Anxiety in the Foreign Language Classroom.docx

Anxiety in the Foreign Language Classroom.docx

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AnxietyintheForeignLanguageClassroom

AnxietyintheForeignLanguageClassroom

　　Factors―bothsocialandindividual,whichaffectsecondlanguageacquisitionexistingreatnumbers.Inthispaper,anxiety,animportantpsychologicalphenomenoninforeignlanguagelearningwillbediscussed.InchapterI,thecausesofdifferenttypesofanxietywillbeanalyzed.InchapterII,itseffectsonforeignlanguagelearning―especiallyonEnglishcanbefound.Andsomesuggestionsforteacherswillbepresentedintheend.

　　Keywords:

anxiety;languageclassroom;affectivestates

　　ChapterI:

WhatCausesAnxiety

　　Somepeoplethinkanxietyisfear.Tosomeextent,thisistrue.Butstrictly,anxietyisnotordinaryfear.Psychologistviewsitasanervousaffectivestagewithfearthatisarousedbythesetbackofconfidenceorthefeelingoffailureandcompunction,whentheindividualanticipatesnottobeabletoachievethedesiredresultsorovercomethethreatofobstacles.Soitgenerallyreferstoanactualfear―likeresponseoratendencytorespondwithfeartoanycurrentoranticipatedsituationthatisperceivedasapotentialthreattoself-esteem.Itdiffersfromordinaryfearinwhichthethreatisdirectedagainstself-esteemratherthanagainstphysicalwell-being,andmaybeanticipatedorcurrentinnature.Forexample,ifyoucomeacrossapoisonoussnake,youmaybefrightened,butifyouareabouttopresentanacademicreporttoyourpeers,youmaybeanxious.Fromtheabove,wecanseethatanxietyoften,notalways,originatesfromthethreattoone’sself-esteem.Thethreatmayreallyexistoritmaybeone’sconjecture.Forexample,ChinesestudentsareusuallyafraidofspeakingEnglishinclass.Thereasonmaybethattheyreallycannotspeakwellandtheotherswilllaughatthemiftheymakemistakes.Itmayalsobethat,infact,theycandoitwellbutinthepasttheysufferedembarrassmentwhenspeakinginclassandtheirselfesteemhasbeenimpaired.

　　Accordingtopsychologists,anxietycanbedividedintotraitanxiety,stateanxietyandsituation-specificanxiety.Shovel,drawingonworkingeneralpsychology,definestraitanxietyasa“morepermanentpredispositiontobeanxious”[1].Itisbestviewedasanaspectofpersonality.Stateanxietycanbedefinedasapprehensionthatisexperiencedataparticularmomentintimeasaresponsetoadefinitesituation.Itisacombinationoftraitandsituation-specificanxiety.Thislattertypeconsistsoftheanxietythatisarousedbyaspecifictypeofsituationoreventsuchaspublicspeaking,examinations,orclassparticipation.Fromthedefinitionsofthethesethreetypesofanxiety,wecanseethatanxietyarousedinclassroombelongstothestateorsituation-specificanxiety,butnotthetraitanxiety,whichismainlyrelatedtoindividualscharacteristics’andnotdeterminedbyoutsideeffect.ThestudyofcorrelationbetweenmeasuresofanxietyandlearningbyHorwitzandYoungindicatesthatlearnersfrequentlyexperiencelanguageanxiety,atypeofsituation-specificanxietyassociatedwithattemptstolearnasecondlanguageandcommunicateinit.Sowhatcausesstateorsituation-specificanxietyismainlydiscussedhere.HorwitzstudieddiariesofmanylearnersofasecondlanguageandfoundthatLlarnerscompetitivenaturescanactasasourceofanxiety.Baileyanalyzedthediariesofelevenlearnersandfoundthattheytendedtobecomeanxiouswhentheycomparedthemselveswithotherlearnersintheclassandfoundthemselveslessproficient.Shealsonotedthatasthelearnersperceivedthemselvesbecomingmoreproficientandthereforebetterabletocompete,theiranxietydecreased.

　　Fearofnegativeevaluationisanotherimportantsourceofanxiety.Theeffectofevaluationmaycomefromtheteacheraswellasthestudents.Intheclass,somelearnersfindtheteacher’squestionsthreatening.Forexample,oneofdiaristofEllisandRathbonecommented“Iwasquitefrightenedwhenaskedquestions.Idon’tknowwhy;theteacherdoesnotfrightenme,butmymindisblockedwhenIamaskedquestions.IfearlestIgivethewronganswerandwilldiscouragetheteacheraswellasbethelaughingstockoftheclassmaybe.Anyway,Ifeltreallystupidandhelplessinclass”[2].Soinclasssomelearnersalwayswanttodobetterthananyotheronesoastogethighevaluationfromtheteacherandtheclassmates.Thiskindofaffectivestagemakesthemfeelnervesandusuallyinterferetheirthinkingandspeaking.Hereissomeotherlearnersfeelinginclass“IkeepthinkingthatotherstudentsarebetteratlanguagethanIam.IgotnervouswhenIdon’tunderstandeverywordtheteachersays”[3].

