RUNNING HEAD: FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM ANXIETY SCALE

The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale:

A Critical Analysis of an Assessment Instrument

Chareena Lareza Quirante

Student No. 841-2443
MA Education SCT

EDU 5399
Dr. Marzieh H. Tafaghodtari
February 23, 2016

University of Ottawa
Faculty of Education

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Description of the Instrument

Over the years, learning a foreign language has come to be viewed as a process which
comes with its own set of specific anxiety reactions, such as students delaying submission of
assignments or refusing to come to class at all (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986). However, the
degree to how much such manifestations of language-related anxiety can affect foreign language
achievement as well as how these can be measured have been put into question, notably by
Scovel (1978). Developing a five-item scale, Gardner et. al (1979) attempted to measure French
class anxiety, but was not able to produce much evidence to correlate anxiety and proficiency.
Moreover, the said scale was limited in that it only measured French class anxiety, and not
necessarily other foreign languages. Acknowledging this gap in literature, Horwitz and
colleagues (1986) constructed the Foreign Language Class Anxiety Scale (FLCAS, see
Appendix) to address foreign language classroom anxiety in general and expanded the categories
up to 33 questions as derived from interviews and support group discussions among 75 foreign
language learners.
Horwitz et. als (1986) FLCAS was designed within a conceptual framework which
contains three performance anxiety types found in academic and social contexts: (1)
communication apprehension or the fear of communicating with people (McCroskey, 1970), (2)
test anxiety or the fear of failure (Sarason, 1978 as cited in Aida, 1994), and (3) fear of negative
evaluation or the fear of feedback from the teacher and their classmates or peers (Paul, 1966).
Respondents of FLCAS are then asked to rate themselves against foreign language anxietyrelated statements, using a five-point Likert scale (strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor
disagree, disagree, strongly disagree). The responses are then interpreted in terms of percentages
and are rounded off to the nearest whole number.

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The results from FLCAS allow the language teacher to determine the level of anxiety in a
given set of students and make the necessary pedagogical adjustments, whether it be to assist the
learners with coping strategies or to reduce the stress in the learning environment (Horwitz et. al,
1986). More specifically, the said scale enables the teacher to identify the types of performance
anxieties present in the classroom and intervene appropriately. With this information on hand,
poor performance and unfavorable student behavior can now be viewed in a less limited lens.
Horwitz et. al (1986) also suggest asking for additional help and expertise from learning
strategists, counselors, and therapists.
Validity and Reliability
Although developed in 1986, the FLCAS continues to be used today in the field of
language research. It has an excellent internal reliability, with an alpha coefficient of .93 (N=108)
and a test-retest reliability of r= .83 (p < .001, N=78) (Horwitz et. al, 1986). Since its
conception, the scale has been used in numerous studies and has yielded significant correlations
(Price, 1991; Phillips, 1992; Aida, 1994; van Worde, 1998) which has further strengthened its
reliability (Tran, 2012).
To ensure validity, FLCAS is administered several weeks into the term, in order for the
students to gain enough classroom experience. The statements in the scale are indicative of
anxiety related to communication, testing, and feedback which are randomly distributed all
throughout the questionnaire. As the respondents are foreign language learners, the level of
vocabulary is not difficult and the wording is simple. Additionally, there is no time limit in
completing the FLCAS.
As is with the case of constant educational refinement, FLCAS has not been without

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controversy. While communication apprehension and fear of negative evaluation clearly indicate
symptoms of anxiety related to language learning, it has been argued that test anxiety is a general
type of anxiety (MacIntyre, 1989; Aida, 1994). This means that test anxiety is present in all fields
of learning, and not exclusively to foreign language education. Students might then be
responding to FLCAS statements according to their experience in taking exams in general,
whether language-related or not. Using FLCAS with Hungarian students, Tth (2008) counters
this argument by verifying that the items contained in the said instrument shows foreign
language anxiety as a unidimensional construct, of which test anxiety is a relevant component.
Sparks and Ganschow (2007) challenge the validity of FLCAS by claiming that it
measures perceived language skills and attitudes, rather than anxiety. In their study, they question
whether an anxiety specific to language learning exists, or whether anxiety occurs among
students because of weak language skills. In other words, if anxiety is brought about by a
weakness in certain skills, then targeting the skills becomes the central pedagogical implication
in dealing with classroom anxietyAs the student becomes stronger in the said skills, anxiety is
assumed to eventually decrease. Sparks and Patton (2013) echo this in a similar study
investigating the relationship of first language skills and second language anxiety using FLCAS.
In this sense, foreign language anxiety is seen as a result rather than the source of the problem
(Argaman & Abu-Rabia, 2002). Moreover, Bora and Jongmin (2011) assert that although FLCAS
provides reliable information when it comes to low and medium anxiety levels, it tends to be less
accurate for high anxiety levels.
In an attempt to validate FLCAS, Panayides and Walker (2013) tested the instrument in a
study among Cypriot fourth year high school students of English using the Rasch measurement
approach. They further confirmed the one-dimensionality aspect of foreign language anxiety and

