[EDLING:263] Overcoming Language Anxiety

[Francis M. Hult]

Inside Higher Ed

Overcoming Language Anxiety

The symptoms are familiar: a lack of confidence, a reluctance to speak, even 
insomnia in some cases. What appears to be a kind of anxiety attack or extreme 
phobia could become debilitating for a student’s well-being, let alone 
participation grade.

But this particular ailment isn’t listed in the DSM-IV.

What sounds like a case of chronic stage fright could be occurring on college 
campuses every day, according to a growing but contested body of research about 
foreign language classes.

It’s called “language anxiety.” The reasons people disagree about it are clear: 
students might not be aware of their problem, for example, and the number of 
factors that affect learning could cloud researchers’ analyses. And who hasn’t 
felt a little nervous learning a foreign tongue?

Full story:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/06/29/language