Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Author(S): Elaine K

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Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Author(s): Elaine K. Horwitz, Michael B. Horwitz and Joann Cope Source: The Modern Language Journal, Vol. 70, No. 2 (Summer, 1986), pp. 125-132 Published by: Wiley on behalf of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/327317 Accessed: 02-01-2019 19:30 UTC

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This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Wed, 02 Jan 2019 19:30:28 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety ELAINE K. HORWITZ, MICHAEL B. HORWITZ, AND JOANN COPE

"IJUST KNOW I HAVE SOME KIND OF DISABILITY: I CAN'T students generally feel strongly that anxiety is learn a foreign language no matter how hard I try." a major obstacle to be overcome in learning to "When I'm in my Spanish class I just freeze! I can't think speak another language, and several recent ap- of a thing when my teacher calls on me. My mind goes blank. proaches " to foreign language teaching, such as "Ifeel like my French teacher is some kind of Martian death community language learning and suggesto- ray. I never know when he'll point at me!" pedia, are explicitly directed at reducing learner "It's about time someone studied why some people can't learn anxiety. However, second language research languages. "I has neither adequately defined foreign language Such statements are all too familiar to anxiety nor described its specific effects on for- teachers of foreign languages. Many eignpeople language learning. This paper attempts to claim to have a mental block against learning fill this gap by identifying foreign language a foreign language, although these same anxiety people as a conceptually distinct variable in may be good learners in other situations, foreign language learning and interpreting it strongly motivated, and have a sincere withinliking the context of existing theoretical and for speakers of the target language. What, empirical then, work on specific anxiety reactions. prevents them from achieving their Thedesired symptoms and consequences of foreign goal? In many cases, they may have an languageanxiety anxiety should thus become readily reaction which impedes their ability to performidentifiable to those concerned with language successfully in a foreign language class. Anxietylearning and teaching. is the subjective feeling of tension, apprehension, nervousness, and worry associated EFFECTS with OF ANXIETY ON LANGUAGE LEARNING an arousal of the autonomic nervous system.2 Second Language Studies. For many years, Just as anxiety prevents some people from scholars per- have considered the anxiety-provoking forming successfully in science or mathematics, potential of learning a foreign language. many people find foreign language learning, Curran and Stevick discuss in detail the defen- especially in classroom situations, particularly sive position imposed on the learner by most stressful. language teaching methods; Guiora argues that When anxiety is limited to the language language learning itself is "a profoundly un- learning situation, it falls into the category settling of psychological proposition" because it specific anxiety reactions. Psychologists directlyuse the threatens an individual's self-concept term specific anxiety reaction to differentiate and worldview.4 More recently researchers people who are generally anxious in a variety have attempted to quantify the effects of anxiety of situations from those who are anxious only on foreign language learning, but these efforts in specific situations. Researchers have identi- have met with mixed results. While the perti- fied several specific anxieties associated nent with studies have differed in the measures em- school tasks such as test-taking and with aca- ployed, they can generally be characterized by demic subjects such as mathematics or science.3 their comparison of students' self-reports of Second language researchers and theorists anxiety with their language proficiency ratings, have long been aware that anxiety is often obtained asso- through a discrete skills task or a ciated with language learning. Teachers global and measure such as final course grade. In his 1978 review of research, Scovel argues that scholars have been unable to establish a clear- The Modern Language Journal, 70, ii (1986) cut relationship between anxiety and overall 0026-7902/86/0002/125 $1.50/0 foreign language achievement; he attributes the ?1986 The Modern Language Journal discrepant findings at least in part to the in-

This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Wed, 02 Jan 2019 19:30:28 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 126 Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope consistency of anxiety Clinical Experience. measures The subjective feelings, used and con- cludes: "It is perhaps psycho-physiological premature symptoms, and be- to relate it [anxiety] to the globalhavioral responses and of the anxious comprehensive foreign lan- task of language acquisition.'"5 guage learner are essentially the same as for any Studies seeking more specific anxiety. specific They experience apprehen-effects of anxiety on language sion,learning worry, even dread. Theyhave have difficulty been more revealing. Kleinmann concentrating, found become forgetful, that sweat, andESL students with high levels have of palpitations. debilitating They exhibit avoidance beanxiety attempted different havior typessuch as missing of class andgrammatical postponing