Foreign Language Anxiety and Classroom Silence: Manifestations and Intervention Strategies in EFL Classrooms and Target Language Environments

Research Article
Open access

Foreign Language Anxiety and Classroom Silence: Manifestations and Intervention Strategies in EFL Classrooms and Target Language Environments

Guanqiao Chen 1*
  • 1 Institute of Education, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom    
  • *corresponding author c2068201@newcastle.ac.uk
LNEP Vol.87
ISSN (Print): 2753-7056
ISSN (Online): 2753-7048
ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-083-2
ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-084-9

Abstract

Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) is a common psychological barrier experienced by language learners during foreign language acquisition, often leading to classroom silence. This paper reviews FLA's different manifestations and sources in Chinese-speaking learners within English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms and target language environments. It analyzes how FLA impacts learners' silent behaviors. Research indicates that FLA primarily stems from exam pressure, classroom atmosphere, and teacher evaluation methods in EFL classrooms. At the same time, in the target language environment, FLA is more associated with social anxiety and cultural adaptation issues. Teachers should adopt strategies such as Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), group collaboration, peer cooperation, and positive emotional support to alleviate FLA and the resulting silent behaviors. This study offers theoretical support for understanding FLA's dynamic and adaptive nature and provides practical guidance for emotional intervention in foreign language teaching. Finally, the research suggests that future studies should empirically explore individuals' emotional changes and behavioral shifts in the language learning process.

Keywords:

Foreign Language Anxiety, Classroom Silence, Task-Based Language Teaching, Emotional Support, Target Language Environment

Chen,G. (2025). Foreign Language Anxiety and Classroom Silence: Manifestations and Intervention Strategies in EFL Classrooms and Target Language Environments. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,87,103-109.
Export citation

References

[1]. Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132.

[2]. Tsui, A. B. M. (1996). Reticence and anxiety in second language learning. In K. M. Bailey & D. Nunan (Eds.), Voices from the Language Classroom (pp. 145–167). Cambridge University Press.

[3]. King, J. (2013). Silence in the Second Language Classroom. Palgrave Macmillan.

[4]. Wilson J. Foreign language anxiety in university students: A case study of study-abroad learners[J]. The Language Learning Journal, 2016, 44(2): 139–153. DOI:10.1080/09571736.2013.866146.

[5]. Papi, M., & Khajavy, G. H. (2021). Motivational mechanisms underlying second language achievement: A study of the L2 motivational self system. Modern Language Journal, 105(1), 167–191.

[6]. Gregersen, T., & Horwitz, E. K. (2002). Language learning and perfectionism: Anxious and non-anxious language learners' reactions to their own oral performance. The Modern Language Journal, 86(4), 562–570.

[7]. MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1994). The subtle effects of language anxiety on cognitive processing in the second language. Language Learning, 44(2), 283–305.

[8]. Dewaele, J. M. (2017). Psychological dimensions and foreign language anxiety. In S. Loewen & M. Sato (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Instructed Second Language Acquisition (pp. 433–450). Routledge.

[9]. Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Pergamon.

[10]. Liu, M. (2002). Anxiety in Chinese EFL students: Effects of language level and task type. System, 30(1), 85–97.

[11]. Liu, M., & Jackson, J. (2008). An exploration of Chinese EFL learners’ unwillingness to communicate and foreign language anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 92(1), 71–86.

[12]. Zhang L J, Head K. Dealing with learner reticence in the oral English classroom[J]. ELT Journal, 2010, 64(1): 1–9. DOI:10.1093/elt/ccp018.

[13]. Zhang, Y., & Beck, K. (2018). Understanding Chinese international students’ silence in North American classrooms: A sociocultural and psychological perspective. TESOL Journal, 9(4), 759–781.

[14]. Allen, H. W., & Herron, C. A. (2003). A mixed-methodology investigation of the linguistic and affective outcomes of summer study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 36(3), 370–385.

[15]. Ellis R. Task-based Language Learning and Teaching[M]. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.

[16]. Dörnyei Z. The Psychology of the Language Learner: Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition[M]. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2005.

Cite this article

Chen,G. (2025). Foreign Language Anxiety and Classroom Silence: Manifestations and Intervention Strategies in EFL Classrooms and Target Language Environments. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,87,103-109.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Disclaimer/Publisher's Note

The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of ICEIPI 2025 Symposium: Reimagining Society: AI's Role in Cultural Transformation and Learning Environments

ISBN：978-1-80590-083-2(Print) / 978-1-80590-084-9(Online)
Editor：Kurt Buhring, Rick Arrowood
Conference website: https://2025.iceipi.org/Boston.html
Conference date: 25 June 2025
Series: Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media
Volume number: Vol.87
ISSN：2753-7048(Print) / 2753-7056(Online)

© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See Open access policy for details).

References

[1]. Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132.

[2]. Tsui, A. B. M. (1996). Reticence and anxiety in second language learning. In K. M. Bailey & D. Nunan (Eds.), Voices from the Language Classroom (pp. 145–167). Cambridge University Press.

[3]. King, J. (2013). Silence in the Second Language Classroom. Palgrave Macmillan.

[4]. Wilson J. Foreign language anxiety in university students: A case study of study-abroad learners[J]. The Language Learning Journal, 2016, 44(2): 139–153. DOI:10.1080/09571736.2013.866146.

[5]. Papi, M., & Khajavy, G. H. (2021). Motivational mechanisms underlying second language achievement: A study of the L2 motivational self system. Modern Language Journal, 105(1), 167–191.

[6]. Gregersen, T., & Horwitz, E. K. (2002). Language learning and perfectionism: Anxious and non-anxious language learners' reactions to their own oral performance. The Modern Language Journal, 86(4), 562–570.

[7]. MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1994). The subtle effects of language anxiety on cognitive processing in the second language. Language Learning, 44(2), 283–305.

[8]. Dewaele, J. M. (2017). Psychological dimensions and foreign language anxiety. In S. Loewen & M. Sato (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Instructed Second Language Acquisition (pp. 433–450). Routledge.

[9]. Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Pergamon.

[10]. Liu, M. (2002). Anxiety in Chinese EFL students: Effects of language level and task type. System, 30(1), 85–97.

[11]. Liu, M., & Jackson, J. (2008). An exploration of Chinese EFL learners’ unwillingness to communicate and foreign language anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 92(1), 71–86.

[12]. Zhang L J, Head K. Dealing with learner reticence in the oral English classroom[J]. ELT Journal, 2010, 64(1): 1–9. DOI:10.1093/elt/ccp018.

[13]. Zhang, Y., & Beck, K. (2018). Understanding Chinese international students’ silence in North American classrooms: A sociocultural and psychological perspective. TESOL Journal, 9(4), 759–781.

[14]. Allen, H. W., & Herron, C. A. (2003). A mixed-methodology investigation of the linguistic and affective outcomes of summer study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 36(3), 370–385.

[15]. Ellis R. Task-based Language Learning and Teaching[M]. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.

[16]. Dörnyei Z. The Psychology of the Language Learner: Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition[M]. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2005.

For authors
Guide for authors Policies for authors Aims and scope Subscription Open access policy
For editors
Policies for editors Editorial board
For reviewers
Policies for reviewers Privacy policy

Cookies are used by this site.
Copyright © 2024 EWA Publishing, its licensors, and contributors. All rights reserved, including text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.