The Role of Teachers in Reducing / Increasing Listening Comprehension Test Anxiety : A Case of Iranian EFL Learners

Three components have been introduced for foreign language learning anxiety in the literature: Test anxiety, fear of negative evaluation and communication apprehension. This study teases out the first of the three components with special focus on listening comprehension test to investigate the correlation between listening test results and foreign language anxiety. More importantly, the study aims at questioning the role teachers can play in either alleviating or aggravating the anxiety which has been triggered in the listening test takers. For this purpose, a number of 60 intermediate-level EFL learners participated in the study. To measure the level of anxiety in the testees, a modified and translated version of foreign language class anxiety scale (FLCAS) (developed by Horwtiz, Horwitz, and Cope, p. 1986) was used to be correlated with the testees’ scores in listening comprehension test. The results showed a moderate but significant negative correlation between FLCAS and listening comprehension (r=-.469). To answer the second research question, the high anxious participants underwent a treatment, which was designed to alleviate their foreign language learning anxiety. Immediately after the treatment, another listening comprehension test was administered to them to find out whether the treatment session can influence the test results. Using the statistical technique of t-test, the results showed that the high anxious informants had a significant improvement in the second listening comprehension test results due to the reduction of their level of anxiety in the treatment session. Finally, some suggestions were made to the teachers who seek to alleviate the amount of anxiety in their students.


Introduction
As language teachers, we hear myriad of complaints about foreign language anxiety from our students' sides.These complaints culminate during examination time.Many students blame anxiety as the blocking factor in concentrating on the test items and hence triggering poor performance on their exam.Be it the cause or the effect of poor performance on tests, anxiety has attested to be one of the important affective filters which relates to success and/or failure in language learning (Krashen, 1987, p. 31).Anxiety, in general, being a psychological term, refers to a personality trait which can influence the process of learning in general, and language learning/acquisition in particular.Debilitative anxiety is reported by many studies to have influenced the process of language learning negatively (MacIntyre and Gardner 1994; Chen and Chang, 2004;Pappamihiel, 2002;Izadi, 2003).More specifically, here we deal with a specific type of anxiety, which is associated with foreign language learning situations and has been glossed as "foreign language learning anxiety" (MacIntyre and Gardner 1994).MacIntyre and Gardner (1994) define foreign language learning anxiety as "the feeling of tension and apprehension especially associated with second language context, including speaking, listening, reading and writing" (pp. 288-290).
"Anxious students are likely to experience mental block, negative self-talk and ruminate over a poor performance which affects their ability to process information in language learning contexts" (MacIntyre and Gardner (1991 a, p. 87).In this respect, foreign language anxiety acts as an affective filter, which results in the students' being unreceptive to language input.A large number of high school and college-age foreign language students report feeling anxious about some aspects of language learning and the language classes (Horwitz and Young 1991;Kondo and Ling, 2004).One of these aspects which receive many complaints with regard to anxiety is listening comprehension tests.In fact, the context of foreign language learning in comparison with second language learning provides critical moments for the learners in listening comprehension tests (Kim, 2000).The main reason for this is the inadequacy of real-time communication opportunities in English as an International language for foreign language learners.In Iran, the case is even more serious, since many foreign language learners do not experience even a single case of communication with a native speaker of English throughout the whole process of English language learning.Compounded to this problem is the lack of sufficient listening comprehension material in the curriculum which has been developed for English language teaching in Iranian schools and universities.
