The Educational and Psychological Need for Learning the English Language and Understanding the Different Anxieties

Vadivel, Balachandran; Khalil, Nawroz Ramadan; Tilwani, Shouket Ahmad; Mandal, Gurudas

doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4679788

Education Research International

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Abstract Introduction Literature Review Discussion and Conclusion Data Availability Conflicts of Interest References Copyright Related Articles

Research Article | Open Access

Volume 2022 | Article ID 4679788 | https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4679788

The Educational and Psychological Need for Learning the English Language and Understanding the Different Anxieties

Balachandran Vadivel,¹Nawroz Ramadan Khalil,²Shouket Ahmad Tilwani,²and Gurudas Mandal³

Academic Editor: Mehdi Nasri

Received07 Mar 2022

Revised16 Mar 2022

Accepted18 Mar 2022

Published29 Mar 2022

Abstract

This study examines the educational and psychological need for learning English and understands various anxieties. The first section, a literature review, examines the theoretical underpinnings of educational and psychological needs for English language learning and anxiety. An important subject running through this research is how anxiety plays a role in English language learning. On either hand, a student’s psychological state can affect the learning of the English language. A psychological factor focuses on the emotional or spiritual components of a student’s learning. In English as a foreign language-learning setting, the four essential psychological needs as stated in self-determination theory (i.e., autonomy, competence, relatedness, and novelty) are met. The major goal of this study was achieved using a quantitative technique. A mixed methodology was selected, which comprises both quantitative and qualitative methods for this research. A total of 70 enrolled students in the English language took part in this study. It has been identified that students in this study reportedly found it hard to talk in EFL classrooms, because of the anxiety. It shows that foreign language anxiety still has an important amount of power in explaining language achievement. It is found that education and psychological needs motivate students to learn the English language. The data also indicated that nearly all psychological elements are interconnected and have a significant impact on the students’ speaking performance in the context.

1. Introduction

The English language is becoming increasingly vital in modern society, considering English is a universal language [1, 2]. As a consequence, it is visible how universities and institutions attempt to improve their performance in this area. Even modern primary students, who have a responsibility to develop in a worldwide world, are required to learn the language, particularly English. Personal characteristics, learning circumstances, and learning settings are among the variables on which scholars focus to infer and illustrate the difficulty of learning a foreign language [3, 4]. Speaking English is an ability that is heavily influenced by personal psychology [5].

According to self-determination theory (SDT), people have three basic needs, which are natural psychological requirements that allow a person to grow and are necessary for good performance and well-being. Autonomy, competence, and relatedness are the three things. SDT has had a significant impact on motivational theories in the context of English language acquisition, as well as in the field of psychology.

For many students, acquiring a second or foreign language can be a difficult process as stated by many researchers [6–9]. The number of students who report being anxious language learners is staggering. Anxiety is defined as a subjective experience of pressure, nervousness, or worry that is accompanied by stimulation of the autonomic nervous system. There are different types of anxiety, such as speaking and language anxiety. It is defined as social anxiety that is created by the communal and talkative features of erudition of language. In other words, contextual awareness of the origins and effects of language anxiety is critical to assisting the language acquisition and development process. Language anxiety continued to play a key role in explaining language skills. As a result, it is reasonable to think that foreign language anxiety is not just the outcome of that first coding problem, but also a significant emotional state that might hinder a language learner’s cognitive performance.

Hence, the goal of this study is to look into the education and psychological needs that influence learning the English language and to understand anxiety.

1.1. Objective

Many learners are hesitant to express themselves or are unable to comprehend what they write and say in other languages, particularly English. Therefore, this research is conducted to determine how education and psychological factors, such as anxiety, impact students when it comes to language acquisition and learning. The paper’s objective is therefore to determine the educational and psychological need for learning the English language and also to understand the impact of anxiety while learning.

1.2. Research Question

RQ1. What are the basic educational and psychological needs of students in the specific area of learning English?

