Home- Grown Foreign Language Anxiety: Experiences Of Welsh University Students Studying Through the Medium of English

Abstract

University students studying in a language other than their first face significant barriers that can detrimentally impact their wellbeing and academic performance. The relationship between language, confidence and performance has been examined in a wide range of national and cultural contexts. However, little research has focused on the experience of Welsh- medium educated students studying in English at the university level. The goal of our study was to compare how Welsh students who completed their primary and secondary education in Welsh perceived their undergraduate university experience to those who completed their formative schooling in English. Using online and in-person questionnaires, we surveyed 125 Welsh undergraduate students studying at a Welsh university on their academic background, and three core areas of their university experience: attendance, contribution and satisfaction. Results indicate that course attendance and grade satisfaction are not statistically significantly associated with language. However, there was a statistically significant relationship between language of secondary education and student's contribution to lectures and seminars. Students educated primarily in Welsh were less likely to contribute to discussions than their first language English counterparts – a common outcome of foreign language anxiety. Although this lack of comfort and confidence did not appear to impact grade satisfaction, it may be related to, and lead to, further barriers and challenges regarding mental health, academic performance, and post-graduation