EFFECTS OF ANXIETY ON INDIAN ENGINEERING STUDENTS IN THE FOREIGN

LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

BIRINDER KAUR, DR. JAP PREET KAUR BHANGU

Research Scholar, Dept of Management & Humanities, SLIET, Longowal, Punjab,

India, r5sidhu@yahoo.co.in Mob: +919872831733Associate Professor, Dept of Management & Humanities, SLIET, Longowal, Punjab,

India, jkbhangu@gmail.com Mob: +919815980299

ABSTRACT The present paper is based on the perceptions of first year

engineering students of Bhai Maha Singh College of Engineering, Muktsar,

Punjab, (India) regarding foreign language classroom anxiety. This paper is an

attempt to indicate the effects of anxiety on the non-native learners of

English and their inherent fear for the foreign language English. The authors

have attempted an empirical study and analyzed the accumulated data through

various statistical tools like mean, standard deviation and weighted average

score. The internal reliability of the instrument administered is checked

through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient with SPSS (Statistical Package for Social

Sciences). The results have clearly indicated that the present set of students

witness anxiety and various apprehensions related to language learning.

KEYWORDS Anxiety, Communicative Apprehension, Fear of Negative Evaluation,

Foreign Language Classroom

EFFECTS OF ANXIETY ON INDIAN ENGINEERING STUDENTS IN THE FOREIGN

LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

ABSTRACT

The present paper is based on the perceptions of first year engineering

students of Bhai Maha Singh College of Engineering, Muktsar, Punjab, (India)

regarding foreign language classroom anxiety. This paper is an attempt to

indicate the effects of anxiety on the non-native learners of English and

their inherent fear for the foreign language English. The authors have

attempted an empirical study and analyzed the accumulated data through various

statistical tools like mean, standard deviation and weighted average score.

The internal reliability of the instrument administered is checked through

Cronbach’s alpha coefficient with SPSS (Statistical Package for Social

Sciences). The results have clearly indicated that the present set of students

witness anxiety and various apprehensions related to language learning.

KEYWORDS

Anxiety, Communicative Apprehension, Fear of Negative Evaluation,

Foreign Language Classroom

1. INTRODUCTION

The experience of learning a foreign language can turn out as an

extremely fearsome activity for the non-native learners. A vast array of

research asserts that anxiety can hold back the process of learning the

foreign language. The nervousness and hesitation along with the burden to

perform well in the foreign language classroom can cause anxiety amongst these

learners. The purpose of this study is to illustrate and investigate the

nature of language learning anxiety from the perceptions of 77 Indian

engineering students and learners of English, especially in reference to the

challenges encountered in the Indian engineering college settings. The

proposed study attempts to investigate the effects of anxiety in English

language learning, on the first year engineering students of Bhai Maha Singh

College of Engineering, Muktsar, Punjab (India). At the same time the focus

remains on exploring the underlying reasons that cause anxiety in these

students. It is a fact that the professional students of engineering are

expected to inculcate the excellent communicative competence in English.

However, in reality somewhere, there seems to be a contradiction between the

theoretical beliefs and practical implementation. The university, with which

the above said college is affiliated i.e. Punjab Technical University,

Jalandhar, Punjab, (India) has prescribed a mandatory course of Communicative

English in the curriculum with a special stress on functional usage of the

language. However, the practical results indicate that students of engineering

lack even the basic understanding of the language, what to talk of the level

of fluency which comes at a much later stage. There are invariably different

reasons for the students to not perform well in this context i.e. they are not

able to make an excellent use of foreign language English and they lack the

basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The proposed study

is an effort to make a modest contribution to the proposition for foreign or

second language teaching environment in a milieu where the learners hail from

an extensive variety of linguistic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The

exploration of the underlying causes of anxiety will expectantly throw light

on the issue of language anxiety and will surely extend some facilitation to

language teachers in transforming the classroom surroundings less stressful.

In this difficult process of learning English as foreign language the students

are found to be commonly affected by a particular challenge of anxiety and

apprehension, which seem to be found usually in almost all of them.

Speilberger (1983, cited in Cubukcu, 2007, p. 133) defines “Anxiety as the

subjective feeling of tension, apprehension, nervousness and worry associated

with arousal of the autonomic nervous system”. The feeling of nervousness can

actually play havoc with any situation and language learning is certainly not

an exception. The diffidence among these students to use the foreign language

due to lack of self-confidence further negatively affects their performance in

the foreign language classroom.

Howitz (1986) succinctly lists the causes of anxiety, “The causes of foreign

language anxiety have been broadly separated into three main components;

communication apprehension, test anxiety and fear of negative evaluation”.

