Does anxiety about learning and using a foreign language decline as learners become more competent in the target language, or is anxiety also relevant at higher levels of proficiency? This is the question Foreign Language Anxiety and the Advanced Language Learner sets out to explore. The aim of the book is to give readers an insight into what role anxiety plays in the language learning and communication processes of advanced language learners. Specifically, the study examines how advanced EFL learners’ foreign language anxiety (FLA) can be characterized; how anxiety relates to other individual differences (cognitive, affective, personality); and explores the relationship between FLA and various aspects of learners’ performance and communication experience in the target language. The research context is Hungary. The findings, however, are not confined to the Hungarian EFL setting. In addition to making a contribution to the clarification of some unresolved issues in language anxiety research—including the role of proficiency in the development of anxiety, the relationship between anxiety and other learner variables, and the much-debated question of whether or not anxiety accounts for differential success in L2 learning—this study has important implications for language teachers as well.

This book presents original research on the effects of foreign language anxiety (FLA) on young language learners. It includes suggestions for alleviating FLA and encouraging foreign language enjoyment which will ultimately facilitate more effective language learning and support children’s psychosocial wellbeing.

Positive psychology is the scientific study of how human beings prosper and thrive. This is the first book in SLA dedicated to theories in positive psychology and their implications for language teaching, learning and communication. Chapters examine the characteristics of individuals, contexts and relationships that facilitate learning: positive emotional states such as love, enjoyment and flow, and character traits such as empathy, hardiness and perseverance. The contributors present several innovative teaching ideas to bring out these characteristics among learners. The collection thus blends new teaching techniques with cutting-edge theory and empirical research undertaken using qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods approaches. It will be of interest to SLA researchers, graduate students, trainee and experienced teachers who wish to learn more about language learning psychology, individual differences, learner characteristics and new classroom practices.

This book provides an overview of current theory, research and practice in the field of language anxiety and brings together a range of perspectives on this psychological construct in a single volume. Chapters show that language anxiety can be viewed as a complex and dynamic construct and can be researched using different methods and frameworks.

"Finally a comprehensive discussion of language anxiety, this collection of papers considers the points of view of teachers and students as well as of theorists and researchers. What is language anxiety? How does it affect language learners? How is it related to other types of anxiety? What can teachers and program directors do to minimize language anxiety in their classrooms? These and other issues are addressed in this landmark text." -- Back cover.

Foreign language anxiety and language-skill-specific anxiety are widely used to describe the feeling of tension and apprehension, which is specifically associated with foreign language learning contexts, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) is related to foreign language anxiety and language-skill-specific anxiety, and fairly recently identified as distinguished from other forms of anxiety. FLCA is a more general type of anxiety in learning a foreign language with a strong speaking anxiety element; and low self-confidence is identified as an important component of its construct. Research shows that FLCA is a complex, multi-dimensional phenomenon; it has many potential sources; and it interferes with the acquisition, retention, and production of a foreign language. This book examines the dynamics of FLCA phenomena.

Affect in Foreign Language and Second Language Learning offers high school and college/university second language teachers, or teachers-in-training, practical suggestions for creating activities that take into account learner anxieties, frustrations or discomfort in the language learning process. The objective of the book is to offer concrete instructional approaches for language learning that are rooted in second language acquisition research and, at the same time, that promote a low-anxiety classroom environment. The authors of each chapter are specialists in specific areas of language learning and their essays, composed specifically for this volume, lay the groundwork for continued research on affect in language learning. This text is part of the McGraw-Hill Second Language Professional Series, edited by James F. Lee and Bill VanPatten.