Multilingualism and foreign language anxiety: the case of Saudi EFL learners

Abstract

The present study focuses on the link between foreign language anxiety (FLA), self-perceived proficiency, and multilingualism in the under-explored EFL context of Saudi Arabia. Ninety six Arabic learners of English (56 males, 40 females) answered the Arabic version of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLACS; Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986). The analyses revealed that Saudi multilinguals suffered from low to moderate levels of FLA with female participants experiencing more anxiety than their male counterparts. Multiple regression analyses revealed that gender and self-perceived proficiency explained over a quarter of variance in FLA. Furthermore, the study did not find any role of experience abroad in predicting FLA.

The Relationship Between Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety and Background Variables in a Multilingual Context

“…The majority of participants had a low to average rate of FLCA. Their level of FLCA was lower than the level of students reported in previous research involving Saudi EFL learners (e.g., Alshahrani, 2016;Bensalem, 2018;Alrabai, 2014). These findings lend support to the hypothesis that multilingualism is linked with lower levels of FLCA as reported by previous studies (e.g., Dewaele, 2007;Thompson & Khawaja, 2015).…”

“…Three of the background variables, namely gender, self-efficacy and English self-perceived proficiency, explained 31.5% of the variance of FLCA among participants. The relative role played by these three variables in predicting FLCA is corroborated by a recent study involving Saudi EFL students conducted by Bensalem (2018). However, in his study the three background variables combined explained only 28.2% of the variance in the participants' FLAC.…”

“…Previous studies on the link between FLA and experience abroad reported that experience abroad tends to help decrease the levels of FLCA (e.g., Coleman, 1997;Thompson & Lee, 2013;Allen & Herron, 2003). However, in a more recent study, Bensalem (2018) found that experience abroad was not a predictor of FLCA. These inclusive outcomes suggest that the relationship between study abroad and anxiety is complex (Allen & Herron, 2003).…”

“…Research that examined the impact of FLCA on students' performance found a negative correlation between foreign language anxiety and the students' English achievement (Abu-Ghararah, 1999;Alrabai, 2014;Bensalem, 2017). However, only one single study examined multilinguals' anxiety among Saudi or Arab students in the Arabian Gulf region (Bensalem, 2018). In this study, the author reported that the ninety-six Arab undergraduate college-level EFL students had low to moderate levels of FLA with female participants exhibiting more anxiety than their male counterparts.…”

“…Experience abroad refers to the involvement in any formal or informal exchange program regardless of its duration (Thompson & Lee, 2013). There is a lack of research regarding the potential role of experience abroad in FLCA (Bensalem, 2018). Previous studies on the link between FLA and experience abroad reported that experience abroad tends to help decrease the levels of FLCA (e.g., Coleman, 1997;Thompson & Lee, 2013;Allen & Herron, 2003).…”