These components are found to be related to anxiousness developed in a student

of foreign language class. The communicative apprehension relates to the worry

caused while speaking or listening to others. As Feryal Cubukcu (2007) rightly

puts it, “Communication apprehension is a type of shyness characterized by

fear and anxiety about communicating with people. Difficulty in speaking in

public, in listening or learning a spoken message is all manifestations of

communicative apprehension”.

The test anxiety is the kind of fearfulness associated with performing badly

in the foreign language class. Lucas et al. (2011) observes about test

anxiety, “Test anxiety is a type of a performance anxiety which is caused by

fear of failing a test. Test anxious students often put unrealistic demands on

themselves. Test anxiety is considered to be one of the most important aspects

of negative motivation which will affect learning”. Fear of negative

evaluation thus is the kind of nervousness related with learner’s inherent

fear of how his peers and superiors will judge him and/or how they may have a

negative view about the person’s ability. As Lucas et al. (2011) explains

clearly “Fear of negative evaluation is the apprehension about other people’s

evaluations. This may also include avoidance of evaluative situations and the

expectations that others might evaluate them negatively. It may also include

the student’s fear inside the English classroom where factors such as learning

activities, teacher’s methodology and even peer pressure may contribute to

novice language learner’s anxieties”. Such fears thus make learning even more

difficult and stressful.

In order to investigate, whether anxiety interferes in learning of foreign

language or not, Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) formulated

by Howitz et al., was administered on the students of engineering. Tran Thi

Tru Trang (2012) describes this Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) as an instrument to

measure anxiety levels as evidenced by negative performance expectancies and

social comparisons, psycho physiological symptoms, and avoidance behaviours.

The FLCAS consists of 33 statements with significant part-whole correlations

with the total scale, aiming to assess communication apprehension, test

anxiety and fear of negative evaluation associated with language anxiety. Each

item on the FLCAS is rated on a five-point Likert scale , ranging from

strongly agree to strongly disagree.. Trang (2012) explains “Horwitz et al.’s

theory of foreign language anxiety has been widely accepted with subsequent

research acknowledging the uniqueness of foreign language anxiety and

providing evidence that the FLCAS is a reliable tool”. The test thus was

judged to be a suitable testing instrument for the selected engineering

students as it provided an appropriate platform to investigate the extreme

seriousness of anxiety in a foreign language classroom.

2. STATUS OF ENGLISH IN INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM

India as a country is a land of diverse languages and various regional

dialects. There are 22 official state languages in India. English is taught in

schools throughout India as one of the important languages, so much so that it

has emerged as the link language acting as a bridge among diverse Indian

languages. India has adopted the English language as an official language for

communication. This in turn has enabled India to become a part of

International growth, thus extending an advantage to an under-developed nation

like India to tread the path of development. Despite India treating English as

an official language, still the results highlight a lot of inconsistency among

its users. India's education system is divided into different levels such as

pre-primary level, primary level, elementary education, secondary education,

undergraduate level and postgraduate level. The various Government and private

schools imparting education at these levels are following their own patterns

and norms; moreover, there is no uniform policy for the teaching of English at

all these levels of education. As per India Reports (2009), “In urban areas

English forms the first language, regional and vernacular medium schools often

have English as the second language. As a result the standard of English

teaching differs over various regions. In some areas, especially the urban

centers, the education system tends to produce people with a high proficiency

level in English. However there is also the other extreme as observed in many

rural areas and vernacular mediums. The result in such schools happens to be a

very limited proficiency in English.” Thus due to the lack of a consistent

policy regarding the teaching of English at various levels of education in

India, right from pre-primary to post graduate level, the problem of low level

of proficiency amongst the learners of English, has been widely witnessed.

3. RESEARCH PROBLEM

Amidst such an inconsistent scenario of teaching and learning English,

the Indian under graduate engineering students can hardly be an exception. The

current study was taken up to investigate the perceptions of first year

engineering students and non- native learners of English. More particularly

the study focused on whether these non native learners were facing anxiety

while learning English as a Foreign Language. The current research addressed

the following problems:

What are the perceptions of first year engineering students in relation

to English as a Foreign language?

What are the effects of foreign language anxiety on these first year

engineering students of BMSCE, Muktsar?

4. REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES

The related studies on anxiety show that there are considerable effects

of anxiety on the performance of the students of foreign language and there

are apparent behavioral imbalances witnessed in the non- native learners. Kun-

Huei Wu (2010) has revealed that the participants of the study have

undoubtedly expressed a favorable attitude toward communicative language

teaching approach; however they have also revealed their high level of anxiety

in the language classroom which is usually reported to have adverse effects on

the learning of second language. Hysook Park (2004) examined the second

language learners’s anxiety, self confidence and oral performance of 132

Korean college students. The study indicated that there were significant

effects of anxiety and self confidence on the oral performance of second

language learners. It was found that the higher anxious the students were

about speaking English, the graph of their scores extremely deteriorated in

oral performance. Gregerson (2003) makes out that the anxious learners suffer

from mental blocks during spontaneous speaking activities, lack self

confidence, are less able to self-edit and identify language errors and are

more likely to employ avoidance strategies. Mac Intyre and Gardner (1994)

observed that language anxiety can be defined as the feeling of tension and

apprehension specifically associated with second language contents, including

speaking, listening and learning or the worry and negative emotional reaction

arousal when learning or using a second or foreign language. Horwitz et al.

(1986) explored that the effects of foreign language anxiety are particularly

evident in the foreign language classroom and anxiety is a strong indication

of academic performance. Moreover anxiety is found to have a detrimental

effect on student’s confidence, self esteem and level of participation.

Anxiety is not just the sum of general forms of anxiety like communication

apprehension, fear of negative evaluation and test anxiety transferred to

language learning but a ‘distinct complex of self –perceptions, beliefs,

feelings and behaviors related to classroom language learning arising from the

uniqueness of the language learning process.’ Clement (1980) has defined

foreign language anxiety as a complex construct that deals with learners

psychology in terms of their feelings, self esteem and self confidence.From

the various related studies it becomes evident that the feeling of anxiety

witnessed by the non native learners in the process of language learning is a

great concern in the field of foreign language learning and it surely prompts

a wide variety of opinions.

5. METHODOLOGY

In order to accomplish the objectives of the study, the requisite

information was accumulated from the selected 77 first year engineering

student respondents of Bhai Maha Singh College of Engineering, Muktsar,

Punjab, India. These respondents were students of engineering pursuing the 4

Year professional course of Bachelors of Technology in Computer Science,

Mechanical, Electronic and Communication, Information Technology. The study

was intentionally conducted only on first year students because these students

are compulsorily required to study the common subjects prescribed by the

university in the first year of their study, despite of hailing from different

engineering streams. And a theoretical subject of Communicative English (BTHU-

101) forms a mandatory part of their curriculum in first year. Not just a

mandatory theory course, they also have to appear in the compulsory practical

subject of Communicative English Laboratory. Practical Laboratory is the

place, where these students witness a lot of alarming challenges each day,

while performing in the language lab practicals. Students being non native

learners and speakers of English have to undergo testing situations where they

feel utterly helpless due to their nervousness and apprehension for a language

which is foreign to them.

As mentioned above, Howitz’s et.al FLCAS (Foreign Language Classroom

Anxiety Scale) was administered to accumulate data for this study. The

respondents were asked to carefully go through the questionnaire. The original

questionnaire used by Howitz’s et al. in their paper Foreign Language

Classroom Anxiety in the Modern Language Journal was adapted to throw light on the

insights of these respondents. The questionnaire is chiefly meant and designed

to judge the three main factors identified i.e Communicative Apprehension,

Fear of Negative Evaluation and Test Anxiety along with the extent of

nervousness that a student experience in a language learning process, e.g Item

No. 4 “It frightens me when I don’t understand what the teacher is saying” or

Item No. 19 “I am afraid that my language teacher is ready to correct every

mistake I make”.

They were also informed that the survey was conducted to analyze their

inherent fears in a foreign language classroom and it had nothing to do with

their academic performance and grades. Thereafter the data was statistically

analyzed with the help of weighted average score (WAS). The WAS is usually

applied on the questionnaires that demand responses in five point Likert

Scale as Strongly Agree, Agree, Neither Agree Nor Disagree, Disagree, Strongly

Disagree with the weights of 2, 1, 0, -01, -02 respectively. The weights were

then multiplied with the number of responses for each level of the scale for

each statement separately. And then the total score was divided by the total

number of respondents to get the Weighted Average Score. Along with

calculating the weighted average score of the responses, the measure of

central tendency was also calculated through the mean and the measure of

variability through Standard Deviation, using a 33 item questionnaire

comprising statements to which participants agreed or disagreed using a five

point Likert response format such that: 5= Strongly Agree, 4=Agree, 3= Neither

Agree nor Disagree, 2=Disagree, 1=Strongly Disagree. The statements 2, 5, 8,

11, 14, 18, 22, 28, and 32 of the questionnaire were key-reversed, because

they are negatively worded. The total scale scores ranges from 33 to 165 with

a hypothetical mean of 99. The measure of central tendency calculated through

mean is generally used to denote the average. On the other hand the measure of

standard deviation denotes the extent of variation in the responses of

different respondents. For the present study, the internal reliability score

FLCAS was computed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The internal reliability

measure of the instrument was .82. The scores show that all the items in the

instrument maintained high internal reliabilities.

