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  • ItemOpen Access
    Impact of foreign language classroom anxiety on reading performance of secondary school students
    (SDU University, 2025) Zhuman D.
    The study investigates the relationship between Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) and reading performance of Kazakhstani secondary school students who study English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The majority of previous research about FLCA has studied university students and speaking abilities, however this study examines how anxiety impacts reading performance which receive limited attention in this field. The research design employed a quantitative method. The research involved 90 students from Grades 7 to 9 at a private educational center in Almaty. The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) was administered first to students to assess their anxiety levels. The students then took the Cambridge English Preliminary Reading Test to evaluate their reading performance. The research data indicated that students experienced anxiety levels ranging from moderate to severe as their FLCAS scores averaged 98.29. The reading performance of students remained low because more than 65% of them achieved scores between 2 or lower. The research established a moderate negative relationship (r = –0.344) between FLCA and reading scores which showed that students with elevated anxiety levels performed less well. The regression analysis established FLCA as a significant predictor of reading performance because it explained 11.8% of the score variance (R² = 0.118, p <.001). The findings indicate that anxiety produces negative effects on reading performance of students although reading is typically viewed as a low-pressure skill. The research demonstrates the need to understand emotional factors in classrooms as lowering anxiety levels could lead to better reading performance.
  • ItemOpen Access
    The Relationship Between Foreign Language Anxiety and Academic Achievement in an EFL Context
    (SDU University, 2025) Khassen Zh.
    This study investigates the relationship between foreign language anxiety (FLA) and academic achievement, measured by GPA, among first-year university students in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context in Kazakhstan. Although previous research works have established that high levels of FLA can hinder language performance, its effect on overall academic achievement remains inconclusive, especially in under-researched regions such as Kazakhstan. Grounded in Krashen’s affective filter hypothesis, Tobias’s cognitive processing model, and Horwitz et al. 's theory of FLA, the study utilized the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) to collect data from 87 first-year students. Quantitative methods were employed to analyze descriptive statistics and the correlation between FLA and students’ self-reported GPA scores. The findings revealed that the mean anxiety score was 94.33, suggesting moderate to high anxiety levels. However, the Pearson correlation coefficient (r = 0.032, p = 0.766) indicated no statistically significant relationship between students’ FLA and their GPA. This implies that while FLA is prevalent, it does not necessarily predict academic success in a broader educational context. The study contributes to the existing literature by offering original data from Kazakhstani learners and suggests that emotional support in EFL classrooms remains important, even when anxiety does not directly impact GPA.