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the inclusion of test anxiety in the said scale. They recommended that statements related to
speaking with native speakers (items 14 and 32, see Appendix) be removed from FLCAS as
these items are not classroom-related, as well as removing the neutral answer from the scale (p.
512). The study conducted by Rodrguez and Abreu (2003) conclude that while FCLAS
demonstrates high reliability, the instrument only has moderate validity.

Critical Analysis
In analyzing the use of FLCAS as an assessment instrument, the question remains: Is
foreign language anxiety the cause of weak language skills, or is anxiety a consequence of
students having weak language skills? In either case, anxiety as a factor in foreign language
learning cannot be denied. This could explain why FLCAS continues to score high in reliability.
However, to strengthen validity, several points come to mind, before deciding on the feasibility
of FLCAS as a valuable tool for my MA thesis.
First, FLCAS does not address culture. In her study, Al-Saraj (2014) mentions that there
are cultural explanations for the anxieties manifested by women who are studying English as a
foreign language in Saudi Arabia. To address this, the scale was modified and in turn was called
the AFLAQ (Arabic Foreign Language Anxiety Questionnaire). In using the FLCAS, then, it
becomes important to include cultural factors depending on the students backgrounds.
Second, it must be noted that while FCLAS is used in second language research, foreign
language learning is different from second language learning, with the latter involving learning a
specific language to function in society. If anxiety is an inevitable factor in language learning,
then a modification of the existing scale is called for. In his research, Semmar (2010) modified

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FCLAS into an English-specific version but his scale was primarily designed for students
learning English as a foreign language. As a language teacher myself, there is a need to develop
an anxiety scale that caters to the ever-increasing population of students studying English as a
second language.
Third, FLCAS supports Swains (2013) position that cognition and emotion are
inseparable in learning a language. Beyond language achievement, the affective aspect of
language learning has to be consistently addressed in a second or foreign language classroom. As
FLCAS serves as a means to identify the types and levels of anxiety in a given classroom, further
steps can now be taken in improving teaching practices that will encourage students to use their
emotions to facilitate rather than debilitate learning.
In sum, FLCAS is a practical instrument in terms of cost and feasibility. With a few
contextual changes, increased validity, and high reliability, it remains to be one of the best
constructed assessment instruments in identifying anxiety in language classrooms, and I see no
reason not to use it for my MA paper. Along with the application of modifications that reflect the
purpose for which it will be used, FLCAS is an assessment instrument worth constantly refining,
restructuring, and revisiting.

Works Cited
Aida, Y. (1994). Examination of Horwitz, Horwitz, and Copes construct of foreign language
anxiety: The case of students of Japanese. Modem Language Journal, 78, 155-168.
Al-Saraj, T. M. (2014). Revisiting the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS):
The anxiety of female English language learners in Saudi Arabia. L2 Journal, 6(1), 50-

