A Study Of The Oral English Learning Anxiety Of The English Sophomores

Language learning anxiety affects most language learners. Researches on foreign language anxiety started in the 1940s. The concept of "Foreign Language Anxiety" or "Language Anxiety" was first proposed by Horwitz in 1960s. However, not until the 1980s did researches on the foreign language anxiety make great breakthrough. Since then, many researchers both abroad and at home have conducted enormous researches on this phenomenon.However, most of the previous studies were done in the western culture settings. Since China is the country with the largest foreign language learning population, foreign language learning anxiety phenomenon is naturally the most common phenomenon among Chinese students. In recent years, foreign language learning anxiety has attracted more and more people’s attention, and scholars have also done a lot of related research. However, related information show that the subjects of the early researches were mainly high school students, oversea students or non-English major students. The fact is that researches on English majors are extremely rare. Inspired by the existing researches, the author found that the state of oral English learning anxiety of current English major students is almost universal, and it is worth discussing.Based on Krashen’s Input Hypothesis, Affective Filter Hypothesis and the Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis, The present study takes 150 sophomore students of English major in Guangxi Normal University as the research subjects. It uses quantitative research and qualitative research methods to investigate the present situation of their spoken English learning anxiety for the purpose of exploring and analyzing their anxiety issues, and finally discussing the strategies for reducing learning anxiety. The analysis of survey results showed that (1) a certain level of foreign language anxiety surely exists among the English majors. Among these anxieties communication anxiety has the highest average, and then followed by the negative evaluation anxiety, and finally the classroom anxiety. (2) There is no significant difference in foreign language anxiety between genders and majors of sophomore English major students in Guangxi Normal University, but the interview results show that anxiety is closely related to personal character, learning motivation and learning strategies. (3) Learning anxiety is negatively correlated with students’ achievement, namely the higher level of anxiety, the lower scores. (4) Self-assessment, proficiency in English and expression ability of the individual, tolerance of ambiguity, classroom activities and the teaching method are the main reasons of students’oral English anxiety.The present study has put forward some corresponding suggestions according to the results of this study. Firstly, teachers should further improve teaching methods so as to improve students’learning interest and confidence in oral English class; secondly, teachers should further guide students to practice oral English through more activities and platforms outside class.