A study of Chinese University learners’ anxiety in German language classrooms in at-home and study-abroad contexts

Abstract

This study examined Chinese university learners’ anxiety in German language classrooms in at-home and study-abroad contexts. About 138 learners from a university in Beijing (at-home context) and 91 learners from a university in Germany (study-abroad (SA) context) participated in the present study. The participants answered a Background Information Questionnaire and the 21-item German Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. Of the survey participants, 10 at-home and 15 SA learners were interviewed. The major findings were (a) around one third of the learners in both contexts reported feeling anxious in German language class; (b) listening, speaking and writing were reported by both groups to be their sources of anxiety in class, and (c) differences existed between the at-home and SA students in anxiety level, causes for anxiety and relationship between anxiety and German test performance. These findings further justify the need for continuous research on this issue. Based on these findings, some implications are discussed.