AN INVESTIGATION OF THE ROLE OF GENDER IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING ANXIETY IN STUDENTS OF DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AT KUST

Abstract

Language anxiety has been investigated by researchers in different contexts in Pakistan. However, there has been a lack of a systematic study on the issue of gender differences in language learning anxiety in Pakistan. This observation motivated the researcher to address the issue of gender differences in language learning anxiety through a systematic research in order to create awareness among university students and teachers for learning and teaching improvements. Therefore; the purpose of the study is to investigate the student’s perception on the role of gender in English language learning anxiety and revealed the factors behind the high level of anxiety in undergraduate level students of Kohat University.  The current study utilized quantitative and qualitative methods,(close ended questions in questionnaire and open-ended questions in the semi-structured interviews) in order to explore the impact of gender on Second language learning anxiety and to find out the factors behind the high level of language anxiety by keeping into account the nature of research questions. With this view, mixed method approach proved an accurate and thorough description of the gender based anxiety and its factors. For quantitative data, Questionnaire is used, based on The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), developed by Horwitz and Cope (1986), (consisting of 33 items) that is administered to the entire population (100 females and 100 males) of English department in kohat university of science and technology through random sampling technique. For qualitative data, the statistics obtained from the questionnaire, a total of 10 participants with higher level of anxiety were selected through purposive sampling technique in order to find out the factors provoking high level of anxiety.  According to the findings of the study, this study by using mixed method research demonstrated that significant gender differences in foreign language anxiety were found and the study also revealed that female students have higher level of language anxiety in comparison to the male students as well as the factors that causes higher level of anxiety in these students.

Findings in this study will offer classroom instructors a rich source of data to understand the gender role in second language learning anxiety as the study revealed that female students have higher level of language anxiety in comparison with male students so the findings of the data will allow the instructors to provide a low-anxiety classroom environment that will help the female students to learn the target language in a classroom without being anxious. Consequently, instructors in the classroom can take preventive measures to alleviate or eliminate the negative factors such as Peer pressure, social Segmentation, lack of confidence, fear of being wrong, cultural norms, students’ pre-University English education, coeducation and students’ geographic background, that are revealed by the researcher in the study, which trigger second language anxiety of female student.