6. RELIABILITY STATISTICS

Cronbach's Alpha Cronbach's Alpha Based on

Standardized Items

N of Items

.821 .816 33

7. RESULTS

The results of the analysis indicate that these students undergo extreme

anxious moments in the foreign language classroom. It would be undeniably

correct to say that non- native students have ample insecurities in their

mind in regard to their ability to make an excellent usage of a foreign

language like English. This ultimately leads to anxiety and various problems

connected to anxiety. It is probably one of the major mental obstacles that

do not let the student to be at ease with English language.

8. DISCUSSION

8.1 RESPONSES OF STUDENTS REGARDING COMMUNICATIVE APPREHENSION

THROUGH WAS, MEANS AND STANDARD DEVIATION

Statement 1, “I never feel quite sure of myself when I am speaking in

my foreign language class” witnessed 0.27 WAS, which means 33 out of 77 i.e.

43% of the total respondents agree with the statement and seem to be affected

by the communicative apprehension, whereas 28 remain undecided and only 16 out

of 77 disagree with the statement. Statement 1 show that they experience

communicative apprehension (M=3.28). The standard deviation value of (SD=1.11)

denotes high variation in the responses.

Statement 9, “I start to panic when I have to speak without preparation

in language class” witnessed 0.35 WAS, shows that 56% of the total respondents

strongly agree with the statement which means that they begin to panic in the

unprepared situations and are not confident enough to handle the impromptu

situations. 16 out of 77 remained undecided and only 18 out of 77 i.e. only

23% of the total population disagrees with the idea which signifies that

leaving only few, majority of learners are unable to handle the new situations

without prior preparation. Statement 9 show that they experience communicative

apprehension (M=3.38). The standard deviation value of SD= (1.10) denotes high

variation in the responses.

Statement 14, “I would not be nervous speaking the foreign language with

native speakers” witnessed -0.21 WAS. Since this statement is negatively

worded, so the weights are reversed to calculate the weighted average score

and the result witnessed was also negative.39 out of 77 i.e. 51% disagree, 27

out of 77 i.e. 35% agree and 11 remain undecided on the issue which means that

they surely would feel nervous and worried while speaking the foreign language

with native speakers. Statement 14 show that they experience communicative

apprehension (M=3.24). The standard deviation value of (SD= 1.16) denotes high

variation in the responses.

Statement 18, “I feel confident when I speak in foreign language class”

observed -0.62 WAS which shows that 43 out of 77 i.e. 55% of the total

population disagree with the statement, 19 remained undecided 15 out of 77

i.e. 19% agree. This result indicates that majority of population feel

diffident when they speak in their foreign language class. Statement 18

observed (M=3.62) & (SD=1.14)

Statement 24, “I feel very self‐conscious about speaking the foreign

language in front of other students” witnessed 0.51 WAS which shows that 52

out of 77 i.e. 67% of the total population get extremely self conscious while

speaking English in front of others. This shows that they are surely facing

the challenge of communicative apprehension along with a strong fear of

negative evaluation by their peers and superiors. 8 out of 77 remain undecided

on the issue and 17 out of 77 i.e. only 22% disagree with the statement.

Statement 24 observed (M=3.46) & (SD=1.15)

Statement 27, “I get nervous and confused when I am speaking in my

language class” witnessed 0.17 WAS in which 35 out of 77 i.e. 45% agree, 16

remain undecided 26 out of 77 i.e. 34% students disagree. Statement 27 show

that they experience communicative apprehension (M=3.16). The standard

deviation value of (SD= 1.11) denotes high variation in the responses.

Statement 29, “I get nervous when I don't understand every word the

language teacher says” witnessed 0.38 WAS which means 44 out of 77 i.e. 57% of

the total population agree with the statement, 12 remain undecided and 21 out

of 77 i.e. 27% disagree with the statement. This shows that more than 50 % of

student population is suffering from this form of anxiety. Statement 29

observed (M=3.38) & (SD=1.20)

Statement 32, “I would probably feel comfortable around native speakers

of the foreign language” witnessed a negative WAS of -0.31 which shows that

48% disagree, 18 remain undecided and 29% agree with the statement which shows

that they would feel uncomfortable around native speakers of foreign language.

Statement 32 observed (M=3.31) & (SD=1.01)

Table 1: Responses of Students Regarding Communicative Apprehension through WAS, Means and Standard

Deviation

Ite

m

No.

Statements SA A UD DASD

AWAS

M SD

1 I never feel quite sure of myself when I am

speaking in my foreign language class 10 23 28 10 6 0.27

3.2

8

1.

