The telecollaborative foreign language anxiety scale: detecting students' affective barriers in virtual exchanges [TAPP-Virtual exchange]

Abstract

Globalisation and mobility have created new cultural, social and working scenarios which demand wider academic and professional skills. Taking advantage of the synergy of technology and pedagogy, Virtual Exchanges (VEs) provide learners with an adequate context for real-world intercultural learning. In VEs mediated by videoconference, students interact synchronously, close to face-to-face experiences, boosting communicative, interpersonal and intercultural skills development. However, foreign language and intercultural communication can also turn into negative forces for some learners and become a source of discomfort. In this regard, Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA), has been one of the most studied and damaging emotions in multilingual and multicultural contexts. This dysphoric anxiety is suffered by at least two-thirds of foreign language learners and users (Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope, 1986; Trang, Baldauf and Moni, 2013). However, there was no available tool to detect the sources and explore the effects of FLA in VE interactions. As a result, the Telecollaborative Foreign Language Anxiety scale, the T-FLAS - A 21-item questionnaire - was developed and validated, showing a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.96). In this article, the foundation, development and validation of the T-FLAS is explained, as well as the results obtained with the tool in three subsequent VE projects. The aim is to share with researchers and practitioners the first insights on FLA in VE settings using the scale.