Analysis of English Learning Anxiety of English Pre-service Teacher Education Students in Mainland China

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general conclusion about the construct of anxiety, but it is situational within the second learning context. However, it is still believed that higher anxiety may result in lower learning achievement. (pp. 34-35) From the humanistic approach of foreign language teaching, there are "silent way, suggestopedia, and community language learning." Those methodologies highly regard the learning environment and believe one's anxiety can be reduced by raising personal confidence (Williams & Burden, 1997, p. 37). For example, Lozanov (1979) suggested that suggestopedia prohibits non-learning factors by making learners relax, thus reducing language learners' anxiety considerably and enhancing learning achievement. (Williams & Burden, 1997, p. 38) Rather than treating individual characteristics as fixed, context-dependent, and impossible to change, we consider them variable, context-specific, and subject to change. (Williams & Burden, 1997, p. 90) Anxiety is easily observed among L2 learners but may come from personal traits. The tendency to be nervous when speaking in a second language is viewed as a stable personality trait. Furthermore, anxious learners are less likely to participate in class discussions or engage in informal interactions with target language speakers. Anxiety in foreign language classrooms has typically been measured through questionnaire-based studies, such as Horwitz et al., 1986. The relationship between language anxiety and learning success has been demonstrated in numerous studies. The debate regarding whether anxiety causes reduced success is difficult to settle through questionnaires, as some researchers suggest that students with poor communication skills might also be anxious. A longitudinal study tracked L1 literacy development among American schoolchildren and their L2 aptitude, proficiency, and anxiety. Sparks and Ganschow (2007) showed that early L1 literacy achievement is a very strong factor in both L2 proficiency and L2 anxiety in later schooling; from this, they conclude that anxiety arises primarily from poor achievement and not the other way around. More work of this type is needed to make it clear and meaningful for further studies. (Mitchell, Myles, & Marsden, 2019, p. 24) Anxiety affects language class performance differently in different learning contexts. Chastain (1975) studied the correlation between anxiety and other variables that affect the course grade of French learning students in the United States. The result shows mixed directions of correlations in different language settings. Anxiety has a high negative impact on French audio-lingual class, while inconsistent in other language classes; however, high anxiety generally has negative results on tests. (pp. 159-160) It might be understood as the difference between language learning and acquisition. Based on the test anxiety results, it is argued that the audio-lingual method emphasizes the subconscious acquisition of the language, despite its stated intention to establish habitual behavior, whereas "traditional" methods focus on the conscious acquisition process. Learning may be aided by at least moderate anxiety, while acquiring knowledge may be beneficial when anxiety levels are low. (Krashen, 1982, p. 30) To Krashen, anxiety in second/foreign language learning seems to be associated with various forms of language proficiency in all scenarios, formal or informal. This relationship appears to be consistent across all forms of anxiety. Therefore, anxiety levels can significantly impact the affective filter and act as a powerful influencer but can be studied closer in the learners' learning and acquisition. (p. 29)

Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS)
The characteristic of anxiety has also been extensively studied. The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale, FLCAS (Horwitz et al., 1986) has been developed to measure this characteristic. Nevertheless, studies using such instruments tend to show that anxiety is highly situational and influenced by many other factors. In addition, one culture's perception of anxious behavior may not necessarily be the same as another's. (Williams & Burden, 1997, p. 94) There is a moderate negative relationship between anxiety and achievement in FLCAS. Language anxiety causes poor language learning, not the other way around and anxiety is a factor that contributes to poor language learning in some individuals. The anxiety about foreign language learning may come from multiple factors, such as difficulty in authentic self-presentation and various language teaching approaches. (Horwitz, 2001) Numerous studies utilized FLCAS to investigate the learner's English or foreign language learning anxiety. Alrabai (2014) conducted a study on Saudi learners. 1389 Saudi EFL learners participated in data collection iterations over three years to examine the levels and sources of foreign language anxiety, FLA, by utilizing the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). Various causes of anxiety experienced by English language learners were examined, as well as anxiety. All three studies found that learners had moderate to high anxiety levels when communicating, and communication was the main reason for this. The results were highly consistent. It can be concluded that a context-based model of FLA can be used in Saudi English as a Foreign Language context.

