An analysis of the relationship between learner`s foreign language classroom anxiety and achievement in learning English as a foreign language in the freshman classes at the University of Gaziantep

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between learners' foreign language classroom anxiety and their success in learning English as a foreign language in the Freeshman Section of the University of Gaziantep. Furthermore, the native speaker teachers' influence on students' anxiety levels was examined. The data were gathered by means of three instruments: The Turkish version of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz M. B., & Cope, J., 1986) assessing students' anxiety levels, an English achievement test to determine students' success in learning English as a foreign language and a five point rating scale which was completed by the teachers to evaluate students' oral proficiency in English. The findings of this study indicated that there was a significant moderate negative relationship between students' language anxiety and their achievement in learning English as a foreign language; a significant moderate negative relationship between their language anxiety levels and their achievement in English reading comprehension; and a significant moderate vinegative relationship between students' language anxiety levels and their oral English proficiency. However, the study yielded that there was statistically no significant difference between the anxiety levels of the students taught by native speaker teachers and those who were taught by non-native speaker teachers. Keywords: anxiety, foreign language anxiety, situation specific anxieties, trait anxiety, test anxiety, communication apprehension, affective factors in learning