The Correlations among English Language Learning Anxiety,

Attitudes, Styles and English Achievement of the Informatics and

Computer Science Students

S. Maulana

, R. Inderawati, and M. Vianty

Magister of English Education Department, Univeritas Sriwijaya, Palembang, Indonesia

Keywords: Language learning, anxiety, styles, attitudes, english achievement.

Abstract: This study aims to figure out if there are any significant correlations among anxiety, attitudes, styles in

learning English, and English achievement; and whether or not there is any significant correlation among

every category of English language learning and English achievement; and which types of predictor

variables give more contribution to criterion variables. There were 107 students of STMIK MDP Palembang

taken as the sample. A correlational study method was used. The data were collected by using

questionnaires and analyzed using Pearson Product moment correlation and regression analysis. From the

results showed that the correlation between predictor variables and criterion variables was very weak and

not significant, fear of negative evaluation, and students had test anxiety, communication apprehension,

classroom anxiety; students' preferred learning style was sensory learning styles; students possessed self-

image, inhibition, risk-taking, ego permeability, and ambiguity for tolerance. Students’ English

achievements were varied from very well to poor category, and the students’ communication apprehension

had given a significant correlation with their English achievement.

1 INTRODUCTION

Language is a means of human communication, both

orally and in writing. It deals with the use of words

in a structured and conventional way (Hornby,

2010). In the global era, language has become one of

the most crucial elements of communication.

Without good communication, people from different

countries will not be able to understand each other

either in oral or written form. It means that good

communication using language among people from

different countries is required.

There are various factors influencing in learning

foreign language process such as motivation,

attitudes, anxiety, aptitudes, age, learning

achievements, intelligence, personalities, etc.

(Gardner, 1960; Lehmann, 2006).

Anxious learners will not learn as quickly as

relaxed learners, and if anxiety arises during

learning then anxious learner will perform poorly

because they have learned less (MacIntyre, 1995). It

means the high anxiety students seem to have

difficulties in learning English as they may feel

nervous and worried to make mistakes.

In relation to English learning, attitude can be

defined, in general, like the way someone thinks and

feels about English, either positively or negatively.

Positive attitudes students eager to do more in

learning a language using strategies for examples,

asking and answering questions, and volunteering

information (Baker, 1993).

In addition, language learning styles might also

influence the English language achievement. Many

experts identified and classified learning styles in

many different ways. A learning style is considered

as the biologically and developmentally form a set

of characteristics as well as teaching method.

An informal interview was conducted by the

writer with some students who have taken English

subject as a compulsory subject, the writer found

that first; most of them are not satisfied with their

current English proficiency and their English

achievement even though they have already finished

with the English subject. Second, they find English

as a challenging, boring, confusing, and some say

that learning English in class make them anxious

and worried because they do not understand. Third,

they also do not know what best way for them to

learn. Besides, they still face some difficulties in

Maulana, S., Inderawati, R. and Vianty, M.

The Correlations among English Language Learning Anxiety, Attitudes, Styles and English Achievement of the Informatics and Computer Science Students.

DOI: 10.5220/0009995700002499

In Proceedings of the 3rd Sriwijaya University International Conference on Learning and Education (SULE-IC 2018), pages 84-90

ISBN: 978-989-758-575-3

 2023 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

organizing ideas, grammatical patterns, limited time,

vocabulary, coherence, and spelling except some

vocabularies related to computer science as their

major. Some students say that they worry about the

final score and being upset learning English,

therefore sometimes they are cheating in doing

assignment and homework as long as they have a

good score in English subject. In addition, some of

the lecturers use teacher-centred approach and do

not use many activities related to their major as

informatics and computer science students.

Therefore, the diversity of students' learning styles,

strategies use related to their anxiety, attitude in

learning English, and their English achievement

becomes an object of investigations by the writer.

Based on the description above, in this study, the

writer was intended to examine the general situation

of students’ English language learning anxiety,

learning attitudes, and learning styles. As well, looks

into the concept of that may influence the English

achievement at Informatics and Computer Science

Students of STMIK MDP Palembang.

2 ANXIETY, ATTITUDES, AND

LEARNING STYLES

Language learning is regarded as the cornerstone of

human existence. Mastering a language can help us

expressing opinions, hopes, and even our dreams

(Tavil, 2009). In the context of foreign Language

learning, some factors might influence learning

process such as personalities motivation, attitudes,

anxiety, learning achievements, age, aptitudes and

intelligence (Gardner, 1960; Lehmann, 2006, cited

in Shams, 2008).

