
(Macintyre, 1999).and it's also defined as a complex construct that deals with learners'
psychology in terms of their feeling, self-esteem, and self-confidence (Clement 1980)
Language anxiety is the feeling of unease, worry, nervousness and apprehension experienced
when learning or using a second language. These sentiments may be caused by any second
language context, whether related to the production skills of speaking and writing, or the
receptive skills of reading and listening, will be discussing it further more.
Speiberger (1976, cited in Wang, 2005, p. 13) distinguished anxiety from fear by pointing
out that although anxiety and fear are both "unpleasant emotional reactions to the stimulus
conditions perceived as threatening," fear is usually derived from a "real, objective danger in
the external environment" while the threatening stimulus of anxiety may not be known.

ii. Type of FLA

Research shows that the type of situational anxiety that is felt by students in foreign
language classes is different from other types of anxieties (Macintyre & Gardner, 1991b;
Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope, 1986, Horwitz, 2001; Scovel; 1978). It becomes reliably
associated with the language class and differentiated from other contexts, second language
learning (SLL) can be traumatic for many learners.
"Many people who are good learners in other subject's areas can experience anxiety when
learning a SL. They also identified three approaches to the study of anxiety, which are: trait
anxiety, state anxiety, and situation-specific anxiety" (Macintyre and Gardner 1991, p. 87-
92), which will be discussed more specifically in this paper.
Another facet of anxiety is divided in two, facilitating anxieties which motivate the learner
to 'fight' the new learning task; it gears the learner emotionally for approval behavior.
And debilitating anxiety motivates the learner to 'flee' the new learning task; it stimulates the
individual emotionally to adopt avoidance behavior. (Scovel, T. m1978)

iii. Source and causes of FLA

According to (Abu-Rabia 2004), "the foreign language learner characterized as having
anxiety is usually worried, physically insecure, and unable to engage in situational learning.

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Different studies have shown different sources and causes of FLA, for example Horowitz
(1986) found three primary sources of FLA, communication apprehension, fear of negative
evaluation and test anxiety. Also Macintyre and Gardner (1991) tested these types of anxiety
and found a relationship where anxiety directly related to SL Performance.

While Price (1991) states the other causes such as the difficulty of foreign language classes,
personal perception of language aptitude, personality variables, and stressful classroom
experiences.
Young in 1991-1994 claims that anxiety stems from the learner: the teacher; the instructional
practice. The anxiety is caused by personal; interpersonal anxiety; learner's beliefs about
language learning; instructor beliefs about language learning; instructor-learner interactions;
classroom procedures; and language testing, they are all interrelated.

Most common anxiety sypmtoms stage which face classroom students are fear, worry,
becoming forgetful, avoidance, trouble concentrating, nervousness, heart palpitations, dread,
sweat which in result leads to anger.

According to Horwitz (1986, p. 126), anxiety centers on the two basic task requirements of
foreign language learning (FLL) : listening and speaking, and difficulty in speaking in class is
probably the most frequently cited concern of the anxious foreign language students. On the
other hand, Hilleson (1996, cited in Matsuda & Gobel, 2004, p. 22), in his diary study,
identified various types of anxiety related to different skill areas: the participants in his research
demonstrated anxiety related to not only speaking and listening but also reading and writing.
Although research into foreign language anxiety has been almost entirely associated with the
oral aspects of language use, there has been a recent trend to identify the relationship between
anxiety and other language proficiencies ((Horwitz, 2001, p. 120; Matsuda & Gobel, 2004, p.
22).
Horwitz et al. (1986) developed the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) as a
33-item self-report instrument scored on the basis of a 5-point Likert-type scale, from "strongly
agree" to "strongly disagree." Students respond to statements regarding their reactions to
foreign/second language classes.

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 1) Review of the literature

In this review of the literature I shall be studying what several researchers

have written about foreign language anxiety in general, and in detail
concerning whether language anxiety is a short-term state or a lasting
trait or if its situation-specific anxiety, if its harmful debilitating or helpful
facilitating, which cause correlate with language anxiety, and how anxiety
can be identified in the language classroom. Anxiety sometimes occur in
reaction to a particular situation or event (situational or state anxiety), but
it can be a major character trait.

