47IJELS 102202020 StudentsPerceptions PDF

International Journal of English, Literature and Social Sciences (IJELS) Vol-5, Issue-1, Jan – Feb 2020
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.51.47 ISSN: 2456-7620
Students’ Perceptions of their English Language

Anxiety and its Role on their Classroom
Participation: An Exploration of EFL Anxiety in
Urban and Peripheral Contexts of Bangladesh
Chaity Rany Das
Lecturer, Department of English, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore-7408, Bangladesh
Email: chaitydas.du@gmail.com
Abstract—This study investigates Bangladeshi students’ perceptions of their EFL anxiety and its effects on their
classroom participation in the contexts of two public universities, one situated in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh
and the other in Jashore, a periphery of the country. Emphasising on four possible sources of Foreign Language
Classroom Anxiety, namely communication apprehension, test anxiety, fear of getting negative evaluation and EFL
environment-oriented behavioral anxiety, the study collects data through a modified version of the Foreign
Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) questionnaire. Students’ perceptions of their classroom participation
have been studied through a separate questionnaire devised by the researcher herself. 126 English Department
students of the above-mentioned universities were the participants of this research and they were selected through
simple random probability sampling. The study identifies a parallel relationship between the urban and the
peripheral groups’ perceptions of their EFL anxiety. However, it recognizes a negative correlation between
students’ EFL anxiety and classroom participation, indicating that if students’ anxiety level becomes high, the rate
of their classroom participation decreases. Finally, the study recommends that to reduce learners’ anxiety and thus
increase their active participation in classroom, a flexible, humanistic and convivial learning environment should be
ensured.
Keywords— Communication Apprehension, EFL Environment-oriented Behavioral Anxiety, Fear of Getting
Negative Evaluation, Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) Questionnaire, Test Anxiety.
I. INTRODUCTION of specific anxiety reactions. Foreign/second language