Anxiety are often outlined as a subjective feeling

of tension, apprehension, nervousness, associated

worry associated with an arousal of the involuntary

nervous system and feelings of uneasiness,

frustration, self-doubt, apprehension, or worry

(Spielberger, 1983).

Anxiety is as a state of uneasiness and

apprehension or concern caused by the anticipation

of one thing threatening (Chastain, 1988). Anxiety

could be a feeling of worry and emotional reaction

that arises whereas learning or employing a second

language (MacIntyre, 1999). Learning anxiety is

often outlined as a mix of feelings, beliefs, and

behaviors associated with the uneasiness of the

method of foreign language acquisition (Hortwitz et

al., 1986). In short, language anxiety could be a

combination of dangerous feelings within the

method of learning a target language. There are four

types of language anxiety identified to break down

the construct into researchable issues: (1)

communication apprehension is a sort of

timorousness characterized as a worry, or anxiety

concerning human activity with individuals. It

suggests that the individual is lack of confidence and

bravery to speak because of the anxiety he has; (2)

fear of negative analysis, the apprehension

concerning others’ evaluations, rejection of critical

situations; (3) take a look at anxiety, the sort of

performance anxiety ensuing from a concern of

failure in an educational analysis setting; and (4)

English classroom anxiety, it concerns to the

students' learning environment (Horwitz et al.,

1986).

Attitude refers to a relatively enduring

organization of feelings, beliefs, and behavioral

towards socially important objects, groups, events or

symbols (Hogg and Vaughan, 2005). Attitudes can

be positive or negative disposition or tendency

toward certain things, like a thought, object, person,

and state of affairs. (Asher and Simpson, 1994).

Attitudes are inseparable from language learning,

specifically English as a foreign language. The

learners’ attitude towards the target language group

will affect their success in learning that language. It

means either positive or negative attitudes to

language learning are influenced by many factors

(Gardner, 1985).

There are five main characteristics of attitudes:

(1) Attitudes are psychological feature (i.e. are

capable of being thought about) and emotional (i.e.

have feelings and emotions connected to them); (2)

Attitudes are dimensional instead of bipolar – they

vary in degree of favourability/unfavourability; (3)

Attitudes incline an individual to act during a bound

approach, however the connection between attitudes

is not a significance one; (4) Attitude is learnt, not

inherited or genetically. Since it is learnt, it can be

caught (Gardner, 1985). Reinforcement and

imitation processes are believed to represent the

processes which are involved in the learning of

attitude. The self-esteem (self-image), inhibition,

risk-taking, ego permeability, and tolerance of

ambiguity are among the variables that may account

for EFL learners’ success or failure (Brown, 2000).

Learning methods are often outlined because the

psychological feature, affective, and psychological

factors that are comparatively stable indicators of

however learners understand, act with, and reply to

the training atmosphere. Learning designs as

psychological feature, affective, and physiological

traits that are comparatively stable indicators of

however learners understand, move with, and reply

The Correlations among English Language Learning Anxiety, Attitudes, Styles and English Achievement of the Informatics and Computer

Science Students

to the training atmosphere (Brown, 2007).

Additionally, learning styles is as a person's most

well-liked or habitual ways in which of process the

data and re modelling data into personal data (Wang,

2007). Learning styles as internally based mostly

characteristics are usually nor perceived or

consciously utilized by learners for the intake and

comprehension of latest info (Reid, 1998).

In this study, the author used Reid’s 3 major

categories of learning designs. They're psychological

feature learning styles, sensory/perceptual learning

designs, and private learning designs..

3 METHODOLOGY

This study used a correlational study design to find

out whether or not there was any significant

correlation between English language learning

anxiety as well as each type of learning anxiety and

English achievement, whether or not there was any

significant correlation between learning attitudes as

well as each kind of learning attitudes, and English

achievement, and whether or not there was any

significant correlation between the English language

learning styles as well as each kind of English

language learning styles and English achievement.

3.1 Population and Sample

The population in this study was all the first

semester students of informatics and computer

science department of STMIK MDP Palembang in

the academic year of 2017/2018. The participants

were 107 students. The sample was total population

taken by using convenience sampling due to the

availability of informatics and computer science

students of STMIK MDP Palembang.

3.2 Instruments

There were four measurement instruments

operationally outlined supporting the context of the

study. First, language learning anxiety refers to the

four factors that cause the students’ English language

learning anxiety. They were communication

apprehension, concern of negative analysis, test

anxiety, and classroom anxiety. The students' English

language anxiety was measured by the class room

anxiety scale developed by Horwitz et al. (1986).

