Exploring Test Anxiety and Classroom Anxiety in English as a Foreign Language: A Mixed-Methods Investigation Among Pakistani Undergraduates
Abstract
This study examines test anxiety and classroom anxiety as critical components of foreign language anxiety affecting undergraduate English learners' speaking performance in Pakistan. Using Zhao's model as a theoretical framework, this mixed-methods investigation employed a convergent parallel design, collecting quantitative data through questionnaires from 80 BS English students and qualitative data through semi-structured interviews with 24 purposively selected participants from the University of Malakand and three affiliated colleges. Quantitative findings revealed high levels of both test anxiety (M=4.45, SD=0.65) and classroom anxiety (M=4.38, SD=0.62), with over 70% of students reporting debilitating anxiety during assessments and classroom speaking activities. Qualitative analysis identified four major themes: paralyzing fear of formal assessments, teacher behaviors as anxiety triggers, classroom environment as a source of distress, and physiological-cognitive manifestations. The study reveals that test anxiety creates cognitive interference, disrupting language recall, while classroom anxiety stems from large class sizes, teacher-centered pedagogies, and immediate error correction. Findings underscore the urgent need for anxiety-reducing pedagogical interventions, supportive classroom climates, and teacher training in affective dimensions of language learning.
Keywords: Test Anxiety; Classroom Anxiety; Foreign Language Anxiety; Speaking Performance