In the context of teaching and learning English as a foreign learners encounter classroom anxiety for different reasons.
or second language, learners’ anxiety holds a significant Aida (1994) has found out four considerable factors behind
influence. It is a general trait of an EFL/ESL classroom that FLCA, such as speech anxiety, fear of getting negative
it may contain learners who are experiencing high levels of evaluation, fear of failing to achieve the desired linguistic
language anxiety. Spielberger (1983) has explicated anxiety competency and lastly learners’ negative attitudes towards
as the introspective psychological feelings of human beings. the target language.
He defines anxiety as a feeling of tension, apprehension, As English promises to offer substantial socio- economic and
nervousness and worry associated with an automatic nervous technological development to a country and creates
system (cited in Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope, 1986; p. 125). circumstances for better working opportunities and better
However, there exists a categorical difference between living standard for individuals, learning of English as a
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) and the foreign language has become in some way obligatory in
general anxious situations. Generally, people may suffer Bangladesh (Chaudhury, 2009). But the fact is that
from anxious feelings in different situations. But Horwitz, Bangladeshi learners are not being able to attain a substantial
Horwitz and Cope (1986) clarify that when anxiety is limited level of proficiency in English (Ferdous, 2012). One of the
to only language learning situation, it falls into the category main reasons for their failure may be that they go through
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anxious feelings in English language classrooms. Driven by d) Whether the EFL anxiety perceived by
high anxiety, the learners perceive their English language Bangladeshi peripheral and urban students,
production and comprehension ability as restricted. They bears any significant impact on their tendency
may experience a sense of insecurity that their limited to participate in class activities or not.
linguistic competency in English will be exposed to others if 1.2 Literature Review
they participate in classroom activities which are conducted Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) has gained an
through English. emerging attention from the concerned linguists and
It is a well-established thought that EFL learners in rural or psychologists working on this field (Krashen, 1980; Horwitz,
peripheral contexts may feel culturally isolated because they Horwitz and Cope, 1986; MacIntyre and Gardner, 1991a;
can attain a very rare access to the use of the target language Young, 1991; Zheng, 2008). As English is learnt and taught
outside the circumference of their academic life. As a as an important foreign language in Bangladesh, these studies
consequence, as Holguin and Morales (2016) assert, rural are quite pertinent in Bangladeshi context.
students may suffer from the complexities of having low Krashen (1980) mentions language anxiety as one of the
motivation and negative self-image which altogether can major impediments of foreign/second language learning. He
contribute to the increase of their EFL anxiety. On the other clarifies that learners’ anxiety contributes to an affective
hand, students who study in an urban setting may have filter which makes them unreceptive to foreign language
regular exposure to English as they can avail the input. As a consequence, the learners suffering from high
opportunities of attending academic workshops, seminars and anxiety fail to receive the available target language messages
conferences time to time. Also, they often face high-stake and thus, their language acquisition is hindered (Horwitz,
English-only situations like facing interviews for part-time Horwitz and Cope, 1986). Similarly, MacIntyre and Gardner
jobs, speaking tests or delivering public speech in English. (1991a, 1995) report that language anxiety influences the
Hossain (2016) states that urban students enjoy the facilities acquisition, retention and production of the target language
like having conscious and educated guardians, qualified and thus, it can inhibit all stages of foreign language learning
teachers, access to financial support, sufficient infrastructural such as input, processing and output stages.
and logistic conveniences in the educational institutions etc. Scovel (1978) has identified two notions of anxiety:
Sometimes, EFL learners in urban setting may have the facilitating and debilitating anxiety. He argues that when the
scope to talk to or be surrounded by the native speakers of difficulty level of the second language task triggers anxiety
English. As a result, they never become isolated from the use to a certain level, it can be beneficial for language learning.
of English in different spheres of their personal and academic However, he articulates that too much anxiety can lead to a
lives. Thus, apparently it seems that in urban setting students debilitating effect which may lead the language learners to
may develop positive and confident attitudes towards avoid work or to perform poorly in the language classes.
learning English and may suffer from less EFL anxiety in Price (1991) was of the view that the difficulty level of
compared to the peripheral students. Therefore, they may be foreign language classes, self-perceived knowledge about
more responsive and participation-oriented in their EFL language aptitude, variant personalities and stressful
classes than their peripheral counterparts. classroom situations can be the possible causes of
1.1 Purpose of the Study foreign/second language anxiety (cited in Zheng, 2008). Due
In this perspective, the present study wants to identify: to these reasons, language learners fear to speak in public and
a) students’ perceptions of their EFL anxiety in try to escape from participating in classroom activities such
the contexts of Bangladeshi Public Universities as speaking on a given topic or showing responses etc.
situated in peripheral and urban area MacIntyre and Gardner (1995) and Horwitz, Horwitz and
b) students’ perceptions of their classroom Cope (1986) recognize that language anxiety is a kind of
participation in the contexts of Bangladeshi situation-specific anxiety. they say that language anxiety of
Public Universities situated in peripheral and the learners arouses when they are in a specific context of
urban area foreign language comprehension and production. Likewise,
c) the extent to which the peripheral students’ Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986) express that Foreign
perceptions of their EFL anxiety and classroom Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) is not just a
participation significantly differ from their combination of fear of the target language conveyed to
urban counterparts foreign language learning. Rather, they state anxiety as a

