Foreign language enjoyment and foreign language classroom anxiety among Chinese learners of German

Abstract

This study examines both the foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and the foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) of 201 Chinese university students of non-German majors who were learning the German language. A questionnaire based on the FLE scale and the FLCA scale was employed to examine the participants’ classroom emotions as well as other learner-and teacher-related variables. Participants reported a higher level of FLE than FLCA, with these two emotions being negatively correlated. Also, regression analysis showed that FLE can be strongly predicted by teacher-related variables, while FLCA is predicted by learner-related variables. Moreover, qualitative analysis of the open-end-ed questions in the questionnaire showed that learners’ FLE in the German classroom was boosted by their sense of achievement in learning a new language and frequent interaction between the participants and their teachers and classmates. At the same time, the relatively high demands of German language learning and frequent exams resulted in higher FLCA. The findings suggest that teachers could organize diverse classroom activities and integrate more culture-related content to enhance their students’ FLE. Meanwhile, they could also adopt more flexible methods of assessment and provide clearer instructions thereon to help students to be more prepared, thereby ameliorating their FLCA.