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76.
Argaman, O., & Abu-Rabia, S. (2002). The influence of language anxiety on English reading and
writing tasks among native Hebrew speakers. Language, Culture and Curriculum,
15(2),143-160. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07908310208666640
Bora, K., & Jongmin, R. (2011). The validity of FLCAS base on Item Response Theory. Hyndae-yng-mi--mun-hak [Modern British and American Language and Literature], 29(3),
21-40. Retrieved from http://www.dbpia.co.kr/Journal/ArticleDetail/1614006
Gardner, R.C., Clement, R., Smythe, P. C., & Smythe, C. C. (1979). Attitudes and Motivation
Test Battery, Revised Manual. Research Bulletin 15. London, Ontario.
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The
Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125132.
MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1989). Anxiety and second-language learning: Toward a
theoretical clarification. Language Learning, 39(2), 251-275.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1989.tb00423.x
McCroskey, J. C. (1970). Measures of communication-bound anxiety. Speech Monographs, 37,
269-277.
Panayides, P. & Walker, M. J. (2013). Evaluating the psychometric properties of the foreign
language classroom anxiety scale for Cypriot senior high school EFL students: The
Rasch measurement approach. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 9(3), 493-516.
Paul, G. L. (1966). Insight vs desensitization in psychotheraphy. Stanford, CA: Stanford
University Press.
Philips, E. (1992). The effects of language anxiety on student oral test performance and attitudes.
Modem Language Journal, 76, 14-26.

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Price, M. (1991). The subjective experience of foreign language anxiety: Interviews with highly
anxious students. In E. Horwitz QD.
Rodrguez, M. & Abreu, O. (2003). The stability of general foreign language classroom anxiety
across English and French. Modern Language Journal, 87(3), 365-74.
Scovel, T. (1978). The Effect of Affect on Foreign Language Learning: A Review of the
Anxiety Research. Language Learning: A Journal of Applied Linguistics, 28, 129-42.
Semmar, Y. (2010). First year university students and language anxiety: Insights into the
English version of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. International Journal
of Learning, 17(1), 81-94.
Sparks, R. L., & Ganschow, L. (2007). Is the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale
measuring anxiety or language skills? Foreign Language Annals, 40(2), 260-87.
Sparks, R. L., & Patton, J. (2013). Relationship of L1 skills and L2 aptitude to L2 anxiety on the
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. Language Learning, 63(4), 870-895.
Swain, M. (2013). The inseparability of cognition and emotion in second language learning.
Language Teaching, 46(2), 195-207.
Tth, Z. (2008). A foreign language anxiety scale for Hungarian learners of English. Working
Papers in Language Pedagogy, 2, 55-77.
Tran, Thi Thu Trang. (2012). A Review of Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope's Theory of Foreign
Language Anxiety and the Challenges to the Theory. English Language Teaching, 5(1),
69-75.
van Worde, R. (1998). An investigation of students perspectives on foreign language anxiety.
Dissertation Abstracts International, 59(03), 717. (UMI No. 9828137)

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Appendix
Horwitz, Horwitz & Copes (1986) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

I never feel quite sure of myself when I am speaking in my foreign language class.
I don't worry about making mistakes in language class.
I tremble when I know that I'm going to be called on in language class.
I frighten me when I don't understand what the teacher is saying in the foreign language.
It wouldn't bother me at all to take more foreign language classes.
During language class, I find myself thinking about things that have nothing to do with
the course.
7. I keep thinking that the other students are better at languages than I am.

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8. I am usually at ease during tests in my language class.

9. I start to panic when I have to speak without preparation in language class.
10. I worry about the consequences of failing my foreign language class.
11. I don't understand why some people get so upset over foreign language classes.
12. In language class, I can get so nervous I forget things I know.
13. It embarrasses me to volunteer answers in my language class.
14. I would not be nervous speaking the foreign language with native speakers.
15. I get upset when I don't understand what the teacher is correcting.
16. Even If I am well prepared for language class, I feel anxious about it.
17. I often feel like not going to my language class.
18. I feel confident when I speak in foreign language class.
19. I am afraid that my language teacher is ready to correct every mistake I make.
20. I can feel my heart pounding when I'm going to be called on in language class.
21. The more I study for a language test, the more confused I get.
22. I don't feel pressure to prepare very well for language class.
23. I always feel that the other students speak the foreign language better than I do.
24. I feel very self-conscious about speaking the foreign language in front of other students.
25. Language class moves so quickly I worry about getting left behind.
26. I feel more tense and nervous in my language class than in my other classes.
27. I get nervous and confused when I am speaking in my language class.
28. When I'm on my way to language class, I feel very sure and relaxed.
29. I get nervous when I don't understand every word the language teacher says.
30. I feel overwhelmed by the number of rules you have to learn to speak a foreign language.
31. I am afraid that the other students will laugh at me when I speak the foreign language.
32. I would probably feel comfortable around native speakers of the foreign language.
33. I get nervous when the language teacher asks questions which I haven't prepared in
advance.