The Relationship between Anxiety Provoking Factors and EFL Learners’ Willingness to Communicate

This study aimed at investigating the relationship between anxiety provoking factors and English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ willingness to communicate in English language classes. 350 female high school students, grades two and three, in five different schools in Kerman, district 2 (15 to 17 years old) were the participants of this study. To homogenize the subjects of the study sample, the researcher employed Cambridge Placement Test to function as a test of homogenization, and based on the placement test, the intermediate students were considered as the sample of the study. The researcher employed two instruments to collect the required data (a WTC questionnaire, and an anxiety questionnaire). To analyze the collected data through the two questionnaires, the researcher used correlation. The results revealed that there is a negative relationship between anxiety provoking factors and EFL learners’ tendency to communicate. The most important relationship was investigated and proved in terms of the fear of having grammatical mistakes, fear of not knowing enough vocabulary, teacher’s feedback, and lack of self-perception.

Keywords:

anxiety provoking factors , WTC , EFL learners