An investigation into the roles of language anxiety and reading anxiety in Iraqi efl reading classes

This study was conducted among 90 EFL learners in the English Department at Salahaddin University in Erbil, Iraq. It examines the relationship between learners' language anxiety and reading anxiety as well as the impact of gender on both of these constructs. It also investigated the relationship between language anxiety and reading comprehension as well as reading anxiety and reading comprehension separately. To achieve these aims, three data collection instruments were employed: a Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale designed by Horwitz (1986), a Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale designed by Saito (1999), and a Reading Comprehension Performance Test .For data analysis, a Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, t-Test, and one-way ANOVA were utilized. The results of participants' Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale and Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale indicate a positive relationship between language anxiety and reading anxiety (r (88) = .652, p ≤ 01, n = 90). In terms of gender, females and males exhibited same levels of language anxiety (M=2.86; SD=.46 and M=2.86; SD=.45, respectively), yet no significant difference was found to exist between the reading anxiety of the two groups. Finally, no statistically significant difference was determined to exist between reading comprehension and either language anxiety or reading anxiety. Students with higher levels of language anxiety scored lower on the Reading Comprehension Performance Test, while those with lower levels of language anxiety scored higher. Keywords: Language Anxiety, Reading Anxiety, Iraqi EFL Learners.