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Factors associated with foreign language anxiety

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 1999

Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie ,
Phillip Bailey  and
Christine E. Daley
Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie*
Affiliation:
Valdosta State University
Phillip Bailey
Affiliation:
University of Central Arkansas
Christine E. Daley
Affiliation:
Muscogee County School District, Columbus, GA
*
Phillip Bailey, Department of Foreign Languages, University of Central Arkansas, 207 Irby Hall, 201 Donaghey Avenue, Conway, AR 72035-0001. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Foreign language anxiety is a complex phenomenon that has been found to be a predictor of foreign language achievement. This study of 210 university students examined factors that predict1 foreign language anxiety. A setwise multiple regression analysis revealed that seven variables (i.e., age, academic achievement, prior history of visiting foreign countries, prior high school experience with foreign languages, expected overall average for current language course, perceived scholastic competence, and perceived self-worth) contributed significantly to the prediction of foreign language anxiety. An analysis of variance, which included trend analysis, revealed that freshmen and sophomores reported the lowest levels of foreign language anxiety, and that anxiety levels increased linearly as a function of year of study. The educational implications of these findings for understanding foreign language anxiety and for increasing foreign language learning are discussed, as are suggestions for future research.

Type
Research Article
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , June 1999 , pp. 217 - 239
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1999

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