Språkinlärning är inte alltid problemfri för elever. Ett problem som kan uppstå är språklig ängslan som gör att språkinlärning förknippas med negativa känslor. Språklig ängslan kan påverka elever långt fram i livet och även påverka andra områden om de inte uppmärksammas i tid. Examensarbetet Tysta elever inom engelskundervisning syftar till att undersöka hur lärarna i studien resonerar kring begreppet språklig ängslan, elevers motivation till att prata engelska och hur lärarna tror att elever påverkas av lärarens inställning till ämnet. Undersökningen genomfördes med enkäter som publicerades på internet. Svaren på enkäterna kategoriserades och tolkades för att sedan kopplas till MacIntyres teori -willingness to communicate (WTC). Resultatet av undersökningen visade att även om inte alla lärare kände till begreppet språklig ängslan så hade nästan samtliga upplevt konsekvenserna av denna ängslan. Enligt lärarna är motivation och glädje viktiga komponenter i engelskundervisning och kan locka ängsliga elever till att prata engelska. Att elever påverkas av lärarens inställning till ämnet är något lärarna i studien är överens om. I de fall läraren har dåliga erfarenheter som påverkar inställningen negativt kan denna erfarenhet vändas till något positivt om läraren är medveten om sin inställning och använder den på ett genomtänkt sätt. Fortsatt forskning inom området kan vara att mer utförligt undersöka lärarens roll som motivationshöjare för språkligt ängsliga elever. / <p>Engelska</p>

Föreliggande studie har undersökt hur elever i årskurs 4 och 5 i den svenska grundskolan upplever användandet av svenska i undervisningen av engelska, samt hur användandet av svenska relaterar till eventuell foreign language anxietyhos eleverna. De forskningsfrågor som har besvarats är: 1) Hur upplever elever användandet av svenska i engelskundervisningen, utifrån deras nivå av behärskning av målspråket? samt 2) Hur relaterar användandet av svenska i engelskundervisningen till elevernas foreign language anxiety, utifrån deras nivå av behärskning av målspråket?Empiriskt material samlades in genom fokusgruppsintervjuer med 18 elever i årskurs 4 och 5. Eleverna från varje klass grupperades i tre grupper med tre elever i varje grupp efter deras nivå av behärskning av engelska. Sociokulturell teori om lärande och barndomssociologi har utgjort de teoretiska grunderna för studien. Det insamlade materialet analyserades med tematisk analys, där centrala teman i elevernas intervjusvar analyserades. De viktigaste resultaten från undersökningen kretsar kring elevernas uppfattningar om det svenska språkets roll i undervisningen för deras förståelse och delaktighet, där den största delen av de intervjuade eleverna uppger hur de anser användandet av svenska är en förutsättning för både förståelse och delaktighet. De uppgav även att en undervisning som exkluderar svenska bidrar till svårigheter med att förstå lektionsinnehållet, vilket hindrar ett aktivt deltagande och en oro för att andra ska döma dem för deras svårigheter med att förstå. En mindre grupp elever med god behärskning skildrade emellertid hur de betraktar användandet av svenska som ett hinder för förståelse och deltagande, och att behovet av att ibland uttrycka sin förståelse på svenska kan utgöra en källa till oro. Implikationerna av resultatet kretsar kring vikten av att lärare är medvetna om konsekvenserna av sina didaktiska val, och de svårigheter som finns med att tillgodose individuella behov hos en elevgrupp när elevernas olika behov står i motsats till varandra. / The current study examines how pupils in the years 4 and 5 in Swedish compulsory school view the use of Swedish in the teaching of English, as well as how it relates to experiences of foreign language anxiety. The research questions we have aimed to answer are: 1) How do pupils experience the use of Swedish in the teaching of English, with regard to their proficiency in the target language? and 2) How does the use of Swedish in the teaching of English relate to foreign language anxiety with the students, with regard to their proficiency in the target language? Empirical data was collected with semi-structured focus group interviews with 18 pupils in the years 4 and 5 of the Swedish compulsory school. The respondents from each class were grouped in three groups of three pupils in each group, with regards to their proficiency in English. With socio-cultural theory of learning and sociology of childhood as the theoretical foundation, a thematic analysis was implemented on the collected empirical material, where central themes from the interviews were highlighted and analyzed. Important results from our study include how a large part of the interviewed pupils expressed a view of Swedish as a necessity for both their understanding and their active participation during classes. They also expressed how an education of English which excludes Swedish hinders their understanding of the lesson content, which in turn creates a barrier for participation and a risk of being negatively judged by others. A small group of pupils with greater proficiency did, however, express a view of how the use of Swedish could act as a hindrance for participation, and how the need to at times express their understanding in Swedish could be a source of anxiety. The implications of our results focus on the need for teachers to be mindful of the consequences of their didactical choices, and on the difficulties which can arise when trying to fulfill the individual needs of a group of pupils when their needs at times are incompatible.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence skills and foreign language anxiety levels of students from Atilim University Preparatory School, in addition to looking at Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) and Emotional Intelligence (EI) in relation to gender, high-school background, foreign language background and the level of exposure to English. In the data gathering process, 436 students from a private university preparatory school participated. The data were collected in three steps. At first, the participants were given a demographic inventory in order to get some personal information for the research questions. Then, they were asked to complete the Turkish translation of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. Lastly, they were given the Turkish adaptation of Bar-On&rsquo / s Emotional Intelligence Quotient Inventory. The data were analyzed by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. To find out the differences between the male and female / foreign language backgrounds / high school types, anxiety levels and level of exposure to Englishrelated tests were used. The results revealed that for students&rsquo / foreign language anxiety levels, there are significant differences in terms of gender, foreign language background and emotional intelligence skills. For students&rsquo / emotional intelligence skills, significant differences were found in terms of gender and high school backgrounds.

