Online Language Courses

Conclusions and Implications
It can be deduced from this study that some levels of foreign language anxiety are experienced by beginning students in’ response to some aspects of foreign language learning. The study further suggests that anxiety experienced in foreign language learning (Spanish in this case) does not necessarily decline or diminish as students progress from first semester to second semester; rather, the apprehension levels seem to increase slightly during the second semester of language acquisition. This may be explained by the fact that, in most cases, Spanish 102 takes students from beginning language concepts taught in the first semester to more complex grammar levels, such as the use of the subjunctive mode. Also, SPA 102 instructors use the target language more frequently in the classroom with a much more extensive vocabulary.

Indonesia language Test Snmptn 2008 Code Test 101

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Because anxiety seems to be inherent in the learning process of beginning university students of foreign languages, reducing language apprehension should be an intrinsic part of any such program. Some of the affective techniques to alleviate feelings of anxiety cited by modern-language teaching experts are:
* Making students aware that being fluent and getting a good accent in the target language take in most cases several years of study and practice.
* Providing students with positive reinforcement and creating a relaxed classroom environment.
* Helping students that have a mental block towards language learning by providing them with out-of-the-classroom individual assistance.
Some teaching methods that can also be adopted to reduce classroom anxiety may be
* Conducting class activities in groups.
* Explaining grammar concepts in beginning and elementary classes in the native, not in the target language.
* Forming support groups for performance-concerned students so they can discuss concerns and difficulties encountered in language learning.
* Using smaller classes to help instructors identify students experiencing anxiety and give them special attention and support.
Besides these affective and pedagogical methods, universities should adopt innovative approaches to minimize apprehension and maximize student achievement. Because the class composition of modern language programs in institutions of higher learning includes students from different disciplines, it is common to find classes that include majors from arts and sciences, education, health professions, business, social and behavioral sciences, engineering and technology, and so on. Some of the students plan to continue their studies abroad.
Generally, the course content taught in these regular language classes has no bearing on the needs and expectations of students. All too frequently course content does little to interest or to prepare them as adults about ready to join the working world. It is not surprising that for many of them their foreign language studies seem too futile to be worth their effort.
In order to get students involved in activities resulting in the desired learning, universities need to develop curricula designed for the specific language purposes of identified groups. These curricula should be clearly allied to content-based instruction in the particular discipline of the student (Johns, 1991), specifically, the curriculum for students should be tied to the answers to the following questions:
* What will these students be doing with the foreign language when they finish the classes?
* What are the characteristics of the language they need in order to succeed?
Thus, the content of foreign language programs should be based upon the most systematic, accurate, and empirical measures of students’ needs and of the language required by the tasks they must perform outside of the classroom. This content-based approach should emphasize the learning of the foreign language in conjunction with subject matter so that they integrate particular content with language teaching aims (Graves, 1996). This could be achieved through close interdepartmental cooperation.
To summarize, in order to alleviate anxiety in foreign language university students by minimizing their apathy and disinterest in curricula that is unrelated to their needs, educators ought to provide meaningful content that is akin to their particular disciplines. An example of this approach would be to develop curricula for professional disciplines, such as health professions, business, science and technology, and law, and different curricula for academic purposes, for instance, for students majoring in the language or for those pursuing their undergraduate or postgraduate studies abroad.

Appendix 1
The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale *

Question # SA A N D SD **

when I am speaking in my foreign
language class.
2. I don’t worry about making mistakes
in language class.
to be called on in language class.
understand what the teacher is
saying in the foreign language.
more foreign language.
6. During language class, I find myself
thinking about things that have
students are better at languages
my language class.
without preparation in language
class.
10. I worry about the consequences of
failing my foreign language class.
11. I don’t understand why some people
get so upset over foreign language
classes.
12. In language class, I can get so
nervous I forget things I know.
13. It embarrasses me to volunteer
answers in my language class.
14. I would not be nervous speaking in
the foreign language with native
speakers.
15. I get upset when I don’t understand
what the teacher is correcting.
16. Even if I am well prepared for
language class, I feel anxious
language class.
18. I feel confident when I speak in
foreign language class.
19. I am afraid that my language
teacher is ready to correct every
mistake I make.
language class.
21. The more I study for a language
test, the more confused I get.
22. I don’t feel pressure to prepare
very well for language class.
students speak the language better
24. I feel very self-concious about
speaking the foreign language in
front of other students.
25. Language class moves so quickly I
language class than in my other
classes.
27. I get nervous and confused when I
am speaking in my language class.
28. When I’m on my way to language
29. I get nervous when I
don’t understand every word the
language teacher says.
rules you have to learn to speak a
foreign language.
31. I am afraid that the other students
will laugh at me when I speak the
foreign language.
around native speakers of the
foreign language.
33. I get nervous when the language
teacher asks questions which I
haven’t prepared in advance.

