Foreign Language Reading Anxiety in the Saudi Tertiary EFL Context

Repository record updated on:

Oct. 20, 2020, 1:01 p.m.

Database record updated on:

Nov. 27, 2020, 8:48 p.m.

Last Harvested on:

Nov. 27, 2020, 8:48 p.m.

bitstream:

http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/67374/1/32_2_10125_67374.pdf

bitstream_txt:

http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/67374/2/32_2_10125_67374.pdf.txt

collection:

Volume 32, No. 2

contributor.author:

Bensalem, Elias

date.accessioned:

2020-10-19T19:20:56Z

date.available:

2020-10-19T19:20:56Z

date.issued:

2020-10-15

description.abstract:

Foreign language (FL) reading is a persistent problem among many learners. This preliminary study investigates FL reading anxiety among students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at the tertiary level, employing Saito et al.’s (1999) Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) and a background information questionnaire. A total of 225 students enrolled in general English courses at two Saudi universities participated in the study. Results indicated that female participants exhibited higher levels of anxiety than their male counterparts. An exploratory factor analysis revealed three domains of student concern in Saudi university contexts: worry about comprehension, lack of satisfaction with one’s reading ability, and unfamiliarity with certain phonics rules. Results also showed that background variables (i.e., experience abroad, knowledge of a third language) and self-perceived proficiency in English reading played a significant role in predicting FL levels of reading anxiety. Implications for foreign language teaching strategies are discussed.

description.provenance:

Made available in DSpace on 2020-10-19T19:20:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 32_2_10125_67374.pdf: 337011 bytes, checksum: 5ce2181ad76320f7ee862f7575abdf00 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2020-10-15

endingpage:

82

identifier.citation:

Bensalem, E. (2020). Foreign Language Reading Anxiety in the Saudi Tertiary EFL Context. Reading in a Foreign Language, 32(2), 65-82. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/67374

identifier.issn:

1539-0578

identifier.uri:

http://hdl.handle.net/10125/67374

number:

2

publisher:

University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center Center for Language & Technology

site_url:

/rfl/item/442

startingpage:

65

subject:

language anxiety English as a foreign language gender reading tertiary education

title:

Foreign Language Reading Anxiety in the Saudi Tertiary EFL Context

type:

Article

type.dcmi:

Text

volume:

32