samer yaqoob

1. Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Purpose of the study
1.2 Objective of the study
1.3 Limitations of the study
Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.1 Definition of Language Anxiety
2.2 Foreign Language Classroom
Anxiety
2.3 Significance of CLT for Language
Learners
2.4 Relationship between Learner
Anxiety, Motivation and Autonomy
2.5 Classification of Anxiety
2.6 Effects of Language Anxiety
Chapter3: research methodology
3.1 Instrument
3.2 Research Questions
3.3 Participants

2. Chapter one
1.0INTRODUCTION
Teacher, students, materials, and assessments are the most important parts of any process of learning.
Teachers who are part of any ministry of education are responsible of determining the exact syllabus that
students need in learning processes and also, they are responsible of teaching the selected materials in a
good way by following the teaching approach which has chosen by the ministry of education. In any
classroom, student are required to listen and pay hard attention to what instructed by the teachers and
memorize what is taught in the classroom , in addition to their co-operation with their peers and teachers .
Student required providing evidences that they understood the full lesson. In any foreign language lesson,
students pay more attention on memorizing words meanings, grammatical patterns, and sentence structure
but they face hard task when they want to apply classroom knowledge in the real world. Many studies
concentrated on given students more responsibilities to learn by maximize students roles in classroom and
minimize teacher roles in the classroom. Webb, C. and Baird H., 1968 is an educator and teacher who
mentioned that teachers’ roles are providing teaching atmosphere and student should give hard efforts to
get individual learning. Teacher must be capable of encouraging their students to rely on self teach more
that teachers (Copeland, 1952). Gardner and Lambert, 1972 ensured that motivations have positive effects
on the achievement of language learning. Motivation is the combination of effort; desire to achieve the
goal of learning the language, and favourable attitudes toward learning the language. Gardner (1985)
Skehan (1989) mentioned that there is a number of an important factor which affect on the process of
learning a foreign language and these are intelligence, motivation, attitude, age, gender, personality,
anxiety, and so on. The process of acquiring a language occurs naturally in the real world while the
process of learning a foreign language occurs in the classroom. One of the factors which caused learning
foreign language not effective is anxiety. Foreign language anxiety can be define as a distinct complex of
self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviours related to classroom language learning arising from the
uniqueness of the language learning process. Many studies conducted on the relationship between

3. learning foreign language and anxiety. Saito & Samimy (1996) assert that anxiety has a significant impact
on language learning and achievement.
Learners of foreign language face difficulty in immersing themselves in a language that are not familiar
with. Based on that, learning any foreign language must go through different teaching approaches and for
different purposes. The grammar-translation and audio-lingual method of language teaching which
appeared in 1950s and 1960s , other appeared in1970s which concentrate on spoken communicative
competence.CTL is one of most important approaches in language teaching which concentrate on the idea
of using language in real situation and enable student to be active during the whole period of the
classroom. It is generally believed that language learning can be most effective when language practice
occurs in meaningful contexts instead of isolated linguistic settings.
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is an new method of teaching practise that has distributed
greatly over the past two decades, is debatably the most usable teaching method in the field of English
Language Teaching. Starting in the 1970s, voices for developing students’ communicative competence
became louder; the need to choose another practical teaching method appeared. Communicative
Language Teaching is one of the methods featured in developing learners’ communicative competence
(Hymes, 1972).
1.2 Background of the study
Iraq is monolingual country where Arabic language is taught as a compulsory subject from primary level.
It is the medium of instruction at university level. English language considers as secondary language and
it is not used in a Varity of spheres. It has restricted uses limited to a few number of collages like collage
of engineering, medicine and collage of languages. English language is also used as subject in primary
and secondary schools.
Iraqi educational system was structural approach which concentrates a usage rather than use. In this
approach students learned how to use grammar and how to memorize these rules to write a well English
sentence without using these rules in the real situations. Teachers roles in this approach were maximized
while students’ roles were minimized .this cause students to be unable to read write, speak, and listen to
English in a good way.

