The aim of this study was to investigate the role that humanistic techniques play in reducing feelings of language anxiety associated with oral communication in the TESOL classroom. Students in the experimental group attended classes which incorporated humanistic techniques such as journal writing and group work and where the affective needs of the students were taken into account. Students in the control group were provided with the normal course content along more traditional lines and their affective needs were not taken into account. Language anxiety was measured by means of questionnaires, journals and interviews. The results revealed that general feelings of anxiety about oral communication decreased in the experimental group. The experimental group achieved higher scores in the final written examination although there was no significant difference in the oral examination results between the two groups. The drop-out rate in the experimental group was lower than that of the control group. / English Studies / M.A.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role that humanistic techniques play in reducing feelings of language anxiety associated with oral communication in the TESOL classroom. Students in the experimental group attended classes which incorporated humanistic techniques such as journal writing and group work and where the affective needs of the students were taken into account. Students in the control group were provided with the normal course content along more traditional lines and their affective needs were not taken into account. Language anxiety was measured by means of questionnaires, journals and interviews. The results revealed that general feelings of anxiety about oral communication decreased in the experimental group. The experimental group achieved higher scores in the final written examination although there was no significant difference in the oral examination results between the two groups. The drop-out rate in the experimental group was lower than that of the control group. / English Studies / M.A.

La importancia de la dimensión afectiva que acompaña el proceso de adquisición de lenguas extranjeras es indiscutible. Sin embargo, a pesar de esta realidad, y de la evolución de los enfoques comunicativos como métodos de enseñanza de idiomas, la literatura continúa asegurando la existencia de aprensión lingüística en el aula y su efecto debilitador en el proceso de aprendizaje de una nueva lengua. Este estudio tiene como objetivo examinar cómo el aprendiz experimenta la variable de la ansiedad al expresarse oralmente y en qué medida el profesorado de lenguas extranjeras puede lograr crear condiciones en la clase que reduzcan los niveles de ansiedad. En este trabajo utilizamos la revisión sistemática de literatura como estrategia de investigación, un método que constituye una buena herramienta, permitiéndonos sintetizar coherentemente, de forma rigurosa, los resultados de los estudios empíricos sobre el fenómeno de la ansiedad. Los análisis revelan, en primer lugar, que los síntomas experimentados por aprendices de una nueva lengua suelen manifestarse en cada uno de los niveles que integran al individuo, en un nivel emocional, psicológico, fisiológico, de comportamiento y psicopedagógico; en segundo lugar, los investigadores plantean diversas estrategias a nivel psicológico, pedagógico y socio ambiental con el objetivo principal de incrementar en el aprendiz una serie de recursos personales para hacer frente a la ansiedad. Comentamos las implicancias pedagógicas de estos resultados para una mejor comprensión de la ansiedad y del aprendizaje de una lengua extranjera. / The importance of the affective dimension that accompanies the process of language acquisition is indisputable. However, despite this, and the evolution of communicative approaches to language teaching, scientific literature continues to point at the obstructing effect of anxiety on the language learning process. This study aims to examine how the students of foreign languages experience the anxiety variable when expressing themselves orally, and to what extent the teachers in the foreign language classroom can create conditions that reduce anxiety levels. In this paper we conduct a systematic evidence-based literature review as research method. This investigation model seeks to comprehensively cover the field in order to find the best evidence on the subject with methods that are both explicit and transparent. The analysis reveals, firstly, that high anxiety levels are experienced at five different levels: emotional, cognitive, physiological, behavioral, and in a psychoeducational level; secondly, the body of knowledge suggest several psychological, educational and social environmental strategies for helping students to cope with anxiety. The implications of these results for a better understanding of anxiety and foreign language learning are discussed.

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No description available.

