Students’ Foreign-Language Classroom Anxiety at the Department of German Language Teaching Program(a Sample from Anadolu University)

Year 2020, Issue: 44, 111 - 134, 26.12.2020

Şengül Balkaya Behiye Arabacıoğlu Mustafa Çakır

https://doi.org/10.26650/sdsl2020-0019

Abstract

This study aimed to assess students’ anxiety levels at the Department of German Language Teaching Program at Anadolu University and examine foreign-language teaching conditions based on various variables. It adopted a survey model and recruited a sample of 70 students from the said department. Quantitative data were obtained using the Questionnaire of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety developed by Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986) and adapted to Turkish by Aydın and Zengin (2008). Qualitative data, on the other hand, were collected from semistructured interviews. For data analysis, this study applied descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and content analysis. The results showed that students have a medium level of anxiety in foreign languages, and while they receive foreign language lessons, they do not consider themselves competent enough. In addition, students’ gender, type of high school attended, and language level did not influence their anxiety whereas their stay and study abroad and their preparatory year at a university significantly affected it. External factors, such as peer pressure, and internal factors, such as fear of wrongdoing, lack of self-confidence, and embarrassment regarding grammar, word choice, and pronunciation, were also found to contribute to student anxiety.

Keywords

Anxiety, foreign language classroom anxiety, foreign language, German as a foreign language, foreign language teaching program

Angstzustände im Fremdsprachenunterricht von Studierenden der Abteilung Deutsch als Fremdsprache auf Lehramt (Am Beispiel Anadolu Universität)

Abstract

Die vorliegende Studie wurde durchgeführt, um die Angstzustände im Fremdsprachenunterricht von Studierenden der Abteilung Deutsch als Fremdsprache auf Lehramt zu ermitteln und die genannten Zustände im Fremdsprachenunterricht anhand verschiedener Variablen zu untersuchen. In der Untersuchung wurde das Survey-Modell verwendet. Insgesamt 70 Studierende, die an der Anadolu Universität Deutsch als Fremdsprache studieren, bilden die Stichprobe der Untersuchung. Die aus der Studie erhaltenen quantitativen Daten wurden mit der „Befragung zur Angst im Fremdsprachenunterricht“ von Horwitz gesammelt, die er mit Horwitz und Cope zusammen (1986) entwickelt hat und die von Aydın und Zengin (2008) ins Türkische übertragen wurde. Die qualitativen Daten dagegen wurden mit einem halbstrukturierten Interviewformular gesammelt. Zur Analyse der Daten wurden deskriptive Statistiken, eine Einweg-Varianzanalyse (One-Way-ANOVA) und eine Inhaltsanalyse verwendet. Aus den Ergebnissen der Studie geht hervor, dass die Fremdsprachenangst der Studierenden auf einem mittleren Niveau liegt. Darüber hinaus wurde der Entschluss gezogen, dass sich das Geschlecht der Studierenden, die Art des besuchten Gymnasiums und das Sprachniveau nicht auf die Angstzustände auswirkt, wohingegen ein Aufenthalt im Ausland, ein Auslandssemester und ein Vorbereitungsjahr an einer Universität erhebliche Auswirkungen auf die Angstzustände aufzeigt. Außerdem wurde festgestellt, dass die Gründe für die Angst der Studierenden durch externe Faktoren wie Gruppenzwang sowie interne Faktoren wie Angst vor Fehlverhalten, mangelndem Selbstvertrauen und Scham in Bezug auf Grammatik, Wortauswahl und Aussprache verursacht wurden.

Keywords

Angst, Angstzustände im Fremdsprachenunterricht, Fremdsprache, Deutsch als Fremdsprache, Fremdsprache auf Lehramt