‘distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings and Horwitz and Cope, 1986). The fear of exposing the negative
behaviors related to classroom language learning arising image of their broken self-esteem arising out of the fact of
from the uniqueness of the language learning process’ their having a sort of restricted communicative competence
(Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope, 1986; p. 128). Thus, it can be in the target language persuades foreign language learners
said that foreign language anxiety derives from the specific not to use it in the classroom.
situations of foreign language learning environment as it Another reason for Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety
strains the learners to take part in specific tasks using the (FLCA) mentioned by Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986) is
target language. the test anxiety of the foreign language learners. The
Zheng (2008) has categorized language anxiety from three researchers are of the view that the tension of being formally
perspectives: cognitive perspective, curriculum perspective evaluated in a test situation makes the language learners’
and lastly from the cultural and policy perspective. From the anxious. Then the language learners think that anything less
point of view of cognitive perspective, he explicates that than a perfect score will judge them as weak learners of the
anxious learners are always anxious of their being anxious. target language. In correspondence to it, they experience a
As a result, often their attention diverts from the lesson debilitating anxiety. The fear of getting negative evaluation is
which is being conducted in target language and thus, their the third source of anxiety as stated by Horwitz, Horwitz and
cognitive capacity to learn the foreign language becomes Cope (1986). It is a broader scope than test anxiety as it does
seriously affected. Again, curriculum and pedagogical not limit itself to the test-taking situations only. Rather, it is
implications in course design, unfamiliar methods and being inclusive of the fact that the learners may be afraid of
approaches used in the classrooms as well as teachers’ error getting negative comments from their peers or teacher
correction techniques can be responsible for making foreign regarding their performance in the target language. To avoid
language learners anxious (Zheng, 2008; p. 6). Moreover, he the criticism of others, language learners consciously try to
asserts that sudden experience of different classroom culture avoid classroom-oriented communicative situations which
may arouse learner anxiety too. For example, an EFL learner are conducted in the foreign language.
coming from a rural area can experience anxiety in an urban It has been already seen that almost all of the relevant
learning situation. literature so far explored with a view to conducting this
Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986) have made a clear research considered classroom anxiety as a major
conceptualization of language learners’ Foreign Language impediment to foreign language learning. They viewed
Anxiety (FLA) and its effect on their class participation. In Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) as mainly a situation-
this respect, they have developed a Foreign Language specific linguistic phenomenon stemming out of the learners’
Classroom Anxiety Scale (1986) and this scale has enriched lack of confidence in the target language. These situations
other researches on this particular field tremendously. Zheng may involve special circumstances under which students are
(2008; p. 2) complements to it by saying that this ‘self-report required to communicate with others and participate in tests
instrument, eliciting responses of anxiety specific to foreign through using the target language. Moreover, foreign
language classroom settings, triggered an avalanche of language learners tend to portray themselves as less
similar studies.’ To mark out Foreign Language Classroom competent learners of the target language in comparison to
Anxiety (FLCA) and its role on the learners’ class their peers. These are the issues that can affect learners’
participation, Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1986) have cognitive ability to receive sufficient amount of target
emphasized on three performance anxieties of the foreign language input. And, as a consequence, they fail to process
language learners: communication apprehension, test anxiety the target language data in a considerable rate and suffer
and fear of receiving negative evaluation. They explain from more anxious feelings.
communication apprehension as a type of shyness or feeling 1.3 Research Questions
of anxiety which generates from the fear of communicating On the basis of the above-mentioned discussion, the present
with people in the target language. At the initial stage, study wants to deal with the following research questions:
language learners’ knowledge of the target language a) What major perceptions have been formed by
structures and their appropriate usage remains very limited the students of the Bangladeshi peripheral and
and they feel that their ability to conduct genuine urban universities about the state of their
communication with others will be threatened if they use the communication apprehension, test anxiety, fear
target language in communicative situations (Horwitz,