　　Anotherimportantsourceofanxietyisusingthetargetlanguageforcommunication.Thatistosay,theyareafraidofusingthelanguagetocommunicatewithpeople.Whentheyhaveto,theyshowanxiety.Hereisthefeelingofonestudentinforeignlanguageclass“ItremblewhenIknowIamgoingtobecalledinlanguageclass”[4].Somepsychologistscallitcommunicationapprehension.Thatistosay,thelearnerswillfeelanxiouswhentheyarespeakingorlisteningtothesecondlanguage,butfeellessanxiouswhenreadingorwritingthetargetlanguage.HorwitzandCopprovedthispointintheirresearch“Whenanxietydoesarisetotheuseofthesecondlanguage,itseemstoberestrictedmainlytospeakingorlistening”[5].Matsumotos’learner,M,forexample,displayedlittleanxietybutwhenshediditwasinconnectionwithherperceivedproblemsinlisteningtoandspeakingEnglish.Infactthiskindofanxietycanbereducedwiththeimprovementoflanguageproficiency.DuringmyteachingworkIfindthatstudentswithfluentspeakingandexcellentlisteningabilitycancommunicatewithothersandshowlittleanxiety.Thosewhoarepoorattheseaspectsoftenshowhighanxietywhenspeakingbeforeothers.

　　Inanotherway,Aubuselclassifiedanxietyintonormalanxietyandneuroticanxiety.Innormalanxiety,thesourceofthreatmaybeinternalorexternal.Thekeypointisthatthreatisobjectivelycapableofimpairingself-esteem.Theresponsetothethreatisappropriateandproportionatetotheobjectivedegreeofdangerfacingtheindividuals’self-esteem.Inneuroticanxiety,ontheotherhand,theessentialsourceofthethreattoself-esteemdoesnotlieoutsideselfesteemitself.Theneuroticanxietyoveractstoanewsituationwithsignsoffearandfurtherimpairmentofself-esteem.Thereactionisdisproportionatetotheactualdegreeofdangerfacingthepersoninquestion.

　　ChapterII:

Effectofanxietyonlanguagelearning

　　Therelationshipbetweenanxietyandforeignlanguagelearningiscomplicated.However,thereisnodoubtthatanxietyisakeymotivationalelementinclassroombehaviorsandachievements.

　　SpeakinginanotherlanguagecanbeverystressfulforChinesestudents,especiallyinclassinthepresenceofothersbecauseChinesestudentsarecomparativelyquietandshyandtheyareafraidof“losingface”iftheymakepronunciationorgrammarmistakes.

　　Anxietyhinderscommunicationintheforeignlanguageclassroominvariousways:

　　First,Studentsarerestrainedbytheirfearoffailure.Thisoftenleadstoalossofconcentrationastheirsenseofanxietyturnsattentionawayfromthetasktheyhavebeensetin.Inthisaspect,threetypesofdistractionsinterferewiththeperformanceofhighlyanxiousindividuals,Firsttheyworryalotabouttheirperformance,theconsequencesoffailure,andhowwelltheyaredoingrelativetoothers.Keepingworryingaboutthistheirthinkingcan’tbeactiveanddiffuse.Second,theyexperienceemotionalinterferenceintheformofphysiologicalarousalthatproducessuchsymptomsasa“racing”heartandanunsetstomach.Andthird,highlyanxiouspeopleoftenattempttocompensatefortheirapprehensionbytakinga“safe”approachtoproblemsolvingthatleadstorigidandunimaginativeresponses.Theiranswerstoquestionsareusuallysimple“Aya”,“Oh”orsomenonsensicalwords.Whentheycommunicatewithpeopletheyseldomstarttheconversationfirstorkeepsilentonlyandsometimesgiveasmileoranodtoshowtheirpoliteness.

　　Second,studentswhoexperienceintenseanxietyoftenloseheart.Theirlackofconcentrationaffectstheirperformanceandtheiranxietylevelsarefurtherraised.Theyexperiencecyclesofanxietyandfailurethateventuallydiscouragethem.Thisanxietycausesthestudenttowanttohavenocontactwiththesourceoftheanxiety,thatis,thelanguage.Thestudentwilltrytoavoidusingthelanguage.Thisinturncausescontinuingfailurewhichresultseventuallyinimpairedlanguagelearning.Tothestudentsasawhole,itcanalsocontributetoafurtherlossinselfesteem.Thestudentsthenwillhavenoconfidenceinlearningandtheforeignlanguagewillbeabandoned.Oneofmystudentsisagoodexampleofthis.Injuniormiddleschool,heexperiencedsevereembarrassmentinspeakingEnglishinclassbecauseofhispoorpronunciation;forinstance,hepronouncedtheword“like”as“[lek]”.Inmyclass,hetriedhisbesttoavoidspeakingEnglish.HisEnglishwasfarbehindtheotherstudents.Thisprovesthatastudentmayhaveseveralformsofbehaviorwhenhe/sheismotivatedbyadesiretoavoidfurtheranxietyandembarrassment.Theymaytrytoescapefromthelanguageclasseitheractivelybydroppingthesubject,symbolicallybystoppingtolearntheirworkanddroppingsofarbehindtheothersthattoallintentsandpurposestheyarenolongerwiththegroup,orpassivelybystoppingtoparticipateinactivelanguageworkintheclassroom,hopinginthiswaytoescapenoticeand“sititout”withtheleastpossibleembarrassmenttothemse