Types of FLA Foreign Language Anxiety FLA
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2 Learner’s Beliefs about Language Learning
Learner’s beliefs about language learning can also be associated with anxiety Horwitz et al., 1986; Horwitz, 1988, 1989; Price, 1991; Young, 1991.
Horwitzs study 1988 in Young 1991, p. 428 revealed that the students: 1 expressed great concern over the correctness of their utterances, 2
placed a great deal of stress on speaking with an excellent accent, 3 supported the notion that language learning is primarily translating from
English 4 believed that two years is enough time to become fluent in another language and 5 believed some people were more able to learn a
foreign language than others. In addition, many students also believed that learning a second language primarily involved memorizing vocabulary
words and grammatical rules.
According to Tallon 2008, p. 4, “when students’ unrealistic expectations
about language learning are not met, the situation can lead to negative feelings about on
e’s intelligence and abilities.” Such unrealistic beliefs like what Horwitz 1988 found may make the students later become disappointed and frustrated. I
conclude that unrealistic beliefs may make students have unrealistic expectations about language learning process, thus leading to anxiety. In addition, Palacios
1998 in Tallon 2008, p. 5 found that the following beliefs are associated with FLA. They are
1 the feeling that mastering a language is an overwhelming task, 2 the feeling that one needs to go through a translation process in order to
communicate in the target language, 3 the difficulty of keeping everything in one
’s head and 4 the belief that learning a language is easier at an earlier age.
3 Teacher’s Beliefs about Language Teaching
Teacher’s beliefs about language teaching determine the teacher-learner interactions. They are further possible sources of language anxiety because the
teachers assumption about the role of language teachers may not always PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
23 correspond to the students needs or expectations toward him or her Ohata, 2005
in Linh, 2011. Young 1991 identifies the following teacher beliefs which have been shown to evoke feelings of anxiety in students: 1 it is necessary for the
teacher to be intimidating at times, 2 the instructor is supposed to correct every single mistake made by the students, 3 group or partner work is not appropriate
because it can get out of control, 4 the teacher should do most of the talking and 5
the instructor’s role is that of a drill sergeant. Besides, Palacios 1998 in Tallon 2008 found the following
characteristics of the teacher to be associated with anxiety. They are absence of teacher support, unsympathetic personalities, lack of time for personal attention,
favoritism, absence that the class does not provide students with the tools necessary to match up with the teacher
’s expectations and the sense of being judged by the teacher or wanting to impress the teacher. A judgmental teaching
attitude Samimy, 1994 in Linh, 2011 and a harsh manner of teaching Aida, 1994 are closely linked to student fear in the classroom. In addition, Ando 1999
in Linh 2011, p. 41 argues that “having a native speaker for a teacher can cause
anxiety because the teacher may lack the sensitivity of the learning process or the teacher’s English may be hard for students to understand.”
4 Classroom Characteristics
Young 1991 propose a list of classroom activities which are perceived as anxiety-provoking: 1 spontaneous role play in front of the class, 2 speaking in
front of the class, 3 oral presentations or skits in front of the class, 4 presenting a prepared dialogue in front of the class and 5 writing work on the board.
Similarly, Palacios 1998 in Tallon 2008, p. 6 found that “demands of oral
24 production, feelings of being put on the spot, the pace of the class, and the
element of being evaluated i.e., fear of negative evaluation to be anxiety- producing to students.
” Young 1999 emphasizes that putting the learner “on the spot” in front of their classmates without allowing adequate preparation is also
source of anxiety for many students. Moreover, Oxford 1999 emphasizes learning and teaching styles as a potential source of language anxiety. If the
teacher ’s teaching style and a student’s learning style are not compatible, “style
wars” can trigger or heighten anxiety levels.
5 Classmates
According to Horwitz et al. 1986, anxiety especially FNE is triggered not only by the teacher as a fluent speaker but also the classmates. Koch and Terrell
1991 similarly state that speaking in front of the peers is another source of anxiety in learning a foreign language. In her study, Young 1990 investigated
the students’ perspectives on anxiety and speaking. The result of her study revealed that, in a language class, the students felt most anxious when they had to
speak in front of their peers. Horwitz et al. 1986 suggest that language classrooms are threatening in part because students are often required to
communicate in front of their peers in an unfamiliar language and are often publicly evaluated while doing so.