| The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between foreign language anxiety and student perceptions of the classroom environment. 445 1st and 4th semester university students of Spanish completed a background questionnaire, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and the Classroom Environment Scale (CES). In addition, interviews were conducted with 23 of the participants. The hypothesis that differences in classroom environment would be reflected in differences in levels of foreign language anxiety was supported.; At the Spanish I level, significant negative correlations were found between anxiety and the environmental factors of teacher support, affiliation, and involvement. Positive correlations existed between anxiety and the factors of competition and task orientation. A multiple regression analysis with CES scores as the independent variables and FLCAS scores as the dependent variable was significant (p =.0001). The adjusted R{dollar}sp2{dollar} for this regression was.1449, indicating that these environmental factors explained approximately 14.49% of the variance in FLCAS scores.; At the Spanish IV level, the importance of environmental factors to foreign language anxiety appears attenuated relative to Spanish I. FLCAS scores correlated negatively with teacher support, affiliation, and involvement, but correlations between anxiety and the factors of competition and task orientation did not reach significance. Although the regression performed at this level was significant (p =.0217), it yielded an adjusted R{dollar}sp2{dollar} of only.0576, indicating that the environmental factors studied account for only 5.76% of the variance in foreign language anxiety.; Analysis of the student interviews supported the importance of classroom environment to foreign language anxiety. Students viewed a lack of teacher support and affiliation as important determinants of anxiety. They also asserted the importance of communicative practice for anxiety reduction, despite the anxiety inherent in speaking the foreign language. |
