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The secret to overcoming foreign language anxiety: How can students and teachers work together?
Foreign language anxiety, or xenoglossia, is the apprehension and uneasiness experienced when learning or using a second language. Such emotions may arise from a variety of situations related to language learning, whether it is related to the productive skills of speaking and writing, or the receptive skills of reading and listening. Research shows that foreign language anxiety is a significant and common problem in language classrooms around the world, especially in terms of oral expression. It is an anxiety response that occurs in a specific situation. Some people are more prone to anxiety in various situations, but foreign language anxiety tends to be more situational and can also affect people who are not prone to anxiety in other situations.
Major causes of foreign language anxiety include apprehension (fear of communicating), test anxiety and fear of negative evaluation.
The psychological component of foreign language anxiety cannot be ignored. This anxiety has many adverse effects on foreign language performance, but both students and teachers can adopt appropriate strategies to reduce anxiety. Anxiety is rooted in the threats faced by individuals and is influenced by self-efficacy and evaluation. Language learning is a challenging task for many students, and the classroom environment often amplifies these anxieties.
Causes of foreign language anxiety
The main causes of foreign language anxiety can be divided into three aspects: communication apprehension, test anxiety and fear of negative evaluation. Communication apprehension is the anxiety felt when talking or listening to others, while test anxiety is a type of anxiety related to the fear of performing poorly or failing. These factors combined can lead to increased anxiety levels and reduced self-efficacy.
For students learning a foreign language, situation-specific anxiety can arise under certain conditions, for example in a foreign language classroom, where it may become more pronounced.
The impact of foreign language anxiety not only exists in the language learning environment, but also reaches communication with others. People with high foreign language anxiety may appear more reserved in social situations and their confidence in communicating may be affected.
How to Reduce Foreign Language Anxiety
Reducing foreign language anxiety requires joint efforts from students and teachers. Students need to proactively acknowledge and manage their foreign language anxiety. The first step is to recognize the specific activities that cause anxiety and seek appropriate strategies to cope with them. Forming a support group, joining a language club or journaling are all common self-help strategies.
Teachers can create a comfortable environment in the classroom, conduct group activities, and discuss anxiety issues regularly so that students can feel that they are not alone.
For example, teachers can use games, conduct group discussions, and guide verbal games in class to encourage students to grow from their mistakes rather than simply focusing on negative comments. For students with higher levels of anxiety, using songs as a teaching strategy can effectively improve their learning performance and make them more comfortable and confident in using the language.
Joint effort between students and teachers
In addition to paying attention to each other's physical and mental health, honest communication between students and teachers is also an important part of overcoming foreign language anxiety. Teachers' support and positive guidance can help build students' self-confidence. When students feel supported, their anxiety levels will be significantly reduced. Students actively and proactively provide feedback on their learning needs, which can promote a better learning environment.
Classroom atmosphere, peer relationships and teachers' teaching methods are all important factors that affect students' foreign language learning.
In conclusion, overcoming foreign language anxiety is an important issue in language learning, and close cooperation between students and teachers is the key to solving this problem. In your opinion, how can this kind of partnership be better established to promote success in foreign language learning?
