TEACHER SUPPORT AND ITS ROLE IN REDUCING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANXIETY IN EFL LEARNERS
Keywords:
teacher support, foreign language anxiety, EFL learners, classroom environment, learner motivation, emotional factors, language acquisition, teaching practicesAbstract
This study explores the role of teacher support in reducing foreign language anxiety among learners in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, where anxiety is widely recognized as a critical affective factor that can hinder learners’ communicative competence, participation, and overall academic performance. Grounded in contemporary theories of educational psychology and second language acquisition, teacher support is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct encompassing emotional, academic, and interpersonal dimensions that collectively shape the classroom climate. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data from standardized anxiety measures with qualitative insights from classroom observations and interviews, to examine how supportive teaching practices influence learners’ affective experiences. The findings demonstrate that consistent, empathetic, and responsive teacher behavior—particularly through constructive feedback, encouragement, and the establishment of a psychologically safe learning environment—significantly alleviates anxiety while simultaneously enhancing learners’ self-confidence, motivation, and willingness to communicate. Moreover, the results suggest that teacher support functions not only as a direct mechanism for anxiety reduction but also as an indirect facilitator of improved language learning outcomes, underscoring its central role in fostering both emotional well-being and academic success in EFL settings.
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