con- structions than did homework. less Clinical anxiousexperience with foreign ESL students; and Steinberg and language Horwitz students in university found classes and atthat students experiencing an theanxiety-producing Learning Skills Center (LSC) at the Uni- condition attempted less interpretive versity of Texas also suggests several (more discrete concrete) messages than those problems caused experiencing by anxiety and illustrates a relaxed condition.6 These poignantly studies how these problemsindicate can interfere that anxiety can affect the communication with language learning. Principally, counselorsstrategies students employ in find languagethat anxiety centers on theclass. two basic task That is, the more anxious student requirements oftends foreign language to learning: avoid lis- attempt- ing difficult or personal tening and speaking. Difficultymessages in speaking in in the target language. These classfindings is probably the most frequentlyare citedalso con- consistent with research on cern other of the anxious types foreign language of students specific communication anxiety. seeking help Reseachers at the LSC. Students often reportstudying writing in a native language that they feel fairly comfortablehave respondingfound to that students with higher a drilllevels or delivering of prepared writing speeches in their anxiety write shorter compositions foreign language and class butqualify tend to "freeze" intheir writing less than their calmer a role-play situation. counterparts A female student speaks do.7 A review of the ofliterature the evenings in her dorm roomfound spent rehears- only one in- strument specifically ing what she designedshould have said in class to the day measure foreign language anxiety. before. Anxious language Gardner, learners also com- Clement, Smythe, and Smythe plain of difficulties developed discriminating the soundsfive items to measure French classand structures anxiety of a target language as message. part of their test battery on One attitudes male student claims to hearand only a loudmotivation.8 Gardner, Smythe, buzz whenever Clement, his teacher speaks the foreignand Gliksman found small negative language. Anxiouscorrelations students may also have dif-(ranging from r = -.13 to r = -.43) ficulty graspingbetween the content of athis target language scale and four measures of achievement message. Many LSC clients (auralclaim that they comprehen- sion, speaking, final have little orgrade, no idea of what theand teacher isa say- composite of three sub-scales of the Canadian Achievement ing in extended target language utterances. Test in French).9 Foreign language anxiety frequently shows This brief review suggests two reasons for the up in testing situations. Students commonly re- dearth of conclusions concerning anxiety and port to counselors that they "know" a certain second language achievement. First, the anx- grammar point but "forget" it during a test or iety measures typically have not been specific an oral exercise when many grammar points to foreign language learning. Only the research must be remembered and coordinated simul- by Gardner utilized a measure relevant to lan- taneously. The problem can also be isolated in guage anxiety, and it was restricted to French persistent "careless" errors in spelling or syn- classroom anxiety. Second, few achievement tax. The student realizes, usually some time studies have looked at the subtle effects of anx- after the test, that s/he knew the correct answer iety on foreign language learning. Although re- but put down the wrong one due to nervous- search has not clearly demonstrated the effect ness. If the student realizes s/he is making pre- of anxiety on language learning, practitioners ventable errors during the test, anxiety - and have had ample experience with anxious errors - may escalate. learners. Overstudying is a related phenomenon. Stu-

This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Wed, 02 Jan 2019 19:30:28 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety 127 dents who are overly concerned FOREIGN LANGUAGE about ANXIETY: their CONCEPTUAL per- FOUNDATIONS formance may become so anxious when they make errors, they may attempt Because toforeign compensate language anxiety concerns by studying even more. performanceTheir frustration evaluation withinis an academic understandable when their and compulsive social context, effortit is useful to draw parallels does not lead to improved between grades. it andOne three bright related performance anxie- woman who had lived in ties: Mexico 1) communication spent eight apprehension; 2) test hours a day preparing for anxiety; a beginning and 3) fear Spanish of negative evaluation. Due class --and still did poorly. to its emphasisThe reverse on interpersonal be- interactions, havior is also possible. Anxious the construct students of communication may apprehension avoid studying and in some is quite casesrelevant skip to the classconceptualization of for- entirely in an effort to alleviate eign language their anxiety. anxiety. 