An Investigation of Foreign Language Anxiety and English Learning Motivation of Female Mainland Students in an English Medium Institution in Hong Kong

When mainland students come to Hong Kong for higher education, they experience transition from Learning English as Foreign Language to Learning English as Second Language. This study aimed to investigate language learning anxiety, learning motivation and the relationship between the two, and to find out how do the mainland students motivate themselves to learn English within such pressing environment caused by the transition. This research used semi-structured interviews with 6 female mainland students to closely examine the topic. The results of the study showed that most mainland students think there is a positive relationship between motivation and anxiety, and some of their motivation actually originated from anxiety. The causes of the anxiety, different types of motivation, and implications of these findings in relation to learning English as a second language are discussed.