A Survey Study On English Learning Anxiety Of High School Unsuccessful English Learners

Anxiety is a restless and depressing emotion that occurs when an individual fails to achieve his goals or overcome the difficulties in doing things for a long time. It may greatly influence the individuals development negatively. According to Horwitz(1986), foreign language learning anxiety is an anxious emotion that occurs in process foreign language learning which concerns with learners’ negative self perceptions, self beliefs in language learning, which may cause difficulties or even failure in their foreign language learning. It is considered as one of the most influential negative emotional factors that prevent language learners from succeeding in language learning. To high school unsuccessful English learners in China, language learning anxiety may be one of the most important factors that causes their failure of their English learning.There are a lot of researches on foreign language learning anxiety at home and abroad, but most of them were about overseas students, college students, or adults as second or foreign language learners. Not enough attention has been drawn to High school students’ foreign language learning anxiety, and researches related to the high school unsuccessful English learners’ learning anxiety is rare. Therefore, this survey study is designed to address high school unsuccessful English learners’ learning anxiety in order to have a better understanding of the status cuo of the English learning anxiety of unsuccessful learners in high school and the reasons their language learning anxiety. It is also aims to find some effective ways to help these learners reduce their language learning anxiety and improve their English learning.This survey study uses questionnaire and interview as the research methods to collect data. The 350 subjects are unsuccessful English learners chosen from a high schools in Gai Zhou city in Liao Ning province. They are selected according to their average score(under 90 with150 points as the full score) in four exams. Based on the analysis of the questionnaire and interview data, the result of the survey some findings are as follows: this study finds that most unsuccessful English learners experience anxiety when they learn English, and anxiety has bad effect on their achievements; they feel restless in English classes and are not willing to talk with their English teacher; they are embarrassed to participate in class activities; during English tests, their minds may go blank and are not able to answer the questions successfully even if they know the answers; In the part of English communication they cannot fully express themselves just because of anxiety. The study finds that most students have anxiety because of following reasons: they don’t believe themselves and have no confidence; they don’t master enough English knowledge and learning skills; they also have low degree of tolerance of English ambiguity; English teachers inappropriate teaching methods.Based on the survey study, the author discusses the pedagogical implications for English practical teaching and proposes some suggestions for students to reduce language learning anxiety and improve their achievement. With the concern to raise teachers’ aware of students’ affective factor, especially anxiety and reduce the negative on students’ language learning through appropriate teaching strategies.