An investigation into foreign language test anxiety of non english majored students at hue university

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, HUE UNIVERSITY HO THI NHU AN INVESTIGATION INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEST ANXIETY OF NON-ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS AT HUE UNIVERSITY MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, Hue University of Foreign Languages HUE, 2019 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, HUE UNIVERSITY HO THI NHU AN INVESTIGATION INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEST ANXIETY OF NON-ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS AT HUE UNIVERSITY MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 8140111 SUPERVISOR: NGUYEN HO HOANG THUY, Ph.D HUE, 2019 BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ HỒ THỊ NHƯ KHẢO SÁT VỀ SỰ LO LẮNG ĐỐI VỚI BÀI THI CỦA SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN NGỮ TIẾNG ANH Ở ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 8140111 HUẾ, 2019 An Investigation into foreign language test anxiety of non-English majored students at Hue University STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby declare that the thesis entitled “An Investigation into foreign language test anxiety of non-English majored students at Hue University” The thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference or citation is made in the thesis itself Hue, December, 10th, 2019 Signature i An Investigation into foreign language test anxiety of non-English majored students at Hue University ABSTRACT Foreign language test anxiety, as a type of situation-specific anxiety, is one of the main factors believed to affect learners‟ performance Previous studies in many parts of the world indicated that foreign language test anxiety (FLTA) has effects on students not only during the testing time but also before and after the test Sources of foreign language test anxiety are various in different contexts Nevertheless, FLTA seems to be ignored in foreign language classes and related studies are still limited in Vietnam Many learners are struggling with test anxiety and EFL university students are not an exception Therefore, the principal objective of the current research is to identify how the students express their foreign language test anxiety The study also aims to investigate the sources and effects of their foreign language test anxiety Finally, the study endeavours to present suggestions to minimize the foreign language test anxiety to help students improve their performance in language exams Participants of the research included 189 non-English majored students at Hue University Data was collected by means of questionnaires, interviews and journals and then analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively The findings indicated that most of the students experienced a high level of foreign language test anxiety The findings also showed that foreign language test anxiety does more harm than good to students‟ performance Certain sources of foreign language test anxiety including the pressure from their universities, students‟ low level of language proficiency, time constraints, students‟ insufficient preparation for the test, their fear for making mistakes, failing the test and so on were found Suggestions for teaching and learning practice were also offered to help allay students‟ foreign language test anxiety ii An Investigation into foreign language test anxiety of non-English majored students at Hue University ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Apart from my efforts, the success of this study depends largely on the encouragement and guidelines from many others In the process of choosing and writing this study, I was fortunate to receive valuable assistance and support In light of this opportunity, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to those who have been so important in the completion of this research paper First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge my enormous debt to my supervisor, Doctor Nguyen Ho Hoang Thuy for her precious guidance, constructive and insightful criticism, helpful suggestions and constant encouragement during the implementation of this thesis Without her wholehearted assistance, this work could not have been completed Secondly, I would like to convey my sincere thankfulness to lecturers at English Department, Hue University of Foreign Languages for their generous assistance and useful advice, which have enlightened my research work Thirdly, I am indebted to the non-English majored students of Hue University for their enthusiastic participation in completing the questionnaires, journals and interviews Thanks to their cooperation and contribution, I have collected the necessary and valuable data to serve the purposes of my research Last but not least, I am deeply grateful to my beloved family members and friends who created favorable conditions and supported me both spiritually and materially to accomplish this graduation thesis iii An Investigation into foreign language test anxiety of non-English majored students at Hue University TABLES OF CONTENTS Statement of authorship i Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii List of tables vii List of figures viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Organization of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The concept of anxiety 2.2.1 Definition of anxiety 2.2.2 Types of anxiety 2.3 Foreign language anxiety 2.3.1 Definition of foreign language anxiety 2.3.2 Types of foreign language anxiety 2.3.3 Sources of foreign language anxiety 10 2.4 Foreign language test anxiety 11 2.4.1 Definition of foreign language test anxiety 11 2.4.2 Sources of foreign language test anxiety 12 2.4.3 Effects of foreign