Method
This study aims to investigate the anxiety of EFL English preservice teachers in a normal university in China. Different types of anxiety in their typical classroom experiences are identified and analyzed. As a descriptive approach study, survey research design was utilized in this study, along with the FLCAS questionnaire.

Participants
A total of seventy-four students (female = 70, male = 4) in an English education research methodology course at a normal university in northern Jianshu Province in Mainland China participated in the study. The school is in an urban area in a city of northern Jinagsu Province while students were from other provinces as well. All the participating students were English majors for English teaching preparation. Most of them would acquire a teaching certificate for high school English teaching, and some students would continue their graduate studies. When this study was conducted, participants were in their senior. They all have more than 13 years of English learning experience. In addition, they all passed a more advanced national English proficiency test for college students in China, the College English Test Band 6 (CET-6). All students lived on campus and had limited access to native English speakers, as international students were rarely seen on campus. Taking courses in classrooms was the most frequent occasion for practicing English.

Instruments
This study utilized the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) as the main instrument for conducting a questionnaire survey. FLCAS has been developed and widely used by researchers worldwide for a considerable time since Horwitz developed it, and its reliability was assure and tested by previous studies. Among the 33 items in the FLCAS, each is assessed using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The purpose is to determine respondents' degree of anxiety in language classrooms. The sum of points ranges from 33 to 165, with high scores indicating high FLA. A total of nine items on this scale have been negatively worded (2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 18, 22, 28, and 32), and as a result, their scores have been reversed. It has been noted by Horwitz et al. (1986) that the 33 items included in the FLCAS were all related to the three main sources of FLA: communication apprehension (items 1, 4, 9, 14, 15, 18, 24, 27, 29, 30, and 32), test anxiety (items 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, and 28), and fear of negative evaluation (items 2, 7, 13, 19, 23, 31, and 33). (Atasheneh & Izadi, 2012, p. 85) The anonymous FLCAS questionnaire was printed on paper and distributed by hand during a class meeting. Participants used their pens to answer the question. After they answered, the questionnaire was collected and kept in a sealed envelope. Answers were later keyed in by hand using Microsoft Excel and imported and analyzed by SPSS 25.

Data Collection and Analysis
Research data was collected in the Fall 2020 semester. Participants were given sufficient information about the purpose of this study, the data collection procedure, data handling, and publication. Participants were also asked to sign a separate consent form for agreements of data collection and usage associated with this study. Participants also received complete information about FLCAS and how it could be answered. Personal identity was kept confidential, and the presentation of information was coded for privacy protection. The FLCAS questions were in their original English version, as participants had sufficient proficiency. Participants were given half an hour to answer.
Statistics were analyzed for the participants' levels of English classroom anxiety. Descriptive statistics were utilized, and item analysis was conducted to determine the questionnaire items associated with different constructs of FLCAS.

Preservice English Teachers' Anxiety
Participants answered the questionnaire, and all the responses were typed into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for further processing. Itemized analysis was conducted to identify the questionnaire items.  In Table 2, descriptive statistics of the mean, the number of cases, the standard deviation, and the sum of each item are reported. Statistics were reported ascendingly with the order of item numbers, and items were represented in Q + question number. In Table 3-1 through 3-3, all items are rearranged by the predetermined three categories: communication apprehension (items 1, 4, 9, 14, 15, 18, 24, 27, 29, 30, and 32), test anxiety (items 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, and 28), and fear of negative evaluation (items 2, 7, 13, 19, 23, 31, and 33). In Table 4, the average mean and sum average from three categories were compared. The "Communication apprehension" category receives the highest mean of 2.83, with an average sum of 209.64. The "Test anxiety" category receives a mean of 2.69 with an average sum of 199.00. The "Fear of negative evaluation" category receives a mean of 2.57 with an average sum of 189.86.
In In Table 5, Q5, "It wouldn't bother me at all to take more English classes. (248, 49%)" showed the total anxiety points among all other items. The percentage of agreement counts (SA+A) was also reported (49%). Q9 "I start to panic when I have to speak without preparation in English class. (244, 46%)."; Q28 "When I am on my way to English class, I don't feel very sure and relaxed. (242, 46%); Q33 "I get nervous when the English teacher asks questions which I haven't prepared in advance. (239, 43%); Q18 "I feel confident when I speak in my English class (227, 32%)" follows.

