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Foreign Language Learning Anxiety in Upper‐Level Classes: Involving Students as Researchers
Author(s) -
Ewald Jennifer D.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
foreign language annals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.258
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1944-9720
pISSN - 0015-718X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1944-9720.2007.tb02857.x
Subject(s) - anxiety , psychology , context (archaeology) , foreign language , foreign language anxiety , mathematics education , qualitative research , language assessment , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , medical education , medicine , paleontology , social science , psychiatry , sociology , biology
While both the causes and effects of students' language learning anxiety have been a frequent focus of many investigations, few have explored anxiety in the context of upper‐level language classrooms. Through a qualitative analysis of questionnaire data obtained from 21 advanced students of Spanish, this study found that, indeed, many of these students did report experiencing anxiety in upper‐level courses, perhaps an unanticipated setting given students' relatively higher levels of proficiency. Students highlighted many issues related to their anxiety and confirmed findings of previous investigations; specifically, they pointed to the key role of the teacher in producing and relieving anxiety. In addition to considering anxiety in an unexplored context, this study serves as a model for involving students in research related to language learning.