4. After few years, ministry of education applied new approach which communicative language teaching.
This approach concentrates on enabling students to be active in the classroom and use language in real
situations. The roles of teachers in this approach are minimized while the roles of students are maximized
and this gives opportunities for students to learn well by communicating with each other in class by
creating groups discussions.
After a short period of applying communicative language teaching approach in Iraq, teachers and
educators noticed that students are anxious and unable to communicate with each other. This is because
students used to keep silent in whole period of the class in the previous approach. Students are unable to
communicate in groups because they do not have enough language competence which enables them to
use language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) and communicate in English language.
Anxiety, which is a troubled state of mind, stands out to be an important variable for its debilitating effect
on the performance of the second language learners. Second language anxiety can impede a student’s
learning process and achievement. Thus, the present study examines anxiety in undergraduate students
with regard to the type of situations that provoke anxiety during their learning process and the
relationship of anxiety with students’ achievement, motivation and autonomy.
The present study will explore the educational factors that affect on student activities in the classroom
such as the effects of the previous approach which is structural language teaching approach, in addition to
the psychological factor anxiety and its effects on learning and students communication the classroom.
1.3 Problem statement of the study
One of the contradictions in learning a second language is that foreign language students have to
communicate in a language that they face difficulties in acquiring it. Learners find themselves in a
difficult situation because they need to introduce themselves in a foreign language and in the same time
they do not have enough language knowledge and they lose of language skills so students always avoid to
speak in the class, have no idea about the lesson, and they do not understand the lesson well. Foreign
learners are always hesitated in the classroom because they think that they do not get the enough skills

5. that enable them communicate effectively in the classroom, their situation is similar to the old saying
which is warning not to go in the water until one knows how to swim. Another factor which causes
students unable to communicate in the classroom is age. The best period of acquiring language is the
period of childhood because children in that period acquired the basis of language, also children
memorize and remember what they learn easily and this is because of biological factors and these factor
have less effects on emotional characteristics of individual which van be defined by Grande(1993), as
emotional characteristics of individuals which effect on the way individual responses.
According to Stephen krashen (1982), minimizing the response to affective variables must be the main
objective in second language instruction. Willing to speak or communicate can be defined as the intension
of learner to speak or keep silent, Machinery and legato (2010). They hypothesizes that willing to speak
is the main determinant of second language usage, mirroring influences like anxiety, personality as
introversion or extraversion, and communicative competence. Psychological and educational factors are
connected with the process of learning a language. Acquiring a language base on many issues such as
political, cultural, identity, motivation, social, and pedagogical, Macintyre and legato(2010). Sometimes
students avoid speaking and communicating with teachers or students because they are afraid of
committing mistake while they are speaking and this will increase the anxiety factor and make learning
process is difficult. According to Hurwitz (2000) “Countless language learners and teachers across the
world identify with the experience of foreign language anxiety and the potential of anxiety to interfere
with learning and performance is one of the most accepted phenomena in psychology and education” (p.
125). This self-awareness can ignite a linguistic identity crisis for learners because they suspect that they
are not being perceived in the same way they perceive themselves.
Iraqi secondary student feels anxious in CLT classroom. It has seen that students keep silent all the lesson
and there is no output at the end of the lesson ,this problem caused by some reasons that result to their
failure at the end of course. After applying CLT by the ministry of education in Iraq, educators noticed
that student keep silent and unable to speak and communicate in the classroom because the feel shy of
being mistaken or say what is not required.
1.4 purpose of study
This study will shade light on one of most important problems in language teaching and it will contribute
in adding some solutions that help students to be active and teacher to apply all requirement of CLT. It
tries to investigates the reasons behind student anxiety in the classroom and who students and teachers

6. overcome such problems. This study try to provide some solution that may help both students and teacher
to communicate in the classroom.
1.5 Aims of the study
 Investigating educational and psychological factors that cause student anxious.
 Investigating classroom activities.
 This study tries to show how anxiety affects on students performance in the classroom.
1.6 Research questions
 What factors caused students anxiety in CLT classroom?
 Is CLT activities applied in classroom?
 How anxiety affect on students performance in CLT classroom?
1.7 significance of the study
Firstly, this study is beneficial in shedding light on the most frequent factors that cause student anxious in
the classroom and this cause students avoid ton speak in the classroom. Also, it is important for
suggesting CLT strategies that will help teachers lead the classroom in a good way.

