• Title/Summary/Keyword: language anxiety

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An analysis of nonnative English teacher trainees' foreign language teaching anxiety in reflective microteaching course (반성적 마이크로티칭과 비원어민 예비 영어 교사의 외국어 교수 불안감)

  • Kim, Hyun-Jin
    • English Language & Literature Teaching
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.265-290
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    • 2009
  • The present data-driven study attempted to explicate nonnative English teacher trainees' foreign language teaching anxiety in microteaching settings from their perspectives. It is assumed that nonnative English teachers or teacher trainees may experience anxiety not only as foreign language learners but also as foreign language teachers. In order to inquire into their anxiety, the researcher had 172 teacher trainees perform extended microteaching tasks and reflect on their teaching and anxiety through group discussion. Based on the analysis of their discussion, three aspects related to nonnative English teacher trainees' anxiety were identified. First, teacher trainees identified three main types of anxiety-provoking situations: communicative-competence-threatening situations, unexpected situations, and instruction-hindering situations. Second, they identified three sources of anxiety: limited ability to use English, lack of English teaching skills, and fear of criticism. Third, they were aware that they used diverse strategies to lower anxiety before and while teaching for different purposes. From their identification and awareness of anxiety-provoking situations, sources of anxiety, and anxiety-lowering strategies, they could reflect on professional qualifications as a foreign language teacher.

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The Teacher's Perspectives on Students' Language Anxiety

  • Shin, Soo-Jeong
    • English Language & Literature Teaching
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    • v.9 no.1
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    • pp.67-82
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    • 2003
  • This paper is aimed at the investigation of the teacher's perspectives on students' language anxiety. The teachers who participated in this study include six Asian ESL teachers from four different countries: Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and China. The methodology employed by this case study, helped to determine teachers' perspectives on students' language anxiety. This study, which was conducted by means of in-depth interviews with six experienced language teachers, offered some alternative insights on language anxiety from a different perspective. The findings indicate that the participants' views on language anxiety management seem to be fairly consistent with their own beliefs about teaching and their own assumptions about the role of the teacher.

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Toward a Conceptual Clarification of Foreign Language Anxiety

  • Kim, Young-Sang
    • English Language & Literature Teaching
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    • v.11 no.4
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    • pp.1-20
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    • 2005
  • Despite the noteworthy increase in the number of FL anxiety studies, inconsistencies associated with the effects of FL anxiety on language learner performance have been reported in literature. Such conflicting results seem to be attributable in part to unstable conceptualization of the FL anxiety construct and its measure. This paper purported to address the emerging call for a theoretical clarification of the construct at hand as a preface to a clear picture of language anxiety on a conceptual ground. This paper not only covers aspects of general anxiety from psychological perspectives, but examines how FL anxiety and its associated concepts have been conceptualized in the literature. Inconsistent results that pertain to FL learning were also delineated. Given the drawbacks found in the exiting theories of FL anxiety, several points were taken into account for a refinement of the conceptual framework. This attempt will hopefully shed new light on the construct per se and prove conducive to the development of the field of English education.

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Language Anxieties Second Language Learning

  • Park, Seon-Ho
    • Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics
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    • v.2 no.3
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    • pp.373-401
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    • 2002
  • It is often observed that Korean migrant students overseas experience various kinds of anxieties learning English as a second language although they are in an English-speaking country like New Zealand. The context of learning English as a second language is explored by examining language anxieties experienced by recent Korean migrant students in New Zealand. 177 students were surveyed using questionnaires asking their anxieties over various contexts of English learning processes. The three stages of language anxiety of Input, Processing, and Output showed that there were some degrees of anxiety among the students at each stage depending on their ages, age at migration, and duration of residence, in particular. Students tended to experience more language anxiety in school than outside the school. It was also clear that students were experiencing more anxieties with English than with Korean in the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. Writing was commonly found in English and Korean to be the most frequent source of anxiety among the four language skills. Some implications from the results are suggested for parents, teachers, and students.

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English Anxiety among Thai Nursing Students of Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Nakhon Lampang, Thailand

  • Palaleo, Jona Jean Pinas;Srikrajang, Janthila
    • Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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    • v.5 no.3
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    • pp.250-265
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    • 2018
  • Thailand is one of the ASEAN countries and is said to be the most visited country in Southeast Asia. Despite its development, Thailand falls as one of the countries with the lowest rates of English proficiency. This article is written to describe one of the possible factors of Thailand's low English proficiency, which is the foreign language anxiety of students. This article outlines references regarding the English language anxiety of Thai students and uses them as a basis in distinguishing English language anxiety among nursing students in Boromarajonani College of Nursing Nakhon Lampang, Thailand (BCNLP). A survey was conducted using a questionnaire based on the FLCA Scale by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope, (1986) with a focus group consisting of 80 participants randomly selected from $1^{st}$ year to $4^{th}$ year nursing students of BCNLP. As found in the survey there were two sources of English language anxiety among nursing students: 1. Fear of negative evaluation due to unpreparedness, and feeling and thinking that others are better in language learning as the main factors; and 2. Communicating apprehension, where in speaking without preparation, speaking in the foreign language in front of other students, and self-doubt about one's ability to speak in the foreign language are the highest ranked causes of anxiety. The results indicate two main problems: unpreparedness and self-concept. Therefore, it is recommended that English Language classes should be taught with the learner-centered approach and that instructors should put importance in preparing the students during class, and encouraging them to increase a positive self-concept towards English language learning.

