Read All About It! "Classroom Anxiety and Enjoyment"
Foreign language enjoyment and anxiety: The effect of teacher and learner variable.
Language Teaching Research
- Jean-Marc Dewaele University of London, UK
- John Witney Westminster School, London, UK
- Kazuya Saito University of London, UK
- Livia Dewaele University of Oxford, UK
DOI 10.1177/1362168817692161
Abstract: Positive psychology has boosted interest in the positive as well as the negative emotions that Foreign Language learners experience. The present study examines whether – and to what extent – foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and foreign language (FL) classroom anxiety (FLCA) are linked to a range of learner internal variables and teacher/classroom-specific variables within one specific educational context. Participants were 189 British high school students learning various FLs. Higher levels of FLE were linked to higher scores on attitudes towards the FL, the FL teacher, FL use in class, proportion of time spent on speaking, relative standing and stage of development. Lower levels FLCA were linked to higher scores on attitudes towards the FL, relative standing and stage of development. FLCA thus seems less related to teacher and teacher practices than FLE. The pedagogical implication is that teachers should strive to boost FLE rather than worry too much about students’ FLCA
Professor Jean – Marc Dewaele has been conducting research into foreign language learning, specifically the emotional and individual motivators that drive students to learn and succeed, for the past three decades. He is currently the Editor General of the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism & President of the International Association of Multilingualism. His publications covered a wide range of topics. From the seemingly eccentric ((2010) Dewaele, J.-M. ‘Christ fucking shit merde!’ Language preferences for swearing among sally proficient multilinguals. Sociolinguistic Studies) to the technical ((2001) Dewaele, J.-M. Interpreting the maxim of quantity: interindividual and situational variation in discourse styles of non-native speakers. In E. Németh (ed.), Cognition in Language Use: Selected Papers from the 7th International Pragmatics Conference, Vol. 1. Antwerp: International Pragmatics Association, 85-99). In the later years his focus has shifted more toward the realm of the emotional drivers in language acquisition. It is in this later chapter of his publications that this review is regarding.
Foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) and Foreign language enjoyment (FLE) are good indicators of a students potential success when learning a new language. A student without motivation will struggle to keep the necessary level of engagement required to learn a foreign language; likewise, a student who struggles with anxiety will miss valuable learning opportunities in the classroom and hinder their progression. Dewaele quotes MacIntyre & Mercer (MacIntyre, P.D., & Mercer, S. (2014). Introducing positive psychology to SLA. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4, 153–172.) in this regard:
"Many language educators are aware of the importance of improving individual learners’ experiences of language learning by helping them to develop and maintain their motivation, perseverance, and resiliency, as well as positive emotions necessary for the long-term undertaking of learning a foreign language. In addition, teachers also widely recognize the vital role played by positive classroom dynamics amongst learners and teachers, especially in settings in which communication and personally meaningful interactions are foregrounded. "
-Dewaele et al.
This essential dynamic in the language classroom is the crux of this studies research questions. Namely:
"1. What is the relationship between FLE and FLCA?
2. To what extent are FLE and FLCA within one specific educational context linked to learner-internal variables (age, gender, degree of multilingualism, attitude towards the FL, level of mastery of the FL, relative standing among peers in the FL class) and teacher/classroom-specific variables (attitudes towards teacher, frequency of use of the FL by teacher, time spent reading, writing, listening and speaking in the FL class and predictability of the FL class)?
3. What are the pedagogical implications of identifying sources of FLE and FLCA?"
- Dewaele et al.
Dewaele’s results indicated a significant negative correlation between FLE and FLCA. This seems to a be an inherently obvious implication. What was more intriguing however was the analysis of independent variables in FLCA & FLE.
Dewaele et al.
There are some interesting nuggets that are worth considering within the results of these one-way ANOVA’s tests.
"The finding that there is a positive relationship between positive attitudes towards the teacher and FLE was expected…. More surprising was the finding that the attitude towards the teacher was unrelated to FLCA. In other words, students were equally anxious with much-loved and less-loved teachers, which suggest that well-loved teachers can create anxiety, but not necessarily more or less anxiety than other teachers, as indicated by a lack of significant differences."
-Dewaele et al.
This research helps to indicate the complexity of the learning process related to second language acquisition. The myriad of variables that determine an individual students’ levels of anxiety in the classroom are somewhat out of the teachers control. This does provide an excuse for the FL teacher to stand behind, but should color their lesson plans, classroom management & student engagement. Alternative ways of boosting an anxious students’ participation can be sought out and employed but knowing some variables are independent of the teacher is a worthwhile tool.
Understanding the best approach for teaching a FL is difficult. The age of your students, the culture around learning, their individual ability, and the time spent on study are all key variables in successful learning. How much time spent speaking, how much time spent writing, how much time spent listening. These are hard specifics to detail out. Not only are there multiple learning styles to be accounted for, but there are also age related neurological differences in language learning ability. What that means is that a totally immersive spoken language environment might work well for young children but that a more grammar intensive written language environment might work well for young adults.
"Only one type of activity was linked to higher levels of FLE: students who reported more time speaking the FL also enjoyed their FL classes more… but that the optimal amount of time spent on speaking is relatively high. This could be linked to the fact that flow experiences, which are inherently enjoyable, typically involve speaking in the FL classes with peers and teacher listening…"
-Dewaele et al.
The amount of time spent speak can help students enjoy their classroom experience more. However, speaking without understanding or speaking without confidence can be minimally beneficial. Some students respond better to spoken language when they are sure of their ability to speak it. Uncertainty in ability and being asked to speak can cause anxiety in some students.
The article concludes with effective actionable advice for teachers to undertake in their language classrooms :
"Metaphorically, we suggest that teachers should seek to light the students’ fire by being engaging, by creating interest in the FL and by using it a lot in class rather than worry too much about students feeling cold. Once the right emotional temperature is reached, students will forget about the cold and will jump into action, reaching their own optimal temperature."
-Dewaele et al.
While this metaphor is obvious to the seasoned teacher, the research/data had not previously been well documented. Students are far more sensitive and plastic in their enjoyment of learning a foreign language. Anxiety can play a significant role. Environment can/will play a role. More importantly thought the teacher is required to perfect the mechanism by which ELL can access the material. The teacher has to prey upon the students’ motivations to bring forth their best capabilities.