Listening is the ability to identify and understand what others are saying.A person's ability to listen and understand spoken language is critical to oral communication in any language.Rivers (1991) in this regard pointed out that speaking does not of itself constitute communication unless what is being said is comprehended by another person (p.151).Furthermore, some of the current theories of second language acquisition such as the information processing model (McLaughlin, Rossman and McLeod, 1983), monitor model (Krashen, 1977), the intake model (Chaudron, 1985), the interaction model (Hatch, 1983) all emphasize the role of input as a key factor in language acquisition/learning.There are, however, fewer studies, on the relationship between anxiety and listening comprehension in comparison with speaking and even reading.In the process of teaching and learning listening comprehension, listening tests are of prominent importance.Valid and reliable listening tests can to a large extent predict the students' success or failure in real communication in English.It is therefore, a self-evident issue that foreign language learning anxiety negatively affects the reliability of the tests and impedes the sound assessment of the learner's/test takers' listening ability.
One key factor in test anxiety is the role of instructor/test taker in either alleviating or aggravating anxiety in the learners/test takers.Horwitz et al, (1986) reported that anxiety is induced when instructors correct students' errors in a nonsupportive manner.They also found that, although students recognized the importance of being corrected, they consistently reported anxiety over responding incorrectly, being incorrect in front of their peers, or looking or sounding inept.The behavior of the instructor prior to and during the test administration can be a crucial predictor in the students' test results.
The present study intends to investigate the influence of foreign language anxiety on students' performance over a listening comprehension test.Also, it seeks to find out whether teachers can play a role in reducing students' foreign language listening anxiety.Particularly, the study tries to find answers to the following two questions: 1. What is the relationship between Iranian EFL students' foreign language class anxiety and listening comprehension?
2. What roles can teachers play in reducing the amount of anxiety triggered in foreign language listening situations?
To date, a sufficient number of studies have been conducted to determine the possible effects of language learning anxiety on language learning in general, speaking, writing and even reading, studies on listening comprehension, however, are quite fewer.Moreover, while studies on foreign language listening have found a negative relationship between the two variables, they have not paid adequate attention to the role of teachers in alleviating it.
The importance of listening comprehension is a self-evident issue.The ability to understand what people are saying is essential to oral communication, because communication in any language is a two-way process.A good proportion of the linguistic input people receive every day is through the auditory channel; i.e. listening.Vogely (1998) states that poor listening comprehension skills cause the majority of people to retain only 25% of what they have heard (pp. 75-77).It is no wonder then that learners of a foreign language encounter difficulty when listening to native speakers of the language.Most language learners are expected to speak with little practice in listening.In the language laboratory, anxiety due to comprehension problem is compounded by unrealistic teacher expectations (Horwitz and Young 1991).There are teachers who trigger anxiety in students rather than alleviating it.Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope's (1986), study on foreign language learning anxiety is the most influential study in the literature.They differentiated three components of foreign language anxiety: communication apprehension, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation.Communication apprehension, the anxiety experienced in interpersonal settings, has been found to be related to both learning and recall of vocabulary items (Gardner, Lalonde, Moorcroft and Evers, 1987).Therefore, students with high levels of communication apprehension appear to be disadvantaged from the outset because basic vocabulary learning and production are impaired.

Literature Review
Communication in a foreign language requires a great deal of risk-taking, in as much as uncertain and unknown linguistic rules prevail.Indeed, MacIntyre and Gardner (1991 a) found that speaking is the most anxiety provoking of second language activities.The frustration experienced by a student unable to communicate a message can lead to apprehension about future attempts to communicate (Horwitz et al., 1986, p. 132).
With respect to test anxiety, Daly (1991) found that learners experience more language anxiety in highly evaluative situations.Indeed, the more unfamiliar and ambiguous the test tasks and formats, the higher the prevailing level of language anxiety.For high-anxious students, foreign languages, more than any academic subject, require continual evaluation by the instructor.
Regarding the role of instructor, Horwitz et al, (1986) reported that anxiety is induced when instructors correct students' errors in a nonsupportive manner.They also found that, although students recognized the importance of being corrected, they consistently reported anxiety over responding incorrectly, being incorrect in front of their peers, or looking or sounding inept.
