Foreign Language Anxiety and English Grades: A Study of EFL Learners in Kosovo

Abstract

Abstract This study examines the level of foreign language anxiety and the relationship between communication apprehension, test and assessment anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and English language grades among secondary school students in Kosovo who learn English as a foreign language. A version of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) translated into Albanian, with minor modifications, was used to measure foreign language anxiety. The modifications involved replacing ‘foreign language’ with ‘English language’ and ‘test anxiety’ with ‘test and assessment anxiety’ in order to reflect the English language learning context and anxiety effects beyond standardized testing. A sample of one hundred and seventy students from three secondary schools in Kosovo participated in this study by completing the questionnaire. The gathered data in this study were processed and analyzed using the SPSS software. The results revealed that Kosovo secondary school students experience a moderate level of English language anxiety, with difficulties when preparing for tests and concerns about making mistakes while undertaking tests and when being evaluated. In addition, these results have shown that the three components of foreign language anxiety were positively connected with the students’ English language grades. Such results can contribute to a better understanding of the EFL learning process, with a special emphasis on the relationship between foreign language anxiety and secondary school student English achievement.