11

9 I start to panic when I have to speak without

preparation in language class. 8 35 16 12 6 0.35

3.3

8

1.

10

14 I would not be nervous speaking the foreign

language with native speakers. 9 30 11 22 5 -0.21

3.2

4

1.

16

18 I feel confident when I speak in foreign

language class. 22 21 19 13 2 -0.62

3.6

2

1.

14

24 I feel very self‐conscious about speaking the

foreign language in front of other students. 11 41 8 10 7 0.51

3.4

6

1.

15

27 I get nervous and confused when I am speaking

in my language class. 8 27 16 22 4 0.17

3.1

6

1.

11

29 I get nervous when I don't understand every

word the language teacher says. 12 32 12 15 6 0.38

3.3

8

1.

20

32 I would probably feel comfortable around

native speakers of the foreign language. 9 28 18 22 0 -0.31

3.3

1

1.

01

8.2 DISCUSSION OF RESPONSES OF STUDENTS REGARDING FEAR OF NEGATIVE

EVALUATION

Statement 3, “I tremble when I know that I'm going to be called on in

language class” witnessed 0.08 WAS. For this statement 33 out of 77 agreed 27

go for disagreement and 18 remain undecided. This shows that majority

respondents even undergo psycho- physiological symptoms i.e. they even begin

to tremble at the thought of being called on in the language class. Statement

3 show that they experience anxiety and fear of negative evaluation in the

class (M=3.09). The standard deviation value of (SD= 1.24) denotes high

variation in the responses.

Statement 7, “I keep thinking that the other students are better at

languages than I am” witnessed 0.39 WAS which shows that 35 out of 77 i.e. 46%

of the students suffer with a serious inferiority complex and they find their

peers better than them in their language ability whereas 25 out of 77 i.e. 32%

population remain undecided and only 22% disagree with this statement.

Statement 7 observed (M=3.38) and (SD=1.04)

Statement 13, “It embarrasses me to volunteer answers in my language

class” witnessed a negative WAS of -0.12 in which 35 out of 77 agree, 32 out

of 77 respondents disagree, and 10 remain undecided. 45% respondents agree

which means there is a feeling of discomfort among these students and they

feel very shy to volunteer answers in their language class. On the other hand

42% students disagree, which means they may be nervous but there seem to have

reported no feeling of embarrassment in these students while volunteering

answers. Statement 13 observed (M=2.85) and (SD =1.15)

Statement 15, “I get upset when I don't understand what the teacher is

correcting” witnessed 0.42 WAS. 46 out of 77 respondents i.e. almost 60% agree

with the statement, which shows that majority students find it upsetting when

they don’t understand what their teacher is trying to correct, whereas 21 out

of 77 i.e. only 27% disagree. Statement 15 observed (M=3.48) and (SD =1.24)

Statement 20, “I can feel my heart pounding when I'm going to be called

on in language class” witnessed 0.25 WAS i.e. 41 out of 77 means 53% of the

total population agrees, 29 out of 77 i.e. 37% disagree and 7 remain

undecided. This shows that they even witness the extreme symptoms of

nervousness like pounding heart and face a strong fear of negative evaluation

too. Statement 20 observed (M=3.24) and (SD =1.13)

Statement 23, “I always feel that the other students speak the foreign

language better than I do” witnessed 0.44 WAS. 39 out of 77 i.e. 50 % of the

respondents agree and seem to affected by the fear of negative evaluation and

the complex that others students speak better than him or her, whereas 24

remain undecided and 14 out of 77 disagree with this statement. Statement 23

observed (M=3.41) and (SD =1.05)

Statement 25, “Language class moves so quickly I worry about getting

left behind” witnessed -0.17 WAS. 29 out of 77 i.e. 37% disagree, 8 undecided

and 40 out of 77 i.e. 51% agree which shows that majority of the students

worry about getting left behind. Statement 25 observed (M=2.83) and (SD =1.17)

Statement 31, “I am afraid that the other students will laugh at me when

I speak the foreign language” witnessed 0.14 WAS. 35 out of 77 i.e. 45% agree,

10 remain undecided and 32 out of 77 i.e. 42% disagree with the statement.

This indicates that they are scared of being ridiculed by their peers.