RQ2. How does language anxiety impact student learning and speaking abilities?

2. Literature Review

2.1. Self-Determination Theory

SDT proposes that the four core psychological needs of autonomy, competence, novelty, and relatedness are fundamental to its success (Figure 1). The individual flourishes in situations that help them to be fulfilled. Stifling environments, on the other hand, are detrimental to career growth and development [10, 11].

The first aspect is autonomy, which is viewed as the source or basis of one’s own behaviour. This urge for autonomy is exacerbated by the desire to have an inner perceived focus of causation. When one feels options and performs out of one’s own volition and voluntarily engages in an activity. Autonomy refers to a person’s ability to act independently of others as opposed to being compelled or dominated by a certain external force [12–14]. In brief, autonomy means the ability to operate independently of others or in interpersonal mutuality with others. The second need, competence, refers to the desire to have a sense of superiority and to believe that one can complete a task in a social setting. Competence also refers to a person’s belief that he can achieve a specific goal and perform the required task [15–17].

In addition, the third need, relatedness, refers to a feeling of being attached to others, a feeling of connection, both to other people and one’s own society. Individuals who are connected to others require care, understanding, and support from others, as well as a sense of belonging [18].

Finally, a fourth requirement, often referred to as a novelty, is the desire to encounter something new or different from one’s usual routine. [19, 20] characterize SDT’s framework as both organismic and dialectical. Individuals, in other words, are growth-oriented beings that are consistently looking for ways of improving and achieving their potential [21]. According to research, addressing students’ basic psychological needs might help them grow up mentally strong and healthy. If a person’s psychological needs are not being met, he or she will exhibit a range of psychological issues ([22, 23]; Rustamova et al., 2017).

2.2. Anxiety

Learning a foreign language is not the same as studying one’s native tongue, particularly when it comes to communication [24, 25]. Speaking English fluently, correctly, and properly to some students is similar to consuming meals with one’s nose. Most students who have studied English for a long time have difficulties speaking the language, even though they have a solid vocabulary and grammatical level. The reason for this is that they suffer from language anxiety, which causes them to avoid conversations more often than less anxious students. Language anxiety is a situational concern, so studies on the subject should include anxiety measurements in specific second/foreign language contexts [26, 27].

Language anxiety is an outcome of cognitive impairment in comprehending language information as a natural consequence [28, 29]. Anxiety hinders language acquisition and implies a low degree of academic accomplishment in learning a language other than one’s native tongue. When learning another language, learners frequently experience worry and anxiousness. Anxiety may be both a result and a cause of a person’s weak knowledge of the chosen language [30]. Hence, anxiety can obstruct all stages of language development: intake, processing, and output.

Language anxiety continues to play a key role in explaining language skills [31]. As a result, it is reasonable to think that foreign language anxiety is not just the outcome of that first encoding problem, but also a major emotional state that might hinder a language learner’s cognitive performance.

The majority of students lack drive and never acquire self-confidence. They are always fearful of making mistakes, some are bashful, and some are hesitant to communicate in English because they are uncomfortable [32]. They must stop obsessing over errors and underestimating themselves to overcome their fears and anxiety.

According to the research [33], it was determined that high amounts of language anxiety are related to reduced academic performance when acquiring a second or foreign language. Learners with greater levels of language anxiety are much more likely than less nervous learners to avoid interpersonal communication. When true communication skills are emphasised in current language teaching, this problem becomes obvious. In addition, anxiety can affect learning speed as well as proficiency. Anxiety arousal might impact communications because “freezing-up” periods that students encounter when they are anxious can disrupt information retrieval.

Finally, language learning can be a traumatic experience for people under some circumstances. This type of bad event can seriously damage a learner’s self-esteem and confidence. Anxiety has long been considered a serious issue in learning the English language, specifically when trying to speak it. Grammar errors, poor vocabulary, embarrassment, lack of willingness, nervousness, fear of committing mistakes, and other variables all have an influence.