3 Communication ap- Certain beliefs about language prehension learning is a type alsoof shyness characterized contribute to the student's tension and frustra- by fear of or anxiety about communicating with tion in the classroom. We note that a number people. Difficulty in speaking in dyads or of students believe nothing should be said groups in (oral communication anxiety) or in pub- the foreign language until it can be said cor- lic ("stage fright"), or in listening to or learning rectly and that it is not okay to guess an un- a spoken message (receiver anxiety) are all mani- known foreign language word.10 Beliefs such festations of communication apprehension. as these must produce anxiety since students Communication apprehension or some similar are expected to communicate in the second reaction obviously plays a large role in foreign tongue before fluency is attained and even ex-language anxiety. People who typically have cellent language students make mistakes or for- trouble speaking in groups are likely to experi- get words and need to guess more than occa- ence even greater difficulty speaking in a for- sionally. eign language class where they have little con- In light of current theory and research in sec- trol of the communicative situation and their ond language acquisition, the problem of anx- performance is constantly monitored. More- iety and the accompanying erroneous beliefs over, in addition to all the usual concerns about about language learning discussed here repre- oral communication, the foreign language class sent serious impediments to the development requires the student to communicate via a of second language fluency as well as to per- medium in which only limited facility is pos- formance. Savignon stresses the vital role of sessed. The special communication apprehen- spontaneous conversational interactions in the sion permeating foreign language learning de- development of communicative competence, rives from the personal knowledge that one will while Krashen argues that the extraction of almost certainly have difficulty understanding meaning from second language messages (sec- others and making oneself understood. Possibly ond language acquisition in his terminology) because of this knowledge, many otherwise is the primary process in the development of talkative people are silent in a foreign language a second language."1 Anxiety contributes to an class. And yet, the converse also seems to be affective filter, according to Krashen, which true. Ordinarily self-conscious and inhibited makes the individual unreceptive to language speakers may find that communicating in a for- input; thus, the learner fails to "take in" the eign language makes them feel as if someone available target language messages and lan- else is speaking and they therefore feel less guage acquisition does not progress.12 The anxious. 14This phenomenon may be similar anxious student is also inhibited when attempt- to stutterers who are sometimes able to enun- ing to utilize any second language fluency he ciate normally when singing or acting. or she has managed to acquire. The resulting Since performance evaluation is an ongoing poor test performance and inability to perform feature of most foreign language classes, test- in class can contribute to a teacher's inaccurate anxiety is also relevant to a discussion of for- assessment that the student lacks either some eign language anxiety. Test-anxiety refers to a necessary aptitude for learning a language or type of performance anxiety stemming from a sufficient motivation to do the necessary work fear of failure.15 Test-anxious students often put for a good performance. unrealistic demands on themselves and feel that

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anything less than in the L2a is perfectlikely to challenge an testindividual's performance is a failure. Students who are test-anxious in self-concept as a competent communicator and foreign language class probably experience con- lead to reticence, self-consciousness, fear, or siderable difficulty since tests and quizzes areeven panic. frequent and even the brightest and most pre- Authentic communication also becomes pared students often make errors. Oral tests problematic in the second language because of have the potential of provoking both test- andthe immature command of the second language oral communication anxiety simultaneously relativein to the first. Thus, adult language susceptible students. learners' self-perceptions of genuineness in pre- Fear of negative evaluation, defined as "ap- senting themselves to others may be threatened prehension about others' evaluations, avoid- by the limited range of meaning and affect that ance of evaluative situations, and the expecta- can be deliberately communicated. In sum, the tion that others would evaluate oneself nega- language learner's self-esteem is vulnerable to tively," is a third anxiety related to foreign lan-the awareness that the range of communicative guage learning.16 Although similar to test anx- choices and authenticity is restricted. The iety, fear of negative evaluation is broader importancein of the disparity between the "true" scope because it is not limited to test-taking self as known to the language learner and the situations; rather, it may occur in any social, more limited self as can be presented at any evaluative situation such as interviewing for given a moment in the foreign language would job or speaking in foreign language class. seem to distinguish foreign language anxiety Unique among academic subject matters, for- from other academic anxieties such as those eign languages require continual evaluation associatedby with mathematics or science. Prob- the only fluent speaker in the class, the teacher. ably no other field of study implicates self- Students may also be acutely sensitive to the concept and self-expression to the degree that evaluations - real or imagined - of their peers. language study does. Although communication apprehension, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation pro- IDENTIFYING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY