Teacher Cognition about Sources of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Listening Anxiety: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The anxiety that accompanies English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) listening comprehension is difficult to detect and access. Such anxiety will prevent the students from actively and strategically participating in the listening process. This qualitative study aims to explore teachers’ cognitions about the sources of students’ anxiety during their EFL listening in the classroom in a Chinese tertiary context. The participants’ cognitions were elicited through in-depth pre-observation interviews, consecutive classroom observations for one semester, and stimulated recall interviews after each classroom observation. The study found that 16 sources organized into four categories contributed to EFL listening anxiety, among which students’ unfamiliarity with cultural backgrounds and topics in the category of input played a prominent role. Pedagogical implications for reducing EFL listening anxiety are also discussed.

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