They also offered an instrument, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), to measure this anxiety.Since that time, findings concerning anxiety and language achievement have been relatively uniform.Studies using the FLCAS and other specific measures of second language anxiety have found a consistent moderate negative correlation between the FLCAS and measures of second language achievement (typically final grades).
In the first study using the FLCAS, Horwitz (1986) found a significant moderate negative correlation between foreign language anxiety and the grades students expected in their first semester language class as well as their actual final grades, indicating that students with higher levels of foreign language anxiety both expected and received lower grades than their less anxious counterparts.
MacIntyre and Gardner (1989) also found significant negative correlations between a specific measure of language anxiety (French class anxiety) and performance on a vocabulary learning task.With respect to a target language which is typically perceived as difficult by English-speakers, Aida (1994) found a significant negative correlation between FLCAS scores and final grades among American second-year Japanese students.This finding was replicated by Saito and Samimy (1996) with Japanese learners at three levels (beginning, intermediate, and advanced).Similarly, in a study of Canadian university learners of French, Coulombe (2000) found a somewhat smaller (but significant) negative correlation between FLCAS scores and final grades in eleven French classes ranging from beginning to advanced.Thus, it appears that the observed negative relationship between anxiety and achievement holds at various instructional levels as well as with different target languages.
In addition, in an Asian EFL context, Kim (1998) not only found significant negative relationships between FLCAS scores and the final grades but also reported an interesting difference in the relationship when observed in a traditional reading-focused class and a conversation class.Specifically, students were considerably less anxious in the reading class than in the conversation class.In a study conducted by Onwuegbuzie, Bailey, and Daley (1999), seven variables (i.e.age, academic achievement, prior history of visiting foreign countries, prior high school experience with foreign languages, expected overall average for current language course, perceived scholastic competence, and perceived self-worth) were discovered to contribute significantly to the prediction of foreign language anxiety.Teachers' role is a crucial factor that comes into play with respect to foreign language learning anxiety.One study examined the impact of classroom climate on students' levels of foreign language anxiety and found that several components of classroom climate were associated with higher and lower levels of anxiety.Most importantly, the level of perceived teacher support had the strongest relationship with students' feelings of anxiety.According to the instrument used in the study, teacher support is defined as "the help and friendship the teacher shows toward students; how much the teacher talks openly with students, trusts them, and is interested in their ideas" (Trickett and Moos, 1995).Thus, according to this finding, it may be possible to reduce the anxiety of language learners by offering them sincere support and interest.
Listening anxiety may function as an affective filter, one component of Krashen's Monitor Theory which "prevents input from being used for language acquisition" (Beebe, 1983, p.39).Nagle and Sanders (1986) proposed that a breakdown of the comprehension process might occur when there is "anxiety about failure to understand or being accountable for a response" (p.21).Asking students whether they became tense during classroom listening activities, Eastman (1991) suggested that those who claimed to be apprehensive while listening scored lower on a listening test than those who claimed to concentrate.
In spite of the importance of listening comprehension in foreign language teaching and the its probability to provoke anxiety in the learners, the number of studies conducted on the issue is quite insufficient, although recently there has been some promising research.
As for the other language skills, Horwitz and Young (1991) found that anxiety has a negative influence on listening comprehension.They commented that in the language laboratory, anxiety due to comprehension problem is compounded by unrealistic teacher expectations.
In another study of foreign language listening anxiety, as noted in Horwitz (1991), Kim (2000) found a negative relationship between foreign language learning anxiety and listening proficiency in university level English learners in Korea.Sadighi, Sahragard and Jafari (2009) also found a significant negative correlation between Iranian EFL learners' foreign language class anxiety and their listening comprehension.

Participants
A number of 60 students of Islamic Azad University: Abadan branch, majoring in English translation were culled out of 120 students on the basis of an English language proficiency test.Only the intermediate level students were selected for this study.The participants comprised both genders and different ages (ranging from 19 to 31).The participants had enrolled in translation, reading comprehension, story reproduction, and conversation courses.

