College EFL Teachers' Perspectives of Foreign Language Anxiety and Self-Perceived Teacher Roles in Managing College Students' Language Anxiety

探討大學英語教師對外語學習焦慮的看法及其在處理大學生外語學習焦慮所扮演的角色

劉凱莉(Kai-Li Liu)

《國立虎尾科技大學學報》 30卷3期 (2012/03) Pp. 53-66

https://doi.org/10.6425/JNHUST.201203.0053

摘要

本質性研究主要探討大學英語老師對外語學習焦慮的看法及其在處理學生外語學習焦慮上所扮演的角色，希望藉由老師的看法能更進一步瞭解及掌控語言焦慮的問題以提升教學。研究對象有八位大學英語老師，分別接受三次訪談。所得結論是大部分老師共同認為焦慮不利於學習，其來源可歸納出三類因素：學生因素、老師因素、學習因素。教師可以透過不同角色扮演適度管理焦慮。例如，焦慮觀察者、課程活動管理者、友善關係建立者等。訪談結果得出幾項不同於從學生觀點討論焦慮的論點，分述如下：1) 零焦慮學習並非是完美的學習狀態，因為適度焦慮是一種激勵學習的挑戰，是一種責任感的表現。2) 避免焦慮左右上課方式。如果為了降低學生怕說英語的焦慮而把所有互動學習活動取消，反而違背溝通式教學的精神。3) 學生本身的怠惰也是造成焦慮的原因之一，在教師所扮演的不同角色中，幫助學習者學習責任養成是減低其焦慮的方法之一。4) 當焦慮的因素是外籍教師時，教師與學生間的跨文化溝通應該融入課程大綱中以增進師生間的相互了解避免文化代溝所造成的衝突與緊張。教師角色中要釐清不利學習的焦慮感和挑戰感所產生的焦慮，或是要拿捏與學生關係建立友善關係與要求學生學習責任養成，都是不容易的事。教師決定使用策略前，必須充分理解學生學習狀況，學習能力、接受力及其學習需要。

關鍵字

外語學習焦慮 ； 大學英語教師看法

並列摘要

This qualitative study investigated college EFL teachers' perceptions of language anxiety among students and the self-perceived roles of the teacher in managing students' language anxiety. Gaining an understanding of the teachers' viewpoints on language anxiety provides insight into the teachers' assumptions on the students' language anxiety and strategies used to assist students coping with anxiety. Eight college teachers were interviewed. An analysis of the data revealed that anxiety was regarded as negative caused by student-related, teacher-related, and instruction-related factors. Teachers viewed their roles in anxiety management as anxiety observer, activity manager, friendly relationship builder, skilled instructor, confidence-building facilitator and learner responsibility developer. Several issues of concern are discussed in this study. First, the idea of a total anxiety-free classroom is not fully agreed upon by the participants because a degree of anxiety, such as challenge, indicates a sense of responsibility for accomplishment and an inner drive to make more effort in learning. Second, another role of anxiety is that of a dictator of the program. The result is that the teachers eliminate all activities that might produce the slightest anxiety to the students. Accordingly, the language classroom looks like a lecture room where the communicative approach has little chance if anxiety is the dictator. Third, teachers can respond to the anxiety caused by a lack of student responsibility by being a learner responsibility developer. Lastly, when a native teacher is the cause of the anxiety, a mutual cultural understanding included in the syllabus would be a start in building a friendly relationship and to increasing mutual understanding and expectations. However, it may not be easy to draw a clear line to distinguish anxiety and challenge, or to balance the roles between friendly relationship builder and learner responsibility developer. But knowing students' ability, capacity and learning needs would essentially determine strategies utilized.

並列關鍵字

foreign language anxiety ； college EFL teacher perspectives

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