Emic Perspectives on Young Danish Learners' Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety

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  • Author(s): Katalin Fenyvesi (ORCID Katalin Fenyvesi (ORCID 0000-0002-1840-7234)
  • Language:
    English
  • Source:
    Language Teaching Research. 2024 28(3):948-966.
  • Publication Date:
    2024
  • Document Type:
    Journal Articles
    Reports - Research
  • Additional Information
    • Availability:
      SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: https://sagepub.com
    • Peer Reviewed:
      Y
    • Source:
      19
    • Education Level:
      Grade 9
      High Schools
      Junior High Schools
      Middle Schools
      Secondary Education
      Elementary Education
    • Subject Terms:
      Grade 9; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Anxiety; Foreign Countries; Communication (Thought Transfer); Measures (Individuals); Likert Scales; Elementary School Students; Age Differences; Error Patterns; Student Attitudes; Criticism; Peer Relationship; Language Usage
    • Subject Terms:
      Denmark
    • Subject Terms:
      Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale
    • Accession Number:
      10.1177/13621688211001200
    • ISSN:
      1362-1688
      1477-0954
    • Abstract:
      This study explores what young Danish learners found anxiety-provoking or difficult in their English as a foreign language (EFL) classes. Participants (n = 32) were early and later starters (ages 8 years vs. 10 years) at two primary schools where children were not assessed in English. The qualitative inquiry aimed to examine what differences characterized 8- and 10-year-old children's views and how their foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) changed over time. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each child in one-on-one settings and the answers were analysed by thematic analysis. The emerging themes revealed three main categories of situations that made children anxious. The first one concerned being afraid of making mistakes. The second category comprised social situations in which children were asked to speak in English in front of their peers and they were anxious that other children would criticize them or laugh at them. The third category comprised situations in which children felt insecure, for example, they did not understand their teacher's talk in the target language, did not know the meaning of words they were supposed to learn, did not understand the task at hand, or they had to do tasks they thought were beyond their abilities. Children who experienced a decrease of FLCA after one year of instruction indicated that appropriate support from the teacher had reduced FLCA in some of these situations. Pedagogical implications of the different causes of anxiety are discussed.
    • Abstract:
      As Provided
    • Publication Date:
      2024
    • Accession Number:
      EJ1422437