Singing as an anxiety-reducing strategy for learners struggling with different levels of foreign language classroom anxiety

Abstract

Foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) adversely affects learners' performance in foreign language classes. The related literature focuses on the relationship between FLCA and learners' achievement or its potential sources. Considering the possibility of students' having different levels of FLCA in classes, this study was designed to find out whether teaching English songs could decrease FLCA of the students having different levels of anxiety and whether it could increase foreign language examination performance of these learners. The participants consisted of 161 tenth graders. FLCA scale (Horwitz et al., 1986) was administered as a pre-test at the beginning of the study which determined the participating classes as high anxiety (two classes) and low anxiety (two classes). The students in two experimental classes were taught four songs chosen through their votes in four weeks. The results indicated that teaching students' favourite English songs in regular English classes decreased students' FLCA regardless of their anxiety level, though higher anxiety group benefited more. Moreover, the results also showed an increase in students' foreign language examination performance with the use of song teaching due to decreased FLCA.