Whenever people have a mental block against learning a foreign

language, even if they are highly motivated and brilliant learners in other
educational subjects, each time they seem to be suffering from an anxiety
reaction that blocks their ability to perform successfully in a foreign
language class and find learning the target language tremendously
stressful, they can be referred to as suffering from a phenomenon known
as "foreign language anxiety."
There is a complex psychological construct of many variables in anxiety;
most none variables are trait anxiety, state anxiety and situation-specific
anxiety (Dornyei, 2005). In 1960s the distinction between a personal trait
of anxiety and the states anxiety has been demarcated, and the two
anxiety variables have been further detailed with the development of
measuring instruments.

1. State anxiety

Some researchers say that state anxiety is an unpleasant emotional

arousal in face of threatening demands or danger, when dealing with
specific situations, or a particular object or event. State anxiety happens
when the person makes a mental estimation of some type of threat. When
the object or condition that seems threatening goes away, the person will
no longer feel anxious, hence, state anxiety refers to impermanent
condition in reaction to some perceived threat. Language anxiety can start
as transitory episodes of fear in a situation in which the student has to
perform in the language; at this time, anxiety is simply a passing state.
It's a "transitory state or condition of the organism that varies in intensity
and fluctuates over time"(Spielberger, 1966, p.12)

Example of that: It's normal for the L2 learner to feel anxious when he is
been called in class, before the exam, or when he is speaking with a
native speaker of the target language, but only if it's short-term and then
proceeds normally.

(Spielberger, 1983) said "it's an apprehension expected at a particular

moment in time as a response to a definite situation". He even examined

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state anxiety in different conditions and discovered that "females are
more emotionally stable than males in their reactions to highly stressful or
relaxing circumstances". State anxiety is easily the state anyone can be
in.

2. Trait anxiety

Trait anxiety according to some researchers refers to "relatively stable individual differences
in anxiety-proneness, that is, to differences between people in the tendency to perceive
stressful situations as dangerous or threatening and to respond to such situations with
elevations in the intensity of their state anxiety reactions".

This type of anxiety simply refers to a general level of pressure that is characteristic of a
personality. Trait anxiety shows a discrepancy according to how individuals have habituated
themselves to respond to and control the stress. The cause of anxiety to one person might not
affect any emotion in another. People with high level and suffer from trait anxiety are usually
tense and anxious. It tends to build over time; it can be the result of nervous disorder.
According to most researchers and psychologist anxiety may be consciously or unconsciously
quality. Same as state anxiety, trait anxiety happens is reaction to a perceived threat, but it
differs in its intensity, duration and the range of situations in which it arises. Trait anxiety has
been referred to as "constant condition without a time limitation" (Levitt, 1980, p.11)

This anxiety is related to health. For example, individuals whose self-rating of health is
favorable, score lower in anxiety (Forsberg & Bjorvell, 1993). Still, the relationship between
state and trait is much more complex, anxiety can be the cause of illness, or the effect of
illness. It also refers to the differences between people in conditions of their tendency to
knowledge state anxiety in response to the expectation of a threat.

A person who suffers from high level of trait anxiety occurrence more intense degrees of state
anxiety to specific situations than most people does and experience anxiety toward a large
group of situations or objects than most people. Hence, trait anxiety describes a personality
characteristic a rather than a brief emotion.
Some people who are naturally shy, nervous and self-conscious may already suffer from trait
anxiety and it's the general feature of being anxious.

3. Situation-specific anxiety

MacIntyre (1999) suggested a type of anxiety called situation-specific anxiety which is

experienced only in a particular and specific situation. According to him, foreign language
learners environment is a situation-specific anxiety and its felt when someone is required to
use a foreign language. And according to Horwitz et al.(1986) foreign language classroom
anxiety is a typical situation-specific anxiety.This ideas gave rise to concept of so-called
'situation-specific' anxiety. The final "can be considered to be the probability of becoming
anxious in a particular type of situation, such as during tests

The author Oh (1990) thought of FLA as a "situation-specific anxiety (that) students

experience in the classroom which is characterized by self-centred thoughts, feelings of
inadequacy, fear of failure, and emotional reactions in the language classroom" (p.56)

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Situation-specific anxiety can be studied as trait anxiety limited to a particular context. It
can't be stable all the time sometimes it conflicts with several of situations. That is, this type
of anxiety is fascinated by a specific situation or event over time, such as taking test,
speaking in public, class participation, talking with a native speaker in their native language,
solving physical problems. MacIntyre and Gardner (1991) suggest that "foreign language
anxiety should be studied with this type of anxiety situation-specific measures because of the
features.

