Foreign language anxiety and emotional intelligence: A study of EFL students in Taiwan (China)

Although several studies were conducted in recent years on foreign language anxiety and emotional intelligence skills, very few, if any, have specifically focused on exploring the connection or relationship between them. The main focus of this study was to examine the association between these two components among private college students who learn English as a foreign language in Taipei, Taiwan.; The sample population for this study was 306 private college students who enrolled as freshmen or sophomores in English in fulfillment of their study requirements. Data for the study were collected by using questionnaires that determine levels of foreign language anxiety and emotional intelligence skills. Descriptive statistics, comparison of means, and Pearson correlational statistical procedures were applied to examine the relationship between foreign language anxiety and emotional intelligence skills across gender and language anxiety level.; The quantitative findings indicated that there is a significant relationship between foreign language anxiety and total emotional intelligence skills. Results also suggest that gender difference has an impact on how emotional intelligence skills are employed. Although this study did not focus on comparable cross-cultural groups, analysis indicates that emotional intelligence skills can serve as a global indicator of academic achievement and language learning.; This study was significant in that it provides valuable data to those who serve on the front line of education. The research results may serve as a guide for foreign language teachers in terms of helping them to increase their understanding of language learning from the learner's perspective. This study can also provide insights into how educators can develop interventions to decrease language anxiety among EFL students. In addition, by understanding students' emotional intelligence skills and their relationship to language anxiety (and thus academic achievement), strategies and interventions to improve learners' self-confidence and lower their language anxiety can prove beneficial to all stakeholders.