THE IMPACT OF REGIONAL DIFFERENCES ON ENGLISH LANGAUGE LEARNING EXPERIENCES AMONGST STUDENTS FROM CHINA

摘要

Language learning anxiety has been of interest to language educators for more than two decades and research on this psychological construct has been increasing. This research indicates that learners experience a kind of psychological apprehension, which, at times can be damaging to the learning process. While this psychological apprehension has been investigated, how this apprehension is experienced by learners to whom English is both a foreign and second language has not been adequately documented in transnational locations. The paper examines the learning experiences of students from the People's Republic of China (PRC) at the transnational location of the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU). Using both qualitative and quantitative data collection amongst a sample of 109 PRC students, the research raises questions relating to their anxiety in learning in English and their provincial origins in China. The possible sources of anxiety in learning subjects through the English language are discussed for pedagogical implications