vide useful conceptual building blocks for a de- scription of foreign language anxiety, we pro- Since anxiety can have profound effects on pose that foreign language anxiety is not simply many aspects of foreign language learning, it the combination of these fears transferred to is important to be able to identify those students foreign language learning. Rather, we conceive who are particularly anxious in foreign lan- foreign language anxiety as a distinct complex guage class. During the summer of 1983, stu- of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and be- dents in beginning language classes at the Uni- haviors related to classroom language learning versity of Texas were invited to participate in arising from the uniqueness of the language a "Support Group for Foreign Language Learn- learning process. ing." Of the 225 students informed of the sup- Adults typically perceive themselves as rea- port groups, seventy-eight, over one-third, sonably intelligent, socially-adept individuals, were concerned enough about their foreign lan- sensitive to different socio-cultural mores. guage class to indicate that they would like to These assumptions are rarely challenged when join such a group. Due to time and space limi- communicating in a native language as it istations, participation had to be limited to two usually not difficult to understand others or togroups of fifteen students each. Group meet- make oneself understood. However, the situa- ings consisted of student discussion of concerns tion when learning a foreign language stands and difficulties in language learning, didactic in marked contrast. Because individual com- presentations on effective language learning munication attempts will be evaluated accord- strategies, and anxiety management exercises. ing to uncertain or even unknown linguistic The difficulties these students related were and socio-cultural standards, second language compelling. They spoke of "freezing" in class, communication entails risk taking and is neces- standing outside the door trying to summon up sarily problematic. Because complex and non- enough courage to enter, and going blank prior spontaneous mental operations are required in to tests. They also reported many of the psycho- order to communicate at all, any performance physiological symptoms commonly associated

This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Wed, 02 Jan 2019 19:30:28 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety 129 with anxiety (tenseness, trembling, TABLE I perspiring, palpitations, and sleep disturbances). FLCAS Items with Percentages of Students Selecting Each Alternative The experiences related in the support groups contributed to the development SA* A N D SD of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale 1. I never feel quite sure of myself when I am speaking (FLCAS).'7 The scale has demonstrated in my foreign language class. internal reliability, achieving an alpha coeffi- 11** 51 17 20 1 cient of .93 with all items producing significant 2. I don't worry about making mistakes in language class. corrected item-total scale correlations. Test- 11 23 1 53 12 retest reliability over eight weeks yielded an3. I tremble when I know that I'm going to be called on r = .83 (p <.001). A construct validation study in language class. 5 16 31 29 19 is currently underway to establish foreign lan- 4. It frightens me when I don't understand what the guage anxiety as a phenomenon related to but teacher is saying in the foreign language. distinguishable from other specific anxieties. 18 8 27 29 20 16 Pilot testing with the FLCAS affords an5. It wouldn't bother me at all to take more foreign lan- opportunity to examine the scope and severity guage classes. of foreign language anxiety. To date, the re- 15 47 12 16 11 sults demonstrate that students with debilitat- 6. During language class, I find myself thinking about things that have nothing to do with the course. ing anxiety in the foreign language classroom 7 19 31 32 12 setting can be identified and that they share 7.a I keep thinking that the other students are better at number of characteristics in common. The re- languages than I am. sponses of seventy-five university students 13 25 20 28 13 (thirty-nine males and thirty-six females rang- 8. I am usually at ease during tests in my language class. 5 35 19 20 21 ing in age from eighteen to twenty-seven) from 9. I start to panic when I have to speak without prepara- four intact introductory Spanish classes are re- tion in language class. ported here. The FLCAS was administered to 12 37 19 28 4 the students during their scheduled language 10. I worry about the consequences of failing my foreign class the third week of the semester. language class. The items presented are reflective of com- 25 17 12 29 16 munication apprehension, test-anxiety, and 11. I don't understand why some people get so upset over fear of negative evaluation in the foreign lan- foreign language classes. 5 17 36 37 4 guage classroom. Responses to all FLCAS 12. In language class, I can get so nervous I forget things items are reported in Table I. All percentages I know. refer to the number of students who agreed or 9 48 11 25 7 strongly agreed (or disagreed and strongly dis- 13. It embarrasses me to volunteer answers in my language agreed) with statements indicative of foreign class. language anxiety. (Percentages are rounded to 0 9 19 57 15 the nearest whole number.) 14. I would not be nervous speaking the foreign language with native speakers. Students who test high on anxiety report that 5 12 17 51 15 they are afraid to speak in the foreign language. 