Second, English language learning attitudes refer

to the feeling the students have about English. In this

study, the English language learning attitudes

included the students' self-image, inhibition, risk-

taking, ego permeability, and ambiguity in learning

English. The students' English language learning

attitudes were measured by English Language

Learning Attitudes Questionnaire developed by the

Summer Institute of Linguistics International (1999).

Next, English learning styles in this study refer

to factors indicate students' perception, interaction

and responses to the learning environment. The

students' learning styles were categorized into five

groups: visual /auditory /kinaesthetic,

extroverted/introverted, analytic /global, field-

independent/field dependent and impulsive

/reflective learning styles. The students' learning

styles were measured by the English language

Learning Style Survey developed by Cohen, Oxford

and Chi (2001).

The last instrument was English achievement. In

this study, it was the students’ English achievement

taken from their English final scores.

3.3 Reliability

A pilot study was conducted to live the

dependability level of the questionnaire items. To do

so, thirty four students were at random chosen from

the target population. These students didn't

participate within the actual study.

Using the statistical Package for the social

science Program (SPSS) version 21.0, an analysis of

item reliability decided through the reliability

coefficient check. The reliability coefficient of the

test ought to be a minimum of 0.70 and ideally

higher (Fraenkel et al., 2012).

Table 1: Reliability score of language aspects.

Questionnaires No. items

Cronbach’s

ha Value

English Language Classroom

Anxiet

Scale

33 items 0.876

English Language Learning

Attitudes Questionnaire

27 items 0.755

English language Learning

le Surve

64 items 0.863

Based on the reliability test reported in Table 1,

it showed that the reliability coefficient of the

English language learning anxiety questionnaire was

0.876, the reliability coefficient of English learning

attitudes questionnaire was 0.755, and the reliability

coefficient of English language learning styles

questionnaire was 0.863. Since all the coefficient

value of the questionnaires were higher than 0.70,

the questionnaires were considered reliable.

SULE-IC 2018 - 3rd Sriwijaya University International Conference on Learning and Education

3.4 Validity

To obtain the validity of questionnaires, the writer

asked feedback from two validators. The validators

were selected because both of them had eligible

experience and knowledge toward qualitative

research, have much experience about ELT and

understand the way in making a good questionnaire.

Afterward, the questionnaires were tried out.

3.5 Analysis of Data

The data collected was analyzed using the SPSS

Program to answer the research questions. There

were two kinds of techniques in collecting the data.

The first was a questionnaire and the second was

English achievement scores.

In this study, there were six statistical analyses;

(1) the analysis of English language learning

anxiety, (2) the analysis of the English language

learning attitudes, (3) the analysis of English

language learning styles and English achievement

score, (4) the analysis of descriptive data, (5) the

correlation analysis, and (6) the multiple regression

analysis.

3.5.1 Students’ Anxiety toward English

Achievement

The minimum score of learning anxiety obtained

was 39, while the maximum score was 76. The

overall mean score of learning anxiety among the

students was 57.07 (SD=8.000) (see Table 2).

Table 2: The

description of students’ English language

learning anxiety.

N Min Max Means SD

Learning

Anxiet

107 39 76 57,07 8,000

Valid N

107

This result shows that the students have an

anxiety to learning English. In addition, the mean

scores of the four aspects of English language

learning towards English achievement were

different. From Table 3, the result of the analysis

showed that fear of negative evaluation (FNE) was

22.63 (SD= 3.394) that was mostly cited by students.

Followed by English classroom anxiety (ECA) was

15.24 (SD= 2.514). The communication

apprehension (CA) was 12.21 (SD= 2.166). The

learning anxiety that had the lowest mean was test

anxiety (TA) with means scores of 7.00 (SD=

1,536).

Table 3: The description of students’ English language

learning anxiety for every category.

N Min Max Means SD

Communication

rehension

107 8 18 12,21 2,166

Fear of Negative

Evaluation

107 14 31 22,62 3,394

Test Anxiety

107 4 11 7,00 1,536

English

Classroom

Anxiet

107 7 22 15,24 2,514

Valid N 107

3.5.2 Students’ Attitudes toward English

Achievement

The minimum score of learning attitudes obtained

was 94, while the maximum score was 186. The

overall mean score of learning attitudes among the

students was 195.64 (SD = 16.275) (see Table 4).

Table 4: The description of students’ English language

learning attitudes.

