Anxiety towards learning english : a study on secondary level students of bengali medium schools in Dhaka city

Abstract

Anxiety is one of the main barriers in learning English. It not only creates obstacles in learning English language but also students often lose their interests on learning that language. Especially it has been found that, the self-motivated students also do suffer from anxiety while learning English language. This study attempts to investigate the inner anxieties of the secondary level Bengali medium students towards learning English language, the impacts of anxieties on the students and finally to come up with some possible solutions by which both the students and the teachers will be benefitted. For this purpose, a qualitative survey has been conducted using the research instruments like interviews with English language teachers of Bengali medium schools, FGD with the secondary level students of Bengali medium schools and classroom observations with a checklist. Both the students and the teachers are the target group of people for this study. The results of the study shows that students’ previous educational backgrounds, difficult and unknown topics, students’ inabilities to express their thoughts, being negatively judged by the teacher, too much self-consciousness, students economical conditions are the main causes that make the students anxious in learning English language. On the other hand, this study show, students feel nervous in speaking activities and at the same time writing too. Group works, peer work and students-centered classrooms make the students comfortable in language classrooms. Moreover, this study also shows the impacts of anxiety on the students. Such as, skipping classes, postponing homework, remain silent in the English language classrooms, less participation in any activities and finally ending up with losing interests. However, the result of the study also shows, by giving motivation and encouragement, introducing interesting topics, rising awareness towards learning English, facilitating the students, teachers’ engagement with the students, practicing with authentic materials in inauthentic situations, involving the students into group activities can reduce students’ anxieties in learning English language from the language classrooms. This study clarifies the causes of students’ anxiety towards learning English, impacts of anxiety and finally some possible solutions to overcome language anxiety from the students.