2.3. Educational Need for Learning English

Learning foreign language benefits students in today’s globalized world since it frees up work prospects in the global market and gives them more media access, improving public debate on current issues. At the moment, English is unquestionably the most widely spoken language on the planet. The science of learning and development has implications for educational practice. According to Xing [33], in today’s era and rapid knowledge diffusion, many countries recognize the importance of preparing their populations to accomplish in manners that will certify their wealth and global prominence [34]. To remain competitive, they must be able to operate successfully in international manufacturing firms, global occupation, politics, and intellectual technology specializations. They must be creative and add to the world’s knowledge base. They should be able to communicate in the most extensively used language, English, to attain their objective.

Many students learn English for a variety of educational purposes, including becoming tourist operators, being able to communicate on an international stage, and getting better careers [35].

As a result, English has become an important part of students’ daily lives, and most of them are incredibly proud of their ability to communicate effectively in the language. Unfortunately, when it comes to using the target language for oral communicative purposes, the majority of those pupils always show greater levels of anxiety [33].

3. Design of Research Methodology

3.1. Research Method

The researchers used a combination of methodologies to address the research questions. The data and findings from the various studies, as well as this review, are based on secondary research material available on the Internet. The mixed-up methodology is implemented for this research; it includes quantitative and qualitative methods. This research used quantitative analysis to recognize the impacts of anxiety that influence students’ speaking performance and to investigate the challenges that these aspects cause among students. A closed-ended questionnaire was created specifically to collect data for this study. The questionnaire had a total of 7 questions.

3.2. Participants

This study included 70 students who had enrolled in an English language course. The participants for this study were chosen using the random sample tactic. Students who participated in this research ranged in age from 18 to 30 years old who were studying English. Furthermore, the convenience sampling strategy was used to choose the sample for this investigation.

3.3. Data Collection

Quantitative data was collected from the prereview studies, articles, previous research, books, and journals. Qualitative data was collected from the questionnaires. The form has three segments and a total of twenty questions. Section A consisted of nine questions designed to elicit info about the research participants’ backgrounds. It includes their age and the study programme in which they are enrolled, whereas Section B consists of eight questions to determine the most common challenges ELT learners have when speaking in English due to language anxiety. The items in Section B were designed to find out whether the study participants believed their psychological factors and anxiety had an impact on their oral performance. Section C consists of eight questions that determine the psychological and educational need to learn English.

3.4. Data Analysis

The data was examined using the SPSS statistical software (v. 25). Examining the percentages of each of the close-ended questionnaire answers revealed the proportion of the research participants’ English-speaking performance that was influenced by psychological and educational demands. Anxiety is a common occurrence, especially among people learning a foreign language. Rather than making a generic assumption, it is necessary to study this theoretically complex psychological response from multiple perspectives.

4. Result

According to the demographic statistics, 60 percent of the respondents were between the ages of 18 and 24, 20 percent were 29 years and older, and 20 percent were between the ages of 24-28 years. In terms of the study programme in which the respondents were enrolled, the statistics revealed that 99 percent of the respondents were enrolled in an ELT programme. Furthermore, below data sections, B and C are displayed in separate tables.

Table 1 presents the findings on how anxieties impact student learning and speaking abilities.

According to the research, the most common speaking concern was anxiety while speaking English (80.0%). The second most common speaking issue was “ When I’m expected to make a presentation in English in front of the class, I get nervous” (79.0%). The third problem students face due to anxiety is that “I fear being judged for not being able to communicate properly in English” (70.0%).

Furthermore, (68.0%) students respond that they get more nervous when they compare themselves to others. Another problem which is demonstrated by the data, 65.0% of students feel more nervous when others are better at speaking English than them. Besides, the majority of students believe “Anxiety is one of the biggest impediments to my fluency in English” (90.0%). Moreover, students feel more pressure when they are forced to speak in English instead of reading and writing (63.0%). While 50.0% of the respondents reported that they are concerned about making grammatical errors when speaking in English. Besides, reported by 70.0% of the respondents, felt less embarrassed to intervene with the others because of his manner of being and performing.