The influence of affective factors on learning has been studied by researchers in a range of disciplines, including within SLA research, where tests measuring anxiety specific to second language writing have been developed (Cheng, 2004). Recent studies on instructor perceptions show increasing numbers of second language learners (SLL) enrolled in mainstream university courses with instructors providing varying types of feedback to these learners. The current study investigates how the writing anxiety of second language learners in a mainstream context may relate to writing performance and how feedback anxiety resulting from one written assignment may be connected to writing performance on a subsequent assignment. Using modified writing anxiety survey instruments, 16 SLLs enrolled in two mainstream university English composition courses (taught by two instructors) completed two surveys, an informal interview, and an online questionnaire about feedback on two writing assignments prepared for their course; feedback and a grade from one assignment and a grade from a second assignment were also collected. Mainstream instructors were found to balance feedback provided to learners between content and organization feedback and grammatical feedback, similar to findings on feedback practices for second language instructors (Evans et al., 2010). Statistical analyses between survey results and grades revealed negative (non-statistically significant) correlations between anxiety scores (from surveys) and grades. Participants expressed 16 different emotions in response to feedback through qualitative data collection methods (open-ended survey questions, interviews, and online questionnaire); hope, acceptance, and anxiety were the three most commonly emotions reported. The number and complexity of emotional responses reported indicate that anxiety is only one of numerous responses to feedback and research on the effects of affective factors on learning may benefit from investigations of other emotions, including pleasant or positive emotions. Two data collection methods converged in reporting that nearly all participants made use of feedback through one or more forms of follow up action. Continued research into the complex emotions inspired by writing feedback may provide a deeper understanding of how SLLs may moderate their own emotional responses and provide instructors insight into additional factors that may affect learners’ writing performance. / Graduate / 0290 / amalec@uvic.ca