Materials
The following instruments were implemented in the study: A) English Language Proficiency Test; a standardized English language proficiency test comprising listening comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension was used to designate the students' level of proficiency.B) Foreign Language Class Anxiety Scale (hereafter abbreviated as FLCAS) (appendix); to measure the degree to which participants feel anxious, a 33-item Likert-type foreign language class anxiety scale developed by Horwitz et al. (1986) was implemented.For each item, for example, "It embarrasses me to volunteer answers in my English classes", there were five possible responses; always, often, sometimes, rarely, and never scoring from 5 to 1 respectively.
The selection of "always" indicated the best example of a high anxious person.By the same token, if a student chose "never," it means that s/he never embarrassed to volunteer answers in the class.This indicated that s/he was not prone to anxiety.The other choices i.e. often, sometimes, and rarely fell in between.Other items were treated likewise.It was translated into the students' native language (Persian) to avoid any confusion and misunderstanding.C) Two listening comprehension tests were implemented.The tests were at intermediate level of English language proficiency in terms of vocabulary and speed, and of multiple-choice type.Each of the listening tests consisted of 30 multiple-choice items, which were based on short conversations.The tests were complementary to Main Street Series published by Oxford University Press for teaching English.

Procedure
The following five steps were practiced in this stage of the study: Step 1: To ensure the students linguistic homogeneity, a 100-item language proficiency test comprising four parts (listening comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension) was administered to them.
Step 2: A number of 60 students whose proficiency scores were between 40 to 70, were recruited to take a listening comprehension test.
Step 3: To measure the participants' anxiety level the FLCAS was given to the participants.They were asked to select a choice which best fitted their personality.
Step 4: A number of 30 high anxious intermediate-level students (those who scored 90 to 150 in the FLCAS) underwent a treatment which was designed to reduce their anxiety.
Step 5: Immediately after the treatment session, the high anxious intermediate students sat for a post-treatment listening comprehension test.The attempt was made to find out whether reducing anxiety could influence the test results.
Based on their scores in the proficiency test, the participants were divided into three main groups; elementary (scoring 0-40), intermediate (scoring 40-70), and advanced (scoring 70-100).Only intermediate-level students were selected to take the listening test, that is, the study did not concern the other two groups (i.e.elementary and advanced level students).The reason for excluding elementary level students was that these students, to date, had not had enough courses in listening comprehension to experience anxiety, which is the main concern of the study.Advanced level learners were also excluded because the number of participants who fell in advanced category was quite small (eight students scored beyond 70).The intermediate subjects' listening scores were correlated with their FLCAS scores to find out any relationship between the two constructs.
In the treatment session, the researcher/tester received the testees cordially, removed their fear of evaluation by ensuring them that no negative score would be considered and if they did poorly they would be granted a chance to repeat the test.In order to alleviate the participants' degree of nervousness, the tester also drew on a strategy to create a friendly and anxiety-free atmosphere by encouraging the testees, expressing his positive feelings about them and reinforcing their self-confidence and positive self-talk, and offering them sincere support and interest.Too, during the test administration adequate considerations were shown to the test takers.

Data Analysis
The raw scores of 120 subjects from the proficiency test, anxiety scale and listening comprehension tests were computed through appropriate measures and compiled for data analysis.By using correlational analysis, the amount of correlation between the above scores on different tests was calculated.To make inferences from the correlations obtained in this study to the total populations the statistical significance of the results was examined.To investigate the effectiveness of the teacher/tester's interference in the results of the second-stage listening comprehension, a t-test was run.

