Sources of Foreign Language Anxiety in the Student-teachers’ English Classrooms: A Case Study in a Spanish University

• Elena Goñi Osacar ^[1] ; Enrique Lafuente-Millán ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad de Zaragoza

     Universidad de Zaragoza

     Zaragoza, España

     
• Localización: RAEL: revista electrónica de lingüística aplicada, ISSN 1885-9089, Vol. 20, Nº. 1, 2021, págs. 155-176
• Idioma: inglés
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Fuentes de ansiedad lingüística en las aulas de inglés de estudiantes de magisterio: estudio de caso en una universidad española
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo (pdf)
• Resumen
  • español

    La ansiedad lingüística es un problema común entre los aprendices, incluso más relevante si estos son futuros maestros. Este artículo presenta un estudio de caso que busca identificar y comprender las causas de ansiedad lingüística ante el aprendizaje de inglés en estudiantes de una Facultad de Educación española. Se reunió información de 63 estudiantes y 4 profesoras por medio de observaciones de aula, cuestionarios y un grupo de discusión. Los resultados identifican tres categorías interrelacionadas de causas de ansiedad lingüística. Asimismo, el modelo explicativo propuesto introduce la clasificación de: causas raíz, causas desencadenantes y causas contribuyentes. Más específicamente, se postula que las causas raíz están relacionadas con los aprendices (bajo nivel de inglés, baja autoeficacia, etc.) y, debido a ellas, otros factores externos, principalmente la producción oral ante la clase, pueden desencadenar experiencias de ansiedad. Este modelo mejora la comprensión de cómo las fuentes de ansiedad lingüística interactúan en este contexto y otros similares.

  • English

    Foreign Language Anxiety is a common problem among learners, even more relevant if they are future teachers. This paper presents a case study that aims to identify and understand the reasons for foreign language anxiety among undergraduates learning English in a Spanish Faculty of Education. We gathered information from 63 students and 4 teachers through classroom observations, questionnaires and a focus group. The results identify three interrelated categories of causes of language anxiety. Furthermore, the explanatory model proposed here introduces the classification of root sources, triggering sources, and contributing sources. More specifically, we postulate that root sources can be traced to the learners themselves (poor English proficiency, low self-efficacy, etc.) and, because of this, other external factors, mainly, speaking exercises in front of the classroom, can trigger anxiety experiences. This model improves our understanding of how sources of language anxiety interact in this context and other similar learning settings.

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