Foreign language anxiety
Encyclopedia
Foreign language anxiety is the feeling of uneasiness, worry
, nervousness
and apprehension experienced by non-native speakers when learning or using a second
or foreign
language. These feelings may stem from any second language context whether associated with the productive skills of speaking
and writing
, or the receptive skills of reading
and listening.
Foreign language anxiety is a form of what psychologist
s describe as specific anxiety reaction. Some individuals are more predisposed to anxiety
than others and as such may feel anxious in a wide variety of situations. Foreign language anxiety, however, is situation specific and so can also affect individuals who are not characteristically anxious in the aforementioned, more general, situations.
The causes of foreign language anxiety have been broadly separated into three main components; communication apprehension
, test anxiety
and fear of negative evaluation. Communication apprehension is the anxiety experienced when speaking with or listening to other individuals. Test-anxiety is a form of performance anxiety associated with the fear of doing badly, or indeed failing altogether. Fear of negative evaluation is the anxiety associated with the learner’s perception of how other onlookers; instructors, classmates or others; may negatively view their language ability.
, self-esteem
and level of participation.
Anxious learners suffer from mental block
s during spontaneous speaking activities, lack confidence, are less able to self-edit and identify language errors and are more likely to employ avoidance
strategies such as skipping class. Anxious students also forget previously learned material, volunteer answers less frequently and have a greater tendency to remain passive in classroom activities than their less anxious counterparts.
The effects of foreign language anxiety also extend outside the second language classroom. A high level of foreign language anxiety may also correspond with communication apprehension, causing individuals to be quieter and less willing to communicate. People who exhibit this kind of communication reticence can also sometimes be perceived as less trustworthy, less competent, less socially and physically attractive, tenser, less composed and less dominant than their less reticent counterparts.
The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) is a 33 question, 5 point Likert scale
survey which is widely used in research studies. The measure investigates participants’ communication apprehension, test-anxiety and fear of negative evaluation; and focuses on speaking in a classroom context. The instrument has been translated and used in several languages including Spanish
and Chinese
.
Following the success of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety scale, similar instruments have been devised for measuring Foreign Language Reading Anxiety (FLRAS), Foreign Language Listening Anxiety (FLLAS) and Second Language Writing Apprehension (SLWAT).
Worry
Worry is thoughts, images and emotions of a negative nature in whichmental attempts are made to avoid anticipated potential threats. As an emotion it is experienced as anxiety or concern about a real or imagined issue, usually personal issues such as health or finances or broader ones such as...
, nervousness
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
and apprehension experienced by non-native speakers when learning or using a second
Second language
A second language or L2 is any language learned after the first language or mother tongue. Some languages, often called auxiliary languages, are used primarily as second languages or lingua francas ....
or foreign
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
language. These feelings may stem from any second language context whether associated with the productive skills of speaking
Speech
Speech is the human faculty of speaking.It may also refer to:* Public speaking, the process of speaking to a group of people* Manner of articulation, how the body parts involved in making speech are manipulated...
and writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
, or the receptive skills of reading
Reading (process)
Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of constructing or deriving meaning . It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas...
and listening.
Foreign language anxiety is a form of what psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
s describe as specific anxiety reaction. Some individuals are more predisposed to anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
than others and as such may feel anxious in a wide variety of situations. Foreign language anxiety, however, is situation specific and so can also affect individuals who are not characteristically anxious in the aforementioned, more general, situations.
Causes of foreign language anxiety
Although all aspects of using and learning a foreign language can cause anxiety, listening and speaking are regularly cited as the most anxiety provoking of foreign language activities.The causes of foreign language anxiety have been broadly separated into three main components; communication apprehension
Communication Apprehension
Communication apprehension is fear associated with communication with another person. According to research, 31 percent of elementary school students experience some level of communication apprehension.-Definition:...
, test anxiety
Test anxiety
Test anxiety involves a combination of physiological over-arousal, worry and dread about test performance, and often interferes with normal learning and lowers test performance...
and fear of negative evaluation. Communication apprehension is the anxiety experienced when speaking with or listening to other individuals. Test-anxiety is a form of performance anxiety associated with the fear of doing badly, or indeed failing altogether. Fear of negative evaluation is the anxiety associated with the learner’s perception of how other onlookers; instructors, classmates or others; may negatively view their language ability.
Effects of Foreign Language Anxiety
The effects of foreign language anxiety are particularly evident in the foreign language classroom and anxiety is a strong indicator of academic performance. Anxiety is found to have a detrimental effect on students’ confidenceConfidence
Confidence is generally described as a state of being certain either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Self-confidence is having confidence in oneself. Arrogance or hubris in this comparison, is having unmerited...
, self-esteem
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame: some would distinguish how 'the self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, the...
and level of participation.
Anxious learners suffer from mental block
Mental block
A mental block is either a repression of painful thoughts, or an inability to continue a train of thought, like in the case of writer's block. A similar phenomenon occurs when one cannot solve a problem in mathematics which one would normally consider simple. In the case of writer's block, many...
s during spontaneous speaking activities, lack confidence, are less able to self-edit and identify language errors and are more likely to employ avoidance
Avoidance
Avoidance is a 2002 novel by Michael Lowenthal. It was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in 2003.Avoidance explores the topics of child sexual abuse, hebephilia and pederasty...
strategies such as skipping class. Anxious students also forget previously learned material, volunteer answers less frequently and have a greater tendency to remain passive in classroom activities than their less anxious counterparts.
The effects of foreign language anxiety also extend outside the second language classroom. A high level of foreign language anxiety may also correspond with communication apprehension, causing individuals to be quieter and less willing to communicate. People who exhibit this kind of communication reticence can also sometimes be perceived as less trustworthy, less competent, less socially and physically attractive, tenser, less composed and less dominant than their less reticent counterparts.
Measures of Foreign Language Anxiety
A number of tools have been developed in order to investigate the level of foreign language anxiety experienced by language learners.The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) is a 33 question, 5 point Likert scale
Likert scale
A Likert scale is a psychometric scale commonly involved in research that employs questionnaires. It is the most widely used approach to scaling responses in survey research, such that the term is often used interchangeably with rating scale, or more accurately the Likert-type scale, even though...
survey which is widely used in research studies. The measure investigates participants’ communication apprehension, test-anxiety and fear of negative evaluation; and focuses on speaking in a classroom context. The instrument has been translated and used in several languages including Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
.
Following the success of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety scale, similar instruments have been devised for measuring Foreign Language Reading Anxiety (FLRAS), Foreign Language Listening Anxiety (FLLAS) and Second Language Writing Apprehension (SLWAT).