Results
The study investigates the effects of language learning anxiety on the students' score in listening comprehension test, and further explores the effectiveness of the tester's treatment on a post-treatment listening comprehension test.To this aim, firstly, the results of 60 intermediate participants (recruited on the basis of their proficiency scores) in listening comprehension test were correlated with their scores in FLCAS (see table 1 for the results of listening test and FLCAS).The result was a moderate negative correlation (r=-.469) which was significant at the level of .000.(See Table 1) The researcher, then, urged the high-anxious subjects (those whose anxiety measure was 90 plus out of 150) to undergo a treatment to reduce their induced anxiety for the next listening comprehension test.Immediately after the treatment, the second listening comprehension was administered to them to find out the effectiveness of the treatment in their results.A one-way t-test, therefore, was conducted to see whether or not a progress has been made due to the tester's treatment.The result indicated a significant progress in the second listening comprehension test scores, and therefore, revealed that the subjects' anxiety was a cause of their poor performance in the first listening test.In other words, the treatment session had a positive influence on the participants' mean in the second listening comprehension test.The test-giver was successful in making them feel less anxious, and consequently, improve their scores.Also, the correlation between the two listening comprehension tests was positively significant (r=.665, p<001).

Discussion and Conclusion
The correlation found in the study (r= -.469, p< 001) showed conformity with MacIntyre and Gardner's (1991a and b) findings, Horwitz and Young's (1991), and much of the findings in literature (Sadighi, et al., 2009), which found a reverse modest relationship between FLCAS and language proficiency.One may argue the modesty of the correlation and expect a higher correlation between listening comprehension and anxiety, but concerning that anxiety is a psychological construct on the one hand, and on the other hand the repetition of this moderate reverse correlation in study after study is a good evidence of the negative impact of anxiety on listening comprehension (Baily 1983, p. 86).
In this study, those students who reported lower anxiety in the FLCAS received higher scores in listening test, and those who felt tense and anxious were predicted to, and did receive lower scores.Therefore, the conclusion can be drawn that those students who are susceptible to anxiety, first and foremost, are involved in their self-deprecatory thoughts, worry and tension rather than focusing on what is being told to them in a language class or the questions on a test situation.The lack of self-confidence in these students causes to lower their expectations in final grades, which reduces motivation, effort and consequently achievement.
As it was mentioned before, foreign language anxiety comprises three components: communication apprehension, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation (Horwitz et al., 1986).With respect to communication apprehension, the anxiety experienced in interpersonal settings, the present research indicates that foreign language anxiety has a negative impact on listening comprehension.MacIntyre and Gardner (1991a, p. 100) found speaking the most anxiety-provoking skill.And many researchers have considered listening comprehension a passing way to speaking, and have ignored the attention it merits.However, if one accepts that listening is an integral part of communication, and that listening and speaking are two interrelated skills that make communication possible, the findings of present study will come to more value.
The findings, although moderately, indicated that listening apprehension is a part of communication apprehension, which can block the process of communication in foreign language and/or negatively influence the listening test scores.It is, therefore, suggested that teachers/test givers attempt to reduce the internal anxiety in the test takers as far as possible to ensure the purity of the results.They also need to predict that affective variables, and most importantly, anxiety can potentially overshadow the final results of the students, and if they wish to process a more accurate evaluation, they should put anxiety into serious consideration.In this regard, teachers/testers need to avoid anxiety-loaded tests and test atmospheres and make learning situations (class, laboratory, etc.) relaxed.Anxiety is a remarkable, if not the best, predictor of final grades and achievement.
With respect to test anxiety, some points are worth noting here: Although Dally (1991, p. 10) found that learners experience more language anxiety in highly evaluative situations, what seems more reasonable is that frequent evaluation could probably lessen the induced anxiety in the learners.One may suppose that he is asked to talk about a matter in front of a crowd for the first experience.It is clear that he would panic, and even may not be able to speak.The more experienced he becomes in giving lectures, the less anxious he will be, though a slight amount of anxiety may exist even in experienced lecturers.
By the same token, the more frequent language learners are evaluated, the less anxious they become in the tests, except for the early tests.Another important point is that foreign language tests (and listening tests in particular) should be made as clear as possible.Indeed, the more unfamiliar and ambiguous the test tasks and formats, the higher the prevailing level of anxiety.
