Foreign Language Anxiety in the Classroom and

A Case Study of Chinese Language Learners at Seton Hall University

By

Tien-hui Yu

Abstract

In the research on foreign language learning, various factors that impact the effectiveness of learning have been studied. This paper considers the anxiety among Chinese language learners. It explores the causes and influences of anxiety in the foreign language classroom. Based on a case study of Chinese language learners at Seton Hall University, the paper shows that there are positive correlations between different types of anxiety, and that anxieties are negatively correlated with learners’ grades and self-esteem. There is no significant correlation between anxiety and the language-learning level of the student. Anxiety is prevalent regardless of the language level of the student. The paper also discusses how instructors can reduce the anxiety in the classroom in order to help students to better accomplish their learning objectives.