Teachers’ Voices When Giving Feedback: Causes of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety and Feedback Strategies to Reduce Students’ FLCA

Abstract

This study aimed to identify teacher perceptions of the causes of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) through feedback, and what feedback strategies teachers use to reduce FLCA. Feedback can be both a cause of FLCA and help to reduce FLCA. It is therefore important for teachers to understand how their feedback can affect FLCA. In the present study, three non-Thai teachers of English at a university in Bangkok were asked 51 structured interview questions on their perceptions of feedback on FLCA. The questions focused on what types of feedback the teachers perceive to cause FLCA and what strategies they use to reduce FLCA when giving feedback. The data was analysed using a thematic framework. The results show that receiving negative feedback, immediate feedback during speaking activities, individual feedback, feedback that is not understood, and an insufficient amount of feedback, were all perceived to increase FLCA levels. The participants reported three functions of feedback strategies used to reduce FLCA. Firstly, feedback strategies used to create a positive atmosphere were giving praise, giving enough feedback, and using friendly gestures and tone of voice. Secondly, embarrassment avoidance strategies were giving group feedback, giving individual feedback in private, not singling out students, and giving delayed feedback in speaking activities. Finally, strategies used to give understandable feedback were speaking clearly and using L1. The results of this study can be used by present teachers to identify how to reduce FLCA when giving feedback, and, by future researchers to examine the effectiveness of these FLCA reducing feedback strategies.