The influence of fear and motivation towards the learning of Mandarin as a foreign language/ Stephanie Tay Cin Wun ... [et.al]

• Main Authors: Tay Cin Wun, Stephanie, Tze Kie, Jenny Yap, Loh, Siaw San, Chong, Ni Pei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: UiTM Cawangan Johor 2024
• Subjects: Motivation in education. Interest. Attention; Language and education
• Online Access: https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/95169/1/95169.pdf; https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/95169/
• Institution: Universiti Teknologi Mara

This study examines Mandarin learners' views on how anxiety and motivation affect language acquisition and answers three research questions: i. What is the perception of learners regarding their fear of acquiring proficiency in a foreign language? ii. How do learners perceive their level of motivation to acquire proficiency in a foreign language? iii. Does a correlation exist between the fear of acquiring knowledge and the level of motivation to acquire proficiency in a foreign language? This quantitative study used purposive sampling to survey 141 UiTM Mandarin students. The 5-point Likert scale used in the survey is based on Gardner (2001) and Horwitz et al. (1986). The survey has three parts. Section A covers demographics. Section B covers motivation. Section C covers anxiety about learning a foreign language. Research shows language acquisition issues and negative evaluations contribute to student learning anxiety. Mandarin exams may cause learning anxiety, but they don't affect language acquisition. Students learn Chinese independently for three main reasons: Mandarin's popularity, job prospects, and the desire to travel and experience Chinese culture. Another factor is student enjoyment of classroom activities. However, current empirical research cannot definitively link Mandarin language anxiety and language learning motivation.