Foreign language anxiety

Foreign language anxiety, also known as xenoglossophobia, is the feeling of unease, worry, nervousness and apprehension experienced in learning or using a second or foreign language. The feelings may stem from any second language context whether it is associated with the productive skills of speaking and writing or the receptive skills of reading and listening.

Research has shown that foreign language anxiety is a significant problem in language classrooms throughout the world especially in terms of its strong relationship to the skill of speaking in a foreign or second language. It is a form of what psychologists describe as a specific anxiety reaction. Some individuals are more predisposed to anxiety than others and may feel anxious in a wide variety of situations. Foreign language anxiety, however, is situation-specific and so it can also affect individuals who are not characteristically anxious in other situations. Its main causes are communication-apprehension, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation. There is also a psychological component to foreign language anxiety.

While foreign language anxiety was traditionally viewed as a purely debilitating factor that hinders performance, recent scholarship has adopted a more complex view. Including the role of "facilitating anxiety" (which can motivate learners) and the integration of positive psychology concepts, such as Foreign Language Enjoyment. With the rise of digital learning, research has also expanded to examine how anxiety manifests differently in online environments and interactions with artificial intelligence tools.

Additionally, it has a variety of detrimental effects on foreign language performance, but both the student and the teacher can adopt strategies to minimize the anxiety.