The positive effect of conference participation on reducing L2 communication apprehension

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to examine the socio-psychological and interpersonal process by which Japanese college students majoring in nursing reduced their levels of communication apprehension and eventually enhanced the level of willingness to communicate through their experiences of volunteering as interns at an international conference. Data were obtained from a focus group meeting of nine Japanese students who volunteered to work as interns at an international conference. An approximately 120-minute meeting was audio-recorded and transcribed. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, the transcribed data were coded into meaningful units, which were then categorized into concepts representing the participants’ sociological and psychological outlook on communication. The results reveal that participation as an intern at an international conference can reduce the level of communication apprehension and suggest that the Japanese sense of self, manifested socially as ‘other- directedness’, might actually be re-directed in a positive way leading to more effective L2 communication strategies

Second-language learners\u27 writing anxiety: Types, causes, and teachers\u27 perceptions

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the causes and most common types of second-language writing anxiety among students taking an intensive English course in the English Language Institute (ELI) at the American University in Cairo (AUC). Towards this end, the study examined the problem from both the learners\u27 and teachers\u27 perspective in order to provide the teachers with the issues they could consider to help their learners feel less anxious about their writing. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in this exploratory study. A convenience sample of 51 Egyptian ESL learners enrolled in the Intensive English Program (IEP) in the ELI was chosen to participate in the study. The researcher gave them a questionnaire adapted from the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) developed by Zhang (2011) in order to identify the causes and most common types of writing anxiety among them. To investigate the teachers\u27 perspectives of L2 writing anxiety, interviews with six teachers in the IEP with varying years of teaching experience were conducted. The results of the quantitative data, using descriptive statistics, show that the most common types of L2 writing anxiety among the students were Somatic Anxiety (SA) and Cognitive Anxiety (CA). On the other hand, a very small percentage of the students suffered from Avoidance Anxiety (AA). The reason why their level of SA and CA were higher is because most of their causes of L2 writing anxiety were associated more with physiological and psychological effects resulting from their anxiety experience. The teachers\u27 answers to the interview questions corresponded with the students\u27 responses to the questionnaire items. They reported that they notice and observe symptoms related to L2 writing anxiety very similar to those indicated by the students

Language Stress And Anxiety Among The English Language Learners

AbstractLanguage learners usually express anxiety, apprehension and nervousness when learning a new language. Language anxiety can originate from learners’ own sense of ‘self’, their self-related cognitions, language learning difficulties, differences in learners’ and target language cultures, differences in social status of the speakers and interlocutors, and from the fear of losing self-identity. Consideration of language learners’ anxiety reactions by a language teacher is deemed highly important in order to assist them to achieve the intended performance goals in the target language(Tanveer, 2007). Language anxiety may also be a result as well as a cause of insufficient command of the target language (Sparks and Ganschow; cited in Horwitz, 2001: 118). It may be experienced due to linguistic difficulties L2/FL learners face in learning and using the target language. Within social contexts, language anxiety may be experienced due to extrinsic motivators (Schwartz, 1972; cited in Scovel, 1991: 16), such as different social and cultural environments, particularly the environments where L1 and L2/FL learning takes place. Using a qualitative semi-structured interview and focus-group discussion technique,this study tried to investigate the factors behind language anxiety among the Iranian language learners both within the classroom and in the social context, and has suggested a variety of strategies to cope with it. The findings suggested that language anxiety can originate from learners’ own sense of ‘self’, their selfrelated cognitions, language learning difficulties, differences in learners’ and target language cultures, differences in social status of the speakers and interlocutors, and from the fear of losing self-identity. Furthermore, considering the crucial role of teachers in second or foreign language pedagogy, a need was felt to investigate the beliefs and perceptions of language teachers about learning and teaching a second or a foreign language

Why Do Japanese People Not Speak English? Japanese Elementary Students in a Bilingual School

Japanese schools have invested much money and effort in teaching English, yet why do most Japanese people not speak English? Their reticence has been attributed to various factors including communication apprehension or language anxiety. In this study, qualitative, phenomenological interviews were conducted with 24 Japanese upper elementary students at a bilingual international school in Japan to investigate influences on their willingness to communicate in English. Through open coding of the students’ responses, four themes emerged. Intrinsic factors which made students reticent to speak in English were internal stress and the perceived difficulty of English speaking. Social groups and identity issues were extrinsic factors which were also found to influence Japanese students’ attitudes toward English speaking

