The Effect of Second Language Anxiety on English Learning Achievement of International Second Language Learners: A Quantitative Study Based on International Chinese Students in University Sains Malaysia

Abstract

With the application of positive psychology to second language acquisition research, second language acquisition emotion has become a hot spot of second language research. Moreover, anxiety, as one of the important research contents of second language acquisition emotion, is worthy of scholars’ in-depth discussion and research. This study explored the relationship between second language acquisition anxiety and English learning performance among international students. Accordingly, this study collected 194 questionnaires and analyzed the data through SPSS, targeting undergraduate students from the School of Languages and the School of Education of University Sains Malaysia. The findings showed that second language acquisition anxiety directly affected students’ second language acquisition performance. The study found that students’ second language acquisition anxiety negatively affects their’ second language acquisition achievement. Finally, reflections were made on this study to identify its shortcomings, such as that second language acquisition emotions do not occur singularly and change dynamically. This study enriches the knowledge and understanding of second language acquisition for International Chinese students, providing useful reference suggestions for effective learning strategies.