MacIntyre and Gardner (1991a) considered that the situation-specific approach "offers more
to the understanding of anxiety because the respondents are queried about various aspects of
the situation" (p. 91).although this approach has the drawback that the anxiety-provoking
situation may be thought of in a vary general sense (e.g. shyness), in a more restricted sense
(e.g., communication apprehension) o extremely precisely (e.g., stage fright) (examples from
MacIntyre and Gardner, 1991a, p.91), these authors considered that the situation-specific
approach to the study of foreign or second language anxiety offers "more meaningful and
consistent results" (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1991a, p.92)

Scovel noted that Chastain (1975) had concluded that mild amounts of
anxiety could be beneficial while too much anxiety could be harmful.
Scovel suggested that the mild amount anxiety which produced beneficial
results could be thought of as facilitative anxiety, while overly high levels
of anxiety which produced harmful results could be thought of debilitative.

4. Debilitating anxiety

Most language researchers state that a helpful type of anxiety exists;

some language research shows a negative relationship between anxiety
and performance. The negative kind of anxiety is something called
"debilitating anxiety", because it harms learners' performance in many
ways, both indirectly through worry and self-doubt and directly by
reducing participation and creating obvious avoidance of the language.
Harmful anxiety can be related to plummeting motivation, negative
attitudes and beliefs, and language performance difficulties.
Gardner and MacIntyre stated that the strongest (negative) correlation of
language achievement is anxiety (1993).
The relationship between language anxiety and language performance is
not simple. Yong (1991) explained that sometimes language anxiety is
negatively related to one skill and not another. Ganschow, Sparks,
Anderson, Javorsky, Skiller and Patton (1994) suggested that high anxiety
might be a result of language learning problems rather than the cause.

5. Facilitating anxiety

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Most researchers recommended that language anxiety was actually
'helpful' or 'facilitating' in some ways, such as keeping students alert
(Scovel 1978).
Facilitating anxiety, as the name implies, is thought to be a kind of anxiety
that improves learning and performance, where as debilitating anxiety is
related to poor learning and performance.

In citing Alpert and others, MacIntyre (1995, p.92) wrote that "whereas
distractions caused by self-related cognition can explain the negative
effects of anxiety on cognitive activity, it has been suggested that some
anxiety may actually improve performance"

Language researchers hold different views about the existence or

significance of helpful anxiety. Horwitz (1990) stated that anxiety is only
helpful for very simple learning tasks, but not with more complicated
learning such as language learning.

o Facilitating vs. debilitating

These are two real-life examples of language anxiety in the first story; S's
anxiety caused him to drop out of the program and lose a prospective
career in Russian, in the second story, M recognized his anxiety and did
something positive about it. Unfortunately, when learners experience
language anxiety, S's reaction -giving up- is more frequent than M's
response.
Language anxiety is fear or apprehension occurring when a learner is
expected to perform in the second or foreign language (Gardner and
MacIntyre 1993). This anxiety is linked directly to performing in the target
language, so it is not just a general performance anxiety (Gardner and
MacIntyre 1993; Horwitz, Horwitz and cope 1986).
Language anxiety ranks high among factors influencing language
learning, regard-less of whether the setting is informal ( learning language
'on the streets') or formal(in the language classroom).

Chastain (1975) found conflicting results when investigating the

correlation between language test scores and anxiety, which led him to
conclude that mild anxiety, could be beneficial (cf. Kleinmann 1977). This
issue of facilitating versus debilitating anxiety (Alpert & Haber
1960; Bailey 1983) may be central to research on anxiety in SLA (Scovel
1978:132) and was examined by Bailey (1983:93) through analysis of
diary studies, in which the relationship between competitiveness and
anxiety appeared to result in either an unsuccessful or successful self-
image. In this model (figure 1, below), the successful self-image and the
unsuccessful self-image subjected to facilitating anxiety enter a cycle of
enhanced learning and positive (mostly internal) rewards. The
unsuccessful self-image subjected to debilitative anxiety however, enters