Foreign Language Anxiety and Perceived Classroom Environment of Middle School Students (중학생의 외국어 불안과 지각된 교실학습환경 : 성별 및 학년 차와 관계를 중심으로)

  • Kong, Young Suk;Choi, Bo Ga
    • Korean Journal of Child Studies
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    • v.27 no.3
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    • pp.135-148
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    • 2006
  • The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale(Horwitz et al., 1986) and the Classroom Environment Scale(Moos & Tricket, 1974) were administered to 434 middle school students in Daegu. Data were analyzed by Cronbach's $\alpha$, t-test, and Pearson's correlation using the SPSS program. Results on anxiety showed no gender differences between male and female students but $9^{th}$ graders reported more anxiety than $7^{th}$ graders. Two of the nine classroom environment subscales showed differences between perceptions of male and female students, and there were significant differences between $7^{th}$ and $9^{th}$ graders. Foreign language anxiety was correlated with perceived classroom environment. This finding suggests the importance of the psychological environment between the English teacher and students for successful language education.

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Differences in teachers' and learners' perspective on ELT learners' anxiety (언어불안감에 대한 영어 교사와 학습자간의 인식 차이)

  • Kim, BoMin;Kim, Haedong
    • English Language & Literature Teaching
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.161-182
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    • 2010
  • The goals of this study were to identify differences in learners' and teachers' perspectives on EFL learners' language anxiety, to identify the differences among teachers coping with learners' language anxiety, and to find how learners cope with their language anxiety. The research was effectuated by means of a survey questionnaire and interviews. The data were collected from 92 teachers and 230 students in four different school settings. There were the $6^{th}$ grade 50 primary school learners, the $2^{nd}$ grade 60 middle school learners, the $11^{th}$ grade 60 high school learners of, and the $2^{nd}$ and $3^{rd}$ grade 60 university learners. There were also 26 primary school teachers, 22 middle school teachers, 21 high school teachers, and 23 university teachers. The findings reveal that there were differences in responses among the respondents. The findings suggest that teachers need to pay attention to their particular learners' anxiety sources: especially in the case of primary school setting, the activity of answering teachers' questions for teachers was the primary source of learner's anxiety, in the case of middle school settings, translating sentences in English into Korean, in the case of high school setting, checking unknown vocabulary, and in the case of university settings, university learners felt anxious when classmates spoke fluently. The implications of the study indicate that these aspects should be handled carefully to motivate certain group of learners.

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Comparative study on the language anxiety levels and factors in different English class environments (영어 수업환경의 유형에 따른 언어불안 정도와 불안요인에 대한 비교분석)

  • Cha, Haekyung
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.15 no.10
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    • pp.6014-6028
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    • 2014
  • This study examined the levels of language anxiety and their causal factors in different English class environments. The findings show that the levels of language anxiety vary significantly in different types of class environments, indicating that both the class environments and individual characteristics are meaningful variables of language anxiety. The findings also show that unlike the levels of language anxiety, its causal factors are almost constant regardless of the class environment with communication apprehension being the most important factor. This study suggests that the English proficiency of students and professors needs to be considered when constructing specific class environments, in addition to promoting class environments favorable to students' active participation in class.

Correlational study on English learners' motivation, anxiety, WTC and their English achievement scores in native teachers' classes (원어민 영어수업에서 느끼는 학습동기, 불안감, 의사소통 의지와 영어성적과의 관계)

  • Nam, Jung-Mi
    • English Language & Literature Teaching
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    • v.17 no.2
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    • pp.139-160
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    • 2011
  • This study examines correlations between affective variables and English learners' achievement in native teachers' classes. Specifically, it aims to study the relationships among Korean college students' English learning motivation, anxiety, WTC (willingness to communicate) and their English achievement scores. For the purpose, the questionnaire surveys were conducted, and the students' English scores were analyzed and compared. The participants were 216 university students taking the general English courses as a requirement for graduation. The results indicated that although the students had high level motivation to learn English, especially for social reasons, their WTC in and outside the classroom was low. Also, unlike the previous studies on foreign language anxiety, their anxiety level was not significant. Anxiety and motivation were negatively correlated; WTC and motivation were positively correlated. However, according to the regression analysis, the explanatory power of the three affective variables was not significant for the students' achievement scores. Several possible reasons and some pedagogical implications are provided in the conclusion.

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Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality English Conversations on Language Anxiety and Learning Achievement (몰입형 가상현실 영어 회화 학습이 언어불안감과 학습 성취도에 미치는 영향)

  • Jeong, Ji-Yeon;Jeong, Heisawn
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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    • v.21 no.1
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    • pp.321-332
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    • 2021
  • This study developed an English conversation learning program using virtual reality(VR) and mobile devices. Participants learned and practiced English conversational patterns in immersive virtual reality and mobile conditions. In the program, participants learned and practiced nine conversational patterns with virtual characters in four steps. Language anxiety and conversational fluency were measured to examine the effects of this program. Language anxiety questionnaire was administered before and after the experiment. The results showed that language anxiety was significantly reduced after learning in both conditions, and the reduction waa significantly greater in the immersive condition. Conversational fluency was assessed based on the changes in the length, appropriateness, and accuracy of the responses before and after participants learned and practiced conversational episodes. The results showed that the length, appropriateness, and accuracy of the responses were improved in both conditions after learning. The response length was significantly longer in the immersive VR conditions. These results suggest that immersive VR can be an effective tool to enhance English conversational abilities.