Foreign Language Teaching Anxiety of Turkish EFL Teachers

The purpose of this mixed-method cross-sectional study was twofold: (1) to investigate whether Turkish EFL teachers experience foreign language teaching anxiety, and if so, (2) to identify whether the level of anxiety varies in relation to their individual characteristics, namely gender, their years of experience, school type and grade level they teach at. Participants were a total sample of 94 Turkish in-service EFL teachers working at primary, secondary, and high school levels in public and private schools. Data came from Foreign Language Teaching Anxiety Scale (FLTAS) and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analysed by running descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon-signed rank, Friedman, and Kruskal Wallis H tests, whereas qualitative data were content analysed. Findings indicated that teachers have a low level of teaching anxiety regarding teaching a particular language skill, worrying about target language performance, making mistakes, and being compared to fellow teachers. On the other hand, learners’ short attention span, as well as lack of interest and engagement, are among the anxiety-arousing factors. Moreover, weekly teaching loads and the incompatibility of books and the curriculum engender anxiety among teachers. Findings also showed foreign language teaching anxiety varies according to gender, type of school, and school level, whereas it does not vary according to years of teaching experience. The study discusses the implications for in-service teacher training.