9
a different cycle of perceived failure, which can be broken by future
facilitating anxiety (if the learner continues in the language course):

o Competitiveness and second language learner bailey 1983

2) Sources of Language Anxiety

There are numerous anxiety-provoking situations in the language

classroom. Horwitz et al. (1986) identified three components of foreign
language classroom anxiety:

a. Communication apprehension

This component refers to a type of shyness characterized by fear of or

anxiety about communicating with people

Communication apprehension is divided into four categories of trait,

situational, audience-based, and context-based. Trait apprehension is just
that: it is a part of the person's personality, usually stemming from
shyness or general quietness. In any given situation, regardless of the
variables, a person with trait communication apprehension will feel
uncomfortable. Situational communication apprehension arises when a
person finds himself or herself in a unique set of circumstances:
something that is truly novel. An example of this could be the defense of
one's thesis or dissertation. Even though a person could test low on a
communication apprehension scale. Audience based communication

10
apprehension occur when one person experiences fear or nervousness
when having to speak to a particular person or group of people. With this
type of communication apprehension, a person could feasibly
communicate without problems to his/her spouse, but not feel comfortable
talking to his/her boss, co-workers, parents, in laws, or any other person or
group. The last category of communication apprehension is context-
based. This means that a person experiences communication
apprehension every time that he/she is in a given context. This could be at
meetings, within small groups, one-to-one talks, or in the classroom.

b. Fear of negative evaluation

The second component is fear of negative evaluation, which is broadly

defined by Horwitz et al. (1986) as an apprehension about others
evaluations, avoidance of evaluative situations, and the expectation that
others will evaluate one negatively.

Fear of negative evaluation is broader in scope it is not just limited to test-

taking situations and the academic subject matters. Moreover, it may take
place in any social, evaluative situations, such as interviewing for a job or
speaking in foreign language classes. Many previous studies (Alrabai,
2014a; Linh, 2011; Na, 2007; Zhang, 2010) have experimentally identified
negative attitudes toward English class as a source of FLA. There are a
variety of causes of negative attitudes toward foreign language classes.
Khodadady and Khajavy (2013) found that learners who lacked motivation
to learn the foreign language had negative attitudes toward English class
as well as English communication fear, fear of negative evaluation, and
discomfort in class.
In the absence of direct contact with native speakers of English in Libya,
Libyan learners do not generally use English for communicative purposes
but rather study it as a requirement for educational or career purposes.
However, this diminishes the value of learning English in Libya learners
views, and it generates their negative attitudes toward learning this
language.
c. Test anxiety

Test anxiety is the third component of FLA, and it refers to "an

apprehension over academic evaluation (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1989, p.
42).
This component is part of social anxiety, mostly in an evaluative condition
where the students are asked to communicate in the target language.
Nevertheless, test anxiety can occur in non-communicative situations too.

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Test anxiety is 'the tendency to become alarmed about the consequences
of inadequate performance on a test or other evaluation'(Sarason1984),
regardless of whether the fears are realistic, students with test anxiety
frequently experience cognitive interference(Sarason 1984) and have a
difficult time focusing on the task at hand(Aida1994).
This anxiety source is one of a very difficult learner reaction that both
mental and physical elements to it. A test usually takes place during the
semester or at the of the semester, many students are usually busy with
their homework and other activities.
The problem that faces all anxious students is often when they are not
able to show or write all what they have studied for the test because they
forget grammatical material which must be combined at the same time
(Horwitz et al. ,1986, p. 126)
According to Chaniotis and et al., test anxiety may be defined as "an
individual's somatic, cognitive and behavioural response, which stimulates
negative feelings about an evaluation. As negative feelings are meant an
inability to think, recall information, tension, and difficulty in
understanding simple test questions or direction on an examination"(201,
p.201)
Test can be a valuable tool for providing information that is related to
several concerns in language teaching process. They can provide
evidence of the results of learning and instruction, and hence feedback on
the effectiveness of the teaching programs itself

However, there are lots of sources of foreign language anxiety other than
the previous three, for instance; Young (1991) qualified foreign language
classroom anxiety to six sources' personal and interpersonal anxiety,
learner beliefs about language learning, instructor beliefs about language
learning, instructor-learner interactions, classroom procedures, and
language testing. Moreover, Horwitz (2001) recognized that the lack of
perceived teacher support is a major factor that can evoke a learner's
anxiety.