Table 2 presents the findings on what are the basic educational and psychological needs of students in the specific area of learning English.

The findings showed that most of the respondents eagerly agreed to learn English as it would be helpful for a future profession (89.0%). However, a considerable percentage of respondents (65.0%) do not agree with the statement that “I am encouraged to speak English outside of the schoolroom.” This shows that outside of the classroom, there is less drive to speak English, and the classroom setting is more stimulating. The findings show that 63.0% of research participants are driven to speak English in the classroom. According to the respondents, the situation outside of the schoolroom is less stimulating for talking in English.

The majority of the study participants believe in the psychological aspect of autonomy, according to the findings, 72.0% agreed that increasing their exposure to spoken English is an excellent method to boost self-esteem. Further, the data also suggests that a significant portion of the study respondents (79.0 percent) believe that learning English is essential to surviving in the globalization era. It implies that educational needs play important roles in learning English. In addition, (68.0%) students respond that “I’m interested in learning a foreign language; thus, I’d like to study, practice, and learn it.” Further, the study respondents believe in the psychological aspect of competence, according to the findings, 63.0% agreed that self-assurance has an impact on English oral performance.

Below is a graph which depicts the overall percentage that affects the student learning process (Figure 2).

The majority of students are affected by educational and psychological requirements in their learning process, as represented by the blue series. The red series represents students who are less affected by educational and psychological needs in their learning process. Furthermore, it has been discovered that speaking anxiety has a greater impact on students than language anxiety. Speaking anxiety hinders students not only in their learning process but their communication as well.

5. Discussion and Conclusion

The paper is all about the importance of education and psychology for proper learning of the English language. In this context, we are able to understand the anxiety related to the English learning process. The proper result is also formed to demonstrate the impact of anxiety while learning the English language or ELT. The data and statistical work analysed in the results part are accurate and based on the other research papers as well; therefore, they are highly reliable. Two tables were created for getting proper results; the first one shows the impact of anxiety or nervousness in learning English and the second one depicts the importance of educational and psychological need for English learning. The literature review is presented in a way that simply correlates with results and shows the impact of anxiety and educational or psychological needs for learning English. A theory for the learning process is also provided through the literature review. Finally, it can also be said that this research work is done to enhance the learning capabilities of students by understanding the flaws provided through this paper, and therefore, it can carry out the English learning process in an easy and effective manner.

The conclusions of this study suggest that learning English has a significant connection with educational and psychological needs. It has been discovered that when students’ psychological requirements are met, they are more satisfied and engaged in their English learning environment. On the other hand, when a student’s requirements are not met, it leads to a decrease in general well-being (lower satisfaction and engagement) in studying English. The majority of research has linked language anxiety to spoken language proficiency. When students are forced to do oral tasks, their anxiety levels can rise. Moreover, the data also demonstrated that nearly all psychological factors are interconnected and have a direct impact on the learners’ speaking recital in this study. Students’ oral performance is inversely significant to their anxiety level, and learners’ oral recitals are highly reliant on their sense of speaking capability and confidence. Furthermore, it has been determined from the study that students’ oral performance is inversely significant to their anxiety level, and learners’ oral performance is hugely reliant on their sense of speaking aptitude and self-assurance.

It may happen that the paper may be limited to some impacts and educational needs. It is based on different researchers’ comparisons so it could happen that the paper may lack a few other comparisons. The paper is solely based on the research work for impact and needs, and therefore, the feasibility of research is to be built so that proper conclusions can be formed. The paper revolves around the two objectives stated but may lack in providing the solution regarding it. The literature review presents a theory that can be helpful in understanding the anxiety and educational needs for English language that is not present in results and the paper follows a mixed research methodology that could be a minor limitation too.

Data Availability

The data underlying the results presented in the study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

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Copyright © 2022 Balachandran Vadivel et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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