15. I get upset when I don't understand what the teacher They endorse FLCAS items indicative of is correcting. speech anxiety such as "I start to panic when 1 31 28 37 3 I have to speak without preparation in language 16. Even if I am well prepared for language class, I feel anxious about it. class" (49 %); "I get nervous and confused when 5 37 17 24 16 I am speaking in my language class" (33 %); "I 17. I often feel like not going to my language class. feel very self-conscious about speaking the for- 19 28 19 23 12 eign language in front of other students" (28%). 18. I feel confident when I speak in foreign language class. They also reject statements like "I feel confident 1 28 24 43 4 when I speak in foreign language class" (47%). 19. I am afraid that my language teacher is ready to correct Anxious students feel a deep self-consciousness every mistake I make. 0 15 31 40 15 when asked to risk revealing themselves by 20. I can feel my heart pounding when I'm going to be speaking the foreign language in the presence called on in language class. of other people. 5 27 19 37 12

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TABLE I (continued) prehending the target language message they must understand every word that is spoken. SA* A N D SD Anxious students also fear being less com- 21. The more I study for petent a languagethan other students test, or being the negatively more confused I get. evaluated by them. They report: "I keep think- 4 12 8 48 28 ing that other students are better at languages 22. I don't feel pressure than to I am" prepare (38%); "I always very feel that wellthe other for language class. 3 12 19 44 23 students speak the foreign language better than 23. I always feel that the I do"other (31%); "languagestudents class moves speak so quickly, the foreign language better than II worrydo. about getting left behind" (59%); "it 12 19 25 31 13 embarrasses me to volunteer answers in my 24. I feel very self-conscious language aboutclass" (9%); speaking "I am afraid thatthe the foreign language in front of other other studentsstudents. will laugh at me when I speak 3 25 19 47 7 the foreign language" (10%). Thus, they may 25. Language class moves so quickly I worry about getting left behind. skip class, overstudy, or seek refuge in the last row in an effort to avoid the humiliation or em- 16 43 11 28 3 26. I feel more tense and barrassment nervous of being in calledmy on language to speak. class than in my other classes. Anxious students are afraid to make mistakes 13 25 19 31 12 in the foreign language. They endorse the state- 27. I get nervous and confused ment "I am whenafraid that I my am language speaking teacher is in my language class. ready to correct every mistake I make" (15%), 5 28 28 31 8 while disagreeing with "I don't worry about mak- 28. When I'm on my way to language class, I feel very sure and relaxed. ing mistakes in language class" (65 %). These 5 27 40 24 4 students seem to feel constantly tested and to 29. I get nervous when perceive I don't every correctionunderstand as a failure. every word the language teacher says. Student responses to two FLCAS items - "I 3 24 24 43 7 feel overwhelmed by the number of rules you 30. I feel overwhelmed haveby to the learn tonumber speak a foreign of language" rules you have to learn to speak a foreign language. 9 25 32 32 1 (34%) and "I feel more tense and nervous in 31. I am afraid that the my other language class students than in my other will classes" laugh at me when I speak the foreign (38%)--lend language. further support to the view that 3 7 20 53 17 foreign language anxiety is a distinct set of be- 32. I would probably feelliefs, perceptions, comfortable and feelings in response around to native speakers of the foreign foreign language. language learning in the classroom and 5 23 20 41 11 not merely a composite of other anxieties. The 33. I get nervous when the language teacher asks questions which I haven't prepared latter in itemadvance. was found to be the single best dis- 5 44 17 31 3 criminator of anxiety on the FLCAS as meas- ured by its correlation with the total score. *SA = strongly agree; A = agree; N = neither agree nor disagree; D = disagree; SD These= strongly results suggest that disagree. anxious students feel **Data in this table are rounded uniquely unable toto deal the with nearestthe task of lan- whole number. Percentages may guagenot learning. add to 100 due to rounding. Our findings suggest that significant foreign language anxiety is experienced by many students in response to at least some aspects of for- The fact that anxious eign language students learning. A majority fear of the state- they will not understand all mentslanguage reflective of foreign input language anxietyis also consistent with communication (nineteen of thirty-three apprehension. items) were supported Stu- dents endorse statements by a third or more like of the "itstudents frightens surveyed, me when I don't understand what the teacher is and seven statements were supported by over saying in the foreign language" (35%); "I get half the students. Although at this point we can nervous when I don't understand every word only speculate as to how many people experi- the language teacher says" (27%). They be- ence severe reactions to foreign language learn- lieve that in order to have any chance of com- ing, these results (considered in light of the

