A Study On The Language Anxiety Of Middle School Students With English Learning Difficulties

The present study investigates the language anxiety of middle school students with English learning difficulties. Researchers and educators began to study the emotional factors (such as motivation, anxiety, personality, attitude, confidence, etc.) in English teaching since the 21 century. The "New English Curriculum Criterion" also highlights the significant roles that affective factors play in English learning and teaching. In recent years, language anxiety has drawn great attention in this field. However, emotional factors are tend to be ignored in the English classes of our middle school, which gives rise to English learning difficulties that in turn hinder students' English learning. Those students who suffer from English learning difficulties are often criticized by teachers and parents for not making enough efforts in English learning, but their English learning anxieties are neglected as one of the most critical factors affecting English learning. Thus, this study mainly focuses on the English learning anxiety of the students with English learning difficulties. Besides, family background and shifting from primary school to middle school are also found closely related to students' English learning difficulties according to a questionnaire (see Appendix 1) conducted before the present study. Since there is a possible relationship between language anxiety and English learning difficulties, then it is also worthwhile to explore the possible relationship between language anxiety and the two factors which are closely related to English learning difficulties.The research questions of this study include:1. the possible relationship between language anxiety and English learning difficulties; 2. the possible relationship between English learning anxiety and family background; 3. the possible relationship between English learning anxiety and shifting from primary school to middle school. Through the study of these questions, the author aims to put forward some suggestions for alleviating students'English learning anxiety and overcoming some of their English learning difficulties.The research methods of the present study include quantitative and qualitative surveys. The quantitative research is conducted in the form of two questionnaires and the qualitative research is conducted through some open questions by means of interview. The first questionnaire is "Factors Affecting Middle School Students' English Learning Difficulties" which was adapted by the author herself according to the questionnaires used by former researchers. The second questionnaire is the Chinese version of the "Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS)" which was designed by Horwitz et al. (1986). The qualitative research consists of some open questions that are asked separately in two stages. Questions in the first stage are broad while questions in the second stage are more detailed and closely related to the research questions.The data of the questionnaires and the answers of the open questions reveal that:1. there is a positive relationship between English learning anxiety and English learning difficulties. That's to say, students who experience English learning difficulties are more likely to suffer from English learning anxiety; 2. some of the family background variables, such as parents' attitude towards children's English learning difficulties and parents' educational background, would have significant influence on students' English learning anxiety; 3. shifting from primary school to middle school can also give rise to English learning anxiety.Based on the present research and other relevant studies, some countermeasures for alleviating language learning anxiety and overcoming English learning difficulties are recommended for both teachers of English and students of English as well as parents.The present study put forward some new questions based on the previous study, and some of the results are in accordance with the previous research while others are not due to the different variables concerned. Thus, more research is needed to give more detailed and comprehensive explanation about the relationship between language anxiety and English learning difficulties.