Foreign Language Enjoyment, Foreign Language Anxiety, and Achievement in an EFL Course at a Korean University

Abstract

Foreign language anxiety (FLA) is an emotion that influences foreign language achievement. This qualitative study explored English as a foreign language (EFL) instructors’ perceptions and practices of FLA in a Korean university. There has been a paucity of qualitative studies conducted on FLA in a Korean context and also a lack of qualitative studies on FLA that have focused on the instructors rather than the students. The participants in this study were 15 EFL instructors who all had experience teaching at a university in Korea. Each of the participants answered a short survey and was interviewed. Thematic analysis revealed that the participants understood the negative effects that FLA can have on learning a foreign language, however, it was also shown that they could benefit from having more knowledge on the cause and effects of FLA. The findings also showed that the participants found a variety of different practices to be effective at reducing FLA among their students. Recommendations included providing professional development and instructors sharing their practices with other instructors.