This degree project is an interview study investigating upper secondary EFL teachers’ perceptions of speaking anxiety in their classrooms. The aim of the study is to gain insight into how the teachers perceive the prevalence of foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA) among their pupils, the factors contributing to FLSA and what methods they use to manage FLSA in their EFL classrooms. To achieve this aim, a phenomenological approach was applied, and six teachers were interviewed using semi-structured interviews in a mediumsized city in Sweden. Through the interviews, information of the teachers’ experiences in relation to the prevalence of FLSA, the contributing factors to FLSA and what methods they used to manage FLSA were gathered. The results showcase that the teachers perceive FLSA to be present in their EFL classrooms but to varying degrees. They perceived that the factors contributing to FLSA could be many, but the factors all the teachers named were fear of evaluation, having many people listening to your speech, being focused on correctness in the FL, and being inexperienced and afraid to make mistakes in the FL. To counteract this with methods of managing FLSA, the teachers perceived that positive reinforcement, communication, group division, individual adaptation, a focus on meaning over correctness, and showing understanding for the pupils’ feelings are suitable methods to manage FLSA in their classrooms. The most common of these methods was the usage of individual adaptations, where the teacher and pupil communicate to find the most suitable solution with reference to the knowledge requirements of the English subject and the pupil’s needs. Lastly, the results indicate that FLSA is a complex phenomenon in EFL education due to the variety of factors that might contribute to it and the variety of methods potentially useful in counteracting it.

This study sought eight grade students’ experiences of verbal production in the English classroom. From the perspectives of foreign language anxiety (FLA) and willingness to communicate (WTC), what are the students' experiences of verbal production, in what situations are students willing to communicate and in what situations are they not? A quantitative study was conducted using a self-report paper questionnaire, consisting of Nilsson’s (2019) modified version of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) in conjunction with open-ended questions. The result indicates that verbal production causes a high level of foreign language anxiety, and that the students' willingness to communicate increases and decreases depending on stable and situational variables that influence a student's willingness to use their L2. The findings of this study are beneficial to English teachers by raising awareness of FLA and WTC and their presence in our classrooms. The greatest beneficiary of this study is L2 language teachers, who will be inspired to create a classroom environment where the students seek opportunities to engage in verbal production.

This study examined the possible causes of language anxiety among three upper secondary school students Sweden. In addition, the study explored the strategies used by said students’ English teachers to decrease language anxiety in their students. The data was collected by using semi-structured interviews and analyzed through content analysis. The analysis showed that the main causes of language anxiety were four significant factors: communication apprehension, test anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and classroom environment. In particular, the study showed that all the students felt more anxious when they were uncomfortable with their surroundings and when they felt under pressure to perform. Negative evaluation from other students affected their confidence level, which was another crucial cause of anxiety. All the students expressed that the teacher's approach had a significant effect on their anxiety level, and all the teachers claimed to adapt their English-speaking activities to each student’s needs. A general conclusion is that the students’ anxiety varies depending on the English-speaking activity and their teacher’s approach, which was acknowledged by the teacher.

Many pupils all over the world might experience foreign language anxiety which has a majorimpact on pupils’ development. Because of this, and because of personal experiences of thesubject, the aim of this thesis was to investigate teachers’ experience of foreign languageanxiety and motivational factors regarding Swedish pupils in grade 1-3. This study investigatedhow the teachers notice pupils who have foreign language anxiety and how they manage towork with them to make them motivated. The focus has been on the oral parts of the Englishsubject. The study was conducted by interviewing six teachers from different schools inSweden. Semi-structured interviews were made with teachers who had experience of the subjectto develop a deeper understanding of their experience and working methods. To analyze theresults, cognitive motivation theory and Skinners behavioristic theory have been used assupport. The results showed that foreign language anxiety is a common challenge in school andthat it can depend on what grade the pupils were in. Some of the participating teachers find itdifficult to manage to work with these pupils since they do not specifically know how to adaptthe teaching to the pupils so they will be able to overcome their anxiety. However, the resultshave showed that the teacher-pupil relationship and the classroom environment play a big rolewhen it comes to foreign language anxiety. / <p>Engelska</p>

