International Journal of Humanities and Social Science

ISSN 2220-8488 (Print), 2221-0989 (Online) 10.30845/ijhss

Anxiety and its Effects on Adult Learners who are Learning Two Foreign Languages Concurrently
Semih OKATAN

Abstract
The present study used a mixed research design in order to examine anxiety and its negative impact on adult learners who are learning English and French concurrently in the Department of Translation and Interpretation at Kars Kafkas University, Turkey. In the study, the researcher used an anxiety questionnaire for quantitative data and a semi-structured interview for qualitative data. The descriptive statistics revealed that nearly half of the participants were anxious in terms of communication, testing, and being evaluated negatively while learning two foreign languages concurrently. The inferential statistics showed that gender was not a determinant factor and that grades were not significantly different. The qualitative data analyses revealed that the reciprocal effects of learning two foreign languages might cause anxiety by generating confusion in using the two languages concurrently. While the quantitative data analyses revealed that all students completing the questionnaires had a mild level of anxiety, the qualitative data analyses revealed that the majority of those participating in the interviews experienced a high level of anxiety. The results and the findings are discussed in the light of previous studies conducted in this research context. In addition, some pedagogical implications are suggested.

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