A MIXED-METHODS STUDY ON FOREIGN LANGUAGE READING ANXIETY IN FPT UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

As English learners, mastering the four language skills is essential to their success in learning a new language. Results indicated that one of the skills considered extremely important to help students think logically and support the remaining skills is reading. Indeed, reading skill is also a skill that many English language students think is extremely difficult to learn because it requires them to have extensive knowledge, a "sky" of vocabulary, and a "mountain" of grammar knowledge. The problem of anxiety in learning a second language in general and learning English reading skills, in particular, has become a critical problem to research and find a solution. However, this issue of reading anxiety has not been thoroughly discovered in Vietnam, particularly among non-English major university students. The current study aims to investigate the factors that cause anxiety for FPT students in English reading and the level of foreign language reading anxiety. The study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data was collected from 237 students, and the qualitative data came from semi-structured interviews with ten selected respondents based on the survey results. The study’s quantitative and qualitative data analysis showed two primary sources of anxiety for FPT university students in English reading: linguistic and non-linguistic factors. The linguistic factors are composed of unknown vocabulary, unfamiliar topics, and unfamiliar grammar. The non-linguistic elements consist of lack of concentration and unfamiliar culture. Moreover, the study also determines the FLRA level of FPT learners with three main groups: low, moderate, and high. Remarkably, most FPT university students experience moderate English reading anxiety levels.