This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Wed, 02 Jan 2019 19:30:28 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety 131 number of students who expressed techniques a need should for be based on instructional a student language-support philosophygroup) imply and onthat reducing defensive reactions anxious students are common in students. in foreign The impactlan- of these (or any) cor- guage classrooms (at least in rective beginning practices classes on foreign language anxiety on the university level). and ultimate foreign language achievement must, of course, be studied in the classroom. PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS How much current teaching practices con- In general, educators have two tribute options to when foreign language anxiety and how dealing with anxious students: much1) they is candue helpto the intrinsic nature of language them learn to cope with the existing learning anxiety- are important issues to be addressed provoking situation; or 2) they before can make firm the conclusions regarding optimal learning context less stressful. interventionsBut before can beeither reached. option is viable, the teacher must first acknowl- CONCLUSIONS edge the existence of foreign language anxiety. Teachers probably have seen in theirScholars students are only beginning to understand many or all of the negative effects the role of ofanxiety anxiety in foreign language learn- discussed in this article, extremely ing; weanxious do not stu- yet know how pervasive foreign dents are highly motivated to languageavoid engaging anxiety is nor do we comprehend its in the classroom activities they precise fear most, repercussions they in the classroom. We do may appear simply unprepared know or indifferent. that individual reactions can vary widely. Therefore, teachers should always Some consider students themay experience an anxious reac- possibility that anxiety is responsible tion offor such the intensitystu- that they postpone re- dent behaviors discussed here before quired attributing foreign language courses until the last poor student performance solely possible to moment lack of or change their major to avoid ability, inadequate background, foreign or poor language moti- study. Students who experi- vation. Specific techniques which ence teachers moderate may anxiety may simply procrasti- use to allay students' anxiety include nate in relaxation doing homework, avoid speaking in exercises, advice on effective class,language or crouch learn- in the last row. Other students ing strategies, behavioral contracting, seldom, if ever, and experience anxiety or tension journal keeping. 19 But language in teachersa foreign have language class. neither sufficient time nor adequate The effects expertise of anxiety can extend beyond the to deal with severe anxiety reactions. classroom. Such Juststu- as math anxiety serves as a dents, when identified, should criticalprobably job befilter, re- channeling some women and ferred for specialized help to outside some members counselors of other minority groups away or learning specialists.20 Therapists from employinghigh-paying, high-demand math and behavior modification techniques, engineering such as sys-careers, foreign language anxiety, tematic desensitization, have too, successfully may play a role in students' selections of treated a variety of specific anxieties courses, related majors, to and ultimately, careers.21 For- learning, and these techniques eign should language prove anxiety may also be a factor in equally useful in the case of foreign student language objections to foreign language require- anxiety. ments. Reducing stress by changing the In recentcontext years of there have been signs of a re- foreign language learning is the vival more of interest impor- in foreign language study both tant and considerably more difficult as an applied task. skill As in conjunction with business long as foreign language learning study, takes for example, place and for its intrinsic in a formal school setting where humanistic evaluation value isas an essential part of a tradi- inextricably tied to performance, tional liberalanxiety education. is With an increasing likely to continue to flourish. numberTeachers of mightschools establishing or re-establish- create student support systems ing foreign and closely language requirements, teachers monitor the classroom climate willto identifylikely encounter spe- an even greater percent- cific sources of student anxiety. age of As students students vulnerable to foreign language appear to be acutely sensitive to anxiety. target The language rise of foreign language require- corrections, the selection of error ments correction is occurring in conjunction with an in-

This content downloaded from 140.254.87.149 on Wed, 02 Jan 2019 19:30:28 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 132 Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope creased emphasis tive onteacher whospontaneous will acknowledge students' speaking in the foreign language feelings of isolation class. and helplessness Since and offer speaking in the target language concrete seems suggestons for to attaining be foreign the lan- most threat- ening aspect of foreign guage confidence. But language if we are to improve for- learning, the current emphasis eign on language the teaching development at all levels of educa- of communicative competence tion, we must recognize, poses cope with, particularly and even- great difficulties for the anxious student. tually overcome, debilitating foreign language Foreign language anxiety can probably beanxiety as a factor shaping students' experiences alleviated, at least to an extent, by a suppor- in foreign language learning.

