The Effects of Computer-Mediated Communication on Foreign ...

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dealing with deeply felt issues <strong>of</strong> identity. Krashen (2000) adds: “Heritage language [HL] speakers are in a no-win situation in foreign language classes. If they do well, it is expected. If HL speakers do not do well in foreign language classes, the experience is especially painful” (p. 441). This can result in a lack <strong>of</strong> motivation, low academic achievement, high absenteeism, and a high percentage <strong>of</strong> dropouts. Roca (2000) points out that many heritage students use Spanish at home and with peers, but lack formal training in the language and have a limited bilingual range. As a result, their literacy skills in Spanish (most obviously, their non-standard spelling), their registers, vocabulary, and general ease and fluency with the language, need attention and expansion. Gutiérrez (1997) states: “<strong>The</strong> foreign language teaching pr<strong>of</strong>ession should clearly understand that these students need an approach that builds on what they bring to the classroom rather than one that begins at ground zero” (p. 34). Heritage Students and Foreign Language Anxiety Although many studies have been conducted on the effects <strong>of</strong> foreign language anxiety on second language learners, most <strong>of</strong> this research has been done with the more “traditional” foreign language learners. To date little research has been conducted on its effects on heritage students. However, there is some anecdotal evidence. For example, Levine (2003) looked at student and instructor beliefs and attitudes about target language use, first language use, and anxiety. He states that the findings in his study suggest that “students who come from bi- or multilingual backgrounds may tend to feel less anxious about TL [target language] use than students from monolingual backgrounds” (p. 354). Mejías, Applbaum, Applbaum and Trotter (1991) found that some <strong>of</strong> the Hispanic students in their study experienced anxiety when speaking Spanish, especially in more formal, less personal contexts. Tallon (2003) found that the mean anxiety score on the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) (Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope, 1986) was significantly higher for nonheritage students (cf. 104.6) than for heritage students (cf. 87.1) in first-semester Spanish classes. It was noted in that study that the anxiety score for the heritage students was somewhat high (considering that no anxiety is represented by a score <strong>of</strong> thirty three). In a later study, Tallon (2004) found that the mean anxiety score on the FLCAS for heritage students in a secondsemester Spanish class was 97.0, considered “mildly anxious.” In addition, this study showed that heritage students <strong>of</strong> Spanish can also experience other types <strong>of</strong> anxiety, including listening anxiety, reading anxiety, and writing anxiety. Finally, it was suggested that the anxiety could lead to less language output, both orally and in writing, and both in terms <strong>of</strong> quantity <strong>of</strong> language and quality in language, for the heritage students. In a qualitative study <strong>of</strong> self-assessed anxious heritage and non-heritage learners, Coryell & Clark (2009) examined how and why some adult learners experienced anxiety while studying Spanish online. <strong>The</strong>ir participants experienced anxiety because their previous language learning experiences enforced the concept <strong>of</strong> language as performance, with a focus on grammatical correctness and precision. <strong>The</strong>y concluded that “the findings <strong>of</strong> this study suggest that traditional instructional practices online and a lack <strong>of</strong> social language interaction will likely underserve anxious, interculturally minded learners” (p. 499), advocating instead for personal and sociocultural connections and intercultural communications as the focus <strong>of</strong> online language courses. 2 44 TPFLE
RESEARCH QUESTIONS <strong>The</strong> purpose <strong>of</strong> this study is to determine if “foreign language anxiety” (Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope 1986) exists for heritage students <strong>of</strong> Spanish, and, if so, compare that with the levels <strong>of</strong> foreign language anxiety found in non-heritage students. <strong>The</strong> study will also examine if CMC – specifically, asynchronous CMC – has an effect on foreign language anxiety. <strong>The</strong> following research questions will be addressed: 1. Do heritage students <strong>of</strong> Spanish experience foreign language anxiety in a second-semester language classroom? If so, how does their level <strong>of</strong> foreign language anxiety compare to the level <strong>of</strong> foreign language anxiety found in non-heritage students? 2. Do students (both heritage students and non-heritage students) experience a reduction in foreign language anxiety by using asynchronous CMC (ACMC)? 3. If so, does the size <strong>of</strong> the ACMC group (i.e., small or large) have an effect on the level <strong>of</strong> anxiety? METHODOLOGY Participants Participants came from two sections <strong>of</strong> second-semester Spanish (Elementary Spanish II) at a private American university in the southwest. Both classes were taught by the same teacher, who had been teaching Spanish for approximately ten years. One class had 22 students and the second class had 9 students. Because <strong>of</strong> absences, the final numbers were 19 students in the first class and 7 students in the second class (N=26). All subjects were 18 years or older (13 males and 13 females; average age = 22.5 years). Based on self-assessments, 15 students identified themselves as heritage students and 11 identified themselves as non-heritage students. Procedure <strong>The</strong>re were three groups <strong>of</strong> subjects: traditional class/face-to-face conversations (control group; n=7), small groups <strong>of</strong> ACMC (experimental group A; two groups <strong>of</strong> three students each and two groups <strong>of</strong> two students each; n=10), and one large group <strong>of</strong> ACMC (experimental group B; n=9) (see Table 1 for a breakdown <strong>of</strong> subjects). Students were randomly assigned to each group. <strong>The</strong> control group participated in regular face-to-face discussions in the classroom during the scheduled class period. Table 1 Subjects Total Heritage Non-Heritage Students Students Students Control Group 7 4 3 Experimental Group A 10 6 4 Experimental Group B 9 5 4 TOTAL 26 15 11 FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY AND CMC 45
Page 1 and 2: The Effect
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Page 5: felt more relaxed during this activ
Page 9 and 10: Cope, 1986 and Aida, 1994). It was
Page 11 and 12: Table 5 Pre- and Post-test Anxiety
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Page 25 and 26: Appendix B Post-Test Questionnaire
Page 27 and 28: Appendix C Post-Test Questionnaire

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