scholarly journals The Authenticity-anxiety Paradox: The Quest for Authentic Second Language Communication and Reduced Foreign Language Anxiety in Virtual Environments

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 23-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Grant ◽  
Hui Huang ◽  
Sarah Pasfield-Neofitou
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Language Communication

scholarly journals Foreign Language Anxiety and Student Interpreters’ Learning Outcomes: Implications for the Theory and Measurement of Interpretation Learning Anxiety

2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 589-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yung-Nan Chiang
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Learning Anxiety ◽  
Exam Scores

Although anxiety has been documented as an important variable in both interpretation performance and second language acquisition, there has been virtually no research on the interconnections between the anxiety reactions induced by these two cross-linguistic / cultural endeavors. A review of the literature on anxiety and interpretation performance finds that most of the existing studies have treated the anxiety induced by interpretation as a transfer of other general types of anxieties, such as trait anxiety, without considering the probable role of second language anxiety in interpretation performance. In order to determine the role of foreign language anxiety in 213 Chinese-English interpretation students’ learning outcomes, which were indexed by the participants’ mid-term exam scores and semester grades, this study employed Spielberger’s (1983)Trait Anxiety Inventoryto measure the students’ trait anxiety, while utilizing Horwitz, Horwitzet al.’s (1986)Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale(FLCAS) to measure the participants’ foreign language anxiety. Results of correlation analyses showed that a) trait anxiety was not related to either mid-term exam scores or semester grades, b) foreign language anxiety was significantly and negatively associated with both outcome measures, c) after controlling for the effect of trait anxiety, the relationship between foreign language anxiety and interpretation learning outcomes remained significant, and d) a vast majority of theFLCASitems had significant and negative associations with both outcome measures. Implications for developing a theory of and a measurement instrument for interpretation learning anxiety are suggested.

Foreign and second language anxiety

2010 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine K. Horwitz
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety State ◽  
Unique Form ◽  
The Relationship

The possibility that anxiety interferes with language learning has long interested scholars, language teachers, and language learners themselves. It is intuitive that anxiety would inhibit the learning and/or production of a second language (L2). The important term in the last sentence is ‘anxiety’. The concept of anxiety is itself multi-faceted, and psychologists have differentiated a number of types of anxiety including trait anxiety, state anxiety, achievement anxiety, and facilitative-debilitative anxiety. With such a wide variety of anxiety-types, it is not surprising that early studies on the relationship between ‘anxiety’ and achievement provided mixed and confusing results, and Scovel (1978 – this timeline) rightly noted that anxiety is ‘not a simple, unitary construct that can be comfortably quantified into ‘high’ or ‘low’ amounts’ (p. 137). Scovel did not, however, anticipate the identification in the mid-1980s of a unique form of anxiety that some people experience in response to learning and/or using an L2. Typically referred to as language anxiety or foreign language anxiety (FLA), this anxiety is categorized as a situation-specific anxiety, similar in type to other familiar manifestations of anxiety such as stage fright or test anxiety.

Foreign Language Anxiety and Learner Beliefs in Second Language Learning: A Research Timeline

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 1591
Author(s):  
Illahi Bux Gopang ◽  
Faraz Ali Bughio ◽  
Shumaila Aijaz Memon ◽  
Jalal Faiz
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Research Review ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Learner Beliefs

Research in second language learning has significantly demonstrated that foreign language anxiety and learner beliefs have been the main domain of inquiry in applied linguistics. Such interest has seen upsurge in studies on L2 anxiety and learner beliefs. This study tends to review language anxiety and learner beliefs in language learning. The review shows moderate and high levels of language anxiety in studies including negative correlation between anxiety and achievement. In addition, it also reveals that learner beliefs have played a role in increasing language anxiety. Moreover, research studies on FLA (foreign language anxiety) and LB (learner beliefs) describe a whole scenario of the exiting literature. The study also critiques some pedagogical strategies suggested in research and how far these are applicable in decreasing language anxiety and avoiding incorrect beliefs about language learning. Further, the research review suggests that different approaches are used to quantify language anxiety and to describe beliefs in language learning. Since, the prime purpose of the study is to review the approaches and their validity and reliability in describing language anxiety and beliefs. The study synthesizes foreign language anxiety and learner beliefs studies and offers some recommendations in order to complement and supplement the existing literature.

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