N Min Max Means SD

Learning

attitude

107 94 186 195,64 16,275

Valid N 107

Table 5: The description of students’ English language

learning attitudes for each category.

N Min Max Means SD

Self-image 107 22 54 35,20 6,62

Inhibition 107 14 58 32,47 9,98

Risk-taking 107 26 64 43,44 7,19

Ego permeability 107 20 58 38,77 7,68

Tolerance of Ambiguity 107 28 58 45,76 6,16

Valid N 107

The result of the descriptive analysis shows the

mean scores of the students were different attitudes

towards learning English. From Table 5, each

category of English language learning attitudes

showed that Tolerance of Ambiguity (TA) was

45.76 (SD= 6.160) mostly cited by the students,

followed by Risk-taking (RT) with means score of

43.44 (SD= 7.189), means score for Ego

Permeability (EP) was 38.77 (SD= 7.681) and Self-

image (SI) was 35.20 (SD= 6.621). The lowest

English language learning attitude was Inhibition (I)

with a mean score of 32.47 (SD= 9.983).

The Correlations among English Language Learning Anxiety, Attitudes, Styles and English Achievement of the Informatics and Computer

Science Students

Most of students showed a negative perspective

and it absolutely was additionally intend because of

such a negative perspective might have been a

reaction to the traditional techniques employed by

English language teachers.

3.5.3 Students’ Learning Styles toward

English Achievement

The minimum score of English language learning

styles obtained was 50, while the maximum score

was 202. The total mean scores of English language

learning styles was 156.84 (SD= 22.528) (see Table

6).

Table 6: The description of students’ English language

learning styles.

N Min Max Means SD

Learning

les

107 50 202 156,84 22,528

Valid N 107

The result of descriptive analysis also showed

the means score for every category that for Sensory

preferences category, Visual was 25.49 (SD= 4.573)

mostly cited by students, followed by Auditory

22.49 (SD= 5.173), Kinesthetic was 20.77 (SD=

5.251). For the Personality Learning Styles category,

Extroverted was 15.98 (SD= 3.716) more than

Introverted learning style wit mean score of 15.27

(SD= 2.986). For the Cognitive Learning Styles

category, the particular style was 13.48 (SD= 2.799)

more cited by students than Global style was 13.02

(SD= 2.997), field independent style was 7.31, field

dependent style was 7.08 (SD= 1.591), reflective

style was 9.11 (SD= 2.361), and the learning style

,the lowest mean score was Impulsive style of

6.85(SD= 2.171) (see Table 7).

Table 7: The description of students’ English language

learning styles for each category.

Sub-Cate

N Min Max Means SD

Visual 07 13 37 25,49 4,573

Auditor

107 6 35 22,49 5,173

Kinaesthetic 107 5 33 20,77 5,251

Inde

endent 107 0 12 7,31 2,246

Dependent 107 3 11 7,08 1,591

Global 107 3 20 13,02 2,997

Particula

107 3 20 13,48 2,799

ulsive 107 0 12 6,85 2,171

Reflective 107 2 12 9,11 2,361

Extroverte

107 1 24 15,98 3,716

Introverte

107 3 21 15,27 2,989

Valid N 107

3.5.4 Students’ English Achievement

The scores of students’ English achievement were

obtained from the scores of their English final

scores. The lowest score of the students’ English

achievement was 28, and the highest was 99. Then,

total mean scores of their English achievement was

80.84 with the standard deviation was (10.56) (see

Table 8).

Table 8: Students’ English achievement scores.

English

Achievement

N Min Max Means SD

107 28 99 80.84 10.56

As shown in Table 9, there were 68 (63.6%)

students in the Very Good category, 27 (25.2%)

students were in a Good category, 11 (10.3%)

students were in the Fair category and 1 (0.9%)

student was in Poor category

Table 9: The distribution of English achievement based on

each category.

Score Interval Frequenc

Percenta

e (%)

Ver

Good

(

80-100

)

68 63.6

Good (70-79) 27 25.2

Fair

(

57-69

)

11 10.3

Poor (40-56) 1 0.9

Ver

Poor

(

< 40

)

0 0

Total 107 100

(Source: STMIK MDP Palembang academic year

of 2017/2018)

3.6 Discussion

According to the results of the study, in general,

there were very weak correlations among anxiety,

styles, attitudes, and English achievement, and they

were not significant. For foreign language anxiety

had a negative, very weak, and insignificant

correlation with English achievement. The negative

correlation indicates that the more anxious the

students showed lower English achievement scores.

