Unit 2: Language Learning Anxiety.
Lesson 1: What is foreign language anxiety and how to identify it
For the purpose of this mini-course, I have chosen the title of Foreign Language Anxiety, or FLA, to describe the emotions that we will be looking into during this unit. FLA has many different definitions, but they all center around the same idea; emotional reactions when learning a new language, feelings of tension, self-consciousness. FLA can impact a student of a new language at any age and in many different ways. Of course, as a form of anxiety, a lot of physical symptoms are comparable, such as trembling, dry throat, tense muscles, and more. Emotionally, it can leave students feeling discouraged, losing faith in their abilities, refusing or escaping participation, and simply giving up.
FLA is mostly centered around the basic parts of learning a new language, speaking and listening. MLLs can feel self-conscious or unsure what their skills as well as what they may look like to others, so they often just choose not to partake in activities, conversations, assignments, whatever the opportunity may be. This is typically brought on by the fear of making a mistake, which is the main cause of FLA for most learners.
FLA can be classified into three components, as done so by Horwitz et al. (1986):
- Communication apprehension
- This is the inability for the learner to communicate what it is they are trying to say in their learned language. This can lead to a lot of anxiety around being perceived incorrectly or fear of looking dumb.
- Fear of negative social evaluation
- This is the learner’s desire to have a positive impression on others.
- Test anxiety
- This is the anxiety and dread that centers around any form of assessment.
Being able to identify the stage of FLA that your students’ may be feeling can then help you identify the best strategies to help them. One-third of all MLLs at some point experience some degree of FLA, so understanding what they may be thinking, feeling, and going through can really help them succeed inside of your classroom.
Review: On another document or a piece of paper, write down the definition of Foreign Language Anxiety in your own words.
Once you have finished, move on to Lesson 2: Best practices for fostering a safe learning environment.