3) Cause or effect of anxiety?

According to Wilson (2006, p.93), various writings about language anxiety

indicated that it is difficult to determine whether anxiety is a cause or an
effect of poor language learning and achievement. She claimed that
researchers who have used correlation procedures in their study of

12
language anxiety have been unable to confirm the directionality of cause
and effect.
Causes of anxiety can be a result of genetic and mental factors that are
intertwined in a complex manner. Academic anxiety is also associated
with other emotional or behavioural disorders (Smith, 2009)

In order to reduce or avoid the negative influence of foreign language

anxiety, it is helpful for us to explore the sources of foreign language
anxiety, which can help us better explain the effects of anxiety on foreign
language learning and also help English teachers find practical and
effective teaching programs and strategies. Having reviewed the literature
on language anxiety (Bailey, 1983)

Previous research (Price, 1991; Shabani, 2012; von Wrde, 2003; Young,
1990) has acknowledged that the language teacher is considered the key
player in students anxiety. EFL teacher characteristics and behaviour in
the Saudi context are considered major factors that evoke student anxiety
(see Al-Saraj, 2013). Several studies (Oxford, 1999; Philips, 1992; Reid,
1995; Samimy, 1994; Young, 1999) noted as well that speaking activities,
teachers unsympathetic teaching styles, pessimistic classroom
experiences, learners incapability to comprehend, learners learning
styles, and the learning context are all sources of learners anxiety in
language classes. And some researchers include the absence of teacher
support, lack of time personal attention, intolerance with learner errors,
overcorrection of students' and thee sense of being judged by the teacher
or wanting to impress the teacher.

Language anxiety can be the result of some unscientific or impractical

beliefs of both learners and their teachers (Oxford, 1993). Sometimes
when the learners expectation or beliefs on foreign language learning are
unrealistic, frustration and stress are inevitable and accordingly anxiety
appears.
Teaching procedures is one of the major causes of FLA in the Libya's EFL
context. The traditional grammar translation teaching method is
frequently used, which focuses primarily on grammatical accuracy in the
written rather than spoken form of the language. Some activities,
particularly those that demand that students speak in front of the class,
have been found to be highly anxiety provoking. The assessment
procedures used in Libya EFL classes, including those that depend mostly
on written tests, and the continuous evaluation and overcorrection of
learners errors, considerably contribute to learners anxiety. Besides,
many EFL instructors in this situation make the classroom a time for
performance rather than a time for learning. The strict and formal learning
environment in Libya is a fundamental factor in learner anxiety. In Libya

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EFL students consider classroom as a place where mistakes are observed
and failures are pointed out

Tanveers (2007) study reported that they found the language classroom
extremely stressful because it was formal, their performance was
constantly monitored and evaluated by their teacher and peers, and they
were generally blamed for the errors they made in class. One male
student said, I get conscious, dont want to make mistakes in the class,
teacher will put this in the mind and will give grades at the end...

Who reported that speaking was perceived as the most anxiety-provoking

aspect of language learning among the Saudi female university students
who took part in her study. Wu (2010) pointed out that one of the striking
reasons for learner reticence in EFL contexts was the lack of experience in
speaking English because most L2 learners communicate in their mother
language outside of the classroom. Wu added that students in this
environment lack confidence in their spoken English and become anxious
when they need to use English as a vehicle for communication.

This is true for Libyan learners of English Language because in Libya and
most countries where English is spoken as a foreign language, students do
not have the opportunity to practice the language in their daily time and
exposure to it is least. The only place in which Libyan learners are able to
practice English is at school or work, which is not the best place for
practicing the language. Schools are usually anxiety-provoking contexts
because in most circumstances, learners are required to perform in front
of their teachers, and been put on the spot erratically, the student will be
frightened of making a mistake, worry about failing exams, may have their
mistakes corrected in a harsh and embarrassing way, or frequently correct
the students poor pronunciation and may have fear of their low skills in the
foreign language. These traditions raise the feelings of anxiety in learners
and make it hard for them to communicate in the language class

MacIntyre and Gardner (1991) stated that anxiety regarding

second/foreign language learning and performance affect at least five
domains: academically (high levels of FLA are associated with low levels
of academic achievement in second/foreign language learning), socially
(learners with higher language anxiety have the tendency to avoid
interpersonal communication more often than less anxious learners),
cognitively (anxiety can prevent certain information from entering a
learners cognitive processing system, influencing both the speed and
accuracy of learning), personally (language learning could become a

14
painful experience that reduces ones self-esteem or self-confidence as a
learner), and in terms of communication output (communication may be
interrupted by the freezing-up moments that students encounter when
they feel anxious).

