ELTWeekly Issue#34, Research Paper: Anxiety in Language Learning

By Tarun Patel

Anxiety in Language Learning

by Melahat Amir Jahansouz Shahi, Iran

Abstract

Anxiety is one of the most challenging obstacles to overcome in learning a new foreign language. Learners are afraid of making mistakes, of looking and sounding foolish, of being vulnerable. They like feeling smart, worthy of admiration, respected for their skills and knowledge, knowing their true personality is coming through. That can be hard to do in a foreign language, especially in the beginning. Moreover, as it is statistically demonstrated, anxiety can be a determining factor in test performance of students. Due to the apparent importance of this factor in language learning, it seems relevant to focus on this element more. This article is an attempt to provide some of the underlying points in this regard, discussing its effects on different facets of language learning, and offer some important tips for the learners to overcome the problems arising from it.