Foreign language classroom anxiety levels of dyslexic and average readers : a comparative study

Abstract

Mental health covers a wide range of psychological health conditions. This hides the true extent of the severity of the emotional challenges that children and adolescents encounter early in their lives. Students with dyslexia too can experience these emotional difficulties. This study involves the administration of an anxiety scale to Form 4 and Form 5 students with dyslexia and average readers. In total, 314 respondents with and without learning difficulties attending state and church schools took part. The principal aim of this study was to explore the anxiety levels of students with dyslexia in comparison to average readers in foreign language classes. The secondary aim was to consider gender differences and school type in relation to participants’ reported levels of anxiety when attending such classes. The authors employed a quantitative method and utilised the ‘Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale’ questionnaire developed by Horwitz et al. (1986) to gather data. The research analysis found significant results when the variables mentioned above were taken into consideration. This study adds to the existing body of knowledge about the vulnerability of students with learning difficulties. It also discusses the validity of the measure used, albeit in a context that it was not intended to be used in.