Anxiety dynamics in a virtual foreign language learning course
Anxiety dynamics in a virtual foreign language learning course

Summary/Abstract: As a result of growing awareness of the function of complex dynamic systems, researchers have shifted their attention to the dynamic and changeable nature of individual difference variables. One of the individual differences no longer seen as stable is foreign language anxiety (FLA), a variable in second language (L2) development highly influenced by a dynamic range of factors, which is rarely examined in the context of a virtual environment. In this study we micro- mapped four language learners’ anxiety dynamics during a one-semester virtual language course, using the Motometer combined with writing journals. We ex- plored the FLA the participants experienced via a “complexity” lens in terms of the core features of complex dynamic systems (i.e., changeability, variability and context dependence). Our findings show how the individuals’ level of anxiety fluctuates over time during a virtual course while being defined by changeable and stable phases, and the way it is dependent on students’ individual context of learning. Furthermore, the results suggest that fluctuations in anxiety, under the influence of online environmental factors, can be effectively studied via the main principles of the dynamic systems theory.

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