Este estudio se centra en la ansiedad lingüística y sus efectos en la asignatura de lenguas modernas, más exactamente, en la enseñanza del español a nivel secundario. El propósito es averiguar de qué manera la ansiedad lingüística afecta a los estudiantes, su motivación y relaciones en el aula, con otros estudiantes y con sus profesores. Para este estudio se eligió un método cuantitativo a través de un cuestionario de preguntas compiladas a partir de cuestionarios ya construidos para aumentar su validez. El cuestionario contenía preguntas sobre la ansiedad lingüística, es decir, ansiedad del habla al aprender una lengua extranjera; relaciones percibidas entre los estudiantes; relaciones percibidas entre los estudiantes y su profesor; y también preguntas sobre la motivación. Un total de 106 alumnos participaron en el estudio, donde el género no fue algo tomado en consideración. Los participantes provienen desde Uppsala hasta Gotemburgo, y se encuentran cursando la asignatura de español como lengua moderna en el tercer y cuarto paso. El resultado mostró que la ansiedad lingüística y la motivación para no querer demostrar incompetencia tienen una correlación estadísticamente significativa, también que si el nivel de la ansiedad lingüística aumenta, disminuye la relación percibida con el profesor. Además, se encontró una correlación significativa entre el tipo de motivación que es manejada por un interés de desarrollar sus conocimientos, con una relación positiva hacia el profesor. Finalmente, también hubo una correlación estadísticamente significativa entre un alto nivel de ansiedad lingüística y tener que hablar sin preparación cuando un profesor hace una pregunta. Estos resultados y las variables utilizadas muestran correlaciones entre la mantención de unas buenas relaciones entre los estudiantes y el profesor dentro de la enseñanza de español como lengua extranjera, y una disminución de la ansiedad lingüística. También, se descubrió una correlación entre hablar, o responder, espontáneamente en español, y un nivel alto de ansiedad. En consecuencia, puede proponerse que si los estudiantes estuvieran en un ámbito en el que se sienten motivados por aprender el idioma y desarrollar sus habilidades, además de no evitar mostrar incompetencia, entonces, tal vez, podrían desarrollar mejores relaciones en el aula. Estos hallazgos podrían conducir a más investigaciones sobre cuáles ejercicios promueven la capacidad de hablar espontáneamente en la lengua meta, y tal vez a averiguar, incluso, cuáles factores serían los que crean unas buenas relaciones dentro de la enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera. / This study focuses on language anxiety and its effects within the course of modern languages, or more exact, within the teaching of Spanish in secondary school. The purpose is to investigate in what manner language anxiety affects students, their motivation and relationships in the classroom with other students, and their teacher.  A quantitative method was elected for this study and the use of a questionnaire, compiled of questions from already constructed questionnaires to increase its validity. The questionnaire contained questions regarding Foreign Language Anxiety, namely language anxiety when learning a new language, perceived relationships between students, and their teacher, and also questions about motivation.  A total of 106 students in Swedish secondary school participated in the study, where gender was not a factor taken into consideration. The participants were spread out through various cities, from Uppsala to Gothenburg and were all students that were studying the modern language courses Spanish step 3 and step 4. The results showed that language anxiety and the motivation to not demonstrate incompetence had a significant correlation, and also, that if the level of language anxiety increases, then the perceived relationship of the student towards its teacher decreases. In addition to this, there was also a significant correlation between the type of motivation that is governed by an interest in developing one's knowledge and an increased perceived relationship with the teacher. Finally, there was also a significant correlation between high perceived language anxiety and having to speak without preparation when asked a question by the teacher. The results of this study and its chosen variables showed correlations that good relationships between teacher and students, within the teaching of Spanish, could have a positive effect on language anxiety when learning a new language. Correlations between speaking, or answering, spontaneously in spanish and an elevated level of language anxiety was also discovered. Also, that if students are in an environment in which they are motivated to learn the language in order to develop their knowledge or skills, and not to avoid demonstrating incompetence, it might contribute to increased perceived relationships within the classroom. These findings might possibly lead to further investigations about which exercises that promote the ability to speak spontaneously in the target language and maybe even what creates good relationships within the education of Spanish.