in Foreign Language Teaching (Philadelphia: Center for Cur- NOTES riculum Development, 1972); S. D. Krashen, "Formal and Informal Environments in Language Acquisition and Lan- guage Learning," TESOL Quarterly, 10 (1976), pp. 157-68. 1These quotations have been collected by counselors 12S. D. Krashen, at "The Input Hypothesis," Current Issues the Learning Skills Center at the University in Bilingual of Texas, Education: Georgetown University Round Table on Austin. Languages and Linguistics, ed. J. E. Alatis (Washington: 2C. D. Spielberger, Manualfor the State-Trait Anxiety Inven- Georgetown Univ. Press, 1980), pp. 168-80; H. Dulay, tory (Form Y) (Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists M. Burt & S. Krashen, Language Two (New York: Oxford Press, 1983). Univ. Press, 1982). 3S. Tobias, Overcoming Math Anxiety (Boston: Houghton 13J. C. McCroskey, "Oral Communication Apprehen- Mifflin, 1978); F. C. Richardson & R. L. Woolfolk, sion: A Summary of Recent Theory and Research," Human "Mathematics Anxiety," Test Anxiety: Theory, Research and Communication Research, 4 (1977), pp. 78-96. Application, ed. I. G. Sarason (Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 14The practice in suggestopedia of providing students new 1980), pp. 271-88; J. V. Mallow, Science Anxiety (New York: target language identities may also capitalize on this phe- Thomond, 1981). nomenon. 4C. A. Curran, Counseling-Learning in Second Languages 15E. M. Gordon & S. B. Sarason, "The Relationship Be- (Apple River, IL: Apple River, 1976); E. Stevick, Language tween 'Test Anxiety' and 'Other Anxieties',"Journal of Per- Teaching.: A Way and Ways (Rowley, MA: Newbury House, sonality, 23 (1955), pp. 317-23; Test Anxiety. Theory, Research 1980); A. Z. Guiora, "The Dialectic of Language Acquisi- andApplication, ed. I. G. Sarason (Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, tion," An Epistemology for the Language Sciences, ed. A. Z. 1980). Guiora, Language Learning, 33 (1983), p. 8. 16D. Watson & R. Friend, "Measurement of Social- 5T. Scovel, "The Effect of Affect; A Review of the Anxiety Evaluative Anxiety,"Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychol- Literature," Language Learning, 28 (1978), p. 132. ogy, 33 (1969), pp. 448-51. 6H. H. Kleinmann, "Avoidance Behavior in Adult 17E. K. Horwitz, "Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Second Language Learning," Language Learning, 27 (1977), Scale," unpubl. manuscript, Univ. of Texas, Austin, 1983. pp. 93-101; F. S. Steinberg & E. K. Horwitz, "The Effect 18See E. K. Horwitz, "Preliminary Evidence of the Reli- of Induced Anxiety on the Denotative and Interpretive Con- ability and Validity of a Foreign Language Classroom tent of Second Language Speech," TESOL Quarterly (in Anxiety Scale" (forthcoming), for correlations between the press). FLCAS and other specific anxieties and details on the con- 7j. A. Daly & M. D. Miller, "Apprehension of Writing struct validation process. as a Predictor of Message Intensity," Journal of Psychology, 19See I. R. McCoy, "Means to Overcome the Anxieties 89 (1975), pp. 175-77; J. A. Daly, "The Effects of Writing of Second Language Learners," Foreign Language Annals, 12 Apprehension on Message Encoding,"Journalism Quarterly, (1979), pp. 185-89, for a discussion of dealing with stu- 27 (1977), pp. 566-72. dent anxieties in the foreign language classroom. Tech- 8R. C. Gardner, R. Clement, P. C. Smythe & C. C. niques for teaching relaxation are included in Benson's The Smythe, Attitudes and Motivation Test Battery, Revised Manual. Relaxation Response (New York: Morrow, 1973) and E. Research Bulletin 15 (London, Ontario: Dept. of Jacobson, Progressive Relaxation (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Psychology, Univ. of Western Ontario, 1979). Press, 1938). Behavioral contracting is an anxiety reduc- 9R. C. Gardner, P. C. Smythe, R. Clement & L. Gliks- tion method for students having difficulty attending to the man, "Social and Psychological Factors in Second Language learning task. The student agrees to spend a specific amount Acquisition," Canadian Modern Language Review, 32 (1976), of time on a task, such as going to the language lab, and pp. 198-213. then reports back to the teacher on her or his success. '0E. K. Horwitz, "What ESL Students Believe About 20When an anxiety reaction is both specific and severe, Language Learning," unpubl. paper presented at the psychologists typically use the term "phobia." TESOL Annual Meeting, Houston, March 1984. 21F. C. Richardson & R. L. Woolfolk (note 3 above). 11S. J. Savignon, Communicative Competence.: An Experiment

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