Overcoming Anxiety

Many students have anxiety about learning Chinese. Psychologists usually differentiate trait anxiety (a person’s inborn tendency to be anxious) from state anxiety(a temporary apprehension induced by a particular situation， such as examinations or public speaking in language classrooms). Language anxiety， however， is a unique and distinct kind of anxiety that can be defined as the fear or apprehension occurring when learners have to perform tasks in a target language (e.g.， Chinese) in which they are not proficient.

Researchers have generally agreed that language anxiety has an overall negative effect on learning a foreign language. Language anxiety may lead to academic failures， cognitive interferences， social frustrations and traumatic experiences. Highly anxious learners tend to perform poorly on tests， which may lead them to over-studying. However this overcompensation rarely leads to the payoff they’re looking for—language-anxious learners tend to have a slower rate of vocabulary learning and retrieval than do the relaxed ones.

Apart from the negative effects on academic achievement and cognitive processing， language anxiety can lead learners to withdraw from classroom participation， avoid communication， reduce social interactions and experience“social distance.” Meanwhile， high-anxiety learners’withdrawal from classroom participation and social interaction may deprive them of opportunities to receive the possible assistance provided by teachers， peers or native speakers of the target language from whom language otherwise is developed and enhanced. Worse still， anxiety can lead to low motivation and self-confidence.

So what can we do to help students with language anxiety? Teachers can do a lot by creating a less stressful learning environment and providing students with coping strategies， but I’d like to offer a few suggestions directly to our learners:

1. Form a support or study group that will allow you to share your thoughts and frustrations about learning. Sharing your feelings and realizing you’re not alone will enable you to boost your confidence， learn from others and reflect on your own progress.

2. Be realistic. Anxiety is sometimes caused by unrealistic expectations. Learning takes time， and it is impossible to speak Chinese perfectly overnight. By identifying your own irrational beliefs or fears and analyzing the logic that makes you nervous，you’ll be able to start thinking in more realistic and productive ways.

3. Use an anxiety graph to keep a record of your anxiety levels at different times. This way you can find out when you’re most anxious (tests， oral participation in class， presentation， etc.)， and use this information to prepare yourself mentally in the future.

4. Keeping a journal is a good way to alleviate language anxiety. By writing through your feelings of inadequacy you can arrive at a more realistic， positive sense of your progress.

Language anxiety can be tough to overcome， but not impossible as long teachers create a non-threatening learning environment and learners use these tips to keep things in perspective.

Cheers，

Jun Liu

Assistant Vice Provost， Global Initiatives

Director， Confucius Institute

University of Arizona

MEET A CHINESE TEACHER

Name: Ren Lingfeng (任凌峰)

Age: 31

years teaching Chinese: 7 years

Current location: Yew Chung International School of Beijing (YCIS)

“Fully trust your students and give them time to think and talk， and they will surprise you.”I’ve always kept this in mind and tried to avoid explaining what we are learning out of fear that my students may not fully understand my meaning. I recall one episode in class when we were learning the story “A Fan Ti and The Bad Boss.” The tale ends with the Bad Boss standing there speechless with a stunned look on his face. Since we had not learned the character呆 (d`i， stunned)， I was pleasantly surprised to be interrupted by a student just as I was about to define the meaning. With wide eyes and slack jaw， the student acted it out for the class while the students and I erupted into laughter. Many of the students instantly recognized the meaning of the new character without me having to explain. I’m constantly reminded that a little space for creative play can make learning a lot more memorable and fun.

MEET A CHINESE LEARNER

Name: Rebecca Mort

Age: 14

Time studying Chinese: 18 months

Current location: Yew Chung International School of Beijing (YCIS)

I moved to Beijing this past summer from a town in Ohio that’s only about a mile long， and since then an entirely new world has been opened up to me. Despite only having been here for five months， I’ve already started adapting to the culture and language. Before arriving， I studied Chinese for one year at a public high school， but that kind of language only lends itself to very limited conversations. Since attending YCIS Beijing， which is bilingual， my Chinese has improved immeasurably and I’ve been pushed to converse more in Chinese. My reading and writing are better， and this year I was proud to win an award at the school’s Chinese Speech Competition. Moving from a small US school to YCIS Beijing， and from vague impressions of China to full immersion， has required adaptation and an open mind. I’m looking forward to learning more and discovering China in the coming Dragon Year.