The relationship between foreign language anxiety, year of study and self-perceived language proficiency among English major Egyptian students at faculty of education

Abstract EN

In an attempt to delve into the issue of affective variables related to language learning, this study aims to: (1) examine whether English major students at faculty of education experience feelings of foreign language anxiety (FLA) and measure its level; (2) investigate the relationship between FLA and the year of study; (3) look into what types of anxiety do the participants experience; and (4) to explore the correlation between the students’ self-evaluation of their English language proficiency and the level of FLA.

For assessing the level of FLA, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) (Horwitz, Howitz & Cope, 1986) was used to collect data.

The participants in this study were 194 English major students, from freshmen to seniors; at Banha Faculty of Education, Egypt.

A self-evaluation questionnaire was used to get the participants’ self-perception of their English language proficiency.

The collected data were analyzed, using SPSS version 22 and one-way ANOVA, to determine if there is a significant difference in the level of anxiety between the students in the four years.

The results revealed that senior year students experienced the highest level of anxiety followed by freshmen, then sophomore, and the junior students experienced the least level of anxiety.

However, no statistically significant differences were observed across the four years of study in their FLA level.

Correlation analyses revealed significant negative associations between participants’ self-perceived English proficiency and their FLA levels associated with all four skills with different degrees.

The study concluded that the participants’ self- perception of their language proficiency, might have affected their level of FLA, and vice versa.