Task anxiety, cognition and performance on oral tasks in L2 Spanish

ABSTRACT

This article investigates the three-way interface between foreign language anxiety (FLA), cognition and performance in Spanish L2 oral tasks, and examines qualitatively the construct of task anxiety (TA) in relation to its three interconnected facets: affective, cognitive and behavioral. 51 low-proficiency university learners of L2 Spanish performed two narrative tasks manipulated in their cognitive demands. Results revealed TA negatively affected certain functions of learners’ L2 cognition, especially at the attentional level and in word retrieval, highlighting the important role of L2 self-esteem in oral production tasks. This study advocates for a pedagogical approach that implements both curricular and individual aspects from a task-based language teaching perspective. It further emphasizes the importance of raising awareness of the interrelated emotional, cognitive and performance dimensions of the L2 learner, and how these may manifest in TA during oral task performance.

RESUMEN

Este artículo examina la interfaz entre la ansiedad en la lengua extranjera, la cognición y el desempeño en las tareas orales en español como L2, y examina de forma cualitativa el constructo de la ansiedad de tarea en relación con sus tres facetas interconectadas: la afectiva, la cognitiva y la conductual. 51 aprendices universitarios con un nivel inicial de competencia en español realizaron dos tareas narrativas orales manipuladas en sus demandas cognitivas. Los resultados del estudio indicaron que la ansiedad de tarea afectaba de forma negativa a varios procesos cognitivos del aprendiz, especialmente en el área de la atención y el acceso léxico, destacando el importante papel de la autoconfianza en las tareas de producción oral. Esta investigación propone un enfoque pedagógico que implemente tanto aspectos curriculares como aquellos ligados a factores individuales del aprendizaje, centrándose en comprender la interrelación entre las dimensiones afectivas, cognitivas y de desempeño de la tarea en el aprendiz de español.

KEYWORDS:

• Foreign language anxiety
• task anxiety
• L2 oral tasks
• cognitive task complexity
• Spanish Language Teaching (SLT)

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• ansiedad en la lengua extranjera
• ansiedad de tarea
• tareas orales en la L2
• complejidad cognitiva en la tarea
• español como LE/L2

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Perceptions are viewed in the current study as learners’ subjective opinions, views and thoughts in relation to their feelings and elicited from participants’ responses in the qualitative data.

2 Following Baralt and Gurzynski-Weiss (2011), the original study incorporated a mixed method, including self-ratings of perceived task anxiety levels. Quantitative self-assessed measures were administered at two points in time to capture potential fluctuations on learners’ task anxiety. The original study further included cognitive load measures to validate cognitive task complexity. These analyses have been omitted in the present article due to scope restrictions.

3 See Donate’s (2018) unpublished dissertation and Donate and Leow (forthcoming) for a more comprehensive understanding of the research design and materials used.

4 Scores in participants’ classroom anxiety scores showed skewed values in the mid-point value of the scale, which did not allow groups assignment based on their FLCAS anxiety predispositions.

5 Only anxiety will be analyzed for the purpose of the current study.

6 A single participant comment was coded for multiple cognitive functions simultaneously.

7 Please find examples of all thematic categories in appendix 1 (Table 6).