EXPLORING ENGLISH LEARNING EXPERIENCES: ENJOYMENT AND ANXIETY AMONG RURAL JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS
Abstract
This research examines the enjoyment and anxiety of learning English experienced by junior high school students in rural areas. This research uses quantitative methods, with data collection using a questionnaire distributed to 54 class VIII students. The findings show that a positive classroom environment and a friendly teacher who always provides support can increase students' enjoyment in learning English. On the other hand, student anxiety stems from self-doubt about their abilities and fear of negative evaluation. Statistical analysis, including independent sample t test, revealed significant differences between levels of enjoyment and anxiety. This makes teachers implement teaching strategies that can reduce anxiety, such as providing emotional support and using varied teaching methods. This study focuses on understanding emotional factors in language learning and provides practical recommendations for improving the quality of education in school environments, especially in rural areas.
References
Abdullah, F., Hidayati, A. N., Andriani, A., Rosmala, D., & Nurvianti, N. (2022). English speaking anxiety among Indonesian junior high school learners: In search of causes and solutions. Getsempena English Education Journal, 9(1), 53-63.
Apridayani, A., Han, W., & Waluyo, B. (2023). Understanding students’ self-regulated learning and anxiety in online English courses in higher education. Heliyon, 9(6).
Ariyanti, A., Setiawan, S., & Munir, A. (2023). Students’ enjoyment and anxiety in reminiscing about mind-mapping use in the English writing class. Studies in English Language and Education, 10(2), 14.
Akbari, Z. (2015). Current challenges in teaching/learning English for EFL learners: The case of junior high school and high school. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 199, 394-401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.524
Anugrawati, N., & Mannong, A. B. M. (2022). Teachers’ strategies in overcoming students’ anxiety in speaking English. Indonesian Journal of Psycholinguistics, 1(3), 133-142.
Botes, E., Dewaele, J.-M., & Greiff, S. (2020). The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale and academic achievement: An overview of the prevailing literature and a meta-analysis. Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning, 2(1), 26-56. Retrieved from https://www.jpll.org/index.php/journal/article/view/botesetal
Creswell, J. W., & Guetterman, T. C. (2019). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (6th ed.). Pearson.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Dewaele, J.-M., & Dewaele, L. (2018). Learner-internal and learner-external predictors of willingness to communicate in the FL classroom. Journal of the European Second Language Association, 2(1), 24-37. https://doi.org/10.22599/jesla.37
Dewaele, J.-M., & Dewaele, L. (2020). Are foreign language learners’ enjoyment and anxiety specific to the teacher? An investigation into the dynamics of learners’ classroom emotions. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 10(1), 45-65. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2020.10.1.3
Dewaele, J.-M., & Li, C. (2020). Emotions in second language acquisition: A critical review and research agenda. Foreign Language World, 196, 34-49.
Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2014). The two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 237-274. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2014.4.2.5
Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2020). Are foreign language learners' enjoyment and anxiety specific to the teacher? An investigation into the dynamics of learners' classroom emotions. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 10(1), 45-65. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2020.10.1.3
Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2019). The predictive power of multicultural personality traits, learner and teacher variables on foreign language enjoyment and anxiety. In M. Sato & S. Loewen (Eds.), Evidence-based second language pedagogy: A collection of second language acquisition studies (pp. 263-287). New York: Routledge.
Fathikasari, N., Gozali, A., & Ratri, D. (2022). Public speaking anxiety of university students in EFL context. Journal of Education, Teaching and Learning, 7(1), 40-44.
Halim, A., Halim, N., & Sartina, D. (2023). Ideal teachers’ personalities motivating English learners in senior high school. Linguistic, English Education and Art (LEEA) Journal. https://doi.org/10.31539/leea.v7i1.5843
Horwitz, E. K. (2017). On the misreading of Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986) and the need to balance anxiety research and the experiences of anxious language learners. In C. Gkonou, M. Daubney, & J.-M. Dewaele (Eds.), New insights into language anxiety: Theory, research and educational implications (pp. 31-47). Multilingual Matters.
Li, C., Dewaele, J.-M., & Hu, Y. (2021a). Foreign language learning boredom: Conceptualization and measurement. Applied Linguistics Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev2020-0124
Liao, Y., & Yao, G. (2021). Classroom observation of the perspective of positive classroom affect—Take a junior high school English class as an example. DEStech Transactions on Economics, Business and Management. https://doi.org/10.12783/DTEM/EEIM2020/35277
Liu, M., & Jackson, J. (2021). Reticence and anxiety in oral English lessons: A case study in China. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-021-10170-2
MacIntyre, P., & Gregersen, T. (2012). Affect: The role of language anxiety and other emotions in language learning. In S. Mercer, S. Ryan, & M. Williams (Eds.), Psychology for language learning: Insights from research, theory, and practice (pp. 103-118). Palgrave Macmillan.
Maneba, S., & Syafitri, N. (2022). A mixed method study of teachers' strategies in reducing students' anxiety levels. IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching & Learning, Linguistics & Literature, 10(2).
Myhre, T. S., Dewaele, J. M., Fiskum, T. A., & Holand, A. M. (2023). Anxiety and enjoyment among young teenagers learning English as a foreign language outdoors: A mixed-methods study. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 17(4), 827-844.
Nuranifar, Y. (2014). Strategies to cope with second language learning anxiety: The case of Iranian pre–university students. Journal of Novel Applied Sciences, 3, 1493-1502.
Sari, M. N. (2021). Shaping young learners’ character through teacher questioning in English classroom activities. Pendekar: Jurnal Pendidikan Berkarakter, 4(1), 14-19.
Sari, M. N., & Ningsih, P. E. A. (2022). An analysis of students’ motivation and anxiety on learning English at SMA Negeri 6 Kerinci. Pendekar: Jurnal Pendidikan Berkarakter, 5(3), 181-188.
Sari, M. N., & Ningsih, P. E. A. (2023). An Analysis Of Students’ Anxiety In Learning English At The Eleventh Grade Of SMA Negeri 10 Kerinci. EDU RESEARCH, 4(3), 83-97.
Scovel, T. (1991). The effect of affect on foreign language learning: A review of the anxiety research. In E. K. Horwitz & D. J. Young (Eds.), Language anxiety: From theory and research to classroom implications (pp. 15-24). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Stepanenko, O., Ohrimenko, Z., Shaforost, Y., Pasichnyk, L., & Pochynok, Y. (2021). Positive learning environment in educational sphere. Eduweb. https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.1856-7576/2022.16.02.2
Syahabuddin, K., Fhonna, R., & Maghfirah, U. (2020). Teacher-student relationships: An influence on the English teaching-learning process. Studies in English Language and Education, 7(2), 438-451.
Park, G., & French, B. F. (2019). Foreign language classroom anxiety and enjoyment: Conceptualization and scale development. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 38(3), 301-319. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X19836312
Tabron, L., & Thomas, A. (2023). Deeper than wordplay: A systematic review of critical quantitative approaches in education research (2007-2021). Review of Educational Research, 93, 756-786. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543221130017
Tsymbal, S. (2017). Overcoming language anxiety among the English language learners: Psycho-pedagogical aspect.
Zhao, L. (2012). Investigation into motivation types and influences on motivation: The case of Chinese non-English majors. English Language Teaching, 5(3), 100-122.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
