Learning German as a foreign language: The impact of grammar on German-speaking anxiety

Abstract

It is known that many innovative studies have been carried out on materials, approaches and methods in Foreign Language Teaching thanks to recent technological advances and the update in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, learning, teaching, Assessment in recent years. However, there are other important factors that affect the process of language teaching and learning. These factors can be listed as readiness, awareness, motivation and anxiety. In particular, the fact that motivation and anxiety manifest themselves in a dinstinct fashion in all four skills can cause learning problems. The study attempts to explore speaking anxiety in general, and the effect of grammar on this kind of anxiety in particular. The test group of the study consists of students who learn German as a Foreign Language, and study in a German Language and Literature program. In conclusion, the effect of the knowledge of the mother tongue as well as the knowledge of the German language on the anxiety involved in speaking a foreign language is explained, and the importance of the mother tongue especially in the foreign language learning process is emphasized. In the light of all these clarifications, it can be said that grammar is very effective in speaking skills, and that the lack of grammar is a factor that increases speaking anxiety.

Keywords

• Speaking Anxiety
• Grammar
• Foreign Language
• German language and Literature
• Language Use

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