1. Curriculum’s Effect on Foreign Language Anxiety
By Robert Dykes
University of Fukui
September 2016

2. Purpose of the Study
Examine possible changes in foreign language anxiety with Japanese university students over the course of their first semester of a mandatory university English course.
Examine the effects of a presentation and student centered curriculum using a communicative approach on any possible changes in foreign language anxiety.

3. What is Foreign Language Anxiety
Anxiety unique to the language learning process
“[T]he feeling of tension and apprehension specifically associated with second language contexts, including speaking, listening and learning” (MacIntrye and Gardner 1994, p. 284).
“[A] distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings and behaviors related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning process” (Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope 1986, p.128).
Consists of trait, state, and situation-specific types of anxiety
不安 – fuan

4. Participants
n=397
First year students at a public national university in Japan
Same mandatory English course
Participants included students from 21 different classes, covered by 15 different English instructors, with students coming from 12 different academic majors or departments

5. Instrument Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS)
Developed by Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope (1986)
33 Likert scale items
Japanese translation taken from Yashima et al. (2009)
5-point Likert scale was changed to a 6-point Likert scale in order to create a “forced choice hybrid”

6. 12 to 14 Week Break Between Administrations
Procedure
The FLCAS was distributed during the first two weeks of the first freshman semester of the mandatory English course and again during the last two weeks of the same semester. The approximate time between administration was between 12 and 16 weeks.
Pre-Test
12 to 14 Week Break Between Administrations
Post-Test 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

7. Results 1 of 2
Goal: Did a significant change in FLA occur between administrations? Analysis conducted: paired-samples t test Data: Summary: a significant decrease in FLA occurred between the first and second FLCAS administration and the effect size can be considered large. Validity: Cronbach Alpha coefficient for both administrations was .93
Mean
Standard Deviation
t-value (n=396)
Significance
p-value (2-tail)
Effect Size
Pre-Test
126.00
23.87
14.361
Significant p < 0.001
Large d=0.72
Post-Test
115.16
23.63

8. Results 2 of 2
Goal: Determine if any variables correlate to the measured change in anxiety. Analyses conducted: Bivariate Correlation analysis
Variable Name
Variable Type
Analyses Conducted
A. Gender
Dichotomous/Binary: 1. Male 2. Female
Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation
Shapiro-Wilks test of normality
Levene’s Test
B. Age
Ordinal/Interval
C. Field of Study
Nominal/Category
D. Teacher Type
Dichotomous/Binary
Native English Speaker (NEST)
Non-Native English Speaker (Non-NEST)
E. Change FLA

9. Results 2 of 2 Continued Summary:
No significant correlation between E.) change in anxiety and A.) gender, B.) age, or C.) field of study
The NEST/Non-NEST variable posses a weak, but statistically significant positive correlation with the change in LLA (n=397, r=0.109, p=0.03).

10. Examination of the NEST/Non-NEST Variable
The mean change in anxiety was determined for NEST (n=332) to be (M=11.57, SD=15.32) and the non-NEST (n=65) to be (M=7.14, SD=13.05).
Conclusion: there is a weak, but positive significance that the students in this study who have a native speaking English teacher are statistically more likely to report a slightly larger decrease in anxiety than students in a non-native English speaking teachers’ English class.

11. Conclusion and Discussion*
Something caused a drop in FLA. We need to figure out why.

12. Conclusion and Discussion*
Horwitz et al. (1986) and Prince (1991) – speaking is the most anxiety producing experience.
Kitano (2001), Prince (1991) and Young (1990; 1991) conclude that peer evaluation elevates FLA.
Young 1990 found these 5 to be most FLA causing activates.
Spontaneous role play
Speaking in front of the class
Oral presentation in front of the class
Unprepared dialog in front of the class
Writing on the board.
Young (1999) and Suqantrarathip and Wichadee (2010) found small group work and sense of community decreased anxiety.
Conclusion the type of speaking activity and peer reviews is what matters. In other words – stressors in one situation may increase FLA while in a different situation may help decrease FLA

13. Similar studies
Asano (2003) – n=70 university students. Before and after two semesters of English using the audio-visual approach. “Very low level students”. No control group. No change in anxiety
Chang (2010) – n=92 1st year uni students. Listening anxiety. Self made anxiety scale. Control group present. N= 43, 46. Conclusion- Listening anxiety increased despite an improvement in listening competence.
Albari (2014) – n=465 students and 12 teachers. Duration unknown. Quasi experimental. Treatment group showed larger decrease in FLA. Control group anxiety increased.
Saglamel and Kayaoglu (2013) – n=22 students, free class with no grade. 6 weeks duration. Used drama (improve, pantomime, role playing) in the classroom to reduce FLA. FLA decreased. Was designed to help those who wanted help with anxiety. At the School of Basic English KTU in Turkey. Ages 18-28). No control group.
Suwantarathip and Wichadee (2010) – n=40 students Bangkok Uni. How does cooperative learning actives affect FLA? No control. The full FLCAS was used, but they only examine/use/present top five scoring items, which did decrease. No clues as to overall scores or items scales results.

14. The biggest problem?
How do we separate simple acclimation to the context from other variables?

15. Follow up Study Part 1: include a comparison group
Group A: presentation and student centered curriculum using a communicative approach
Group B: TOEIC and reading heavy ciruclulum, more teacher centered.
Part 2: Follow up on the original participants in their 2nd year of university English.

16. JALT 2016 International Conference
A Genre Analysis of President Obama’s Reddit AMA
Saturday, November 26th from 10:55 AM Room 1002
Article Usage: A Common Error of JLEs
Saturday, November 26th from 4:30 PM in Room 1002

17. References
Alrabai, F. (2015). The influence of teachers' anxiety-reducing strategies on learners' foreign language anxiety. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 9(2),
Asano, S. (2003). Some effects of Audio-visual approaches on foreign language learning anxiety. Bulletin of Osaka University of Health and Sports Science, 34,
Chang, A. C. S. (2010). Second-language listening anxiety before and after a 1-yr. intervention in extensive listening compared with standard foreign language instruction. Perceptual and motor skills, 110(2),
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2),
Kitano, K. (2001). Anxiety in the college Japanese language classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 85(4),
MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1994b). The subtle effects of language anxiety on cognitive processing in the second language. Language Learning, 44, 283–305.
Price, M. L. (1991). The subjective experience of foreign language anxiety: Interviews with highly anxious students. Language anxiety: From theory and research to classroom implications,

18. References
Sağlamel, H., & Kayaoğlu, M. N. (2013). Creative drama: A possible way to alleviate foreign language anxiety. RELC Journal, 44(3),
Suwantarathip, O., & Wichadee, S. (2010). The impacts of cooperative learning on anxiety and proficiency in an EFL class. Journal of College Teaching & Learning, 7(11),
Yashima, T., Noels, K., Shizuka, T., Takeuchi, O., Yamane, S., & Yoshizawa, K. (2009). The interplay of classroom anxiety, intrinsic motivation, and gender in the Japanese EFL context. Journal of Foreign Language Education and Research, 17,
Young, D. J. (1990). An investigation of students' perspectives on anxiety and speaking. Foreign Language Annals, 23(6),
Young, D. J. (1991). Creating a Low‐Anxiety Classroom Environment: What Does Language Anxiety Research Suggest?. The Modern Language Journal, 75(4),
Young, D. J. (1999). Affect in foreign language and second language learning.