Anxiety and Affective Control Among Distance Language Learners in China and the UK

Foreign language anxiety (FLA) has been the focus of many studies into affect in classroom settings. However, the growing numbers of distance language learners worldwide in recent years calls for greater attention to be paid to this increasingly important constituency of language learners. Following on from Hurd’s investigation into FLA with distance learners of French at the Open University, UK (Hurd, 2007b), this article turns its attention to an Eastern context, reporting on a study into affect in the distance learning of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in China. Both studies examined anxiety from the learner’s perspective. Findings from the Chinese study showed that some anxiety-provoking factors were associated with an inability to apply even basic knowledge of grammar and acquired vocabulary to actual language use. In terms of affective control, there was little evidence in either study of the use of affective strategies considered to be conducive to reducing anxiety. It was also noted that students’ anxiety-reducing measures were characterized by a preference for self-help over help-seeking strategies, although the majority considered the tutor’s role to be of paramount importance. Results and pedagogical implications from the two studies are compared where applicable.