A Within-Asia Comparison of Anxiety in English Language Classrooms

Abstract

Anxiety in English language classrooms is often considered as one of the major sources of students’ reticence and shyness, frequently reported as one of the common characteristics of Asian learners. But, do all Asian students share the same characteristics in the setting of language learning? There might be some differences even if they share the basic traits. In order to investigate this question, we have conducted a questionnaire survey in Japan and Indonesia, using the framework of FLCAS (Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale) developed by Horwitz(1986), which employs a five-point scale Likert questionnaire. Japanese and Indonesian language versions of the questionnaire were prepared and administered online in respective countries. Roughly 180 students from different universities in Japan and about 70 students from a university in Indonesia responded to the survey. Our preliminary analyses indicate the following: (1) the Japanese data set shows an unmistakable pattern compared to the Indonesian data set, in which some of the question items do not reach the significance level; and (2) comparisons of some comparable items do show significant differences while others suggest similarities. This is a part of a larger research project that tries to understand the differences in behaviors of language learners in the East and Southeast Asian countries. We are interested in cultural differences such as group orientation, confidence levels in public speaking, openness to criticism, etc. In the future, we are looking to study how to overcome the problem of anxiety, hopefully adding more countries in the region to the survey.



Author Information
Hiromi Oda, Tokyo Online University, Japan
Jatrifia Sinatrya, State Polytechnic of Malang, Indonesia
Uyun Nishar, State Polytechnic of Malang, Indonesia
Andrew Foong, University of Tasmania, Australia
Naoko Ichii, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan

Paper Information
Conference: SEACE2021
Stream: Foreign Languages Education & Applied Linguistics (including ESL/TESL/TEFL)

This paper is part of the SEACE2021 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Oda H., Sinatrya J., Nishar U., Foong A., Ichii N., & A. (2021) A Within-Asia Comparison of Anxiety in English Language Classrooms ISSN: 2435-5240 The Southeast Asian Conference on Education 2021: Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2435-5240.2021.6
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2435-5240.2021.6


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Posted by James Alexander Gordon