English as a Second Language Research Paper by Writing Specialists

English as a Second Language
An in-depth look at the levels of anxiety experienced by students learning English as a second language.
# 92645 | 8,948 words | 23 sources | MLA | 2006 | US
Published on Feb 26, 2007 in Education (Adult Education) , English (General) , Education (General) , Language (General)


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Description:

This study provides a comparison of language learning anxiety between language learners being instructed by both native and non-native English as a second language teachers in Taiwan today. This paper uses a critical and comprehensive review of the peer-reviewed and scholarly literature to develop the background and resources needed to answer the study's guiding research questions. The paper provides a summary of the research, important conclusions and salient recommendations in the concluding chapter.

Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1:
Definition and Overview of Anxiety
Language Anxiety and ESL Instructors
Chapter Summary
Chapter 2: Methodology
Description of the Study Approach
Data-Gathering Method and Database of Study
Chapter 3: Data Analysis
Chapter 4: Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

From the Paper:

"According to these authors, "Motivation, it now appears, is but one of many individual variables that influence the success of language learning. Anxious students can filter their language learning experience through such thick shielding that often immense amounts of comprehensible input result in limited intake. Risk-takers in terms of language learning progress more quickly and experience greater enjoyment than do their non-risk-taking peers" (emphasis added) (Leaver & Shekhtman, 2002, p. 15). In the classroom setting, a number of interpersonal and small-group issues can enhance or impair the efforts of any individual student in the "visible classroom" (the overt relationships) who reacts poorly to the "invisible classroom" (ubiquitous but covert group dynamics), to use the concept and terminology advanced for this purpose (e.g., the significance of small-group dynamics and rapport may be greater than many teachers realize) (Leaver & Shekhtman, 2002).
The vast majority of research on these variables has been conducted on groups of students with mixed backgrounds and at lower levels of proficiency. Based on their lengthy experience and empirical observations, our seventeen-year experience in extensive and intensive work with Superior-level students, learners at this level, especially those studying in courses and groups, tend to have a different set of anxieties, most of which are more closely tied to linguistic aspects of job performance than to the intellectual risk-taking required of language learning in general (Leaver & Shekhtman, 2002)."

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Bailey, P., Daley, C. E., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2000). Cognitive, affective personality, and demographic predictors of foreign-language achievement. The Journal of Educational Research, 94(1), 3.
  • Casado, M. A., & Dereshiwsky, M. I. (2001). Foreign language anxiety of university students. College Student Journal, 35(4), 539.
  • Cox, R., Robb, M., & Russell, W. D. (1998). Development of a CSAI-2 short form for assessing competitive state anxiety during and immediately prior to competition. Journal of Sport Behavior, 21(1), 30.
  • De Groot, A. M., & Kroll, J. F. (19979). Tutorials in bilingualism: Psycholinguistic perspectives. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Deluca, G., Fox, L., Johnson, M. A., & Kogen, M. (2002). Dialogue on writing: Rethinking ESL, basic writing, and first-year composition. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Cite this Research Paper:

APA Format

English as a Second Language (2007, February 26) Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/research-paper/english-as-a-second-language-92645/

MLA Format

"English as a Second Language" 26 February 2007. Web. 25 March. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/research-paper/english-as-a-second-language-92645/>

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