7. Chapter two
Literature review
One of the significant roles in language learning and communication is anxiety. It is a big challenge for
those learners who want to learn a foreign language. Many researchers and writers discussed the effects of
second language anxiety on the process of learning a second language like Hurwitz, oxford, and die
(2010). Learning a foreign language is a complicated issue and the reasons are not only connected with
the characteristics of foreign language but the influence of other factors. Hu (2009) studied the effects of
emotional or affective factors on the process of language learning and communication. Masagort( 1997)
in his research showed that the emotional or affective variables do not work separately, instead, causal
relations between these factors are very complicated and it needs for further investigation. Maclntyre and
Charos (1996) mentioned that it is difficult to determine the connection or relationships between those
affective variables for example, anxiety is associated with personality traits such as introversion and
extroversion.
Brown and Robson (2001) assume that those who introverts are more anxious than those whose
extroverts. Naturally, introverts like to stay a lone and work individually while extroverts like to be
connected with other and work in groups that are why introverts feel anxious when they asked to work
with groups and make communication (zeheng.2008). Anxiety is one of the most important factors in the
process of learning a foreign language . horwitz and cop (1989) point out that speaking in a second or
foreign language that is not his native language consider as a threaten aspect of learning a foreign tongue.

8. According to Hui (2009) if we want to make sure that the process of teaching a second language for
secondary and primary schools is successful, we have to study an anxiety issue and must not ignore it.
Most of educators, researchers, and teachers tried to find remedies for such problems (di, 2010).
2.1 definition of anxiety
Anxiety can be defined as emotions that influence most people. There are many factors that cause a
person to be anxious. Young may feel anxious because of the jobs, students face a high anxiety because
of the pressure of their peers of a test or involving in doing a project. Students of English language and
students who learn a second language feel anxious in classroom activities because they oblige to speak
English language in front of their peers and teachers or because of a test in a language that is not their first
language. synder (2011) mentioned that foreign language learners face problems that native speakers do
not face.
Hurwitz et al (1986), defined foreign language anxiety as “a distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs,
feelings, and behaviours related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the
language learning process”. samimy and saito(1996) assured that anxiety has an important effect on
learning a language and achievement. A number of studies discovered that levels of anxiety have a
negative impact on the process of acquiring a second language (Wu, 2010,).
Macintyre and Gardner (1993), mentioned that an anxiety of language refers to anxiety that is a fear
which takes place when students are predicted to do well in the foreign language. Macintyre asserts that
an anxiety is a responsible factor that makes the distinction between success and failure in learning a
language. Macintyre (1995) suggested that emotional factors, in particular, an anxiety, are the main
impediment to the language learning process
Gardner and Macintyre (1989), said that the correlation between learning outcomes and anxiety might be
negative, also they assured that decreasing levels of anxiety might increasing learners’ motivation and
improve their foreign or second language learning.