ENGLISH WRITING ANXIETY IN SAUDI UNDERGRADUATE FEMALE STUDENTS

The purpose of the present study was to address the phenomenon of English writing anxiety in Saudi female undergraduate students in the preparatory year English language program (PYEL). The newly-designed instrument, English Writing Anxiety Survey (EWAS), was developed to identify the levels of English writing anxiety in students; examine the key factors provoking second language (L2) writing anxiety (i.e., language classroom anxiety and cognitive anxiety); determine the effect of writing apprehension on students’ writing performance; investigate the roles of variables, such as reading motivation and language proficiency on students’ L2 writing anxiety; and to provide strategies to alleviate writing anxiety in apprehensive writers. Data were collected quantitatively via an online self-reported survey during the first semester of the PYEL program at Taibah University in Fall 2018. Participants (n= 296) completed the Arabic version of the EWAS via Qualtrics.Descriptive and statistical analyses revealed that the subjects were experiencing high English writing apprehension, high cognitive anxiety and had moderate reading motivation. Further data analysis showed that there was a negative correlation between writing anxiety and reading motivation. However, no significant relationship was observed and detected between writing anxiety and students’ second language proficiency. Multiple regression analysis revealed that reading motivation was a significant predicator of students’ writing anxiety, while language proficiency was found to be non-significant. Findings also revealed that writing anxiety had negatively affected the subjects\u27 writing performance. Students attributed their writing anxiety to several sources, such as lack of confidence, fear of making mistakes and fear of evaluation. In the light of the study’s findings, the present study discussed practical and instructional implications and suggests several techniques based on pedagogically sound approaches to help reduce L2 writing anxiety in apprehensive language learners

Audiences' willingness to participate in Welsh-language media

PhDContemporary media audiences expect to be able to interact with content, but in a minority language context, audience participation presents challenges related to audiences’ linguistic confidence. This thesis focuses on Wales, where media producers have suggested that audiences are often reluctant to interact with broadcast and online content in Welsh. To begin to understand this unwillingness, and how it might be overcome, the concept of willingness to participate (WTP) is coined as an extension of willingness to communicate (McCroskey & Baer 1985). First, interviews with producers are analysed qualitatively to identify potential influences on audiences’ WTP. The analysis aims to assess the relative importance of various factors: audiences’ feelings of apprehension, self-perceived competence, language background and Welsh language ability, as well as the modality of participation (oral/written) and the level of demand placed on the audience. Second, a questionnaire is designed and administered to 358 Welsh speakers, to examine audiences’ perceptions of different opportunities to participate in media content. A path model of WTP is proposed and tested using quantitative data from the survey. The results support the hypothesis that audiences’ apprehension and self-perceived competence predict WTP and that audience response varies according to the media context. While audiences’ Welsh language skills are important in explaining their WTP, other aspects of language background, such as Welsh language acquisition context, are found to be less important. Third, the survey sample is grouped according to common patterns of WTP, to test whether the above effects are consistent across the population or whether different ‘types’ of audience exist. Using a combination of cluster analysis and thematic analysis of audience comments, four types of audience are proposed and described in detail. Finally, implications for sociolinguistic theory, language maintenance and media production practice are considered and recommendations made.Arts and Humanities Research Counci

The Effects of Asynchronous Computer Voice Conferencing on L2 Learners' Speaking Anxiety

This study investigated the influence of a computer voice conferencing environment (Wimba) on learners’ anxiety when speaking in a foreign language. Several instruments were used for data collection: A demographic survey, the Computer Anxiety Index (CAIN), the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), the Wimba Anxiety Scale, student interviews, and a rubric developed for the evaluation of risk-taking. Results indicate that there is a strong potential for the reduction of anxiety associated with the Wimba environment. This was due to the elimination of the time pressure of the classroom and opportunity to edit student contributions. Increased risk-taking, in terms of the quantity and quality of the output produced by students, and reduced fear of negative evaluation were also found in the electronic environment. The conditions of the facility where the Wimba environment is accessed, i.e. a language laboratory, were found to hinder Wimba’s anxiety-reducing potential

The effects of the process approach on writing apprehension and writing quality among ESL students at university level in Malaysia

This study was designed to investigate the effects of two methods of teaching written composition (i.e. traditional and process approach) on writing apprehension among ESL students, and also the effect of the process approach on the overall quality and length of their writing. Students enrolled in Written Communication 1 course at the National University of Malaysia were chosen as the subjects of this study. The students had been placed in three groups based on the results of previous courses and for the purpose of this study the top and the bottom groups were selected as the experimental groups and the middle one as the control. From the findings, it was concluded that both methods were successful in reducing writing apprehension, but that the process approach was considerably more effective in achieving this than the traditional approach. Moreover, the subjects in the process/experimental group were found to write better and longer essays than the subjects in the control group taught in the usual way