El propósito de este trabajo ha sido investigar cómo se correlaciona el deseo de comunicarse con tres factores afectivos: la motivación, la ansiedad lingüística y la actitud hacia la lengua meta. Para indagar lo mencionado, en el objetivo se ha tomado como punto de partida las siguientes preguntas: ¿cómo se correlaciona la motivación con el deseo de comunicarse en español como lengua extranjera?, ¿de qué manera se correlaciona la ansiedad lingüística con el deseo de comunicarse en español como lengua extranjera? y finalmente, ¿cómo se correlaciona la actitud hacia el español con el deseo de comunicarse en español como lengua extranjera? Nuestra hipótesis a la primera pregunta es que creemos que una alta motivación se correlaciona positivamente con un alto deseo de comunicarse. Un bajo deseo de comunicarse estará correlacionado, a su vez, con una baja motivación. La segunda hipótesis es que creemos que una alta ansiedad lingüística se correlaciona con un bajo deseo de comunicarse. Una baja ansiedad lingüística se correlaciona, a su vez, con un alto deseo de comunicarse. La tercera y última hipótesis plantea que creemos que una actitud positiva hacia el español (un valor alto) se correlacionará con un alto deseo de comunicarse. Una actitud negativa se correlacionará, a su vez, con un bajo deseo de comunicarse.  Hemos optado por utilizar un método cuantitativo a través de una encuesta que evalúa las percepciones de 65 alumnos que estudian español como lengua extranjera en los pasos 3, 4 y 5, lo que corresponde con las etapas A2 y B1 de acuerdo con el MCER. El cuestionario contiene, en total, 22 afirmaciones sobre las actitudes hacia el español, la motivación, el deseo de comunicarse y la ansiedad lingüística. Mediante las respuestas a las afirmaciones en la encuesta hicimos pruebas estadísticas de acuerdo con el Chi-Square para determinar posibles correlaciones. Nuestros resultados mostraron que hay una positiva y fuerte correlación entre la motivación y el deseo de comunicarse, que no hay ninguna correlación notable entre la ansiedad lingüística y el deseo de comunicarse y finalmente que hay una correlación fuerte/media entre la actitud hacia la lengua y el deseo de comunicarse. / The purpose of this work has been to investigate how the willingness to communicate correlates with three affective factors: motivation, linguistic anxiety, and the attitude towards the target language. To investigate what was mentioned in the purpose, the following questions have been posed: How is motivation correlated with the willingness to communicate in Spanish as a foreign language? In what way is linguistic anxiety correlated with the willingness to communicate in Spanish as a foreign language? And finally, how is the attitude towards Spanish correlated with the willingness to communicate in it as a foreign language?  Our hypothesis to the first question was: we believe that high motivation is positively correlated with a high willingness to communicate. A low willingness to communicate will be correlated with low motivation. The second hypothesis was: we believe that a high linguistic anxiety correlates with a low willingness to communicate. A low linguistic anxiety correlates with a high willingness to communicate. The third and last hypothesis was: we believe that a positive attitude towards Spanish correlates with a high willingness to communicate. A negative attitude will correlate with a low willingness to communicate. We have chosen to use a quantitative method through a survey that evaluates the perceptions of 65 students studying Spanish as a foreign language in the steps 3, 4 and 5 that correspond to the stages A2 and B1 according to the CEFR. The questionnaire contains, in total, 22 statements about attitudes towards Spanish, motivation, desire to communicate and language anxiety. Using the responses to the statements in the survey, we performed statistical tests according to the Chi-Square to determine possible correlations. Our results showed that there is a positive and strong correlation between motivation and the willingness to communicate, that there is no notable correlation between language anxiety and the willingness to communicate, and finally that there is a positive strong/medium correlation between attitude towards the language and the willingness to communicate.

(in English) The present thesis explores the issue of teaching heritage language learners and returnee students in English as a foreign language (EFL) classes in Czech secondary schools. The aim of the thesis is to examine the experiences of heritage language learners and returnees in the EFL classroom, their strengths and weaknesses in English, their attitude towards English language learning in terms of potential anxiety and motivation, as well as heritage language learners' wishes in relation to language instruction. These issues are investigated from the perspective of the students themselves. The theoretical part reviews the relevant literature on heritage language acquisition and teaching, and on the effects of experience abroad on language acquisition. Moreover, it is complemented by discussions of differentiated instruction and language education for the gifted, two areas which can prove helpful in terms of finding suitable solutions to the problems encountered by the target population in foreign language classes. The empirical part is qualitative and consists of the analysis of in-depth semi-structured interviews with three participants, gymnázium students from Prague. Insights are provided about the interconnectedness of the students' life experiences, their general beliefs about language...