of getting negative evaluation and EFL and separate sections of them were made. Apart from these
environment-oriented behavioral anxiety? three sections, one additional section named “EFL
b) What major perceptions have been formed by environment-oriented behavioral anxiety” was added to the
the peripheral as well as the urban university modified version. Each of the four sections contained
students about their classroom participation? statements in relation to their specific category and the total
c) How do the urban students’ perceptions of their number of the statements was 33. The response options
EFL anxiety and classroom participation differ were scored on a 5-point Likert scale with 5=strongly
from those of the peripheral students? disagree, 4= disagree, 3= neither agree nor disagree, 2=
d) How do peripheral and urban students’ agree, 1= strongly agree.
perceptions about their EFL anxiety correlate to To collect data on the students’ perceptions
that of their participation in classroom regarding their classroom participation, another
activities? questionnaire was developed by the researcher
herself and was distributed to the same
II. METHODOLOGY participants. There were 12 statements in this
2.1 Participants: questionnaire and the response options were again
The total number of participants of this research was 126 scored on a 5-point Likert scale with 5= strongly
English Department students of 2 public universities of disagree, 4= disagree, 3= neither agree nor
Bangladesh. One of the universities is situated in Jashore, a disagree, 2= agree, 1= strongly agree.
peripheral district of Bangladesh and the other one is in 2.3 Data Analysis
Dhaka, the capital city of the country. After selecting the Descriptive statistical measures like frequency and
participants through simple random probability sampling percentage of the responses were sorted out through
(Creswell, 2015), the sampled participants were further Microsoft Excel with a view to identifying students’ major
classified into two groups- urban and peripheral on the basis perceptions of their EFL anxiety and classroom participation.
of the location of the universities in which they were To compare the relationship between the variables,
studying. Each group of participants had 63 students in total. inferential statistical measures like Statistical Package for
They were studying in different semesters of the 4-year Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20 was used. Two
graduation program of their respective universities. All of independent sample T-Tests were conducted to identify
them had received at least one-year of formal instruction in whether the perceptions of EFL anxiety and classroom
English. participation formed by the urban students significantly differ
2.2 Instruments for Collecting Data: from that of the peripheral students or not. Again, two-tailed
To find out the solutions of the research questions, the bivariate Pearson Correlation was applied to find out whether
present research adopts a quantitative framework for data there is any correlation between students’ perceptions of their
collection. As the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety EFL anxiety and their classroom participation. The value of
Scale (FLCAS) questionnaire developed by Horwitz, responses got from the negatively worded statements were
Horwitz and Cope (1986) is recognized as a standard reverse codded to adjust the score levels while analyzing the
instrument for measuring foreign language anxiety of the data through SPSS.
language learners (Horwitz, 2010), it has been used in the
present research for collecting data on students’ major III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
perceptions of their EFL anxiety. However, it was not used 3.1 Peripheral and Urban University Students’ Perceptions
in its original form. In order to contextualize the of their EFL Anxiety:
questionnaire from the perspectives of English major It has been mentioned above that this study focuses on
graduate level students of Bangladesh, necessary communication apprehension, test anxiety, fear of getting
modifications were made to it by the researcher herself. To negative evaluation and EFL environment-oriented
evaluate learners’ EFL anxiety, Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope behavioral anxiety as the factors contributing to learners’
(1986) emphasize on the issues like communication overall EFL anxiety. Peripheral and urban students’
apprehension, fear of getting negative evaluation and test perceptions of each of these factors are reported in the
anxiety in the FLCAS questionnaire. In the modified form sections below:
also, the importance of these things was utterly maintained

3.1.1 Peripheral and Urban University Students’ Fig. 1 shows peripheral students’ perceptions of their
Perceptions of their Communication communication apprehension:
Apprehension:
Fig. 1: Peripheral Students’ Perceptions of their Communication Apprehension
Urban students’ perceptions of their communication apprehension are represented in Fig. 2:

Fig. 2: Urban Students’ Perceptions of their Communication Apprehension
The major findings represented in Fig. 1 and 2 indicate that fearful of this problem since 44.4% of them recognised
the participants of both of the groups- peripheral and urban, themselves as being worried about it. Again, 63.5 % urban
suffer from “Communication Apprehension”. Though there participants said that they feel anxious if they fail to
are some variations in the participants’ degree of uniformity understand every word (54% participants agreed and 9.5%
to each statement, the findings of this section defy the so far participants strongly agreed to this statement) uttered by
held belief of the EFL practitioners that language learners their teachers. In contrast, 47.6% the peripheral participants
living in capital cities are faced with less difficulties perceived themselves as sufferers of this kind of anxiety
(Sultana, 2014) than their peripheral counterparts in the (36.5 % participants agreed and 11.1 % participants
process of foreign language learning. It can be seen that strongly agreed to this statement).
57.1% participants from the urban group expressed their 3.1.2 Peripheral and Urban University Students’
nervousness to cope up with the pace and flow of the Perceptions of their Test Anxiety:
continuous speech (50.8% participants agreed and 6.3% Fig. 3 represents peripheral students’ perceptions of their
participants strongly agreed to this statement) delivered by test anxiety:
their teachers. However, the peripheral group was less

Fig. 3: Peripheral Students’ Perceptions of their Test Anxiety
Urban students’ major perceptions of their test anxiety have been shown in Fig. 4:
Fig. 4: Urban Students’ Perceptions of their Test Anxiety

