Browsing by Subject "foreign language anxiety"
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Item Open Access The effect of socio-affective language learning strategies and emotional intelligence training on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' foreign language anxiety in speaking classes(2013) Gürman-Kahraman, FatmaThe study aims to explore the possible effects of socio-affective language learning strategies (LLSs) and emotional intelligence (EI) training on EFL students‟ foreign language anxiety (FLA) in speaking courses. With this aim, the study was carried out with 50 elementary level EFL learners and three speaking skills teachers at a state university in Turkey. The participating students had a five-week training based on the socioaffective LLSs suggested by Oxford (1990) and the skills in Bar-On‟s (2000) EI model in their speaking skills lessons. Before and after the interval, all the participating students were administered both the “Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale” (FLCAS) and the “Socio-Affective Strategy Inventory of Language Learning” (SASILL), which served as pre- and post-questionnaires. In addition, students were asked to fill in perception cards in each training week, and six students and the three teachers who gave the training were interviewed in order to collect qualitative data related to the participants‟ attitudes towards individual strategies/skill and the treatment in general. As a result, quantitative data analysis from the pre- and post-FLCAS indicated that there was a statistically significant decrease in the participating students‟ overall anxiety levels. However, the students‟ perceptions on the socioaffective strategies did not differ much after the training. Only two affective strategies were observed to have a significant increase in their uses: “rewarding yourself” and “lowering your anxiety”. The results of the content analysis of the perception cards revealed that the students mostly liked the training activity Give and Receive Compliments, which aimed to teach the “interpersonal relationship” competence of EI and the social LLS of “cooperating with others”. On the other hand, the activity that the students enjoyed the least was Use the System of ABCD, which aimed to address the affective LLS of “lowering your anxiety” and the EI skill of “impulse control”. Furthermore, the thematic analysis of student and teacher interviews demonstrated that the training was enjoyable, beneficial in general, and useful in diagnosing the feeling of foreign language anxiety; nevertheless, that some strategies and skills were difficult to apply and some training activities were mechanical and unattractive were the other reported common ideas.Item Open Access The relationship between emotional intelligence and foreign language anxiety in Turkish EFL students(2009) Şakrak, GülnihalIt is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the rising trend of emotional intelligence in education. So far, however, there has been very little discussion about the relationship between emotional intelligence and foreign language anxiety. The main objectives of the this study were a) to give a general picture of the emotional intelligence and foreign language anxiety levels of Turkish EFL students at university level; b) to investigate the effects of gender and success level on both emotional intelligence and foreign language anxiety; c) explore the relationship between emotional intelligence and foreign language anxiety; and d) to examine the relationships between the five sub-skills of emotional intelligence (adaptability, stress management, mood, interpersonal, and intrapersonal) and foreign language anxiety. The study gathered data from 308 students from Akdeniz University Preparatory School in Antalya, Turkey. The data concerning emotional intelligence were collected through the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i). Students‟ foreign language anxiety was measured via the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). The collected data were analyzed quantitatively. Analysis of the quantitative data revealed that neither emotional intelligence nor foreign language anxiety varied according to gender. However, level of success was found to be significant in participants‟ foreign language anxiety. It was also found that there was a statistically significant negative correlation between the participants‟ emotional intelligence and foreign language anxiety. Moreover, all of the sub-skills of emotional intelligence negatively correlated with foreign language anxiety. Referring to the significant negative correlation between emotional intelligence and foreign language anxiety, the results of the study may be utilized in emphasizing emotional literacy and emotional intelligence in the school curriculums. The findings revealed that students with higher emotional intelligence had lower foreign language anxiety. In the light of these findings, more importance should be given to emotional intelligence skills in language learning classrooms. It is suggested that an emotional intelligence integrated curriculum may diminish students‟ foreign language anxiety, and create a more stress-free classroom atmosphere.Item Open Access The relationship between past language learning experiences and foreign language anxiety of Turkish university EFL students(2009) Çakar, Gülsen GültekinThis study mainly investigated the relationship between past language learning experiences and the foreign language anxiety levels of university EFL learners. It also aimed to find out the extent to which language learning background factors have an impact on foreign language anxiety. The study was conducted in the English preparatory programs at Bilkent and Pamukkale Universities, with the participation of 285 students from three proficiency levels (pre-intermediate, intermediate and upperintermediate). Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaire administered to students included two main sections. In the first section, demographic information about the participants was collected. In the second section, the translation of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) questionnaire by Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope, 1986 was given to the participants. Questionnaires were analyzed by using t-tests and ANOVA tests. Afterwards, using the results of the analyses involved in the quantitative part, participants who demonstrated high and low levels of anxiety were selected for participation in the qualitative phase. Through the use of in-depth interviews, actual accounts of past language learning experiences and university students’ current anxiety levels were explored. The analysis of the quantitative data revealed that students’ prior history of visiting countries, having had a native teacher, having studied another language besides English were all related to the prediction of foreign language anxiety. The interview results showed that for both high and low anxiety students the role of previous language learning experiences has an impact on forming their current anxiety levels.