Introduction to Psycholinguistics

Second Language Acquisition

Week #19:

Language Anxiety,

Classroom Dynamics

and Learner Beliefs

Outline

Adult language learners

Types of anxiety in educational
contexts

Foreign language anxiety

Sources of language anxiety

Classroom dynamics

Learner beliefs

0. Motto #1

"In ancient times, all teaching was
directed to

adults

. Learning was

active

enquiry

–

not passive reception

(Knowles 1990)

0. Motto #2

"It is humiliating to be deprived of
one's main means of communication –

one's own language

, which enables

one to appear

intelligent

or at least

adult

(Linsay 1977)

1. Adult language learners

•

Do adults make poorer L2
students than young learners?

•

What causes greater L2 learning
stress in adult learners?

1. Adult language learners

Both research and anecdotal evidence
gathered in EFL contexts indicate that –
despite their supposed edge over adults in
this domain …

… young learners (i.e. kindergarten and
lower primary) are hardly ever superior in
instructed SLA.

1. Adult language learners

TRENGTHS

advanced intellectual

development

and

experience

EAKNESSES

affective inhibitors such as

low self-esteem

and

lack of learning

know-how

1. Adult language learners

Skehan (1998):

Early bilingualism

is predominantly

instinctive

, owing to the child's easy

access to LAD/UG.
In contrast,

late bilingualism is skill-

based

and therefore perhaps similar to

solving mathematical problems.

2. Types of anxiety in educational

contexts

It is not clear is whether

anxiety

is a matter of

•

personality

•

an emotional reaction to a situation

•

or a combination of both of these factors.

2. Types of anxiety in educational

contexts

Furthermore,

anxiety

should be conceived of as:

beneficial/facilitating

vs.

inhibitory/debilitating

whether or not
anxiety can
affect learning
positively or
negatively

whether anxiety is a learner’s
stable predisposition to
become anxious, uneasy and
tense in various situations or
whether it is a reaction in a
particular situation

2. Types of anxiety in educational

contexts

• situational anxiety

: a psychological

discomfort occurring under certain
circumstances

• communication apprehension

: fear of

speaking with or listening to others

• test anxiety

fear of scoring poorly or

failing the course

2. Types of anxiety in educational

contexts

• archaic anxiety

a repressed distress

of the past acting as a latent personal
trauma; a psychological discomfort
resulting from negative experience of
earlier failures

• performance anxiety

fear of not

being able to learn what one is supposed
to learn

2. Types of anxiety in educational

contexts

• orientation anxiety

: fear of failing to

understand everything that happens in
the classroom

• acceptance anxiety

: fear of not being

liked or accepted by the classmates

3. Foreign language anxiety

Foreign language anxiety

can be

defined generally as an

emotion often

produced in response to stress

(Piechurska-Kuciel 2011: 200)

3. Foreign language anxiety

More specifically, it can be referred to
as the feeling of tension and
apprehension particularly associated
with L2 contexts, including speaking
and listening.
(MacIntyre & Gardner 1994: 284)

3. Foreign language anxiety

Adult learners, in particular, are sensitive
to the

inevitability of errors

,…

… largely due to their impatience to
master L2 and their perception of
linguistic failure as a face-threatening act.

3. Foreign language anxiety

Besides, there is the well-known
phenomenon of the

frustration of non-

communication

…

… undermining the status of a grown-up
person in a beginner-learner.

3. Foreign language anxiety

OREIGN

ANGUAGE

NXIETY

•

is situation-specific

•

stems from the uniqueness of formal
instruction in L2

•

is caused by learners' low self-
appraisal of their own abilities

3. Foreign language anxiety

OREIGN

ANGUAGE

NXIETY

•

is often a consequence of poor
achievement in L2 learning

•

leads to a feeling of tension and
apprehension, particularly during
speaking and listening activities

4. Sources of language anxiety

ERSONAL

ACTORS

•

apprehension and low self-esteem

•

the frustration of non-communication

•

loss of control over one’s own role in the

classroom (e.g. when one is late to answer

a general or personal solicit)

4. Sources of language anxiety

EER

ACTORS

•

judgement and disapproval

•

competitiveness

•

impatience

•

mock and ridicule

•

lack of attention for other Ss' contributions (e.g.

by showing disregard or lack of interest and by

interrupting)

4. Sources of language anxiety

EACHER

ACTORS

•

negative evaluation (e.g. correction)

•

neglect and disregard (e.g. T's favouritism)

•

isolation and alienation (e.g. when T does not

use Ss' names)

•

lack of attention and assistance

5. Classrom dynamics

Classroom dynamics

can be

defined as

perception of self in

relation to other participants

5. Classroom dynamics

RAITS

OOD

LASSROOM

YNAMICS

•

a friendly classroom environment

•

supportive atmosphere

•

cooperation and interaction

•

a positive attitude to L2 and the target
language culture

6. Learner beliefs

L2 learners "are not always conscious of
their individual learning styles, but
virtually

all learners, particularly older

ones, have strong beliefs and opinions
about how their instruction should be
delivered

(Lightbown & Spada 2001: 35)

6. Learner beliefs

ELIEFS

THAT

LEARNERS

HOLD

ABOUT

THEIR

LEARNING

–

MINI

THEORIES

•

learning "naturally"

•

learning about L2

•

attaching importance to personality and
affective factors

The End