open access

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/80963

An Examination of Effective Strategies for Reducing Learner Language Anxiety through Quasi-experimental Design

英語

EFL classrooms in Japan

2019-04-01

Institute of Industrial Applications Engineers

Journal of Management and Training for Industries

6(1)

1-16

The negative impact of anxiety in learning a second or foreign language has been demonstrated in a number of studies over the past few decades. It is important to investigate ways of reducing such anxiety as empirical studies have shown that language anxiety negatively affects the language performance of learners. In this study, classroom intervention strategies for reducing language anxiety were implemented, and the effectiveness of the anxiety-reducing strategies was examined. The study was designed to ascertain: 1) which areas of the language anxiety were decreased due to intervention, 2) which strategies were considered the most effective in reducing language anxiety by learners, and 3) how the learners perceived the anxiety-reducing strategies. Participants were two groups of students from different universities in Japan, consisting of the experimental group (N = 50) and control group (N = 32). Questionnaire surveys were conducted before and after the intervention, with both the experimental and control groups. As a result, anxiety-reducing strategies were effective in reducing learner communication apprehension. Effective strategies for reducing language anxiety were found to be: making presentations in small groups instead of making presentations individually, and doing pair work and group work in class. From the responses to the open-ended questionnaire, learner perceptions of the strategies were found to be generally positive.

学術雑誌論文

Version of Record

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

2188-8728

2188-2274