The Relationship between Teacher and Peer Support and English-Language Learners’ Anxiety

Abstract

This study sought to shed light on the relationship between support (from teachers and peers) and foreign-language learners’ anxiety. A total of 158 adult Taiwanese English-language learners completed three questionnaires: a background questionnaire, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale, and the Classroom Life Measure. The results showed that teacher academic support was the most pervasive variable correlated with language-learning anxiety, compared to other types of support (i.e., teacher personal support, student academic support, and student personal support). Language learners felt less anxious when they perceived that they obtained more academic support from their teachers.