Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety of Arab learners of English: The effect of personality, linguistic and sociobiographical variables

• Published in: Studies in second language learning and teaching Vol. 5; no. 2; pp. 205 - 228
• Main Authors: Dewaele, Jean-Marc, Al-Saraj, Taghreed M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kalisz Adam Mickiewicz University Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts 01.01.2015; Adam Mickiewicz University Department of English Studies; Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
• Subjects: age; Age Differences; Anxiety; Arabic language; Arabic learners; Arabs; Classroom Environment; Classrooms; College English; College Students; Correlation; Educational Attainment; Emotional Adjustment; Emotional Intelligence; Emotional Stability; English (Second Language); English as a foreign language; English as a second language learning; English language learners; English proficiency; Extraversion Introversion; Foreign Countries; Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety; Frequency of occurrence; frequency of use; Gender Differences; Incidence; Individual Characteristics; Individual Differences; Information Processing; Language Acquisition; Language Proficiency; Learning outcomes; Learning Processes; Likert Scales; Linguistic Competence; Linguistics; Literature Reviews; Multicultural Education; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Multilingualism; Multiple Regression Analysis; Oral English; Personality; Personality Traits; Questionnaires; Research Methodology; Researchers; Second Language Learning; Self concept; Self Evaluation (Individuals); self-perceived proficiency; Semitic Languages; Social Influences; Social Initiative; Student Attitudes; Teaching Methods; Saudi Arabia; Algeria; United Arab Emirates; Tunisia; Oman; Egypt
• ISSN: 2083-5205; 2084-1965
• DOI: 10.14746/ssllt.2015.5.2.2

The present study focuses on the link between psychological, sociobiographical and linguistic variables and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety of 348 Arabic learners of English (250 females, 98 males). Data were collected using the Arabic Foreign Language Anxiety Questionnaire (AFLAQ; Al-Saraj, 2011, 2014) and an Arabic version of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire-Short Form (MPQ-SF; van der Zee, van Oudenhoven, Ponterotto & Fietzer, 2013). Multiple regression analyses revealed that self-perceived proficiency in oral English and frequency of use of English explained over a third of variance in FLCA: More proficient and frequent users felt less anxious. Two personality traits, Emotional Stability and Social Initiative explained a further fifth of variance in FLCA, with emotionally stable and more extraverted participants scoring lower on FLCA. Age was the final predictor of a small amount of variance, with older participants feeling less anxious. Degree of multilingualism, sex and education level had no effect on FLCA.