Reassessing Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Employing
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Reassessing foreign language classroom anxiety Employing poststructuralist theories in a qualitative meta-analysis by Kyle Scholz A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in German Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2010 © Kyle Scholz 2010 Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract This thesis will generate new insight into the study of classroom language anxiety and its method of analysis in current SLA discourse. Drawing heavily from Horcoff, Horcoff and Cope‟s seminal paper “Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety” (1986), the conceptualization of analysis proposed and its accompanying instrument of analysis, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), will be reevaluated. The conceptualization of anxiety presented by Horwitz et al. defines foreign language (FL) anxiety as being unique to the FL learning classroom and being distinct in its emphasis on the self-perceptions and beliefs associated with this setting. Furthermore, the learners who experience anxiety are argued to be identifiable through their degree of anxiety and share similar characteristics. This conceptualization has been well received in SLA and has been widely employed in much of the FL learning research in the past two decades. Due to identity theory advancements in SLA however, this conceptualization of FL anxiety deserves to be reexamined. Employing poststructuralist identity theories (see Norton, 2000; Blackledge & Pavlenko, 2001; Block, 2007), FL learning anxiety will be reconceptualized to consider the dynamic nature of the learner‟s unique identity and views of other languages. A paradigm will be proposed, linking FL anxiety, identity and language belief together in a mutually constitutive relationship. A qualitative meta-analysis (Schmenk, 2002) will be conducted, examining current FL anxiety research in an effort to determine the assumptions, both implicit and explicit, made concerning notions of FL learning anxiety and identity. iii Implications of the proposed paradigm for the learner and instructor will finally be presented in an effort to introduce a discussion of the benefits of reconceptualizing FL learning. iv Acknowledgements Thank you to my fantastic supervisor, Dr. Barbara Schmenk, for her guidance, insight and encouragement throughout this process. I would also like to thank my two readers, Dr. Grit Liebscher and Dr. Mat Schulze, both of whom provided excellent feedback, of which I am very grateful. Thank you to my family and friends for providing much needed breaks and moments of relaxation and laughter amidst the hours of writing. I‟d finally like to thank my loving wife, Danielle, for being by my side and encouraging me through every step of this journey. v Table of Contents Introduction .......................................................................................................................................1 1 Literature review .........................................................................................................................8 1.1 1950 to 1960 – Initial instances of anxiety in learning ............................................................8 1.2 1960 to 1978 – Initial instances of anxiety in language learning ............................................11 1.3 1978 - Reexamining theories of anxiety...............................................................................14 1.4 1986 - Reconceptualizing anxiety .......................................................................................16 1.5 1986 to present - Foreign language learning anxiety after the FLCAS....................................18 1.5.1 Support for the FLCAS and its conceptualization of FL learning anxiety ........................19 1.5.2 Arguments against the FLCAS and its conceptualization of FL learning anxiety .............22 1.5.3 Current research .........................................................................................................23 2 Reconceptualizing foreign language learning anxiety ...................................................................25 2.1 Establishing Horwitz et al.‟s (1986) definition of foreign language anxiety ............................26 2.2 A revised conceptual framework .........................................................................................27 2.2.1 Parallels to performance anxiety ..................................................................................28 2.2.2 Aspects unique to foreign language learning anxiety .....................................................29 2.2.3 Identity construction in the FLCAS..............................................................................30 2.3 The FLCAS framework ......................................................................................................31 2.3.1 Results and implications of pilot study .........................................................................33 2.4 A need for further reconceptualization.................................................................................34 2.4.1 Communication apprehension......................................................................................35 2.4.2 Test anxiety................................................................................................................36 2.4.3 Fear of negative evaluation..........................................................................................37 2.4.4 The social context.......................................................................................................38 2.5 Re-envisioning the FLCAS.................................................................................................39 2.5.1 The role of identity .....................................................................................................42 3 Poststructuralist theories of identity ............................................................................................44 3.1 Early poststructuralist theory ..............................................................................................45 3.2 Poststructuralist approaches to language ..............................................................................47 vi 3.3 Negotiation of identity .......................................................................................................49 3.4 Identity, language, and FL learning anxiety .........................................................................52 3.4.1 FLCAS and its relation to poststructuralist approaches ..................................................52 3.5 A revised paradigm ............................................................................................................54 4 Applying the paradigm ..............................................................................................................57 4.1 Methodology .....................................................................................................................58 4.2 Qualitative meta-analysis criteria ........................................................................................61 4.2.1 Qualitative meta-analysis 1 – Chen and Chang (2004)...................................................62 4.2.2 Qualitative meta-analysis 2 – Frantzen and Magnan (2005) ...........................................66 4.2.3 Qualitative meta-analysis 3 – Sparks and Ganschow (2007)...........................................69 4.2.4 Qualitative meta-analysis 4 – Horwitz and Yan (2008) ..................................................75 4.3 Concluding remarks ...........................................................................................................81 5 Discussion and implications .......................................................................................................83 5.1 Implications in the classroom..............................................................................................86 5.1.1 Identity ......................................................................................................................87 5.1.2 Language ...................................................................................................................88 5.1.3 Foreign language learning anxiety ...............................................................................89 5.1.4 Pedagogical implications.............................................................................................91 5.2 Complications ...................................................................................................................93 5.3 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................94 References .......................................................................................................................................97 vii Introduction During the process of learning a second language, many learners find themselves in a familiar place: the classroom. The foreign language learning classroom is suitably equipped with the resources to aid a learner in acquiring a new language. A variety of input sources, ranging from the teacher, fellow students, texts and media all impact how the learner acquires the language.