Fig. 3 and 4 shown above in the “Test Anxiety” section, participants strongly agreed to this statement) about their
make the fact evident that the peripheral and the urban performance in such situations. In urban contexts, EFL
students are deeply frightened with the complexities of learners enjoy ample opportunities to get exposed to
facing test-like situations in English. However, it is a matter speaking and listening activities in compared to the learners
of surprise that the urban students’ perceptions of anxiety of the peripheral contexts (Hossain, 2016). Nevertheless,
for showing poor performance in listening and speaking the findings above show that the urban EFL learners feel
tests surpassed the anxiety level of the peripheral students. acute anxiety to respond to test like situations which are to
84.2% participants of the peripheral group were of the view be conducted in English.
that they worry (66.7% participants agreed and 17.5% 3.1.3 Peripheral and Urban University Students’
participants strongly agreed to this statement) about their Perceptions of their Fear of Getting Negative
performance in listening and speaking tests conducted in Evaluation:
English whereas 88.9% of the urban participants expressed Fig. 5 represents peripheral students’ perceptions of their
their apprehension (76.2% participants agreed and 12.7% fear of getting negative feedback:
Fig. 5: Peripheral Students’ Perceptions of Getting Negative Evaluation from Teachers and Peers
Urban students’ major perceptions about their fear of getting negative evaluation have been represented in Fig. 6:

Fig. 6: Urban Students’ Perceptions of Getting Negative Evaluation
Fig. 5 and 6 point out that the EFL learners of both of the English. However, as Sultana (2014) points out, we can say
settings, peripheral and urban are fearful of being negatively that the students who have limited competence in English
evaluated by their teachers and peers. However, some fail to transform this exposure into an opportunity and
variations can be noticed in their rate of uniformity to each continue to be marginalised. Here, the relationship between
of the statements of this section. 66.7% participants of the language and power explored by Bourdieu (1992) becomes
peripheral group felt that they are fearful of (50.8% significant (cited in Sultana, 2014). As language has the
participants agreed and 15.9% participants strongly agreed power to create hierarchical positions in the class, EFL
to this statement) getting negative feedback from their learners in urban contexts become aware of the fact that if
teachers while participating in communicative activities. On they receive negative feedback from their teachers
the other hand, 73.1% of the urban participants expressed recurrently, they are going to hold a mediocre status among
their concern (42.9% participants agreed and 30.2% their classmates. Thus, their anxious feelings discourage
participants strongly agreed to this statement) over this fact. them to take part in communicative activities and make
So, the common assumption that urban university learners them unreceptive to the target linguistic input prevalent in
are more confident about their EFL performance is getting their settings.
challenged in Bangladeshi context. In the milieu of 3.1.4 Peripheral and Urban Students’
heterogenous cultural and social norms of the public Perceptions of their EFL Environment-
universities situated in Dhaka, students are seen faced with oriented Behavioral Anxiety:
the problems of identity formation (Sultana, 2014). Urban Fig. 7 represents peripheral students’ perceptions of their
public universities offer its students a wide exposure to EFL environment oriented behavioral anxiety:

Fig. 7: Peripheral Students’ Perceptions of EFL Environment-oriented Behavioral Anxiety
Urban students’ major perceptions about their EFL environment oriented behavioral anxiety are shown in Fig. 8:

Fig. 8: Urban Students’ Perceptions of EFL Environment-oriented Behavioral Anxiety
Fig. 7 and 8 reveal that Bangladeshi university students agreed to this statement) by the better proficiency level of
perceive themselves as going through EFL environment their peers. The urban participants’ perceptions in this
oriented behavioral anxiety. A significant finding of this regard were similar to the peripheral ones as 79.3% urban
section indicates that not only the peripheral EFL learners participants acknowledged themselves as being the sufferers
but also the EFL learners from urban settings, suffer from of this feeling of subordination (69.8% participants agreed
inferiority complex thinking that their classmates possess and 9.5% participants strongly agreed to this statement).
higher level of proficiency in English than themselves. For Thus, the low self-esteem arising out of the linguistic
example, 79.5% participants from the peripheral group were parameters set by the EFL learners themselves, leads them
of the view that their EFL skills are getting challenged to develop two conflicting ideas, “us” vs “them” inside
(70% participants agreed and 9.5% participants strongly

classrooms (Sultana, 2014) and as a result, they continue to 3.2 Peripheral and Urban University Students’
remain linguistically isolated there. Perceptions of their Participation in Classroom
Activities:
Fig. 9 represents peripheral students’ perceptions of their participation in Classroom activities:
Fig. 9: Peripheral Students’ Perceptions of their participation in Classroom Activities
Urban students’ major perceptions about their participation in Classroom activities are shown in Fig. 10:

Fig. 10: Urban Students’ Perceptions about their Participation in Classroom Activities
Fig. 9 and 10 indicate that students from both of the groups- to this statement). The result suggests that as peripheral
peripheral and urban, do not consider themselves as active students to some extent experience homogenous cultural
participants in EFL classrooms. 65.1% participants of the and social standards inside the EFL classrooms, the level of
peripheral group perceived that they do not participate in segregation among them is comparatively low than their
the classroom activities (49.2% participants agreed and urban counterparts. Still, many students of the peripheral
15.9% participants strongly agreed to this statement) until universities struggle to take benefit of this homogeneity as
their teachers select them. Urban students outnumbered the only 53.9% of the peripheral participants perceive
peripheral students in this case as 76.1% of the urban themselves as active participants (either being directed by
participants acknowledged being reluctant to participate in the teacher or being self-motivated) in the EFL classrooms.
class activities if not directed by teachers (57.1% However, in case of urban group, this rate was only 25.4%.
participants agreed and 19.0% participants strongly agreed Nevertheless, the participants from both of the groups -

urban and peripheral perceived the fact that if they get An independent sample t-test was conducted to find out
positive comments from their teachers, they do feel inspired whether there is any significant difference between the
to take part in classroom tasks and activities. mean scores of peripheral and urban students’ perceptions
of their EFL anxiety. In the t-test, EFL anxiety was treated
3.3 Comparing the Means of Peripheral and Urban as the test variable and the two EFL contexts- urban and
University Students’ Perceptions of EFL Anxiety: rural were the grouping variables. The results of the t-test
have been presented in Table 1:
Table 1: Descriptive Statistical Differences Existing between the Peripheral and the Urban University Students’ Perceptions of
their EFL Anxiety
Group Statistics
EFL Contexts N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

Peripheral 63 102.8571 13.54902 1.70702
EFL Anxiety
Urban 63 101.8413 13.96563 1.75950
Inferential statistical differences existing between the peripheral and the urban students’ perceptions of their EFL
anxiety are represented below:
Table 2: Inferential Statistical Differences Existing between the Peripheral and the Urban University Students’ Perceptions of
their EFL Anxiety
Independent Samples Test
Levene's Test t-test for Equality of Means

for Equality of
Variances
F Sig. t df Sig. (2- Mean Std. 95% Confidence

tailed) Difference Error Interval of the
Differenc Difference
e Lower Upper
Equal variances assumed .112 .738 .414 124 .679 1.01587 2.45148 -3.83630 5.86804
EFL Anxiety
Equal variances not assumed .414 123.886 .679 1.01587 2.45148 -3.83634 5.86809
Table 2 shows that there was not a significant difference in inner psychological, affective and explicit social factors like
the reported EFL anxiety levels for the participants coming lack of motivation, fear of being criticised by peers or
from peripheral context (Mean=102.86, Standard teachers, linguistic ability related inferiority complex etc.
Deviation=13.55) and the participants coming urban context are responsible for generating such feelings among the EFL
conditions (Mean=101.84, Standard Deviation=13.96); learners.
t(124) =.414, P=.679 (P>.05). The results found from the t- 3.4 Comparing the Means of Peripheral and Urban
test make it evident that the urban and the peripheral University Students’ Perceptions about their
participants have shown similar attributes in terms of Participation in Classroom Activities:
perceiving their EFL anxiety. Therefore, it can be said that
the EFL contexts such as urban or rural are not determining Another independent sample t-test was conducted to
students’ feelings of EFL anxiety in Bangladesh, rather, the compare the classroom participation scores for the

participants of the peripheral context and the participants of shown in Table 3:

urban context conditions. The results of the t-test have been
Table 3: Descriptive Statistical Differences Existing between the Peripheral and the Urban University Students’ Perceptions
about their Participation in Classroom Activities
Group Statistics
EFL Contexts N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
Peripheral 63 26.1587 5.15629 .64963