* Source: The FLCAS is reproduced from Foreign Language Classroom
Anxiety, MLJ, Volume 70, Number 2 by permission of the author and
publisher.

** SA=Strongly agree; A=Agree; N=Neither agree nor disagree;
D=Disagree; SD=Strongly Disagree
Table 1
Summated Scale Scores

Summated Scale Score Title Individual Survey Items

Fear of Negative Evaluation Q7 Q23 Q31 Q15
Table 2
Mean and Standard Deviation for the 33 FLCAS Questions by Group

Group 1 (SPA 101) N=114 Group 2 (SPA 102) N=169
Mean Scores Standard Dev. Mean Scores Standard Dev.

Question #1 2.92 1.04 2.76 1.10
Table 3
Difference in levels of anxiety between First-semester and
Second-semester University Spanish students.

ONE-WAY ANOVA
Between Groups df 1
Within Groups df 281

value of f Significance

Question #1 1.456 0.229
Table 4
Summary of Descriptive Statistics for Communication Apprehension
Summated Scale Score per Group

Group Total Number of Subjects Mean Score Standard Deviation
Table 5
Summary of Descriptive Statistics for Fear of Negative Evaluation
Summated Scale Score per Group

Group Total Number of Subjects Mean Score Standard Deviation
Table 6
Summary of Descriptive Statistics for General Feeling of Anxiety
Summated Scale Score per Group

Group Total Number of Subjects Mean Score Standard Deviation
Table 7
Results of Multivariate Analysis of Variance Comparing Groups One and
Group Two on Set of Three Average Summated Scale Scores

Test Computed Value F-equivalent
Of Statistic

Wilks’ Lambda 0.978 2.056
Roy’s Greatest Root 0.022 2.056
Hotelling-Lawley Trace 0.022 2.056
Pillai Trace 0.022 2.056

Test Degrees of Associated p-value
Freedom

Wilks’ Lambda (3,278) 0.1064
Roy’s Greatest Root (3,278) 0.1064
Hotelling-Lawley Trace (3,278) 0.1064
Pillai Trace (3,278) 0.1064
Table 8
Results of Fisher’s PLSD Follow-up Test to Isolate Source(s) of
Between-Group Average Difference Within Set of Summated Scale Scores

Summated Scale Mean Critical Associated
Score Difference Difference p-value

Communication
Apprehension 1.891 1.594 0.0202 * sig
Fear of Negative
Evaluation 0.857 0.832 0.0437 * sig
General Feeling of
Anxiety 10.18 1.068 0.0616 N.S.

References
Graves, Kathleen. 1996. “A Framework of Course Development Processes.” in Teachers as Course Developers, ed. Richards, Jack. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Horwitz, Elaine K., Horwitz, Michael B. and Cope, Joann. 1986. “Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety.” The Modern Language Journal, 70 (2): 125-132.
Johns, Ann. 1991. “English for Specific Purposes,” in Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, Ed. Celce-Murcia, Marianee. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
Lader, Malcom H. 1975. “The Nature of Clinical Anxiety in Modern Society,” in Stress and Anxiety, ed. Spielberger, Charles D. and Sarason, Irwin G., Volume I. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
MacIntyre, Peter D. and Gardner, Robert C. 1991. “Methods and Results in the Study of Anxiety and Language Learning: A Review of Literature.” Language Learning, 41 (1): 85-114.
MacIntyre, Peter D. and Noels, Kimberly A. 1996. “Using Social-Psychological Variables to Predict the Use of Language Learning Strategies.” Foreign Language 29 (3): 373-385.
MacIntyre, Peter D., Noels, Kimberly A. and Clement, Richard. 1997. “Biases in Self-ratings of Second Language Proficiency: The Role of Language Anxiety.” Language Learning, 47 (2): 272-278.
Scovel, Thomas. 1978. “The Effect of Affect in Foreign Language Learning: A Review of the Anxiety Research.” Language Learning, 28 (1): 129-142.
Spielberger, Charles D. 1983. Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Form Y). Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.
MATT A. CASADO, ED.D.
MARY I. DERESHIWSKY, PH.D.
Northern Arizona University
COPYRIGHT 2001 Project Innovation (Alabama)
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group