Language anxiety in learning Arabic as a second Language: A Case Study of Female Learners at the Arabic Language Institute for Speakers of Other Languages in King Abdulaziz University

Abstract

The present study investigates language anxiety among female learners of Arabic at the Arabic Language Institute for Speakers of Other Languages at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah. It aims to identify the level of foreign language anxiety among the learners, and examine the factors causing it, as well as the extent of its impact on the process of learning the Arabic language. To achieve the objectives of the study, a descriptive analytical approach is employed, using the Foreign Language Learning Anxiety Scale "FLCAS" developed by Horwitz et al. (1991) to collect the data. Four sources of anxiety are taken into consideration in this scale: communication-bound anxiety, negative assessment anxiety, test anxiety, and classroom anxiety. A total of (23) female learners of Arabic from three proficiency levels in the institute: the second, the third, and the fourth, participated in the study. The results reveal that the participants experienced a moderate level of language anxiety. They also show that test anxiety is the main source of anxiety among the learners. The study concludes that the institute needs to find alternative assessment methods in order to reduce the negative impact of tests on the learning process.