Abstract—The purpose of this study is to explore the usefulness of computer conferencing for reducing foreign language anxiety, which could be triggered in foreign language learning and communication. Thirty-five learners of English in Japan participated in three collaborative learning sessions through computer conferencing. To each group, one Filipino teacher and four to five Japanese students were randomly assigned in every session. Before and after the group learning sessions of English, a thirty-nine item questionnaire was administered twice, to assess foreign language anxiety of the participants. Results show that the percentage of respondents who disagreed to anxiety statements increased after the learning sessions. The results of this study suggest that collaborative learning sessions using computer conferencing can be effective in alleviating learners’ foreign language anxiety.
Index Terms—Anxiety, collaborative learning, computer conferencing, English as a foreign language.
The authors are with Bunkyo University, Kanagawa, Japan (e-mail: toyama3@shonan.bunkyo.ac.jp, morik@shonan.bunkyo.ac.jp).
Cite: Michiko Toyama and Kazumasa Mori, "Reducing Student Anxiety: The Effects of Collaborative Learning through Computer Conferencing," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 7, no. 12, pp. 905-908, 2017.