Do Anxious Students Learn English Better or Worse?

Gamze Kiziltepe, Eyyup Yasar Kurum

Abstract: This study aims to examine the difference between students' language proficiency and their anxiety level. The research was conducted at an institution of higher education, at the English Preparatory School, located in Istanbul, Turkey. The investigator employed a quantitative data collection approach that incorporated both descriptive and inferential techniques. A questionnaire was utilized to explore the correlation between foreign language anxiety and language proficiency in the context of English Language Teaching (ELT). The research was conducted among two groups of students with varying levels of proficiency, who were administered a questionnaire. A total of 103 students were selected randomly from a population of 2, 000 students enrolled in the English Preparatory Program. The findings suggest that there is no significant correlation between foreign language anxiety and language proficiency, either in a positive or negative direction. This study provides insights for both language educators and learners by examining the correlation between foreign language anxiety and students' proficiency levels.

Keywords: Anxiety, Foreign Language Anxiety, Language Proficiency