However, the correlation was not significant

between English language learning anxiety and

English achievement. Indeed, the students

experienced foreign language anxiety, but it did not

significantly influence their English achievement.

In addition, based on the descriptive analysis, it

revealed that students experienced communication

apprehension since they experienced unconfident in

speaking English, felt afraid to speak English

without preparation, and felt confused when they did

not know what the teacher said. It also showed that

students did not possess a fear of negative evaluation

SULE-IC 2018 - 3rd Sriwijaya University International Conference on Learning and Education

from their friends, but they had such negative feeling

towards their teacher. The students thought that

English class runs fast so they concern left behind.

In addition, test anxiety was also experienced by the

students since they were not relaxed to have an

English test and were worried that they would fail in

English class. However, they would feel ease to

have the test if they had prepared for it well. It

confirms what Alemi (2011) found that a lack of

preparation is one of the reasons for test anxiety.

Meanwhile, the English classroom anxiety was not

possessed by the students. Although they were

interested in English class, they still thought that

learning English was difficult, felt anxious and

pressured when they had to prepare everything in

English class.

The learning styles in studying English had a

very weak correlation with English achievement.

Learning styles preferences did not correlate with

learners’ language achievement (Mehrpour and

Motlagh, 2015). Ignoring learning style preferences

in classrooms particularly by the teachers might be a

reason for the lack of significant relationships

between learning styles and language achievement.

Auditory and kinesthetic learning styles were

shown to have significant correlations with English

achievement. Related to the descriptive analysis, the

sensory styles in learning were the most perceived

learning styles by the students. It supports a

statement that the visual style students learn best by

seeing information, easily recall printed information

in visualization skills and have strong visual-spatial

skills involving sizes, shapes, textures, angles

(Wang, 2007).

Meanwhile, two type of cognitive and personal

learning styles, impulsive cognitive style and

extroverted personality style had correlations with

English achievement.The impulsive learners, who

are acting without much forethought, are

spontaneous, are taking more risks in everyday

activities, and are quick deciders in uncertain

circumstances, had a significant correlation with

English achievement.

However, the descriptive analysis showed that

the most dominant cognitive learning style preferred

by the students in term of how they receive the

information was analytic learning style. Thus, it

describes about analytic learners preferring details

together to form an understanding, step-by-step

manner, focus on details logically, individually on

activity sheets, and learn best in sequential steps;

structured and teacher-directed; clear goals; and

requirements are presented.

The result from English language learning

attitudes showed weak and not significant

correlation between English language learning

attitudes and English achievement. It means that the

attitudes towards learning English, both positive and

negative, had a very weak correlation with their

English achievement, and it did not significantly

influence the English achievement. The students in

this study might have a tendency to feel comfortable

in developing new cultural and language tendencies,

were categorized quite emphatic learners, were

probably willing to mimic native speaker of the

target language and might have sufficient confidence

in their language learning abilities. The students

were to be process-oriented, had tolerance for errors,

liked to try out new things, tended to use more

complex structures in their production, tended to

accept more errors, and had a tendency to be less

accurate in their productive skills. Similarly, the

students' inhibition was at the average level which

means that the problems that prevented them to learn

English did exist. The characteristics of learners

with high inhibition, the students in this study, they

might have fear of making mistakes, they did

probably not understand the learning styles of

making mistakes as the norm of learning, and they

might probably not receive the practice necessary to

reach linguistic fluency.

4 CONCLUSIONS

It can be concluded that first, anxiety, styles, and

attitudes of English language learning had very weak

and insignificant correlations with students’ English

achievement. Nonetheless, every type of the three

variables did have a significant correlation with

English achievement. Communication apprehension

had a significant correlation with English

achievement.

Second, from the results showed that the

students’ preferences language learning styles were

the sensory learning styles, which means that most

students preferred to learn English throfugh things

that related with the physical environment and

involved using their senses. Then, the results also

showed that the extroverted and impulsive learning

styles had a significant correlation although it was

very weak. Additionally, even though the correlation

between students’ attitudes in language learning and

their achievement was not significant, their ego

permeability did have a significant correlation with

English achievement. It implies that students with

high language ego permeability might not feel their

The Correlations among English Language Learning Anxiety, Attitudes, Styles and English Achievement of the Informatics and Computer

Science Students

native language is threatened by learning English,

and they were likely to have better English

achievement.

It should be considered that the students learn

with different ways, so it is very necessary for the

lecturers or teachers to consider the teaching

methods best suitable with how the students can

learn best.

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SULE-IC 2018 - 3rd Sriwijaya University International Conference on Learning and Education