English-Medium Instruction and Pronunciation by Karin Richter;

Author:Karin Richter;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Book Network Int'l Limited trading as NBN International (NBNi)
Published: 2018-10-05T05:41:27+00:00

4.1.3 Anxiety

A further factor that merits examination and is in fact closely linked to motivation is the notion of foreign language anxiety (FLA). Scholars have claimed that the FL learning process is particularly prone to arousing anxiety (e.g. Campbell & Ortiz, 1991; Horwitz et al., 1986; Reid, 1999). It has been claimed that even in ideal conditions ‘students can experience destructive forms of anxiety’ (Reid, 1999: 297). More specifically, Campbell and Ortiz (1991: 159) estimate that almost half of all language students at some point experience debilitating levels of language anxiety (LA). Recently, Liu and Huang (2011) and Olivares-Cuhat (2010) have gone as far as to claim that LA should in fact be considered the strongest and most powerful (affective) predictor of success in FL learning.

As the first theory that pays tribute to the specific nature of LA, Horwitz et al.’s (1986) theoretical conceptualisation of FLA has been used in quite a number of studies in the field. In their view, FLA is ‘a distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning process’ (Horwitz et al., 1986: 128).

To measure the extent of anxiety a learner experiences in the classroom, they developed the so-called Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). This theoretical framework involves three components: communication apprehension, test anxiety and fear of negative evaluation. Taking these components into account, pronunciation can be expected to play a major role regarding FLA. Without doubt, the FL learner’s level of pronunciation mastery has a direct impact on how he/she is understood by others, which, in turn, determines the level of communication apprehension. Weaknesses in pronunciation affect the impression made on classmates and the teacher’s assessment, which, when consistently negative, can enhance both test anxiety and the fear of negative evaluation. In this context, Shams (2006: 55) points out that the students’ pronunciation skills contribute ‘to fear of negative evaluation when the speaker fears what others may think of the way he/she sounds’.

The different types of anxiety that impact on L2 learning and achievement have been widely discussed among scholars. In this respect, two main categories of anxiety, namely state and trait anxiety, are often named. State anxiety denotes the type of anxiety that is triggered in response to a specific situation and trait anxiety is more generally applicable across a number of situations and contexts (cf. Horwitz, 2010: 154). Gardner and MacIntyre (1991) argue that as far as the language learning process is concerned, the notion of state anxiety rather than trait anxiety seems to apply. In addition, two further types of anxiety, namely facilitating (i.e. fostering language acquisition) and debilitating (i.e. hindering language acquisition), have been mentioned. Facilitating anxiety appears to keep students alert, and thus can lead to increased language proficiency; debilitating anxiety, on the other hand, is often negatively correlated with L2 success resulting in poor performance in achievement tests (Oxford, 1998).

These differences in the types of anxiety may also be responsible for the fact that especially early studies investigating LA and achievement have yielded conflicting results.

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