Effects of Listening Comprehension Anxiety from Saudi EFL Learners’ Perspectives

Abstract

Anxiety has been an important topic of discussion in foreign language learning. Listening comprehension anxiety can have negative effects on learners’ performance. Therefore, this paper aims at exploring the effects of listening comprehension anxiety on Saudi English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. This qualitative case study research design involves 15 participants. The findings show that the learners experienced high level of listening comprehension anxiety in their listening classes. Three main themes emerged from the interview data in relation to the effects of listening comprehension anxiety from the learners’ perspectives: 1) personal effect: losing concentration, feeling depressed and avoiding listening skill classes, 2) social effect: isolating oneself from others and showing bad behavior, and 3) academic effect: getting low performance and achievement.