Second Language Learning Anxiety

Abstract

Second language learning anxiety has been a widely discussed topic in second language acquisition research. For many years, research findings that looked at correlations between anxiety and language performance were inconsistent until it was determined that second language anxiety should be treated as a situational phenomenon that involves a complex adaptive system of multiple physiological, behavioral, psychological, cognitive, and context‐specific factors. Teachers must become better prepared to ease their students' second language learning anxiety. These students need guidance to overcome the various challenges that they will face while learning new language skills, interacting with peers in the classroom, presenting in front of the class, or taking a test. With a renewed understanding of the complex nature of second language anxiety, this entry discusses pedagogical implications that range from anxiety‐reducing teaching practices to anxiety coping strategies.