Greek University Students’ Foreign Language Learning Classroom Anxiety

This research paper investigates the impact of Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) on the academic performance of first-year students enrolled in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses at the University of Patras. While existing literature has explored Greek students' perceptions of foreign la...

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Main Author: Ourania Katsara
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Dr. Seyat Polat 2024-06-01
Series:Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Language
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.jssal.com/index.php/jssal/article/view/133
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author Ourania Katsara
author_facet Ourania Katsara
author_sort Ourania Katsara
collection DOAJ
description This research paper investigates the impact of Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) on the academic performance of first-year students enrolled in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses at the University of Patras. While existing literature has explored Greek students' perceptions of foreign language learning in state institutions, there is a noticeable gap in understanding anxiety sources for university-level Greek students. The study involved 175 participants from three university departments, and data were collected using the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) developed by Horwitz et al. in 1986. Results indicate that Greek students generally exhibit a neutral attitude toward anxiety-inducing situations but express notable concerns, particularly regarding the consequences of failing language tests and the fear of negative evaluation. Student comments reveal anxiety triggers related to teacher interactions, speaking in class, and the influence of Greek culture on the learning process. The findings provide valuable insights into the specific situations that contribute to FLA among Greek university students and highlight the importance of addressing anxiety in foreign language instruction at the tertiary level.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2747-5646
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publishDate 2024-06-01
publisher Dr. Seyat Polat
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spelling doaj-art-99fdf944737d414ba2cd1c3b377ec2a52025-08-20T06:35:57ZengDr. Seyat PolatJournal of Research in Social Sciences and Language2747-56462024-06-014110.71514/jssal/2024.133Greek University Students’ Foreign Language Learning Classroom AnxietyOurania Katsara0University of Patras, Greece This research paper investigates the impact of Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) on the academic performance of first-year students enrolled in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses at the University of Patras. While existing literature has explored Greek students' perceptions of foreign language learning in state institutions, there is a noticeable gap in understanding anxiety sources for university-level Greek students. The study involved 175 participants from three university departments, and data were collected using the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) developed by Horwitz et al. in 1986. Results indicate that Greek students generally exhibit a neutral attitude toward anxiety-inducing situations but express notable concerns, particularly regarding the consequences of failing language tests and the fear of negative evaluation. Student comments reveal anxiety triggers related to teacher interactions, speaking in class, and the influence of Greek culture on the learning process. The findings provide valuable insights into the specific situations that contribute to FLA among Greek university students and highlight the importance of addressing anxiety in foreign language instruction at the tertiary level. https://www.jssal.com/index.php/jssal/article/view/133foreign language teachingGreek studentsEnglish for Specific purposeshigher educationlanguage anxiety,
spellingShingle Ourania Katsara
Greek University Students’ Foreign Language Learning Classroom Anxiety
Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Language
foreign language teaching
Greek students
English for Specific purposes
higher education
language anxiety,
title Greek University Students’ Foreign Language Learning Classroom Anxiety
title_full Greek University Students’ Foreign Language Learning Classroom Anxiety
title_fullStr Greek University Students’ Foreign Language Learning Classroom Anxiety
title_full_unstemmed Greek University Students’ Foreign Language Learning Classroom Anxiety
title_short Greek University Students’ Foreign Language Learning Classroom Anxiety
title_sort greek university students foreign language learning classroom anxiety
topic foreign language teaching
Greek students
English for Specific purposes
higher education
language anxiety,
url https://www.jssal.com/index.php/jssal/article/view/133
work_keys_str_mv AT ouraniakatsara greekuniversitystudentsforeignlanguagelearningclassroomanxiety