9. 2.2 Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety
From a long period of time, linguists and researchers tried to associate learning a foreign language to
anxiety in the classroom situation. Awan, Azher, and Anwar (2010) called the experiences of anxiety in
the classroom as foreign language anxiety, or particularly, an anxiety of forging language classroom.
According to MacIntyre and Gardner (1991) foreign language classroom anxiety regarded as a situational
anxiety practiced in the situation of foreign language classroom. Hurwitz and young (1991) learning a
language rise from the language learning process uniqueness. Hurwitz and cope (1991) mentioned that
there are some possible causes of foreign language classroom anxiety which are fear of communication,
test anxiety, and the fear of negative evaluation. anxiety originated from the negative expectation in the
learning foreign language. According to Katalin (2006) classroom factors play a significant role in the
development of foreign language learning anxiety
2.3 Significance of CLT for Language Learners
There are many methods of teaching which appears in a sequence manner one after another such as audio-
lingual and the grammar –translation methods which are appeared in 1950 and 1960 while the spoken
communicative competence grasps the attention of educators in 11970 and then it became one of the most
important methods of teaching English language. Generally speaking, it is believed that the most effective
way of learning language is practicing language in real life situation instead of isolated settings.
Communicative approach consider as one of the most important discoveries of teaching methods which
has spread over time and place, also it is the famous approach in language teaching. In 1970, educators
directed their attention toward improving students’ communicative competence and consider it as a
necessary need to adopt CLT to improve those competences. Hymes (1972) mentioned that CLT is a
necessary approach in developing students’ communicative competence.
The process of teaching a language consists of five components which are teachers, materials,
approaches, students, and evaluation. In general, teachers in teacher-cantered model specified the
materials to be taught and try to transmit it to their students in one way or another. The tests of learning
depends heavily on students abilities to memorize and produce data in a specific period of time. Students’
task is to listen, remember and give evidence that they understand and keep what they learn in their
minds. One of the most prominent difficulties faced by English students is that they are unable to apply
vocabulary, phrases, grammatical structure in the real life situations. Teachers who are part of ministry of
education discover that students are unable to immerse themselves in learning a language that are not

10. familiar with. The solution for such problems are that the second language should taught by using mixed
approaches which are designed for particular purposes, and giving students more opportunities to learn by
maximizing their roles in the classroom. (baird, 1068)
2.4 Relationship between Learner Anxiety, Motivation and Autonomy
According to Gardner and Lambert (1972) discovered that the achievement of learning a language
associated attitude and motivation. Motivation can be define as the combination of effort, desire to
achieve the goal of learning the language and favourable attitudes toward learning the language. since
decades, researchers and educators pay more attention on autonomy because the shift from the approach
concentrate on teachers roles in the classroom to an approach pay attention on increasing students roles
and communication in the classroom (Benson,2001).
An autonomous can be defined as a person who has the independent ability to make choices which
control his action. In particular, in order a person to behave in an independent way, the person should
have the `ability` and `willingness` (littlewood, 1996). Ability indicates the knowledge about the
selections and skills for carrying them out, while willingness indicates the confidence and willingness that
students should have that enable him to take his choices during the process of learning. Little (2007)
mentioned that autonomous learning takes place because students have the ability of doing things by
themselves not only do things on their own.
2.5 Classification of Anxiety
Researchers have divided anxiety into different categories. According to Gander ( 1991), anxiety can be
discussed throughout three categories which are; the trait anxiety, situation-specific, and state anxiety.
The differentiation between the three categories can provide important insights to understand foreign
language anxiety. (DI, 2010)
 According to Spielberger (1983), Trait anxiety is a personality trait refers to the stable
predisposition to become anxious in any situations.