Statement 31 observed M=3.19 and SD=1.28

Statement 33, “I get nervous when the language teacher asks questions

which I haven't prepared in advance” witnessed 0.53 WAS which means 46 out of

77 i.e. 60% of the respondents agree, 17 remain undecided and 14 out of 77

i.e. only 18% students disagree. Statement 33 observed (M=3.53) and (SD=.967)

Table 2: Responses of Students Regarding Fear of Negative Evaluation

Item

No.Statements SA A UD DA SDA WAS

M SD

3 I tremble when I know that I'm going to be

called on in language class. 10 22 18 18 9 0.08

3.0

9

1.2

4

7 I keep thinking that the other students

are better at languages than I am. 13 22 25 16 1 0.39

3.3

8

1.0

4

13 It embarrasses me to volunteer answers in

my language class. 3 29 10 26 9

-

0.12

2.8

5

1.1

5

15 I get upset when I don't understand what

the teacher is correcting. 14 32 10 14 7 0.42

3.4

8

1.2

4

20 I can feel my heart pounding when I'm 9 32 7 27 2 0.25 3.2 1.1

going to be called on in language class. 4 3

23 I always feel that the other students

speak the foreign language better than I

do. 11 28 24 12 2 0.44

3.4

1

1.0

5

25 Language class moves so quickly I worry

about getting left behind. 5 24 8 33 7

-

0.17

2.8

3

1.1

7

31 I am afraid that the other students will

laugh at me when I speak the foreign

language. 15 20 10 25 7 0.14

3.1

9

1.2

8

33 I get nervous when the language teacher

asks questions which I haven't prepared in

advance. 10 36 17 13 1 0.53

3.5

3

.96

7

8.3 DISCUSSION OF RESPONSES OF STUDENTS REGARDING TEST AND CLASSROOM

ANXIETY

Statement 2, “I don't worry about making mistakes in language class”

witnessed- 0.00 WAS. 31 out of 77 i.e. 40% respondents agree, 6 remain

undecided, 40 out of 77 i.e. 52% respondents disagree with the statement. The

statement has proved to be completely insignificant in the Indian context of

learning English. The Indian students tend to have a lot of pressure on their

minds and their response proves that they surely have a lot of pressure on

their minds about making mistakes in their language class. Statement 2 show

that they experience test and classroom anxiety (M=3.00). The standard

deviation value of (SD= 1.26) denotes high variation in the responses.

Statement 4, “It frightens me when I don't understand what the teacher

is saying in the foreign language class” witnessed 0.26 WAS. 43 out of 77 i.e.

56% respondents agree, 7 remain undecided, 27 out of 77 i.e. 35% disagree with

the statement. The results signify that a large number of respondents are

severely affected and feels anxious and apprehensive when they are unable to

comprehend their teacher’s language. Statement 4 show that they experience

test and classroom anxiety (M=3.25). The standard deviation value of SD=

(1.50) denotes high variation in the responses.

Statement 5, “It wouldn't bother me at all to take more foreign language

classes” witnessed -0.64 WAS. 52 out of 77 i.e. 68% respondents disagree, 7

remain undecided and 18 out of 77 i.e. only 23% agree. The results indicate

that the majority respondents are extremely disinterested in taking more

foreign language classes. Statement 5 observed (M=3.66). The standard

deviation value of (SD=1.29) denotes high variation in the responses.

Statement 6, “During language class, I find myself thinking about things

that have nothing to do with the course” witnessed 0.01 WAS. 35 out of 77 i.e.

46% agree, 14 undecided, 28 out of 77 i.e. 36% disagree. The majority of

respondents are found to be mentally preoccupied with irrelevant thoughts,

which means they are just physically present in the class but mentally

transported somewhere else. Statement 6 show that they experience test and

classroom anxiety (M=3.00). The standard deviation value of (SD=1.33) denotes

high variation in the responses.

Statement 8, “I am usually at ease during tests in my language class”

witnessed -0.78 WAS. 54 out of 77 i.e. 70% disagree, 13 remain undecided, 10

out of 77 i.e. only 13% students agree which shows that majority of the

students find it uneasy to take tests in the language class. The Statement 8

show that they experience test and classroom anxiety (M=3.87). The standard

deviation value of (SD=.991) denotes high variation in the responses.

Statement 10, “I worry about the consequences of failing my foreign

language class” witnessed 0.32 WAS. 46 out of 77 i.e. 60% respondents agree, 7

remain undecided, 24 out of 77 i.e. only 31% disagree with this statement. The

results prove that a majority of population feels worried about the idea of

failing in the language class. Statement 10 show that they experience test and

classroom anxiety (M=3.31). The standard deviation value of (SD=1.30) denotes

high variation in the responses.

Statement 11, “I don't understand why some people get so upset over

foreign language classes” witnessed -0.58 WAS. 44 out of 77 i.e. 57% disagree,

19 remain undecided and 14 out of 77 i.e. 18% agree which shows that majority

respondents think that people do get upset over foreign language classes.

Statement 11 show that they experience test and classroom anxiety (M=3.61).

The standard deviation value of (SD=1.02) denotes high variation in the

responses.

