ANXIETY ABOUT L2 READING OR L2 READING TASKS? A STUDY WITH ADVANCED LANGUAGE LEARNERS

__________ The role of anxiety has primarily been examined at the introductory levels in oral, communicative situations (Saito, Horwitz, & Garza, 1999), however the role of affect in L2 reading is yet to be fully understood (Bernhardt, 2003). With 92 university students enrolled in an advanced level Spanish grammar and composition course, the present study addresses whether the following exists: (1) anxiety about L2 reading as a separate phenomenon from other language skills, (2) anxiety about performance variables involved after L2 reading: oral and written tasks, and (3) a relationship between reading anxiety and comprehension. Results indicate that at the advanced level of language instruction learners generally do not feel anxious about reading in a second language. Students reported being most anxious about speaking, then writing, and equally anxious (low) about listening and reading. Finally, learners were more anxious about post-L2 reading tasks (both oral and written) then the act of reading itself, and they were more anxious about post-oral than post-written tasks. Students feel less anxious about reading when immediate communication apprehension is not a concern. No positive or negative correlations were found among anxiety factors and both written comprehension tasks. The present study attempts to provide initial empirical evidence to substantiate Bernhardt’s (2000; 2003) L2 reading model by beginning to explain the transient variable, anxiety, with more proficient L2 learners. Future investigations should examine anxiety and reading across stages of acquisition and utilize data collection instruments that include both written questionnaires and oral interviews (Frantzen & Magnan, 2005). Anxiety about reading at the advanced level may not be a function of reading itself, but rather a function of oral or written reading comprehension tasks. ________________ Relying on Goodman’s (1967) theory of L1 reading, Coady (1979) developed an interactive model of L2 reading that suggests that the ability and resources of the L1 reader may enhance or hinder the comprehension process. Coady includes both text-based and reader-based factors in his model. Bernhardt’s interactive (2000; 2003) model of L2 reading is the first to address the heterogeneity of L2 readers. Bernhardt posits that 50% of L2 reading is accounted for by L1 literacy and L2 proficiency, and that more research is needed to examine the 50% of variance that remains unexplained. More specifically, she states that the... “role of affect in L2 reading is yet to be understood” (p. 805). Bernhardt’s model is the first L2 reading model that directly attempts to explain transient variables, such as affect, in the L2 reading process. Furthermore, Bernhardt’s model explains the importance of L2 proficiency level or instructional level in the reading process. In her model, as proficiency develops over time, the rate of errors

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