Fear, Dependence and Loss of Self-Esteem: Affective Barriers in Second Language Learning Among Adults

Abstract

The authors wished to monitor the attitudes of adults required to undertake the study of a foreign language. The requirement was part of a postgraduate degree. The subjects were virtual monolingual English speakers, with one exception. They were adult professional people taking a part-time Master's degree in Migration Studies. They were required to take two semesters of a foreign language of which they had no prior knowledge.