Language Stress And Anxiety Among The English Language Learners
Open accessAbstract
Language learners usually express anxiety, apprehension and nervousness when learning a new language. Language anxiety can originate from learners’ own sense of ‘self’, their self-related cognitions, language learning difficulties, differences in learners’ and target language cultures, differences in social status of the speakers and interlocutors, and from the fear of losing self-identity. Consideration of language learners’ anxiety reactions by a language teacher is deemed highly important in order to assist them to achieve the intended performance goals in the target language(Tanveer, 2007). Language anxiety may also be a result as well as a cause of insufficient command of the target language (Sparks and Ganschow; cited in Horwitz, 2001: 118). It may be experienced due to linguistic difficulties L2/FL learners face in learning and using the target language. Within social contexts, language anxiety may be experienced due to extrinsic motivators (Schwartz, 1972; cited in Scovel, 1991: 16), such as different social and cultural environments, particularly the environments where L1 and L2/FL learning takes place. Using a qualitative semi-structured interview and focus-group discussion technique,this study tried to investigate the factors behind language anxiety among the Iranian language learners both within the classroom and in the social context, and has suggested a variety of strategies to cope with it. The findings suggested that language anxiety can originate from learners’ own sense of ‘self’, their selfrelated cognitions, language learning difficulties, differences in learners’ and target language cultures, differences in social status of the speakers and interlocutors, and from the fear of losing self-identity. Furthermore, considering the crucial role of teachers in second or foreign language pedagogy, a need was felt to investigate the beliefs and perceptions of language teachers about learning and teaching a second or a foreign language.
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Foreign language anxiety affects academic achievement.
“Indeed, it has been determined that foreign language anxiety affects academic achievement (Hashemi, 2011; Song, 2024), and students with high anxiety levels struggle with vocabulary learning (Kühl and Wohninsland, 2022).”
From Incidental vocabulary learning from digital games: the predictive role of game playing time, foreign language motivation, and anxiety (2026) · cites this paper as Hashemi, 2011
The Introduction says anxiety negatively influences language learning, and §1.3 links alleviating anxiety to improved performance in the target language. The paper supports an effect on language-learning performance, but the broader claim about academic achievement is not established in our copy. Page numbers were not available. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety
HORWITZ, E. K., HORWITZ, M. B., & COPE, J. (1986) · The Modern Language Journal · doi:10.1111/j.1540-4781.1986.tb05256.x · Cited by 5,697 · see citing works
Social Identity, Investment, and Language Learning
Peirce, B. N. (1995) · TESOL Quarterly · doi:10.2307/3587803 · Cited by 2,877 · see citing works
THE EFFECT OF AFFECT ON FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING: A REVIEW OF THE ANXIETY RESEARCH
Scovel, T. (1978) · Language Learning · doi:10.1111/j.1467-1770.1978.tb00309.x · Cited by 1,207 · see citing works
Language anxiety: from theory and research to classroom implications
MacIntyre, P. D. (1992) · System · doi:10.1016/0346-251x(92)90069-f · Cited by 548 · see citing works
Factors associated with foreign language anxiety
Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Bailey, P., & Daley, C. E. (1999) · Applied Psycholinguistics · doi:10.1017/s0142716499002039 · Cited by 418 · see citing works
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Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Peirce, B. N. (1995) "Social Identity, Investment, and Language Learning", TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 29(1), pp. 9-31
- Spielberger, C. D. (1983) Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety (From Y). Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto, CA
- Tanveer , Muhammad .( 2007) " Investigation of the factors that cause language anxiety for ESL/EFL learners in learning speaking skills and the influence it casts on communication in the target language". Unpublished Thesis, Faculty of Education, university of Glasgow.
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Song, Z. (2024) · Journal of Education Humanities and Social Sciences · doi:10.54097/4838f411 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“Hashemi studied FLA among undergraduates and offered instructive recommendations based on his findings [19].”
BackgroundTaytay Senior High School, D. O. E. T., Atanacio-Blas, F., Meraña, M., Taytay Senior High School, D. O. E. T., F. Averion, R., Taytay Senior High School, D. O. E. T., Anne Badanoy, M., Taytay Senior High School, D. O. E. T., Lee De Leon, A., Taytay Senior High School, D. O. E. T., et al. (2018) · PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences · doi:10.20319/pijss.2018.33.11861202 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Akbulut, S., Şimşek, B., Direkci, B., Koparan, B., Gülmez, M., Şimşek, E. E., & Kayır, G. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1798613
“Indeed, it has been determined that foreign language anxiety affects academic achievement (Hashemi, 2011; Song, 2024), and students with high anxiety levels struggle with vocabulary learning (Kühl and Wohninsland, 2022).”
- Authors
- Hashemi, M.
- Affiliations
- Islamic Azad University, Tehran (IR)
- Corresponding author
- Hashemi, Masoud
- ORCID
- Hashemi, Masoud
- Venue
- Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011
- Volume
- 30
- Pages
- 1811-1816
- ISSN
- 1877-0428 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1999029845
- Cited by
- 225
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 13.65
- Type
- conference paper
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Communication in Education and Healthcare
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Student Stress and Coping
- Keywords
- language anxiety, English language learners, Iranian learners, self-concept, self-related cognitions, language learning difficulties, intercultural differences, social status, self-identity, coping strategies, teacher beliefs, second language teaching, classroom anxiety
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