language test anxiety on students' language learning 15 2.5 The level English proficiency test currently used at University of Foreign Languages, Hue University 15 2.6 Review of related studies 17 iv An Investigation into foreign language test anxiety of non-English majored students at Hue University 2.6.1 Research on the global scale 17 2.6.2 Research in Vietnam 21 2.6.3 Research gaps 23 2.7 Chapter summary 24 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 25 3.1 Introduction 25 3.2 Research approach 25 3.3 Participants of the study 26 3.4 Data collection 28 3.4.1 Rationale for the selection of data collection instruments 28 3.4.2 Design of data collection instruments 30 3.4.3 The procedure of data collection 33 3.5 Data analysis 34 3.6 Chapter summary 35 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 36 4.1 Introduction 36 4.2 Students‟ foreign language test anxiety 36 4.3 Effects of foreign language test anxiety 39 4.4 Sources of foreign language test anxiety 44 4.5 Ways to allay foreign language test anxiety 47 4.5.1 What students should 47 4.5.2 What teachers should 48 4.6 Chapter summary 49 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS 50 5.1 Introduction 50 5.2 Summary of the research findings 50 5.3 Pedagogical implications 51 v An Investigation into foreign language test anxiety of non-English majored students at Hue University 5.3.1 Implications for student learning 51 5.3.2 Implications for teaching practice 51 5.4 Limitations of the study 52 5.5 Suggestions for further studies 53 REFERENCES 54 APPENDICES 62 vi An Investigation into foreign language test anxiety of non-English majored students at Hue University LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Formats of the B1-CEFR Preliminary Test and the Level Proficiency English Test Currently Used at Hue University, University of Foreign Languages 16 Table 1: Background Information of the Participants 27 Table 2: Students‟ FLA Ranges 34 Table 1: Students‟ Expression of Foreign Language Test Anxiety 36 Table 4.2: Students‟ FLTA Ranges 37 Table 4.3: Average FLTA Scores among Different Groups 39 Table 4.4: Results Obtained from the AAT- Subscale 40 Table 5: Results Obtained from the AAT+ Subscale 41 Table 6: Sources of FLTA 44 vii không tốt lực thực tế Bài thi quan trọng tơi làm tệ Mặc dù tơi cảm thấy lo lắng trước kì thi; thi bắt đầu, tơi quên hết lo lắng Khi làm kiểm tra/ thi, tơi hay bí trước câu hỏi mà lẽ biết câu trả lời, khỏi phịng thi tơi nhớ câu trả lời Sự lo lắng phịng thi giúp tơi làm tốt Khi bắt đầu thi khơng có làm tơi phân tâm 10 Trong khóa học mà điểm số dựa vào thi tơi dường học tốt sinh viên khác 11 Tôi thấy quên thứ trước kì thi, phải lúc làm thi 12 Tôi mong đợi tới thi 13 Tôi mệt mỏi phải lo lắng cho kì thi kì thi bắt đầu tơi khơng quan tâm tới việc có làm tốt hay khơng 14 Áp lực thời gian khiến làm tệ bạn cịn lại nhóm 15 Mặc dù việc nhồi nhét kiến thức không hiệu với nhiều người khác, tơi nhận thấy nhồi nhét trước kì thi mà nhớ kiến thức để sử dụng làm 16 Tơi thích làm thi khó thi dễ 68 17 Khi làm thi, có lúc tơi đọc mà khơng hiểu câu hỏi phải đọc lại để nắm rõ ý câu hỏi 18 Bài thi quan trọng tơi làm tốt 19 Khi không trả lời tốt câu hỏi khó đầu thi, tơi trở nên lo lắng khơng thể trả lời câu hỏi chí dễ sau Cám ơn bạn nhiều! 69 Questionnaire for students I am a postgraduate student of English Department of Hue University of Foreign Languages (HUFL) I am carrying out small-scale research on “An investigation into test anxiety of non- English majored students at Hue University” To fulfill my research, I would like to conduct the following questionnaires to collect your opinions Your responses are very important to the success of the survey as well as to my research paper I will not use your real name in my thesis and any publication Thank you very much for your collaboration! - -Please read the following questions carefully and complete your answers with a () in the appropriate box or write in the space provided I PERSONAL INFORMATION: Your name (optional): Age: ………………………………………………………………… Sex:  Male  Female You‟re from Hue University of…………………………………………………… How long have you been learning English?  less than years  from to 10 years  more than 10 years II The anxiety measure The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale Please indicate your agreement on the following statements: (5) strongly agree, (4) agree, (3) neutral, (2) disagree, (1) strongly disagree Statements Strongly Agree agree Neutral Dis- (5) (3) I never feel quite sure of myself when I am speaking in my foreign language class I don't worry about making mistakes in language class 70 (4) agree Strongly disagree (2) (1) I tremble when I know that I'm going to be called on in language class It frightens me when I don't understand what the teacher is saying in the foreign language It wouldn't bother me at all to take more foreign language classes During language class, I find myself thinking about things that have nothing to with the course I keep thinking that the other students are better at languages than I am I am usually at ease during tests in my language class I start to panic when I have to speak without preparation in language class 10 I worry about the consequences of failing my foreign language class 11 I don't understand why some people get so upset over foreign language classes 12 In language class, I can get so nervous that I forget things I know 13 It embarrasses me to volunteer answers in my language class 14 I would not be nervous speaking the foreign 71 language with native speakers 15 I get upset when I don't understand what the teacher is correcting 16 Even if I am well prepared for language class, I feel anxious about it 17 I often feel like not going to my language class 18 I feel confident when I speak in foreign language class 19 I am afraid that my