Language Anxiety and Attitude of Secondary School Students towards Learning English

Abstract

In countries where English is taught as a foreign language, learners suffervarious levels of being anxious and develop a specific attitude towardsEnglish. The paper examined foreign language anxiety of 10th gradestudents and their attitude towards foreign language learning. Sample ofthe study was 360 male and 360 female students of 10th grade studentsof public sector secondary schools from six districts of the PunjabProvince of Pakistan. Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCAS)scale was used to investigate anxiety of the students and attitude towardsEnglish was found by using English language attitude scale. The datawere analyzed quantitatively using SPSS. t-test was used to find outgender differences for language anxiety and attitude. Relationship ofanxiety with attitude of the students was determined though Pearsonproduct moment coefficient. Results revealed that significant differencesexisted between male and female students for foreign language anxietyand attitude towards foreign language learning. Results also indicatedthat significant negative correlation was found between foreign languageanxiety and students’ attitude towards foreign language learning. Girlsshowed less anxiety in English language class and had more positiveattitude towards English. It was suggested that training might be given toEnglish language teachers on modern pedagogical patterns. Englishlanguage Curriculum might be redesigned keeping the context of thelearners in mind.

Predictive and Explanatory Relationship Model between Procrastination, Motivation, Anxiety and Academic Achievement

“…This supports the idea that facilitating anxiety may play an important role in academic performance (Scovel, 1978;Skehan, 1990;Eysenck, 1979). On the other hand, there are various studies suggesting that anxiety is generally associated with poor academic performance (Gardner, 2010;MacIntyre, Noels & Clément, 1997;Hussain, 2011;Kitano, 2001;Matsuda & Gobel, 2013). This controversy may arise from the fact that, as Horwitz (2010, 154) claimed, the notion of anxiety is "multi-faceted and psychologists have differentiated a number of types of anxiety including trait anxiety, state anxiety, achievement anxiety, and facilitative-debilitative anxiety".…”

“…Being generally associated with poor academic performance, anxiety (Hussain, 2011;Kitano, 2001;Matsuda & Gobel, 2013;Rassaei, 2015;Tuncer & Dogan, 2015;Bensalem, 2017;Kuscu, 2017) is another variable of procrastination (Solomon & Rothblum, 1984). Akbay and Gizir (2010) put forward the idea that even though a momentary feeling of relaxation emerges just after the academic procrastination behavior, in the long term, this feeling changes into a kind of anxiety that has negative effects on academic performance.…”

Public Speaking Anxiety Among Jordanian Efl Learners of English

“…Many researchers highlighted the link between attitude and language anxiety (Chang 2018;Hussain, 2018;Hussain et al, 2011;Zefran, 2015). Hussain (2018) researched public high school students who were worried about learning a foreign language, focusing on six provinces of Punjab, Pakistan. The results revealed a significant difference in language anxiety between male and female students.…”

Learner-Oriented Instruction and Data Interpretation Skills of Students in Manay South District, Davao Oriental

“…These skills equip students with the ability to understand and use data effectively, making them more informed and wellrounded individuals in both their academic pursuits and daily life. According to Hussain et al (2017), developing analytical interpretation aptitude promotes critical thinking abilities. Students learn to analyze information, consider multiple perspectives, and make logical connections, enhancing their overall cognitive skills.…”