4) Characteristics of Anxious Learners

Anxious person overestimate how likely it is that an unpleasant event will

happen.
- They overestimate how bad the consequences will be if the event does
happen
-They underestimate their ability to cope with the anxiety and the
unpleasant event.
Anxiety is the belief that you cannot control your own experience how you
respond to a person or situation is determined as much by patterns stored
in your unconscious as it is by external controls.
Empirical research has identified many features of anxious learners.
Burden (2004) assumed that anxious students are often concerned about
the impressions that others form of them. When these students are
confronted in a classroom with a learning situation that makes them
uncomfortable, they may choose to withdraw from the activity. Burden
added that some learners believe they cannot perform in English and thus
form negative expectations, which in turn lead to decreased effort and the
avoidance of opportunities to enhance their communication skills.
Additionally, anxious foreign language students are generally less willing
to participate in learning activities and perform worse than non-anxious
students (Aida, 1994; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1991).
Moreover, Price (1991) described anxious language learners as those
having manifestations in class that include panic, indecision, anger, and a
sense of diminished personality.

The psychological construct of foreign language anxiety is

multidimensional (Horwitz, 1986; Young, 1991). Ohata (2005, p. 139)
argued that language anxiety cannot be defined in a linear manner;
instead, it can be better constructed as a complex psychological
phenomenon influenced by many different factors. Williams and Andrade
(2008, p.184) summarized several variables possibly related to this
specific type of anxiety and grouped them in two main categories:
Learner variables: ability (both perceived and actual), age,
attitudes, beliefs, culture, gender, learning styles, and personality
variables

15
 Situational variables: course level, course organization, course
activities, instructor behaviour and attitudes, and social interaction
among learners

Von Worde (2003) gave some examples of "physical" manifestations of

anxiety in foreign language students. Some "physical" reactions were
"headaches", "clammy hands, cold fingers", "shaking, sweating",
"pounding heart" and "foot taping, desk drumming".

Some learner's comments were: "I clamp up, I get very tense and I start
balling my fists", "my stomach gets in knots", "I get all red", "I get really
tired", and "I kind of turtle up and hide from the teacher" (pp. 4-5)

5) Foreign language classroom anxiety

No teacher can guarantee that a class will be anxiety-free; however,

teachers should be aware of trying to minimize the anxiety in the
classroom to strengthen language learning efficiency.
The most noticed signs of anxious students are:
-irritability/ tiredness
-absenteeism
-frequent somatic complaints
-decline in grades
-withdrawal from peer group
-use of alcohol/drugs
-poor coping with everyday stress
-calling home frequently/ reassurance seeking
-angry outbursts/ suicidal ideation

6) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS)

As this instrument has been employed so widely ( in its original form, or

translated, or adapted)and with such consistent results since it first
appeared, as it has been observed to be very reliable (Horwitz1986). It's a
self-report instrument, was developed by ( Horwitz, Horwitz, and Scopes
(1986) specifically for the purpose of capturing this distinctive type of
anxiety by measuring learners anxious feelings in foreign language
classroom settings. As means of evaluating this particular kind of anxiety

16
creating in the process a scale that would be used by a multitude of
researchers from then on.

Scovel (1978) had considered anxiety "not as a simple, unitary construct,

but as a cluster of affective states, influenced by factors which are
intrinsic and extrinsic to the foreign language learner" (p.134). The first
study to propose an anxiety construct that was specific to the situation of
language learning was Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope's (1986). These authors
called this construct Foreign Language Anxiety, which they submitted was
"responsible for students" negative emotional reactions to language
learning" (Horwitz, 2001, p.114). As ways of measuring anxiety
experienced in the language classroom were sparse at that time.

