English Language Classroom Anxiety and Enjoyment in Chinese Young Learners

Abstract

The present large-scale mixed-method study examined English language classroom anxiety and enjoyment in Chinese young students in relation to gender and grade level. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 709 primary and secondary school students from a province in south China. Major findings were: (1) Around one third of the participants felt anxious when speaking English while more than half felt joyful in the English class. The same pattern applied for male and female students and those in grades 4 to 8; (2) significant gender difference in anxiety occurred in grade 4 and that in enjoyment occurred in grade 8; (3) the students tended to be more anxious and less joyful in the English class as their grade levels increased, with grade 7 being a dividing year of the (inverted) u-curve; (4) anxiety and enjoyment were significantly correlated with each other for students in grades 4 to 8; (5) both learner- and teacher-related variables were identified as causes for anxiety and enjoyment; and (6) the students reacted differently when feeling anxious or joyful in class: When feeling/becoming anxious, they often suffered a lot (e.g., becoming dumbfounded, sweating, trembling, and not knowing what to do or say, etc.); when feeling joyful, they often became more attentive and active in class and studied English harder. It is hence clear that English language classroom anxiety and enjoyment are two independent dimensions of emotion and that fostering positive emotions facilitates SL/FL learning.