language teacher is ready to correct every mistake I make 20 I can feel my heart pounding when I'm going to be called on in language class 21 The more I study for a language test, the more confused I get 22 I don't feel pressure to prepare very well for language class 23 I always feel that the other students speak the foreign language better than I 24 I feel very self-conscious about speaking the foreign language in front of other students 25 Language class moves so quickly I worry about getting left behind 26 I feel more tense and nervous in my language class than in my other 72 classes 27 I get nervous and confused when I am speaking in my language class 28 When I'm on my way to language class, I feel very sure and relaxed 29 I get nervous when I don't understand every word the language teacher says 30 I feel overwhelmed by the number of rules you have to learn to speak a foreign language 31 I am afraid that the other students will laugh at me when I speak the foreign language 32 I would probably feel comfortable around native speakers of the foreign language 33 I get nervous when the language teacher asks questions which I haven't prepared in advance Foreign Language Test Anxiety Scale Please indicate your thought or feeling towards an English test by choosing (1) for yes and (0) for no for these statements Statements I have an uneasy, upset feeling before taking a final English examination I don't enjoy eating before an important English test Before an important English test, I find my hands or arms trembling 73 Yes No (1) (0) While taking a test in English, I find myself thinking of how much brighter at English the other students are than I am I freeze up on things like midterm tests and final English exams I feel my heart beating very fast during important English tests While taking an important English test, I perspire a great deal During class English tests, I find myself thinking of things unrelated to the actual course material I get to feeling very panicky when I have to take a surprise English test 10 During an English test, I find myself thinking of the consequences of failing 11 When taking an English test, my emotional feelings not interfere with my performance 12 During an English course examination, I get so nervous that I forget facts I really know 13 I feel confident when I speak in English 14 During English tests, I wonder if I'll ever get through school 15 I don't worry about making mistakes in my English tests 16 As soon as an English test is over, I try to stop worrying about it, but I just can't 17 After important English tests, I am so tense that my stomach gets upset 18 After taking an English test, I feel I could have done better than I actually did 19 I get depressed after taking an English test 20 I started feeling very uneasy just before getting an English test paper back 21 Getting good grades on one English test doesn't seem to increase my confidence on the second 22 I seem to defeat myself while working on important English tests 23 The harder I work at taking an English test or studying for one, the more confused I get 24 I would rather write a paper than take an examination for my grade in an English course 25 I wish examinations in English did not bother me so much 74 26 I think I could much better on English tests if I could take them alone and not feel pressured by time limits 27 Thinking about the grade I may get in an English course interferes with my studying and performance on tests 28 If examinations in English could be done away with, I think I would actually learn more 29 On English exams I take the attitude, "If I don't know it now, there's no point in worrying about it.” 30 I really don't see why some people get so upset about English tests 31 Thoughts of doing poorly interfere with my performance on English tests 32 During my English course, I don't study any harder for final exams than for the rest of my coursework 33 Even when I'm well prepared for an English test, I feel very anxious about it 34 I not feel the need for "cramming" before an English exam 35 The college should recognize that some students are more nervous than others about English tests and that this affects their performance 36 English examination periods should not be made such intense situations 37 I dread English courses where the instructor has the habit of giving "pop" quizzes Achievement Anxiety Scale Please indicate the frequency of these statements: (5) usually, (4) always, (3) sometimes, (2) rarely, and (1) never Usually Always Sometimes Rarely Never Statements (5) (4) (3) (2) (1) Nervousness while taking an exam or test hinders me from doing well I work most effectively under pressure, as when the task is very important In a course where I have been doing poorly, my fear of a bad grade cuts down my efficiency When I am poorly prepared for 75 an exam or test, I get upset and less well than even my restricted knowledge should allow The more important the examination, the less well I seem to While I may be nervous before taking an exam, once I start, I seem to forget to be nervous During exams or tests, I block on questions to which I know the answers, even though I might remember them as soon as the exam is over Nervousness while taking a test helps me better When I start a test, nothing is able to distract me 10 In courses in which the total grade is based mainly on one exam, I seem to better than other people 11 I find that my mind goes blank at the beginning of an exam, and it takes me a few minutes before I can function 12 I look forward to exams 13 I am so tired from worrying about an exam that I find I almost don‟t care how well I by the time I start the test 14 Time pressure on an exam causes me to worse than the rest of the group under similar conditions 15 Although “cramming” under pre-examination tension is not effective for most people, I find that if the need arises, I can learn material immediately before an exam, even under 76 considerable pressure, and successfully retain it to use on the exam 16 I enjoy taking a difficult exam more than an easy one 17 I find myself reading exam questions without understanding them, and I must go back over them so that they will make sense 18 The more important the exam or test, the better I seem to 19 When I don‟t well on a difficult item at the beginning of an exam, it tends to upset me so that I block on even easy questions later on Thank you so much for your collaboration! 