ANXIETY OVER LEARNING ENGLISH AT PRIMARY SCHOOL: TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES

Abstract

Language learning is a necessary and an effective means of facilitating communication in modern society. Anxiety in the learning process is evident as a limiting factor. The scarcity of research among pupils of young ages and the perceptions of the teaching staff motivate us to identify schools, teachers, and educational strategies that lead to lower levels of anxiety among pupils. We proposed a two-phase mixed methodology study. In the first phase, of a quantitative nature, the Spanish version of the FLCAS was employed in which 255 pupils participated from the 5th and 6th year of Primary Education at 5 schools in Burgos (Spain). In the second phase, of a qualitative nature, we designed a focus-group with 5 teachers around the following categories: learning of English and training in extracurricular activities; factors generating anxiety and organizational and didactic resources to reduce anxiety. The results offer a wide range of useful educational resources to improve foreign language learning in Primary Education.