11.  State anxiety – is apprehension experienced at a particular moment in time. State anxiety is the
transient, moment-to-moment experience of anxiety as an emotional reaction to the current
situation For example, a person may not ordinarily be anxious but becomes so when asked to
make a public address. (Cattell & Scheier, 1963).
 Situational anxiety – is anxiety experienced in a well-defined situation (MacIntyre & Gardner,
1991a). Situation-specific anxiety can be considered to be the probability of becoming anxious in
a particular type of situation, such as during tests (labeled as "test anxiety"), when solving
mathematics problems ("math anxiety"), or when speaking a second language ("language
anxiety") (as cited in Khan & Zafar, 2010, p. 199).
Traditionally, the nature of anxiety has been differentiated into trait anxiety, situational anxiety, and state
anxiety. Though no clear delineation between these three categories can be claimed, the differences can
roughly be identified on a continuum from stability to transience, with trait anxiety related to a generally
stable predisposition to be nervous in a wide range of situations on one end, and a moment-to-moment
experience of transient emotional state on the other. Situational anxiety falls in the middle of the
continuum, representing the probability of becoming anxious in a particular type of situation (Zheng, 2008,
p. 2).
2.6 Effects of Language Anxiety
The anxiety of the second language is significant since it stands for an effectively and physically
unpleasant experience for some learners. If the learners are anxious in the classroom, they are certainly
not fully engage. The anxiety of the second language has been discovered to have potential negative
impacts on educational achievement (e.g., lower course grades) (Horwitz, 1986), cognitive processes
(e.g., not being able to produce the language) (MacIntyre and Gardner, 1994),
when learners of language become anxious, the process of acquiring a second language will be
unsuccessful .oxford(1999) showed that anxiety damage learners` achievements because indirectly
students have worry and have self-doubt and directly by reducing students participation and creating an
overt avoidance of language

12. LArnold and Brown (1999) contended that anxiety has down-spiralling effects when it occurs in the
classroom. What they implied is a vicious circle occurring continuously between learners’ negative
feelings and undesirable performance. Similarly, Kondo and Yong (2004) argued that second language
anxiety could have a negative impact on learners’ performance. Further, Gregersen (2005) maintained
that anxious learners often find it difficult to respond
Casaddo and Dershiswsky (2004) mentioned that anxious students face difficulties in understanding
spoken instructions and also, they have problems like reduce produce of words in time they feel anxious.
Obviously, anxiety has the ability to decrease student’s abilities in second language learning. However,
some studies suggested that anxiety may consider as altering factor that increase learning. According to
Albert and Haber (1960) mentioned that anxiety could have negative or positive impact on students
performance. A study conducted by Chastain (1975) in Spanish, German, and French classes and he
found
That anxiety facilitates the process of learning a second language. Young (1989) maintained that the
debilitating anxiety may cause poor performance in learning a second language but facilitating anxiety
can actually lead to develop students’ performance. a recent research in the anxiety of the second
language has stretched to anxieties of examinations of specific language skills. Previous researchers
suggest that an anxiety in foreign language classroom is a general type of anxiety in learning a foreign
language foreign language classroom, with a strong speaking anxiety element.
Recently, a study on the anxiety of foreign language appears to side the existence of anxieties of specific
language skills: listening, reading, and writing (Tallon). the anxiety of reading in the second language has
also got empirical attention from the researcher of the second language. Of the four skills, reading can be
considered as especially significant because reading is supposed to be the major means for acquiring new
information (Grabe & Stoller, 2001).
Freese (1997) illustrated that some learners faced difficulties while they are reading. When the learners of
the second language read foreign language texts, they are trying to interpret unusual scripts, writing
system, and cultural materials. Saito et al (1999) mentioned that learners may get frustrated with reading,

13. and experience anxiety. The anxiety aroused during the process of reading L2 texts is known as reading
anxiety.
CHAPTER THREE
Research methodology
This chapter will provide detailed information about the instrument, research questions, participants and
procedure of the study.
3.1 Instrument
This study provides mixed-mode method and data will be collected from students from secondary schools
in Iraq especially in Babel city. The methodology of this research paper consists of the following step:
 Questionnaire
To conduct the questionnaire, I will make an appointment with the students and teachers in order to meet
them in the free time. I have to clarify the questions to most of students. The time collecting data from 60
students and teachers will be 15 days.
3.2 Researchquestions
This study will design to answer the following questions:
 What factors caused students anxiety in CLT classroom?
 Is CLT activities applied in classroom?
 How anxiety affect on students performance in CLT classroom?
3.3 Participants
To conduct the survey, 30 secondary students and teachers from public schools in al -Mahaweel region
and other 30 intermediate students and teachers from the different region will be selected. Therefore, in
total 60 students and teachers were chosen from two types of schools which are public and private. The
students participants of the study will include both females and males and their ages range from 13 to
16years old.