Foreign Language Communication Apprehension: A Phenomenological Study of Chinese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Learners in a Sino-Foreign Higher Education Institution

Abstract

This study used a qualitative, phenomenological method involving six (6) participants who have lived experience of CA in a unique Chinese context, Sino-Foreign School, a novel concept in China that promotes cooperation of foreign educational institutions with China’s educational services industry. In-depth interviews, essays of the participants’ experiences, stimulated recall, and classroom observation has been employed. The video-recorded interviews were carried out as the primary method of data collection. This simplified version of the phenomenological data analyzing procedure of Hycner (1999) was used. The results revelated eight themes identified as anxiety-provoking classroom situations, namely, level of difficulty and familiarity with the topic incomprehensible input, preparation, interpersonal evaluation and criticism, voluntary speaking and being asked to, making mistakes and losing face, classroom oral presentations, and oral language assessment and rate of recurrence. Four themes emerged from the description of the participants of the impact of their apprehension: predisposition to give up, indifference, isolation, and avoidance of the communicative situation. The lack of training and exposure. Medium of instruction, expectations, different educational systems, presence of foreign language teachers, and exposure of vulnerabilities have contributed to the participants’ anxiety. The five themes the participants believe might help them cope with communication apprehension relate to: engaging classroom practices, error correction and feedback, language teacher’s personality, after-school English and language support group and utilization of technology in language teaching.