Learners' Beliefs and Second Language Anxiety

Abstract

Many studies in second language acquisition have identified an association between self-efficacy and language anxiety, but few, if any, have explored the linkages among attributional styles, expectancy beliefs, and affect, as suggested in the literature of general motivation research (Pintrich & Schunk, 1996). An exploration of the linkages among these variables may shed light on how the cognitive-emotional dynamics work, leading to a better understanding of the nature and sources of second language anxiety. This study was therefore designed to investigate the relationships among language learning self-efficacy, belief in giftedness for language learning, and language anxiety. One hundred and sixty-two EFL students enrolled in four sections of freshman English courses at one university in Taiwan were surveyed concerning their beliefs and anxiety about English learning. Findings of this study not only supported the significance of self-efficacy in learners’ experience of language anxiety but also suggested the potential deleterious role of giftedness belief in language learning, especially among low self-efficacy learners.