Discussion
This study aims to investigate English major preservice teachers in a normal university to gain insights into the degree of anxiety regarding e of "communication apprehension, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation" among those students' perceptions of their classroom experience. Discussions are appropriate with the learning context in Mainland China.

Communication Apprehension
Among the three categories of anxieties from FLCAS, the communication apprehension category has the highest levels of anxiety (m=2.83) in Table 4. Statistics from Table 3-1 revealed that preservice English teachers have high classroom anxiety in their own English studies in Q9 "I start to panic when I have to speak without preparation in English class. (m=3.30)", Q18 "I don't feel confident when I speak in my English class (R) (m=3.07)", and Q32 "I would not feel comfortable around the native speakers of English. (m=3.04)". Since participants were English majors, communication apprehension is a fundamental skill. However, in Q9 and Q18, participants showed higher anxiety representing communicating freely in classes. English was treated as a tool or content for instruction but not as part of the language communication components in their daily lives. Q32 is also a perception of communication with foreigners, as there were few chances for them to do so. Therefore, the communication anxiety within the classroom learning experience of the participating pre-service English teachers may negatively impact their teaching careers. In the teacher's education program, extra action to reduce classroom English communication anxiety should be taken in further studies.

Test Anxiety
Among the three categories of anxieties from FLCAS, the test anxiety category has moderate levels of anxiety (m=2.69) in Table 4. Table 3-2 showed that Q5, "It would bother me at all to take more English classes. (R) (m=3.35)" has the highest level of anxiety scores in this category. It is followed by Q28, "When I am on my way to English class, I don't feel very sure and relaxed. (R) (m=3.27)" and Q22, "I feel pressure to prepare very well for English class. (R) (m=3.03)" follows. However, those items were positive and showed the opposite direction of classroom anxiety. Participants showed a positive attitude toward classroom meetings and were not afraid of being challenged in an English classroom. In Q5 and Q28, participants showed more desire to apply English in tasks rather than in classroom activities such as tests. As Chinese students, participants were anxious about doing well in class and on exams in Q22. For traditional Chinese students, test scores represent their achievements at most. Cultural issues are always fundamental to the testing culture that affects students, and it is not a specific issue in pre-service English teachers.

Fear of Negative Evaluation
Among the three categories of anxieties from FLCAS, the fear of negative evaluation category receives the least level of anxiety (m=2.57) in Table 4.
Statistics in the category disclosed that Q33, "I get nervous when the English teacher asks questions which I haven't prepared in advance. (m=3.23)" had the highest anxiety level. The negative feedback from classroom formative evaluation seems to be an issue for those students. Although preparation in advance is important for students' participation in a classroom, the readiness is honestly expressed in the degree of anxiety. As future English teachers, participants did not show the ease of language capability but were more aware of negative responses from the English classroom teachers.

Conclusion
In conclusion, this study investigates the anxiety of EFL English preservice teachers in a normal university in China. Different types of anxiety in their typical classroom experiences are identified and analyzed. A survey research design was utilized in this study, along with the FLCAS questionnaire. The results showed that communication apprehension represented the highest anxiety among the three categories. As preservice English teachers, participants had less test anxiety and fear of negative evaluation. As we depicted the insight of English classroom anxiety of those participants, further studies about how their anxiety while in the teachers' preparation programs affects their teaching performance after they teach at schools as a teacher can be helpful.