Classroom Participation
Urban 63 24.1905 4.32494 .54489
Inferential statistical differences existing between the peripheral and the urban students’ perceptions about their
participation in classroom activities are represented below:
Table 4: Inferential Statistical Differences Existing between the Peripheral and the Urban University Students’ Perceptions
about their Participation in Classroom Activities
Independent Samples Test
Levene's t-test for Equality of Means

Test for
Equality of
Variances
F Sig. t df Sig. Mean Std. Error 95% Confidence

(2- Difference Difference Interval of the
tailed) Difference
Lower Upper
Equal
variances 1.938 .166 2.321 124 .022 1.96825 .84790 .29003 3.64648
Classroom assumed
Participation Equal
variances 2.321 120.355 .022 1.96825 .84790 .28953 3.64698
not assumed
Table 4 shows that there was a significant difference in the 3.5 Correlation between the Peripheral University
reported classroom participation levels for the participants Students’ Perceptions of their EFL Anxiety and
coming from peripheral context (Mean=26.16, Standard their Participation in Classroom Activities:
Deviation=5.16) and the participants coming urban context
conditions (Mean=24.19, Standard Deviation=4.32) with t A Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was
(124) =2.321, P=.022 (P<.05). The lower mean score Figured out to assess the relationship between the
achieved by the urban students indicates that their rate of Peripheral students’ perceptions of their EFL anxiety and
participation in classroom activities is less than that of their their participation in classroom activities or not. The results
peripheral counterparts. are presented in the following tables:

Table 5: Demographic Information about the Relationship between the Peripheral Students’ Perceptions of their EFL Anxiety
and their Participation in Classroom Activities
Descriptive Statistics
Mean Std. Deviation N
EFL Anxiety 102.8571 13.54902 63
Class Participation 26.1587 5.15629 63
Inferential results on the correlation between the peripheral students’ perceptions of their EFL anxiety and their
participation in classroom activities are presented below:
Table 6: Correlation between the Peripheral Students’ Perceptions of their EFL Anxiety and their Participation in Classroom
Activities
Correlations
EFL Anxiety Class

Participation
Pearson Correlation 1 -.684**
EFL Anxiety Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 63 63
Pearson Correlation -.684** 1
Class Participation Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 63 63
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
The results specify that the relationship value, r (124) = - they are also experiencing tremendous language anxiety in
.684, p <.001 between the peripheral students’ perceptions their EFL classrooms which is eventually preventing them
of their EFL anxiety and classroom participation is strongly to participate actively in the class activities.
negative. That is to say that the two variables, peripheral
students’ perception of their EFL anxiety and their 3.6 Correlation between Urban University Students’
participation in classroom activities negatively correlate to Perceptions of their EFL Anxiety and their
each other. It indicates that if the students’ anxiety level Participation in Classroom Activities:
increases, there is a decrease in their classroom To comprehend the relationship between the urban
participation. Though the peripheral students achieved university students’ perceptions of their EFL anxiety and
higher mean score (M=26.1587) in compared to their urban their participation in classroom activities, a two-tailed
counterparts (M=24.1905) for participating in classroom Pearson Correlation was conducted again. The results are
activities, it is evident from the table mentioned above that presented below:
Table 7: Demographic Information about the Relationship between the Urban Students’ Perceptions of their EFL Anxiety and
their Participation in Classroom Activities
Descriptive Statistics
Mean Std. Deviation N
EFL Anxiety 101.8413 13.96563 63
Class Participation 24.1905 4.32494 63

Inferential results on the correlation between the urban students’ perceptions of their EFL anxiety and their participation
in classroom activities are presented below:
Table 8: Correlation between the Urban Students’ Perceptions of their EFL Anxiety and their Participation in Classroom
Activities
Correlations
EFL Anxiety Class