Son escasos los estudios enfocados en la ansiedad lingüística con respecto de las habilidades de escritura y lectura durante la formación de traductores. Asimismo, existe falta de conocimiento en la carrera de Traducción e Interpretación Profesional sobre la ansiedad lectora y escritora que se produce en los estudiantes durante el proceso de traducción en los talleres de traducción francés en la lengua extranjera. La presente investigación se centra en conocer las experiencias de ansiedad ante la lectura y escritura en francés durante el proceso de traducción en estudiantes de los cursos Traducción Directa 1 (Francés), Traducción Directa 2 (Francés) y Traducción Inversa (Francés). Para ello, se propone obtener información de los estudiantes mediante guías de grupo focal e inventarios (FLRAI y SLWAI). Se realizará la traducción de estos inventarios a partir del proceso de traducción y adaptación de la Organización Mundial de la Salud para adaptarlos al público objetivo. / There are few studies that focus on foreign language anxiety towards writing and reading skills during translator training. There is also lack of knowledge in the Professional Translation and Interpretation program regarding students’ reading and writing anxiety during the translation process in French translation workshops. This research focuses on understanding the experiences of reading and writing anxiety in French during the translation process in students of the courses French into Spanish Translation 1, French into Spanish Translation 2 and Spanish into French Translation. Therefore, we propose focus group guides and inventories such as FLRAI and SLWAI to obtain information from the students. These inventories will be translated based on the World Health Organization's process of translation and adaptation of instruments to suit the target audience. / Trabajo de investigación

Att som elev delta muntligt i engelskundervisningen kan vara spännande för många elever men för en del elever uppstår talängslan. Talängslan innebär att man vid specifika situationer upplever ångest för att tala. Den här studien har genomförts utifrån intresset att undersöka huruvida lärare ser några negativa följder för elevers kommunikativa förmåga i engelska till följd av talängslan. Vidare har även läraresstöttning och motivation för att elever ska våga tala engelska i klassrummet undersökts. Studien är genomförd utifrån ett lärarperspektiv genom metodtriangulering där webbenkäter och semistrukturerade intervjuer har använts. All insamlad empiri har koncentrerats, kategoriserats och tolkats utifrån en induktiv ansats samt teorin WTC och det sociokulturella perspektivet. Informanterna i denna studie var 25 lärare med behörighet att undervisa engelska i årskurs 1–3 samt fyra undervisande lärare i engelska, utan behörighet. Resultatet visar att talängslan riskerar att påverka elevers kommunikativa förmåga i engelskundervisningen, bland annat genom att elever som saknar en god relation till sin lärare saknar grundtryggheten för att våga tala engelska i klassrummet och väljer att förbli tyst. Resultatet visar att lärarna i studien stöttar och motiverar sina elever genom att elevernas intressen tas tillvara, genom bland annat spel och lekar samt positiv förstärkning. / Learning to speak English can be exciting for many pupils, but it can cause language anxiety for others. Language anxiety refers to the fear of speaking in certain situations. This study was conducted to determine whether teachers see any negative consequences for their pupils’ communicative ability in English because of language anxiety. The study also investigated how the teachers motivate and support their pupils to speak English in the classroom. This study is based on a teacher’s perspective with method triangulation where web surveys and semi-structured interviews were used. All collected data was compiled, classified, and interpreted based on an inductive approach, as well as the WTC theory and the socio-cultural perspective. The informants in this study were 25 teachers with authorization to teach English in grades 1–3 and four teachers without authoraization. Language anxiety is at risk of affecting pupils’ communicative ability in English, according to the findings, because those pupils who do not have a good relationship with their teacher lack the basic confidence speak English in the classroom and therefor choose to remain silent. The teachers in this study believe they have the right tools to push and motivate their pupils. This study discovered that teachers who use pupils’ interests, positive and reasonably high expectations, positive reinforcement, and a playful approach to teaching can help pupils with language anxiety.