Arranging test items from easy to difficult can be an anxiety-reducing factor.For anxious students the first item is critical.In listening comprehension tests, if the first question is a difficult one, it triggers anxiety that influences the following items.Most of the testees expect to understand the text word by word, and when they fail to follow the text in this way, they become frustrated and worried.They think that their failure to comprehend the text is because they failed to understand a word or an important verb, while if they are trained to listen for the gist and main points, much of their apprehension may be attenuated.Almost all of the participants in this study complained about the speed of text, while they listened to the questions in normal speed.It is, therefore, concluded that many anxious test sitters take normal speed as "fast", and lag behind of the strings of words which strike their ears, and hence, feel tense.Their anxiety can even be compounded if they are not allotted a chance to listen once more.Anxious students are likely to experience their highest level of foreign language anxiety when they are performing tasks in which time is a factor.Listening tasks are among such tasks in which time is critical, and hence, the most remarkable room for anxiety to culminate.
Regarding fear of negative evaluation, the third component of anxiety, the present study corroborated the findings of Horwitz et al. (1986) who reported that anxiety is induced when instructors correct students errors in a nonsupportive manner.While understanding the importance of being corrected, most of the participants in the present study reported feeling embarrassed and anxiety over responding incorrectly or being incorrect in front of the peers.They also identified teacher's manner as a source of anxiety.Anxious students require teachers' support more than other students.They are more sensitive and fragile to the teachers sarcastic words or nonsupportive manners.Therefore, it is possible to keep the anxiety levels to minimum with a supportive and constructive classroom environment.
The results of this study suggest that certain students are at risk of having debilitative levels of foreign language/listening anxiety.Therefore, it is important that foreign language instructors not only recognize the possibility that some students experience high levels of anxiety, but also identify these at-risk students.Foreign language educators can begin to explore instructional strategies that reduce foreign language/listening anxiety, and to fully implement the available sources to mitigate anxiety in their students.
The implications of this study mostly address English language instructors, who may find the following approaches promising in alleviating foreign language/listening anxiety in the learners.However, they should note that these recommendations are, by no means, exhaustive, and every instructor may offer additional suggestions for reducing level of anxiety.
First and foremost, foreign language instructors should address the emotional concerns of anxious students.They should acknowledge these feelings as legitimate and then attempt to lessen students' feelings of inadequacy, confusion, and failure by providing positive experiences to counteract the anxiety.Educators could confront the students' erroneous beliefs by providing them with complete and accurate information regarding the course goals and objectives.They can also build the students' confidence and self-esteem in their foreign language ability via encouragement, reassurance, positive reinforcement, and empathy.In this respect, teachers should be especially sensitive when they are correcting students' errors, and should remind them that it is through making errors that one acquires language proficiency.Instructors' expectations from students should be realistic and convincing, otherwise it creates anxiety.Also, teachers should openly discuss the nature of anxiety with students and encourage them to seek help when needed.By so doing, teachers reassure the learners that they are not alone in their feelings.
Regarding listening apprehension the following recommendations are in order: The teachers' use of target language in the class gives the students the opportunity to practice more in foreign language listening, yet, it is to be done with caution, because it can sometimes create anxiety.There are times when students are bogged down and cannot follow the teacher and this may arouse anxiety.Teachers should bear in mind that at these times they may slip to native language to make their point clear and consequently hinder provoking anxiety, and then shift back to the target language.
Furthermore, foreign language instructors need to train the students to listen for the main points, and do not expect themselves to understand every word while listening.The students should be asked to suppose that they are at a party.There are many groups of people at the party, who are talking about different topics.They want to know what the different groups of people are saying, but they do not have enough time to listen to every group completely.Therefore, they choose to listen to only a small part of what is being said by each group to understand the gist of talking materials.Likewise, they should listen to listening comprehension tapes only to grasp the most important points.Because following word by word causes them to lag behind and feel nervous.This "party situation" strategy, however, works for elementary and intermediate-level students, because advanced-level students may need to listen for details.