References

• Aida, Y. (1994). Examination of Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope’s construct of foreign language anxiety: The case of students of Japanese. The modern language journal, 78(2), 155-168.
• Aydın, S. & Zengin, B. (2008). Yabancı dil öğreniminde kaygı: Bir literatür özeti. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 4(1), 81-94.
• Azher, M., Anwar, M. N. & Naz, A. (2010). An investigation of foreign language classroom anxiety and its relationship with students’ achievement. Journal of College Teaching and Learning, 7(11), 33-40.
• Balemir, S. H. (2009). The sources of foreign language speaking anxiety and the relationship between proficiency level and degree of foreign language speaking anxiety. (Doctoral Dissertation). Bilkent University, Turkey.
• Batumlu, D. Z. & Erden, M. (2007). Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Yabancı Diller Yüksek Okulu hazırlık öğrencilerinin yabancı dil kaygıları ile İngilizce başarıları arasındaki ilişki. Eğitimde kuram ve uygulama, 3(1), 24-38.
• Bekleyen, N. (2004). Foreign language anxiety. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 13(2), 27-39.
• Can, E. & Can, C. I. (2014). Türkiye’de ikinci yabancı dil öğretiminde karşılaşılan sorunlar. Trakya Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 4(2), 43-63.
• Doğan, Y. & Tuncer, M. (2016). Examination of foreign language classroom anxiety and achievement in foreign language in Turkish University students in terms of various variables. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 4(5), 18-29.
• Dörnyei, Z. (1994). Motivation and motivating in the foreign language classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 78(3), 273-284.
• Duman, B., Göral, G. N. & Bilgin, H. (2017). Üniversite öğrencilerinin sınıf ortamında yabancı dil konuşma kaygısı üzerine nitel bir çalışma. Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 8(2), 13-27.
• Fischer, S. (2005). Sprechmotivation und Sprechangst im DaF-Unterricht. German as a foreign language. 3, 31-45.
• Gedik, M. (2015). Siirt örnekleminde ortaöğretim öğrencilerinin konuşma kaygılarının incelenmesi. Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi, 5(13), 77-93.
• Genç, G. (2009). İnönü Üniversitesi Yabancı Diller Yüksekokulu öğrencilerinin yabancı dil kaygıları. e-Journal of New World Sciences Academy, 4(3), 1080-1089.
• Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B. & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern language journal, 70(2), 125-132.
• İşigüzel, B. & Kırmızı, B. (2014). Lise öğrencilerinin Almanca öğrenme sürecinde başarısızlık nedenlerinin değerlendirilmesi. Kafkas Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitü Dergisi, 1(13), 45-63.
• Kim, S. Y. (2009). Questioning the stability of foreign language classroom anxiety and motivation across different classroom contexts. Foreign Language Annals, 42(1), 138-157.
• Matsuda, S. & Gobel, P. (2004). Anxiety and predictors of performance in the foreign language classroom. System, 32(1), 21-36.
• Oflaz, A. (2019). Almanca hazırlık sınıfı öğrencilerinin kaygı, dil öğrenme stratejileri kullanımları ile akademik başarıları arasındaki ilişki. Diyalog interkulturelle Zeitschrift für Germanistik,7(2), 305-319.
• Önem, E. (2010). The relationship among state-trait anxiety, foreign language anxiety and test anxiety in an EFL setting. Dil Dergisi, 148, 17-36.
• Öner, G. & Gedikoğlu, T. (2007). Ortaöğretim öğrencilerinin İngilizce öğrenimlerini etkileyen yabancı dil kaygısı. Gaziantep Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 6(2), 144-155.
• Öztürk, G. & Gürbüz, N. (2014). Speaking anxiety among Turkish EFL learners: The case at a state university. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 10(1), 1-17.
• Rodríguez, M. X. & Abreu, O. (2003). The stability of general foreign language classroom anxiety across English and French. The Modern Language Journal, 87(3), 365-374.
• Sparks, R. L. & Ganschow, L. (2007). Is the foreign language classroom anxiety scale measuring anxiety or language skills? Foreign Language Annals, 40(2), 260-287.
• Süleymanova, R. (2011). Abbau der Sprechangst im Unterricht Deutsch als Femdsprache: Eine empirische Untersuchung am Beispiel der Integrationskurse. Berlin: Köster.
• Şener, S. (2015). Yabancı dil öğrenme kaygısı ve başarı: Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi öğrencilerinin durum değerlendirmesi. Turkish Studies-International Periodical for the Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic, 10(3), 875-890.
• Trylong, V. L. (1987). Aptitude, attitudes, and anxiety: A study of their relationships to achievement in the foreign language classroom. (Doctoral Dissertation). Purdue University, USA.
• Tüm, D. Ö. & Kunt, N. (2013). Speaking anxiety among EFL student teachers. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 28(3), 385-399.
• Yılmaz, D. & Maden, S. S. (2016). Dil öğrenim sürecinde Almanca öğretmen adaylarının kaygı tutumlarına ilişkin bir araştırma. Trakya Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 6(2), 201-211.
• Young, D. J. (1991). Creating a low‐anxiety classroom environment: what does language anxiety research suggest? The modern language journal, 75(4), 426-437.
• Zerey, Ö. G. (2008). Tiyatro uygulamasının öğrencilerin yabancı dil konuşma kaygısı üzerindeki etkisi. (Yüksek Lisans Tezi). Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi, Türkiye.
• Zhanibek, A. (2001). The relationship between language anxiety and students’ participation in foreign language classes. (Doctoral Dissertation). Bilkent University, Turkey.