Statement 12, “In language class, I can get so nervous I forget things I

know” witnessed 0.22 WAS, in which 37 out of 77 i.e. 48% agree 11 undecided

and 29 out of 77 i.e. 37% disagree with the statement. This shows that the

students go through extreme nervousness, that they tend to forget things that

they already know. Statement 12 show that they experience test and classroom

anxiety (M=3.25). The standard deviation value of (SD=1.22) denotes high

variation in the responses.

Statement 16, “Even if I am well prepared for language class, I feel

anxious about it” witnessed 0.25 WAS, in which 42 out of 77 i.e. 54% agree, 24

out of 77 i.e. 31% disagree, 11 remain undecided with the statement. This

means almost majority of the students in this region feel anxious despite of

being well prepared for the language class. Statement 16 show that they

experience test and classroom anxiety (M=3.28). The standard deviation value

of (SD=1.28) denotes high variation in the responses.

Statement 17, “I often feel like not going to my language class”

witnessed -0.71 WAS. 19 out of 77 i.e. 25% agree, 3 remain undecided, 55 out

of 77 i.e. 71% disagree with the statement. This shows that despite of the

various communicative apprehensions being faced by students in their language

class, they like to attend their language classes, because this class imparts

them with a platform where they can prune their communicative skills and rise

themselves up to the requisite global standards of spoken English.

Statement 19, “I am afraid that my language teacher is ready to correct

every mistake I make” witnessed 0.36 WAS. 44 out of 77 i.e. 57% agree, 10

remain undecided, 23 out of 77 i.e. 29% disagree. This shows that majority of

respondents is having fear of teachers feedback. So the feedback given by the

teacher in front of the whole class also seems to be one of the factors that

enhance the degree of anxiety amongst these learners. Statement 19 show that

they experience test and classroom anxiety (M=3.37). The standard deviation

value of (SD=1.37) denotes high variation in the responses.

Statement 21, “The more I study for a language test, the more con‐ fused

I get” witnessed -0.35 WAS. 23 out of 77 i.e. 30% agree, 8 remain undecided 46

out of 77 i.e. 59% of the total respondents disagree with the idea that more

they study, the more they get confused. The students in the Indian education

scenario are burdened and pressurized right from their childhood for scoring

high marks and excellent ranks. And their minds are conditioned in such a

manner that they feel that studying more will enable them to know more rather

than confusing them. Statement 21 observed (M=2.64) and (SD=1.27)

Statement 22, “I don't feel pressure to prepare very well for language

class” witnessed -0.65 WAS. 49 out of 77 i.e. 63% disagree, 12 remain

undecided, 16 out of 77 i.e. 20% agree with the statement. The statement makes

it evident that students experience a lot of pressure while preparing for

language class. Statement 22 show that they experience test and classroom

anxiety (M=3.71). The standard deviation value of (SD=1.12) denotes high

variation in the responses.

Statement 26, “I feel more tense and nervous in my language class than

in my other classes” witnessed -0.51 WAS in which 22 out of 77 i.e. 28% agree,

7 remain undecided, 48 out of 77 i.e. 62% disagree with the statement. This

shows that even though the respondents are having various apprehensions

related to communication, still somewhere they have a positive inclination

towards attending to language classes instead of other engineering subject

classes like Maths, Physics, and Chemistry etc. Because they well understand

the fact that pruning their communicative skills would enable them to secure

better career opportunities. Statement 26 observed (M=2.46) and (SD=1.30)

Statement 28, “When I'm on my way to language class, I feel very sure

and relaxed” witnessed -0.79 WAS. 58 out of 77 i.e. 75% disagree, 8 remain

undecided, 11 out of 77 i.e. only 14% agree with the statement. This indicates

that a major chunk of students feel unsure and tense, when they are on their

way to language class because somewhere they are scared of the testing

situations being witnessed by them in their language class. Statement 28 show

that they experience test and classroom anxiety (M=3.80). The standard

deviation value of (SD=.918) denotes high variation in the responses.

Statement 30, “I feel overwhelmed by the number of rules you have to

learn to speak a foreign language” witnessed 0.10 WAS. 32 out of 77 i.e. 41%

agree, 16 remain undecided, 29 out of 77 i.e. 38% respondents disagree with

the statement. This indicates that the students are weighed down by the number

of rules they have to learn to speak and this pressure again leads to the

anxiety amongst these learners. Statement 30 show that they experience test

and classroom anxiety (M=3.12). The standard deviation value of (SD=1.23)

denotes high variation in the responses.