With respect to testing listening comprehension, because a low-stress testing environment allows the testees to concentrate more fully on test items rather than being distracted by self-deprecating worry and fear of evaluation, test givers are recommended to encourage a relaxed testing atmosphere.They are required to receive the students warmly and supportively and give them positive suggestions before the exam session, while openly discussing the nature of foreign language anxiety, and urging them to overcome their negative feelings.
Finally, as for other test-makers, foreign language listening test developers/instructors are also suggested to avoid developing anxiety-loaded tests.Arranging the items from easy to difficult, for example, could possibly reduce the amount of anxiety in the testees.Since, as it was mentioned elsewhere, the first item(s) play a substantial role in inducing anxiety or warming up the anxious test sitters to gain control over the test and hence reducing anxiety.Below is a list of statements referring to feelings you may or may not have toward learning and speaking a foreign language.Read each statement, and then circle the description that reflects the amount that you agree with it.Note: SA = strongly agree A = agree N = neither agree nor disagree D = disagree SD = strongly disagree 1.) I never feel quite sure of myself when I am speaking in my foreign language.
SA A N D SD 2.) I don't worry about making mistakes in language class.
tremble when I know that I'm going to be called on in language class.SA A N D SD 4.) It frightens me when I don't understand what the teacher is saying in the foreign language.SA A N D SD 5.) It wouldn't bother me at all to take more foreign language classes.SA A N D SD 6.)During language class, I find myself thinking about things that have nothing to do with the course.SA A N D SD 7) I keep thinking that the other students are better at languages than I am.SA A N D SD 8) I am usually at ease during tests in my language class.SA A N D SD 9) I start to panic when I have to speak without preparing in language class.SA A N D SD 10) I worry about the consequences of failing my foreign language class.SA A N D SD 11) I don't understand why some people get so upset over foreign language classes.SA A N D SD 12) In language class, I can get so nervous I forget things I know.SA A N D SD 13) It embarrasses me to volunteer answers in my language class.SA A N D SD 14) I would not be nervous speaking the foreign language with native speakers.SA A N D SD 15) I get upset when I don't understand what the teacher is correcting.SA A N D SD 16) Even if I am well prepared for language class, I feel anxious about it.SA A N D SD 17) I often feel like not going to my language class.SA A N D SD 18) I feel confident when I speak in foreign language class.SA A N D SD 19) I am afraid that my language teacher is ready to correct every mistake I make.SA A N D SD 20) I can feel my heart pounding when I'm going to be called on in language class.SA A N D SD 21) The more I study for a language test, the more confused I get.SA A N D SD 22) I don't feel pressure to prepare very well for language class.SA A N D SD 23) I always feel that the other students speak the foreign language better than I do.SA A N D SD 24) I feel very self-conscious about speaking the foreign language in front of other students.SA A N D SD 25) Language class moves so quickly I worry about getting left behind.SA A N D SD 26) I feel more tense and nervous in my language class than in my other classes.SA A N D SD 27) I get nervous and confused when I am speaking in my language class.SA A N D SD 28) When I'm on my way to language class, I feel very sure and relaxed.SA A N D SD 29) I get nervous when I don't understand every word the language teacher says.SA A N D SD 30) I feel very overwhelmed by the number of rules you have to learn to speak a foreign language.SA A N D SD 31) I am afraid that the other students will laugh at me when I speak the foreign language.SA A N D SD 32) I would probably feel comfortable around native speakers of the foreign language.SAA N D SD 33) I get nervous when the language teacher asks questions which I haven't prepare in advance.SA A N D SD

Table 1 .
Results of the 60 intermediate subjects in listening comprehension, and their FLCAS