河南省焦作市文昌中学 薛艳军 454000
Abstract：Language anxiety is the feeling of fear or apprehension occurring in the second or foreign language learning.Since language anxiety is commonly seen and has negative influence on learners, it is worth noticing. Based on these researches home and abroad, this thesis analyzes what is language anxiety, how to identify it and some strategies to cope with it. It is hoped that this will be helpful to English learners in China.
Key Words：Language Anxiety; English Learning; Strategies
Chapter One Introduction
English.as an international language. is becoming more and more importantTo learn English is a complex process affected not. only by Englishthe language itself .but also by other factorsThere are generally two categories of factors: objective factors and subjective factors. The objective factors include study environment and study conditions, while the subjective factors include gift for language, cognitive ability and other intelligence factors as well as age, attitude, motivation affect and other non-intelligence factors. In terms of affective factors, anxiety is possibly the one that most pervasively obstacles the learning process, which is associated with negative feelings such as uneasiness, frustration, self-doubt, apprehension, and tension.
Chapter Two Strategies to Cope with Language Anxiety
2.1 Helping Students Understand that Language Anxiety Episodes Can Be Transient
Teachers can help students understand that language anxiety can be transient and do not inevitably develop into a lasting problem. Given learners’ positive actions, anxiety can be reduced and even got rid of.
In the former example of Maurice, he failed totally in his French class, so when he went to study another foreign language Spanish, in order to graduate from college, he was nervous even when he began the class. It is natural that his fear and worry turned into language anxiety. But at last, he studied Spanish well and passed the examination. The reason of his success was facing with positive attitude and taking positive actions. In a word, language anxiety is transitory, and whether learners can overcome it depends on their attitudes towards it.
2.2 Reducing Competition and Creating Physical Secure Atmosphere
To reduce language anxiety needs to reduce competition present in the classroom. There are many ways to reduce competition, for example, reducing examinations, adopting cooperative language learning, encouraging students to help each other, etc. As to create physical secure atmosphere, Confield and Wells suggest that:
The most important thing a teacher can do to help students emotionally and intellectually is to create an environment of mutual support and care. The crucial thing is the safety and encouragement students’ sense in the classroom… Further, they must recognize that they are valued and will receive affection and support. portant role in the classroom: teachers’ words, actions, and even thoughts will influence their students directly. To create physical secure atmosphere, he can begin the class with a joke, a story, a song, and so on.
2.3 Providing Comprehensible Language Input
In Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis, comprehensible language input means that the material should be comprehensible for learners. He assumed the learners’ present language level as “i”, then the next language level provided should be “i+1”. Here the “1” refers to the gap between the two language levels. In other words, only when the material provided is “i+1”, the theory “one can catch the apple when he jumps up” affects learners most positively.
In the teaching process, teachers can introduce some background before studying a knowledge system, and this can help students to understand material better. Showing foreign language films is also a good way for students to learn language as well as the country’s culture.
2.4 Boosting Learner’s Self-esteem and Self-confidence
In language learning process, teachers play a very important role that can help students realize their own advantages and develop their potential. As to the problem of overcoming language anxiety, teachers should communicate with students frequently, offering learning experience and reducing competitiveness present in the classroom.
2.5 Encouraging Moderate Risk-taking and Tolerance of Ambiguity
Language is composed of symbols, which are abstract and often hard to pin down. Given these complexities, it makes sense that tolerance of ambiguity is crucial to success in language learning aimed at real communicative use. To understand each other is the aim, so it does not matter much whether what one says is very accurate.
Therefore, learners should not be discouraged by this natural phenomenon. Teachers can encourage learners to tolerate and guess the ambitious things which will help them reduce anxiety effectively and go on with their learning.
Chapter Three Conclusion
One of the most important obstacles’ is language anxiety. Fortunately, teachers and students are both becoming increasingly aware of the importance of this problem. Educators have begun to pay much more attention to language anxiety and worked out some ways to handle it, but still more studies are needed in this field.
Bibliography
[1]Beebe, L. M. Risk-taking and the Language Learner. Rowley. MA: Newbury House, 1983.
[2]Dolly Jesusita Young. Creating a low anxiety classroom environment. The Modern Language Journal, 1986（3）.