Exploring students’ foreign language anxiety, intercultural sensitivity, and perceptions of teacher effectiveness

Abstract

This two-tiered study investigated 154 students to determine the relationships among their ratings of anxiety, intercultural sensitivity, and perceptions of their teachers’ ability to effectively teach the Spanish language. The results suggested that as students’ levels of FL anxiety increased, students’ ratings of intercultural sensitivity decreased, and students were more likely to give a lower rating to their FL teachers’ ability to teach effectively. Analyses found students completing classes with native-Spanish speaking teachers did not have higher levels of anxiety when compared to students in classes with native-English speaking teachers, but they did perceive their teachers as being less effective. Additionally, students in more advanced classes perceived their teachers as communicating less clearly, in general teaching less effectively, and being less willing to provide help.

Keywords

• Spanish
• foreign language
• anxiety
• teaching effectiveness
• culture