Saudi EFL Learners’ FLA

Levels, Causes, Gender, and Impact on Academic Performance

Bibliographic Data

ID21805263
AuthorsRahaf A Alsalooli (Saudi Commission for Health Specialties), Mazeegha A Al-Tale, Mazeegha Ahmed Al Tale’ (0000-0002-6355-8816, King Khalid University)
Year2022
Volume13
Issue1
Pages145-155
Publication date2022-01-02
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Language Teaching and Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1798-4769 • E-ISSN: 2053-0684
PublisherAcademy Publication (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.17507/jltr.1301.17
OpenAlexW4205334427
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited2

As a common psycholinguistic barrier that hinders EFL learning, Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) has become an important study area in EFL learning and teaching. This study investigated the level and causes of FLA among 69 first-year EFL learners at Bisha University in Saudi Arabia. The influence of gender on the level of FLA was also examined. Moreover, the study examined the impact of FLA on the participants' language achievement. The researchers utilized a modified version of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel were used to analyse the data. The results showed that most learners typically had a moderate level of FLA caused by communication apprehension and fears related to negative feedback and language tests. The results also revealed that gender does not affect the level of FLA. In addition, the results indicated that high levels of FLA among learners had a significant impact on their performance. Based on these findings, this study provided recommendations for teachers to mitigate the causes of FLA

Anxiety · Apprehension · Communication Apprehension · English as a foreign language · Foreign language · Foreign language anxiety · Mathematics education · Communication · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching

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