77 APPENDIX STUDENT JOURNAL To help the study open up effects of foreign language test anxiety on your learning and sources of foreign language test anxiety as well as how to cope with it, you are invited to write a journal answering the following questions We appreciate your enthusiastic and serious cooperation Questions: Describe your feelings and your thoughts before, during and after taking an English test with anxiety How does foreign language test anxiety affect your performance and your English learning? What make students feel anxious about English tests? What can students/ teachers to reduce foreign language test anxiety? Câu hỏi: Hãy chia sẻ cảm xúc suy nghĩ bạn trước, trong, sau làm thi tiếng Anh Sự lo lắng kiểm tra ngoại ngữ ảnh hưởng đến thể thi việc học tiếng Anh bạn? Điều làm sinh viên lo lắng kiểm tra tiếng Anh? Theo bạn giáo viên sinh viên nên làm để giảm bớt lo lắng kiểm tra môn ngoại ngữ? 78 APPENDIX STUDENT INTERVIEW To help the study open up sources of foreign language test anxiety and effects of foreign language test anxiety on your learning as well as how to cope with it, you are invited to answer the following questions We appreciate your enthusiastic and serious cooperation Can you share your feelings and your thoughts before, during, and after taking an English test? How does foreign language test anxiety affect your performance and your English learning? What makes student feel anxious about English tests? What can students/ teachers to reduce students‟ foreign language test anxiety? Câu hỏi: Hãy chia sẻ cảm xúc suy nghĩ bạn trước, trong, sau làm kiểm tra tiếng Anh Sự lo lắng kiểm ngoại ngữ ảnh hưởng đến thể thi việc học tiếng Anh bạn? Điều làm sinh viên lo lắng kiểm tra tiếng Anh? Theo bạn giáo viên sinh viên nên làm để giảm bớt lo lắng sinh viên kiểm tra môn ngoại ngữ? 79 APPENDIX Results Obtained from the FLTAS (N=189) Items I have an uneasy, upset feeling before taking a Frequency 165 Percentage 87.3 final English examination I don't enjoy eating before an important 66 34.9 122 64.6 111 58.7 68 36.0 136 72.0 84 44.4 89 47.1 125 66.1 136 72.0 80 42.3 92 48.7 53 28.0 English test Before an important English test, I find my hands or arms trembling While taking a test in English, I find myself thinking of how much brighter at English the other students are than I am I freeze up on things like midterm tests and final English exams I feel my heart beating very fast during important English tests While taking an important English test, I perspire a great deal During class English tests, I find myself thinking of things unrelated to the actual course material I get to feeling very panicky when I have to take a surprise English test 10 During an English test, I find myself thinking of the consequences of failing 11 When taking an English test, my emotional feelings not interfere with my performance 12 During an English course examination, I get so nervous that I forget facts I really know 13 I feel confident when I speak in English 80 14 During English tests, I wonder if I'll ever get 144 76.2 63 33.3 120 63.5 57 30.2 153 81.0 19 I get depressed after taking an English test 94 49.7 20 I started feeling very uneasy just before 102 54.0 101 53.4 141 74.6 98 51.9 61 32.3 155 82.0 127 67.2 138 73.0 through school 15 I don't worry about making mistakes in my English tests 16 As soon as an English test is over, I try to stop worrying about it, but I just can't 17 After important English tests, I am so tense that my stomach gets upset 18 After taking an English test, I feel I could have done better than I actually did getting an English test paper back 21 Getting good grades on one English test doesn't seem to increase my confidence on the second 22 I seem to defeat myself while working on important English tests 23 The harder I work at taking an English test or studying for one, the more confused I get 24 I would rather write a paper than take an examination for my grade in an English course 25 I wish examinations in English did not bother me so much 26 I think I could much better on English tests if I could take them alone and not feel pressured by time limits 27 Thinking about the grade I may get in an English course interferes with my studying and performance on tests 81 28 If examinations in English could be done 93 49.2 83 43.9 96 50.8 147 77.8 122 64.6 143 75.7 112 59.3 156 82.5 165 87.3 134 70.9 away with, I think I would actually learn more 29 On English exams I take the attitude, "If I don't know it now, there's no point in worrying about it.” 30 I really don't see why some people get so upset about English tests 31 Thoughts of doing poorly interfere with my performance on English tests 32 During my English course, I don't study any harder for final exams than for the rest of my coursework 33 Even when I'm well prepared for an English test, I feel very anxious about it 34 I not feel the need for "cramming" before an English exam 35 The college should recognize that some students are more nervous than others about English tests and that this affects their performance 36 English examination periods should not be made such intense situations 37 I dread English courses where the instructor has the habit of giving "pop" quizzes 82