They identified three components of foreign language classroom anxiety:

communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, and test
anxiety. To measure the anxiety, they designed the 33-item Foreign
Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). (FLCAS: a five-point, 33-item
Likert Scale questionnaire scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5
(strongly agree) designed to assess the degree to which students feel
anxious during foreign language classroom instruction) developed by
Horwitz et al. (1986)
Horwitz et al. (1986) noted that the 33 items in the FLCAS related to the
three main sources of FLA: communication apprehension (items 1, 4, 9,
14, 15, 18, 24, 27, 29, 30, and 32), test anxiety (items 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11,
12, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, and 28), and fear of negative evaluation
(items 2, 7, 13, 19, 23, 31, and 33). The FLCASs reliability was confirmed
by Horwitz (1986), Other studies have also reported the reliability of the
FLCAS (Aida, 1994; Cheng, Horwitz, & Schallert, 1999; Elkhafaifi, 2005;
Saito, Horwitz, & Garza, 1999; Zhang, 2010).

7) Frequency Analyses

8) Writing anxiety

Writing is a language skill that is essential to academic success. Since it is

an active, productive skill, students learning to write in a foreign language
face multiple challenges. For this group, writing requires thinking
strategies that allow the individual to express him or herself competently
in the other language, and is a complex activity that requires a certain
17
level of linguistics knowledge, writing conventions, vocabulary and
grammar.

The complexity of writing as a task tends to heighten anxiety levels in

students who are taking writing courses. This anxiety can often motivate
the student or lead to discouragement, and thus may result in negative
attitudes towards writing (Gere, 1987; Sharples, 1993).
Most language learners at all levels believe that writing is one of the most
difficult language skills to master (Kurt & Atay, 2007; Latif, 2007;
MacIntyre, & Gardner, 1989, 1991; Salam, 1993; Shrewsbury, 1995).

9) Speaking anxiety

A great deal of this research has focused on anxiety with respect to

classroom activities such as speaking and listening, suggesting that oral
classroom activities are most problematic and anxiety-provoking for
foreign language learners (Horwitz et al., 1986; Steinberg and Horwitz,
1986;MacIntyre and Gardner, 1994a; Price, 1991; Mejas et al., 1991).
In contrast, Hilleson (1996), in his diary study, observed various types of
anxiety related to different skill areas. His participant's demonstrated
anxiety related to not only speaking and listening but also reading and
writing.

Not a lot of clinical research on academic anxiety because many people

just pass it off as something normal that students experience
(Cunningham, 2008). When dealing with this concept one needs to deal
with the following research questions: 1. How does a student with
academic anxiety interact with others? 2. How does a student with
academic anxiety operate in the classroom? 3. How does a teacher
manage a student with academic anxiety?
Speaking is anxiety-provoking in foreign language activities. MacIntyre
and Gardner (1991d) propose that fear of negative evaluation is closely
related to communication apprehension. When students are unsure of
what they are saying, fear of negative evaluation occurs and they may
doubt their ability to make a proper impression. The inability either to
express oneself or to comprehend another person leads to frustration and
apprehension

18
10) How to reduce or end anxiety
11) Conclusion

12) Implications and Suggestions for Further Study

19
iv. References
Aiping Zhaom (2008),Foreign Language Reading Anxiety: Investigating
English-Speaking University Students Learning Chinese as A
Foreign Language in the United States
Mudasar Jehan ,Anxiety and second language learning lecturer in English
University of Gujrat Pakistan
Paul Reginald Byrne, II, B.A. 1997, Foreign language communication
apprehension of Germans Learning English
Peter Cowden Niagara University 2010, Communication and conflict:
anxiety and learning.
Jean T. Stephenson Wilson, Anxiety in learning English as a foreign
language: its associations with student's variables, with
overall proficiency, and with performance on an oral test
Mei-Ling Lee Chienkuo Technology University, Taiwan, Differences in the
Learning Anxieties Affecting College Freshman Students of
EFL
Han Luo, Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety: A Study of Chinese
Language Learners
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M.B., & Cope, J. A. (1986), Foreign language
classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70 (2), 125-
132.
Tran Thi Thu Trang, Karen Moni and Richard B. Baldauf, Jr, (2012), Foreign
language anxiety and its effects on students determination
to study English: To abandon or not to abandon?
Dilek Yavuz Erkan, (2011), Writing Performance Relative to Writing
Apprehension, Self-Efficacy in Writing, and Attitudes towards
Writing: A Correlation Study in Turkish Tertiary-Level EFL
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language
classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125
132.
Evrim nem, The relationship among state-trait anxiety, foreign language
anxiety and test anxiety in as EFL setting
Stber, J. (1997), Trait anxiety and pessimistic appraisal of risk and
chance. Personality and Individual Differences
Fakieh Alrabai1, 2014, A Model of Foreign Language Anxiety in the Saudi
EFL Context