Table 3: Responses of Students Regarding Test and Classroom Anxiety

Item

No.Statements SA A UD DA SDA WAS

M SD

2 I don't worry about making mistakes in

language class. 13 18 6 36 4

-

0.00

3.0

0

1.2

6

4 It frightens me when I don't understand

what the teacher is saying in the foreign

language. 20 23 7 11 16 0.26

3.2

5

1.5

0

5 It wouldn't bother me at all to take more 22 30 7 11 7 - 3.6 1.2

foreign language classes. 0.64 6 9

6 During language class, I find myself

thinking about things that have nothing to

do with the course. 9 26 14 13 15 0.01

3.0

0

1.3

3

8 I am usually at ease during tests in my

language class. 17 37 13 9 1

-

0.78

3.8

7

.99

1

10 I worry about the consequences of failing

my foreign language class. 13 33 7 14 10 0.323.3

1

1.3

011 I don't understand why some people get so

upset over foreign language classes. 16 28 19 13 1

-

0.583.6

1

1.0

212 In language class, I can get so nervous I

forget things I know. 13 24 11 25 4 0.223.2

5

1.2

216 Even if I am well prepared for language

class, I feel anxious about it. 11 31 11 14 10 0.253.2

8

1.2

817 I often feel like not going to my language

class. 3 16 3 33 22

-

0.71

2.2

8

1.2

0

19 I am afraid that my language teacher is

ready to correct every mistake I make. 18 26 10 12 11 0.363.3

7

1.3

721 The more I study for a language test, the

more con‐ fused I get. 8 15 8 34 12

-

0.352.6

4

1.2

722 I don't feel pressure to prepare very well

for language class. 20 29 12 13 3

-

0.653.7

1

1.1

226 I feel more tense and nervous in my 7 15 7 28 20 -

language class than in my other classes. 0.512.4

6

1.3

028 When I'm on my way to language class, I

feel very sure and relaxed. 14 44 8 11 0

-

0.79

3.8

0

.91

8

30 I feel overwhelmed by the number of rules

you have to learn to speak a foreign

language. 12 20 16 22 7 0.10

3.1

2

1.2

3

9.CONCLUSION In conclusion the results derived from the study indicate that the

respondents suffered from language anxiety, fear of negative evaluation and

test and classroom anxiety. Overall it may be revealed that the students who

participated in this study are experiencing anxiety in learning English. The

students of the present study are affected by anxiety and nervousness to a

great extent and prove to be uncertain of them in their language class.

Respondents even undergo the psycho-physiological symptoms like panic,

trembling hands, pounding hearts, sound nervous, worried and diffident while

making use of English language in different situations. The respondents seem

to be completely incapable of creating social impressions. The respondent’s

fear of making mistakes contributes to provoke anxiety because they feel that

others would observe their mistakes. The main reasons of anxiety are that they

are unable to comprehend their teacher’s language and their anxiousness

towards native speakers of English, fear of forgetting vocabulary and the

basic structure of sentences while speaking, not prepared well for the lesson

and have terror of being called on in class. Moreover they witness anxiety

when they think about the consequences of failing in the language tests and

the number of rules they have to learn to speak the foreign language English.

The results also reveal that the respondents witness serious inferiority

complex and always find their peers better than them and also feel shy to

volunteer answers in the class. But the respondents of the present study,

despite of various apprehensions, still are interested to attend their

language classes, because this class provides them with an opportunity to

inculcate excellent communicative skills and rise themselves up to the

requisite global standards of spoken English. A few conscious and constructive

steps taken at the end of the language teachers can transform this anxiety

into a deep interest in this subject and surely can turn these apprehensive

and diffident pupils into fearless and resolute learners of English.

9.1 FACILITATION TO LANGUAGE TEACHERS

The results of the present study help clarify issues related to anxiety

in the foreign language classroom. The study would facilitate the language

teachers and guides to locate the basic underlying problem areas in the

foreign language class. The study would extend help to the teachers of English

to understand the hidden struggle that these students undergo while learning

the foreign language. With the help of the results drawn, the teachers may

well understand the fact that every student is unique and has different

perception sets and it is but obvious that the kind of anxiety that one

student experience can be different in its nature from the kind of anxiety

that the other student may experience. So he or she should be able to design

such modules so as to suit the requirements of each student. As the results

indicate that the students feel extremely conscious of the teacher’s feedback

given in front of everyone in the class, the teacher can always discover some

alternatives to convey the feedback in the healthiest of environment where the

students should voluntarily seek their teacher’s feedback and try to bring

about some constructive changes in their attitude. In such a situation self

appraisal or general feedback can result best, instead of specific feedback.

So it can be anticipated that no doubts the language anxiety interferes with

the successful learning of English as a foreign language, but little efforts

put in by the language facilitators can work wonders on these anxious non-

native learners. They can be pacified to a great extent and can be facilitated

in the most positive manner to learn English as easily and naturally as their

own mother tongue.

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