Cause of Anxiety

Students’ anxiety in classrooms is caused by many reasons. Mispronouncing the words or misuse of grammar causes misunderstanding, embarrassment, and negative assessment. They report high level of anxiety when it comes to speaking orally and they take tests. Students’ anxiety is aggregated when they speak in front of their peers or are laughed at,when they feel they are making a fool of themselves and are embarrassed. Furthermore, the students’ inability to express their thoughts, ideas, or explain their opinions can be assigned to anxiety. Moreover, native speakers of a language in the classroom are depicted as a factor which provokes students’ anxiety. They are worried about being compared with native speakers in the classroom.  Anxious students limit  This video explains the causes of anxiety their verbal communication in the classroom due to the need of confidence in their ability to pronounce the sentences and using the grammar correctly (Szyszka, 2011;Von worde, 2003; Williams & Andrade, ). Students’ fear of negative assessment would lead students to fail in participating in classroom activities such as volunteering to answer questions or initiating questions. While these reasons differ owing to students’ differences, ability, level of the language, and age, they may contribute to one cause that is fear of negative impression or assessment.             Also, some teachers are the cause of students’ anxiety in the classroom.  Calling the student’s name can create anxious students, that is, choosing randomly or predictable selection makes students think that they will be called upon next. They may feel nervous and worried about what they can say and how the teacher will evaluate them. Teachers’ management of class affects students’ feelings; for example, they do not give students enough time to think in the questions. In addition, the overwhelming assignments, and the methods employed by the teacher, short time to practice, and immediate assessment of students can create students’ anxiety. Furthermore, teachers may not clarify their planning in teaching which provokes the fear of poor accomplishment in students. When teachers give assignments students do not understand, they become worried about their grade (Williams & Andrade, 2008).  According to Tasee (2009),  “Manifestation of negative evaluation can be apparently seen in language learners’ various forms of behaviors. Learners with high concern about negative evaluation tend to become nervous in an evaluation situation that other people would perceive them unfavorably and work hard to be better than they are” (p. 40).  Learners’ fear of being evaluated negatively or perceived unfavorably is a real nightmare for those learners; this make the students exert their effort to be better learners.                This video helps  how to overcome classrooms' anxiety

References

Szyszka, M. (2011). Foreign language anxiety and self-perceived English pronunciation competence. Studies in Second Language, 1(2), 283-300.‏

Tasee, P. (2009). Factors affecting English major students anxiety about speaking English. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima.‏

Von Wörde, R. (2003). Students’ perspectives on foreign language anxiety. Inquiry, 8(1), 21-40.‏

Williams, K. E., & Andrade, M. R. (2008). Foreign language learning anxiety in Japanese EFL

university classes: Causes, coping, and locus of control. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 5(2), 181-191.‏

fergsyful. (2012, Dec 7). Second language anxiety film. Retrieved from:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaL117XpsnI&feature=player_embedded#at=13

missdiorgirl. (2013, Jan 12). How to deal with anxiety. Retrieved from:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS0PEwVTGS0