TRAN Thi Thu Trang, 2011, A Review of Horwitz, Horwitz and Copes
Theory of Foreign Language Anxiety and the Challenges to
the Theory
Young, D. J. (1995). Language anxiety in second-language acquisition:
Using a wider angle of focus. Georgetown University Round
Table on Languages and Linguistics, 398-411
Von Wrde, R. A. (2003). Students' perspectives on foreign language
anxiety. Inquiry, 8(1).
Scovel, T. (1978). The effect of affect on foreign language learning: A
review of the anxiety research. Language Learning, 28(1),
129-142.

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Riffat-un-Nisa Awan, Musarrat Azher, Muhammad Nadeem Anwar, Anjum
Naz, University of Sargodha, Pakistan (2010), An Investigation
Of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety And Its Relationship
With Students Achievement
Abu-Rabia, S. (2004), Teachers Role, Learners Gender Differences, and
FL Anxiety Among Seventh- Grade Students Studying English
as a FL. Educational Psychology, 24 (5), 711-721.
Sae Matsudaa, Peter Gobel,(2004), Anxiety and predictors of performance
in the foreign language classroom
Jennifer Conway,(2007), Anxiety in second language learning cause and
solutions.
MacIntyre, Gardner, (1994)the subtle effect of language anxiety
Katherine H. Moyer,(2008), Vol. 3, Debilitating and Facilitating anxiety
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schmanxiety/2015/01/advantages-of-anxiety-disadvantages-of-anxiety/

v. Appendix

agree nor

Disagree
disagree

disagree
Strongly

Strongly
Neither
Agree
agree
1. I never feel quite sure of myself when I am speaking
in my foreign language class.
2. I don't worry about making mistakes in language
class.
3. I tremble when I know that I'm going to be called on
in language class.
4. It frightens me when I don't understand what the
teacher is saying in the foreign language.
5. It wouldn't bother me at all to take more foreign
language classes.
6. During language class, I find myself thinking about
things that have nothing to do with the course.
7. I keep thinking that the other students are better at
languages than I am.
8. I am usually at ease during tests in my language
class.
9. I start to panic when I have to speak without
preparation in language class.
10. I worry about the consequences of failing my
foreign language class.
11. I don't understand why some people get so upset
over foreign language classes.
12. In language class, I can get so nervous I forget
things I know.
13. It embarrasses me to volunteer answers in my
language class.
14. I would not be nervous speaking the foreign
language with native speakers.

22
15. I get upset when I don't understand what the
teacher is correcting.
16. Even if I am well prepared for language class, I feel
anxious about it.
17. I often feel like not going to my language class.
18. I feel confident when I speak in foreign language
class.
19. I am afraid that my language teacher is ready to
correct every mistake I make.
20. I can feel my heart pounding when I'm going to be
called on in language class.
21. The more I study for a language test, the more
confused I get.
22. I don't feel pressure to prepare very well for
language class.
23. I always feel that the other students speak the
foreign language better than I do.
24. I feel very selfconscious about speaking the
foreign language in front of other students.
25. Language class moves so quickly I worry about
getting left behind.
26. I feel more tense and nervous in my language class
than in my other classes.
27. I get nervous and confused when I am speaking in
my language class.
28. When I'm on my way to language class, I feel very
sure and relaxed.
29. I get nervous when I don't understand every word
the language teacher says.
30. I feel overwhelmed by the number of rules you
have to learn to speak a foreign language
31. I am afraid that the other students will laugh at me
when I speak the foreign language.
32. I would probably feel comfortable around native
speakers of the foreign language.

33. I get nervous when the language teacher asks

questions which I haven't prepared in advance.

23