Participation
Pearson Correlation 1 -.673**
EFL Anxiety Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 63 63
**
Pearson Correlation -.673 1
Class Participation Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 63 63
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
The table shows that there was a strong negative correlation increasing students’ participation in class activities. In that
between the urban EFL learners’ perceptions of their EFL case, students should be made aware of the fact that making
anxiety and their participation in classroom activities too, r mistakes while speaking English is not a shame, rather it is
(124) = -.673, P <.001. It signifies that the high EFL anxiety just a part of the EFL learning and development process.
is actually inhibiting the urban students in their attempt to
take part in their EFL classrooms and if the anxiety level V. CONCLUSION
further increases, the urban students’ participation in The presents study explores university students’ perceptions
classroom activities will decrease ever more. Therefore, the of their EFL anxiety in the contexts of peripheral and urban
so-far established idea that urban students are far more educational settings of Bangladesh. It is evident from the
confident and eager to participate in class activities are findings that an EFL learner coming from either of the two
getting challenged crucially in Bangladeshi EFL settings. contexts, feels acute target language anxiety. The common
assumption that the urban EFL contexts facilitate the learners
IV. RECOMMENDATIONS to be equipped with positive attitudes towards the target
After analyzing and discussing the findings, the present language has been proved to be fallacious in this research.
research suggests that the personnel associated with the Rather, having lack of communicative competence, fear of
English language pedagogical practices in Bangladesh should being negatively evaluated, inability to apply the “correct”
prioritize over students’ feeling of EFL anxiety while taking organization of the target language grammar and over-all the
decisions on educational policies, testing and assessment impeding environment of the EFL classrooms are
systems, classroom teaching methods and materials, curricula demotivating the EFL learners of both of the contexts to
and syllabuses etc. Besides these, a classroom practitioner develop a positive self-image of themselves. The negative
must play a substantial role to lessen learners’ anxiety level. correlation between students’ perceptions of their EFL
Just like an action researcher (May, 1993), an EFL anxiety and their participation in classroom activities
practitioner should make an analysis of the learners’ current indicates that if the current anxiety level of the students
level of communicative competence in the target language, further goes up, the rate of their participation in the class
their needs and wants, level of motivation, learning styles activities will go down increasingly. The study recommends
and personal preferences. Specially, he/she should focus on that in order to transform the anxious learners into
the culture exists in a classroom (Holliday, 2003). Moreover, enthusiastic and confident ones, the concerned EFL
EFL learners’ attitudes towards the target language should be practitioners should take apt initiatives like developing a
studied carefully. Maintaining a flexible, interactive and learner-friendly, encouraging, respectful and tolerant
encouraging classroom environment is essential for

classroom environment in both peripheral and urban https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/hf/iln/LING4140/h08/The%

university contexts of Bangladesh. 20Input%20Hypothesis.pdf
[11] MacIntyre, P. D. (1995). How does anxiety affect second
language learning? A reply to Sparks and Ganschow. The
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International Journal of English, Literature and Social Sciences (IJELS) Vol-5, Issue-1, Jan – Feb 2020

https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.51.47 ISSN: 2456-7620

Students’ Perceptions of their English Language

I. INTRODUCTION of specific anxiety reactions. Foreign/second language

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Fig. 1: Peripheral Students’ Perceptions of their Communication Apprehension

Urban students’ perceptions of their communication apprehension are represented in Fig. 2:

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Fig. 2: Urban Students’ Perceptions of their Communication Apprehension

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Fig. 3: Peripheral Students’ Perceptions of their Test Anxiety

Fig. 4: Urban Students’ Perceptions of their Test Anxiety

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Fig. 6: Urban Students’ Perceptions of Getting Negative Evaluation

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Fig. 7: Peripheral Students’ Perceptions of EFL Environment-oriented Behavioral Anxiety

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Fig. 8: Urban Students’ Perceptions of EFL Environment-oriented Behavioral Anxiety

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Fig. 9 represents peripheral students’ perceptions of their participation in Classroom activities:

Fig. 9: Peripheral Students’ Perceptions of their participation in Classroom Activities

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EFL Contexts N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

Levene's Test t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df Sig. (2- Mean Std. 95% Confidence

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participants of the peripheral context and the participants of shown in Table 3:

EFL Contexts N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

Peripheral 63 26.1587 5.15629 .64963

Levene's t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df Sig. Mean Std. Error 95% Confidence

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EFL Anxiety Class

Pearson Correlation 1 -.684**

EFL Anxiety Sig. (2-tailed) .000

Class Participation Sig. (2-tailed) .000

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

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EFL Anxiety Class

Pearson Correlation 1 -.673**

EFL Anxiety Sig. (2-tailed) .000

Class Participation Sig. (2-tailed) .000

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classroom environment in both peripheral and urban https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/hf/iln/LING4140/h08/The%

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